Food Is Expensive But There Is A Way.

The price of food seems like it has doubled overnight. If you are having trouble getting foods to preserve and feed your family there are ways that you may not have thought of. Some of the things discussed below are often not spoken of due to fear of being judged. I am not here to judge and in these hard times we need to be able to do whatever seems fit to make sure our cabinets and freezers are full and our families are taken care of.

Coupons and Deals.

Coupons can be an overwhelming idea and often times we clip every coupon and stress over how and when to use them. My suggestion is to only clip the items you are truly going to buy and use.

Shopping only weekly ad deals can mean that you may not get to have tacos every Tuesday but instead you buy only what is on sale and plan your meals around that.

Before you leave the house look at the stores weekly ads and the coupons you have clipped. (weekly ads and coupons can be used together) Create a meal plan using those items you are able to save money on. Once you have your shopping list together head to the store it is time to head to the store.

If you forget to use a coupon or something did not ring up as the sale price listed and you have not left the store head over to customer service. They will correct the charges for the sale items and most times give you credit for the coupons.

Coupon holder and wallet combo #ad

Produce and meat markets.

You will be surprised by the savings you can find when visiting your local produce stands and meat markets. These places specialize in those markets so often times they are able to give better deals than big box stores. I visit my local produce stand once weekly to get the fruit and vegetables needed and visit the meat market once monthly to fill the freezer. I am lucky that my family of four are not picky eaters and I can usually come home with a months worth of meat for about 150.00. I could not survive without the meat market. They have odd cuts but it is definitely worth the change.

Once you have completed your shopping trip you need to ensure your meat goes further by separating it into pre-portioned meal sizes and wrapped correctly to preserve in the freezer for long term storage. I recommend using freezer paper with freezer tape or a vacuum sealer.

Buying in bulk.

When I say buy in bulk in I am thinking more on the lines of rice, beans, pasta, flour and sugar. These are staples in every home and come with endless possibilities. Flour is used anywhere from frying chicken to baking up some homemade cakes and bread rolls. Sugar can be mixed with anything to make a sweet treat or drink. Plain unseasoned rice, pastas and beans is almost a forgotten staple that can save us so much money by buying in bulk. We have grown to just reach for the store bought bagged already flavored side dish when we can recreate these sides with simple spices, and our imagination. Instead of boxed macaroni we can whip up some homemade butter noodles or a creamy Mac and cheese. While it may take a few tries to perfect a dish you can't resist I am sure you won't regret the change. Click the link below to be rerouted to Amazon pantry where you can find so many options for bulk items.

Amazon Pantry and Food grade buckets

SNAP Assistance.

This assistance program is offered nationwide. This is a program that you do have to qualify for but the benefits are well worth the qualification process. To find this program google your state along with snap benefits and follow the directions of that site.

The SNAP assistance program is a food supplement program that supplies families in need with a monthly benefits card to help cover cost of food for low income families.

Food Drives.

Food banks or food drives are community runs programs. Often times once you start looking into this type of program you will find several outreach programs in your community that offer free food services. Some programs have different qualifications so you must inquire in each to see if this is something you could benefit from. These services often supply families with an abundance and variety of foods that help fill bellies. These services can often be found by searching Google or Facebook for local food banks in your area or ask around in local church groups.

Food Swaps.

Food swap groups is something I have seen as a growing trend more lately on social media platforms such as Facebook. These groups are created for people to share and swap foods either close to expiration, a product they no longer use or maybe they had received an abundance of through a food drive. The only way to know if this is something that has been started in your area is to search online or in social media. If you are unable to find a group this may be something that yourself or someone you know could start to help curve the hunger in your community.

I am sure I will come back to this article in the future and add more ideas as they come. Helping people save money on food and not having to go to bed hungry or be worried about how they are going to feed their families tomorrow is something as a human I am passionate about.

If you have more money saving ideas please leave a comment below or hit the chat button so we can connect.

Elizabeth Blue

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