Meal plans from the ads

This is an attempt to show my thought process in making meal plans on the cheap.    That is, you use what's on sale and rotate meats to take advantage of bulk and special pricing .

Example.   In the last weeks I got

• pork loin roast 1/2 for 1.88 ( about five pounds ) 
• Chicken for .88 ( it's .88 at SAFEWAYS this week too.   ) (5 lbs) 
• Fred Meyers has good hamburger for 3.99.  ( 5 lbs) 

That's 15 pounds of meat for an average of 2.25 a pound.   14 meals for an average of 2.25 a meal.   

Add a starch and a vegetable or fruit or both and you are still under five dollars a meal for the proverbial family  of four.    

These figures are based on a snap allotment of three hundred dollars a month.    It's real easy to spend more if your situation and budget permits.   It makes more sense to me to show examples off bottom line amounts and let people use their discretion if they have more to spend.    

This is an example of buying the loss leaders and precooking or dividing in meal portions to save, time and money.   It's probably,no secret that if you put a whole roast in front of a young man, he would choose to eat the whole roast and ignore the veggies.   Portion controlling the meat allows children to eat the rest of the meal and have a  be well balanced diet.    It's also,no secret that we eat far to much meat in this  country and that might not be as healthy as we would like.   

I use a matrix for meal plans.  It makes it quick and easy and balances our proteins .  Your matrix may be different.   

• 2 beef
• 2 chicken or pork 
•  2 vegetarian 
• 1 fish or shellfish

I can usually get eggs for a dollar or a dollar and a quarter at Fred Meyers.   I stock up.  Most of the time there is a month out on the pull dates.    This  makes for enough to have breakfast for dinner one night a week.    French toast,scrambled   eggs, chocolate waffles and yogurt parfaits are a welcome surprise every once In a while.   Desert for dinner, the kids love it.   Younger parfaits are layering in a glass: plain or vanilla yogurt , blueberries, and granola.  Yogurt is .38 at ALBERTSONS?

From five pounds of ground beef you can make, taco meat, crumbles for pasta sauce, and a two pound meat loaf.   My mother used to make meatloaf , baked potatoes ( a buck at Fred Meyers ) and squash.   All in the oven.   Oven roasted veggies would also be good.  (

Mac and cheese is always a winner here.   Cheese was two dollars a pound at Fred Meyers last week. I can always get grated cheese for 2.30 or so at business Costco.    There is a recipe for quick white sauce in a previous blog.   Add frozen veggies or green beans  to the meal and you are set.  A fruit desert adds to the nutrition.

I made a fish packet dinner last week.  Layer on parchment in individual portions, fresh spinach, white fish, white beans, a green veggie ( asparagus was really cheap at the fresh food market , or you can use fresh green beans ) drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly.   Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes on a baking sheet with sides.    Easy and no clean up.   Be careful opening the packets, there may be steam!

From the chicken that is .88 a pound .
I'm making chicken soup as I'm writing this.   I will make a loaf of parm bread on the bread baker or make a loaf of brown and serve sourdough.  ( .95 at Costco) or bake cheese biscuits.

Chicken pot pie is another favorite. I have a coupon from QFC for free frozen veggies and a pound of Hebrew national franks.
The holiday weekend is always a good time to stock up on low priced picnic food providing it is a good price.   I got catsup for .75 at the dollar  store for a name brand.

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Jane

Tomorrow's ads for Fred Meyers

A quick blog, another with meals from the ads .  

The smart source that comes in the newspaper has a coupon for fifty cents off two suddenly salads.   The dollar store takes coupons and has suddenly salad.  Just check with the manager to be sure it is in their computer.  It os a legit coupon, it's just that when I went before, it wasn't in the computer and the manager was lost in space!    It is a good fast side if you are I a hurry.   Used to use it on the boat.  

There is also a coupon for a dollar  off of Digiorno pizza.  

Fred Meyers has

Blueberries 1.99
Good ground beef 3.99
Tuna .79
Lettuce .99
Potatoes, 5 lbs .99
Apples .99
Ritz 3/5@@$$
Tillamook ice cream 2.99@@
Red vines 5.99@@
Cucumbers, or green peppers 2/1.00

That's about all

Thanks. See you I'm a minute with meal plans and notes.


Jane

The ads

QFC has a two week ad.  Methods os the second week for these deals.

Berries 2/4
Broccoli .99
Milk 4/5
Oranges .88
Strawberries 2/5


Haggens
Mangos 5/3
Spinach .89
Nalleys chili .99@@


ALBERTSONS
Tillamook yogurt .38@@

Coupon mania
Hunts BBQ sauce .99@@
Frozen entres .78@@

SAFEWAYS
Corn 4/2
Berries BOGO.  Hard to tell if that's a good price or not.
Chicken .88
Coffee 7.99$$?
Brownie mix .99@@

Five dollar Friday
Bushes beans 5/5$$
Solid white tuna 5/5

There are a just for you coupon for three dollars off of twenty.  

With some effort, you could probably,come up woth twenty dollars worth of good buys.  

thanks for stopping by.
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Jane

My marathon cooking

I have a five pound chicken that we purchased for .88 a pound at Fred Meyers.   I also have a six pound pork loin I purchased for 10.38.   Total about 15.00.  

Today in 40 minutes, I marathon cooked it all-- kinda sor of.  

I put the chicken in a crockpot with carrots on the bottom and a dry rub.  Cook it for an hour a pound on high.   Makes for good breast meat and the rest is like pulled chicken for sandwiches, tacos, casseroles etc.

I butchered the pork loin into

• Two packages of two pork chops. 
• A two pound roast  for roast pork, BBQ pork sandwiches 
• A crockpot 1/2 full of pork cubes being slow cooked on salt, pepper, beer.   For pork stew, and tacos, or enchiladas, or to put in a soup.    

12 meals for us for 15.00.    Now, there are only two of us that eat meat.   I would guess that nine meals could be had for a proverbial family of four ( two adults and two school aged children) I'm not talking teen age boys here! LOL.   

This is a quick marathon session.  It takes me a whole lot longer when I do ten pounds of hamburger into 

• Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Hamburger crumbles 
• Taco meat

On another note, I found a u tube a fellow made making a tex-mex dinner of refried beans, Spanish roce, and enchalladas.  I was mostly interested in a quick and easy enchalada sauce. I found it as cheap as fifty cents, but homemade would be cheaper.   

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Jane 

10 ways to save bucks on food.

After watching numbers is videos on cheap eats, I feel compelled to wrote ten ways to saveon groceries   without eating chickpea tofu or potatoes, breaded chicken, carrots and corn bread....can you spell pure starch!     LOL. To each his own, but it's not mainstream in my eyes.

I digress. Here goes.

