How much do you spend on food?

Most people I know complain that they spend far too much money on food. They may be talking about what they spend at the grocery store - although that may also include non-food items such as toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Or they may be thinking about the amount they spend on lunches or dinners eating out, or on vending machines.

A recent report shows that Americans actually spend $189/week on food, but the USDA says we can do even better by using some of their tips. Want to shave $20/week off your food bill? That adds up to over $1000 per year; count me in!

To start saving money today, check out these helpful resources:

The USDA National Agricultural Library maintains the Recipe Finder database at http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/. This website allows searching for recipes by cost, menu item (soup, side dish, main dish, etc.), audience (older adults, parents of young children, Hispanic, etc), cooking equipment needed, and cooking/preparation time.

I searched for recipes that cost less than $2/serving, and the site came back with over 400 options. Then I narrowed the search to main dish items for families with teens, and the site gave me 9 options. Very cool!

I'm always looking both for ways to save money as well as new recipes for my family. This website makes searching for both simple!