Know Your 'Buy Price' on Groceries | Kitchen Economics Link Up

Do you track the prices of your food, cleaning products and bath items so you know when you are getting the best possible price available?


Buying the food we eat and the products that we use at the lowest possible price is always a priority for me. I try to stretch my grocery dollar as much as possible without sacrificing what I deem as quality for me and my family. My 'buy' price is the price that I am willing to spend for an item. That price might be different than yours depending on location, brand loyalty and taste differences.

I don't keep a price book, but I have started to keep a price sheet. Just a single piece of paper where I record my 'buy' price for our staples, like chicken, turkey, olive oil, detergent, etc. I record the item, price, unit size, price per unit and I might make a note about the store if it is unusual to where I normally shop, like the bread outlet. I decided to actually write down these prices, because I had too many swirling in my head that I couldn't remember them all anymore.

Some of my staple 'buy' prices are boneless, skinless chicken breasts at $1.99/lb, roasting whole chickens at $79/lb, grapes at .99/lb, 32 load laundry detergent for $1.00. I'm at the tail end of diaper use (no pun intended), but I try to get them for 10-13 cents each.

If I find prices to be even better than my 'buy' price then I hit the jack pot and I stock up even more. Just recently, a local grocery chain had a grand re-opening and they have been celebrating for several weeks with some amazing deals. This week, they had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.59 a pound, so I bought about 10 pounds worth. That will last me for several months. I knew that was a great price when I referred to my sheet and saw that my 'buy' price for chicken is $1.99/lb.

Do you have 'buy' prices for your groceries so you know when to stock up? Do you track them with a price book or sheet? Let us know in the comments.

Welcome to the Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen. A few Link Up guidelines:

• Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
• Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
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• If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.

I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.



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Spring Clean...Your Windows for just pennies

Last week, I noticed a rather disturbing sight...the dining room windows. It was time to stop avoiding them, they were filthy and covered with my kids' finger prints.

My window solution costs pennies and does a great job. No streaks, just crystal clear, clean windows. A friend who owns a window cleaning business gave me this tip several years ago. Instead of industrial-strength cleaners, he uses original(blue) Dawn dish washing liquid to clean his windows.

Fill a spray bottle with water and add about 2 drops of original Dawn dish washing liquid. You don't need much Dawn; too much will make the windows soapy. Shake well right before spraying on the glass. I use old infant t-shirts instead of paper towels, and my windows go from grimy to crystal clear. This works well on mirrors too.

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM and Works for Me Wednesday.

Grilled Sausages with Peppers and Onions Hobo Pack

It's grill season! Can I get a collective "YEAH"! We don't grill too much during the winter. It's too cold and dark and the grill is usually buried in snow. But the sun is poking through more and it is sticking around much later every day, so we are grilling on a regular basis again. One of our favorite grilled sandwiches is Italian Sausages and we love it with grilled peppers and onions. I make this at least once a week in the summer.

Grilled Sausages with Peppers and Onions Hobo Pack

• 1 lb Italian sausage links
• 1 red pepper, cored, slices into thin strips
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin. We prefer red onion, however on this day I only had a yellow onion on hand.
• olive oil, salt, pepper

Create a hobo pack by placing the peppers and onions in the center of a piece of foil, large enough to fold up into a packet. Before folding up the packet, drizzle the peppers and onions with about 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, about 1/4 tsp each. Fold the packet up tightly, so juices don't drain out when you flip the packet while grilling. See picture of packet on the grill.





Grill sausage over medium-high heat about 15-20 minutes, turning halfway, until sausage is cooked through. I grilled turkey sausage and the rule is to cook until it reaches 165 degrees inside. Refer to the sausage packaging for cooking guidelines. Flip the hobo pack when you turn the sausage.

Serve the sausages, peppers and onions on a really fresh roll with your favorite toppings. I love mine with lots of mustard. Enjoy and Happy Grilling!

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This post is linked to $5 Dinner Challenge and Ultimate Recipe Exchange at Life as MOM.

Spring Clean...Your Home Office

How can anyone work under that mess?

