- Start with two weeks, and work your way up
- Plan to use fresh produce towards the beginning of the month according to what will keep the longest. Potatoes, onions, celery (if kept in water in the fridge) will all last longer.
- There are usually great sales on fresh fruit in the summer when it is in season. We stock up when its super cheap, and freeze it our self, rather than buying the ridiculously expensive bags of frozen fruit. Frozen fruit is great for smoothies or a quick dessert or side dish.
- Having freezer meals on hand makes this whole process MUCH easier. I plug in freezer meals that go in the crockpot or oven without messing up the kitchen on nights that I know I will be too tired to cook. See my post on freezer meals for tips and recipes. You can also make one recipe a week that you double or triple: eat one of them, and freeze the rest to stock up or add to your freezer meal stockpile if you don't want to do it all in one weekend. Make sure its something your family will enjoy before making multiples...I learned that the hard way when tripling out a new recipe that turned out to be not so tasty. *Whoopsie*... I even make an inventory list of what freezer meals I have, just so I don't have to go digging through the freezer to see what's in there.
- Don't give up! Know going into it that the first time or two will be the hardest! Once you get the hang of it, you will have a cheat sheet of meals to go off of like I have and you will know what you're getting into. It will getting easier learning how to use what you have on hand first, and keeping an eye out for deals. Be kind to yourself and be proud of this accomplishment, its a big deal!
- Have fun with this!! I kind of make it like a game (I'm easily entertained). Scope out the best deals, and then say, "AH-HA!!!" when you leave the store, knowing you won't be back for awhile to give them any more of your hard earned cash!! Walk proud, you earned it.
