Trading Up Downtown

Freezing leftovers and bulk items, like meat, are great ways to save money on your grocery bill. However, improperly freezing foods can lead to waste, which is basically like throwing away your money if you don’t eat it. Here’s a quick and easy tip from Real Simple for freezing ground meat:

The Fastest Way to Freeze (and Retrieve) Ground Meat

Fill a zippered plastic bag with raw meat, press it flat, and seal. Score the meat into equal sections by pressing a chopstick over the bag, tic-tac-toe–style, then freeze the grid flat. The next time you need ground beef, simply break off enough for your recipe.

Genius, right?

What are your favorite tips and tricks for freezing leftovers and bulk items?

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered this week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 77!

77. elisa, on August 19th, 2010 at 12:35 pm Said:

I love junior mints….

Congrats, Elise! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize!

Even though I make a number of budget-friendly swaps at the grocery store, there are some items that are worth the splurge to me. Greek yogurt and almond butter, in particular, are pricey, but I can’t seem to live without them. I rationalize their high price by saving money in other ways at the grocery.

Here are my favorite tips and tricks for stretching every last grocery dollar:

Poke around the fridge

The first thing I do in my meal-planning process is take stock of what I already have in my kitchen. I take the time to move things around in the refrigerator and scour the cabinets to see what I have on hand. Most of the time, I am surprised by what I find—a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, a can of pinto beans, a half-used bag of coffee… you get the idea. Instead of buying these items again or letting them go to waste, I incorporate them into the coming week’s menu.

Consider my schedule

Before I visit the grocery store, I look at my calendar as well as my husband’s for the upcoming week and create meals around when we will be home for dinner. We typically plan a meal for each night at home and make sure to take into account meals with lots of leftovers—like casseroles or homemade pizza. I keep in mind that Fridays and Saturdays are usually “wing it” nights because we’ll often end up going out to dinner or meeting friends for appetizers and drinks, so I don’t buy extra food for those nights.

Don’t be afraid of bruised produce

I always check out the reduced produce area with the hope of finding some good deals. Usually, this produce has a single bump or bruise that can easily be cut off. But, I only buy produce that I plan to use right away or have something in mind for. It’s not worth buying damaged produce if I don’t end up using it. Lately, I’ve been buying a bunch of bananas that I immediately peel and freeze for smoothies.

Stock up on staples

Sure, you’ve heard of the “make a list and stick to it” tip when grocery shopping. It’s a great piece advice, and I usually keep it in mind. However, I also make sure to stock up on my favorite products when they go on sale. My husband and I plow through peanut butter and oatmeal like it’s our job, so when they go on sale, I make sure to buy them even if we haven’t run out yet. I know that we’ll use these items at some point, so I might as well stock up and save a little money.

Use Reusable Bags

Most stores will take $0.05 or $0.10 off your bill for each reusable bags that you use for your grocery shopping. In addition to benefiting the environment, I’m saving money. Saving just $0.20 is usually enough to splurge on some of my favorite foods. If you always forget your reusable bags at home, try leaving them in your car. I leave all of my reusable bags in the backseat of my car, so I never forget to bring them to the grocery store.

What items do you “splurge” on at the grocery store? What are you favorite tips for saving money on other items?

You’ve heard the old excuse before: Healthy eating is expensive. My food choices are healthy most of the time, but I’m also a cheapskate at heart. Luckily, I manage to eat healthy on a budget, thanks to a few simple swaps.

Expensive: Instant oatmeal

More affordable: Quaker Oats

Instant oatmeal is great in a hurry, but buying a huge canister of Quaker Oats (NuVal score: 57) is a much more cost-effective option. If you compare unit price on the two items, it’s much more economical to purchase the quick oats. For an on-the-go option, I portion out 1/2 cup of quick oats, put them in a Tupperware container, and add hot water when I get to my destination. Plus, instant packets are often packed full of added sugars. Quaker Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal, for instance, scores just a 25 on the NuVal scale.

Expensive: Fresh berries

More affordable: Frozen berries

Fresh berries are often very expensive, especially when they are out of season. Frozen berries cost much less and they’re just as nutritious for you. Plus, with frozen berries, you don’t have to worry about eating them before they go bad. Throwing away rotten food is like wasting money!

Expensive: Vegetable chips

More affordable: Kale chips

As a salty snack, homemade kale chips are a great swap to expensive veggie chips. Plus, kale scores a 99 on the NuVal scale! While they do require some prep work, kale chips are incredibly easy to make. Just spray washed kale with cooking spray, season with sea salt, and bake at 450° for about 12 minutes. They taste just like potato chips!

Expensive: Fresh salmon fillet

More affordable: Canned salmon

We all know we should eat more fish, as it is rich in omega-3s, but buying fresh fish is not always friendly on my wallet. Instead, I swap fresh salmon for Canned Bumble Bee Wild Alaska Pink Salmon (NuVal score: 70), which is much less expensive, and I am still able to get those healthy omega-3s in my diet.

Expensive: Larabars

More affordable: Nuts and dried fruit

Larabars are one of my favorites snacks, but buying them every week definitely takes a toll on my budget. Instead, I eat dried fruit, like dates (NuVal score: 91) and prunes (NuVal score: 91), and nuts, like almonds (NuVal score: 81) and walnuts (NuVal score: 82), and save my Larabars for a special treat.