Tips for Trimming the Food Budget

Cutting back speaks of deprivation, want, and poverty when the cutting back is many ways feels forced upon us by rising prices. So how do we trim the food budget without provoking anarchy at home? Well, we do it by making it as painless as possible. This is not necessarily a simple task, but when it must be done then these steps will help.

I like to eat. My husband likes to eat. There you have it. My true confession is that we are big eaters, and we like it that way. We are in good company in that much of America loves to eat too. Unfortunately, we cannot eat as much as we would like without running up a tremendous food bill.

I have had to devise some strategies to keep us well-fed despite the rising prices. I do my best to eat inexpensively, but not cheaply. I keep nutrition and food allergies in mind in making choices as well.

Gelatin is a great money-stretcher. It is inexpensive. It can be used as an appetizer, with the meal, or as a dessert. You can use it to help lower beverage consumption since the finished product is mostly water. It has fewer calories than most desserts. I cannot even think of one that has less calories. It makes a good snack especially if you are trying to sneak in a little extra protein. I typically pay thirty-five cents for a box of Great Value (Wal-Mart's brand) sugar free gelatin which comes in several child-friendly flavors including orange, lime, and strawberry. This is one of the generic products that I find to be acceptable in taste and savings. The box states that it contains four servings at five calories each. I plan on half a box each.

Instant pudding is another low-cost dessert although I tend to buy brand-name pudding. The generic sugar free products seem to have a sharper taste to them than the brand-name ones do. You should experiment to see which kind works for you. This is a good way to add calcium to your diet. Try using powdered milk rather than regular milk for additional savings.