We've cut our grocery budget substantially. However, we hold on to a few conveniences to save time, even though they cost a bit more …
We used to spend a lot more than we really needed to on food.
Between putting our entertainment expenses on a budget, and putting a few principles to work, we managed to cut our grocery budget in half.
Could we cut out more? Sure. But at the same time, we don't want to make things so hard on ourselves that we backtrack.
Part of this is to be selective on which things we go all-out Daczyczn-level low-cost on, and which things we settle for kind-of low-cost things that save time.
Below are seven places that we've opted for a little convenience (and more expense) in order to save time:
Chicken breasts vs. whole chickens
We make our own dog food. One of our dogs got itchy, gunky ears all the time. By making the dog food without a lot of cheap fillers, the itchy ears went away, as well as what we were paying in vet bills and medicine for the problem.
One of the components of the dog food is chicken. We went the route of making use of whole chicken, which was cheaper per pound than chicken breasts, but it added a lot of time to make the dog food.
Now, we simply buy boneless, skinless breasts, boil them, and blend them. Done. This part alone cut the time in half.
Bisquick vs. from-scratch pancake mix
My wife makes awesome pancakes and even awesomer chicken and dumplings.
But she doesn't sweat making the mix from scratch. Bisquickâ„¢ works just peachy.
It comes in giant boxes and takes a few steps out of making carb-laden goodness.
Chicken/Beef broth vs. from-scratch broth
“Canned low-sodium chicken broth is the busy home-cook's best friend,” says this writer on FoodNetwork.com.
We buy chicken broth and beef broth by the case. I use beef broth in my hamburger soup recipe, and my wife the chicken broth in a soup with kale, great northern beans, and sausage.
Once we used homemade stock in soup and it just didn't taste right. My dad can pull this off, but I can't. The consistency of the broth in a carton and the time saved more than make up for the extra cost.
Fully cooked vs. uncooked
Ahhh, microwave ovens. World War II radar technology meets dinner.
So easy, and so convenient. A not-insignificant fraction of our meals involves egg and sausage sandwiches.
There was mild panic when our local Costco stopped stocking our staple Jones Dairy Farm sausage patties. (They came back, though.) They're fully cooked, and zapping them for one minute heats them up perfectly.
Grated cheese vs. grating brick cheese
We buy both brick cheese and bags of grated cheese. I'll chop up the brick cheese to take in my lunch, or cut off slices to eat on a sandwich or cracker.
Having a big bag of grated Mexican blend cheese, though, is handy for taco or burrito night, or for sprinkling on my wife's award-winning chili.
Bagged grated cheese freezes pretty well, and no bloody knuckles from errant cheese grating.
Canned beans vs. dried beans
I used to eat a lot of rice and beans. It was cheap and easy, and I could cook a lot of it at once. I'd use my rice cooker for the rice, and soak a bag of dried kidney beans overnight (or longer), and boil them up. Toss them together, and done.
I don't eat rice nearly as much as I used to (mainly because of the carb load), so rice and beans isn't quite the mainstay dish that it once was. For the times we make soup, or chili, cans of beans work just fine and are much more convenient. That, and it takes away the risk of undercooking the dried beans, which can leave them toxic.
Snack sizes vs. family sizes
We don't buy family-size everything.
Some things, yes. I'll take a couple ounces of almonds out of a three-pound bag, or a couple cubes of cheese cut from a brick.
But we also get single-serving containers of Greek yogurt and applesauce to toss into lunches as well. Most of the savings on packing lunches comes from not eating out. Buying family-size snacks and dividing up is a comparatively small gain, and takes a bit more time. It also can be self-defeating if the big container goes stale or bad before it's consumed.
Your turn!
Where do you compromise on the side of convenience, or to save time?
(Header Photo by Shelley Pauls on Unsplash)
The grocery store that I go to has a lot of premade meats. It’s basically fresh meat but they marinate it, so I just have to stick it in a pan or the oven.
It’s a little bit more expensive, but I save a lot of time from that.
There you go! Great idea.
My one splurge is K cups, but I buy them @a Costco wholesale outlet for about .23/cup. We also buy paper plates @the same place & use occasionally when we feel we need to save a little time on dishwashing – I do not have a dishwasher.
Completely agree. I recently stumbled upon this when I decided to cook chicken for the family. I was dumbfounded to learn that the wife bought chicken breasts rather than complete pack of all pieces. I calculated the difference and if we had chicken twice a week, the difference was alarming. It is not so surprising to see that the difference can be easily negated by making the right choices and shopping like a pro. Sharing this on my internal group…
I’m pretty sure the complete pack is cheaper, but maybe you save time with the breasts?
That was the point I was making in the article. Sometimes you spend more to save time.