S19: E13: How Running a Restaurant Taught Me to Spend Less on Groceries

Grocery prices keep climbing, but most of the advice I’ve heard for spending less still seems to boil down to “use coupons” and “don’t grocery shop while you’re hungry.” After years of running a restaurant, I’ve started thinking about my household food economy very differently.In this episode, I’m sharing the practical strategies I’ve picked up from the restaurant world and how they’ve changed the way I shop, cook, stock my pantry and freezer, and even think about the garden. Because spending less on groceries isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about building a food system that actually works for your life.Podcast Episode Highlights:High grocery prices, lame advice, food economy thoughts, etc.Strategy: focus on price per mealStrategy: don't forget the waste-adjusted priceStrategy: buy ingredients, not intentionsStrategy: build an anti-takeout pantryFrugality doesn't need to mean purityStrategy: buy in bulk BUT keep these things in mindStrategy: be careful about how much you shopLearn the 'clean out the fridge' formatsStop making everything from scratchCareful about using your freezerThinking about the garden for your grocery billLet's talk about proteinFinal thoughtsResources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:Learn more about Toups and Co. here: https://toupsandco.com/pages/prairie25First time buyers can use the code Prairie25 to get you 25% off your first Toups order.Find my cookbook here: http://homesteadcookbook.com/Check out Azure Standard here: https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=ANnu0O8ySULearn more about Meal Craft here: https://mealcraftmethod.com/Previous Podcast Episodes & Blog Articles on Food:How I’m Cooking These Days (podcast episode): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-18-episode-13-how-im-cooking-these-daysWhy Meal Planning Doesn’t Work for You (and what to do instead!) (podcast episode): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-14-episode-21-why-meal-planning-doesnt-work-for-you-and-what-to-do-insteadHow to Find Nourishing Food WITHOUT a Farm (podcast episode): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/tph_podcasts/season-11-episode-11-how-to-find-nourishing-food-without-a-farm-with-liz-haselmayerHow to Store a Year’s Worth of Food for Your Family (Without Waste and Overwhelm) (blog article): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2021/09/how-to-store-a-years-worth-of-food-for-your-family-without-waste-and-overwhelm.htmlHow to Store and Use Bulk Pantry Goods (blog article): https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2021/10/how-to-store-and-use-bulk-pantry-goods.htmlOTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.comJill on Instagram: @jill.wingerJill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomesteadApply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-applicationDid you enjoy listening to this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review to let us know. This can help other folks learn about this podcast and we also really appreciate the feedback!