Resourceful Grand Rapids Mom Feeds Family For $100 A Month
For many families, tough economic times require even tougher strategies to save money on groceries.
Laura Muresan, of Southeast Grand Rapids, knows how to stretch her food dollars to make every penny count. She not only cuts food costs, she uses less energy for cooking and reduces food waste by using leftovers.
“I’m an opportunist,” said Muresan. “I buy what’s useful, nutritional and economical.”
Muresan doesn’t clip coupons, yet she spends less than $100 a month to feed her family of three. A stay-at-home mom, Muresan runs a modest eBay business. She and her husband, Calin, have a 7-year-old son, George, whom Muresan homeschools.
“It’s empowering to cook foods with inexpensive ingredients,” Muresan adds. “When I’m expending my food dollars, I’m not spending my money on junk foods.”
Relying on pantry staples such as dried beans, oats, rice, squash, onions and potatoes, Muresan adapts recipes to suit what she has on hand, and she doesn’t use convenience foods. The Muresans bake their own bread, usually homemade flat bread that can be made in a skillet.
“I use what I have to get rid of, or that’s cheap,” she said. “If a recipe calls for something, and you don’t have it, substitute with something else or just leave it out.”
Photo by moriza
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