The MomSpeak

With grocery prices at record levels, we’re all looking for ways to save money on our food bills. With just a little bit of forethought and common sense, you can lower your grocery budget while still eating well. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Plan your meals. This one’s obvious, but may feel overwhelming if you’re not one who likes to cook (or plan). Any meal planning you can do — even if it’s for three dinners during the week — will help you buy only what you need, and, in the process, save you money. You can also build in time to defrost meats you’ve purchased on sale or cook dried beans (rather than having to buy more expensive canned beans). Another option: sign up for a meal-planning service such as savingdinner.com or thescramble.com. For a subscription fee, you’ll get meal plans and grocery lists emailed to you each week.

Post a list. Let your family help track what has run out, what needs replacing, and what foods are favorites. You’ll save money by buying food that will actually get eaten. Important rule: you have veto power over what gets purchased (yogurt: yes. Cocoa Puffs: no.).

Raid your pantry. If you’re like me, you stock up on staples and canned foods, and then forget about them once they’re tucked away in the pantry. Resolve to use up what you have before you buy more. It can be a gradual process; go to your pantry right now, take out one item, and resolve to cook a meal using that item this week.

Same goes for the fridge and freezer. Use up frozen vegetables in soup (pureed if that makes them goes down easier for the kids). Defrost and poach that frozen chicken and make some enchiladas or a chicken salad.

Bring reusable grocery totes. Win-win-win: easier on the planet, easier to carry, and you may get a few cents off of your grocery bill. Chances are you’ve already got bags sitting around the house which will work just fine. (I seem to have amassed a collection of canvas totes given away at conferences.) If not, most grocery stores sell the bags cheaply.

Bring a cup measure to the bulk bins. I always overbuy at the bulk bins because I have trouble eyeballing “two cups of bulgur.” Measure two cups of bulgur at the store — you’ll avoid waste and you won’t have to re-measure at home when you start cooking.

Buy bulk spices. You’ll save a bunch of money if you bypass the bottled spices. In fact, for seldom-used spices, shop with your teaspoon in hand and only buy what you need for the recipe you’re using.

Buy small amounts of cheeses, vegetables and fruits from the salad or deli bar. If the recipe calls for a half-cup of feta cheese, why buy an entire pound?

Store baked goods in the freezer. Bread tastes fresher and keeps longer when stored in the freezer. I make lunchbox sandwiches on still-frozen bread, and by the time lunch rolls around, the thawed bread is soft and fresh. Works well for sliced bagels (toast them while frozen), cookies (already-baked, or pre-portioned cookie dough), and most other baked goods.

Eat simpler foods. Not every meal has to be gourmet, nor does every breakfast have to start with $4-per box packaged cereal. How about a once-a-week breakfast of oatmeal (from the bulk bin, not the Quaker box)? Or a once-a-week dinner of rice and beans (dried and cooked, not canned)? You’ll save money and support your health at the same time. It’s also a great way to educate your kids about the basic foods the majority of people in the world eat every day.

by Asha Dornfest, Parent Hacks