By Renee Pottle

Are you trying to save money at the dinner table? We've all heard the conventional wisdom; cook at home, don't shop when you are hungry, use coupons. Sage advice if you have the time to develop your own menu and shopping list and scour newspaper inserts for coupons. But what if time is a big limitation? You could frequent your local fast food establishment, or hire a personal chef or a live-in housekeeper/cook. Unfortunately, those ideas aren't exactly budget-friendly. So what's the secret to saving time AND money?

Ingredients ready when you are. Saving money means preparing some meals at home. And while nothing is as delicious as fresh produce, it may be impractical to turn fresh tomatoes into sauce before they turn to mush. So if you routinely toss most of your fresh produce, switch to more convenient forms; dried, canned or frozen. Instant minced onion, frozen green beans and canned tomatoes may not taste quite like fresh, but they won't be moldy when you pull them out of the cupboard.

Freeze your leftovers. Have you ever opened a can of tomato paste only to use 1 tablespoon? What are you supposed to do with the remainder? Don't throw it away, freeze it. Keep a container of the tomato odds and ends in your freezer. Recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce but the can holds 2 cups? Freeze the rest. Chop too many tomatoes for last night's tacos? Freeze the rest. When the container is full, toss the tomato mixture to your slow cooker with basil, oregano, balsamic vinegar and crushed red pepper for a delicious marinara sauce. Use the same technique with leftover vegetables. Freeze them until you have enough for vegetable soup. Add beef broth, quick cooking barley, a little thyme and rosemary and you have a quick, healthy and inexpensive soup.

Stick to the grocery aisles. Many of us shop at superstores these days, which are convenient if you need a gallon of milk, a new steering wheel cover, and a pair of socks. But if you are getting groceries, stick to the grocery aisles. Impulse shopping there means you might come home with an unplanned $5 cake. Impulse shopping elsewhere in the store can mean an $80 table (it was on sale!) or a $50 sweater (I've been wanting a pink one!). Unplanned items put a big dent in your budget in no time.

Don't buy packaging. It seems that everything comes in single serving packets now. But all that packaging means lots of extra costs. Buy your own large bag of chips or crackers or baby carrots and distribute into small zip top bags for much less money and little time expended. You work hard for your money. Don't spend it on something that just gets thrown away.

Keep the pantry stocked. A little upfront planning will save lots of time and money. Keep several basic items in your pantry; pasta, rice, canned tomatoes and beans, favorite herbs and spices, prepared mustard and peanut butter, so that you always have dinner ingredients on hand. Don't have time to figure out your own pantry list? Follow a list like those found in I Want My Dinner Now! or several other cookbooks.

Follow these 5 simple tips for a year to save up to $5000 and countless minutes; leaving you time AND money for a well-deserved vacation!



Renee Pottle is the author of I Want My Dinner Now! - Simple Meals for Busy Cooks, a budget-friendly, time-saving, cookbook full of cook's tips, servings suggestions, pantry lists and menus.