What does your home office look like right now? As of Wednesday afternoon, my home office looked exactly like the above picture. My piles of papers and receipts were stacked higher than I would like. As soon as I finished the project that was causing much of my mess, I decided that my office needed a good spring clean up. I had let my desk get out of control...once again.

As I was removed everything from the desk, I decided right then if it was trash and needed to be shredded, needed to be filed or put elsewhere, or donated. I also cleaned out the drawers.


I wiped down the desk. I also dusted my monitor with a microfiber cloth. Dust bunnies be gone!


Much better. Don't you feel so much more productive when you are working at a clean desk?

Six Tips to a more Manageable Home Office:

1. Deal with mail immediately. Shred any trash with your name or address on it. Either pay bills immediately or put them in a To-Be-Paid file. If you are getting too many credit card offers, look inside and you should find a phone number to have your name removed from their data base. I don't get any credit card offers anymore.

2. Contain your paper. One of my most popular posts is How Long Should You Keep Financial Records. I spent a snow day last year cleaning out my filing cabinet and it has remained organized ever since. Now if the top of my desk could be so lucky.

3. Invest in a shredder. They are really not that expensive considering that they will help prevent identity theft.

4. Create a visual reminder to help you manage your important to-do list. I am a paper person and keep my to-do list on my desk at all times, but you could easily keep a list on your computer too. This simple reminder has helped me keep track of my monthly and quarterly responsibilities for our business and my home office.

5. Keep your most important papers, projects and financial information organized with a simple binder system.

6. Take a few minutes once a week to clear your desk. Very often, my desk ends up looking like the top picture. This is where I work and it is very hard for me to be productive and focused when papers, books and knick knacks are everywhere. My goal going forward is to clear it off every Friday when I'm done for the week.

Does your home office need a good spring cleaning? Do you have any tips for keeping a clutter-free home office? Let us know in the comments.

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Ten Paper Products To Cross Off Your Grocery List | Kitchen Economics Link Up

Are you looking for more ways to trim your grocery bill? Are you trying to run a more 'green' household? Try replacing some paper products on your list with cloth and re-usable products that you probably have around the house and you will not only reduce your grocery spending, but you will also reduce your waste.
1. Switch from paper napkins to cloth napkins - We have been using cloth napkins ever since we received them as a wedding gift ten years ago. I found some new ones recently in the clearance section of Kohl's and I retired some older, stained napkins to use in place of paper towels for smaller spills and to wipe messy little hands and faces.



2. Switch from paper towels to old bath towels - Do you have old towels in the back of your bathroom closet that you're not using anymore? When you have really big spills, grab an old bath towel instead of a massive amount of paper towels and then just toss the towel in with a load of laundry.

3. Switch from paper tissues to flannel cloth hankies - Flannel is so much softer on my kids' little noses. I use flannel hankies during sniffle season. I cut up some old flannel receiving blankets that we no longer need. A quick stitch around the edges should hopefully prevent fraying.



4. Switch from parchment paper to silicone baking mats. I have been using a Silpat Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat for years. There is an initial investment. I've seen silicone mats priced at $14-$20 depending on the brand and size, but parchment paper is pricey too and your investment will eventually pay for itself. You can use a coupon from Bed, Bath & Beyond if you decide to purchase a baking mat.



5. Instead of using aluminum foil or plastic wrap to cover casseroles and leftovers, store the food in re-usable containers. I love my Pyrex Glass Storage Containers with the blue plastic lids. I have 4 different sizes. They are microwavable (except for the lid) and dishwasher safe. There is an initial investment, but I have seen similiar containers at yard sales or thrift stores and at Bed Bath and Beyond where they regularly offer 20% coupons.



6. Use plastic store bags for trash bags. Even though we try to use cloth grocery bags, we still end up with some plastic. Use them for your garbage.

7. Skip the sandwich bags and use re-usable containers in your lunch tote.

8. Switch from disposable cleaning cloths and mops and use old t-shirts, towels, flannel or micro-fiber instead.

9. Save the paper plates for your really BIG parties. From May-October, we eat outside on the patio for many meals and it would be so easy to use paper plates each time. I found these compartment plates at a yard sale for a couple of bucks and they are great for those times when you might grab paper plates, like picnics, patio dinners and small family gatherings. I also don't have to worry about breaking them on the patio. But I will admit that when I'm expecting a big crowd (20-30) for a family get-together which might be once or twice a year, I'll use paper plates.



