Thrifty Thursday: Save Your Leftovers

I'm no gourmet chef. As a working mom, I feel proud simply getting all four food groups on the table for dinner. So while I'm trying to cut our food budget, I don't dare risk making meals less appetizing -- not with my picky eaters!

Instead, I repackage and disguise leftovers as much as possible. I'll cook baked chicken for dinner on Sunday night, serve it as chicken quesadillas Monday night, toss it into a salad with some Caesar dressing on Tuesday night and cut it into chicken nuggets on Wednesday night. I also put leftovers into the kids' school lunches.

On the rare occasions when we go out to eat, my husband and I will split an entree and our two preschoolers will split a kid's meal. (Yes, I leave a generous tip for the wait staff to make up for our cheap ordering.)

How do you stretch your food dollar? See below for more Thrifty Thursday tips from About.com guides:

• Cash for Clunkers
• Free Printable Twins Schedule
• Saving Money While Trying to Get Pregnant
• Energy-Saving Tips for the Summer Months
• Dorms: The Cheat Sheet
• Saving for Charity
• Tip for Teens: Order In
• Store Brands Versus Name Brands