Saving Money Like a Boss #1

Catholic dads, and Catholic men in general, need to be good stewards of the finances entrusted to us. Part of a good budget for families and individuals is a grocery budget.

I have mentioned coupons before, and I will do a detailed coupon strategy later. Today, we are going to plan meals. It isn’t difficult, especially if you are used to doing the grocering (Pick this up as a responsibility in your household) you already know what ingredients go into most of what you eat. As you will see, a little work on the front end will pay dividends later.

How many times have you come home from work, stood in front of the fridge, and said to yourself, “What can we eat tonight?” You aren’t sure what is in the pantry, and all the meat is frozen solid.

“Baby, let’s order some pizza!”

Man, I love me some pizza, but in a month’s time we can squander a lot of money on eating out. The better solution is to plan our meals so 1.) We know what is in our food supply and 2.) We have options for budget-friendly meals so we aren’t wasting our cash!

What is our friendly Catholic super man supposed to do?

1. Make a meal list of all the things you like to eat. Include your spouse in this. Write down stuff you’d like, or maybe some ideas you would like to try.

2. Group your ideas by the main ingredient. For example, how many of those meals use ground beef, chicken breast, sausage, fish filets, etc. Use these groupings to combine your meat purchases. The savings on 10lbs of ground chuck vs. 10 1lb packages is significant. Those dollars add up, allowimg us to do more with our money. Check your store flyer for meat specials. Remember, meat freezes well.

3. Look at the recipes and see what other things can be bought in bulk. Buying bulk is not always a money saver, but if you know what you need, you wont buy that 5 gallon can of beans (don’t light a match!). Look also for any deals and coupons. Veggies, rice, taters, pasta, etc are good savers!

4. Lay out some dinner plans based on the first 3 steos. I usually plan 12-14 dinners (Yes, pizza is one of them. It is in the budget.). Write those meals on a piece of paper you can post on the fridge.

5. Make your grocery list, combining like recipe items. Note quantities (ex. 10lbs ground chuck).

6. Collect your coupons (don’t forget multiples). Check your store website for downloadable coupons and download them to your card. Mark your list with items for which you have coupons and note brand, qty, size, keeping in mind that sometimes generics may be the better deal once you get there.

7. Go shopping, big man! Use your big brain to get the best deals. Do this too, when it comes to butchered meats, talk to your butcher and haggle some. If he has 4lb ground chuck pkgs and you need 10lbs, ask him if you can get a break on 10lbs. Sometimes it works. Maybe you have to buy 12lbs. Just ask. Butchers are good to know anyway.

8. Get home and put away your stuff. Relish in your savings.

9. Divide your meat into smaller pkgs (freezer bags) that go along with your meals (ex. 2lb ground for meatloaf, chicken tenderloins in a bag of marinade).

10. Now you have options in the fridge and a lot of the prep work already done. Some people pre cook and put the food in freezer pkg so all they have to do is heat and eat. Do what you need to. The main thing is you saved cash and you have meal options.

Now you are the food hero of the house! Use your savings for awesomeness!