Stock Your Kitchen

Having been in the spot wondering how I will feed my family and make it to the end of the week I know how frustrating it can be to just skate by on the skin of your teeth or have to ask for help because you ran out of food. When health issues are a factor it can be an even bigger struggle to feed your family. The fear that you won’t make it to payday is real. Today we are going to change that. I am going to teach you how to FEARLESSLY feed your family.

Menu planning

Menu planning is the first big step you can take to break the paycheck to paycheck food situation. When you plan your meals you know you have the food in the house so there is no questioning how you are going to feed your family. Meal planning also allows you to save money by taking advantage of your stockpile and local sales. Planning your menu keeps you from running out.

Build a stockpile.

Often we think of a stockpile we think of extream couponers. The truth is every family should have a stockpile. When life gets tough you never have to choose between food or bills when you have a good stockpile in the house to hold your family over. Start small by grabbing extra of items you use often when you find a sale. Soon enough you will have several meals for back up. You do not need to have a lot of money to start your stockpile.

Look for creative ways to pay for extra food

Take the time to check back on yesterdays lesson. You can find great ways to get money back from buying food and earn gift cards to pay for the food. You can cash out for Amazon and Walmart Gift cards in many of these apps to buy more food with your regular budget. Sign up for coupons and rewards programs at your local supermarkets.

Take advantage of referral programs like Wal-marts $10 off grocery pick up deal. Sign up here to get $10 off your first order and every time you refer a friend you get $10 off your next order. 1 referral a week can save you $10 a week on your food bill. Be sure to combine this deal with Ibotta, checkout51 coupons, and other apps we discussed yesterday to get even more cash back.

Learn how to make the basics yourself.

When times have gotten tough my ability to make simple foods like bread from scratch has been a life saver for feeding my family. In fact, we have a list of over 100 things we stopped buying to save money and make ourselves. The basic ingredients cost less and no one will get into the flour for a snack.

Learn to make a meal from pantry goods.

Once you have your stockpile you need to learn how to use it. Combining canned meats, =veggies, and other pantry staples to create a balanced meal is a skill that will make it easy to feed your family. Check out these tips I put together on how to make a meal from your pantry. These basic pantry staples will save you money when you are making meals for your family.

What about feeding families that need healthier options?

So many families feel that because they heat a healthier than conventional diet or struggle with food allergies they can not afford to eat frugally. The good news is that’s all a misconception. You can find coupons for even healthy foods and you can feed your family whole foods on a budget. You can even find ways to save on meats for your family. Even organic meats!

Buy in Bulk

One amazing tip to save on food for your family is to buy in bulk. Anything that will not go bad before you can use it can often be bought cheaper in bulk than smaller portions. As a large family, we save a TON by buying in bulk.