Gails Blog

Every week I work with families who are spending too much money. Too much money on clothes. Too much money on entertainment. Too much money on food. And I regularly get emails from people who what to know how much they should be spending on food. I don’t know. It depends on how much you make, how many people you’re feeding, and what you like to eat. I’m just working with one family right now how are mad for organics. Buying organics means your grocery bill could be 40-50% higher than with conventional foods. And if those organics are being shipped from some far-away far, then the whole “better for the environment” question is moot.

Not that I have anything against organics. Nope. It’s your belly so you get to decide what you put into it. But if you’re going to shop organic, you should at least know when you’re getting your money’s worth; not all foods need to be organic. Bananas don’t have to be organic. Not with that thick peel. Ditto avocados and pineapples. A big surprise for me was when I saw that broccoli doesn’t have to be either. Apparently, regular broccoli doesn’t have a lot of bad gunk attached, so the organic version isn’t putting you much further ahead.

With food prices going through the ceiling, people are looking for ways to keep their budgets in line while still being able to eat well. Probably the best to do this is to meal plan and shop with a list. Over and over I’ve give this as a challenge on the show, and over and over the couples have LOVED it. Since they have to do it for me, their resistance goes down. And once they’ve done it, they’re totally convinced it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

Planning menus a week in advance lets you see just what you’ll need to buy – eliminating overbuying and waste. It’ll also let you “shop the fliers” so you can centre your meals around what’s on special.

One of the ways we drive our food costs way up is by buying too much. Buying in volume only to have to throw out part of it saves no money. If you’re buying in bulk and storing food in a freezer, you should divide your buys into individual servings so you can take out what you need whether you are feeding a brood or just a couple of people.

If you do have leftovers, use them for lunches and save the eating out money for special occasions. And consider bulk cooking so that you have stuff at the ready in the freezer to pull out and warm up when time just gets away from you. That’ll save ordering in when your get to the end of the day and are just too beat to cook.

When I make soup, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce… or even roast a big piece of beef, I always put at least one serving – usually more – away in the freezer for those days I just can’t face the kitchen. Since I live in the bush, there’s no ordering in. This has also given my kids, particularly Alex, some extra independence. With her favorite home-made roasted garlic/basil/tomato sauce in the freezer, she can make pasta for herself when she doesn’t like what I’ve whipped up.

I’m a big believer in buying in bulk. But not everyone has the extra money or the space to store lots of extra stuff. The solution: get together with family or friends and split whatever you’re buying into thirds, quarters or fifths. You’ll each get a cut of the savings but you want have to manage too much inventory at once.

In my house we keep a running list of what we’ve used up so that we automatically restock our larder. When stuff goes on sale, I buy four or six. Most grocery items are discounted once every three months or so. Seasonal items (think barbecue sauce in summer, soup in winter) have big “sell off” discounts at the end of the season. Of course, if you have stuff in your pantry that you never use, that’s a waste. So, at least once a year, I run the larder down to next to nothing, using up old stock, and saving the money I’m not spending to do a restock.

This year I’m also planning a big party, and the food costs will be significant. I cashed in my Airmiles points for grocery coupons so the big shop won’t throw our budget out of whack. That’s thinking outside the box.

While you’re shopping, watch for shrinking product packages. While manufacturers are sensitive to the increased costs they’re having to deal with, and in response to the recession, instead of putting the price of a package of OJ up, they’re reducing the size of the OJ container. So you’re paying the same amount of money for less product. Don’t assume because the package looks the same, that the amount you’re buying is the same.

Be sure to check your cash register receipt before leaving the store parking lot. Cashiers can make honest mistakes that end up costing you money. If you have been overcharged for an item, you are more likely to return for a refund (and more likely to receive it) if you are still just outside the door.