By Darla Youngblood
Eating at home is the best way to not only save money but to cook healthier food also. When I was a teenager I worked in restaurants as a waitress. Restaurants add a lot of salt butter and grease to food that is not healthy for us at all. Eating at home you control the amount of salt and butter you put into your meals automatically making them healthier than restaurant meals. Plus the meals you make at home are a larger amount per serving so you can have leftovers for lunch the next day. I like to boil chicken breasts to either make chicken tacos on healthy tortillas or shredding them to put into a casserole to make it stretch further. The same goes with scrambling a large amount of ground Turkey that you can use in various recipes also. There are also lots of recipes on Pinterest for making large quantities of freezer meals that you can just put into a crockpot and a few hours later have a delicious meal with leftovers.
If you are struggling to buy food, google food banks and your town and state. Food banks are there for anyone who needs help with food no matter your income. Most food banks only require an electric bill or some other bill you get in the mail for proof of address and your I.D.One of these places is Salvation Army. There are some churches too that are able to help with food. And I’ve done this when my kids were growing up and I had lost my job. It helped us a lot. And it’s fun since you don’t know what food you are getting so you are able to try new foods and be creative in making your own recipes. Don’t feel embarrassed about getting food when you need it. It happens especially if you lose a job suddenly or some other reason.
Another really fun thing to do is have a mini potluck with your friends or family. You provide the meat and have everyone bring a side dish and just laugh and make some wonderful memories! Of course take a lot of pictures you will always cherish .
These are just a few ideas on how to cut costs on meals. Be creative and make meals from what you have. Saving money on meals can help you use that savings on something else.