Tag Archives: frugal foodie

Money, Podcast

Listener Mailbag: Cheap Ways to Travel, Saving Money on Groceries, and Real Estate

We’ve brought back the listener's mailbag. Today we’re answering your family and finance questions about keep your grocery bills manageable, deciding on how to travel with kids, and getting started with real estate!

Listener Mailbag: Spring 2023

One of my favorite parts of creating Simplify and Enjoy is the community.

While I’m happy to share our journey as a family, it’s fun when you chime in with your wins, stories, and questions.

Today we’re going to be diving into your family and finance questions.

First, we’ll look at how to save money on your grocery bill.

Next, we’ll talk about how to adjust or if needed, revamp your budget. There’s still plenty of time to have some big wins with your family and financial goals.

Finally, we’re following up from last week’s episode about different options in real estate. There are so many different paths.

Which is why I’m so glad to share a fun and informative conversation I had with Stacking Deeds Podcast Hosts Crystal Hammond and Alan Corey. We get into their own journeys and they have advice on what to consider if you’d like to get started with real estate investing.

We have plenty to cover, so let’s get started!

Resources to Stay on Top of Your Money

If you’re ready to jump into the year and knock out some of your health and wealth goals, here are a few of my favorite resources and includes what we covered in the podcast.

If you’d like to chat more your money system, please join us in our private and free Facebook group – Thriving Families.

We’re families looking to support and help one another out.

Hope to see you there!

Thank You to Our Sponsor Coastal!

Support for this podcast comes from Coastal Credit Union! Come check out Coastal today if you’re living in the Raleigh Durham area and looking to bank better.

As a credit union, Coastal serves its members first and foremost including an annual loyalty bonus.

We've been members for years and love their service and competitive rates on checking and savings accounts!

Support the Podcast!

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful, here are some ways to support it.

  • Spread the word! If you enjoyed this episode and think it can help a buddy get on the path to dumping debt and become financially free, please share.
  • Join our coffee group ☕: Get access to exclusive behind the scenes videos, chats, and more!
  • Leave a review. Honest feedback and reviews make a big difference and gets the word out about the podcast. Leave your review on Apple or Stitcher.
  • Grab a copy of Jumpstart Your Marriage and Your Money. My book is designed for a busy couple to set up their finances in four weeks. Get tips and tools that have worked for other couples on their journey of building their marriage and wealth together!
Food

International (Food) Delights on the Cheap

I have a confession to make – when we were first married, I was known as the ‘microwave queen'. I didn't really cook because I thought making the dishes I loved was hard and expensive.

Turns out I was wrong on both counts.

Though I'm no chef, I've expanded my skills and recipes enough that cooking is kind of fun.

International Cusine on the Cheap

We still go out from time to time and we love discovering new cuisines. Turns out we're not the only ones.

Justin McCurry, early retiree and Root of Good creator, joined me for a chat today about cooking international dishes.

During our chat we covered:

  • how to find great ingredients at low prices
  • easy (as just Justin puts it ‘Hamburger helper easy') dishes you can try out
  • a few gems that can help you up your game with cooking

You can watch the video below or read a few of the highlights I've included.

Hope you enjoy!

Stock Your Pantry Right

It all starts with ingredients. What you have in your pantry and fridge will determine just how tasty your dishes are.

Fresh, high-quality ingredients with your herbs and seasoning can also be a very affordable way to expand your palette and try out some new flavors from around the world.

When I was researching for the Frugal Foodie challenge, I went back to one of my favorite books, The 4-Hour Chef.

In it, Tim lays out regions of the world based on flavors in a cheat sheet format. While there er were some unique items on the list, you'd be surprised how many times garlic, onions, citrus, cilantro, and ginger came up.

It was the combinations that make what we associate with certain cuisines. That means with some key ingredients, you can easily mix things up with your dishes at home.

These herbs and base ingredients are usually inexpensive in your neighborhood grocery store, but you can typically get them even lower by shopping at an Asian, Latin, or International market.

Justin picks up items like Somen, rice noodles, coconut milk, and chipotles at markets really cheap, but still high quality.

You may even find some deals on Amazon, like Justin has with curry paste!

Learn How Cook Quickly

Like anything new, it may take a minute to get familiar with how to prepare a dish. The good news is that there are plenty of resources (many free!) where you can get what you need.

I mentioned using books, but there are websites and videos available online where you can get an ingredient list and see the dish being made. 

Just type in ‘easy  

‘ into Google and you'll probably find plenty of options!

Start Exploring and Experimenting in Your Kitchen

Looking to try something new this week? I found a cheat sheet on flavors from 36 regions of the world which also includes recipes. Here are a few really easy dishes that caught my eye:

Here are a few really easy dishes that caught my eye:

Try a couple of them out and see which flavors grab you!

Food

The Lifesaver You Need in Your Kitchen (Besides a Crockpot)!

Tonight's meal was done in 17 minutes.

(Yeah, this is real time!)

So this bug/not flu but sort of flu/ plague continues and dinner time was upon me.

I'm not going to lie; there was a temptation to get some pizza delivered or call my husband see if he would pick up something on the way home.

