Being the mom of a large family makes me feel like a professional chef most of the time. I find myself upping recipes and looking for the most economical and healthy meals for my growing kids.
I know how many sandwiches a loaf of bread makes, I know the number of servings are in 2kgs of chicken and believe it or not – I actually really love grocery shopping!
It’s not all rainbows and butterflies though, having multiple fussy little eaters in the house can make meal prep overwhelming to say the least. Sometimes I feel like we’re spending more money on food than we should.
I have a few tricks that assist me to stick to my weekly grocery budget and have been very disciplined (most of the time).
I would love to share some of the most effective ways I used minimize stress, reduce spending, and get the most out of your grocery budget.
Plan your weekly meals
Create a meal plan to suit your family's needs but more importantly - meals that work with your schedule.
When you’ve determined the ingredients you need to use in the week ahead, you can begin to plan out meals for your family. Check what you have in your pantry and fridge or freezer, look out for weekly specials instore and online (I love me a R10 Tuesday at Foodlovers Market).
Make a shopping list
When your week’s meals are planned out, it’s time to make shopping list and most importantly – STICK TO IT. Don’t go to the stores hungry, this makes for spontaneous food shopping and you will definitely not stick to your budget. I am speaking from experience here!
Shop the Per KG
I am sure that no one wants to pay more for groceries than they need to and sales can be so inviting and confusing at the same time. Do your kg per rand math before you go to the stores, because no has time to do maths in stores. Am I right? Buying per KG can save you hundreds of rands when you’re buying for a big family.
Buy perishables in bulk
Makro and Game sell in bulk to the public and assists me so much for my big family when it comes to saving money. I love buying my no perisables in bulk for obvious reasons like it being more economical and has a longer shelf life.
DO NOT take kids with to grocery shop
We all love our kids but I am very sure they never have and never will make grocery shopping easier no matter how old they are. Imagine listening to a million “why” questions while you are trying to calculate kgs and stick to you budget. Take this time out alone and squeeze in a coffee that you can enjoy alone.
Shop When It’s Not Busy
Ever heard of a quick grocery shop when the stores are full? Me neither! Save time and avoid crowds and long queues by going to the stores when it’s less busy. I love going during the week early in the morning or on a Sunday morning. My kids are awake early so Sunday mornings are always a winner.
Cook a little extra
Cook some extra servings and stash it in the freezer for a weekend lunch or for days when you’re not in the mood to cook. I definately have a day like this atlease once a week!
Have a left-over dinner evening
Don’t throw out leftovers. Stash away left overs from each day of the week and have a left over dinner day, we love doing this on a Friday. I also did this when I was a single mother with my 2 older boys.
I hope you found these tips helpful, it can be used for smaller families too that want to save on their grocery bill.
xxxZ
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