Welcome, sweet friends! In today’s blog post, we’re going to be sharing some old-fashioned, retro tips on how to save money on your food budget. These tips and hints are just as relevant today as they were 60 years ago!
We’re also going to be reassessing our food supply by going into our pantry to deep clean and declutter our entire storage area. I hope it’s really motivating!
Plus, we’ll be getting into the kitchen and sharing a retro, budget-friendly, frugal meal. So sit back, relax, and let’s get right to it!
Keep a Well-Stocked and Organized Pantry
The first thing we’re going to talk about is keeping a well-stocked and organized pantry. I want you to think back to your mom or grandmother and the pantry they kept.
My mom’s was in the basement of our home, and whenever she’d need something like a can of peas or a can of tuna, she’d say, “Emmy, go down into the cellar and grab a can of whatever and bring it up.”
Everything was in order. She used these big wooden shelves that were up against a wall in our basement, and everything was organized. She always rotated stock. I can see it in my mind’s eye today.
So, in keeping with that tradition, one of the best old-fashioned tips I can give you is to keep a well-stocked pantry with food that you actually eat.
Rotate your stock—in other words, take the newer cans and put them in the back, and bring the ones that are going to expire first to the front. This way, you’re always making sure that food is not expiring.
Keep a variety of foods: things like canned meats and fish, boxes of pasta, jars of tomato sauce, cans of tomatoes, crackers, peanut butter, olives—just things that are shelf-stable that you can go to when it’s time to make dinner. This makes your meal planning easy and delicious.
Pantry Clean-Out Adventure
Let’s get into our pantry now. Please don’t be shocked! We’re just coming off the holidays, and a lot of times when we would buy something, I kind of just shoved it in there. You know we keep it real on this channel—I don’t clean and then show you. Let’s get motivated, get into our pantry, and do some organizing!
I know that looked scary, but now we begin to restore order. The first thing I did was remove everything from the pantry shelves and set up a table to put it all on. We almost lost these Archway cookies—they expired January 25th, but that was only a couple of days ago, and they tasted fine.
What I did was finish one whole shelf, put everything away, wipe it down, and then start on another shelf. This way, I didn’t get overwhelmed, and everything was easier to put back and organize.
Before I started putting things back, I would wipe down every single shelf to make sure it was nice and clean, and I put all like items together. So all the coffee was together, all the spices and herbs, all the condiments, and so on.
What a wonderful feeling it is to be organized! I did make a pantry inventory as well. I wrote everything down—how many we had of each item, when things were expiring—it just makes life so much easier.
I can’t tell you how much better I feel. Sometimes we just need a little push to get us going, but once we do, the end results are so, so worth it!
I did have one expired bag of barley in there, and I opened it up, and it just smelled a little off, so I did throw it away. I never encourage you to fool with questionable food—you don’t do that. No amount of money saved is worth getting yourself sick. But out of everything in there, I thought that was pretty good. I’m sad I lost that bag of barley, but overall, not bad!
I dated the outside of the cans of tomatoes so I can see the dates. I turned boxes that have dates printed on the top or side upward so I can see them at a glance.
It’s so important to keep that stocked pantry organized, clean, and efficient. Again, it saves you money because you’re not buying duplicate products, and you always know what you have in stock.
Wisdom from 1963: How to Save Money at the Food Store
Now, let’s go back to 1963, and I’m going to share a cookbook with you. Then we’ll go to a section of the cookbook that tells us how to save money at the food store.
Let me just show you this cookbook real quick, and then we’ll get to some really good, highly effective tips that were given 62 years ago that are still very, very useful for today’s economy.
This is the cookbook I want to share. It’s from circa 1963, Better Homes and Gardens, “So Good Meals.” Look at the bottom, what it says: “100 tasty ways to please your family. How to eat at home and like it.” I kind of like that!
First thing, I’m going to show you some pictures because I just love these vintage cookbooks for the photos. Right off the bat, how great is this? The kids are cooking! Oh my goodness. Look in the back—you can see the yellow. I guess maybe that’s a picture, and those yellow cups that go with it. Just a gorgeous retro picture. So fun!
This is the section we’re going to be looking at: “Buy a Bargain, Fix a Feast, Eat Well on Little Money.” Look at this picture! If anyone knows where I can find that piggy bank, let me know in the comments section. How in love am I with that? So cute!
And this right here, this section is what we’re going to be talking about very briefly: “How to Save Money at the Food Store.” So let’s get right into it.
Now, I just want to give you the highlight of each of those tips:
1. Plan Your Meals in Advance
The first one is plan your meals in advance. How many times do we talk about meal planning? That is the first thing they’re encouraging you to do. Be smart—list exact needs and your spending limit before every trip.
Makes sense! Don’t just go in there running up and down the aisles buying whatever you want. Stick with your list. That will save you money. And it says right here, “And that means you’ve got to plan meals ahead.” I always encourage you to do that.
2. Go In for Specials
The second tip is go in for specials. One of the best ways to make the home freezer pay for itself is to buy enough on special to last you a while. But don’t buy too much. And we say that to you too—if you’re going to waste the food you’re buying, no sale price is worth that.
