You may think that if you make everything from scratch that
you will save a lot of money at the grocery store every month. In
a lot of cases, this may be true. When you prepare your own meals
you will often see an immediate cost savings per portion, and
perhaps an overall increase in nutritional value as an added
bonus. So what if you don't have the time to cook?

That's a good question, and one that cannot easily be
answered. If you only buy prepackaged foods to save you time in
the kitchen you're definitely going to end up spending more money
than necessary. I would suggest that you might be able to find a
happy medium.

Every week I think to myself that it would sure be nice to
make some homemade cookies for my daughter to have for snacks
during the next week. About once every 2 months or so I might
actually make them, but most of the time I choose not to because
it would take up a Sunday afternoon that I'd like to use to do
other things. Would it save me money to make the cookies myself?
Sure, if the alternative would be to buy a $4 package of Oreos.
However, when Oreos go on sale for $1.99 or less a package, I'll
stock up on a few and know that my money was wisely spent, while
also freeing up my time for other things. Better yet, once a
month or so we might go to Walmart and stock up on Little Debbie
snacks that average about $1 a box. You could hardly make a batch
of cookies for $1. Now don't get me wrong, I love to bake and
enjoy a homemade cookie as much as anyone else. It's just not
always the best use of my time and/or money.

Recently my mother-in-law and I were discussing the price of
chili. We had found some on sale for .99 a can and thought that
was a pretty good deal. For that price I probably wouldn't take
the time to make it. The regular price was $1.30 - $1.50 a can,
and I just couldn't justify paying that much for it. I'd just do
without or make a pot of chili myself and freeze some for later.
My husband's aunt overheard our conversation and commented that
she had bought a case of chili on sale for .59 a can! I sure
wouldn't have passed that deal up.

You just have to watch prices on your favorite items and
purchase them when they go on sale. You have to be somewhat
flexible, however, and be willing to purchase alternate items or
do more cooking when prices are high.

It's all a matter of priorities. If you have the time and
enjoy spending time in the kitchen, then by all means cook from
scratch whenever you can. I sure do. On the other hand, if you
have days like me where you come home from a long day at work
wondering what to fix quick for dinner, you might consider
balancing the amount you're spending on groceries with the time
you will save yourself in the kitchen by stocking up on a few
convenience items, like Tuna Helper or prepared spaghetti sauce.
I've found that I'm saving even more money than ever before by
buying these convenience foods when on they're on sale, while
also making things from scratch when I have the time. Just keep
your options open and you will find what works best for you.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of
What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick
easy dinner ideas.  For recipes, tips to organize your home, home
decorating, crafts, and frugal family fun, visit Creative
Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com and Suite 101 at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/creative_homemaking.
To subscribe to their monthly newsletter send a blank e-mail message to
FreeRecipes-subscribe@egroups.com.