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Cutting Food Costs: Saving Time vs. Money
by Rachel Paxton -
rachel@creativehomemaking.com
When I first started consciously cutting back on my
household expenses, reducing my grocery bill was one of
my highest priorities. After I got married and
started juggling my career, my marriage, and the
responsibilities of being
a parent, however, I had to rethink some of my ways of
doing things.
You may think that if you make everything from scratch
that you will save a lot of money at the grocery store
every month. In a lot of cases, this
may be true. When you prepare your own meals you will
often see an immediate cost savings per portion, and
perhaps an overall increase
in nutritional value as an added bonus.
So what if you don't have the time to cook? That's
a good question, and one that cannot easily be answered.
If you only buy prepackaged foods to save you time in
the kitchen you're definitely going to end up spending
more
money than necessary. I would suggest that you might be
able to find a happy medium.
Every week I think to myself that it would sure be nice
to make some homemade cookies for my daughter to have
for snacks during the next week.
About once every 2 months or so I might actually make
them, but most of the time I choose not to because it
would take up a Sunday afternoon that
I'd like to use to do other things. Would it save me
money to make the cookies myself? Sure, if the
alternative would be to buy a $4 package of Oreos.
However, when Oreos go on sale for $1.99 or less a
package, I'll stock up on a few and know that my money
was wisely spent, while also freeing up my
time for other things. Better yet, once a month or so we
might go to Walmart and stock up on Little Debbie snacks
that average about $1 a box. You could hardly make a
batch of cookies for $1. Now don't get me wrong, I love
to bake and enjoy a homemade cookie as much as anyone
else. It's just not always the best use of my time
and/or money.
Recently my mother-in-law and I were discussing the
price of chili. We had found some on sale for .99 a can
and thought that was a pretty good deal. For that price
I probably wouldn't take the time to make it. The
regular
price was $1.30 - $1.50 a can, and I just couldn't
justify paying that much for it. I'd just do without or
make a pot of chili myself and freeze some for later. My
husband's aunt overheard our conversation and commented
that she had bought a case of chili on sale for .59 a
can! I sure wouldn't have passed that deal up.
You just have to watch prices on your favorite items and
purchase them when they go on sale. You have to be
somewhat flexible, however, and be willing to purchase
alternate items or do more cooking when prices are
high.
It's all a matter of priorities. If you have the time
and enjoy spending time in the kitchen, then by all
means cook from scratch whenever you can. I sure
do. On the other hand, if you have days like me where
you come home from a long day at work wondering what to
fix quick for dinner, you might consider balancing the
amount you're spending on groceries with the time you
will save yourself in the kitchen by stocking up on a
few convenience items, like Tuna Helper or prepared
spaghetti sauce.
I've found that I'm saving even more money than ever
before by buying these convenience foods when on they're
on sale, while also making things from scratch when I
have the time. Just keep your options open and you will
find what works best for you.
Copyright 1999.
Creative Homemaking -
http://www.creativehomemaking.com.
Suite 101 -
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