Money Saving Thoughts....

"Cents"able Momma has a great post today about being "Brand Loyal" vs getting the best price.
Anyone who knows me would agree that I have always been about getting the best price. When I was 16 I had to start paying for most of my things on my own so I got a job. I took an additional job each summer as a lifeguard. I payed for just about everything for myself. My parents payed for my first year of college and that was it. I was on my own. I worked and bought as little as possible. I learned early on about the value of a dollar and to this day, I am careful about all of my purchases.

Centsable Momma also talks about the CVS game. If you are a CVS shopper or would like to learn the game to getting things for free. Read this.

I am a planner. Big time. Like OCD planner. I have lists and lists to keep me organized. I plan my menus 3-4 weeks at a time (not to the exact day but enough meals to last awhile). As I plan, I make notes about which meals require browned ground beef, browned ground beef with onion, raw ground beef, and browned ground beef with taco seasoning. I buy my ground beef in bulk (money saving right there) and when I get home, my husband divides the meat by the pound and I get busy cooking the meat accordingly and freezing it. What a time saver that has become too! It also saves pennies on washing dishes because you use the same pan at least 5 times without having to wash it. I do the same thing for ground breakfast sausage and chicken! When we buy chicken, we buy it in the big bags like at Sam's and I will get my husband to grill it all....divide it according to my recipes, and freeze it. For great ground beef recipes, click here. For chicken recipes click here.

Planning for weeks ahead keeps you out of the store and keeps you from buying items not on your list. In my case, it keeps my sanity, our store is always packed because of the great deals.

Planning for weeks ahead keeps you from eating out when you just don't know what to have for dinner. Another money saver.

Planning for weeks ahead saves gas money....at least in our case....we live almost 20 minutes from the best priced grocery store.

Another one of my recent obsessions is cooking in mass and freezing for later. Again, you wash the dishes once but have 2 or more meals. Large quantity meals are also great for sharing with a friend who just had a baby. I haven't posted all of my freezer recipes but here are a few. Freezer meals are perfect for busy families. By the end of the month I will have 8 meals in the freezer and I plan on using them on those days when we are out at the pool all day and I don't feel like cooking a thing.

Let me know if you have tips and I'll gladly share with everyone!