It seems everyone has back to school on the brain. Supply lists, back packs, class schedules, 1 st day fashions, and more. It can be a bit overwhelming and costly! Besides the growing school lists, feeding our kids during the school year can easily throw a budget into total chaos. With a few tricks, you can slash tons of dollars off your monthly grocery bill without sacrificing quality or nutrition.

USDA recommended daily servings from each food group

One solid strategy to controlling the grocery budget is portion control! Ensuring our kids are fed a properly portioned meal can be one of the hardest things to figure out. Our society has gotten so accustomed to super sizing everything, and our bodies have adjusted to an over abundance of food, it’s no wonder America is facing an obesity epidemic. Now, I love going out to dinner with the family but the entrees are getting larger every day which doesn’t help matters much. With every restaurant and food manufacturer producing more mega sized items, it’s hard to know how much is an adequate serving for my family. Click the image on the right to see the serving sizes the USDA recommends from each food group.

Don’t despair; here are a few tips to help control proportions in a daily diet, as well as get an idea of what an actual serving looks like:

• Don’t eyeball it. Use ice cream scoops and other measuring spoons or cups until you have an idea of what a proper serving looks like. Not sure how many grapes make a cup of fruit or how much popcorn counts as an ounce of grain? Click the food group images at the bottom of this post to see how common foods portions compare to actual USDA single serving sizes.
• Read labels. Many times it’s easy to think one can or container is only one serving when in reality it can be two or even three servings. Read those labels carefully!
• Understand the label. So many “convenient” ready to heat ‘n’ eat items are full of ingredients I can’t pronounce which makes me think it can’t be all that great for my body…or my kids! The ingredient and nutrition label is key in knowing how much good and bad stuff your body is getting. The label lists the individual ingredients from the largest to the least used item. Learn more about reading ingredient and nutrition labels from the FDA as well as see a break down of each label section.
• Size matters. A slender tall glass can hold the same amount of liquid as a wider shorter glass. Use a measuring cup to see how much each glass actually contains in order to accurately serve your family. Also try serving on smaller dishes. Less food fills the plate, and visually the plate still looks full which is pleasing to the mind and hungry tummy.
• When in doubt, half it! If you’re not sure how much is a serving, try cutting it in half. Most of the time kids eat what is on their plates,, and when the food is gone, they assume they’ve been given enough to fill their tummies. If they are still hungry, they will ask for more.
• Scale back the liquids. Milk, juice and other liquids are good for you, but they also fill little bellies up before the meal has been consumed. Twenty minutes later kiddos are complaining they are hungry…AGAIN! Start with half your normal drink serving and refill when the meal is nearly complete.
• Buy in bulk! You can save a ton by purchasing a variety of items in bulk, but to control consumption, immediately measure individual servings and store in plastic baggies. This will help expedite things when packing a lunch or enjoying a quick snack!
• Save those leftovers! Instead of tossing left overs, either remix them into a new recipe for later in the week, send them for lunch the following day or do what I do and have a smörgÃ¥sbord night! I devote at least one day a week to left overs – buffet style!
• Double up your cooking! When it comes to basics like browning ground meat, making waffles or pancakes, or even making rice, beans or pasta it pays to double up. Reserve what you need for that day’s meal, and portion out the rest and freeze or refrigerate for later usage. This will save you cooking time on your next meal, plus it requires the same amount of electricity to cook twice as much rice.

By reducing how much food you consume and waste, you will reduce your grocery bill. I am NOT suggesting anyone starve themselves or deprive their children of adequate nutrition. What I am simply saying is perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate what we consider a “serving”. A 20 ounce bottle of soda is NOT one serving even though many people (myself included) can easily consume several in a single day! By eating properly balanced and nutritious meals, the grocery budget can be controlled! Besides, who couldn’t use some extra cash???

Jenn is a stay at home southern mom raising her kids in Northwestern Minnesota with her trucker hubby. You can find recipes, crafts, parenting strategies, budget tips, product reviews and fabulous giveaways on her blog, Frugal Front Porch.