But we had some great produced delivered last week, I wanted to put it to good use.

So I went to one of my base recipes* and got dinner up in 17 minutes. Here it is:

Sorry for the unfancy pic, I'm not a food blogger.

The secret item that helped me save dinner? Our cast iron skillet.

Behold the Cast Iron Pan's Skills

Besides our slow cooker, the skillet has bailed us out of many meals and allowed us to cook quickly. As an added bonus, clean up is usually easier as we only need the skillet to make dinner.

A good cast iron skillet (like we have here)  is a smart investment for the busy and frugal foodie that will last you a lifetime (some tips to take care of it).

So if you don't have one in your kitchen, please grab one. It's such a lifesaver!

My Italian(ish) Cast Iron Stir-fry

With a skillet, you can quickly whip up a stir-fry based on what you have on hand. That's what I did.

Tonight's meal is Italian inspired, chopping and combining:

  • Italian hot sausage
  • baby bella mushrooms
  • sweet peppers
  • onions
  • broccoli
  • a couple of pieces of pineapple
  • two teaspoons of pesto

Rice on the side and beans rounded out everything.

Not fancy, but delicious, easy to make, and cheap. A triple win in my book!

*These are easy meals  (about 2o minutes or less) I go to when I'm pressed or time or just plain tired.

Home

How to Save Money on Organic Food

There's a misconception that eating on a budget means ramen noodles and endless bowls of rice and beans.

I'm not knocking the ramen (or arroz con gandules as they were known in my house) – you can quickly jazz them up and enjoy a good meal. However, being a frugal foodie means you have more options, including grabbing some organic food.

Sure, you can pay top dollar for it, but there are ways you can slash your bill without sacrificing quality.

Saving Money on Organic Food

Kristia, founder of Family Balance Sheet, chatted with me this afternoon about her tricks to getting the most out of her meals and budget.

The Power of Meal Planning

Kristia sits down on Sundays and plans out her family meals for the week. She has some go to nights (like pizzas on Fridays) that makes it pretty easy to jot down her ideas.

If you’re not one to sit down and write things out, I have several meal plans here from food and family bloggers that cover various diets.

I tried to choose meal plans that allow you to ‘cook once, eat twice’ so you’re not slaving in the kitchen on your cook prep night.

Check Out Marked Down Section

Every store has to managed their inventory. As produce gets closer to its expiration date, they'll typically drop the prices.

Kristia reviews this section of the store first and will snatch up some deals!

Next time, you're at the store, see what's available and if you can use it that week for your meals.

You can catch the rest of her tips in the video below!

Food, Frugal Foodie

5 Keys to Being a Frugal Foodie

Love to eat well and taste new dishes? Here are five essential tips on becoming a frugal foodie!

For most people, food is a major monthly expense. Some days are just so hectic, it seems easier to grab something on the way home or go out for dinner.

Even if you decide to make something at home, you're sometimes exhausted and stress so frozen boxed meals or having pizza delivered seems like an easy solution.

Becoming a Frugal Foodie

The good news is that you can enjoy fantastic meals in less time than it takes to eat out.

If you're ready to eat well without having to become a chef or spend your whole paycheck, here are five crucial keys you need to implement:

Know Your Priorities

Sounds simple, but you really need to think about how you define a fantastic meal.

Some people are looking for a fancy five-course meal every night. If that's you, fine. Others might want something that's delicious, healthy, and easy to make. This challenge is the latter.

Have a Budget

You'll more than likely save some serious cash with this Frugal Foodie Challenge, but you still have to spend money.

With a budget, you'll have an easier time deciding where to splurge and where to save.

I'll share ways you can save on key ingredients and staples so you can spend a little extra on a few of your favorite things.

Eating well and having fun can go together.

Master Fundamental Dishes & Flavors

No, I'm not saying you have fill your home with a ton of cookbooks or slave away in the kitchen for hours.

Instead, I want you to just pick four basic dishes, learn how to make it and 20 minutes, and see how a few variations of spices and flavors can make it entirely new.

I'll also share four easy sides you can throw in and use while your main dish is cooking. Again, I want the whole meal ready in about 20 minutes.

This will be a huge help for those nights when you're just exhausted and don't have the energy to make a big meal.

Meal Plan Like a Champ

Meal planning, as the name suggests, is about having a menu prepared for future meals. That’s it.

It’s so versatile – you two can adjust based on your budget, dietary needs, schedule, and personality.Some people can whip it up a month ahead (you're awesome!), but for us, we're looking in bite size, weekly chunks.

Again, I know time is valuable, so I'll show you how to do it in about 20 minutes.

Meal planning is crucial because you can save a tremendous amount of money and time by having a game plan. Less temptation to spend more and you're more likely to stick with your healthy eating habits.

Embrace the Fun

As you gain more confidence, you'll start seeing how you can adjust and make meals more enjoyable for your taste. Maybe you'll be out and have a dish that you absolutely love, but don't want to have to eat out every time to get it. Go try it at home!

Thoughts on Becoming a Frugal Foodie

I'd love to hear from you. Have you always been a frugal foodie?