Eggs are a good investment for your grocery dollar. They are inexpensive, a good source of protein and can be used in many different ways, from breakfast to midnight snack. Eggs also act as an emulsifier in baked goods, such as cakes or other foods, such as custards. Take advantage of this staple to stretch your food dollars.
Whenever I find that I have to make the groceries last a little longer in the month I find myself buying more eggs and incorporating them liberally into our meal plan. For example, when we need to stock the fridge with snacks, hard boiled eggs can take the place of cheese sticks or even yogurt as as a dairy source (yes, they don’t have calcium, but they can serve anyway).
Out of things to have for lunch? Why not make up some egg salad for sandwiches or on top of a bed of lettuce?
Running low on things to make for dinner? Try a frittata, quiche or even an omelet. You can score a double frugal bonus by incorporating leftovers into the meal.
Of course you know about breakfast. But besides just having eggs, you can use them to turn stale or discounted bread into french toast or make pancakes or quick breads.
Of course, you want to try to get the lowest price that you can for your eggs. This is especially true if you like to buy organic eggs. For general eggs, most of the time you will do best with store brand eggs in the 18 count size. About 99 times out of 100, you’ll get the lowest cost per unit price on these eggs.
Other sources of low cost eggs include bulk flats that can be found at your local warehouse store or farmer’s market.
For organic eggs, look locally and strike a deal for buying in bulk, join a CSA or compare prices at Trader Joe’s.