Due to an amazing stroke of luck, a friend of mine is selling a stand mixer – I’ve been thinking longingly of dough hooks since my bread attempts have all been somewhat lackluster, even when edible. She barely used it, and it’s only 50 bucks – still a chunk of change but if you see what top-quality mixers go for, you know that’s a steal.
It reminded me, as I was daydreaming about the upcoming summer months when I work less and will be at home more, that I really want to cut grocery bills a little, hopefully by getting to enjoy the cooking/baking process. I like making bread, and it costs much less per loaf if made at home, and we tend to eat slightly less of it b/c my loaves are never as big as the store-bought kind, so it’s really all benefits. I’m wondering if there are other aspects of the baking/cooking I do now that could be cost-cut.
I’ve thought of things like buying bulk dry beans and soaking them ahead of time instead of cans, as well as making sauces and things mid-summer when veggies are cheaper to use in the winter, but I really am still trying to figure out how being more intentional might lower the grocery bill. We tend to buy in a somewhat haphazard way, mostly picking things that appeal in the moment or that we’ve been eating lately. For instance, Husband and I both love bagels and they run us 4 bucks a pack, so if I could get a bagel recipe to work well, it’d be awfully fun to make our own.
Hopefully I’ll also be supplementing with garden things, but that won’t be for months yet. So here’s my call to readers: what do you do to keep the grocery bill down? I’m not a big or faithful coupon-cutter, so it’s more ‘pick a new kind of food’ or ‘make it at home’ kinds of solutions I’m searching for. Thanks!
Recipe in a Bottle 
I make a menu for the week and shop for that. I can always change it, but that way I know I’ll have enough on hand to make something. I tend to stick to my list and not make impulsive buys. Except sometimes 🙂 I’ve done the dry bean thing, but I don’t always plan ahead so I tend to use canned now. Eating less meat helps cut costs. And – oh – good luck making bagels. I have tried a few times and the results were horrible. Finally I stuck a recipe in my box and wrote ‘Do NOT make!’ on it to temper any temptation to try again. But that’s just me.
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You’ll not regret that mixer. For grocery savings I go to discount grocers like Aldi. Otherwise shop the sales at the mainstream stores. Make cookies. Make soups. And a little bit of meat goes a long way in pastas and if there’s lots of veggies.
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You will love your stand mixer, I know I do! As for me I am still working on the saving part for groceries. It can be a hard habit to break. I have kids and have found that I love to make cookie dough and make a dozen but then freeze the rest of the dough pre-scoped out, so all I have to do is pop some in the oven when needed instead of heading to the store.
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I love my stand mixer for all kinds of things but my best bread has come from using my bread machine.
I shop at Aldi’s and the Dollar Tree a lot and I make my own butter, cool whip and laundry detergent. Homemade sauces and such cut my grocery bill too.
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It’s a great price for the mixer. My hubby and I got a Kitchen Aid as a house warming gift almost 4 years ago and I love it. It’s super helpful and definitely a great investment!
Where I live, Montreal, we receive weekly flyers. My hubby and I look through them just to see what’s on sale and create a menu accordingly 🙂 No coupon cutting necessary.
Running Wisdom and Giveaway Winner: https://candiesandcrunches.com/2016/04/27/running-wisdom-giveaway-winner/
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I definitely buy dried beans and soak them, particularly chickpeas. I enjoy makong hummus, and I like that I can adjust it to my preference by making it. Besides, for about the price of a small can, I can make hummus several other times with a bag. I also buy bags of rice that are to be made on the hob. I don’t know how much those help the grocery bill.
In general, I would say buying something whole and breaking it down yourself cuts costs in the long run. Or making as mugh as you can from scratch will also cut costs in the long run.
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I hadn’t thought about whole versus broken down, but it makes so much sense! Also hummus is the best; do you have a favorite base recipe that you add things to?
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