Weird Ways to Save Money on Food

Hint: It doesn't involve couponing. Ugh.

Well, I promised I'd let you all know how I keep my grocery budget without succumbing to the futility of couponing. Instead, I have really weird strategies like these:

Put down the steak, and nobody gets hurt. Um, animal protein is dang expensive. And Americans eat way too much of it. In my house, meat is a garnish, if it's present at all. Which it's usually not. And it saves me a ton of money.

Be 'that weird green girl.' Oh, homemade cleaning products, how I love thee. You're everything a girl shouldn't be: Easy, cheap, simple to use. Vinegar and baking soda cost, like, nothing in comparison  to chemical-y cleaners. Also I don't have to freak out about my baby crawling through Clorox after I clean the floor.

Eat the fruit of someone else's labor land. Oh, I totally ask my neighbors for permission to pick fruit off their apple trees or grape vines. Think that's weird? Well, I think it's weird to drive to the grocery store to buy apples when my neighbor has so many apples that most of them just end up rotting on the ground. Most people can't wait for you to come help them with their excess fruit problem. Last year we got enough grapes to make jelly for the year, and we dried enough apples to last all year too. (Plus we had fresh apples all summer for free.) So when you're out walking, keep your eyes peeled. Check in vacant lots or back alleys--sometimes there are fruit trees growing there. Denver also has an urban foraging map online; check for your own city online.


Behave like an iron chef. You know, where they don't get to pick the surprise ingredient, but then have to somehow work it into every dish? Yeah, your surprise ingredient=whatever's on sale that week. When broccoli's on sale, we have broccoli on EVERYTHING. Including pizza, much to the dismay of my mother-in-law. (Love you Robin!)

Go big or go home. If you've got the space, buy in bulk. Better yet, wait for a great sale and THEN buy in bulk. Last time the store did an "all bulk 25% off" sale, I emptied half a barrel of oatmeal into my bags. But now I shouldn't have to buy grains or beans for about a year.

Don't employ robots. When it comes to stuff like spaghetti sauce or chicken stock or pretty much any baked good, you have two options: You make it yourself, or you pay a machine to make it for you. So expensive to go the latter route.

How does one end a post like this? Probably with a cute baby picture:

Linked up at Women Living Well, Works For Me Wednesday, Homemaking Linkup, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, The Mommy Club , What I Learned Wednesday, Making Your Home Sing Monday