Stock up on the following food items, or at least incorporate them into your normal menu plan this month in order to save money. You can even turn some of these bargain food items into great gifts.
Nuts
Because of the holiday season, and because of the way the crops are produced, nuts are on sale or have a regular low price this month. This is true for both shelled nuts and unshelled nuts. While unshelled will last longer, you can have a pretty long shelf life for all nuts when you freeze them or store them in the refrigerator (oils in certain nuts can go rancid over time.
Citrus Fruit
Clementines, tangerines, grapefruit and other citrus fruit will be less expensive this month. Use them for meals and deserts. While you can freeze the actual fruit all that well, you can turn the juice into fruit pops. Also, be sure to save a few rinds in the freezer, where they can be used throughout the year when you need a little zest but don’t want to have to buy a whole orange.
Hearty Greens
We don’t often think about greens being on sale in December, but hearty ones that grow in cooler weather are still in season and at a low price. Kale, swiss chard and mustard or collard greens are some examples. Add an extra bit of nutrition to soups (an inexpensive food) and save some money in the process.
Holiday Dinner Food
Food such as turkey, stuffing, ham and cranberry sauce will continue to be on sale or at a low cost in December. Some of it might be overstock from Thanksgiving, while some of these bargains are an attempt to lure shoppers who are shopping for their Christmas meal. Freeze the turkey and ham (or do some freezer meals to use later), and fill your pantry.
Related Articles:
How to Turn Typical Food Scraps into Meals and Snacks
Make Your Own Groceries and Save
How to Save on Groceries without Coupons
How to Make Budget-Friendly Lunches