Suddenly Sunday

There was a big football game on yesterday and my husband bought me the Sunday paper.  I was thinking it was Sunday all day.  My daughter went out to lunch with a girlfriend and my husband went to a football party, I had the day to spend on my studio.  I got a lot done. valentines Day product has to hit the stores soon.  LOL

We had blue cheese burgers for dinner.  With the cost of beef these days, groceries on the cheap doesn't leave a lot of room for sinking your teeth into a whole piece of meat.  It was a really good treat.

Taking advantage of coupons and matching them with sales can make a big difference in the cost of your food.  You can eat well, and not spend your whole allowance for food.  There is another opinion in how to save on food out there.  It is based on the fact that if you don't eat from the inside of the isle  of the grocery store and only buy just what you need each week, you will save money.  Paying full price for food is just plain stupid.  Not eating beans, or rice and having no flour or salad oil or spices is also not very logical to me.  And, not having any backup reserve is also not an option for me.  We have storms in his part of the country.  Also, being left with no food in the fridge is not smart.  It forces you to go the store whether you feel like ot or not.  When you have to drag your but to the store, you don't make informed decisions.  When there is a disaster, you will be forced to pray on the generosity of those of us that stock.  In my opinion, it just not a sound practice. I guess maybe it is because that was not the way I was brought up.  My parents survived the Great Depression. It left it's mark on their way of thinking.

It does take some planning, somedue diligence    in managing your fridge and pantry.  Marking the shelves helps.  You know at a glance how many of something you have.  When the section of the shelf is full, you don't need any more.  Taking a good look at the fridge mid week, allows you the luxury of using up the bits  of things that are left.  It's a good day for a crock pot soup or stew.

There are times when the fridge seems empty, but we always have cheese and the basics of root veggies and most of the time sour cream and milk.  I have a back up supply of dry milk to use on a pinch, even though it costs more than fresh milk.  I almost always have brown and serve baguettes so we are not completely out of bread.

My husband informs me that we have a six  months supply of recipe starters.  I have been getting them for free.  There is not a large stock of them left at the dollar store, so I don't think that will be a problem.  I only "buy " them when I have a coupon and they are free.

The average SNAP that I have seen from the people that consult with me os 300.00 for a family of three .  They have cut that by 5 percent.  If a family is used to spending the average of 150.00 a week for food, they are rapidly going to have a problem living on the three hundred dollars a month food budget.  It is believable to eat on that. But not without some effort.


Let's break down some good, but inexpensive meals.

1) pizza, green salad when greens are inexpensive, fruit when it is not.
     Pizza crust 1.00 ( big lots) or scratch
     Pepperoni .50 ( dollar store with a coupon)
     Cheese ( 1/4 pound at 3.33 a pound at QFC) .84
     Tomato sauce ( 1/2 can ALBERTSONS .25
     Total. 2.59

2)  pasta primavera
      1 can recipe starter ( basil flavor) free at dollar tree with coupon.
       12 ounces pasta ( .88 at Fred Meyers). 66
       4 ounces cheese .84
       1 pkg veggies frozen  1.00 ( dollar store or QFC)
       1/2 cup sour cream .50 ( 1.00  Fred Meyers) or milk and some flour to thicken
Total 3.00

3) HORMEL BBQ beef or pork ( with coupon at QFC) 2.99
     Buns free at the bakery outlet
     French fries  ( 1 pound at Fred Meyers .50-- 1.00 for two pounds)
Total 3.50

This is all possible because of stocking and buying only the specials.  Some things can be frozen, some have a long shelf life, pasta for instance. Take advantage of what's free or on sale and incorporate it into your meal plans.  It's a little work. The rewards are  a small food bill , the peace of mind that there is always food in the house, and the smug satisfaction that you did it.

For a family not on SNAP, half price groceries saves the average family 4000.00 a year.  What would you do with an extra 4000.00 in your budget?

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.  I don't get money for this blog. I am trying to help people either get by on their SNAP
Allotment and have food left at the end of the month, or save money if they are not on snap.  I throw out ideas, what you do with the is your call.  I just want to help as many people as I can.  A lot of people are hurting, unemployment is still high, and many are underemployed.

Jane