Solo Mother

How to tighten your belt, single moms

by christina on May 4th, 2008

So, how can we keep making our food budget ends meet at our middles? I’ve got some ideas, and I’ll gladly share them with you, single moms–and everyone else watching the bottom line on the checkout stands.

1. Buy on sale, yes, but double check the prices — some sale prices are still not the lowest on the shelf. And before you snap up that ‘good deal’, ask yourself: would I buy this if it weren’t on sale? Is it good for me and my family? Could I be making better choices for my health and budget? Put the Doritos down and reach for some baked tortilla chips and salsa, lady.
2. Pay attention to what’s in your freezer and cupboards. I keep a post-it on the inside doors and write what’s in there, crossing off things as I use them. No more aimless rummaging around wondering what’s in there. It also helps if you keep track of when you purchased certain foods, and when they’ll expire. Your freezer won’t keep things forever. Get a deep freeze if you have a big family and then you can stock up on meats and other, more expensive items when they go on sale. Be sure to put the oldest foods on top.
3. Plan your meals a week in advance. This makes shopping a breeze and cuts down on waste. I know lots of single moms who do their menus and grocery lists around the Wednesday specials announced in the local paper. Clip coupons. I’m no double deal maven, but if I can find a coupon for something I’d purchase even without a coupon, it’s like money in the bank.
4. Use ingredients more than once. A single gentleman friend of mine went off on a minor diatribe against a gigantic bunch of fresh, flat-leaf parsley, railing against having to buy so much for a single recipe. If I’d been doing the shopping and menu planning, I’d have found a way to use the rest of that parsley elsewhere in the week.
5. You can also help by eating locally produced foods and eating different, less expensive, and better-for-the-environment foods. For instance, try eating quinoa instead of rice and wheat-based products. Quinoa is a superfood; it is one of the few grains that is a complete protein. It’s easy to grow, even in poor soil, and you can make bread, pasta, and other staples with it. It’s delicious, too. Try eating less meat, and believe it or not, try to to consume less fuel. There’s a great graphic on the Washington Post that shows how this perfect storm shaped up to cause this global food shortage. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are going to be your best bet–you’re not going to be paying for those long-haul truckers’ $1000 fillerups… Do you know about TSP or TVP? Textured Soy/Vegetable Protein? It’s a good substitute for ground meat in many recipes. Chili, meatloaf, sloppy joes. It’s cheap, too.
6. Stretch your food dollar by stretching what you serve at dinnertime. Do you love mac n’ cheese? Why not move it from side dish to main meal? Simply add tuna fish and green peas and you’ve got dinner in no time. It’s less expensive, it stretches your food dollar, and it’s a great comfort food.

Bottom line: shop smart, single mothers. We’re the ones who will fall through the cracks when the ends stop meeting.

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