10. Re-use glass jars instead of buying plastic storage ware. I learned this one from my Nanny. She is always sending food home in pickle jars when we visit. Cracks me up every time. I re-use pasta sauce jars for my homemade chicken stock , or my Roasted Roma Tomato Sauce, or my homemade sugar-free applesauce and store them in my freezer. Just leave an inch at the top, because of expansion from freezing. I also re-use #5 plastic containers that we get with Thai take-out; that can be a controversial concept for some people. I don't microwave any plastic containers.




Sometimes reaching for disposable paper products seems easier, but it doesn't take much more effort to use products that are re-usable or recycled. You save money and resources. What paper products do you avoid and what did you substitute them with? Let us know in the comments.

Welcome to the Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen. A few Link Up guidelines:

• Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
• Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
• I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
• If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.

I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.



This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM and Your Green Resource at The Greenbacks Gal.


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Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan

One of my favorite things about spring is asparagus. We eat a lot of it this time of year, because of the specials I find, like the 99 cents a pound deal I got last week. My favorite way to eat it is roasted and it makes for an easy and delicious side dish.

Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Parmesan

• 1 lb asparagus, cleaned, dried and the thick ends trimmed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus flat on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and garlic and mix together until completely coated. Sprinkle salt and pepper.


Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until fork can pierce through and the asparagus is bright green. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!



Roasted Asparagus goes well with:

• Turkey and Veggie Loaf
• Grilled Salmon with Peach Mango Salsa
• Grilled Garlic Lemon Shrimp

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It Is Time To Teach Our 5 Year Old About Money

I have always been able to walk through a store with my kids and they wouldn't beg or plead or ask me to buy anything for them...

Until yesterday. When we had a little episode at the Rite-Aid. I stopped in for a few things and as we were headed down the make-up aisle on our way to feminine hygiene, my five year old stopped dead in her tracks when she passed Skittles Lip Smacker Lip gloss.

5 yr: "Mommy, Can I get this? I'm being good today."

Mommy: "You are being very good and I appreciate that, but that is not what we came in for today."

5 yr: "PLEEEESE!"

Mommy: "Did you bring your wallet with you?" I knew she had a few dollars from her recent 2 lost teeth and a visit from her grandfather.

5 yo: "No, it's at home. Can't we use your money?" (Imagine a whiny, tearful 5 year old)

Mommy: "Not for lip gloss honey. I will buy it for you, but you're going to have to pay me back when we get home. Do you understand?", I reply.

5 yo: "OK!" Tears gone and her smile returns to her face.

When we got home, my daughter went to get her wallet. The lip gloss was $5.75, but I told her that she owed me $5. She counted out 5 $1 dollar bills and was ecstatic when she realized she had a dollar left. She handed me the $5 without even flinching and that is when it hit me that it was time to start talking about money with her.

This was literally the first conversation we have had about money. She has gotten cash in the past for her birthday or Christmas, but she would have preferred a toy so I have deposited the money in her savings account. She is at the age where she wants things like lip gloss and sticker books when she sees them. Are those things that I should just buy for her because she asks and because she is being good? I don't mind the occasional treat, but I don't want it to be expected and become a habit.

My husband and I have to decide how we want to teach our children about money. We both agree that we'll have an allowance system, but we need to think about how we want to handle it and what kind of system we'll use.

There are many lessons to teach and many things to consider.

• What will her responsibilities be? Making her bed, setting the dinner table, and putting her clean clothes away are all things she does now. So I don't necessarily want to pay her for those things. What other responsibilities should we add for her to receive an allowance?


• How much should we pay her? She is in preschool, so her math skills are very limited. She doesn't understand that 4 quarters equal a $1 yet. Or that 2 dimes and a nickel equal a quarter, so this could be a good math lesson.