3. Buy Top Grade Some of the Time
The next one is buy top grade some of the time. High prices don’t guarantee high quality. Back then, a 49¢ pound of ground beef packed more nutrition than a $1.29 pound of T-bone steak because it contained no waste. What a great point!
4. Be Flexible in Your Food Plan
Another tip is be flexible in your food plan. If the lettuce on your list costs twice as much this week as last, then substitute something else. They recommend cabbage. Always be flexible with the items that are on sale.
5. Use Convenience Foods Wisely
Then it says, yes, use convenience foods. Know when you can save and when you can’t by starting from scratch. What they’re saying here is that some convenience foods may be worth it if they’re good and they have good ingredients, instead of making everything from scratch.
And what they say here is, “Most families use a combination of foods. Home cooking is creative and delicious, but you can get homemade flavor by adding your own personal touch to convenience foods.” And we can attest to that!
When we get our frozen pizza that we stick in the freezer, I doctor it up with a little bit of olive oil if it’s plain, whatever meat we may have in the refrigerator, and it makes a wonderful economical meal.
6. Save More by Cooking More
Another tip is save more by cooking more. When beef pot roast is on special, get it. Serve part as pot roast, turn leftovers into meat pie or hash or as a mock stroganoff.
And a whole ham can be sliced by the butcher into slices or roast. Perfect! Perfect way. We’re always telling you, buy that whole chicken. It’s so much cheaper, and you get so much more out of it than just buying the pieces.
Those are just some helpful tips from 1963 that are absolutely as relevant today as they were then. I’m always recommending that you keep an eye out for these kinds of old-fashioned cookbooks at thrift stores and garage sales.
Do not go on eBay and pay $15 for a book like this. I guarantee you, wait, be patient, and you will find them. Actually, a viewer blessed me with this cookbook, so thank you, sweet viewer! You know who you are.
And also remember, though, when you use these older cookbooks, their food safety and handling and refrigeration suggestions are not always relevant today. So make sure you use modern food-safe handling and storage recommendations for today.
1962 Betty Crocker Recipe: Corn Hamburger Bake
Okay, so we are on a roll! We’re going to go now a year behind. We’re going to go to 1962, and we’re going to hang out with our friend Betty Crocker, and she’s going to take us into the kitchen right now. We’re going to make a yummy, low-cost, frugal meal that she recommends is budget-friendly. Let’s get into the kitchen!
Here’s the book we’re going to be getting today’s recipe out of: Betty Crocker’s New Good and Easy Cookbook. This is circa 1962.
So we have found a money-saving supper right here under “Hearty Dishes for Dinner.” We’re going to be making this Corn Hamburger Bake, and we’re going to serve it with green beans.
I am not going to be making the “Tangy Tomato Aspic” because, honestly, I’m not even sure what that is! What we are going to make is this Corn and Hamburger Bake.
We are going to halve the recipe because it’s only Paul and I, but by all means, make the whole one if you’d like. Take a screenshot now with your phone so you can refer back to this recipe to make it. I think this is going to be a good one! We’ve never made it. I love to try new vintage recipes with you all.
Corn Hamburger Bake Ingredients:
For the meat mixture:
- 1 large onion (we’ll use 1/4 onion for our half recipe)
- 1 pound of ground beef (we’ll use 1/2 pound)
- 1/4 cup of celery
- 2 cans of cream-style corn (we’ll use 1 can)
- 3/4 cup milk or water (we’ll use 1/2 cup milk)
- 1 teaspoon of salt (adjusted to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bouillon cube (we’re skipping this)
For the corn biscuits:
- 1 cup of Gold Medal flour
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 egg
- 2-3 teaspoons of chopped parsley (which I don’t have)
- 1/4 cup of cream-style corn
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
This is going to be so unique and delicious! Let’s get right to work.
Cooking Method:
I’ve got my beef and onion in the pan, and I am just going to brown this. As I said earlier, we’re only doing a half recipe, so this is a half a pound of ground beef and about a quarter of an onion. This is extremely lean ground beef, so I don’t even have to drain it. That’s a wonderful thing!
Now I am going to add the rest of the ingredients. We’re going to put our celery in, one can of cream-style corn, and a half a cup of milk. We’re going to give this a good mix.
Now I’m going to season it. I’m adding a little garlic powder, Italian herb seasoning (because that’s got a little bit of everything in it), some ground pepper, and a little sprinkle of salt.
Now we’re just going to let this simmer for a few minutes on low to cook that celery a little bit while we make our biscuits.
We preheated the oven to 425°F, and now is a great time to throw in some potatoes and bake them or roast some vegetables while this is cooking. Use that heat in your oven to full capacity!
Now we’re going to make our biscuits. I’ve got a cup of all-purpose flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt (I used a little less), one egg, and I opened the second can of corn. I’m only going to put a half cup of cream corn in there.
I’ll put the rest in the refrigerator to have with another meal. And it called for 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Now, of course, you can use melted butter, but I’m trying to keep as true to the recipe as possible. I am making a full recipe of the biscuits, though.
Now we are going to whisk this all together. I used a whisk, and it did get a little clogged up, so I stopped and switched to a spatula. There we go—our dough is made! I don’t want to over-mix it because it is a biscuit dough.
