simplify & savor #3

let's go to the kitchen and try to save some money!

I'll be the first to admit I am NOT an expert in this area. I am only a student of a few wonderful teachers in this area of my life. so I share from my student seat the observations I've made, the lessons I've learned, the tips I've found helpful. take what you can use.

mark and I have been trying to reduce the amount of times, thus the amount of money, we spend eating outside of our home. my main hero in this area is lisa. she is the queen of meal planning, preparation, and execution each and every day. I can vividly remember going to the grocery with lisa on a visit when she was newly married. she did a few things I'll never forget- 1. she started with a meal plan for the week 2. she shopped with a detailed list 3. she purchased items on sale 4. she had a calculator with her to keep a running total of her purchases 5. she paid in cash

so here are the items {in no particular order} I'm trying to implement:

• after seeing lisa's recipe organization binder {she has one for each of her recipe categories}, I created a binder for recipes I use frequently and are loved by everyone.


• I created a Master Grocery List to ease my shopping time. I organized it by category and based on how I travel through the grocery store. under each grocery category are the staple items we purchase consistently. after we create our meal plan, I write in the items we may not have and mark the items necessary for our plan.


• post the master grocery list on the refrigerator so you can easily add to your grocery list as a food item is used up.


• we're creating weekly meal plans, which I keep for future planning ease.


• some of our meal plan categories are breakfast for dinner night, pizza night, soup & sandwich night, potluck-you pick your own dinner.


• love this new idea {haven't tried it yet} purchase a store gift card with your food budget. it will help keep you within your budget, and you may receive additional store rebates through your preferred buyer card.


• stock up on staple items when they are on sale- watch for this in the coming weeks as we get closer to the holidays.


• make a double recipe of a family favorite and freeze for a future week. making cookies? pull out some of the cookie dough, form it into cookies, freeze the individual cookies on cookie sheets and pop them into the freezer for a future treat night. making banana/pumpkin bread? freeze a few loaves for a dessert or a surprise gift for a neighbor.


• have a best friend living next door? see if you can meal share one night a week.