This is not a drill! I know how one pack of pencils here and one pair of scissors for each kid can really add up in cost! Let’s avoid the cash register shock and help you save some money on this year’s back to school supplies.
You’ve got company coming over but you’re worried about feeding guests on a budget. How can you still make sure they are comfortable? How can you best make sure that everyone has enough to eat and that everyone is happy with the meals?
That’s what we are going to talk about today!
I just got done with my grocery shopping to stock up to feed five more people at our table for a couple extra days this week. It got me thinking…
“Why do people think they NEED to completely blow their normal grocery budget when they have guests over?”
Let’s talk more about feeding guests on a budget!
3 Hacks for Feeding Guests on a Budget
- Meal Plan as Normal
Have unexpected guests? Not a problem! No need to rearrange everything! If you have been meal planning then just choose one of the meals on your plan that can be easily doubled to feed a larger crowd. Meals I love to do this with are things like pastas, casseroles, or “build your own” type meals like, build your own… tacos, baked potato, salad, etc.
You can also choose meals that can easily be bulked up by adding extra veggies. Things like roasts are great for this, because you can just add in extra potatoes and carrots. Mexican dishes are also great for this when you add in an extra can of something like black beans or rice to carry the meal further.
2.Grocery Pick Up or Delivery
I get it! When company is coming you have an extra long to-do list. Laundry, dishes, and bathrooms are usually at the top of my list before guests come. I mean I am right in the middle of washing all the bedding in our entire house. Literally! I just put the fifth load in the wash before I sat down to write to you.
So you’ve got your meal plan. Check… But you do need to actually buy the groceries. When are you going to find time for that? Welcome to the world of grocery pick up or delivery. Have you tried it yet? I usually do grocery pick up to avoid any delivery fees. It is heavenly! Getting your groceries this way helps you stick to your list so you can also stick to your budget.
Another way to stack the savings on your groceries is to use a cash back app like Ibotta. What’s especially great about using Ibotta is that they have new ways to earn cash back with the browser extension on grocery pickup & delivery!
Ibotta has more ways to earn cash back than any other browser extension. What I love so much specifically about Ibotta, is that a lot of times there are cash back opportunities on “any item” purchases. Also, unlike other browser extensions and rewards platforms, Ibotta offers real cash back, not points, and not promo codes that need to be tested, you get real cash!
All offers were valid as of publish date. Check your app for details, as offers change frequently and may not be available in all areas.
I love that when I’m shopping from my computer, any time I am setting up my grocery pick up order, Ibotta’s browser extension will automatically remind me about all the amazing cash back offers I have set up for my order.
Don’t miss out on stacking up your cash back!
3. Make Meat the Side Attraction
One more tip for your grocery list. Make sure that in the meals you choose to feed your guests that do have meat in them, that meat is not the main ingredient. So if you are looking for ways to keep costs low, a steak dinner for all ten people probably isn’t your best bet. If you stick with the meals I suggested in hack number one that also follow this rule, you should be good to go!
You can do this! There is no need to panic if you’re feeding guests on a budget. A few minor adjustments to your normal meal planning and grocery shopping and your guests are going to have an amazing time in your home!
What are you tips for feeding guests on a budget? I would love to hear all about it over on Instagram.
How are your mornings going? Are they blissfully smooth with harp music playing in the background? Nope. Me either! That’s why I LOVE these easy freezer breakfast meals so much! They make our crazy busy mornings a little less chaotic!
Taking just one morning about every two weeks to prep a bunch of easy freezer breakfast meals helps provide one less thing to think about, one less thing for the kids to need help with, and one less thing to stress about in the mornings!
In today’s post I’m sharing with you five easy freezer breakfast meals that my family has taste tested and loved! I know your family is going to love them too!
This is a sponsored post about back to school snacks written by me in partnership with Ibotta. All opinions are my own.
What does back to school look like for you this year? I know it’s crazy, right?
With all the uncertainty that this school year is bringing, one thing remains consistent… our kids are always eating!!
Haha! Or at least it feels like every ten minutes there are extra hands in the cupboards and pantry searching for something to fill those stomachs.
Do you know how much you spend on grocery shopping each month? Before we started this amazing strategy for grocery shopping our family was spending over $1,000 a month on food! That was just me and hubby!!!
Now… now we only spend about $400 each month on groceries! That’s over $600 in savings Every. Single. Month!!!
That’s thousands of dollars saved each year! Want to see what it looks like to get a yummy budget friendly meal plan together and then go grocery shopping on a budget? Stick around and I’ll show ya!
A cash envelope budget is a simple system of designating a part of your family’s spending as cash only. When getting started it can be confusing to figure out which cash envelope system categories to set.
In today’s post I am going to walk you through the 6 categories you need to get started and show you how to figure out how much cash goes into each one. Everything customized to your family’s finances and unique goals.
Are you trying to figure out how to start family meal planning? I get it, it can be super tricky!
Lot’s of opinions on what should be on the table which not only makes things complicated, but can also make your grocery bill quickly add up by the HUNDREDS!
No seriously! If you don’t do your family meal planning carefully you could easily add on a couple hundred dollars every month!
The good news is that you can still feed your family flavorful recipes, that are crowd pleasing, and still keep your grocery budget super low!
Our family of five only spends about $400 a month on food! We used to spend over $1,000 when it was just hubby and I!
In this month’s family meal plan I am giving you all the yummy meals I’m feeding my picky eaters on a small budget!
When our family goes grocery shopping for an entire month we only spend $340 on food for our family of five. Do you want to know how to go grocery shopping on a budget! Come grocery shopping with me and I’ll show you every single item we buy and how much it all costs.
I have a unique system that I use in order to help save our family hundreds of dollars EVERY MONTH on our groceries.
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