• We want her to give a portion, save a portion and she can spend the rest. But should we have rules on what she can buy with her money?

Do you have kids? How have you used an allowance system to teach your children about money? How does your system work? Let us know in the comments.

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How To Save Money on Organic Food | Kitchen Economics

Is eating organic food important to you? I don't like the thought of all of the pesticides, synthetic hormones and antibiotics passing through to my family, especially my two young children. So we eat a fair amount of organic, especially during the summer harvest. Have you ever eaten an organic, local, ripe strawberry?...heaven on earth.

Does the price of organic make you not buy as much as you would like? Eating organically can be expensive, so I am always looking for ways to save money on organic food.

When it comes to organic food, everyone's line in the sand is different. I have friends who are adament about eating only organic food and I have friends where eating organic is not a priority. We fall somewhere in between.

Here are 6 tips that I use to help us afford organic food:

1. Community Supported Agriculture or CSA.
A CSA is a commitment between local farmer/s and community members who pay the farmer for a seasonal membership. Each week the member receives a pre-purchased and pre-determined amount of produce and the farmer receives upfront money to run their operation. Some CSAs might require the members to volunteer hours on the farm in return for the produce.

We have been a member of a CSA for 9 years and it is the most cost-effective way for us to afford organic produce. During the May-November harvest season, we receive a weekly share of produce. Most of the produce that we consume during those months comes from the CSA. We supplement with produce we grow ourselves and I rarely need to buy produce at the grocery store during those months.

This year's price for our half-share comes to about $14.21 a week in organic produce. Obviously, prices will differ by farm. The above photo is an example of our weekly share in August when the box is full of high summer produce.

Our CSA also offers ‘OPEN Farm Days’ one Saturday each month during the harvest season. On these days, members can pick up any free extra produce that the farm has an overrun on. They also offer some extra produce at an extremely reduced rate. Last year I bought several 19 pound boxes of organic roma tomatoes for $6 each. Again, each CSA will operate differently.


I found a CSA farm directory, but you should also google to find one in your area.

2. Consider your grocery store's private label organic brand.
Just like non-organic food items, I always try the store brand to see if I/we like it. My good friend loves our store's private label vanilla organic yogurt and I didn’t care for it and went back to my beloved Stonyfield French Vanilla yogurt. Although, I don’t mind the store brand organic milk and that is usually what I purchase unless I have a brand coupon that makes the price better. It is a matter of preference, but worth some comparison shopping.

Here is a quick price comparison on a recent grocery trip:

• Name brand 32 oz. organic yogurt $2.99 vs. store brand 32 oz organic yogurt $2.53.
• Name brand half gallon of organic milk $4.05 vs. store brand half gallon organic milk $3.49

3. Compare price per unit and if the size makes sense go for the best price per unit.

• Stonyfield Organic yogurt, 32 oz @ $2.99 = $1.50/lb, 6 oz cups @ .79 cents = $2.11/lb.
• Horizon Organic Milk - half gallon @ $4.05, gallon @ $5.99

4. Look for organic or natural meat that has been marked down.
Marked down poultry or meat is safe as long as you use it or freeze immediately after you buy it. I wrote about marked down meat before and I regularly find this type of poultry or meat marked down at my store.



5. Visit your local farmers markets for organic produce, meat, poultry and dairy.

6. Visit the websites of companies that you enjoy.
Go to the websites of your favorite organic companies to look for coupons. Here are some links to a few organic sites that offer coupons. Generally there is a limit, but it usually resets every month.

• Stonyfield
• Horizon
• Organic Valley
• Earth Fare

How important is buying organic food to you? Do you have any tips for saving money on organic food? Let us know in the comments.

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This post is linked to Your Green Resource at A Delightful Home and Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

I LOVE Grocery Store Grand Re-Openings

A local Weis grocery store was renovated recently and their grand re-opening is this week. I don't shop at this store, but the loss leaders and sales for that one store were worth the 4 mile drive, vs the half mile drive to the Weis right around the corner from my house. They also had a $8 off $50 coupon specific for the new store in the paper. That sealed the deal as to where I was going to shop this week.

