Saving Money... In the Kitchen!

I'd thought I'd share some of my tips for saving money.

As many of you know, I am blessed to be a stay at home mother. I love every.single.day of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything, not a fancy new car, or to buy a new home, or to wear fancy clothes and eat expensive food (I get heartburn easily, so the joy would probably be short lived, anyway). So, all that said, my DH is the only income earner in the family (I have 0 creative skills, so selling things made with my hands is probably out of the picture). My DH does not make a lot of money, probably not as much as you'd think. You don't have to to bring in X amount of dollars every year to be able to afford to stay at home. I think every family could afford to have mom stay home, but I don't think their lifestyles can afford it (except maybe in special circumstances).

So here are a few of my tips for saving money in the kitchen:
1. menus. Make one every week (or however long you go between grocery shopping trips)

2. when you make your menu, shop your pantry (and refrigerator) first. Do you extras? Use it.

3. cook from scratch. If it comes in a box, don't buy it. (Exception, for me is pasta. I do not make my own pasta. I could, but I don't)

4. learn to use coupons wisely. I won't buy Hamburger Helper just because I have a coupon for $.55 off. I am not, however, brand loyal. I don't care if that can of diced tomatoes says Del Monte or Hunts. If it is cheaper that than the store brand, I'll buy it.

5. don't be afraid of store brands. Try them. Some things are comparable to the name brand, others are nasty. You are going to have to figure this one out on your own. I will let you in on a secret though. Buy store brand milk. It is filled with the same exact milk as the name brand.

6. make a grocery list (from your menu) and stick to it! Try to get everything you need in one trip. The more often you go to the store, the more $$ you'll spend.

7. when buying in bulk, check your price per unit. Sometimes it is not worth it.

8. learn to cook with meat as an ingredient, not the main attraction. Soups and casseroles are easy, filling, and an inexpensive way to make meat stretch (this is great for when you have company over)

9. keep a price notebook for each grocery store you shop at with the average price per unit of the things you buy regularly.

10. keep your kitchen clean. This probably should be #1. You will not want to cook in a messy or dirty kitchen. You will not want to cook if you have to, first, clean a messy or dirty kitchen.

I have tons more tips for saving money, and I'll be back to post them later. Share some of your tips :)