Save $100 a month on your grocery bill and no coupon clipping!

Let's get creative in the pantry!

After my pantry clean out to other day I realized something, I throw away a lot of food! I had 2 grocery bags filled with expired food. I estimate at least $50 worth of food!

Our family of 4 spends $150 a week average on food. That's $600 a month, not including  the little trips in between for incidentals. I tried the coupon thing and just didn't have the patience and time to do it right! I do use them when I can, I am just not a coupon "Krazy" girl.

I decided, as I was throwing away all this food and $$, that I would try something different. I would go one week of the month only spending $50 on groceries.  That should save me $100 a month! How you ask? By using items in the pantry and fridge and building meals off of that. So I had to get creative! Here are 2 recipes that I came up with by using some of these items.

My grocery bill this week was only $47.63! 

Bean and Artichoke Cilantro Lime Salad

I found that I had several cans of beans left, a can of artichokes, and a can of Rotel . Here's the recipe I created with these three items:

Bean and Artichoke Cilantro Lime Salad

1 can of black eyed peas (Drained and rinsed)
1 can of black beans (Drained and rinsed)
1 can of artichokes (Drained and rinsed)
1 cup of frozen corn (already in freezer)
1 half small onion chopped
1 can of  Mild Rotel (drained)
1 cup of chopped fresh cilantro (the only thing I had to buy)

For the dressing:
2 Tbs of Olive Oil
2 Tbs of white wine vinegar
2 cloves of minced fresh garlic
Juice of one Lime or few drops from your lime juice container (I always have lime juice)
Salt and Pepper
Dash of oregano


Mix all ingredients together and let sit for 1 hour in fridge.
Serve with Chips or baked whole grain tortillas

I also added the left over salad to my chili recipe. That one recipe gave me 3 meals!
 

The other recipe is a quickie! I had half a box of Chex Rice Cereal left over from a holiday recipe and I made a gluten free healthy snack!

Mix the Chex and a few nuts of your choice - I had walnuts, cashews, and almonds.
Drizzle with honey and bake for about 20 minutes on 350.

I ate as a snack and with my yogurt for breakfast. Mmmm!

So instead of wasting food and money, look at what you already have and build your meals off of that one week out of the month! Google your ingredients and search for recipes.

I hope this has inspired you to stop wasting and start saving! Maybe you could use some of the extra money and donate to your local food bank to help others who are really struggling. Not to mention extra decorating money! You know I had to say it!