I came home with:

• .99/lb asparagus
• .99/lb grapes
• .99/lb green beans
• .99 cereal - My favorite post-run snack.
• .99 Purex detergent (not shown)
• 4/$5 red and yellow peppers - I prefer these peppers over green, but they can be very expensive
• B1G1F strawberries that smelled delicious and didn't look too bad for this time of year
• $2.99 coffee
• and an assortment of other great deals

And to top it all off, a $5 coupon printed out for my next purchase at the store, so I might be going back on Saturday to stock up on more veggies.

Don't you just love when a grocery store decides to remodel a store? Have you scored any great grocery deals lately from a store opening or re-opening? Let us know in the comments.

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Roasted Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato & Olive Pizza

Ever since I started making a master batch of Artisan bread dough, I have declared Saturday night: Homemade Pizza Night.

My husband was getting a little bored with the cheese pizza that I was making with the kids in mind. They aren't big fans of loaded pizzas. One night, my husband asked if we could mix it up a bit and add some fun and different ingredients to the pizza.

So I looked in my fridge and pulled together some things that I had on hand. The result was a flavorful and delicious pizza. But my husband and I agree that what makes this pizza so good is the roasted garlic. I will be using roasted garlic as a base for many other pizza variations that are swirling around in my head.

Roasted Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Pizza

• 1 head of garlic, roasted
• ¾ cup feta - I used feta flavored with basil
• ¾ cup packed spinach, chopped
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes - I buy the non-oil packed sun-dried tomatoes and they charred a bit, but did not affect the taste of the pizza
• ½ cup chopped Kalamata olives or black olives
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• your favorite homemade pizza dough - I used the Olive Oil Master recipe from Artisan Bread Cookbook

I detailed How To Roast Garlic in this post.

Once the garlic has cooled from roasting, remove all of the cloves from their skins and smash together in a small bowl with the back of a spoon until the garlic is spreadable.

Form your pizza dough into shape. Spread the garlic over the dough with a butter knife.

In a small bowl, combine the feta, spinach, tomatoes, olives and olive oil.


Spread this mixture over the garlic on the pizza dough.


Bake according to your pizza dough instructions. I used the Olive Oil Master dough recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and followed the directions for the pizza recipe.


I served with fruit and a spinach salad. Enjoy!

Print recipe for Roasted Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato & Olive Pizza

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This post is linked to:

• $5 Dinner Challenge
• Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Apparently Some of Those Gas Saving Tips Don't Actually Work

With rising gas prices, we are all looking for ways to save money at the pump. Last week, I asked readers if they were ready for rising gas prices. Many people commented their concerns about how the rising prices would affect their budgets and habits.

Earlier this week, I read Gas Saving Tips That Don't Actually Work at Yahoo Finance and it debunks some of the advice that we have been given about saving money at the pump. I found the article interesting, so I am passing it along to you.

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Image: m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Save Money On Groceries Without Using Coupons | Kitchen Economics Link Up

I am not an extreme couponer. I'm not even an avid couponer. I like coupons, but I am not the home manager who buys $200 worth of groceries for $4.35. I am always fascinated by those stories of people who are able to accomplish such a task, but it is not me. I usually average about $5 in coupons on each weekly shopping trip.

Health and Beauty products are another story. I don't buy any of those products without a coupon, but they are easier to come by. And stores like CVS and Rite Aid make it very easy for all types of shoppers to buy these products for pennies or FREE. Paper products, such as toilet paper and diapers are easy for me to use coupons too.

But I find food products to be a different story. Boxed, processed food coupons are very easy to find, but I try to limit those foods in our diet, so I really have a hard time finding coupons for food that we do eat. But that doesn't mean I don't save a lot of money at the grocery store.

Whether you are a coupon queen, king or clutz, there are many other ways to save money on groceries and coupons are not involved.

1. Menu Plan


As I have written before, groceries are the one category that I feel like I have the most control over when it comes to spending. When I plan a menu, my spending is generally under control. When I don't plan, I am sure to blow the budget. The difference between the two can be $100-$150. That is a lot of money, so I plan a menu. Develop your own routine and read my post, Eleven Tips for Easier Menu Planning for more ideas.

