Saving Money on Groceries When You Both Workby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 17 Feb 2009 08:32 AM
Some frugal practices can be adapted to your lifestyle if you are commuting to work on a daily basis. The crock pot or slow cooker, for example, can be a life saver when it comes to having an inexpensive, healthy and hot meal ready when you come home. A majority of recipes can even be assembled the night before and put into the fridge. Then just pop the crock into the base and turn it on before you leave in the morning. Homemade bread can be inexpensive. As long as you don't use ingredients that might spoil, you could set the timer on your bread machine. Use powdered milk or powdered eggs, if you recipe calls for fresh milk or eggs. If you have a day that you can cook, such as a weekend morning, make a couple of batches of meals and freeze them. Meat loaf or meatballs freeze well and can be portioned out. Schedule a grocery trip on your way home from work. This way you don't have to use up a weekend to go shopping. Consider only shopping every two weeks, to avoid spending too much. Start a dinner club with co-workers. Each of you pick one night to cook. Make a double or triple batch of your dinner. Bring the extra portions in the next day for your coworkers. They can do the same on other nights. Purchase your groceries online. Use your lunch hour to shop online for your groceries, then have them delivered or pick them up on the way home. This reduces the need to eat out or purchase too many "what's for dinner" convenience foods. You can invest the shopping time you would normally do to cooking. Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right. Favorite Deal Websites: Related Articles: Make Your Breadmaker Work for You Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments AuntJamelle (125) 08 Apr 2009 06:31 AMJust a thought - I make chicken stock on weeknights, it takes about 2 hours but 1.5 of those hours are spent doing other things while the stock simmers on the stove. I save the bones from roasted chickens in the freezer until I am ready to use. Sliced carrots & celery get pulled from the freezer as well and I add in onion and herbs (bay leaves, peppercorns, etc.) per my recipe. When the stock is done simmerring I cool it quickly in a big bowl set in a sink filled with ice water then measure the stock into ziplocks or cleaned out Cool Whip containers. Then everything gets labeled & popped into the freezer. It does take time, but having the key ingredients waiting in the freezer until I have the time is a big help! Just food for thought! :) Community Tags frugal living, single parent, saving money, working mother Discuss this article
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