Grocery Shopping for Two on a Budget

Many people think of food on a budget as salty canned vegetables, Rice-a-Roni, and ramen noodles. And it can be even harder to grocery shop when there is only two of you, because often times food will go to waste, or it is too expensive to buy all the ingredients needed for the recipes you want to make. But, with just a little planning, cooking for two can be easy, fun, and economical!

Before we dive into menu planning, there are just a few things tips to touch upon that will make your cooking experience a lot more enjoyable. They are:

STOCK YOUR PANTRY!

These menu plans will assume that you have the basics on hand: mustard, mayo, honey, ketchup, peanut butter, vinegar, spices, etc. I also recommend stocking things like nuts, dried cranberries, marinated veggies (like roasted red peppers), and chutneys/salsas. They don’t spoil, and having these things in your fridge or pantry can make spicing up your meals so much easier.

USE YOUR FREEZER!

The nice thing about there only being two of you is that there is inevitably room in your freezer next to the frozen pizza and the ice cream. Utilize this space to preserve food that is about to spoil, or to buy in bulk and save portions for later. Freeze even leftovers that don’t sound good for tomorrow’s lunch. That leftover meatloaf may make a great sandwich next week.

BE ADVENTUROUS!

The idea behind planning is not to overly plan your meals, but to sketch them out. So when you are making the stir-fry you planned, if you are in the mood for teriyaki or for kung pao, you can make that decision when you are cooking.

Now, just a little about meal planning. Some simple preparation can shave dollars off your grocery bill and minutes off your dinner prep time. Generally, I like to leaf through the local grocery flier for sales on meat/proteins. I pick two to purchase and plan a weeks worth of meals around. Then, I get some ideas flowing in my head, scan the coupons I have, and get shopping.

Why does this work? Planning, though you wouldn’t think it would, allows you a lot of flexibility in your dinner preparation. Think of it as having a menu of 7 items in front of you, and you just have to decide what you’re in the mood for. Also, having all the items you need at your finger tips makes for much quicker dinner preparation. Finally, it saves you money to plan ahead. You are only buying groceries you know you are going to use, so nothing goes to waste. And any leftovers you might have, you can utilize to make lunches and say goodbye to those stale Lean Cuisines.

One final perk to meal planning… the flexibility to dine out! Think about it. If you are spending only $40 on groceries, instead of the $100 you might usually spend, that frees up a lot of money… perhaps to order in Chinese, or try that new Italian place you’ve been talking about. You are a couple after all… go on a date!!

Ready to get started? Click here: Menu Plan