Prince Charming and I are on a tight budget this year, due to the fact that I'm staying home with our princesses full time.
By this time of the month, my grocery budget is incredibly tight, and we're facing eating lots of spaghetti and tacos as the end of the month looms before us.
To prevent these slim pickings from becoming a trend every month, I have come up with a plan.
At the beginning of every late summer and fall month, when the grocery budget is fat and seems limitless, I still watch the sale ads closely, and plan at least one meal that can be easily doubled and frozen.
It's hardly any extra work to double a recipe, and it's such a nice feeling knowing my freezer is stocked with delicious, homemade meals like baked pasta, chili, lasagna, and a variety of soups.
Plus, it relieves the pressure from my grocery budget.
The key is to make sure you don't go over budget while preparing the extra meals now.
It's not difficult. Just buy meat and other ingredients when on sale. Be flexible.
When winter comes, you just defrost, bake, and actually get a chance to relax instead of slaving over dinner.
Believe me; it's worth the time and effort now.
Give it a try!
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For more ideas, check out Rocks in my Dryer.
Good idea! Do you use disposable casserole dishes to freeze in?
ReplyDeleteI do. It makes freezing and cleanup so much easier. Plus, my bakeware remains at my disposal.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I will be trying it out soon! Thanks for sharing!
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Another benefit of doing this is what you save in time. If you aren't feeling well one day, or if you've been terribly busy and get home late, it's always nice to be able to pull something homemade from the freezer!
ReplyDeleteI love freeze-ahead recipes. Sometimes, just having a main ingredient ready ahead of time is helpful. We're having spaghetti tonight...with meat I browned a month ago. (Shhhh...don't tell anyone...the sauce is from a jar. The homemade kind is reserved for Sundays, LOL!)
If you want to find some nice freeze-ahead recipes, Google "Once a Month Cooking." I don't to the once a month thing, but I've found some great recipes!