1. Stick to coffee tea, milk, and water out of the tap.    Herbal teas are really good, and make good iced tea.  Fruit teas can be found at the dollar tree or on sale with coupons. Sodas are expensive and have little food value.   
2. Avoid the chip isle .  Popcorn in bulk (Costco) is cheap and actually healthy when popped with an air popper.   
3. Think out of the box  and try new recipes,knowing that simple foods cost less and are easier to cook.   
4. A hop the perimeter of the store.  The big sellers are going to be at eye level on the shelves.   Manufacturers pay for shelving fees.  Those fees are going to be passed on to you.  Look up and look down.    Buy fresh fruits and veggies that are in season.   You get  better taste for less money.   Buy typical holiday foods when they are in sale at or nearly after the holiday.   
5. Stock your staple items.  Those are things you go for frequently when cooking dinner that are shelf ready.   Set yourself a quantity limit and a price limit.   That would be the rock bottom price (RBP) That  it sells for.   The object is to replenish when the proce is at it's lowest.   
6. Don't be brand loyal.   Store brands are often lots cheaper.  
7. Don't be grocery store loyal.   Show the two stores that have what you need at the lowest prices that week.   Go, get what you,need, and get out.  The  longer you stay in a store, the more money you will spend.  
8. Buy the protein loss leader for the week.   Buy it in bulk, cook it if appropriate and portion control in packages you will need for one meal.   Rotate meats on a monthly basis. 
9. Plan meals.   Write an outline that best suits your family and is still within a Budget.  Our matrix is 2 beef, 2'chicken or pork, 2'vegetarian, and 1'fish or shellfish,  plan some quick and easy meals to avoid the let's go through the fast food line or order pizza syndrome.   
10. Keep track of your vegetable bin and adjust meals to incorporate things that need to be eaten soon.   There are apps that let you plug in an ingredient and it tells you,what you can make. The USDA also has an ap that takes the guess  work out of  knowing if a particular food is good to eat.    

Fred meyers haul!

We did go to Fred Meyers.

I spent 37.61 with coupons


1 chicken
1 French fries 1.89
English cucumber
Milk
2 pkg granola bars
Hummus
Cheese
Blues
Strawberries
Raspberries
Butter

I need to work the meal plans and include the produce I bought.

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Jane

Happy Mother's Day

Since I can't sleep and I have already cleaned the bathroom and reorganized the shelves, I thought I would get  a head  in a Mother's Day post.   LOL

There was a show in the 50's called I remember MAMA.   I was laying  here thinking of all the things that stood out about my mother.   My grocery shopping Savvy came from my mother and a whole lot of reading and trial and error.   I am still evolving.   My mother had many talents.   I miss her every day.  

On another subject.   There are a lot of organizational posts on u tube.  Many are from young people and their dollar store hauls.    The best organizational tip for your kitchen is to put things where you use them.   The less steps you can take to get a job done,the more jobs you can do .   The more you do by scratch in the kitchen, the more money you can save.    I have the coffee and tea pots on the kitchen counter above the dishwasher. It's next to the sink so filling the units is easy. The  cupboard above the dishwasher  has cups, tea, and teapots.  

Unloading the dishwasher, if you pull all of one thing out at a time and stack plates and bowls, you are taking one trip to the cupboard to out them in.   I know some people that set the dinner table on the morning as they unload the dishwasher.   It saves a step and the table is ready for dinner.  

Prepping food as it comes home from the store, or sometime afterwards when you have the uninterrupted time, saves tome and money.  I just saw  a clever lady make hummus, place it in portion cups ( Betty crocker at the dollar store- several in a package) .  Then she cut pita bread and packed it on a quart zip lock.   It was all ready for her to grab out of the fridge  and take to work or for kids to take to school.  

Getting organized is a real key to savvy grocery shopping and carrying the idea in through to meal plans and using up perishables before they go bad.  

Checking the fridge and incorporating things on the edge onto your meals is a real money saver.   Use the USDA app to check the actual pull dare on foods before you toss them.  Obviously of they are growing hair prettier than yours,they need to get pitched.  LOL.

It takes so,e effort to stay in top of things, but the savings are well worth it. You spend more time managing your stock and shopping, and less time cooking.    It all averages out.   After you get into a routine, it actually probably takes less time than you took before.  

I do less than I did before the store closed, but in some ways I do more.  I expanded my business and still keep house and babysit and belong to a women's group.  

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Jane

Big savings- Fred Meyers

Fred Meyers has really good buys this week.  

Tillamook cheese  - 2 lbs, limit one 3.99
Foster farms chicken .88
Berries 2/4
Good ground beef 3.88
Tomatoes .97
English cucumbers .99
Broccoli. .99
Tillamook yogurt .39
Dreyers 2/5@@
Butter 3/5@@
Milk .99@@

That's about all


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Jane

The ads 5-5-15

The ads.  I'm not impressed this week.  Fred Meyers was about the best on Sunday that I see.  None the less, here are the ads.  

Groceries on the cheap is a different way of looking at how you shop and cook food.  The basis of it comes from my mother.  I have been working in the concept of good food cheap for about fifty years now and have perfected a system that works.  It works in any economy, anytime.   I spend
Seventy five dollars a week for my husband and I and supplement my daughter and her daughter.  With that, I have amassed  a large pantry.   I am in perishable foods only mode with feed exceptions to pare down the stock.    Ot will be interesting to see what the stats for the next few months play out.  

Basically, the mantra is never pay full price for anything.    You buy when your staple items and a meat is at it's lowest, and eat when it is the highest price.    I take the  so called loss leader of meat and I buy enough to last us for a months worth of that type of meal.   I precook if appropriate and freeze.  Working on a four week cycle.   I have a matrix for meal plans that makes it  easier and faster to set your meals for the week.

• 2 beef
• 2 pork or chicken 
• 2 vegetarian 
• 1 fish or shellfish

Your matrix may be different.   Use whatever works for your family.

This is more detailed on earlier posts.   

I digress....the ads 

SAFEWAYS 

Strawberries 2 lbs 3.88

Cantelope  .69

Salads 2/5

Corn 4/2

Yoplait 5/10

Kens salad dressing bogo$$. 

Cucumbers 1.00

Five dollar Friday 

Tulips 

Blues - 18 ounces 

Haggen 

Blues  3.00  - 6 ounces *

Raspberries 5.00- 12 ounces *

Tillamook cheese 3.99 - 1 lb*

Corn 5/3*

Barilla 4/4@@

No bargains here.   Cheese is 5-6 on sake all the time for TWO pounds!  Same brand.   

QFC - two weeks 

Broccoli .99

Berries 2/4 6 ounces

Oranges .88 

Tomatoes ,99

Barilla 3/4**

ALBERTSONS 

Cucumbers 1.00

Salad 2/4

Blues 18 ounces 8.99**

Berries - 6 ounces 3/10 ( 3.33) 

Note wide range of prices for berries.   

Blues  per 18 ounces 

ALBERTSONS.   8.99

QFC 6.00

Haggens. 9.00

SAFEWAYS  5.00 (Friday only) 

So much for ads.  Again, it's a holiday weekend, not much in sales.   

Please share and FOLLOW.   I would like to get my stats up.   Also, what kinds of posts  do you want to see!  There is a comment section!    

Thanks for stopping by 

Jane 

Fred Meyer breakdown

Total spent 29.10
The biggest purchase was a pork loin, actually a half pork loin for 10.34.   I will cut it up and make several meals put of it, freezing some.   It was over five pounds since it was 1.88 a pound,  

• A roast 
• Pork chops 
• Cubes for stew 
• Stir fry 
• Fried rice.   
• BBQ sandwiches sliced thin.   
• 
  

My aunt used to grind a roast leftovers, add  mayo and pickle and use it for sandwiches .   

