Week 3 of the Eat Well, Spend Less series was all about the grocery shopping process from the point of view of your regional area. From Canada to Seattle to Texas, we all threw our experience out on the table to share the ins and outs of our shopping trips with you. Here’s the wrap-up, and don’t miss the grocery giveaway at the end! I shared our own shopping hurdles here in Minnesota and how the system changes depending on the time of year. As it so happens, now that it’s warming... more

It’s the last week in the Eat Well, Spend Less series, and I can’t believe how fast it flew by. This week is all about the shopping experience and how and where we shop to keep the grocery budget under control. Living in the Midwest poses a few challenges as you start thinking about grocery shopping. The first and probably most prominent challenge is that of local food availability during the winter months. These definite seasonal shifts also lead to seasonal shopping differences... more

Last week in the Eat Well, Spend Less series I did a lot of talking about menu planning and making your meals fit together, and this week, I’m going to demonstrate with five of my favorite go-to meals and a typical week of meal planning in our household. In our house, we often start by planning two main meals for the week and building from there. We aim to plan five total meals each week, leaving some room for flexibility. Flexibility is key when you have two working parents and four kids,... more

Here we are at the end of the first week of the Eat Well, Spend Less series already. I shared my menu planning strategy and how we lace together different meals and work to keep the amount of separate items we’re buying for one meal to a minimum. I know you’re all sitting around waiting for some light reading to go along with a warm cinnamon roll this fine Saturday morning, so let’s recap and get you started on your way to eating healthier for less. Homemade Substitutes for... more

Welcome to Week 1 in the Eat Well, Spend Less series. This week I’m focusing on how meal and menu planning can save you money, including where to start and what to think about as you’re planning for the most financial benefit. Food prices seem to be soaring. When I look back and think of the early days of my family’s grocery budgeting, I’m amazed at how much we could do with so very little. The dollars stretched on forever, and the sale prices were just that much lower.... more

If you’ve ever started dinner only to realize that you’re out of one thing or another, then you’ll know how easy it is to give up on dinner and just head for the nearest eating establishment. I mean, you’re going out anyway, right? A well-stocked pantry is one of the first keys to successful home cooking. Why Stock Your Pantry? ::As I stated before, having ingredients on hand means you’re less likely to run to the nearest fast food chain, order takeout, pizza or... more

With our weekly menu on display for everyone to see, it may be hard to believe that we ever eat out, but we do. In fact, there are days when the fast food flows as I sit behind my computer and toil away, leaving no time for the things I enjoy, one of them being spending some quality time in the kitchen, seeing what I create. It’s an easy pattern to fall into, eating out. You worked late and it’s already 6:00. If you just grab something to go, there’s no mess, no time investment... more