30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

I couldn’t have done it without you. I asked what YOUR best real food money saving tips might be, and oh did you come through!

It was so fun to put all of our heads together and put together this great (FREE!) resource full of Real Food Money Saving Tips! There truly are many great ways to save money on real food groceries!

I love it when high quality meat is marked down!

Sure, I know some great ways I’ve learned to save money on real food through the years. But so many of you have different experiences and ideas from what I’ve learned. Putting so many of your tips together into this little booklet means we all get just that much smarter! (Just when we thought we knew everything about buying apples…)

Real Food Money Saving TipsYum

Ready to get started? You’ll find all 30 tips detailed in this absolutely FREE resource. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Crystal: I only have a family of 3, but because of prices of grass fed beef and organic chicken, I only use half a pound when I make spaghetti or a casserole and I use 1 chicken breast when I make a noodle dish or casserole that calls for chicken. I’m always using less meat than called for as a way to stretch it. That way I can afford higher quality meat. It works for us!
2. Nicole: Last year I switched around how I menu planned instead of finding recipes then going shopping for those ingredients I now hit the produce & meat area buying what’s on sale (and good quality!) then I come home and find recipes that contain those items. Now I don’t feel obligated to buy the higher non sale item because of the time I already have invested in menu planning.
3. Melody: We have meatless Mondays, tuna recipes for Tuesdays, and I “shop” my pantry and fridge/freezer first, then the on-line ads, and make my menu plan from that. I make out my grocery list for just the items I will need to make the items on my menu. We also use less meat than a recipe calls for and add beans to stretch out the meat in meals like tacos or casseroles.
4. Susan: My best money saving advice is the skip fancy recipes that require you to buy ingredients you don’t have on hand or use often. I often leave out or substitute a fancy ingredient for a more economical or practical ingredient. I can’t be a 5 star cook on my budget and some days I wish I had fresh herbs or a fancy vinegar, but running out to buy them for 1 recipe isn’t the best use of my funds. I have been sticking to simple real food recipes with basic cost effective ingredients. I make menus based on my own pantry and sale items. Also, I use leftovers for casseroles or soups (freezing them if I am not using them right away). Leftover or stale bread is used to make croutons.
5. Christy: Twice a year we clean out the pantry and freezer. We buy only milk, eggs and bread until we are down to almost nothing in the pantry. The meals get interesting, but it is great for the budget and can be as healthy as what you originally put in there.
6. Mary Beth E: Right now–and tomorrow– I am waiting for UPS and/or FedEx to drop off packages of grocery staple items I buy in bulk. Because I cook whole foods at home, this will cover all our bread, rolls, tortillas, rice, pies, cakes, spices, seasonings, and much more, even toilet paper. I will place another order about mid-year. When I see almost any recipe, I have on hand the basics. When I go to the grocery store–every other week–I mainly buy fresh or frozen produce, eggs, and dairy. Buying in bulk and thinking of your budget in terms of a year rather than a week, really saves a lot of money.
7. Birdie: Garden and can, however you are able. A small plot in your yard, partner with others on a shared plots, help a neighbor with a plot, encourage your apartment/duplex owner to allow some of you to garden in the yard (check bylaws), talk to the college in your area to see if they would be interested in allowing community gardens. Even create a raised bed so you can sit and garden from a chair or wheel chair if you are not as mobile. Container garden on a balcony or deck (remember to water often).If you can’t garden, buy meat, fruits and vegetables in super sales, can, freeze, and dehydrate. Approach a few farmers and see if you can have shares in their live stock. Participate in butcher time and you may receive a great deal on meat. If you can get your hands on garden herbs and spices from others, dry and add lots of flavor to your cooking.

   

8. Nedrda: One way I save money on quality meat is to partner with my sister and mom to buy a grass-fed/pasture raised cow or hog. We can buy those meats at $4.00 a pound and then split the meat between the three of us. We also do this for the bulk coconut oil through Tropical Traditions and other items through Azure Standard and Amazon. By doing this, I do not have to come up with total amount myself to buy the beef/pork/oil and I can enjoy the quality for a great price. It also helps with storage issues to split the order!
9. Crissi: For most of our grains, frozen fruits, some fresh fruits, and odds and ends we use Azure Standard. We’ve purchased foods from them for well over a year now, I’d highly recommend them. They have excellent customer service.
10. Cassondra: One thing I do when I run out of something like a spice or condiment or anything else is look online to see if I can make it from scratch with items here at home. For example, I make our taco seasoning but was out of chili powder…so I went online and found a recipe for chili powder, had all the ingredients for it and it turned out great. So now I have one more from scratch recipe on hand.

Want to read all 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips?

We’ve compiled them all into this simple-to-read FREE eBook!

This great little book is full of tips I compiled when I asked you, “What are your best tips for saving money on real food?” Since we’ve been talking about Simple Meals on a Simple Budget this month, I thought it would be fun to remind you about this great free download. I truly loved compiling these tips and learned great new ideas to try as I work to save money while feeding my family well!

How to get 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips

Enter your email address here, confirm that you would like to receive this information, and the freebie will land in your inbox! Easy as that!

Bonus Freebie:

When you sign up to get the free 30 Real Food Money Saving Tips eBooklet, you’ll also get this free Heavenly Homemaker’s Top 10 Money Saving Recipes eBooklet! Don’t you love getting free books to help you learn more about saving money? It’s like we’re getting free grocery money! :)

Want a sneak peek inside the 10 Money Saving Recipes eBook?? Here’s one of our favorites!

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola

(This recipe cuts the cost from $2.00/serving with store-bought granola to only $0.50/serving. Yep. The store-bought version really is that expensive!)

Dark Chocolate Almond Granola

 

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Author: Laura

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 4 cups rolled oats
• ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• ¾ cup honey
• ¾ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil and honey together.
2. Stir oats, shredded coconut, and slivered almonds together in a large bowl.
3. Drizzle on the honey/coconut oil mixture and stir well.
4. Pour mixture onto a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or two 9x13 inch dishes).
5. Bake at 300° for 35-45 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes.
6. Allow mixture to cool.
7. Stir in dark chocolate chunks.
8. Store granola in an air-tight container.
9. Makes 10-12 servings.

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Saving money is fun when there’s chocolate involved.

I can’t wait for you to enjoy all of the money saving tips and recipes!

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P.S. Signing up for these great freebies will connect you to our free Savings Club so we can occasionally let you know of other wonderful food and homemaking deals we learn about!