Personal Finance King

A Personal Finance Money Blog from a Christian Perspective

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Recommended Sites
You are here: Home / Saving Money / 6 Tips for Budget Eating Together As a Family

6 Tips for Budget Eating Together As a Family

March 5, 2017 by Barnaby

Pippa and Grey have always been very “hands on” in the kitchen

If you’re human, you breathe and eat. That’s the deal.

Breathing is free; eating not so much.

In a household with two working parents, finding time to grocery shop and prepare healthy meals can be difficult. It’s a mistake to not try though.

Want to burn through cash faster than a no-revenue Silicon Valley start-up? Go out to eat every night.

Want to have emotionally distant and disconnected children? Make meal eating a you’re-on-your-own free-for-all, with members eating at different times and in different places.

So for us, we’ve made a concerted effort to eat the vast majority of meals at home – together.

Nora leads this effort and she has a few tactics:

1. Frequent the same store every time

This is more about efficiency than cost, since time is so critical. We use Safeway, but most groceries will do as long as it isn’t one of those specialty (read: expensive) places.

2. Start with the grocery store sales flier

Everything flows from this. Scan for familiar key ingredients that are being offered for a great price. Buy even if you can’t use it for a while – that’s what the pantry and freezer is for.

3. Look for manufacturer coupons for the same items

If you can increase your savings on items you already plan to buy without too much extra effort, why not go for it? Utilize Sunday newspaper coupons or e-coupons.

4. Stick to a handful of go-to dishes

Nora has about 20 dishes that she makes regularly. That’s enough variety to keep things interesting, yet she can make these with her eyes closed practically. Potato soup. Cheeseburger pie. Pesto pasta. Garden salad. Quiche. Lentil soup. Meatloaf. Macaroni & cheese.

5. Go big when you cook

She doubles and triples recipes to ensure lots of leftovers for lunches. ‘Go big’ also means cooking multiple dishes at the same time. We have four stove top burners and sometimes she has a soup on each one, with just one scheduled for consumption that evening.

6. Don’t stress about dessert

If you are tense about meals already, dessert will put you over the edge. Skip it. Or even better, eat ice cream on a regular basis!

Here is the recipe Nora uses for an easy and delish Egyptian Lentil Soup. Make it only when the lentils are on sale!

Serve and enjoy!

Filed Under: Misc Finance, Saving Money Tagged With: budget eating, eating together as a family, egyptian lentil soup, grocery manufacturer coupons, grocery sales flier

Comments

  1. Queen Mum says

    March 5, 2017 at 6:34 pm

    All good ideas. And when you’re making a lot of something to get several meals out of it, change the accompaniments each time it’s served for a whole new look. Think salad, rolls, fruit garnish, etc. I’ve even changed a noodle soup to a casserole for its encore appearance by adding chicken chunks and more veggies. Just put a crust on top and pop it in the oven.

    Incidentally, there’s nothing like something with yeast in it to capture the imagination of kids learning to cook. I mean, yeast is magic. It’s alive! It does take a little time for the yeasties to do their thing, so start on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. Almost all recipes make enough to freeze some for another day.

    • Sarah says

      March 5, 2017 at 8:09 pm

      The Queen Mum is a very wise lady.

      Also: Try Aldi! So much cheaper than Safeway.

      • Barnaby says

        March 6, 2017 at 7:21 am

        I’ve heard that about Aldi. I sometimes go to Save-A-Lot, which is the type of store you don’t have to look at the prices much – most everything is a good deal.

        • Queen Mum says

          March 6, 2017 at 9:22 am

          An unsubstantiated rumor has it that Aldi is Joe’s brother (as in Trader Joe), but in any case the prices are good even if the selection is sketchy in some departments. Good bread. Try it.

  2. Queen Mum says

    March 5, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    P.S. Love the photo of Pippa and Grey!

  3. msrob0t says

    March 6, 2017 at 11:33 pm

    I like how she Goes Big! Some days it’s so convenient to have meals already ready. Especially after a long day at work. I also think it’s great to have the kiddos help out in the kitchen 🙂 I do this with my niece and nephew!

    • Barnaby says

      March 7, 2017 at 7:23 am

      When they are young, you need great patience to have the kids “help” in the kitchen. Down the road it pays many dividends though!

About Me

About Barnaby King Welcome to the Personal Finance King blog, which explores issues of Money, Faith, Work, and Family. I am Barnaby King. More
Subscribe to Receive New Posts by Email:

Check your inbox or spam folder now to confirm your subscription.

RSS RSS Feed

  • Quick Takes: Riding Greyhound, Winning Mega Millions & Human Composting
  • Know Your Value
  • My Tiny Bitcoin Investment Lost 64% of Its Value

Most Popular Posts

1. How Should We Respond to Needy People on the Street?
2. We Ported Our Landline Phone to Google Voice, Saving $46 Per Month
3. What Is the Role of Faith in Personal Finance?
4. 9 Life and Finance Lessons from “Alexander Hamilton” Biography by Ron Chernow
5. Top 8 Free and Offbeat Historic Things to Do in Baltimore
6. Why We Live in Baltimore Despite Its Problems
7. How a Prized Pocket Knife Was Imperiled on a Trip to See the Rockettes
8. Is 16 Too Old for a First Phone?

Categories

  • Earning Money
  • Faith & Finance
  • Kids & Finance
  • Love & Finance
  • Misc Finance
  • Politics & Finance
  • Saving Money
  • Travel & Finance
  • Uncategorized
  • Work & Finance

Archive

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in