There are all kinds of great coupons out right now….both in the Sunday inserts and printable online. There are sales on Kellogg’s at HyVee….a “Cart Buster” sale at Dillon’s ….and printable coupons for about every major retailer you could want.

It is National Freezer Month and stocking up is on the top of grocery to-do lists everywhere.

I’ve heard.

Here in our house, I’m in “survival mode”. The two weeks have brought illness for each member of my family. We suffered the loss of my grandmother who was an amazing woman that shaped who I am in so may ways. SuperGirl has injured herself to the point of medical attention on three separate occasions, the final episode requiring a trip to the ER at Lawrence Memorial Hospital last night.

Coupons are not at the top of my to-do list.

But feeding my family and staying within budget is. Today is grocery and menu day here in my house, and my turn to suffer the flu. So what to do? I stress some over knowing such great deals are going on and I “should” be taking advantage. The truth is I simply can’t. The coupons are, as they occasionally do, stacking up in their cupboard in my kitchen.

It’s time to turn to my pantry and my freezer. Time to remember that not every meal has to be gourmet and that some of my “wants” for the week can wait.

When you want to stretch your dollars and you don’t have time to use coupons, think about what you can do to stretch your recipes, your plans:

– Add beans or rice to recipes that call for meat to double the portions without doubling the amount of meat you use….or simply replace the meat all together.
– Look at the “leftovers” in your refrigerator crisper and make a soup. This provides a meal and keeps you from wasting money by not using what you have on hand.
– Get creative: Don’t follow a recipe to the “T”. Have chicken but it calls for turkey? Use that.
– Stick to the tried and true family favorites and meals that can be put together simply. Baking chicken in the oven, boiling or steaming rice and a vegetable may not be the fanciest meal, but its healthy, requires few groceries and will get to your table quickly (if your life is hectic….quick to the table is a must!)

Still need ideas? Utilize tools like AllRecipes.com and their “Dinner Spinner”. You can put in what ingredients you have on hand and they will offer recipe suggestions….then make modifications to fit your tastes, needs from there.

Spending some concentrated effort to look around and see what is already available to you and then planning it into your week can save you money at the store when you don’t have time to clip the coupons and search the sales. Who knows, you might just find it inspirational …and a new, regular way to save yourself money.