• Green beans and white corn (6) the limit on the coupon.   .50 beats 1.59. 
• Cherub baby tomatoes 3.49 plus shredded lettuce .88 minus a dollar coupon.   ( tacos) 
• 10 Yoplait at .50
• 2 eggs at .99
• 2 milk at .99
• Mayonaise 1.99

I had no Yoplait coupons this time.   

I made  a salad for a pot luck last night .  

Orzo .45 with coupon 

Pickled asparagus ( dollar store) 

Baby tomatoes cut in half 

Black olives ( on my replenish list ) - my target price is 1.00. 

Orange peppers ( 3/1 at grocery outlet ( Canadian) 

Italian dressing ( .75 a bottle on sale) 

That's about all.   

Thanks for stopping by 

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Jane 

Five frugal things

Five frugal things I used the last few days.
1) got a haircut while they  were 1/2 price.  
2)not six tops that retailed for 35-39.00 for 3.15 each!
3) got a beautiful scarf at the dollar store.
4) spent 28.99 at Fred Meyers and got a cooler full plus two bags full of good actual foods using specials and coupons.
5) bought a new 70.00 top at the goodwill for ten bucks.
Bonus is 6) I made 16 cards with the one sheet wonder I designed!  




You can have a decent lifestyle on a meager budget!    I downloaded the months coupons from coupons,com.   There were not many coupons for real food.

I did buy five plus pounds of pork loin.   We can have pork roast, stirfry, pork chops, pork stew, pork fried rice.    Etc.


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Jane

The Fred Meyer ad

Good time for basic food this week at Fred Meyers .   Milk and eggs are both a buck.    Oranges Are .59.  

Boneless half loin roast is 1.88
Lettuce .99
Apples .99
Broccoli .99
Hunts pasta sauce .89
Pace picante sauce 1.89 ( 16 ounces ). Note the small one at the dollar store.
Yoplait 10/5.

Good ground beef 3.99
Milk .99@@
Canned veggies, tomatoes, beans..49@@ limit 6@@
BREYERS or Klondike 2/5@@

That's about it.  

Lots of basics and some at stock prices.    Beans and tomatoes are a really good buy at .49.  Even if you can only buy six.     It's a good start or fill in.  

thanks for stopping by.
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Jane

Still off the grid.......

I am in a mini vacation.  Our vacation last year was or emptied by my stay at the rehab.    One could only imagine the vacation we could have had with the 1400.00 that I sent for my expensive ride from the hospital to the rehab!   LOL.  Water under the bridge.    We got away just the two of us.    It's been a quiet weekend.m considering there is a wrestling match going on and there are no rooms left in any of the hotels.    We found one , a little sparse, a little noises,next to the freeway, but adequate none he less.    

This vacation has cost a total of 150.00 including gas and food out.   Conversely, I purchased 245 worth of blouses and a scarf for......it's coming...27.00.    Unfortunately I. Couldn't  find any pants  that weren't low rise.     I'll check the goodwill again.    LOL.  

The one sheet wonders save money.  Sets are good gifts especially for shut ins.  

Tonight will roast a pork tenderloin since Monday is the pull date.    Back to the meal plans

I will post Fred Meyers tomorrow or tonight and well get back to the food subject this is supposed to be about.  

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Jane

Still in paper mode...

One sheet wonder with a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.

Cut the following pieces from the standard sheet if paper.   Decorate if desired.m.

Along the 11 inch side cut one strip at 3 inches.    Now, sub cut this strip into a 3X3 square and two pieces at 1.5 X 5.5.  

Next along the long some cut a strip at 2-1/2.
Cut this strip into two pieces 2-1/2 X 4-1/4

This leaves a piece 5-1/2 X. 8-1/2
Cut 1/2 inch off the 8-1/2 inch side.   You should have 5-1/2 X 8.
Now cut two pieces ea at 2X 5-1/2.  This leaves a 4-1/4X 5-1/2 topper.  
Cards

Solid topper
Stripes of 1-1/2
3 X3 square, matted
2-1/2X 4-1/4 rectangles
2X 5-1/2 rectangles


8 total cards plus a  1/2 inch strip that can be placed on the inside of a cut away top.  

One sheet wonder card pattern

Cut the following out if a 12X12 sheet that is all over,non directional print or a print you make yourself.,  

Cut two strips 5.5 X 12.  

1) on one strip, cut on long side, two pieces 4.25, and two pieces 1.5 inches.   Leaves you 1X 5.5 inch piece.  Cut in half to make 2 ea  1/2 X 5 1/2 inch pieces.   ( trim on two cards.  )

2) on second 5.5 X 12 inch piece, cut lengthwise ( 12 inch side)   6 ea if 1-1/2 inch strips.    This leaves a 3 inch X 5-1/2 inch piece.   Trim off 1/2 inch of the 5-1/2 inch piece.   ( centerpiece if a card)

3) using the 4-1/4 X 5-1/2 pieces, cut on the diagonal.   ( makes four cards.   )


Makes  15 cards.  

4 ea  cards with diagonal trim .  Sentiment along edge of diagonal.  Embellie on the trim.  

4 ea with a trim across bottom of landscape card, about 1/2 inch up from bottom.    Add sentiment and embellies.  

4 each with trim on side of a portrait card.  Sentiment on side and embellies.

1 each card with a 3 X 5 centerpiece of trim.   Add sentiment and embellies.    I might want to cut this down to 3X4.   This would leave you another 1 X 3 inch banner piece.  

2 each cards with 1/2 inch cut off of the right side ( portrait card. ) and trim added to the inside if the card.  

Waste is 1 piece .5 X 3  ( can be used for banners ) and one piece 1 X 1/2.   .  

Seven meals for 32.62--under five dollars a meal average.

These meals do not include basic cooking supplies like oil, homemade soup mix, salad dressing,   The job of costing such things would be a nightmare.    It is, however, under five dollars a meal average.  

Pork stir fry
Egg drop soup
3.99

Scrambled eggs with cheese
Hash brown patties
Strawberries or mixed berries in season
4.30

Roasted pork tenderloin
Frozen chopped broccolli
4 cheese mashed potatoes
4.61

Pizza with
Hamburger crumbles ( or .50 pepperoni from dollar store w coupon)
Cheese
Red peppers ,diced
Black olives chopped
3.66 with hamburger, 3.41 with pepperoni

Meat ball subs
2 sourdough baguettes ( Costco brown and serve)
( cheaper of you can find individual rolls ore baked in bins at grocery at .33)
Meat balls from 2.97hamburger
BBQ sauce,
Green salad or coleslaw.
7.00

Mac and cheese
Peas and carrots
4.81
Macaroni is high fiber in sale with coupon, cheese from Costco, soup mix scratch, top with homemade bread crumbs from heels (free) and parm from at 1/2 of a tub if parm.  
Frozen peas and carrots

Spaghetti with red sauce and hamburger
Parm
Green salad with tomatoes.
4.25


Total 32.62

Substitute meat ball subs with split pea soup 30.02 with soup left over for lunch.  

