In other news, I haven't received the newspaper yet today. I decoded to go a week without shopping. We are overflowing in the pantry and need to pare down. Meal plans help use up food on an appropriate amount of time and save the brain when it's tired and hungry! LOL. It's a struggle here when I have a husband that won't eat vegetables, a daughter that won't eat mest, and myself that can't eat many starches! I guess we could be jack sprat , but that's bit to balanced. LOL
Food prices are still higher than I would like. Fred Meyer is advertising new low prices and, in fact, some of their prices are lower. I see a sign that Winco is coming soon. I hope it is sooner than later. A little competition will lower prices.
The basic points of a lower food bill are still the same in any economy. The last couple of. Onths I have been over budget about five bucks a week. I have, however, got a huge surplus and we will pare it down with little to no shopping the next month or so.
Basic theory still works.
Plan and organized cook from scratch, and shop wisely.
- Plan meals to use what you have and make for a variety of foods. It keeps the drive through daemons out of the tired brain. LOL
- KNOW YOUR PRICES !!!!! The best tool you can have is to know your prices and only buy the article if you find the lowest price. Buy enough to last you until you find a sale again. That can't work for dire necessities, but it works for a lot of the market basket.
- It's a whole different approach to buying groceries. You don't necessarily buy a weeks worth of food. You do, however, always have food in the house.
- Cook from scratch most of the time. There are, as the USDA predicted, some things that are cheaper to buy ready made. A lot of things are more expensive ready made. It takes doing some math. There are some things that are not worth the effort in a normal household to make from scratch. Few of us have the time to spend all day cooking. The crock pot os a real time and money saver. It can cook all day and you can still work all day. Making your own mixes can save time and money when you are pressed at dinner time. I used to make bisquick, but it calls for shortening, and I'm not really into shortening these days. I do make white sauce mix that is better for you than the real stuff ( less fat) and taco seasoning. ( see older posts for more recipes)
- Planning meals, again, helps a lot. Mi have a matrix for meals that helps. I designed a form that has the days of the week, and two columns. Things to use up, and things we need to fill in for meals. I have a matrix. 2 beef, 2 chicken or pork, 2 vegetarian , and a fish or shellfish. Your matrix may be different according to your preferences.
- Know the tricks the retailers use to get you to buy more. NEVER buy non food items at the grocery store. They are the highest mark up of anything.
- Another NEVER. Is never impulse buy. Know what you are going to buy and pretty much stick to it, That is why going to the store to buy one day at a time is bad news. You are bombarded with impulse buys and you are laying top dollar for your food.
- Always, if at all possible., shop two stores. They will usually have different things on a real sale, and if a produce tom doesn't look good, you have another option other than going without.
- Use coupons. Yes, there are coupons for real food.
- Buy supplies from the dollar store. Yes, there are a lot of junk things at the dollar store, but there is also a lot of good stuff that is a lot,cheaper,than their counterparts at other stores.
- Don't overlook alternative stores. Big lots os,not as good since they decided to take snap. Their prices are more than retail. But there are still good prices at the drug stores and grocery outlet.
That's about all. Ads later.
Thanks for stopping by
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Jane
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