Grocery prices remain high and I am exploring new ways to help reduce my family’s grocery bill. How much I spend at the grocery store just depends on what the store has in stock, what’s on sale, or if I made a meal plan for the week.
My goal is to be better at how much I am spending at the grocery store, create a budget for my family, and make a meal plan each week.
The first thing anyone can do to create a food budget is figure out your household’s total spending and savings. It’s important to know how much your other household expenses cost before deciding just how much you have available to spend on groceries.
Once you have determined other household expenses you can estimate about 12% of your household budget going towards groceries. This includes not only your groceries but also restaurants, convenience stores, and coffee shops.
With the prices of food changing so much at the grocery store many families might be adjusting their food budget or finding ways to reduce costs.
A few tips to keep in mind include:
Making a weekly meal plan and a grocery shopping list are both great ideas to keep your grocery bill within your budget. Another idea when planning your list is to shop the store sale ads and coupons. Don’t forget to check your pantry and freezer before making your grocery list. I often find that I have plenty of items in the pantry to create a meal, but they get pushed to the back.
There are some great low-cost recipes that can be found on celebrateyourplate.org
One of my favorites is the Blueberry Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
For the Salad
Instructions
Combine salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss with dressing.
Kaitlynn Tonn is an OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or tonn.13@osu.edu.
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This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Let a budget help with grocery spending
Reporting by Kaitlynn Tonn/Wayne County Extension, Wooster Daily Record / The Daily Record
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By Kaitlynn Tonn/Wayne County Extension, Wooster Daily Record | USA TODAY Network
