Tag Archives: frugal cooking

An easy guide to buying generics

Buying generic or store-brand items is one of my favorite ways to keep grocery costs down. But I’m frugal, not cheap, which means I won’t sacrifice quality completely just to save a few cents.

Generics have come a long way since I was a kid. Our grocery store even stocks a variety of low-cost organic generics. But there are still many generic products that, in my opinion, aren’t worth the pennies it cost to make them, let alone 75% of what I’d pay for a quality name-brand item.

Finding quality generics is a game of trial and error. The only way to know for sure if a generic is worth buying is to try it for yourself. There are some general rules I’ve found that can make the process easier, though.

Always

Staples – Milk, eggs, sugar, flour, tea, bread, butter, and other basics cost 25-40% less for generics, and you’ll never know the difference.

Canned fruits & vegetables – Many times the store-brand versions are even higher quality than their name-brand counterparts.

Medicine – The active ingredients are the same, but the cost difference is mind-boggling. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and all of the various cold medicines are as much as 75% cheaper in generic.

Tony takes a Claritin knock-off for his seasonal allergies, and it costs almost 1/4 of what we’d pay for Claritin. Seriously, 30 pills for $4 compared to 30 pills for $17 in the name brand. The store brand works just as well. The same is true for prescription medications. Always ask for the generic, and make sure your doctor writes substitutions into the prescription.

Sometimes

Cleaning products – Store-brand glass cleaner and bleach work just as well as their name-brand counterparts, but I notice a dip in quality for heavy-duty cleaners like shower and tub cleaners.

Cereal – Almost all of the major brand-name cereals come in a generic version, and we’ve only tried a handful that weren’t very good. At half the price of name brand, it’s always worth it to try.

Hygiene products – We buy name-brand toothpaste and deodorant, but Tony’s shampoo is always generic. This is one of those areas where you really have to try the product to know for sure.

Remember, if the product is low quality or doesn’t do its job, you’re not really saving money by buying the generic — you’re just throwing money down the drain on a low quality product.

Never

Dog food – It’s all our dog eats, so we spring for the good stuff. On the spectrum of dog food brands and prices, the food we buy probably falls somewhere on the upper side of the middle. It’s not the super expensive stuff, but definitely not super cheap or generic.

Peanut butter – We’re both picky about peanut butter, and ever since we discovered Skippy Natural we’ve been hooked.

Paper towels & toilet paper – I’ve experimented with generics, and the result wasn’t pretty. We use coupons and buy in bulk to reduce the cost.

Coffee – We brew a half pot every morning, and we each drink a cup. We’ve tried to buy store-brand to save money, but it’s like drinking mud. We don’t go all out and buy Starbucks, but we spring for a cost-effective name brand and save money by buying in bulk and limiting our consumption.

What are your rules for buying generic?

Menu Plan: 4/4-4/10

Over the weekend we got in some much needed time outside. We attended a cookout on Saturday, and the weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. It was sunny and 75 degrees. Sunday was even warmer, so we spent the morning at the state park walking the dog on the nature trails.

But now it’s back to work and back to menu planning. I’m glad it’s a short week this week. I’m looking forward to the three-day weekend to relax, catch up on some sleep, and get some work done around the house.

It was time to stock up on coffee for the month, which increased our bill a bit, but we did okay for the most part. Our total was about $60, and we spent $14 on a month’s supply of coffee.

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Sunday: Chicken and broccoli pasta with Alfredo sauce
Monday: Leftovers/sandwiches
Tuesday: Quesadillas and refried beans
Wednesday: Spinach pesto
Thursday: Italian grilled cheese sandwiches with basil and tomatoes
Friday: Spinach and broccoli pizza

Spinach and broccoli pizza is a specialty pizza that was served at our favorite pizza place in our college town. We haven’t been able to find it anywhere else, so we did our best to recreate the recipe. It’s white sauce (we just use our homemade Alfredo recipe), spinach, and broccoli with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. I know it sounds weird, but it’s delicious! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it:

Ingredients:

Pizza crust
Alfredo sauce (recipe below)
Spinach
Broccoli
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese

Alfredo sauce:

1/2 cup half and half
1/8 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Black pepper

Heat half and half on medium low. Add butter and whisk to combine. Stir in cheese. Season with black pepper.

Wilt two cups fresh spinach in a little olive oil or thaw a half package of frozen spinach. Cook the broccoli in boiling water until a little tender, but not soft. Top pizza crust with Alfredo, wilted or thawed spinach, and broccoli. Sprinkle on mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Have a great week! Hope it’s a short one for you!

For more menu ideas, visit OrgJunkie.

Menu Plan: 3/28 – 4/3

We had a wonderful relaxing Saturday doing nothing, but that meant we spent all day Sunday running around trying to make up for lost time. Now I wish I had just one more day to relax. :(

But I really can’t complain. I slept a full 12 hours Friday and Saturday night to make up for my post-trip exhaustion. It was glorious.

We had a surprisingly good week at the grocery store. There was a great deal on chicken breasts, so we stocked up with $15 worth (about 9 pounds). Even with the chicken and a small skirt steak for the fajitas, our total was only $57.

