Frugal Meal Planning With Frugal Recipes

Frugal Recipes = Frugal Meals!

Frugal meal planning can be difficult for someone that works full time and has a family. Trying to prepare frugal meals is obviously more time consuming than buying convenience foods. But, some frugal recipes are really easy. Let’s start with beans.

Pinto, kidney, navy, lima, Great Northern and other bean varieties taste good and they are good for you, too. If you tailor your frugal meal planning around beans, you can satisfy a hungry family, stay on budget and know that everyone is well-nourished.

Frugal meals that include beans are not difficult to prepare, but they do require just a little planning ahead. You buy dried beans in a bag and soak them overnight. If you are used to buying canned beans or bean paste, you might have to ask where the dried bean and lentil section is located.

There are many frugal recipes that include beans as the main dish. They are the most inexpensive form of protein, pound for pound, unless chicken thighs are on sale. Chicken thighs and quarters are good choices for frugal meals, but you might need to be careful about the fat content. Quarters include a thigh and a drumstick, bone-in. It’s dark meat and the fat content is higher than breast or white meat.

If you want frugal recipes that are low in fat and you are not a bean fan, buy regular chicken breasts, instead of boneless-skinless breasts. The skin is easy to remove; you simply make a few cuts and the peel it off.

If you want cooked chicken, cut up, throw the breasts into a pot, cover them with water and let them boil until the meat is white and done throughout. Once the meat is cooked and cooled, it is easily removed from the bone. Frugal meal planning usually involves a little more cooking. But, don’t be afraid. Cooking just takes a little practice. If need be, you can practice cooking frugal meals on your day off, until you get the hang of it.

Look for frugal recipes that include dry pasta. Egg noodles, spaghetti, small shells and other types of pasta are easy to cook and inexpensive, as long as you buy the store brands.

Instead of buying ready-made spaghetti sauce, buy tomato paste, puree, cooked tomatoes cut up or tomato sauce and make your own. Load up on dried spices like pepper, garlic, basil and oregano. You’ll only need to buy them every couple of months.

Frugal meal planning is really easy. You just need to learn to do it yourself.

Simply stated, "frugal" is another word for "saving." Frugal meal planning saves in many ways.

• Save Time: Save time when you shop because you will know what you need. Save time preparing meals because you will have everything you need on hand. Have more of that saved time for family.
• Save Money: Save money by purchasing what you need to make meals, not items picked up on impulse. Save money on gas by shopping for everything once or twice a month. Save money by planning your frugal meals around the sales and coupons available.
• Save Stress:
You will know what you are going to pepare ahead of time. You will have the right ingredients on hand. You will not be rushing out in a frenzy to get a missing grocery item.

What is a frugal meal plan? How do I make one?

The most simple explanation is to plan on investing a little time up front to save lots of time and money on a daily basis. The tools you need can be as basic as a notebook, a calendar, an envelope in which to stash coupons and your weekly grocery ads.

Here are the steps to a frugal meal plan:

• Make a list of your family's favorite foods and meals. Try for at least two weeks worth of simple menu combinations.
• Check your cupboards, refrigerator and freezer to see how many of the needed items you already have on hand.
• Make a grocery list for the items you need.
• Check grocery store ads in your neighborhood to see who has items on sale that are on your list.
• Use coupons that match items on your list.
• If you have the money to do so, buy extras of the sale items that you will use repeatedly and store them for future use.