Sure thing!
What really helped me last month was to make a list of all the dinners we wanted to eat.
This is our list:
Pizza, spagetti, stroganoff, baked chicken, chicken stir fry, chicken enchiladas, hamburgers, chicken noodle soup, stew, tacos, chicken dumplings, calazones, grilled fish, ham fried rice, meat loaf, chicken cordon blue, open faced sandwiches, and chicken pot pie. (wow we eat a lot of chicken!) As the week goes if I see another recipe I want to try then I throw it in.
So I made a list of everything that i needed to make the meals and went to the store. Instead of buying small packs of meat, I buy family packs. Chicken packs have at least 10 breasts in them, hamburger with four quarters, ect. I also bought a whole chicken. I dont chop the middle of the store unless I need something like olives or spagetti sauce. Stick to the outside, you will save a lot of money there. I also buy from the bulk bins, I can get whole wheat pasta for 30-70 cents a pound instead of 2.00 on the isles. I get a lot of frozen veggies and fruits and use those when I can but also get a lot of fresh greens, potatoes, and carrots.
One thing that made a big differance is I no longer buy boxed cereal. I saved nearly 20 on that alone. Instead I make granola with dried cranberries, apricots, and raisins.
When I get home I divide all the meat into individual meal sized packs, which cuts down on waste. I boil the whole chicken and seperate all the meat into 2 cup portions and froze. From that (which cost 3.00) I get 4 different meals, noodle soup, enchiladas, fajitas, and pot pie.
I think the trick is to plan before you leave home, it definatly made a big difference for me. HTH.
Follow Mothering