Tips to Stay Within Your Grocery Budget – Diet for the Food Dollar
As I mentioned last post, many people who freely state they can’t cook, are confusing ineptitude with lack of experience, interest and/or desire. On the other hand, most people, who are confident they can handle the marketing, are confusing grocery shopping with buying food. Shopping for a family’s weekly groceries is Provisioning on a domestic scale. Provisioning on a commercial scale, for institutions say, is a profession in its own right; a very fact and math oriented profession.
I had to learn the basics of provisioning in order to operate Suddenly Supper, my personal chef service, and, as I explain in the Introduction to this Blog, when I applied them to my rather haphazard approach to grocery shopping for my own family, they simplified the task and saved in both time and money. Nowadays, that includes gas.
I outline what I have learned from applying these principles in this Blog under The Plan. I divide it into three categories: Be Decisive, Be Determined and Be Disciplined, and summarize them in the Introduction, which I titled Diet for the Food Dollar. I then discuss each of, what I call “The 3Ds”, giving instructions and incentives on how to put them into practice and stay on course. The Plan is “one size fits all”. It doesn’t give financial advice, set rules or advocate low cost meals. It simply shows ways to stay within the budget you set, even if it’s a new, lowered one, or save on your current one, or just avoid wasting money on your food purchases. Its application is up to you.
The Plan involves familiarizing yourself with market prices, and seasonal variations, knowing your inventory, learning to read the stores’ weekly fliers and using this information to draw up a weekly menu. Then you compile a detailed shopping list that will cover all your needs for the week in one trip, limiting yourself to only one market, at least for the first few weeks. This seems restrictive at first, but soon becomes habit, and after a month or so, you will actually find that you resent having to spend time, energy and gas on extra trips to the supermarket. Of course, there will be items at other stores that you want, but you’ll find they become fewer, you give their purchase more consideration and it’s easy to walk in and out of the store with just that one thing. Best of all, the routine eliminates those impromptu runs to, or stops at a store which result in impulse buying.
The first three steps are important general knowledge for anyone in charge of a household kitchen, but the last two are keynote to the success of The Plan. The menu is a great stress reliever; a ready answer to “What’s for dinner?” The shopping list keeps you organized, saves time and, by sticking to it, you avoid overbuying and escape register shock by staying on track. I’ve included an example of each, from my book, to give you a guideline.
A Week’s Menu
Chicken in Lemon Wine Sauce
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Sugar Snap Peas
Pork Tangier
Spinach Orange Salad
Steak in Red Wine Sauce
Broccoli Crowns
Broiled Irish Potatoes
Salmon in Lemon Caper Sauce
Zucchini-Onion Medley
Roasted Baby Carrots
Glamorous Ham Casserole
Caesar Salad
Double Punch Lasagna Roll-Ups
Italian Green Beans
Bread Sticks
Classic Fajitas
Apple Rustica
That Week’s Shopping List
PANTRY CHECK
White wine – – suggestion dry vermouth
Dry red wine
Cream sherry
Flour – all purpose
Beef and chicken bouillon granule packets, NOT cubes
Salt and pepper
Lemon pepper
Garlic powder-not garlic salt
Paprika
Dried parsley
Curry powder
Cumin powder
Coriander powder
Ginger powder
Nutmeg grated
Dried Oregano
Dried basil
Dried thyme
Cooking oil
Salad oil
Bread crumbs- flavored or regular
Worcestershire sauce
Dijon or Spicy brown mustard
Ground Cinnamon
MARKET
GROCERIES
(1) 2oz jar of capers
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(1)4 oz. can mushrooms-stems& pieces
½ cup raisons
1 box couscous—garlic or pine nuts
(8) 8 inch flour tortillas
(2) 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
(1) 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups packaged pre-cooked white rice
(1) pkg. Crisco quarters
Parchment paper
MEATS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
11/2 lbs boneless lean pork for cubing
(4) 5oz beef tenderloin steaks
(4) 5oz salmon fillets
(3) ¼ lb slices cooked ham
1 lb. ground turkey
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
OR 12 oz beef steak
PRODUCE
3 lb. bag of onions
1 lb. bag peeled baby carrots
1 bunch celery
1 bulb garlic or 1 jar chopped
2 lemons
8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
2 plum tomatoes
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 orange
Fresh ginger root – small piece
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 ½ lbs. apples + 1 apple
DAIRY
24 oz sour cream
4 oz. wedge parmesan cheese
8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 quart milk
1 cup light cream or ½ & ½
½ lb butter
Dozen eggs- 2 this week rest next
8 oz. guacamole
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese
OPTIONAL SIDES
(2) 14oz cans small whole white potatoes
4 sweet potatoes
(1) 12 oz. bag baby spinach leaves
1 lb fresh or (1) 10 oz. box frozen sweet pea pods
2 large crowns of fresh broccoli
(1) 12 oz. bag baby greens
(1) 12 oz. bag romaine lettuce – or 1lb head
1 lbs. fresh zucchini
1 10 oz. package frozen Italian green beans
1 box bread sticks- – look for the thin ones called grissini
Choices of salad dressings- – if needed
