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Cutting Food Costs: Saving Time vs. Money
by Rachel Paxton - rachel@creativehomemaking.com
You may think that if you make
everything from scratch that you will save a lot of money at the grocery store
every month. In a lot of cases, this may be true. When you prepare your own
meals
you will often see an immediate cost savings per portion, and perhaps
an overall increase in nutritional value as an added bonus. So what if you don't
have the time to cook?
That's a good question, and one that cannot easily
be answered. If you only buy prepackaged foods to save you time in the kitchen
you're definitely going to end up spending more money than necessary. I would
suggest that you might be able to find a happy medium.
Every week I think
to myself that it would sure be nice to make some homemade cookies for my
daughter to have for snacks during the next week. About once every 2 months or
so I might
actually make them, but most of the time I choose not to because
it would take up a Sunday afternoon that I'd like to use to do other things.
Would it save me money to make the cookies myself?
Sure, if the alternative
would be to buy a $4 package of Oreos. However, when Oreos go on sale for $1.99
or less a package, I'll stock up on a few and know that my money was wisely
spent, while
also freeing up my time for other things. Better yet, once a
month or so we might go to Walmart and stock up on Little Debbie snacks that
average about $1 a box. You could hardly make a batch
of cookies for $1. Now
don't get me wrong, I love to bake and enjoy a homemade cookie as much as anyone
else. It's just not always the best use of my time and/or money.
Recently
my mother-in-law and I were discussing the price of chili. We had found some on
sale for .99 a can and thought that was a pretty good deal. For that price I
probably wouldn't take the time to make it. The regular price was $1.30 - $1.50
a can, and I just couldn't justify paying that much for it. I'd just do without
or make a pot of chili myself and freeze some for later. My husband's aunt
overheard our conversation and commented that she had bought a case of chili on
sale for .59 a can! I sure wouldn't have passed that deal up.
You just
have to watch prices on your favorite items and purchase them when they go on
sale. You have to be somewhat flexible, however, and be willing to purchase
alternate items or do more cooking when prices are high.
It's all a
matter of priorities. If you have the time and enjoy spending time in the
kitchen, then by all means cook from scratch whenever you can. I sure do. On the
other hand, if you have days like me where you come home from a long day at work
wondering what to fix quick for dinner, you might consider balancing the amount
you're spending on groceries with the time you will save yourself in the kitchen
by stocking up on a few convenience items, like Tuna Helper or prepared
spaghetti sauce.
I've found that I'm saving even more money than ever before
by buying these convenience foods when on they're on sale, while also making
things from scratch when I have the time. Just keep your options open and you
will find what works best for you.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance
writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing
more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home,
home
decorating, crafts, and frugal family fun, visit Creative Homemaking at
http://www.creativehomemaking.com
and Suite 101 at
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking.
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