Now that I got your attention, you are likely wondering, "What is the 'B' word"? That would be
budget! I'm not going to talk about all the different areas of financial planning, but I do want to take a little time to talk about the food budget. First of all, I am no expert when it comes to
saving money on food. There are a number of great blogs that focus on sales, coupons, and getting the most for your money, that have far better tips and insights into saving money on food. Please feel free to share your favorite websites and tips below!
One thing that I always tell my students (Yes, I teach a foods class at a local high school), is that purchasing food is always a
balance between money, time & energy! In general I don't purchase a lot of prepackaged convenience foods because I enjoy cooking and controlling the food that I am preparing. Here is a great example of how I saved money and made my own convenience food.
Last week I purchased a 10 pound bag of potatoes. They were on sale for less than $3 a bag! So, last Saturday I peeled a majority of the potatoes, cooked them up, mashed them, and froze four containers for another time. I saved a lot of money compared to purchasing a small container of frozen pre-made potatoes, but I also spent a lot of time in the process. However, I would also have to note that my family likes the taste of the homemade mashed potatoes better than the instant ones from the store, and that makes the time & energy worth it for me.
So, my questions for you:
1. What is your favorite blog for learning great tips on how to save money?
2. What has been your experiences when it comes to balancing money, time and energy?
3. What would you do with a 10 pound bag of potatoes?
3 comments:
Kim, my favorite site for tips on saving money is www.hip2save.com. Collin has everything you could ever dream of laid out for matching up coupons...
I just did the same thing with the $2.99 10# bag of potatoes last week ~ funny how they were the same price as the 5# bag. I made a bunch of garlic smashed potatoes then froze most of them in small containers. My husband is Hawaiian so he wants white sticky rice with every meal; having the potatoes on hand makes for quick variety.
a hui hou - Shelly
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam is a great blog. Have you seen that one?
Hi, Kim! Wanted to pop in and say hi to you :)
Sandy
A great money-saver, that is also kind to yourself in the long run (easy and not too much time), is to soak and cook a large amount of dried beans when you want some for a recipe in the next day or so. Then freeze all the beans you don't need for the recipe in ice cube trays. Once frozen, you can pop them out and keep them in a ziplock in the freezer. That way they can easily be added to recipes (much more easily than if you froze them in a large container). I love to do this even just to avoid the BPA in the cans.
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