A friend and I were shopping at our local Costco for a big ministry cooking session we were preparing for at church. It’s been a while since I grocery shopped with a friend and had forgotten how much fun it can be!

As we wandered the aisles, loading the cart, we talked about the different items we each buy for our families and how we prepare them. We each came away with some new meal ideas.

The next time you are feeling like it is time to mix up your menu a bit, take a friend to the grocery store and exchange ideas as you shop!

Food prices on many items are taking some pretty big leaps higher this year. I compared my register tape from November 2006 to March 2007 and found that prices for basic ingredients in many of my recipes have gone up anywhere from 10-25%. I regularly track prices for ground beef, whole chickens, pork, cheese, milk, etc. I don’t track prices for steak and eggs, but hear that they have increased around 30% this year too.

And don’t even get me started about gasoline. At the end of January I paid $2.20 per gallon of regular unleaded. This weekend I filled up at $3.26 per gallon, a price increase of 48% in 3 1/2 months!

Other moms are noticing these price increases too. Unfortunately, I think inflation is only going to get worse where food is concerned. I just don’t see any macro trends on the horizon which will make these prices more affordable. Everything from the farmers planting corn for biofuel to the loss of pollinator bees, will probably decrease supply and further accelerate prices.

One strategy I’ve been considering is to create a menu around the more expensive warehouse ingredients to save money and reduce waste. Take for example, honey. The cost of honey at the warehouse club is quite a bit cheaper–2 to 4 times less–than my grocery store.

Yet, accompanying that great price, is a great amount—96 ounces, or six pounds at our local wholesale club. Instead of passing up the value or having most of the bottle go unused, why not select several recipes to make which use that large amount of honey? Since we know that 1 cup of honey is about 12 ounces (by weight), then one 6-pound container yields about 8 cups. These 8 cups can be used to fill your freezer with: Pecan Crusted Chicken Strips, Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs, and Honey and Spice Pork Skewers. Together, these recipes use over half of the 8 cups in our 6-pound container.

Smart shoppers can do this with other ingredients as well. Why not make Lindsay’s basic Italian Red Sauce for several recipes instead of buying jars of marinara sauce? How about selecting a group of recipes that use green peppers to make and freeze at the end of summer when prices are the best?

Once you get the hang of our Tray Pack Method™, you can begin making groups of recipes that use similar ingredients. This will allow you take advantage of warehouse club pricing to maximize your food budget while also reducing waste.