| Trying to feed your family while on a tight budget | | | | and drink milk (no juice!). For lunches we eat |
| can be a time-consuming and difficult task, but it | | | | left-overs or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with |
| doesn't have to be. Eating on the cheap doesn't | | | | seasonal fruit or carrots. Snacks are usually fruit, |
| mean giving up great taste or things that you love, it | | | | carrots or bread with peanut butter or goodies I've |
| just means planning ahead and using what you have. | | | | made myself. After dinner we like to have a treat of |
| With these simple tips you can feed your family well | | | | ice cream, so that is my family's splurge. You should |
| on less than forty dollars a week. | | | | make sure you plan a splurge into your menu. |
| First, make a list of all the foods your family likes; | | | | When I plan, I start with the things I have on hand |
| include prepared dishes like macaroni and cheese as | | | | and build around those. I also noted that chicken was |
| well as single items like ham. This will help you plan | | | | on sale at the local grocery store, so I bought a |
| meals that incorporate several of the same | | | | several pounds - again, some I will freeze and save, |
| ingredients without feeding your family the same dish | | | | and the rest I will use this week. In the shopping list |
| over and over again. Add to the list things you'd like | | | | at the bottom, I've only noted the amount of |
| to try. | | | | chicken I used this week, not the total amount I |
| Next, make a list of what you actually have on-hand, | | | | purchased. I always try to take advantage of sales |
| and make sure you note what you've had forever | | | | on meat. |
| that hasn't been eaten. If you have a lot of junk | | | | To begin the week, I'll make simple grilled chicken |
| food, you have a lot of empty calories that aren't | | | | either on the grill or in a cast-iron skillet on the stove. |
| feeding your family very well and cost a lot of | | | | Season this with garlic, butter and basil, and serve |
| money. By noting what you have that hasn't been | | | | with a side of rice and a simple tossed salad and |
| used, you know what to avoid (if it was something | | | | some grapes. The salad will re-appear throughout the |
| your family didn't like) or maybe you need to find a | | | | week, as will the grapes. I'll make spaghetti with |
| recipe that uses that item. For example, I had | | | | meat sauce for Tuesday night. Using ΒΌ pound of |
| garbanzo beans that I had no idea what to do with. I | | | | hamburger I'll make my own sauce from tomato |
| found a simple recipe for hummus, a healthy | | | | paste and any seasonable veggies in my garden. I'll |
| middle-eastern dip that goes well with bread, | | | | serve the spaghetti with steamed broccoli and |
| crackers and even veggies, and my family loves it! I | | | | grapes or cantaloupe. While the sauce and noodles |
| use it as a snack, or to serve with "salad" dinners on | | | | are cooking, I will assemble Wednesday night's dinner, |
| nights when it is too hot to cook. | | | | as it is a late day for me. Using my broccoli, |
| This will help you begin to build a basic pantry, which | | | | cauliflower, cheese, bacon bits, grapes, ranch dressing |
| can be a huge money-saving tool. I always have | | | | and left over chicken, I'll made a salad for the next |
| shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) frozen in | | | | night. The salad doesn't need to be served with |
| week-sized packages, rice, bacon bits (which you can | | | | anything, but you could serve bread and butter. |
| home-make and freeze for later), ranch salad | | | | Thursday night I'll make chicken cacciatore using |
| dressing, vinegar, cooking oil and basic spices (basil, | | | | more of the pasta sauce from Tuesday and the |
| garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, cinnamon, chili powder | | | | green pepper. Serve this over rice and with the |
| and dried onion) and condiments (ketchup, mustard, | | | | tossed salad and whatever fruit you like. Friday night |
| vinegar, barbeque sauce and red cooking wine. You | | | | is another busy one, so we eat left-overs this night. |
| will want to build a basic pantry around things you | | | | Saturday we'll have the rest of the chicken over |
| eat often and learn how to incorporate those things | | | | noodles in a sauce made of milk, flour, basil, garlic and |
| into your weekly planning. Do this slowly, as you do | | | | butter with steamed broccoli. Sunday I'll use the rest |
| not want to stress your budget. Many of these | | | | of the hamburger to make a meatloaf topped with |
| things can be bought in bulk and put into smaller | | | | more of my sauce made on Monday. |
| packages or you can grow your own in a small | | | | Shopping List |
| garden or several pots on a patio. | | | | 3 pounds of chicken $6.44 |
| Once you know what you already have, sit down | | | | 1 small can of tomato paste $ .56bag salad or lettuce |
| with a calendar and see what kind of time you'll have | | | | $2.23carrots $2.39green pepper $ .75red seedless |
| to prepare your meals. In general, cooking things | | | | grapes $1.46cantaloupe $ .85bananas $ .88small head |
| yourself will be less expensive than if you purchase | | | | of broccoli $1.15small head of cauliflower $1.23 |
| pre-packaged items. It is possible to incorporate | | | | 1 pound hamburger (chuck) $2.76milk (2 gallons) |
| some items like these into your budget, or you can | | | | $5.14wheat bread (2 loaves) $1.56 |
| cook double amounts and freeze portions for quick, | | | | Cereal $2.35 |
| healthy home-cooked meals on a dime. Plan your | | | | Ice cream $4.67 |
| meals according to the time you and your family will | | | | Total $33.56 |
| have. Include in this planning some time to make | | | | This article was written by Jacob Mabille, sponsored |
| extras for days when time will be tight. My children | | | | by Health Guidance. |
| eat cereal, oatmeal or eggs and toast for breakfast | | | | |