Warning...I'm in a rambling mood today. Proceed with caution.I am always looking to save both time and money with food purchases and menu planning. Who isn't?
I purchase very few prepackaged foods, processed foods, or brand name foods due to a combination of increased cost for prepackaged/brand name foods and being limited by my husband's allergies. I do ninety-five percent of our meals from scratch. This takes a lot of time and a lot of planning, and is almost impossible to do if you work full-time outside of the home. (I know, I did it for a while...and it was tough.) However, doing freelance work from home(in addition to homeschooling) does not mean that being "at home" has added to my free time. I need to work quickly and efficiently just as I did at my job outside the home in order to keep the household moving.
And I've got a lot to do.
I have found that I am able to cook well-balanced, wholesome meals and save shopping time by purchasing most of my groceries using Sam's Club's Click 'n Pull online feature. I use their website to purchase most of my groceries, including dairy and produce, online; then a clerk goes through the store, loads my cart, and has it ready for me to pick-up at the door. I don't have to spend time navigating the isles, standing in line, or being tempted with impulse purchases.
Okay, that saves shopping time...but only shopping time.
Obviously, if you are buying at Sam's Club, you are buying in bulk (except for most of the produce, milk, and eggs), which means you have to do one of two things: one, you can plan to make a variety of meals around a few specific bulk items; or, two, you purchase items to keep a constantly stocked pantry and freezer. My choice is to do the latter...and do a lot of cooking from scratch.
Cooking from scratch does not save time; however, it saves me enough money to make it worth my while.
How does this work for me financially? I shop once every two weeks for a family of five. My budget is $150 a week for both groceries and all supplies (cleaning, shampoo, etc.). I know there are families who do better than that by relying upon dollar stores, coupons, etc; however, my husband's allergies rule out a lot of inexpensive food choices and sources. (He's allergic to all beans/legumes, all nuts, all fish, and an odd collection of other foods too numerous to mention.) I do have to do some occasional supplemental shopping at other stores, primarily Walmart, Target, a dollar store, and one local grocery store; Sam's Club does not have everything. When shopping the other stores I rely on sales and coupons.
Today I placed my Click 'n Pull order and had a total cost of $208.34, which leaves me $91.66 for anything else I need over the next two weeks. My pantry is already quite stocked with the basics (sugar, bread flour, all-purpose flour, canned oranges and pineapple, olive oil, baking powder, etc.), I didn't need any grooming supplies (toothpaste, tooth brushes, shampoo, etc), and I had a few things still in cold storage (feta and cheddar cheeses, some extra cucumbers, onions, frozen juice, lunch meat, etc.); with this order, my freezer and pantry are going to be brimming.
What does $208.34 get me? Thirty-two items total, most of which are whole foods:
- laundry detergent
- OdoBan (a super-powerful and bad for the environment cleaner we use in the kennel; unfortunately, nothing else gets the odor out)
- tissues
- frozen blueberries
- frozen strawberries
- 20 pounds boneless and skinless flash-frozen chicken breasts
- five pounds mozzerella cheese
- 3 gallons milk
- 3 quarts heavy cream (for mousse for an upcoming party--I don't normally buy something with so much fat)
- 2 cartons of eggs (6 dozen)
- butter
- fresh tomatoes
- fresh grape tomatoes
- apples
- bananas
- baby leaf spinach
- fresh broccoli
- fresh carrots
- honey
- balsamic vinegar
- baking cocoa
- hot cocoa mix (upon pleading from my oldest)
- Davinci sugar-free caramel syrup
- 6 cans olives
- 25 pounds rice (white, unfortunately, but for some reason I'm suddenly having a terrible time finding brown rice that isn't sold in small amounts for a small fortune)
- pita bites crackers
While I can be happy that I can keep a stocked pantry and stay on a budget, the fact remains that I have a lot of cooking to do. Tons. More than most people like to do. In the morning we eat things like eggs, frittatas, scones, muffins, and pancakes. Lunches are salads, sandwiches, and dinner leftovers. Snacks are things like homemade yogurt, air-popped popcorn, cheese, and fruit. Dinners are more elaborate--that's where I put most of my effort. I always have enough baking supplies that I can throw together a dessert if a child needs to take a treat for an activity or we're going to a potluck. I also make all our bread and pizza dough from scratch. If we travel I pack food for the road. And we eat really, really well.
No one in my family has weight or cholesterol issues except for me...I could stand to lose some weight, but my BMI is still in an acceptable range. Some meals are more balanced than others, but, on the whole, they're pretty good.
This lifestyle choice is challenging and certainly not practical for everyone. This is hard work requiring lots of time and planning. It's what I do as a family manager.
So when people tell me I "don't work" and I'm lucky to be "home all day," I'd like to shove a scone in their ear. Only I won't, because I worked hard to make that scone and I'm not gonna waste it on some moron. But that person definitely deserves something shoved in their ear.
Saving money takes time and work. That's why it's so easy to do convenience foods and drive-thrus and spend more money...often we are so short on time that the only solution to feeding our family is to throw money at the problem. But, then, you have yet another problem...spending more money.
With proper tools and proper planning, it is possible to cut the time involved in cooking and shopping. However, don't ever think there is one simple answer out there that will solve all our food and budget issues. Mine happens to be bulk shopping, using online ordering, and the Living Cookbook recipe/meal planning software.
Those people who like to proclaim that you can always save so much money by buying in bulk, avoiding convenience foods, and cooking from scratch are only partially correct; you have to be able to schedule the time to do so. Plus, sometimes, convenience foods really are cheaper. (I can't make homemade macaroni and cheese for the same price as a box of Kraft or its generic equivalent.) If buying and cooking this way means you have to give up sleep or are feeding the family when dinner is finally made by 8:30 PM at night, then it's really false economy. I have to plan my days knowing that a certain amount of time goes to cooking; I also keep in mind that, if there is a job (either an outside-the-home paying job or a task around the house) that can give me a larger money payment-per-hour than cooking homemade meals, then I admit I'll usually go for the higher return on investment. I also look at cooking and meal planning as a necessary part of my job, not something I have to squeeze into my day.
And people say I don't "work." Whew--I'm tired just thinking about this!
