Also, think about whether you'll use that huge bag of flour before it goes bad. She says keep in mind, it's not always cheaper to buy in bulk. She does that while she's making a meal plan so she can work in ingredients that are on sale. SEGARRA: In terms of the actual grocery shopping, Moncel looks at circulars online before she heads to the store. And then if you use it, cross it off your list. And every time you put, like, a leftover ingredient in the freezer, you know, just write it down. MONCEL: One way to stay on top of that is you can actually keep a list magnetized to the front of your freezer. Now, if you're one of those people who puts stuff in the freezer and then forgets that it's in there. SEGARRA: If you can't freeze a leftover ingredient, try incorporating it into your menu for the next few days. Leftover bread products freeze really well. Another way to lower your monthly grocery bill is to make sure you're not wasting food. SEGARRA: On the flip side, ingredients that tend to be more expensive are meat, cheese, other dairy products and nuts. Even broccoli sometimes can be pretty inexpensive. Don't forget about potatoes, onions, carrots. Cabbage is so versatile because it can go with so many different flavors, and there's a lot of different ways you can prepare it. SEGARRA: Some other foods that tend to be cheap and substantive. But then I bulk up the recipe with extra beans, maybe some lentils or maybe even some extra vegetables if I have them. MONCEL: So something that I like to do is reduce that ground beef by half, so I'm still getting that beefy flavor and that satisfying mouthfeel of, you know, actually eating beef. Moncel says once you know these things, you can tweak the ratios in your recipes to make them cheaper - like if she's making chili with ground beef. Moncel says when you do this, you start to notice patterns, like some of the components are way cheaper than others. SEGARRA: The lentil bolognese costs $1.40 per serving. MONCEL: Divide it by the number of servings so you know how much each of your meals is costing. You'd figure out the price of that carrot, add it to the cost of all the other ingredients in the recipe and then. So let's say you are making lentil bolognese. MARIELLE SEGARRA, BYLINE: This technique, costing, means calculating the per-service cost of a recipe. It really does make you rethink the way you look at all of the ingredients that you're buying.ĭETROW: Marielle Segarra, the host of NPR's Life Kit, talked to Moncel recently, and she is going to share some more about that technique, along with other tips for how to spend less on groceries. When she studied nutritional science in college, she learned a costing method that restaurants and cafeterias use, and you can use it at home, too.īETH MONCEL: I suggest everyone try costing at least once because it's so eye-opening. She's the founder of, a recipe website for folks with small budgets. How much do you think the carrot in that recipe cost? And what about those three cups of vegetable broth? Beth Moncel could actually answer that question. Take a moment and think about the last thing you cooked.
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