Thursday, January 23, 2014

How I Save Money on Food

Hey!

I feel like it's been forever since I just sat down at my computer and chatted with you.  I also never post at night, but here I go.  I just finished dinner - Thai Peanut Noodle Stir Fry.  I'm going to relate everything I share with you tonight on how I save money on food.

I love food so much.  I'm sure you know that about me.  I love food that makes me feel good, so for me, that means sticking to a plant-based diet.  Dinner tonight was incredible and honestly better than something I'd get at a restaurant, and even better, it was way cheaper than going to a restaurant.  

Rice Noodles - approximately $3 (bag serves 4)
Broccoli (frozen) - $1 for the bag (serves 2)
Tofu - $2 for the block (serves 2)
Thai Peanut Noodle Sauce - $3 (serves 2)


So basically this meal cost less than $5 and it's nutritious and delicious!  The splurge for this meal was this store bought sauce - I could have made it myself - but it's just so good.  I try to buy as much fresh produce as possible, but broccoli is one of those veggies we keep bags (and bags) of in the freezer.  It makes for a super quick stir fry and I really I don't taste a difference.  Great way to save a bit of money.


Another thing that is crucial for me is bringing lunch to work.  It is ridiculously easy to spend a small fortune each week if I don't plan out lunches.  Most often I bring leftovers from dinner the night before, but not always.  This lunch consisted of a PB&J on Ezekiel 4:9 bread, organic apple sauce and fruit cup, Amy's lentil soup, and a massive salad.  Definitely plenty to keep me full. 

I could easily spend $10/day if I went out to lunch every day.  That's not to say I never go out, but I try to bring lunch most of the time.  I'd rather save my money for going out to eat on the weekends.


My husband and I LOVE dessert.  It's also tough to find vegan desserts out so that means dessert at home more than not.  And plus dessert out is pricey - sometimes costs 1/2 the price of the meal itself if we both order dessert.  But if we make it at home, that's way more brownies, way more ice cream, plus the fun of putting it all together.  

Also, I love to bake so for me dessert at home is really in my favor.  Save money and make something spectacular.


Complete side note - I forgot to share with you my birthday cupcakes from my BFF!  They were (because yes I ate them all) gluten-free, vegan, and Mocha Chocolate flavored.  Heaven.  I saved money here because they were a gift - ha! 

A few more tips for saving money when shopping for food:

1. Buy only the food you need.  This is such a tough one because I always find something I want.  And I go for it many times, but if I'm really sticking to a budget, then I stick to buying for what's on the menu for the week.

2. Vegan on the Cheap - great book!  

3. Eat your leftovers!

4. Eat more brown rice (throwing some Macrobiotics at your here) because it's nutritious and cheap.

5. Grow your own veggies (if possible) - Right now we are growing tomatoes, kale, and squash.  

It feels really good to use all the food in my fridge without being wasteful.  I absolutely hate when I have to throw food out.  My dogs are very considerate though and they always offer to eat leftovers as well.

Hope you have a great weekend ahead!

Also, you must check out this giveaway - jump over here!  Hidden Fruits and Veggies is an amazing blog with tons of delicious recipes, and right now is hosting a fantastic giveaway.  I mean it, you really should go see for yourself...

How do you save money on food?

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing my giveaway :) When you instagramed that dinner, I seriously thought you were at a restaurant. Looks SO good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can you come budget my life?!? I fortunately have the benefit of living in my parents home so they're a godsend when it comes to saving money on food. But in 1 week I'm out and I need to start paying attention to what I spend my money on. Meanwhile my boyfriend is scheming ways to buy a yacht...oh geeze!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are definitely all good tips. Luckily for me, in the area where I live there are lot of good grocery stores with natural foods nearby and I can save by shopping several different places. Even the Costco has items like chia seeds, almond flour, and hemp hearts which would be more expensive elsewhere. And my food co-op has good prices on bulk foods and spices. This is in the Seattle area, which I find has better natural grocery availability than anywhere else that I've seen. One of my tips is to cook a big pot of beans over the weekend and use it during the week as part of several dinners. Chickpeas are a favorite for us and can go in soups, salads, and hummus.

    ReplyDelete