Split pea  soup
Jalapeño corn bread
4.50

The ads

I got the ads yesterday evening.  We seem to be on the last leg of the mail persons run.    The only good thing is that we can get the mail as soon as it comes.  

The ads are skewed towards Cinco de mayo.   Might be a good thing.   It seems , though, when a holiday happens, so,e stores take advantage of the fact that you are probably going to buy those ingredients at any price,m. Beat them at their own game,     Soft tortillas are to dollars at SAFEWAYS and Haggens.  Fred Meyer has them for a buck and there is a coupon on line for .55.   Net .45 -- that's a savings of  75 percent.  

Haggens
Haggens salsa  3/5
Country ribs 1.99
English cukes .69

Not worth the trip for us. Some of these things are a good price, but we are at a point where we don't need them.  The pantry is full.   Some would say that it would be better if we paid full price and left our money on savings.  I am getting an average of fifty percent on my money.  No bank would give me fifty percent interest.    I am still with stocking, well under the USDA stats for my husband and I and we are supplementing the girls.  


SAFEWAYS
SAFEWAYS is in a five dollar kick.  Just remember because something is 5/5 doesn't mean you have to buy five unless they specifically make that a condition.  

Roma's 5/5 ( the best buy in tomatoes.  They give more flesh for your dollar.  
Tillamook cheese 4.99@@
Five dollar Friday
Pizza

Don't  get suckered in with small bags that are multiple priced.  Cheese 2/5 when the bags are 8 ounces   means you are paying five dollars a pound,  as contrasted to the Tillamook that is five dollars for TWO pounds.  Grated cheese at costco's wholesale is 2.31 ( about) a pound.  It comes Mexican blend and motts.  


QFC

Chicken 100 a pound.  
Grapes 1.88
Tomatoes .99
Sliced cheese 1.99- 6 pounds.   Well over five bucks a pound.
Frozen veggies 1.00- note sizes of packaging varies.  It's only a good buy of it is 16 ounces.  

ALBERTSONS
Tomatoes .99
Corn on cob 3/1
Mission taco chips, tortillas 1.49 when u buy three.  

Buy five, save 5  net prices
Refried beans .89
Red vines 6.99
Enchilada sauce .69
Green chilies .69

Cukes .69

That about it.

Next time five dollar dinners.    Yes, it can be done and they can be nutritious without buying princess Martian  food.  

Thanks  four stopping by

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Jane

I hate hackers

Someone hacked in and changed my password.  It took me a solid hour to fix the problem.   I'm sure that's who is stealing my identity too.   A certain country is hitting tens of times and looking at stuff no one would legitimately look at.  I'd really like to see those creeps caught!    It's frustrating that I have no control over catching them and the people that do don't.  

I digress.  

Fred Meyer ads
Fred Meyers continues to tote new low prices.  
Apples .88
Ground turkey 2.99
Canned veggies .59
Lettuce .99
Tomatoes 1.00 16 ounces
Apples .88
Broccoli .99
Pot roast 3.99
Bread 3/4@@
Ice cream 2/4@@
M and ms 2/5@@$$
Sour cream .99
Mission tortillas .99$$
Tomatoes 2/5$$
Radishes 2/1

Notes:
Tri colour peppers are 3.99.  This last week, I got tri colour peppers 3/1 at grocery outlet, product of Canada.   This  is just one example of  watching your prices and knowing a bargain.  
Ground beef is 3.99.   I paid 2.97 last week at Hagens.   Buy when prices are downs; eat while they are high.  


I continue to buy only fresh perishables and want to see how long we can take to pare down the pantry and freezer.    I have maintained a 75.00 a week budget for some time now,   The first quarter I went over a little, but have been stocking a lot.   It's time  to reap  the benefits and see a true picture
of what we are really eating money wise.   It's got to be less than 75.00 a week.  

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Jane

Constantly on the lookout..,

The USDA has an app to help you know how long your food os still good after the pull date on the package.    The consensus is that we throw too much good food away in this country.  The app is called FoodKeeper.  

On another note, we  went to Bothell to make some deliveries.   I am always looking and checking other stores for their specialities.    I have noticed lately that some u tubes about dollar tree are showing  things our dollar trees don't have.   I don't buy a lot of decorator type stuff from the dollar tree.   I did, however, buy a mitt made from micro fiber .   It is supposed to clean blinds well.   I walked into the kenmore dollar tree and found ketchup for a buck and their was a .50 coupon on two of them.  Net cost .75.   They had more variety of the cookies in tins.  Pirouline pull date 2016.  Made in the USA.  

Grocery Outlet had Genoa salami for  2/1.00.   Sliced Smoked Gouda  was 2.39.   They also had a wide variety of Annie s organic foods as well as some of the normal stuff grocery outlets carry.   A very large jar of grape jelly was really cheap too.  I remember it was cheap, but I can't remember what  the cost was.  I'm thinking two bucks.  

Guess that's all.  


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Jane

Meal plans

I am a little over budget for the last three. I this.   A out five bucks.    I do have a huge inventory in the pantry and just bought ten pounds of grated cheese.m it is a lot,cheaper in five pound bags at Costco wholesale.    A whole lot cheaper!    Were going on an experiment to see how long we can go just buying perishables.    I went to Costco yesterday and bought bread, milk, and cheese.  


Meal plans

• Salmon,veggies
• Eggs, ham, fruit, hash browns 
• Split pea  soup with ham, jalapeño corn bread 
• Meat loaf , baked potatoes, fruit salad 
• Pizza
• Chicken soup, cheese biscuits 
• Mac and cheese, peas and carrots. 

• Pork stir fry, rice
• Eggs , hash browns, fruit 
• Fish and chips, vegetable sticks, coleslaw 
• Pork tenderloin , scalloped potatoes, peas 
• Pizza 
• Meat ball subs 
• Mac and cheese, peas and carrots. 

Easy no clean up fish 

Layer individual servings in parchment paper 

Spinach 

White beans , cooked or canned 

Fish 

Seasoning 

Green veggie ( broccoli, asparagus, green beans? ) 

Drizzle with olive oil.  

Seal pouches and bake on cookie sheet or sheet pan at 400 degrees for twenty minutes.   Check fish to see if it is cooked.   

From DOITONADIME.    On u tube.   She has a lot of ideas for organizing, and dollar store finds.  Some really good, some depend on your season in life!   She has a toddler!    LOL.  

Thanks for stopping by 

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Jane 

It's a pantry week!

Not much good buys this week. Lucky for us, we shopped several stores last week  and we have plenty of perishables and stock to not shop for a week.   I'll list what's there.   There are a few coupon matchups, I think, I haven't read the fine print on the coupons  yet.  

The only ads this week are for Haggens stores.   QFC has a two week ad.  ( they didn't have much either, but milk is .99 at Fred Meyer and 4/5 at QFC.   We went to grocery outlet yesterday because we had other errands in the area and my husband had to check on something at work.   I got protein Cheerios for a buck, split peas for .99, six asstd sweet peppers for 1.99( grown in Canada) .  

Haggens

Coupon in ad ten off fifty.
This week, I'm not seeing a plan.   Unless you have no stock built because canned goods are .77.  I really don't  need fifty dollars worth if canned goods, but if you are stocking from scratch,twenty percent off of .77 is a good buy.

