Save Money: 10 Minute Meal for only $5
In efforts to reduce our consumption of meat and reduce our grocery bill, I am looking for vegetarian recipes that are quick, easy and affordable. I try to cook a vegetarian meal once a week and my family does not like beans as much as I do, so I needed to come up with some new recipes.
Last month I was shopping in the frozen section at Aldi and decided to buy frozen cheese ravioli. I purchased it because I remembered my daycare provider mentioning that it was one of her favorite meals because it is quick and cheap. She is married and a mother of four boys and is always looking for a hearty meal that ways to save money. So it bought the ravioli, a jar of spaghetti sauce and a bag of frozen veggies. Before tax, I only spent $5.
This meal literally took 10 minutes to prepare; I boiled the ravioli and veggies at the same time, while seasoning my sauce. After 10 minutes, the ravioli and veggies were ready, I poured the sauce over the ravioli and we were sitting down to eat. This meal will definitely be added to my monthly meal planning rotation.
I love this meal because it is kid-friendly, its quick and delicious and because everything is frozen. Because I do my grocery shopping once a month, I have to plan my meals according to freshness of meat and veggies, which means this meal can be prepared at any time.
I am sure everybody in the world is familiar with this meal and I am probably the last person on the planet to cook it, but I just in case I am not, I wanted to share my new favorite recipe.
3 Steps to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill
Over the years I have be forced to learn how to save money on my grocery bill. When I got married I began using a budget expense sheet and looked back at old statements to see how much I was spending on groceries. I was spending about $500 and as our family grew we had to cut cost and grocery shopping was on the chopping block. I reduced our grocery expense to $400 and had to figure out how to stay within my budget. I have found that the most effective ways to reduce my grocery bill is through meal planning shopping the sales ad, and using coupons.
1. Shop the sales ad:
Everybody has their favorite grocery store(s) and every store has a sales ad, so before you head out the door you must look at the sales ads!! I shop Meijer, Kroger (Food for Less) and Aldi. Their sales ads come out Wednesday and start Thursday. I review all ads and if needed create a shopping list for each store. In order to save money you have to be flexible and know that no one store will have all the best deals and you will need to visit multiple stores. You might think this will take up even more time, but if you have a list, I guarantee it won’t. However, I understand it is more convenient to shop at one store, especially if you have children, so try to plan your shopping trips when the children are at home or at school. REMINDER: At least ½ of the items you buy should be on sale. AND if it is a great sale, clean out the shelf. You will always need paper products, meats and vegetables, so stocking up when prices are low could be cost-effective. Buy wholesale portions and store them or freeze them for later use (like chicken and corn).
2. Meal Planning:
We already don’t have enough time in the day and running to grocery store several times a week eats away at valuable time and money. The solution is the take that extra time running to store and use it for meal planning. At first it will seem to take more time than you are willing to give, but the reward is saving money and time.
To start meal planning you can use a printable menu planner or check out Meijer’s cool mealbox widget that does everything for you. You search through there collection of recipes and it will automatically generate your shopping list. You can also customize the list by adding and deleting items. I discovered this little gadget earlier this year and love it. Even if there isn’t a Meijer in your area, you can still use it to plan your meals. For more on meal planning click here.
This part is cut and dry. Check out your local newspaper or Sunday paper for coupons, then get on the computer and go to www.coupons.com and get your printable coupons. DONE!!
Once you put these 3 easy steps into action, you will start saving money on your grocery bill. Soon it will become like a game and you will do the ‘happy dance’ when you see that you just saved $35!!