Grocery Budget Help

The current economic crisis is affecting many families, and often, the first area to be cut back is the family grocery budget. This doesn't have mean a cutback in nutrition. By following this plan, you can feed your family well while STILL tightening your budget.

With the recent economic downturn, families are working harder to stay afloat.  Jobs are being lost, layoffs are common, and many companies are freezing salaries and extra spending, while prices on pretty much everything, including groceries, continue to rise.  The economic picture for many families is rather bleak right now, and those who still have a job have nothing like the sense of security one used to be able to count on if one were employed.  In light of this, and my belief that people's ability to put food on the table is only going to be more challenging in future, I've come up with a basic plan. 

It's in the form of a twenty two page PDF document that you can download here, called More Month than Money: Tightening Your Grocery Budget While Feeding Your Family Well, and, as the title suggests, is a plan on how to get good, nutritious, satisfying meals on the table at a minimum cost.  It gives a brief outline on the why and how of tightening your food budget, and it also gives you meal plans, recipes, and itemized shopping lists. 

I have no formal qualifications as a dietician, and therefore make no claims as to the suitability of this plan over the long term, but when there are minimal resources available, and hungry children in the house, this plan will help to get you through.

Certainly, all things will not be “economical” in all areas.  For instance, while tropical fruits are relatively expensive here in Manitoba, in more tropical climates that may not be the case.  The plan is a guide only, and certainly one should adjust it wherever it makes sense to do so.  Consider what is seasonal and economical in your area, and change the plan according to your needs.  I hope this helps someone, somewhere, feed their family better than they think that they can afford to, and perhaps save a few dollars, as well.