Organic tomatoes , pint, 2/3
Corn .60
Bushes beans 2/3@@$$
Dreyers  2.99@@
Green chilies .99 can
( if you buy fifty dollars of oroducts, and no more, the discount with the coupon is twenty percent)
Canned goods sale.   With the twenty percent, a can is .62.

• Vegetables
• Beans
• Refried beans 
• Tomato sauce 
• Tomatoes 
• Tuna 

SAFEWAYS 

Five dollar Friday 

Shrimp

Ice cream 2/5

Salad greens 2/5

Life cereal 3/5 

Brownie mix .99@@

Tea 2.99@@

M and M s 2/6$$ ( BOGO print coupon.  ) 

Cherub tomatoes 2/6 $$

ALBERTSONS 

Eggs 2/3@@

Yoplait .38@@

Quarters sale 

Top ramen 3/.50

Tomato paste .50

HORMEL chili 1.00 $$?

Radishes and green onions .50

Shreds and garden salad .75 

That's about all.  

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane 

MEAL PLAN /GROCERY MANAGEMENT TOOL

I sat down with an Excel spreadsheet program and made a meal plan/ grocery management form.   I have tried to do inventory sheets and they are too time consuming for their worth.  I have designated spots on the pantry shelf and can see at a glance when inventory is getting low.   Periodically I check dates and rotate the stock so that the oldest gets used first.

The form has two columns, one for things to use up, and one for things needed to fill on to make the meal plans.   One of the best ways to manage meat or protein is to buy the so called loss leaders and batch cook.   By using a matrix for your meals, you have a variety and can rotate out the loss leaders. Ideally you find one " meat" a week.   This week I found several.   It just means that I will spend less next couple of weeks.   I got hamburger for just under three dollars a pound,   it was supposed to be twenty percent, but judging from the fat it gave off, I think it was better than that.    I also got two pork tenderloins and a very large pizza.   The pork tenderloins have a bit of longevity on them and I put up seven pounds of hamburger and froze all but the meatloaf that we ate last night.  Mondays meal is pizza.   We cut the pizza in quarters when it comes from the store.   ( it's too big to fit in the oven or the fridge.  We can top it with everyone's preferences and bake as people get home.
I still have chicken in the freezer so we have a variety of meals.


There are some things that I keep one of in  the pantry for a back up.   As soon as we use that item out of the pantry I start looking for a sale.    I just pulled a ketchup, and found it for .80 at ALBERTSONS.  At that cost with summer coming up, I bought two.    Usually, unless I find a better sale, I can buy the same  brand  at the dollar store.

The dollar store has really good cookies.  MADE in AMERICA . That come in a tall skinny tin.  I bought them because the cookies taste good.( chocolate, right! ) and the tins are good storage for makeup brushes and some things in the craft room.   The can is worth a buck.

I have written  over a thousand posts all in the hopes of helping people.   I will do the basics again, but thought by seeing how the mental process works , some people might get a better picture.   All I know is that the process works.  It takes a little time.   But the operative word is little.   I know there are people that find the  time to cook all day.  I know there are people that find the time to clip coupons for forty hours a week.   Most people I know either work outside the home, or are retired and  volunteer and babysit grandchildren and have busy lives.  While this takes time, it doesn't take a lot of time.   Basically, you spend a little more time shopping and preparing for your trip, and less time cooking.  Batch cooking saves a lot of time.   The up shot of this is that you can put a meal together without a lot of effort, and eat more healthy foods.   Also, you never have an empty pantry and are prepared for life as it comes.    And the best part os that you can do it for less than themUSDA stats for thrifty.   I am still at less than seventy five dollars a week, which is about 15 percent below stats for just my husband and I.  We also supplement my daughter and granddaughter.   It's easier that way when I'm cooking already.

I posted information  I had from a spread sheet I found that was done April 2009.   The price differences are remarkable.   A few things haven't changed much, I think chicken may be Lowe, but a lot has really gone up.   I can still put good meals on the table for a five dollar bill.   Obviously, that is not a steak dinner-- but that is good food.   It's done with smart shopping, watching for bargains, and incorporating inexpensive sources of protein for some meals.  

Just some notes?

Jane

TOMORROW S ADS

Tomorrow's ads and smart source.  

The smart source has some really good coupons in it.  Some match with ads now running.  I don't know if using a coupon for hambirger helper works with another coupon or not, but probably
 not. Me personally I would,not buy hambirger helper,but if it made a pound of good hamburger free it might be worth it. Mi can always give the hamburger helper to the food bank.  

• 1.00 off Tillamook cheese and ice cream 
• .75 off hamburger helperb(3) 
• ..50 off Manwich ( it's .80 at ALBERTSONS this week.   Nets 1.10 for two.)
• 1.00 off hummus 

FRED Meyers

• Peppers .77
• Lettuce .99
• Berries 2 lbs 2.98
• Milk .99
• Grapes 2.49
• Oranges .89

Bartells 

Pacific organic soups 2/5.   ( tomato soup add blue cheese and basil, a little milk or cream.  YUM,    

Free tote bag while supplies last@@

About it. 

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Jane 

Going back to 2009.....

I found a meal plan list that was cost out from April 2009.   Complete with grocery list priced out and meals priced for a family of four.   What a difference six years makes !   LOL.

• Pizza ( sausage, cheese, peppers, green salad.   3.21
• Pizza ( chicken,pesto, mushrooms- BLT salad    3.82
• Sausage quiche , French salad.    4.07
• Tomato dill soup. , toasted cheese sandwich, fruit desert.  2.65
• minestrone , cheese biscuits , fruit desert. 4.34
• Pork stirfry.  Rice 2.22
• Pork chops with apple stuffing.  Salad  3.64
• Cheeseburger macaroni, veg sticks.  3.90
• Roast beef a jus sandwiches, salad.   3.54
• Chicken pot pie. 2.93
• Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli, salad.   4.39
• Mac and cheese, broccoli. 2.12
• Stuffed potatoes 3.00
• Fish and chips.  Fruit salad.  5.49

A few comparison prices 

Chili .75

Eggs 1.09

Halibut 2.3

4 lbs ham 2.96

1.3 lbs broccoli 1.03

5 lbs apples 2.69

Diced tomatoes .75

5 baggettes  3.99

Bread .75

Cake mix .75

English muffins 1.00

Pasta .75

Taco shells 1.00

Pizza 2.33

Cheese 4.99/ 5 lbs

Milk 1.89

That's a real eye opener.    

Jane 

After the trip....

We went to SAFEWAYS today..   That's three stores this week.   I got two pork tenderloins,mKe cups, blueberries, pizza and jalapeño corn bread.   I am still under budget for the month.  M Ok, 2.47 a week, but still I'm under.  

Before we went I made up the seven pounds of hambirger that I bought yesterday.   I made

• Crumbles
• Patties
• Meatloaf 
• Meatballs 

While I was doing that, my husband thre a pot of split pea soup on the slow cooker.   I will take some out and fry the ham cubes to put on the rest of it.   

I made meal plans for the next week.    

I'm exhausted, my kegs don't want to work.  But,I don't really have to cook the rest of the week.    

I also cleaned out and rearranged th pantry a bit.    

