Learn How to Save Money Using Up What You Have
Yesterday I posted my plans to bring my grocery bill down to $75 a week and today was day one of using up what I have on hand. In fact, all week I have spent very little on groceries with the exception of a gallon of skim milk today. This weekend I will spend some time going through my pantry, freezer and fridge and see just how many dinners I can come up with. I will also spend a good amount of time clipping coupons and going through the sales fliers. I probably have enough meat in the freezer for about a week’s worth of meals so I can hopefully get by spending even less than $75. I also need to figure out the budget before planning a big trip to Sam’s club.
For dinner I made a simple chicken and rice dish in the oven that was pretty good. It was pretty simple: 1-1/2 cups of rice mixed with 3 cups of water and some dry onion soup mix. I even mixed it up right in the 13 x 9 x 2 pyrex baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray). Then I topped with 4 chicken thighs, seasoned with a bit of paprika and onion powder and dotted the chicken with a little butter. Covered, baked at 350 about an hour, uncovered for another 15 minutes and done! I served it with some peas on the side. I actually based this on a recipe I found online which actually said bake for 2 hours but mine was done much quicker. I also think I will add just a little more water next time (about 1/2 cup). If you don’t have onion soup mix on hand using chicken broth or chicken bouillon cubes would probably work great. Either way it was a cheap and easy meal. We all love rice and the chicken thighs were left over from a big pack that I got for just .79 a pound then brought home, separated into family size portions and froze.
Bad habits can be hard to break but out of necessity I need to figure out how to save money not only on groceries but on other household bills. Living on one income isn’t always easy but it is doable. Clipping coupons, menu planning and looking for sales does take time and organization but if it means that I can continue to be a stay at home mom then it is definately worth my time!