As you can see, we have this on a low simmer. It came to a boil, which is what we wanted. Now we’re carefully going to transfer this to our baking dish. So very carefully—this is super hot—we’re transferring it to a baking dish.
Now we’re going to take our biscuit mix, and we’re going to spoon it right on top and drop it on there. We’re going to take this—it’s hot, be careful—and put it in a 425°F preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the dumplings are cooked.
We just cooked this for 25 minutes. You can see it was nice and bubbly. This looks really good! I’m going to spoon some of this out. What a hearty, delicious meal! Perfect comfort food for this cold, snowy, and gray day.
I just want to show you how beautifully those biscuits rose and cooked. I am beyond thrilled! Really, this is very, very good.
That meal was so warm, so cozy. It’s snowing and icing here again in New York. What a perfect meal! We used pantry staples, and we used what we had in the freezer—some ground beef. What a hearty meal!
And we paired it with some string beans, so you’re getting your green vegetable. You had your biscuits right on top of the hamburger mixture. It was delicious, simple fare, but it hit all the right spots.
So keep your eye out for those older cookbooks. You will get a lot of really good money-saving tips and ideas on how to save money in the food store from them.
Final Thoughts and Cost Analysis
Let’s break down the cost of our meal.
- The ground beef was the most expensive ingredient at about $2.50 for half a pound.
- The can of creamed corn was around $1.29, the celery and onion portions were negligible—maybe 25 cents total.
- The milk, flour, baking powder, and oil for the biscuits added perhaps another $1.
So for approximately $5, we created a hearty meal that could easily serve 3-4 people, making it just over $1 per serving! Compare this to eating out, where you might spend $15-20 per person for a similar comfort food meal, and the savings become obvious.
This is exactly the kind of economical cooking that our grandmothers mastered out of necessity, and it’s just as valuable today.
What made this meal truly special wasn’t just the cost savings but the satisfaction of creating something delicious from simple ingredients. There’s a wisdom in these vintage cookbooks that transcends their age—the understanding that good food doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.
The pantry organization project was equally valuable. By taking inventory of what we already had, we prevented future waste and duplicate purchases.
I found items I had forgotten about that can now be incorporated into upcoming meals before they expire. The organization also makes meal planning much easier, as I can quickly see what ingredients are available.
These kinds of old-fashioned practices—maintaining an organized pantry, cooking from scratch, using leftovers creatively, and being flexible with ingredients—represent a philosophy of stewardship that’s increasingly important in today’s world of rising food costs and environmental concerns.
Why These Old-Fashioned Approaches Still Matter
What strikes me most about these vintage tips is how they emphasize mindfulness in our relationship with food. Our grandmothers didn’t call it “mindfulness,” of course—they simply called it common sense.
But in an era of constant consumption and convenience, deliberately planning meals, being aware of what you have, and making careful purchasing decisions has become almost revolutionary.
These practices also bring us closer to our food. When you cook from scratch, you know exactly what’s in your meal. When you organize your pantry, you develop a relationship with your ingredients. There’s a connection that’s easily lost in the grab-and-go culture we often find ourselves in.
And let’s not forget the satisfaction that comes from self-sufficiency. Knowing you can create delicious, nourishing meals from simple ingredients gives you a sense of capability that extends beyond the kitchen. It’s empowering to realize you don’t need to rely on expensive prepared foods or restaurant meals to eat well.
Perhaps most importantly, these approaches honor the wisdom of those who came before us. Our mothers and grandmothers often managed households on tight budgets during challenging times, and they developed ingenious systems and recipes that deserve to be preserved and passed on. There’s a humility in recognizing that sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
Adapting Old Wisdom to Modern Life
Of course, we aren’t living in 1962 anymore. Our lives are busier, our options are different, and some of the specific advice in these vintage cookbooks needs updating. But the principles behind them remain sound:
- Plan ahead to avoid waste and impulse purchases
- Be flexible and substitute ingredients based on what’s affordable
- Cook in batches to save time and money
- Use every part of your ingredients
- Maintain an organized food storage system
- Choose quality over quantity when it matters
These principles can be adapted to our modern context. Maybe for you, planning ahead means using a meal planning app instead of a paper list. Maybe being flexible means switching ingredients based on what’s available at your local farmers market. The tools may change, but the wisdom remains the same.
Conclusion
I hope this exploration of old-fashioned money-saving techniques has inspired you to look at your own food habits with fresh eyes. Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or someone who’s just beginning to explore cooking from scratch, there’s always something to learn from these time-tested approaches.
Remember that saving money on food isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about valuing what you have, minimizing waste, and finding joy in the process of creating meals for yourself and those you love. It’s about connection—to your food, to the wisdom of previous generations, and to the people you share your table with.
Today’s question of the day is: What old-fashioned money-saving hint do you use to keep your food budget low? Is it a recipe? Is it an ingredient? Is it something you do to store your food or preserve your food? Please share it with us because it will not only encourage us, it’ll encourage others as well.
We ask that you be well, be safe, and above all, we wish you blessings until next time. May God greatly bless you!