Editor’s Note: Sarah Stromquist is here this morning with her supermom advice (she’s amazing) on how to shop, cook and plan smart while keeping to a strict grocery budget.

That leads me to our Earth Day thought for the day.

Think local.

I know, I know. It’s all the rage. But there’s a good reason for it.

When you buy local food you are not only feeding your family some amazing eats, you are contributing to the health and well being of our community. Heading over to the Farmers Market or to Brambles (check out their specials for this week HERE), you can feel a sense that when you spend a dollar it’s like an investment in other people.

Plus, I love food with a story, bought from someone who made it themselves and whom I’m on a first-name basis with. It’s so awesome to see our tiny person run up to someone at the Farmers Market and trade a giant hug as we are buying dinner ingredients from them.

That’s community!:)

Enjoy:

Few things are more satisfying to me than a fridge stuffed full; boasting healthy food and homemade goodies.

Yet over the years it seems that it takes more and more money for that to happen.

I have always been a lover of grocery shopping – perusing the aisles for whatever catches my eye.

I am aware but seldom concerned with prices or felt the need be overly thrifty as I am not a huge spender otherwise I feel that groceries are my indulgence so to speak.

I now realize that this has been quite a luxury.

Through these tough economic times with a husband working in the dying forest industry, I have recently had visions of cabbage soup and coupon clipping frenzies.

I now ask myself “What was I doing spending so much?”

True, we are having some very realistic money restraints at the moment. But I am far from pulling my hair out and feeding my family gruel all week.

Coming from very meager beginnings I am well versed in how to save a buck, but I haven’t had to exercise this for some time.

I am re-learning to be flexible with shopping and creative with my menu and thus consequently lowering our monthly grocery bill. This is my source of great pride as I have never really set a grocery budget per say. For me it always had a justifiable open ended account.

But as a means to tighten the preverbal belt, I have set into motion a strict budget.

As with most things I welcome a challenge and have found this to be a valuable lesson to curb my frivolous ways. Bottom line is that only so much money can be spent and I need to feed my beautiful family of four healthily and creatively.

So has begun a new chapter in my land of motherhood.

There are a quite few websites I have recently checked out designed to help you figure out the menu/budget idea, full of inspiration and techniques. I got some great ideas and advice from friends and family as well with what works for them.

I pooled all my resources to create a wonderful method that works in conjunction with my lifestyle and my family, while maintaining my main objective in eating healthy, homemade food.

Next step was to incorporate them.

Previously when I entered a store I had a general list of necessities but it was just that, a guideline.
(And if my hubby ever went with me, it was without a doubt a huge bill.)

Now, my grocery list is complied throughout the week as I notice something needs replacing or when I come up with a menu idea and need certain ingredients.

Here are my TOP TIPS for cooking and shopping smart:

1. I have a menu plan next to the grocery list on my billboard so it makes it easy to list and keep track.
When the kids say can we have such and such for dinner? I can say sure next week, I’ll put it on the list.

2. I find that shopping once a week keeps everything fresh and if you need something you can generally adapt without and wait a day or two with no troubles.

3. Try making easy staples like granola

4. From Tina at Seeds Natural Food Market in Cumberland

• when a produce comes into season, the first crop is the most expensive. But as the season progresses it gets cheaper and as the market is flooded with the product it is the cheapest. I think we have all noticed that with corn or strawberries.
• She also stated to watch prices of local and organic as it is not always more expensive, especially when it is in season.

5. I am greatly concerned as to foods origins. I know that not all organic is regulated and not all non-organic is genetically modified. I have made a point to contact the number on the backs of products as they are obligated to inform you of the GMO status. I know that when shopping I am making informed choices of the products I bring into my home.

6. I always cook enough for the freezer, whether it is muffins, soup/stew/chilis, bread/buns, and pastry dough or soup stock. Anything that can be frozen is readily available to be taken out for a quick meal.

7. It takes a bit of time, but prep all the veggies and fruit to be ready for use during the week.
The kids are very helpful with washing, cutting and placing in containers. Store in glass lidded containers as this makes nutritious snacks and salads a snap.

I have a kid-friendly shelf in the fridge that the kids can access at any whim and they know that they are mom-approved snacks ready to go.

8. I have an alternating supply of homemade dips on hand for the veggies and to use on sandwiches or wraps, such as tzatiki and humus. Yogurts work wonders with fruit.

9 I tend to make salads that last more than a couple of days like a cabbage slaw, or beans with rice or quinoa and greens salad all with the dressing left off to prevent sogginess.

10. I make homemade dressings that last a couple of days and can double as a marinade for any meat dish or spice up some beans and rice.

11. If I cook meat of any sort, I make enough for another meal. Aptly named roll over meals (it sounds so much nicer than leftovers doesn’t it), it is a fabulous way to cut down on cooking and prep times. Easy enough to throw into a salad, wrap or pasta dish.

12. I always have a back up plan for my food. If the weeks end comes and there are foods left or if anything might be going bad, I make my soups and sauces from those.

Sweet potatoes make beautiful bread that the kids gobble up. Any lettuce and greens are wonderful in a green smoothie that my ladies love to create themselves. Almost any vegetable can be grated or steamed and pureed into spaghetti sauce or a soup.

13. I buy in bulk quite often, but in my small quarters storage can be an issue. I have glass jars to store most of my dry goods, seeds and nuts. I buy what is on sale that I use most often and choose to buy the rest on an as need basis.

14. I am notorious for buying double of things so I have remedied that by making inventory lists. I have taken to keeping a freezer list neatly posted with a pen, above the freezer. This enables me to keep a running tally of the items and a quick reference when I am making the shopping list.

Initially it was a daunting task, but one that has proven its worth and become of great value. As I run 2 freezers this is a necessity I should have implemented years ago. I am still working on the idea of one for the pantry.

15. Trade for food. We raise our own chickens for eggs and turkeys for the holidays, and this year we raised a cow. Our freezer is stuffed with a fortunate steady supply of fish and we have many friends that we trade with for game meats.

I have learned that having a budget doesn’t mean dire restrictions. On the contrary, it has simplified my life immensely.

I know what I am going to cook each week without having to play the “what’s for dinner tomorrow” game each night. We spend some quality time one evening a week to talk about what we’d like for the following weeks meals, school lunches and snacks.

I compile my ingredient list and make the grocery list, in walking order of the certain store I plan to visit (pretentious? Yes maybe, but helpful indeed.)  I also make my baking list at that time so I know what I need to bake for the week for when I have a chance.

Then, it’s time to shop.

Child participation is great in the planning and shopping, as it gives the kids the tools to exercise their knowledge of money and prices, and creating a healthy menu. As a crafty venture some weeks I take the local flyers and the girls cut out items we need and make a grocery list for themselves to shop with. This makes the trip to the store a bit more fun for us all.

Budgeting is a cost effective, family friendly tool that is working for us and I like opening my mind to the process. Nobody is going hungry so it must be working alright. And no we are not just eating beans, (although we do use them regularly.)