How to tell what's the best deal?
Buying the groceries, and doing most of the cooking, is my major contribution to the household.
I've been planning the menu out a week or so ahead of time, then going grocery shopping based on what I decided to make. The problem with this system is that I was spending more than I wanted to, especially on meat.
So what I've been trying to do the last few weeks is choose recipes based on what I already have in the house. My rule is that I try not to buy more than one ingredient per recipe, unless it's replenishing a staple that I like to have on hand all the time.
Once I get to the grocery store I go down the list and get all the specified stuff, and then wander over to the meat department. And that's where I get lost. See, my idea is to spend $10-20 on the best deal. But how do I decide what the best deal is? Are chicken drumsticks at $1.69/lb a better buy than boneless breasts at $2.19/lb? More of the breast is meat, but I can use the bones from the drumsticks to make stock. And what about other types of meat completely? Ground beef at $1.99/lb? Pork chops at $2.99/lb?
Any suggestions for how I can figure this out?
I've been planning the menu out a week or so ahead of time, then going grocery shopping based on what I decided to make. The problem with this system is that I was spending more than I wanted to, especially on meat.
So what I've been trying to do the last few weeks is choose recipes based on what I already have in the house. My rule is that I try not to buy more than one ingredient per recipe, unless it's replenishing a staple that I like to have on hand all the time.
Once I get to the grocery store I go down the list and get all the specified stuff, and then wander over to the meat department. And that's where I get lost. See, my idea is to spend $10-20 on the best deal. But how do I decide what the best deal is? Are chicken drumsticks at $1.69/lb a better buy than boneless breasts at $2.19/lb? More of the breast is meat, but I can use the bones from the drumsticks to make stock. And what about other types of meat completely? Ground beef at $1.99/lb? Pork chops at $2.99/lb?
Any suggestions for how I can figure this out?