Money saving tips

I found when I first started my grocery bill seemed hug but then I was only shopping once a week now instead of 3-4 times so less opportunity for extras to get thrown in so while it seem higher it probably wasnt.

Repeat meals frequently so if you have to buy breadcrumbs for just one dish you use it (probably not a great example but you get the idea).

My biggest saver is doing a cookup, yes its expensive to begin with but you can get so many meals. I bought a stack of takeaway containers and will cook a large spaghetti/stew/curry and freeze the left overs. If the recipe calls for steam side veg I put the fresh veg in without steaming and freeze. Then I have heaps of quick meals to grab and it saves me heaps in buying lunch or takeaway cause no one wants to cook. Plus that way you use up that specific ingredient you purchased but you arent stuck eating the same meal 3 days in a row.

If you dont want to do a big cookup, then cook 1-2 extra serving each time you cook and freeze those soon you will get a nice stash of meals. We did a couple of extra large meals over a few days last week and I ended up with 16 frozen meals which I mostly take for lunches. Next week we can cook up different stuff and it will add to my selection. Or if I have a week where I dont have much cash due to an unexpected bill/expense then I can scrimp on the shopping and use some of my stockpile.

Frozen instead of fresh meats and vegetables is the biggest one for me. Around here, fresh chicken breast is like $6/lb. A 2.5lb bag of frozen breasts is like $7, and they taste just as good. Same with vegetables. frozen veggies are usually only $1/lb and conveniently cut up and ready to cook.

I also shop sales like crazy. My boyfriend works in retail, so he knows when all the good sales are and we stock up. Like, if meat is about to go past it's sell by and they slap the 50% off sticker on it, we buy a ton of it.

I find it much more expensive in general to get my healthy calories, especially since I am doing low carb, so I have basically developed a mentality that if it's not on sale, I don't buy it.

When I did tons of meal prep I'd make a week's worth of chicken, broccoli and rice. Delicious, nutritious and cheap. I think it worked out to $2.83/meal.

I have a house hold of four. I make chicken tacos extremly inexpensive, tossed salad with a slice of chicken on top, mixed veggies, veggie chili. I feed my family of four on 115 a week. Look on pinterest they have awesome budgeting plans.

Always look out for the end of day offers for meat, veggies try frozen or canned - less waste. Pastas, rice , legumes as your bulk staples.
Value ranges in supermarkets , use those coupons or if you get money back vouchers / points off shopping.
Planning ahead is key, work out menus and what things you like. For instance roasting a whole chicken can be several meals for later in the week from a roast to stews/ curries/ pasta bake/ soup by just adding in veggies and grains to bulk out.
Buying own brand items can also save money
Check out Pinterest for ideas on meal prepping and recipies
Good luck x

oats are a clean carb, they're very good for you and they can be had super cheap. i sweeten mine with stevia, but you don't have to sweeten it at all. you can make it with non-fat milk for protein. barley is also a great carb - tons of fiber, nice chewiness. you'll find it with the dried beans, and the beans and barley are quite cheap, filling and last for a long time so you won't throw any away.

i made bean soup with onion, celery, beans and carrots plus just a little olive oil. you can easily make several days worth on the stove or in the crock pot. with the right seasonings, it can be quite tasty, and it can be adjusted to be pretty low in sodium easily. i actually put a little parmesan cheese in mine.

Chicken is usually my go-to meat for protein and price. Frozen chicken and fish are pretty decently priced.

Eggs in some form for dinner once or twice a week can save a lot of money. Frittatas are how I usually eat them, but recipes like shakshuka or veggie stir-fry work too.

I would also suggest making a bean-based meal at least once a week because they are so cheap and canned beans are very easy.

Soups are definitely a budget-friendly meal and give you a chance to add cheaper frozen or canned veggies because they usually cook long enough that fresh isn't necessary.

As a side I love a huge wedge of iceberg lettuce with my favorite blue cheese dressing (not too much dressing...). It's really filling and iceberg is super cheap. Corn salsa, cucumber and onion salad, and roasted carrots are also pretty cheap and low calorie.

Oatmeal for breakfast is really inexpensive and filling. Old fashioned (rolled) oats don't take too long to cook.

While bananas have pretty high calories for a fruit, they're really cheap and reasonably filling if you want something sweet and are trying not to indulge too much in desserts. Frozen berries can save loads over fresh ones.

You can buy a lot of spices in the "ethnic foods" sections of grocery stores and you can usually get more for a cheaper price.

Avoid buying drinks. Save calories and money by drinking water, coffee or tea you make yourself.

Dairy is usually relatively expensive, so buy only what you need and make it count! Some things can be replaced with cheaper alternatives. Oil can usually sub for butter. Recipes that include sour cream may be ok with yogurt or buttermilk, cottage cheese might work for ricotta, etc.

You'll get the hang of it really fast once you have a few trusty recipes. Good luck!

Google budget recipes and you will find tons - actually, someone on this board has posted a couple of times about a website called (I think) budget bites or bytes or something like that - maybe someone else can remember and post it for you.

My strategy is the same as others - there is only two of us, but I still make recipes for 8 or 6 people and freeze the leftovers for nites when I cannot bear another task or make another decision!

I have oatmeal for breakfast every morning. A big tub runs about $3, and it lasts a while. I do not buy cereal unless it's on sale for $2/box.
I buy extra berries while they're in season, then freeze them and use them over the winter. This is a huge savings, as a carton of berries are $2 in season but $5 out of season.
We also freeze leftovers that we don't think we'll eat before they go bad. Then we pull them out a few weeks or a month later, and you also don't have to cook anything that night!