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In reply to the discussion: How do you trim expenses? [View all]politicat
(9,808 posts)Because some people just can't. And that's fair.
Make a list of 20 or so minimally processed foods you like. Mine is apples, red grapes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms, bell peppers, whole wheat or sourdough bread, cheddar and mozzarella, nut butter, jam, strawberries, eggs, milk, yogurt, butter. I used to keep that list on a deck of index cards in my bag, and when I ran out of one, I'd shuffle its card to the front. Made getting groceries easier. (Now I use a list app on my external brain.) When I'm low on spare brain cycles, I can pick up nothing but what's on the list and eat a healthy, if not creative diet for about $50 a week. I'm vegetarian, so meat no longer figures in. If you've got weight watchers in the area, their points system has this sort of tool, and some have cooking classes.
Check your store's loss leader ads each week and try to buy from those first. Also, try to shop in season -- it's cheaper and tastes better. Now, that means root and storage vegetables (potatoes, winter squash, onions, cabbage, carrots), citrus and beef. Spring is for greens, asparagus, eggs, lamb, some fish and cheese. Summer is for chicken, summer squash, tomatoes, berries, stone fruit and melons. Autumn is for most poultry, pork, tree fruit, frost vegetables. Milk is most expensive in late spring and early summer (but cheese, which requires some aging time, lags behind) eggs are cheapest when there is more than 10 hours of daylight each day. If you have a farmer's market, go there for produce. Vegetables generally taste good, and they sub well for each other on the principle of similarities, so if the market has really cheap kale and spinach and expensive lettuce, make spinach salads instead. (I think this is yours. http://www.ncfarmfresh.com/FarmMarketDisplay.asp?FarmID=1515 )
If you like soup, start there with your crockpot. It's really hard to mess up a basic vegetable soup and success builds confidence. If there's a restaurant soup you like, search the soup name plus copycat at allrecipes.com, then follow the highest rating with the most reviews. (I.e. use a 4.5 star with 500 reviews before a 5 star with 2 reviews.)
Find a food blogger whose writing style and skill level you can handle and look at the archives for this month. I am fond of http://smittenkitchen.com for clear instructions and excellent photos without pretension or high cost.
Laundry and/or dry-cleaning -- are you paying for the latter or using a laundromat? Dropping or minimizing dry-cleaning and hanger drying clothes can cut those expenses. Hand washing undergarments can cut a load, too.