Plant a Vegetable Garden to Feed Your Family

Your initial investment can be as low as $10 to buy seeds and some fertilizer. Create a small at-home vegetable garden where your family will be getting groceries for food. Plant things like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, garlic, green beans, peas, corn, and bell peppers. You can even create an indoor garden in small containers to keep your garden growing year-round. Take advantage of excess produce to can or freeze items for use later in the year.

Here are some seeds you can buy online from Black Duck Brand if you’re having trouble finding which is the best. I personally bought these for my family garden last summer and they’re blooming now! I’ve also listed some of the best sellers on Amazon down below too, these 3 are just as great!

Barter for Fresh Produce or Meats

Many people have home gardens with an abundance of fresh produce that their family can actually barter for. Offer to babysit, clean their home, do car repairs or exchange produce for handcrafted items they want or need. This is a great way to do something in exchange for food that costs your family nothing more than your time.

Use Less Meat and More Beans and Vegetables

Since meats are the highest costs in your grocery cart most times, it is time to get serious about stretching it farther. Cut the amount of meat your family uses in food like tacos, spaghetti, stews, chili, soups or casseroles by adding in extra helpings of vegetables or beans. Mix in 1 cup refried pinto beans with ½ pound ground meat for yummy and hearty tacos. Make vegetarian soups for your family. You can chili with beans and vegetables added.

Cook Food for Your Family From Scratch

You can make 2 loaves of homemade bread for your family for around $1 instead of paying $2-$4 per loaf. Homemade oatmeal from quick oats or steel oats is $1.50 for 10-12 servings instead of $2.50 for 8 servings of instant. Homemade biscuits for your family can be as low as $1 per batch instead of $4 for 12 in the freezer section. Spend time once a week making homemade bread for your family and easily save $10-$15 off your weekly budget for cookies, cakes, bread, biscuits, and tortillas.

Plan Your Food Around Items on Sale

Each week you can look closely at your grocery store sales to determine the best meat and vegetable deals to build your family menu around. If roasts are on sale at a good price, buy one large one for your family. You can slow cook it on the first day and serve small portions with potatoes and vegetables. Shred it and add some to a pot of stew and some to make enchiladas or tacos. You can plan your family menu around the best sale items to keep your budget down.

Feel like you are too busy to prepare food for your family? Check out the Meal Plan guide for busy moms I wrote recently.

Use Leftovers for Lunch

Instead of buying separate items for your family lunches, use leftovers from evening food instead. It takes only a small amount more to create a lunch portion for the next day. The cost of separate items like bread, luncheon meat, cheese, and chips can really zap your budget. Leftover food is less expensive and often much healthier and economical for your family.

Limit the Variety of Food That Your Family Eats

It is tough to have limits, especially for your family, but when you are cutting back limiting the options helps you save more. Buying one type of granola bar or snack for your family means you can get a better price when getting a larger quantity. You will spend more money buying 3-4 options than a larger quantity of just one item. This also applies to things like meats, cheeses and beverages. Have your family drinks water or tea and avoid soft drinks and extra juices.

Other great ways to feed a family for $25 a week include buying in bulk during seasonal sales, eliminating desserts, soft drinks and similar items from your diet. With a little extra effort, you can easily feed your family on a limited income.