How we save over $5000 on food

Are you tired like N-dog here, of constantly finding yourself stressed out while standing in the grocery store, not knowing what you`re going to have for dinner? Do you want to save more money on food?  Are you tired of eating industrial, un-healthy food? Then keep on reading!

So.. this is embarrassing, but a couple of years ago, when BF and I moved in together, we both lived in small spaced dorms and shared kitchen with a lot of random (and semi-crazy) people, so we didn`t like to spend much time in the common room, which means that we didn`t think about how much money we wasted on food. We went to expensive grocery stores because it was more convenient, we bought easy expensive industrial food,  and shopped every day. Neither of us thought about how much we were really spending.

But then we moved into a house together and I started paying attention to what I ate due to my Fibromyalgia. That was 3 years ago, and I`ve had a steep learning curve and saved so much money! Approximately $5300 a year! That`s A LOT of money. We used to spend more about $900(!!) on food a month. I know, I know, but I did warn you, it was not my finest hour.

Where are you Spring? & Sunday Link

I didn´t have time to post anything yesterday, which is why Sunday Link is filling in for Saturday Link today:-)  Yesterday I spent the entire day in the woods by a bonfire, grilling hot dogs and drinking some wine (so classy) with a bunch of people, which eventually turned into an After-Bonfire when the sun had set… I´m a bit tired today, but I had such a great time yesterday and met loads of nice people. This week was my Easter Break, but I did manage to write almost 4 pages on my Bachelor Thesis before taking some time off studying. I wrote about how I called of my Gym membership, shared a delicious Lemon and Chocolate Cupcake recipe with you and about typical Norwegian Easter Traditions.  Spring still seems so far away, and I`m already dreaming of summer, hence the picture! How will this end?

Easterlicious Lemon & Chocolate Cupcakes

Easter is right around the corner, so I thought I´d share this easterlicious lemon buttercream cupcake recipe with you. If you remember the Double Trouble Chocolate Cupcakes, you`ll see that it´s the same basic recipe, only this time I`ve made it with a fresh, citrus frosting based on lemon curd. In Norway, yellow is the traditional colour of Easter, signifying brighter times are coming after a long winter. That`s why I found it suitable to make these delicious cupcakes into an Easter treat!

Dreamy Raspberry Mousse & Hazelnut Cake

This is both BF and my favourite cake, it`s something I always make for birthdays. I`ve served this in many occasions, and people always take an extra slice of cake! It has an incredibly fresh, sweet taste of raspberries combined with the nuttiness from the hazelnut cake which creates the perfect combination. It does require some time and effort, so I recommend making it over two days. But the great thing with this cake is that you can freeze the leftovers. That is, if there`s anything left to freeze! I thought I`d share this recipe with all of you now, in case you want to make something delicious during Easter!

Budget Friendly Cooking – What`s in your pantry?

Save Money – Cut down Grocery Budget – Organize the Food – Cook with what you`ve got

In order to save more money I`m trying to cut down on my food-budget this month, and one way of doing that is by cooking with what you`ve got. My cupboards were getting quite messy, so today I  cleaned the cupboard, wrote down every food item, and then organized the food. I also organized the freezer, and noted down whatever I found. And there were a lot more food than I`d thought:

Baking supply: Whole wheat, Whole-wheat flour coarsely ground, Whole-wheat flour finely ground, Wheat bran, Sunflower kernels, Pumpkinseeds, Flax seeds, Yeast, Flour, Vanilla sugar, Baking powder, Baking soda, Dark syrup, Light syrup, Demerara sugar, Sugar, Brown sugar, Confectionary sugar, Cocoa powder, Sweet condensed milk.

Dry Ingredients: Pasta Penne, Pasta Tagliatelle, Jasmine rice, Brown lentils, Red lentils, Tomato soup, Béarnaise sauce, Gravy, Oatmeal, Polenta, Muesli, Pistachio, Raisins, Saltines,

Freezer: Broccoli, Lingonberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, 6 Nan bread, 10 Tortilla, Hamburger bread, Portion Bread, Brioche, Sourdough Bread, 4 calzones, Pizza sauce, Pork, 2 Chicken Breasts, 4 Ground Pork meat, 4 Ground Beef,  2 Turkey Breasts, 2 Tenderloins of Pork, 1 Tenderloin of Pork BBQ, some Chicken wings, 3 portions of smoked salmon.

Fridge: Spring onion, Onion, Ham, Salsa, Butter, Whipping cream, Tomato pure, Milk Chocolate, Apples, Oranges, Bananas.

With these ingredients in mind, I decided to make the following meal plan, trying to incorporate food items I already got.

Meal Plan
Monday: Creamy Pasta with Ham & Mushroom
Tuesday: Norwegian Stew
Wednesday: Scrambled egg & smoked salmon with bread
Thursday: European Pancakes
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Turkey Breast with creamy mushroom sauce
Sunday: Pasta Bolognese

For the next 4 weeks, I`ll be using what I`ve got as the main ingredients, and try to only buy items of food that`s absolutely needed. My starting budget is $421, but hopefully I`ll have some money left after one month.

What are you ways of cutting down the food expenses?