2. Institute a 'Raid the Fridge' Night
One night a week, raid the fridge to get rid of leftovers. Set the leftovers up buffet style. Everyone's plate might look different, but you'll at least use up the leftovers and reduce the waste.

3. Utilize the Freezer
Freeze those leftovers. If you're not going to eat the left food before it spoil, then freeze it. With the exception of maybe pasta dishes, a lot of food can be frozen. Cooked chicken and veggies can be frozen and used in soups or casseroles at a later date. Raw vegetables like carrots, peppers, onions and parsley can be shredded or chopped and bagged and stored in the freezer for future dishes.

Stockpile in the freezer. At Christmas time I bought 5 lb sacks of flour for .99 cents. I stocked up and put them in the freezer for storage and to prevent bugs. When chicken roasters are on sale at .79/lb, I buy at least 3 of them and store in the freezer. When organic bread is on sale, I stock up and store in the freezer.

4. Don't shun the store brands
I'll give the store version of a product a try and if I don't like it, I'll go back to the brand name. I buy store brand versions of many things from butter, flour and sugar to pretzels, bread, canned tomatoes and aluminum foil. There are a few instances where I went back to the name brand, like Heinz ketchup and Sargento Shredded Cheese.

I compared the prices of some store products and the name brand counterparts of some items on my shopping list and found savings of 20% - 40%.

• Canned, diced tomatoes, 15.5 oz, store brand 59 cents vs. $1.00 for the Hunt's brand.
• Canned red kidney beans, 15.5 oz, store brand 59 cents vs. 95 cents for Hanover brand.
• Honey & nut O's cereal, 12.9 oz, store brand $1.99 vs. $2.79 for Cheerios brand.
• aluminum foil, 75 square foot, store brand $2.69 vs. $3.29 Reynolds brand.

5. Compare price per unit and if the size makes sense go for the best price per unit.
I compared the price per unit of a couple different products and the sizes. Unless I think the size is too big for us to consume in time, I go for the best price per unit.

• Heinz ketchup - 32 oz @ $2.29 = $1.15/lb, 64 oz @$3.49 = .87/lb
• Kosher Dill Spears - 16 oz @ $2.39 = $2.39/pint, 24 oz @ $2.49 = $1.66/pint, 32 oz @$2.69 = $1.35/pint
• Hummus (I know I can make my own hummus, but I'm proving a point here) - 8 oz @ $2.49, 16 oz @$3.98

6. Have and Know Your Buy price and Stock up.
I don't keep a price book, but for the big ticket items on my shopping list, like diapers, detergent, and chicken, I know the best price and stock up when you find it. When I see Perdue Oven Roaster Chickens at 79 cents a pound, I stock up my freezer, because that is a price that doesn't happen very often. I just focus on my most expensive pantry/freezer staple items for knowing a buy price.

7. Buy or grow local produce in season. Freeze for later use.

We live in the northeast and we are heading into asparagus season. When the price comes down to $1.49 a pound or even 99 cents a pound, we will be eating a lot of asparagus. During the winter it is usually $2.99/lb and I don't buy it. Next comes strawberry season, which after Christmas is my most favorite time of the year. There is nothing better than local, fresh, ripe strawberries picked right off the vine at a U-Pick farm for $1.30 a pound vs. $3.99/lb whitish strawberries in the winter. After that, we head in to high summer vegetable season and, well, you get the point by now...

8. Cut out the crap, save some dough.
We rarely buy sodas or other sugary drinks. On occasion we might crave root beer, but we mostly drink tap water. The same goes for junk food. The bags of Cool Ranch Doritos scream at me in the store, but I really try not cave in. For two reasons: I can't stop at just one and if it doesn't contribute to the nutrition of our family, I try to avoid it. I am not a purist though, I do splurge on occasion, but we try to limit the non-necessities.

9. Have an emergency back-up meal in the freezer or pantry
For those crazy evenings or maybe you forgot to thaw the main course, have a back up meal to avoid take-out. For me it is homemade soups that I keep in the freezer. They are easy to thaw in the microwave and I serve it with a some fruit from the fridge and I have averted a potential meal emergency.

