We are in Covid times now. Things are different. If you are new to a frugal lifestyle making your own food, will save you money, and now a trip to the store.
All things that will ease our anxiety. Sometimes we get into a routine that we don’t realize we can actually step outside of it and make the same things we are buying.
When my girls were toddlers, we were in extreme frugal living. Mainly because we didn’t have a choice. Our income was low, and I wasn’t working.
If you are overwhelmed with a frugal lifestyle but want to save money on your grocery bill, I encourage you to make at least one of these three foods below.
My high achievers- make all three. 🙂
You can watch my Titkok on this its only 60 seconds if you don’t want to read them below.
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Snacks
Avoid buying the prepacked snack items. Challenge yourself to see if it is a snack you can make at home. The truth is we can make everything that we buy, BUT is it worth it?
What snacks does your family eat the most of? How often? What are the ingredients needed to make these snacks? Here are my top snacks to make instead of buy.
- Granola Bars
- Protein Balls
- Graham crackers
- Popcorn- you need an air popper– worth the initial cost 100%!
- Dried fruit
- Granola
- Cookies
- Muffins
- Pop Tarts
For a list of more kids snacks to make on a tight budget read my article here.
For items I don’t have a link to I use recipes from Betty Crocker Cookbook.
PIZZA DOUGH
If you only pick one thing to make from this list- let it be this one. Its super easy and get the yeast from a wholesale club like Costco or BJs, so you can make it once a week.
That gives you a piece of mind if you have pizza every friday. Plus you can make the dough ahead and all you need to do is pull it out of the freezer the night before.
I use this recipe for pizza dough.
This is a great one to have your kids do too. They get to make dinner. My girls love making their own pizza. The cost of dough is super cheap. I grab cheese at BJs, but you can always look for the best deal on cheese.
You can use a can of diced tomatoes, or a can of tomato sauce and season it up. This is SUPER affordable. You don’t have to buy pizza sauce.
If you are burnt out on meals for your family now is the time to grab my FAVORITE meal planning app. You can even put in your pantry items for meal ideas- no shopping needed sometimes!
More Meal Planning Tips:
- Dirt Cheap Meals to Make For Your Family
- 57 Items Your Pantry Needs Now
- 12 Meal Ideas From an Empty Fridge
- The Best Go To Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake
- My $35 Weekly Shopping Trip & Meal Menu at Target
PANCAKES
This is something I couldn’t do without. My girls LOVE pancakes. The first time I made pancakes with my husband, he was very puzzeled. He asked me how I was going to make pancakes when we didn’t have a box of mix.
I couldn’t believe my ears. My mom made everything from scratch. I thought he was joking. He was dead serious.
The best part? Pancake ingredients are minimal. I make a big batch and then put the rest in the freezer. The girls are able to pull out a pancake and microwave it. This is huge in the summer for those mornings I want to sleep in.
Plus my oldest loves being responsible for her own breakfast. We always get our baking ingredients from BJs- because they are the cheapest.
Plus you can swap in whole wheat flour, blueberries, bananas and more to make them healthier.
I hope this gives you a kickstart to your grocery budget this week. For more tips on how to save on your groceries tap one of the articles below.
- How to Save Money On Groceries in 2020
- Buying Generic Is the Easiest Way to Save Money on Groceries
- 3 Ways To Save Money on Groceries Right Now