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People who are in the low income bracket are having an especially difficult time these days making ends meet. The rising cost of living is affecting even the more wealthy folks. Frugal cooking can help everyone keep food costs down.

Buying in bulk is one way to keep the cost of food to a minimum. Foods that have a longer shelf life like canned and packaged foods are best. If you buy fruits and vegetables in bulk, they will spoil before they’re used. Poultry and meat can be purchased in bulk and frozen. Bags of frozen vegetables are good “bulk” items to buy. They can be kept fresher by double bagging in zip-lock bags.

Packaged foods contain all sorts of ingredients that we don’t need in our bodies, such as excessive salt and who knows what else. Making your own “quick” casserole from leftovers can be just as fast and a lot more nutritious than some of the stuff you find on the grocery store shelves.

Store brand or generic canned and packaged foods are normally cheaper than the well-known brands. The quality may suffer just a tad, but the price is usually worth it. Mix generic canned veggies in a casserole and it will taste the same as the brand name foods do. Just like any other foods, some generic brands will taste better than others. Experiment to see which are best for you.

Discount stores are a good place to go for packaged foods and canned goods. These stores carry foods that have gotten some sort of damage to their can or box. These dents and tears do not affect the quality of the food inside. Canned foods, especially, are a bargain. Flour, baking soda, sugar and baking powder are also a good buy at discount stores. You’ll need to pay close attention to expiration dates so that you’re not wasting money on foods that are paste their “use by” date.

Always shop with a shopping list. And, ONLY buy items that are on your list. Impulse buying is a real temptation in a store with shelves lined with goodies. Why do you think the grocery stores put the most expensive, least nutrious foods right at eye level? Enough said!

Create a shopping list from “on sale” items from your local newspaper and flyers. If you plan your meals around the items that are on sale and in season, you’ll save more money. Planning meals is always a good idea whether you’re on a budget or not.

When you need to buy ingredients like spices (Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme and basil), go to the Dollar store where you get get them for - you guessed it - a dollar, instead of the $6.00 you’ll probably pay in a grocery store. You don’t have to worry about losing the strength of the spice if you don’t open the jar. So, buy more than one when you can.

Membership stores, like Costco, are great places to get bargains. You’ll have to pay a membership fee, but the cost is worth it in the money you’ll save on many of the items. Of course, your choices will be limited and stock will probably change from day to day but you’ll find everything from canned goods, and paper products to pet food. Meat and poultry can also be bought at membership stores and divided up into family-sized packages and frozen for future use.

Are you stuck with leftovers that sit in your refrigerator for weeks until you throw them out? Why not freeze them? Buy several boxes of different sized freezer bags and throw your leftovers in them for those days you can’t think of anything else to have for dinner. Bags don’t have to brand name either. The less expensive bags will do just as well. Just wash them out when you’re done with them and save them for another day.