Here’s the meal plan for this week:

Sunday: Bacon-wrapped chicken and roasted new potatoes
Monday: Leftovers/sandwiches
Tuesday: Steak fajitas
Wednesday: Chicken and vegetable spring rolls with rice
Thursday: Bean and cheese burritos
Friday: Pizza

Lunch for me: Artichoke pasta salad

For more menu ideas, check out OrgJunkie. Happy Monday!

Menu Plan: 3/14-3/20

Somehow time got away from me yesterday, and I completely forgot to get my menu plan for the week posted. No time now for anything but the menu today.

It’s a really simple week this week, and fortunately a really inexpensive one. Our total was $52.

Sunday: Pasta with meat sauce
Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: BLTs
Wednesday: Whole wheat pasta with pesto
Thursday: Chicken wraps
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: Restaurant with visiting friends

For more menu plan ideas, visit OrgJunkie.

I hope your Monday is a little less rushed than mine!

Menu Plan: 3/7-3/13

Menu planning for this week was especially difficult, because we’re hosting my husband’s parents for 4 days. We’re cooking for two extra people, and we wanted our meals to be special. We also wanted to stay as close to our budget as possible.

We didn’t do too badly. Our total for the week (including meals after Tony’s parents leave on Wednesday) was $65. That’s only $10-$15 more than our normal grocery costs.

Here’s our menu plan for frugal entertaining:

Saturday: Restaurant (Tony’s parents insist on treating us to a meal out. We told them it’s not necessary, but you know how parents are. :) )
Sunday: Spinach and cheese lasagna
Monday: Steaks, baked potatoes, and creamed spinach
Tuesday: Homemade pizza
Wednesday: Whole wheat pasta with marinara
Thursday: Quesadillas and refried beans
Friday: Homemade pizza (twice in one week!)

Now I’m off to entertain our guests! For more menu plan ideas, check out OrgJunkie.

Feeding house guests on a budget

My in-laws Tony’s parents arrived yesterday, and they’re staying with us until Wednesday morning. (I hate the term “in-laws,” don’t you? It just sounds so cold.)

I don’t know about you, but whenever people come to visit I struggle to avoid falling back into my old spendthrift habits. For some reason, I still feel like the only way to be a good hostess is to spend a ton of money on food to keep my guests happy. Of course, I know that’s not the case (for the most part). But when you’re entertaining, you have extra people in the house to feed and care for. Inevitably, it’s going to cost a little extra money. The important thing is to avoid going overboard.

As always, I like to find a balance. We’re feeding twice as many people, so our grocery costs will automatically be a little higher for the week. We’re also making some special meals that we probably wouldn’t make if it was just us (like blueberry pancakes for breakfast). The trick is to balance it out.

Here are some tips I’m using to keep costs down while being good hosts:

Plan ahead.

Weeks ago we saw a great deal on steaks at the grocery store. Since we knew Tony’s parents were coming to visit this month, we picked them up and threw them into the freezer. This week we just had to pick up some potatoes and greens to go on the side. Now we have an extra special steak dinner for four, and it cost a fraction of the normal price. We would have paid twice as much for those steaks if we picked them up this week. Whenever we’re expecting company, I always keep an extra close watch on fancy foods to find a deal.

Cook in bulk.

We don’t like to make meals that serve more than four. We don’t usually enjoy leftovers more than once, and we don’t want to waste. When visitors come, we pull out our recipes that serve 6 or 8. We’re making a lasagna for Tony’s parents. It’s one of our favorite recipes, but we rarely make it because it’s just too much food for two people. Now that we’ll be cooking for four, it’ll be just right.

Don’t be afraid to cook frugal meals.

We planned special meals for three of the four nights they’re here. For lunch we just picked up some deli meat for sandwiches, and one of the nights we’re making a homemade pizza. We think they’ll enjoy trying our homemade pizza, and it’s the most economical thing we make. Why not share it with our guests?

Keep dessert simple.

Dessert can become a meal on its own — and double your meal costs if you let it. So keep it simple. We love to make fresh baked cookies and serve them with a scoop of ice cream. We’ve also made milkshakes or homemade ice cream with our KitchenAid stand mixer ice cream attachment. It’s tempting to make an elaborate cake or specialty dessert, but it only adds to your costs and stress to prepare it. Why make things harder when simple desserts are just as delicious?

Remember: it’s not about what you spend.

I don’t know why I still feel the urge to take our guests out for fancy restaurant meals. We rarely go out to dinner ourselves. For some reason, there’s a voice in the back of my head telling me that we need to treat them to extra luxury.

Since I started living frugally, I’ve been able to quiet the voice by reminding myself that we are treating our guests; we’re just doing it within our means. We’re making special meals, and putting in the extra effort to cook for them.

As long as you’re providing guests with plenty of good food to eat, being frugal doesn’t make you a bad hostess. After all, your guests are coming to see you. If you’re frugal every other day, you should continue to be yourself during their visit.

