By: Patty Getz

Cereal is expensive, so unless it is on sale or I have coupons, I don’t buy it. Especially now as the prices are rising alarmingly high in the supermarket.
So I had to find ways to keep my fussy husband, who was raised on cereal, happy. He had no desire to quit eating it any time soon,even if it would break our bank.

It is not terribly hard to keep him happy on a budget, and I will share with you how I do it.

I cook meals ahead, he won’t take any effort to make breakfast so whatever I do it HAS to be easy. Cooking a few things ahead also takes a LOT less time than fixing them individually.

He likes stick to his ribs kind of foods, so not just anything will do, no fruit and yogurt for this guy( although he eats a lot of that at lunch time :))

So we start with a cheap pancake mix from the wholesale club or restaurant supply store, I find it is cheaper for me than making it from scratch, but do the math, you might find it the other way around for you.

Pancakes and waffles freeze and reheat well, and and can be made more wholesome and filling by adding a few ingredients. Nuts bought in bulk, and chopped provide extra fat, protein and fiber. A little goes a long way with these, as they may make those pancakes pretty spendy really fast if you are not careful. Buy them on sale, buy them in season, or in bulk, and freeze them for optimum frugality. I buy blueberries in season for 99 cents a pint, and freeze large amounts of them. They are very healthy, and at that price quite frugal. You can also use bananas, strawberries, apples, oatmeal, whole wheat flour,or anything you have on hand to beef them up.

French toast is another one we do quite often, eggs are cheap on sale, and I make all my own bread. French toast does not have to be made with plain old white bread either, I make it from whole wheat bread, and also from my own homemade cinnamon bread too for some variety.

I have said this before, but Granola is awesome, I make it from ingredients on hand, OFTEN things that would be thrown away, like ends of boxes of cereal, hot cereal, nuts, and dried fruits. The main ingredient oatmeal is inexpensive, and the rest is all about shopping smart and portion control.

Breakfast Burritoes are fantastic too, tortillas can be made from scratch, eggs bought on sale, ( it is all about timing ) Cheese bought in bulk and/or on sale, add some seasonal veggies, and meats (whatever is cheap that week) freeze and you have a nutritious breakfast that is grab and go.

Finally my husband’s current favorite is breakfast biscuits. Just make up a batch of biscuits, add a bit of scrambled eggs, cheese, and meat if you can get it on sale. These freeze really well and reheat fast.

Finally for a treat, and not quite so nutritious, I make cinnamon rolls. These are probably not quite so frugal, but most definately cheaper than pop tarts and donuts for those that have a craving for those treats.

This is not a definative list, but it should give you some ideas of where to start, be sure to buy all ingredients on sale, and do the math to be sure you are getting the most bang for your buck.

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Patty Getz is Is a Sahmom with a mission to educate families, on the alternatives, to high debt, fast food, and fast living. She is the Owner of www.totallyfrugal.com and the author of several articles on Frugal living,cooking, and Simple Living.