A different kind of pizza night...

I should preface this post by explaining that providing my family with homemade, all natural and organic food is of utmost importance to me.  However, a weekly shopping trip to Whole Foods where I can easily spend upwards of $600 on groceries to feed our family of five, simply isn't realistic.  I shop farmers markets and store brand organics to save money but fall and winter are seasons where I am looking to save even more.  Quite frankly, back to school clothes, shoes, fleeces, backpacks and more have us spending a ton.  It seems like as soon as we're done with that long list of must-haves, it's time to Christmas shop.  Ugh.

This post is a little different than my other "prep ahead" posts in that I'm sharing more of a food budget strategy than an actual recipe.  In all honesty, I've never been a great sale shopper.  I get a 40% off code for Gap and spend 5 times as much as I normally would because of the "sale." Retailers love people like me.  My lack of money saving abilities is one reason why I'm particularly proud of my most recent pizza night revelation!

For as long as I can remember, Friday night has been pizza night in our house.  Most weeks, we order out.  On average we spend about $35 on two large pizzas.  This adds up to about $1820 a year!  Crazy, right!?  In an effort to save money, we have started "make your own pizza Fridays." The concept of making your own pizza is not new to us, my girls LOVE it and we do it often.  It was only a few weeks ago, that I calculated the savings.  In order to mimic the convenience and simplicity of ordering pizza, I buy pre-made crusts, jarred or canned sauce and store brand cheese totaling  $13.47 per week or $700.44 per year.  That's a savings of $1119.56 per year.  Not bad, right?  If you're looking to save even more, make your own dough!  Chances are if you're ordering pizza it's because you're looking for a quick and easy dinner.  If I do have the time, I use my bread machine and make my own crust using the recipe found in my Oster bread machine book found HERE!!!

Even better than the savings, was the excitement and pride amongst my little girlies as they enjoyed their delicious creations made with their own two hands.   No cheese was picked off, crusts were eaten and plates were EMPTY at the end of the meal.  Impressive for my kids. 

The shopping list and prices from my local Stop and Shop:

Mama Mary's Traditional 7" Crusts / 3count - (2 packs)  ($4.49 each):   $8.98

26.5 oz can of Hunts Traditional Sauce:  $1

Store Brand Mozzarella (16oz):  $3.49

TOTAL:  $13.47 per week

(Feeds 5-6 People)

****Just follow the baking instructions on the pizza crust package!

Often, you can find coupons for these items in your local paper and HERE!  Last week I found a Ragu coupon online that I could print twice and found the same one in the paper.  After cashing both in, I got the sauce for free!  

I hope you find this post useful!  Happy pizza night!!!