As mothers, we get used to cooking for the whole family. The recipes we know by heart or that tempt us to try them are usually written to feed 4-6 people. We often cook even more to accommodate friends and extended family who come for dinner. When our children aren’t home, either we store the leftovers, which are eaten rather quickly later in the evening or we go out. Rarely do we cook just enough for those who will actually be sitting down together for the meal.
When the children are grown and not living at home and when money is tight because we’re on fixed incomes, we must learn to cook for a smaller number, often just the two of us, Mom and Dad. We must find ways to eat well on a budget that is often tighter than when we were first married.
Here’s what I have done to meet this challenge:
1. Keep a running list of items you need from the store. On this list, note if you are completely out of an item or just running low.
2. Study the grocery ads. Learn what is on special each week.
3. Determine which store has the best bargains for the week. If you have access to more than one grocery store, weigh carefully the expense of shopping more than one store in time, fuel, and money. Sometimes it makes sense to do so; other times, it’s a waste of money. The key is disciplining yourself to buy only what is on special at those extra stores.
I am fortunate to have 5 different grocery stores within a 10-mile radius of my home and on most of my routes to other destinations. I usually shop 3 of them each week because they located within 2 miles of each other on the same street. I lose little time because I start at the one with the best bargains for what I need that week. I go to either of the other two only if I haven’t found what I need at the first store or if a particular item I need is on sale at one of those two.
4. Plan your menus around the specials. This is critical to saving money, especially if you do not have a well-stocked pantry and freezer to pull from. In planning, think about cooking larger quantities of items that freeze well (meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.) or that you can use again in the same week in a different meal (e.g., roast beef to BBQ beef sandwiches; grilled chicken to fajitas or main dish salads).
5. Keep a price notebook. This will help you know when something is a true value and when it is not. Note the item, the size, the price (if possible, use a unit price because not all brands are the same size), and the store. If it is a sale price, not the regular price for the item as well. Then, when you study your ads or are in the store and see an unadvertised special, you check your notebook to see if it is the best price. For example, one of the major retailers ran a special on a canned pasta product 10/$10 or $1 per can. But one of the discount grocers offered this same item at a regular price of 88¢., a difference of 12¢ a can.
The notebook will also help you compare sizes for the best bargain when something is not on sale. The smallest size isn’t always the cheapest, and items packaged for individual portions are often much more expensive than buying something in the larger size and dividing it into individual portions yourself.
6. Clip coupons and use them wisely. Just because you have a coupon doesn’t mean you should use it. When you do, get the biggest bang for your bucks. Apply it to the smallest size allowable. Do not be tempted into using a coupon simply because it is expiring or it is for a new product.
7. Build your pantry and stock your freezer. When the grocery store you use has a stock-up sale and you’ve checked the prices to know it is a legitimate sale, buy as much as you can use in a 6-8 week period and that you can afford within your food budget. On canned goods, use a permanent marker and note the date of purchase on the top of the can or on the label. This ensures that you use the oldest product first and use items before they expire (although many items may be used safely past the date on the can if it has been stored properly and the can has not been damaged in any way).
For meats and other items that can be frozen, divide into single portion sizes, wrap appropriately in plastic freezer bags or wrapping paper, and note the contents and the date on the outside of the package. Once the items are frozen, you can consolidate into one large package to save storage room. For example, I have a bag of individually wrapped and frozen chicken legs, one of thighs, and one of breasts. My husband and I like different things and I can pull exactly what I need for any particular recipe. I also individually wrap and freeze pork chops and hamburger patties. I freeze hamburger in 1-pound packages that I flatten for easy storage in the freezer and faster thawing when I need it in a hurry.
There are many sources available at most public libraries on freezing and storing various kinds of food. Check them out and get the best use out of your freezer.
8. Know your prices. Your notebook makes this easier to do. By knowing your prices, you can determine if something is a true bargain. For example, I belong to a national discount store where I buy items in bulk. By knowing my prices, I know that usually I can find milk and eggs cheaper at one of the local stores than at the discount store. However, I rarely find paper products elsewhere. The discount store is better for those items, even with coupons. By knowing prices, I can stock up when prices are low, buy at the best store for the item, and save money.
9. Use farmers’ markets. In late spring, summer, and early fall, the best produce is usually found at local farmers’ markets and produce stands. I have found the prices to be the same or cheaper than produce at the grocery stores and it is usually locally produced. Also, check out local farms that may allow people to pick their own or that sell in large quantities. Then can or freeze the food for later use. There’s nothing like having strawberries and peaches in the middle of winter that you froze from the previous summer’s bounty (and it’s cheaper than buying those small packages of frozen fruit at the store). Again, check your library for sources on freezing and canning.
Better yet, if you have the ground and the skill (or are willing to learn), cultivate your own garden. There’s nothing like a juicy, red tomato or fresh zucchini bread made from the fruits of your garden.
10. Share the costs. Consider going together with others to split the cost of bulk items. You get the quantity you need at the cost savings you need.
Once you have your groceries and menus, the challenge becomes cooking only for two. I have found I get better nutrition and more savings if I cook from scratch rather than use convenience products. For example, even when varieties of instant potatoes are on sale, my homemade versions are healthier, with far less salt and fat. Whipping up pancakes and waffles may take a couple of minutes longer than using a mix but again I control the fat and salt content.
Because it is often cheaper to cook things in larger quantities, use your freezer. By using your meal plans, you can determine which recipes you can cook in the larger quantities and which you need to pare to accommodate only two. You will know which items you can use as leftovers or which you can freeze to use later in the month.
For example, your usual roast beef recipe can be used for the main meal and then for lunches or sandwiches. You can bake your usual recipe for meatloaf in two small loaf pans instead of one large one. Then, when cooled, freeze the extra loaf for another week. Label and date it so you don’t forget it. Use extra cooked rice in a salad or for a breakfast cereal. When you make a cake recipe, bake it in muffin cups or small loaf pans. Freeze what you will not use in 2 or 3 days. Then, when you need something sweet, it’s right there in your freezer. When I make waffles for the two of us, I still have extra batter. I cook the pancakes or waffles, let them cool, wrap them individually and freeze. Then I have “toaster” pancakes and waffles when I need something quick for breakfast.
There are several cookbooks and magazines tailored to cooking for two. Taste of Home has one that is full of great recipes. Your local library and the Internet are also great sources for specific recipes for two.
Finally, practice. No one became a good family cook overnight. It took time to learn the recipes and know exactly how much to cook for your family of 3, 4, 5 or more. As you become an empty nester, the same principal applies. It takes time to learn to downsize your cooking.
