Financial Reflections

The the single best way I’ve found to cut food costs is to make a menu.  The problem I always seem to have is actually sitting down to *make* the menu, not to mention that both I and the spouse aren’t exactly thrilled with dinner decisions or the cooking.  But I’ve found a solution to both, and it’s made dinner time so much easier.

Here’s my menu system.  It may seem obvious, but I’m amazed at how few people do this:

1. Think of everything you can make yourself.  Write it down on a list. This sounds easy, but I don’t just want you to throw down a few items here.  This isn’t your weekly list, this is *everything* you have cooked and want to cook again.  If you’re married, get the spouse involved.  If you have kids, get them involved.  I found that my kids were better at remembering meals than I was and were eager to point out the meals they really liked.  We put a star by those items.
2. Ingredients.  As you go, write down the list of ingredients next to each recipe item.  Not “3/4 cup flour,” but “flour” will do fine.  It’s meant for you to use when you shop, not cook.  That way, you’ll be prompted to check and restock as needed.
3. Pull menu items for a week.  Just grab the items you’ll use that week.  Take the list shopping with you and you’ll have everything you need for a week’s food and not buy more than you need.
4. Stretch your list.  Only have 5 meals you can cook?  Challenge yourself to add just one new item a week and your list can grow by 52.

That’s it.  No step 5, filing system, software or other gizmos.  It’s also a system that I really use.  Now there’s no conversation about what we’re having for dinner, we either have a menu already, or just grab something from the list that we like and have the ingredients for.

Need a new recipe to get started?  Here’s my quick, cheap chili:

1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion chopped
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can chili beans (pre-seasoned pinto beans)

Brown the beef and drain.  Saute the chopped onions (I usually do this in the big pot I’ll mix the chili in) and add the beef.  Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then let simmer for 20 minutes.    Serves about 4.

I usually double the recipe and bring the rest to work as leftovers.  Buy the beef on sale and get store-brand beans and tomatoes. It doesn’t get much cheaper than that.  You can add cheese to top your servings (we do) and make some cornbread on the side.

Got and menu systems or great recipes?  Share them in the comments below…