Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Recipes
  3. How to Stretch Your Food Budget

How to Stretch Your Food Budget

By Ann Taylor Pittman July 01, 2009
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Randy Mayor
Feed your family with less without sacrificing taste, freshness, quality, or nutrition using our money-saving tips.
Start Slideshow

1 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Eat more meatless meals.

Credit: Randy Mayor

Meat accounts for the most expense at grocery store visits, so make one or two vegetarian dinners a week to cut costs. Dishes based on pantry staples like rice, whole grains, beans, and legumes are protein-rich, filling, and inexpensive; add seasonal produce for crunch, freshness, and color. A bonus: Research shows eating more plant-based foods may lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

1 of 5

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Make a meal plan.

Credit: Randy Mayor

This strategy may be the most challenging to consistently employ but can make the biggest dent in your budget. Sit down once a week and plan all the meals for that week, and then shop only for the items you need to prepare those meals. Allow for leftovers in your meal plan, and be realistic about how many nights you might eat out or be too busy to cook. Not only does this strategy cut down on the amount of food you buy at the grocery store, but it also decreases the amount of food you waste. Learn more about menu planning with our Six Steps to Successful Menu Planning.

2 of 5

3 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Do it yourself.

Credit: Randy Mayor

For maximum savings, skip convenience products, as you pay a premium for the work that’s done for you. For just a few extra minutes, you can save by chopping your own produce, for example. On the weekends when you have extra time, or some nights after putting the kids to bed, do a little work that puts you ahead for the next day, like making a making a pizza dough that sits in the fridge overnight.

3 of 5

Advertisement

4 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Learn to stretch meat, poultry, and fish.

Credit: Randy Mayor

Instead of making protein the center of the plate, use it sparingly for flavor and texture―almost as if it’s a condiment. Extend beef by tossing a conservative amount in a vegetable-rich stir-fry, for example, or combine a small quantity of shrimp with pasta. Pizzas, calzones, pasta bakes, and casseroles are easy dishes that use this strategy to great effect.

4 of 5

5 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Eat in season.

Credit: Randy Mayor

Out-of-season produce is costly and lacks flavor. Skip it; instead choose fruits and vegetables that are in season. When produce is at its peak, there’s an abundance of it―and you can find it for a bargain. In the summer, enjoy tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs, bell peppers, and more. During fall and winter, look to winter squashes; dark, leafy greens; citrus; and sweet potatoes. And in spring, try berries, asparagus, artichokes, and fresh peas.

5 of 5

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Ann Taylor Pittman

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 5 Eat more meatless meals.
    2 of 5 Make a meal plan.
    3 of 5 Do it yourself.
    4 of 5 Learn to stretch meat, poultry, and fish.
    5 of 5 Eat in season.

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    How to Stretch Your Food Budget
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.