Are you an extreme couponer or just an occasional couponer? What are some other ways, besides coupons, that you save at the grocery store? Let us know in the comments.


Welcome to the Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen.

A few Link Up guidelines:

• Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
• Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
• I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
• If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.

I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.






Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

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This post in linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Roasted Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

One of my favorite lunches is this hummus slathered on homemade artisan bread. It also goes well with raw vegetables, such as peppers, carrots or celery.

Roasted Garlic & Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

Ingredients

• 3 roasted garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cracked pepper
• 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (15.5oz) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans

Directions

1. Rehydrate the sun-dried tomatoes by placing tomatoes in a bowl with warm water and let sit until tomatoes are tender. About 1 minute. Drain tomatoes.
2. Combine the garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and beans in a food processor. Stream in the oil until you get to your desired consistency. Enjoy!

Print Recipe for Roasted Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus.

Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

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This post is linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as MOM and Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

How To Roast Garlic

I have a new love and it is roasted garlic. It is so easy to do and I think it adds a smoother garlic taste to the dish. Add the roasted cloves to any dish that calls for regular garlic cloves.

I see a lot of it in my future, so be prepared.

How to Roast Garlic
Cut ¼ - ½ inch off top of garlic head and remove the outer papery layers. Leave the skin on the individual cloves on the garlic.



Place on piece of foil large enough to wrap entire head of garlic. Drizzle olive oil over the exposed cloves. Wrap head of garlic tightly with foil.



Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.



Once the garlic is cool enough, the cloves easily remove from their skins with a small fork or your fingers.



Smash with a fork or whiz in a small food processor. Slather the garlic over homemade artisan bread, or use in recipes that call for garlic cloves. The cloves can be stored for a few days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

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This post has been linked to Your Green Resource at The Greenbacks Gal.

Are You Ready for Rising Gas Prices?

The headline in my local paper on Wednesday was "Pumped UP". There was a graph showing the price of gas as of Tuesday was $3.29 vs. last month's price of $3.11 vs. last year's price of $2.69. Sixty cents more than last year. Yikes!

A petroleum analyst, who was quoted in the article, was projecting that we could be paying anywhere from $3.65 - $4.05 by Memorial Day. It sounds like we might be headed back to the summer of 2008. Double Yikes! Of course it is only a projection and hopefully he is WRONG!

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I am keeping my eye on gas prices. Our business was affected by higher gas prices in 2008. Some customers confided that they couldn't continue to buy our product because gas prices were taking a bigger chunk out of their budgets. Many businesses and families were affected by the summer of 2008's gas hikes.

While my husband and I will continue to charge forward with our business, I'm still going to keep a sharp eye on gas prices.

Personally, I'll be more watchful over wasteful driving and idling. With the warmer months coming, we'll frequent the businesses within walking distance instead of driving distance. And I'll combine all of my errands into one trip. While I don't consider myself a wasteful person; these are things that I have taken for granted when gas is $2.69/gallon.

How will you deal with rising gas prices? Were you severely impacted the last time gas hit $4/gallon? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

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Image: m_bartosch / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eleven Tips for Easier Menu Planning | Kitchen Economics Link-Up

Groceries are the one area in our household budget that I feel like I have the most control over. The weeks that I take the time to plan the menu are the weeks that I have control over our spending. The weeks where I don’t menu plan are the weeks that I’m at the grocery store multiple times or we get take out multiple times, leading to an out of control grocery spending.

Menu planning saves me time. Sure, there is time spent upfront; about 30 minutes for me each Sunday when I plan my menu and make a grocery list. But that 30 minutes makes my grocery trip go much smoother and with a pre-planned menu, dinner hour is spent preparing the meal, not wondering, “what are we having for dinner?”.

Menu planning saves my sanity. I no longer pull my hair out at dinner hour trying to figure out what ingredients I have on hand that would go with the frozen chicken that I did not take out in the morning to thaw. Because I menu plan, I pull frozen meat from the freezer the night before my planned meal. Because I menu plan, I'm not stressed over the inevitable question around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, "mommy, what's for dinner?".