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Jane

Beat it!

I did go to Hagens,   I bought only things that I had on my list, a little less hamburger and I added some potatoes because we were all out.   My,husband kept a running total on the solar calculator and we spent 50.55 and got ten dollars back.   I then went to ALBERTSONS and got 17.43 worth of sale items.

I In actuality got the following things for .80 each

Ketchup
Canned beans
Pasta sauce
Albacore tuna

There is a pic on Facebook page, janes groceries on the cheap.  

Gremlins did it!

I had a very long post done.  The I pad went screwy ( cockeyed post) and I lost it.   So here goes a shorter version.

SAFEWAYS has chicken for .99 again.  The also have hamburger ( 9 percent) for 3.99.
Berries are 2/4
Oranges .99

Five dollar Friday
Pizza
Pork tenderloin - ( 18-32 ounces) **
Shrimp
Lemon meringues pie
Berries
Cheerios 3/5$$

ALBERTSONS

Grapes 1.68
Apples .99

Buy ten dollars, save two.
Nets each at .80

Pasta sauce
Manwich
Ketchup
BBQ sauce

QFC
This is a two week ad

Berries 2/4
Broccoli .99
Milk 4/5

**. QFC has pork tenderloins BOGO.   They are the same price as SAFEWAYS five dollar Friday, but SAFEWAYS are larger.
Haggens
 There is a coupon for ten dollars  off of fifty dollars.    If you can plan your trip to stay exactly at the fifty dollars, you can make out.   The deal breaker here is the hamburger.   20 percent is 3.69 at Hagens,  It is 3.99 for 9 percent at SAFEWAYS.  We need to do the math.

9 percent hamburger works out to be.  3.99X 1.09 equals  4.35 a pound.
20 percent hamburger works out to be 3.69 X 1.20 equals 4.43.
At this point the nine percent would be the better deal.  But, if you can stay at the fifty dollars, the twenty percent os the deal breaker.

HAGGENS

Apples .89
Berries 2 lb 3.98
Roma's .89
Buns 2/4
Nalleys chili .99@@
Ice cream 2/5
Beans 1.00
C sea albacore tuna 1.00
Veggies , frozen 1.00


You can make out if you plan your trip.   Start with the hamburger and ten pounds.  You can make meatloaf, meatballs.taco meat  and crumbles for pizza, pasta sauce or chili.   Then fill in the things that at .80 would be a good buy and fruits.    Keep a running total and quit at fifty dollars.
That maximizes your trip to make twenty percent off.   Normally, Haggens would not be a good deal. Weeks before the prices were over retail and it was marking up to mark down, netting regular price.

The key is knowing prices of the things you normally buy, not buying expensive garbage like potato chips, and   Buying enough shelf ready and frozen to last you until the next sale.   Shopping two stores and planning your trip.  Plan for the gas consumption.  If you need to shop two different days and tag the trip with other errands.   A little planning saves time in the grocery store and saves a lot of money.   Anything worth doing os worth putting some effort onto it.

   I was in the rehab for a month.   My daughter cooked out of the pantry.   It saved a lot of time and money.

I also got a coupon for Fred Meyers for ten off of fifty that includes clothes, and  household items.  Maybe plants?  

Thanks for stopping by.
please share ever follow.
Jane

Shopping trip

The biggest thing about shopping and saving money is not to buy junk food and not to fall into the impulse buy trap.  Stores work hard to tempt you into impulse buys.    It's not by accident that they put kids treats right as you walk in the door.  


I did go to Fred Meyers yesterday after we volunteered to fill food bags for kids.   I bought fruits and dairy products  because that's all we needed.     The easter candy was 75 percent off,so I did buy a .30 Easter egg.    Total 28.00.  

Meal plans are another way to beat the high cost of food.   Having a plan, even I'd you deviate from the plan is always good.    I like to do prep work early in the day .  We don't get the family together until seven o'clock.  By that time my get up and go has got up and went, so ot is harder to stay on the plan.  

Yesterday we had chicken pot pot  using my homemade soup base mix and bisquick recipe.    I finished off the meal with a fruit cup of fresh fruit.  

We had fish and chips Saturday and meatloaf on Friday.  

My meal plan matrix is a good way to make meal planning easy.  Your matrix may be different, but having one simplifies the process.

2 chicken or pork
2 beef
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish.  

Before my daughter switched back to being a full vegetarian. That meant that I could cook one meal five out of the seven days.   Now, she cooks her own, but that means I have double dishes to wash.  
Tex mex helps. It stretches the beef and can be adjusted to accommodate vegetarian without extra work.  I can also make split pea  soup and  just add fried ham to ours.  Everybody eats fish.

The cost of food is slowly rising, despite the claim that some stores are lowering prices.   Our insurance bills are rising as well.   The COL raise for social security was a joke.   Insurance costs have taken more than all of it.   LOL.   I am still maintaining a 75.00 a week food budget and have a full pantry and freezer.  Basicly that means that we are eating less than seventy five dollars a week in food.   The USDA stats are 84.90 for just my husband and me.

We eat well.  We do not eat organic all the time, nor do we eat food made my Martians on an obscure planet.    LOL.  We just eat real food, the less processed mixes the better.   When it is practical, I make my own bisquick and soup bases.   I was getting soup bases for free.   It made more sense in the scheme of things for us to use them while we could.  

Life changes.   Stores change.  Groceries on the cheap means you have to be flexible and contine the quest to find good food cheap-- not cheap food.  

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Jane

Fred Meyers - ad

 Fred Meyers ad totes that they have new low prices.  I'm. It seeing many lower prices.  

Cantaloupe .39
Pork loin 1.88
Butter 1.88
Broccoli .99
Apples .99
 Yoplait 10/5
Pasta sauce .89.   I would rather have .80.  

Eggs 4/5@@
Ice cream - Tillamook 2/6
Red vines 5.99
Pears .88

That's about it.  

I would caution not to buy bags of fruits .  I have found several times lately at different stores that there were all or many that were bad.    you are better off licking your own,  


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Jane

Yay!

We went to Winco today.  Most ofmthemfrodge ads don't have enough good buys this week to tempt me,   QFC and FM have chicken cheap and berries continue to be a good buy.  

My  husband asked at Winco and they told him that Edmonds  was the,next town to get a Winco.  
I'm sure glad.   It's a long ways up there.   Today we went to a scrapbook place forst and got lost so ot took us a while and a phone call to find it.  

Oranges amd strawberries were a good price.  I got hamburger, about average for the good stuff.  I like their whole wheat pita bread and their hummus is really a reasonable price.   Beer is a really good buy, about the cheapest we have seen.  

I am still more than in budget.  

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Jane

Specials

Bartells had some sales.   They had Colgate toothpaste for 5/5.   They had some tubes that had extra product in them.    I am all set for a trip to the women's shelter.  

They had deodorant on sale.  According to the paper it worked for a coupon, but it wasn't there when I got to the store.   I did find my russet stovers sugar free candy  1.19.   It's two dollars and up usually and they had a wide variety of flavors.  

Fred Meyers has chicken for .88'a pound.   They has grapes on sale,but they didn't look too good.  
Milk was a buck with an in ad coupon.    Also orange  juice and chocolate milk.  

