Tweet 

7 Ways to Keep Your Food Budget in Line

 Gluten free living can be expensive. Splurging for everyday treats can cost two to three times as much as non-gluten free treats. A frozen 10" pizza is $11.00 in my local grocery store. A single layer cake mix can set you back $4.50 per box and that doesn't include the eggs. If you want frosting for your cake, that will cost you another $3 to $4 for the mix. Granted, these companies are filling a great need for the celiac community.

So, how do you shop and stay within a budget? Following are 7 ways to make the most of your food dollars.

1. Shop the Perimeter!

Buy most of your food items from the perimeter of the store. This is where you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, tofu, meat, fish and poultry, juice, butter and eggs.

All of these are high in nutritional content, protein, minerals, vitamins, fiber and are free from artificial flavors, chemical preservatives and sodium.

These are the foods that will feed and nourish your bode. Eat them often!

2. Invest in a good freezer.

There are a few appliances that I consider a must in my home. A freestanding or chest freezer is one of them. You can save considerable amounts of money by buying your food on sale and then repackaging it to store in your freezer. The prices on home freezers are quite reasonable and you may be able to snag one from a friend or family member who doesn't want their's anymore. Be sure to ask around!

Make sure your freezer is the proper size for your family. If there is only one or two of you, a small chest freezer will be large enough to accommodate your needs. If you have a family of 5 or 6 a large upright freezer ( I have one of these) can hold enough food in it to last for a couple of months. Determine how much food you normally eat within a two month period and buy a freezer big enough to hold that amount. If you get your freezer for free, I wouldn't worry about the size.

3. Buy in Season.

Fruits and vegetables all have specific seasons where they are more plentiful. Make sure you check your grocery store ads and stock up on "in season" produce. Strawberries can cost up to $3.99 lb. out of season, but during the peak growing time you can snap them up for as little as 99 cents lb.

This is where your freezer can really shine. Buy 10 lbs. of strawberries on sale at 99 cents lb. For a $10 outlay, you can wash, dry and freeze your extra berries to be used later when they are more expensive. Think smoothies, fresh made jam and syrups, adding to yogurt or slicing to place on top of homemade pound cake. This is a great way to buy in bulk when produce is cheap!

4. Buy your Meat on Sale.

You can save a bundle on one of the most expensive item you buy. Keep a food log on each type of meat you normally buy. When it goes on sale for a great price, buy as much as you think you will use in a month (two months if you can). I scored bone in chicken breasts for 29 cents a pound! I bought 30 lbs and gave some to my adult children and close friends of ours. Always look through the meat aisle when you go shopping. You never know what you will come across!

When you get home you can re-package your meat and put in your freezer. When I get a great deal on ground beef I use enough to make burgers for two meals, pre-mix two meat loaves to freeze and then cook the rest and freeze in two pound packages. The precooked hamburger meat is very handy to have. I just thaw it out and use it for chili, tacos, enchiladas, soup, spaghetti sauce, or anything else you use cooked ground beef for.

5. Buy in Bulk

When you buy in season, you can great prices on fruit and vegetables. Freeze what you can and use the rest to make side or main dishes that you can freeze and use for a night when you have zero energy and no desire to look at the kitchen. Pop your frozen meals in the oven and let it do the rest.

Grains are another great bulk item where you can save money. Rice or beans bought in 25 lb bags are much cheaper than by the pound. There are so many ways you can cook rice and beans. Check out the recipes found here. Brown rice takes 22 minutes to cook in a pressure cooker. Beans take 20 to 30 minutes. You can also use a slow cooker for beans and a rice cooker for rice.

6. Learn to Bake and Cook.

The real money savings for a gluten free diet is in learning how to make your own gluten free baked goods.

Homemade goodies cost so much less than store bought. I can grind and create my own gluten free flour blends and end up spending about $6 for 5 pounds of flour blend. You can make a lot of baked goods with 5lbs of flour. A single 9" layer cake, 12 cupcakes, 1 pie crust and 6 biscuits all use about 1 cup of flour blend. Each five pounds of flour contains about 19.5 cups by volume. Your average cost per cup of home ground flour is 35 cents. That's pretty cheap!

If you are feeling intimidated with baking gluten free , check out our techniques section. You will find tips and helps to ensure your baking success.

7. Buy a Grain Mill.

Based on the flour blend prices above, buying your grains in bulk and then grinding your own flour will save you a lot of money in the long run. This is one of the other kitchen appliances I consider to be a must for long term food savings.

Check out the article Should I Grind My Own Flour if you would like more information on this.

You should see real significant savings in your grocery bills if you follow these guidelines.

Tweet