When times get tough, the first place to start cutting costs is on food. I’ve spent a lot of time this week cooking from scratch so we can stretch the grocery budget.
Having food ready to go makes life easier for the whole family!
Our family has spent 20 months paying off debt. One thing that helps us get through is weekly check ins. So on Fridays, I like to think about all the things we’ve done for the week to save money.
If you like money saving tips, you’re in the right place! Check out the entire series here.
The 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week
Used a Bowl
My family loves grapes. But for some reason, they usually are forgotten in the crisper and go bad before we eat them.
So when grapes went on sale, I was hesitant to buy them. But I came up with an easy solution that made all the difference!
I washed up all the grapes, cut them into small stems, and place all of them in a bowl (no lid). Not only did everyone see them when they opened the fridge, but they actually ate all of them before they went bad this time!
Baking Day
Taking some time in the kitchen to whip up a few batches of easy to grab foods can really help your grocery budget. This week I made breakfast burritos (eggs, sausage, and cheese) and cream cheese and chicken taquitos. They didn’t take long to put together, and the family had easy food on hand to take with them.
Used Up Leftovers
You really need to start your meals with leftovers whenever possible. Let’s say you made too much spaghetti one night. (I had an entire pound of it in the fridge after spaghetti night. I think it cloned itself or something.) On another night, use it as a side dish!
I warmed a little oil in my skillet and tossed my leftover spaghetti in the oil. While it warmed, I added some spices like garlic, onion flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. As it finished warming, I sprinkled a little extra oil and some Parmesan over the top.
It was so good! I was excited that everyone ate the whole batch down, and I didn’t have to throw away any of it. You can read more about why I prefer to use food like this rather than binge on pantry challenges here.
Girls Night
A few friends and I really needed a night out. We considered going to a comedy club or trying a break out room. But in the end, we decided what we really needed was time to just sit and vent.
So we found an awesome deal on a hotel room where we could swim, watch Mom movies, and talk…kid free! By the time we split the cost of the room, it was as much as we would have spent on tickets anywhere else. And probably saved us money since we didn’t have to buy extra drinks or entertainment!
By the way, my friend found the best deal on booking.com. I hadn’t heard of that site before, but you might want to keep it in mind the next time you make plans!
Movement
One of my goals for the year is to move more. Blogging requires a lot of time sitting and working at a computer. Nothing in my life right now gives me a lot of time to get up and move.
But this week, I’ve decided that I have to make moving more of a priority. I won’t claim to be exercising! But I am fitting some yoga into my day (perfect for stress!). And each night I’m trying to take a little walk with the kids. That doubles as family time and movement. Win/win!
And it’s all free!
That’s how we saved money this week!
Unfortunately, things are still rough around here and I think our debt is not going to get much of a fight from us this month. But the more I stew on that, the more I think it’s actually really ok that it’s happening this way. More on that coming soon!
Be sure to check out my recipe for Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos! So easy and so goooood.
How did you save this week?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
Next time you have some grapes that you’re worried about not getting eaten on time, try freezing them, Jamie. I do this all the time and my daughter thinks they are better than popsicles. They are one of her favorite summer treats (and mine).
I love frozen grapes! I haven’t done that all summer. Thanks for reminding me about them.
We are waging debt wars here as well. And have had broken car, broken furnace (during the coldest winter I recall here!), leaky washer, broken dryer, a flat tire and a few other surprises on the journey. It is so discouraging when you are fixing or replacing something instead of beating down debt – we so get it! I did find though that because we were being very careful – in order to pay off debt – when the surprises came up, we dealt with them so much better than we would have before. I look at our surprise expenses and think – wow, we have all the bills paid and managed that too! You’re doing better than you think even when the balance isn’t dropping.