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Jane

Fridays trip

Yesterday we went to the dollar store and SAFEWAYS.  There was the deli Pozza on five dollar Fridays.   I bought fresh berries, but other than that I just bought what I needed for our part of Easter dinner.  

We made pizzas last night and have enough left for lunches.  
I cut the pizza in quarters so ot would for on the oven and fridge.  
I topped each differently and added more cheese.  

• Ham and red peppers ( bought in sale for fifty cents and chopped and frozen,   ) 
• Buffalo chicken, ( chicken from my daughters southwest chop salad that she had put on the side.  ) 
• Pepperoni ( .50 a package with coupon ) 
• Cheese and pesto with black olives.   

Ham cubes were five dollars a package.   You can add ham to a lot of things for protein.   

Egg omlettes, split pea soups loaded baked potato soup, chefs salad, pizzas, sandwiches,   

Just some notes .   

Please share and follow.    

Jane 

Not chicken dinner.

We had Mac and cheese and mixed veggies for dinner last night,   I made white sauce from a mix I made myself and added bits of cheese from the cheese drawer and cooked  added fiber pasta and a bread crumb and parsley topping with parm.   Added frozen mixed veggies .

The pasta was on sale for .69 and I had a coupon for .55 off two.   Net .42 and I used 3/4 of a package.   .(31.) The  mix was a pantry item as well as the breadcrumbs that were made from free bread I got from the bakery outlet and parsley.   We ised 1/2 a bag of veggies I got for .79 (.40) .  I used two partial bags of cheese ( with pesto ) from the grocery outlet and a couple more handfuls from the 2.21 a pound cheese from Costco wholesale.    2.50.   Total cost 3.21.  

Now, if you had bought cheese for 9.00 a two pound Block, and pasta for 1.59, and 2.40 a box bread crumbs.......you get the point,   The food would have been the same but the cost would have at least doubled.  

Yesterday I planned our grocery trip.  I added a couple of things that were unadvertised and good buys,   I spent 25.00

I got
A 2 lb brick of Tillamook cheese.
2 - boxes of rice crispies
2- boxes of high fiber pasta
1 box of ritz crackers
1 pie
2 packages of pepperoni
1 carton ice cream
2 lbs strawberries
2 wrap sandwiches.
2 - 2 lb bags frozen potatoes.


That is  far from a weeks groceroes, but a lot of food for my buck.  I used coupoms whenever I could.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cream-soup-mix

That's how you stretch a buck on groceries,

• Study the ads and plan your trip.  
• Match coupons to as much as possible purchasing only what you will eat.   
• Work around what's in season and on sale to plan meals.   
• Stock so that of there are no really good sales on a given week you can just buy the perishables you need to fill in meal plans.   I can usually sale the dairy, staples and meat and buy the best quality for the least price  of produce on season and use frozen to sub if I need to.    

Thanks

Jane 

QFC

I did go to QFC after a quick trip to the goodwill.  I found my favorite brand of pants, brand new .  It was seniors day so I got another twenty percent off.   Also a couple of books on knotting and healthy cooking and an outfit for grandbaby.  

QFC netted us a 52 percent savings per their calculations,   I used about six dollars in coupons and bought ten fifty cent off items.    In addition pepperoni was a buck for one and I had a dollar off two coupon.   Nets BOGO.    I had coupons for almost everything I bought and everything was a good buy.   I did buy rice crispies  so we could make Easter treats.  

Taking advantage of sales and discounts helps you live a better quality of life than your income may allow.

The ads

ALBERTSONS

Spiral ham 1.99
Strawberries 2.99
BREYERS, Klondike bars 2/5
Butter 1.99@@
Canned vegetables 2/1@@
Good ground beef  3.99@@


SAFEWAYS

Strawberries 2.99
Pineapple z2/5
Salad 2/5
Dreyers2.79
Milk 2/5

Five dollar Friday

Pudding ring 2/5
Black or blues  2/5
Pizza , deli
Ice cream 2/5

HAGGENS

10.00 off fifty coupon

Spiral ham 3.99
Spiral ham HORMEL 1.99

Pineapple 2/4
Broccoli 1.00
Strawberries 3.98
Cream soup .99@
Romaine hearts 2.49 (3)
Green beans 2.49
Butter 3.99

QFC

HORMEL spiral ham 1.88
Sirloin tip roast 3.99
Strawberries 1,88
Asparagus 1,99
Cheese 5.99
Green beans 1.99
Oranges .99
Blues 2/7
Eggs 2.49
Cr mushroom 1.00

Buy 10, save 5. Net costs.

Pasta .69$$
Ritz 1.99$$
Butter1.99**frozen potatoes 2.49$$

Notes :  
$$ means there are coupons out there.  You can really score.   Also note that while Haggens has a coupon for effectively twenty percent off if you carefully spend only fifty dollars, the prices are as much as a dollar more on a lot of things.   Butter is 3.99.   It's 1.99 at QFC.  Frozen potatoes are 2.99 at Haggens, 2.49 at QFC.   Homeless ham is 1.88 at AFC, 1.99 at HAGGENS.  

Over the fifty dollars, I don't think you would be money ahead. Mi had a hard time last week spending twenty dollars buying the things that were the same price or lower at Haggens.  

There are new coupons on coupons.com .  You snooze, you loose.   Big ones go fast,

@@means that there is an in ad coupon.  

That's about all I have.

Remember to bring your ad, your coupons , and your list.  
Watch for unadvertised specials on the things on your target list.  
Be flexible.   If asparagus is too expensive or looks bad, try green beans. Etc.  

Happy shopping.!  


Jane

Coupon mania!

I just went to QFC.    My object was to get real food for the least amount I could.  It's  a game.  
My savings were 56 percent and I bought a bag if Easter grass for granddaughters Easter baskets for her class.  

I made baskets complete with Minnie Mouse and egg stickers and I have grass, chocolate that looks like carrots, plastic Easter eggs with candy eggs to fill them and a magnifying glass.   I didn't want to get them erasers, they might think they were candy and they are too young and I thought the teacher might kill me if I bought them my first choice which was whistles.  

I digress.  

I got 4 barilla pastas, 2 orzo and 2 white fiber shells. .69 and used two .55 coupons.  
I got 2 butters marked 5.29 for 1.99 each
I got two cheese goldfish packages ( great for on soup or instead of croutons on salad.  .99
I got two ore- Ida frozen potato packages for 2.49 and used a dollar coupon.  

That totaled my ten units.  

I am not by any means an extreme couponer.  But, I only buy what we will use and I don't spend forty hours a week doing it.    My tally for the first three months this  year is 75.00 a week assuming that there are 4.0 weeks in a month.  That's for four of us and I have a stock built.   We didn't eat 75.00 a week.  

The scoop on grocery stores in the area.

Ok.  Here is the latest.    Hagens bought out SAFEWAYS and ALBERTSONS.   Some of the SAFEWAYS  were turned into Hagens.  Some ALBERTSONS have become SAFEWAYS, and some SAFEWAYS and ALBERTSONS are left as they were.   Bottom line is that we have two companies controlling the chain stores.   Hagens and Kroger.  Winco is another.   They are not in our area, I think everett is the closest and we are hoping for one in Edmonds.   The location is convenient for the group of small towns in our area, , Shoreline, Edmomds, Mountkake Terrace and Lynnwood.

