Frugal Friday!

I have two tips for Frugal Friday this week because I am just feeling generous today. ;)

First off Freezer meals. I know not exactly a new idea however a lot of people assume that you have to stand in a kitchen for a day or two all day long to make a bazillion freezer meals so you don't have to "cook" the rest of the month, except for side dishes etc. and that sucks the fun out of it. However there is another way you can stock up your freezer in less time. Are you ready for it? Next time you make a meal, double or triple the batch and freeze the leftovers. That is it. Seriously it does not have to be that hard. Another side benefit to this is when you say have a really really hectic day as we all do where the washing machine flooded the laundry room, and junior gets off the bus with a laundry list of homework to do, hubby comes home late, sister has cheer practice etc. etc. and all of a sudden the dinner hour hits and all these eyes are staring at you wondering what is for dinner and you realize that you forgot to make it, you can take out a meal and pop it in the oven, then you can play a family game or do whatever it is you need to do while it is cooking. most meals will cook in the time it takes delivery which is much more expensive and not nearly as healthy either, plus it is cheaper...errr Frugal. :)

My second tip today is a fairly new one and may not sound all that frugal but it is. If your local store that you shop at has a delivery service USE IT! Seriously. Before you jump on me about this consider this. When you shop online at the grocery store it eliminates the one thing that gets us all....impulse buys. For one thing you are at home and not at the store smelling all the wonderful french bread, or other bakery items, you are not standing in line with 50 other people who take an hour to check out, and deciding you need to throw in that 50 cent bar of chocolate or 5. Another benefit is that online you can see a running total of what you are spending so you can add or delete items as your budget allows which is a heck of a lot less embarrassing then standing in line with a red face when you see the total (because you forgot your calculator and your math does not add as easily in your head as it used too) and you have to sheepishly say ok take this back and this back etc. Most stores have fairly decent delivery prices and many of them are free after you spend a certain amount and quite frankly that amount is not super high anyway. Plus it is totally awesome when they bring the bags out of their van and into your house for you so all you have to do is put the groceries away! It saves a ton of time too. I do my shopping online after the kids have gone to bed and after I have done my menu planning. It is awesome because it really saves me time and ultimately money from not buying impulses, saving gas to and from the store or sometimes even several stores.

So there you have it. My frugal Friday tips for you. :)
Have a great weekend!
Jenna