Cheaper Breakfast Eats – Save Money On Food
March 16, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under groceries
Breakfast is important (do I sound like a mama yet?) it’s also a pretty cheap meal if you play it right.
Opt for more expensive, but more filling breakfast cereals. You can get cereal pretty darn cheap with coupons and sales, but typical cold cereals may not fill you up, which means you may eat two bowls OR later need a bigger snack. It’s better to pay more for filling granola or another hearty cereal.
If you do buy granola or a grainy-minded cereal (see above), look for a bulk option. Bulk foods are usually less expensive than boxed, and most co-ops and natural food stores carry a great selection of bulk foods. Actually, most conventional stores now have a bulk section as well.
Make and freeze all your breakfast items in one day. IF you happen to have the freezer space, take an hour or two on a weekend day, whip up some french toast, pancakes, and waffles, and freeze them all. Homemade can cost way less that boxed frozen breakfasts. If you want to make them easy to reheat, try this; after you make say, 10 pancakes, place them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze them, then wrap them up. This way when you go to grab one in the morning, they don’t stick together.
Make fruit juice from concentrate which tends to be cheaper than carton juice.
Buy fruit in season.
Opt for frozen fruit when fresh is priced too high. If you like berries or mango in the morning, in cereal, a smoothie, or just plain, frozen can cost less during off seasons.
Skip the meat. To be healthy, you really should only be buying organic meats. Typical conventional meat is stuffed with pesticides and other contaminates. However, organic meat can be costly. Make breakfast your veggie meal of the day. See which foods you should be buying organic.
Don’t just think “breakfast” – extra tortillas with eggs and cheese, pita bread with tuna, whole wheat crackers with hummus and fruit, and more can be eaten for breakfast. Think about the low-cost food items you frequently buy and consider which can be eaten for breakfast.
Whip up a smoothie. You can snag a HUGE tub o’ organic yogurt on the cheap, some frozen fruit, and some store brand organic milk and whip up a cheap and easy smoothie. See some smoothie recipes.
Get up on time. The most expensive meal mistake most people make is waking up late, or just in general running late all day. People who run late tend to grab food on the go (way more expensive than making food at home). Your alarm clock and some good ol’ will power can save you oodles of cash.
[image via stock.exchng]
We found some good cereal at Big Lots last week. You never know what you’ll find there. We sold our old freezer when we moved and I’m hoping to get a new one soon. I’d like to start freezing waffles and pancakes.