10 Ways to Save Money on Food – Rachael Ray

These ten ways to save money on food are inspired by Rachael Ray. Her recipes aren’t just delicious, they’re inexpensive to prepare — which means you save money on food!

“If you are a newbie in the kitchen, any recipe will take you longer than it should because you are just getting familiar with your bearings,” says Rachael Ray. “Once you get more comfortable with your cooking routine and preparation skills, things will move a whole lot smoother and faster.”

If you’re not used to shopping with an eye on your budget, give yourself time to snuggle up to it. If you don’t know any good recipes, read Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! The Family Cookbook.

And, here are ten tips for saving money on groceries…

10 Ways to Save Money on Food – Rachael Ray

1. Stay focused on your reasons for saving money on food. Why do you want to save your buckeroos — what are your financial goals? Do you want financial independence (and who doesn’t!)? Keep your goals front and center: write them on your forehead if you have to. It’s much easier to eat cheap and healthy if you stay focused on why you’re eating cheap and healthy.

2. Activate two money saving tips a month. This is one of my best tips for saving money on food because we see smart ways to save money everywhere – the internet, budget books, our rich old aunts, on placemats at funky restaurants. But, do we actually apply them to our lives? Nope. It’s too much. So we need to be strategic about the money saving tips. For instance, don’t try to implement all these ways to save money on groceries at once; instead pick one two a month. Focus on making those two money tips a habit. In a month or six weeks, find one two more money saving tips to work on. This way, you’re not overwhelmed with a million ways to save money on food – and you’re steadily progressing towards financial independence.

3. Keep your fridge and pantry stocked with the basics. This tip for saving money on food is directly from Rachael Ray’s blog: “If you find yourself in the middle of a recipe and you realize you are out of something, that’ll set you back while someone runs to the store. Here’s a good list of things to keep on hand.” Avoid impulse trips to the grocery store, because impuls trips lead to impulse buys!

4. Make your own dressings and sauces. We don’t use dressings on our salads; instead, we sprinkle sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and raisons on top. It’s cheap, healthy, and tasty! I make my own BBQ sauce — much more delicious than store bought — and my hubby makes cocktail sauce for shrimp and bean dip for our weekly Mexican Fiesta night. Have fun making your own dips and sauces – it’s a great way to save money on food.

5. Yes, I said weekly “Mexican Fiesta Night.” Do you have a food theme night? For Mexican Fiesta, my hubby makes bean dip (cheap and healthy), and I make pea guacamole (avocado, canned or frozen peas, corn, tomatos, garlic, onions — it’s my favorite dish). Having a planned food night — Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Middle Eastern — is a great way to save money on food, especially if you experiment with different (cheaper) ingredients. In fact, pre-planning your entire week’s menu can help you save money by reducing impulse meals in restaurants.

6. Halve the amount of meat you use. Add filler (oats, crackers, rice, mashed potatoes) to your burgers, meatballs, or meat loave. This way, you’ll half the amount of ground beef, chicken, or pork. Instead of bbq’ing a steak or chicken breast, cut half of one portion into strips and put it into a stirfry. Nobody will notice there’s not a full portion of meat in the stirfry (but they will notice a half portion of meat on a plate!).

7. Buy and cook bulk foods — it’s both cheap and healthy! “Joining a bulk shopping club, like Sam’s, Costco, or BJ’s, can be cost-effective if you frequent the club regularly,” writes Kathleen Zelman in 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Shopping. “Bulk purchases can be a great way to save money — as long as they get used. You might also look in your community for shopping cooperatives that sell food in bulk at a substantial savings.” Cooking in bulk can save both money and time, if you prepare huge pots of, say, spaghetti sauce, and freeze it in individual portions.

8. Savor your leftovers. I don’t understand why people don’t like leftovers! Most of the time, leftover food is tastier than when it was first cooked. The flavors have had a chance to meld into a sweet symphony of music in your mouth! If you want to save money on groceries, do not throw anything away (unless it’s so old it doesn’t look like food anymore). I use my leftover rice, mashed potatoes, or stir fry veggies in soups or stews. I eat leftover pizza and potato salad for breakfast. I refuse to cook new dishes until we’ve eaten our leftovers. These little things don’t just help you save money on food, they teach you to be creative in the kitchen!

9. Keep your eyes peeled for the occasional sale on lean meats and vegetables. Another way to save money on food from Rachael Ray’s blog “Stock up on chicken tenders or boneless, skinless breasts, sirloin steak, pork loin chops or tenderloins. Portion the meats out and freeze them so you can cook with them whenever you want.”

10. Experiment with eggs — omelettes, fritattas, quiches. The high cholesterol scare is over! There’s no need to fear eggs — as long as you don’t eat them every day. Eggs are a great source of protein, and much cheaper than meat. Plus, Canadian researchers say eggs may reduce high blood pressure. So, make it a habit to cook an eggy dinner once a week: frittatas, lazy man’s quiches, omelettes, French Toast with Canadian bacon (can you tell I’m a Canuck?). Eggs are cheap, healthy, and delicious.

“When you really want to show some love, keep the flowers and say it with spaghetti.” ~ Rachael Ray.

For more money saving hints, read 8 Smart Ways Women Can Save Money – Suze Orman.

Related posts:

1. 8 Smart Ways Women Can Save Money – Suze Orman
2. 7 Fast Ways to Get Fit and Save Money on Exercise – Venus Williams
3. Doing What Comes Naturally – Rachael Ray