Menu planning saves me money. With less trips to the store and a pre-planned list, I am hopefully limiting any impulse and redundant purchases. I also revolve my menu around what is on sale, so I'm spending less on our meals.

Eleven Strategies for Easier Meal Planning:

1. Pick a day that works best for you to do your meal planning. I plan my menu on Sunday afternoons when I have the new week’s grocery flyer in front of me. I try to keep my large weekly grocery shopping to one store unless there are some loss-leaders elsewhere.

2. Plan your menu around what is on sale at the grocery store that week. If whole chickens are on sale for .79/pound, you can bet that my menu that week will revolve around a roasted chicken, maybe Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas or Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwiches. I am always looking for great sales on our staples like chicken, turkey, fruits, vegetables, bread.

3. Keep your pantry, freezer and refrigerator organized so that you can cross reference what is on sale, the ingredients needed for recipes and what you have on hand.

4. Develop a system. I started using a menu/grocery list clip board and it works really well for me. It keeps my menu and list all in one place. You could also use a blank calendar or a simple notepad.


5. Get the family involved. Ask THEM for suggestions. Every week when I ask my , kids I inevitably hear, "I want pasta". My husband will chime in, “let’s grill”. I do try to appease everyone and it makes meal time a little more enjoyable.

6. On your designated planning day, pull out the family activity calendar. What is going on in the week ahead? Will everyone be home for dinner that week? Is there soccer practice, mid-week church activities or a late night at the office? On those hectic nights, quick and easy meals will be needed. Maybe even a crock-pot meal. Are you going to a pot-luck that week or somewhere else that would require you to make and take a dish? I make those notes on my clip board and then fill in meals accordingly.

7. Plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner. On hectic mornings, life is so much easier when breakfast is planned and there are ingredients on hand. Also, my husband tries his best to come home several times a week for lunch, so I need to make sure there will be food for him.

8. Plan for all seven days. I've been lazy in the past and just planned for the work week and ignored the fact that we do need to eat on the weekends. We usually eat out one night, but if I don't plan the other six days, then it becomes more than one night out and we end up over budget in that category.

9. Create a recipe binder. My binder is a very important part of my kitchen. It is full of recipes from magazines, friends, and online that I have collected over the years. Some people keep their recipes on the computer, but I don't have a convenient spot to keep my laptop when I am cooking, so I keep my favorite recipes in a binder. The first page in the binder is a master list (see photo below) of my family's favorite, quick fix, healthy meals. It is a quick reference tool, but I don't list all of the recipes in my binder, just the family favorites that are a regular part of our meal rotation. When I look in the freezer and see several packages of ground turkey, I then look on our list under Turkey for recipes.


10. Avoid boredom by trying at least one new recipe a week, maybe on a day that isn't hectic. For those hectic days, refer to your Master recipe list for easy suggestions.

11. Do you have an ingredient, but are stumped as to what to do with it? Check websites such as CookingLight.com or Allrecipes.com where you can enter a particular ingredient and the site will recommend recipes for you. This is how I found Turkey Sausage, Arugula and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta and Roasted Tilapia with Tomatoes and Olives, two of our my family's favorite meals. And of course, don't forget to check the Recipes Tab at Family Balance Sheet for meal ideas too.

For me, meal planning is the strategy that saves me the most money on groceries. By planning our meals around what I have on hand, what is on sale at the grocery store and what my family likes to eat, I have been able to reduce our grocery bill to a number that I am comfortable with for our budget. But that one week where I don’t menu plan or do a shoddy job on it is the week that I’ll blow my budget. Menu planning takes a little time and effort, but the rewards are a reduced grocery bill, no worries at night about 'what's for dinner', and hopefully a less stressed cook in the kitchen.

Do you plan your meals? How often do you plan? Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly? Let us know in the comments.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.



Welcome to the first Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen.

A few Link Up guidelines:

• Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
• Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
• I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
• If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.

I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.



Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

• through your RSS Feed
• have updates sent to your email,
• become a fan and 'like' FBS on Facebook
• become a Twitter follower