A Week of Free Meals

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

27 May 2010 12:42 PM

Do you want to give your monthly budget a boost? Take advantage of having a week of free food to give you the extra monetary padding you need. The best thing about this plan is that you can usually do it several times a year.

Okay, so I have to admit that the title above is a little misleading. What I am really talking about is cooking from the supplies of food that you already have, which means at some point you probably spent money on it. But, the meals you make with that food can still, in my mind, be considered free for two reasons: you'll probably use food items that would have ended up in the trash anyway when they expire, and you will skip buying any groceries for that week and can use the money you might have typically spent on groceries to cover other bills or purchases (or save it and earn interest).

I am practicing this week of free meals right now. In fact, I posted my latest creation, Black Bean Enchiladas in the Food blog today. I needed to use up enchilada sauce, a can of corn and an open jar of salsa or toss them out. I dug into the pantry and fridge for the remaining ingredients.

You can wing it during the week or create a meal plan. While I often do the former, the latter yields much more success. Did into your pantry and cupboards and identify the items that will expire soon or have been hanging around too long. Next, attack the fridge and the freezer. I bet you can come up with several meals to make from your ingredients. Even if you break down and have to buy some basics, such as milk, eggs or a pepper or two, you'll still wind up ahead.

Lets post our meals as inspiration to each other. Or, post the ingredients you have on hand, and we'll come up with some ways to turn them into free meals.

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, online content manager, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania in the middle of the woods but close enough to Target and Home Depot.

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