How Much Money Could You Be Saving.....

in the Kitchen if you would only plan better and use up leftovers and here's a big one shop at home first.

If we would implement these 3 steps we could all save a lot more money. And now a days that is a much needed plan for most of us.

Here are a few tips to get you started on your path to saving more in the kitchen.

1. make a menu,make it as detailed as you can.

2. when making your menu start using leftovers in your menu plans and make a it a habit.

3. see how many meals you can make out of a chicken,ham,roast,ect to make those food dollars streeettccchhhh.

4. Don't let those leftovers sit in the refrigerator and become a science experiment. Use them up,you have already paid for that food,went through the time to make it and serve it,don't waste your time and money by letting it go to waste.

5. When making your menu and shopping list,SHOP AT HOME FIRST!!!! Start with day one,if you keep your inventory up to day this is a very simple job if not it may take a little more time but it's worth it. Hint:keep your inventory up to date and accurate to save you more time and money. I like to get my lists and my menu notebook with the sale adds and coupons,sit down and take the needed time to get a good detailed menu and shopping list. If you need any help on how to do this check out this article I wrote with details broken down just how to do a detailed menu and shopping list.

By first shopping at home and using up leftovers when making making your menu. You will save so much more money. Then when making your shopping list you will only need to add what you need or of course if the grocer is having an awesome deal on an item your family uses then by all means add it to your list, if it fits within your grocery budget. Now if you find an awesome sale and you have coupons to go with that item,you can get an even bigger deal and can use this strategy to stock up until the next sale.

Now all these tips and tricks will do you no good if you go over your grocery budget or don't set one. Figure out how much you have to spend at the store,if you are spending to much cut it back some until it's at a low enough rate that is still comfortable for your family size but not as much as you spending. Use your savings to save up for bulk buying or to pay off debt or put into savings.

Here is another article I wrote that you may enjoy and find helpful. What I've been doing to keep food costs down.

I would love to hear what you all are doing to cut back or streeetttcccchhhh those food dollars!!!!