One thing I’ve cut from our weekly grocery budget to save money is potato chips. I was spending about $10 per week on them. I was buying little bags for lunch boxes, big bags for snacking, flavored bags for variety. I always tried to get everyone their favorite kind.
Chips were fairly abundant and the go-to snack of choice for pretty much every member of the family. Even worse, I was buying the brands on sale each week and felt great about my purchase. I left the store each week with $10 worth of chips every week, and I bought the brand someone else suggested, and I was patting myself on the back for being such a super spendthrift. As my niece would say: FAIL.
The first thing to consider is cost. $10 per week doesn’t sound like much, but this works out to $520 per year. I don’t know about you, but I can think of dozens of things to spend money on and potato chips ain’t one of ‘em.
The second thing to consider is nutrition. (Ducks to avoid getting things thrown at her, covers ears to drown out the chorus of “Booooooos.”) I am not the bastion of health and I certainly am not in any position to lecture. I do think that cutting out chips is one way to improve nutrition and save money in one big swoop, though. I’ve seen many people at the store and in the checkout with me with multiple bags of chips, so I know you’re out there.
One day, out of the complete blue, I just stopped buying chips. Contrary to what I’d imagined, my family did not put me into a makeshift stockade, or duct tape me to the wall and play Wang Chung on a continuous loop, or go on a bathing/hunger strike to teach me a lesson or anything.
I still buy an occasional bag, but just 1-3 per month, not 4-5 per week. Moderation helps the budget, moderation makes for more solid nutrition. I do still pick up Chex Mix when the cost approaches free, as it does often.
As my husband reads this, it will probably occur to him that lunches on the weekends have been missing chips and that’s why there were those piles of crunchy granola, mounds of baby carrots, piles of peanuts and stacks of crisp crackers. Sorry sweetie, it’s for the best!
If we don’t eat chips when we mindlessly graze, what do we eat?
Popcorn!
I make popcorn 1-3 times per week. I make on the stove top. My kids’ friends are amazed that popcorn can be made this way and I’ve overheard conversations about this amongst themselves. It’s absolutely Amish or something.
Real butter works best as topping. Margarine tends to be a bit watery. If you cool the popcorn and melt the margarine and allow that to cool for a bit as well, you’ll have OK results.
It took some trial and error, but we also make popcorn in the microwave. 3 Tbsp. unpopped corn in a brown lunch sack (with the top folded down) will pop in our microwave in just 2:30. This is what I set up for the kiddos:
Home Made Microwave popcorn necessities.
Yes, that’s a recycled Domino sugar canister. One thing I love environmentalists for is for making reusing trash tres chic.
The easiest and most convenient topping for this kind of snacking is the spray butter. The kids can just spray a few times, shake the bag back up, and voila! They have a high fiber, low fat snack. Much tastier than celery sticks, but way better than a bowl of Doritos. If you are craving something sweet, toss in a little white sugar with your corn. My daughter loves it this way!
I keep this little tub convenient to the microwave so it’s an easy choice.
Popcorn is cheap.
Popcorn costs about $1.50/lb., for a store brand in most grocery stores.
On a recent trip to GFS I discovered that one can pick up 50 pounds of popcorn for a mere $21. That’s .42/pound! Sam’s Club offers the same 50 pound bag for $16.58/bag. You can’t beat .33/lb!!
If you have access to a grain mill, unpopped corn can also be ground into corn meal.
50 pounds of popcorn sounds like a lot, but this will fit right into your average Rubbermaid/Sterilite type tub with a lid. With the savings to be found, you could literally store half of it, throw the other half away or donate, or pop up and throw out for birds and still be money ahead.
Another idea is ask family or friends if they’d like to split a bag with you.