Healthy frugal meals for work

Since I’m still working on losing a few pounds I’ve gained since I started by desk job, work lunches are an obstacle for me. Most of the people in my office go out for lunch every day. Since I’m frugal, I obviously bring my lunch.

I often bring leftovers from the night before. Many of our recipes make enough for 4 to 6 people, so there are plenty of leftovers for both of us to eat some for lunch the next day.

Sometimes, though, we don’t have any leftovers. Last night, for instance, we roasted a chicken for dinner. There was plenty of leftover chicken, but it will be used for chicken and dumplings on Wednesday.

I’ve struggled to find healthy frugal meals to take to work on these days. I want something tasty so I’m not tempted to join my co-workers at a restaurant.

For a while, we bought Romaine every week, and I threw together a salad in the morning. Romaine, tomato, a little cheese, and some turkey or chicken with low-fat salad dressing. I brought that every single time we didn’t have leftovers (usually 2-3 times per week) for weeks. Finally, I was so bored with salads that I couldn’t look at them anymore let alone eat them.

I found a solution in last month’s Real Simple that works for me, so I want to share it.

The magazine suggested buying a pound of whole wheat pasta, cooking it up on Sunday night, and then using the plain pasta to make a different pasta dish every day for lunch.

The magazine offers some great pasta salad recipes that I won’t copy here, but I’ve found some other good ones that I’ll share.

It takes no time to cook the pasta, and because each recipe is a little different I don’t feel like I’m eating the same thing every day. If you buy whole wheat pasta and keep your portions to about a cup, it’s a healthy, satisfying lunch option.

Here are some of the recipes I’ve tried. I just use the recipe as a guide and cut down ingredients based on how much pasta I’m actually using for that day (anywhere from 1 to 2 cups depending on whether Tony wants some):

Artichoke pasta salad
Pasta with meatless marinara
Pasta with spinach and tomato
Spinach pesto pasta (Spinach pesto is a much cheaper alternative to traditional basil pesto. Use regular parmesan cheese instead of Romano to cut costs.)
Antipasto salad

Some of these recipes seem expensive and difficult, but the most expensive ingredients can often by omitted. With some creativity you can usually find a frugal substitute for pricey ingredients without changing the flavor of the dish too much.

If you’re worried about adapting full recipes to one serving size and you don’t mind eating the same thing several times in one week, you could always make the whole recipe and try a new dish each week.

I haven’t experimented too much with it yet, but I’d imagine it would also be easy to make a full batch of pasta dishes or sauces like pesto and marinara and freeze or refrigerate them to use the following week. I hope this works for you, too!

Menu Plan: 2/21-2/27

I received a question by email last week from a reader that I thought I should clear up. She asked whether our grocery costs include toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. The answer is usually no. I find that prices at the grocery store for these items are typically a lot higher than I can get them at Target or CVS.

Sometimes I’ll pick something up at the grocery store if it’s a great deal or if I really need it and I’m too pressed for time to make a trip to another store. For the most part our grocery costs include only food items.

Our total this week was $51. We’ve been struggling with higher prices lately as I’ve begun purchasing snacks like yogurt and fruit to tide me over between lunch and dinner since I’m going to the gym every day after work now. The snacks have made my workout a lot easier and more productive, but the snack foods have taken a toll on our grocery budget.

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Saturday: Ravioli with marinara sauce and garlic bread
Sunday: Broccoli cheddar soup (a knock-off of the Panera version. It’s delicious!)
Monday: Leftovers/sandwiches
Tuesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce
Wednesday: Bean and cheese burritos
Thursday: Homemade pizza
Friday: Dinner in Washington DC!

Now head over to OrgJunkie for more menu plans. Have a great week!

Menu Plan – 1/31-2/6

We had a lovely and relaxing Super Bowl Sunday … even though it didn’t involve the Super Bowl. Aside from my husband flipping over to check the score every now and then, we didn’t watch it.

Instead we spent the afternoon at a local history museum for free admission day. Because of the Super Bowl, it was mostly empty, which made it even more enjoyable. It was also free. :)

At the grocery store, we only spent $50. We’ve been doing great lately. Even though we’re going to a pot luck on Friday, we’re still cooking the same amount of meals this week because Tony doesn’t have class Monday night, so we’re making a meal instead of eating leftovers. I’m also still bringing snacks to work like apples and yogurt. I don’t know what’s changed, but I’ll take it.

We’re still experimenting with healthier versions of our favorite meals. Here’s the menu plan:

Saturday: Homemade pizza
Sunday: Lean burgers and chips
Monday: Oven baked chicken, collard greens and red potatoes
Tuesday: Steak fajitas
Wednesday: Macaroni and cheese with cauliflower (more cauliflower, less cheese)
Thursday: Spinach and tomato pasta
Friday: Pot luck dinner with friends

The oven baked chicken is a faux-fried chicken coated in Dijon mustard and cornflakes and baked in the oven. We got that recipe as well as the healthier version of mac and cheese from this month’s issue of Real Simple. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Now head over to OrgJunkie for more menu plans.