Then  we have the off price stores like big Lots, and grocery outlet.  They are not full service grocery stores, but have good buys on real food.   Warehouse stores , Costco and SAMs club.  .    And, what I'll call the princess stores, trader joes, whole foods, PCC -- for those with discerning taste , a appetite for speciality foods, and a whole lot of money to spend.  

The basis of this blog is supposed to be feeding nutritious food to families that have or want to feed their families on a budget.   Therefore, I deal mainly with the chain stores and off price  stores.

Fred Meyer ads
ham. 1.77
Butter 2/4@@
Strawberries 1.88
Dryers 2/5@@
Starbucks k cups 5.99@@$$
Sour cream, cottage cheese .99@@
4 lbs sugar 3/5@@
Best Foods 2/5@@
Fred Meyer vegetables .59
Fm frozen veggies .79@@
Cream od mushroom soup .79@@
Pie 2.99
Oranges .79

Smart source has a dollar off cheese coupon.
A dollar off any boxed potatoes--Betty Crocker
.50 off maxwell house coffee
1.00 off 2  Ore-Ida potatoes - I'm noting the buy 10 save five at QFC.


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Jane

ALBERTSONS

Today we went to ALBERTSONS. I spent less than  twenty dollars and got mostly canned goods that were real food.   My husband picked up a can of enchalada sauce for me when I didn't have time to make ot from scratch.    It was 2.59.    ALBERTSONS had it for .50.    We had chicken enchiladas for dinner tonight. I just used black beans instead of chicken for the girls.   .
The tomato sauce that os 1.50 at Haggens was a quarter.    I got a cucumber, but they had no lettuce.
Bite sized muffins ( 11 carbs) were BOGO.

I have  averaged seventy five dollars a week for the past quarter.    That is somewhat below the thrifty figure for my,husband and I and we supplement the girls.

The ads

QFC

Chuck roast 3.99
Strawberries 2/5
Pears .99
Ham 1.88, spiral cut


Buy 10 save 5
Prices are net

Barilla pasta .69
Dryers 2.99
Butter 1.99
Ritz 1.99$$
Frozen potatoes 2.49


Eggs 1.79
Apples .99
M and M s  2/6$$

SAFEWAYS

Strawberries 1.99
Half pork loin 1.99
Cake mix 1.00
Berries 2/5
Salad 4/5
Coffee 5.00

Haggen
Strawberries 2.00
Sugar 1.99
Ham 1.99
Tomatoes 1.49
Flour 2/5
Haggen beans, tomatoes, veggies 15/10
Cheese 6.99

ALBERTSONS
Ham 1.99

Quarters sale
Tomato sauce .25
Pudding 1.00
Cake mix 1.00
Enchalada sauce .50
Onions .25 lb
Berries 2/6
Cukes .75
Tomatoes 1.00
Salad 1.00


That's about all.   There is no one store that stands out!   QFC has good buys.   I like the canned goods sale at Haggens.  I don't need anything, but I would go for that if I did.    ALBERTSONS has the quarter sale on and it stands out.  As does five dollar coffee at SAFEWAYS.  

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Jane

Coupons I didn't find until too late.

I missed two coupons is week that I should have found, but didn't.   The pasta one appeared in my e mail is morning,  if I get near Freddie's,I  will pick it up.  Pasta has a very long shelf life , don't believe the pull dates on the package.  

Barilla pasta is .79 with an in ad coupon.   You can doubke dip or stack a store coupon with a manufacturers coupon.   Grocerycoupon cart.com has a coupon for a dollar off of four.   That nets .55 each and they have high fiber.  

There are coupons for .40 off six yoplaits on coupons.com .   Yoplait is .25 for up to ten at Hagens.  
Six times .25 is 1.50  less .40 is 1.10 for six .  

.  

Fred Meyers

I was out and about to a craft store to see about supplies.  I am looking for one particular thing.   We went to big lots.  I found facial tissue in larger boxes for cheaper than the dollar store.

Fred Meyers has chicken for .88.  Also grapes and ice  cream cheap.   They also have a coupon in the flyer for pasta for .79 including extra fiber.    Apples were also cheap as well as pears.   Cottage cheese was 4/5.  

Notes on Friday

Believe it or not, I'm not going shopping today.  I have been posting a lot on shopping and ads lately.   Basically because that's where it all starts.  Economical meals have to start with  economical food.m

 A lot if changes are going on here,  Grocery stores around here are coming and going,   Prices are steadily going up mostly.   Haggens has replace some of the SAFEWAYS.  That is not a good sign for economical shoppers.  I am hoping Winco goes into the top foods building soon.  That will even out the field.    Coffee is the latest thing to take a huge jump.   We were getting it for five something.   Now it's 10.99.   I did find it for 6.49 at ALBERTSONS yesterday on a buy five save five.   You have to buy five of a list of things, mix and match.   Fortunately there is usually a buck thing that is believable,    I got tomatoes, salsa, coffee, salad dressing.   Salad dressing was 1.49 and I had a buck coupon off two.   That made my salad dressing .75.   It was Kraft.  

We eat a lot of tex mex.  It's healthy, makes even the vegetarians happy, and easy to cook and cheap.   A good combination of values.

Now that we have shopped, we need to meal plan.    I can still make five  dollar dinners.   That's five dollars for the dinner, not each plate.    This is supposed to be for the proverbial family of four-- two adults and two school aged kids.    We have three adults and a toddler.   I'm thinking about the same amount of food.  

Comparing even three years ago's  meals and the meals of today there is quite a difference,  it's rolling with the lunches if higher food prices.   No surprise that meat and cheese have skyrocketed,   I can still get cheese fairly reasonable by getting five pound bags at Costco wholesale and watching sales.   I buy blocks whether we are out or not.  Cheese gets better with age and we use it fast.   Meat is getting harder and harder.    Five dollars a pound for what we call the cheap stuff.    I can still get chicken cheap.   I did get pork tenderloin for five bucks a couple of weeks ago.  

This week, I bought no orotein,   I have a stash in the freezer and nothing was a good enough price.   I did get chili for a buck a can and yogurt for a quarter.   I had forty cent coupons for six.    Score!  
Cereal with  protein was a buck at big lots.   Also at grocery outlet.  

I digress.  Meal Plans .

• Scrambled eggs, pancakes, yogurt parfaits.  ( yogurt, berries, granola) 
• Spaghetti, pasta sauce, parm, green salad, homemade French bread.   Pudding.   
• Chicken enchiladas, rice, beans.   Lettuce, tomatoes.  
• Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, cut broccoli , salad 
• Tuna melts, tomato soup
• Pork stir-fry with left over pork cubes, stir fry veggies, top ramen noodles ( no packet) , oranges.  
• Sloppy joes, French fries, carrot and celery sticks.   

Note: sloppy joes are with scratch sauce, buns were free from the bakery outlet, and French fries were a buck on sale in January.   It pays  to stock when prices are low.   It still makes the beef meal more pricey.   This is offset my a couple of meals that were under the five dollars.   I would prefer two beef meals because I think we need the iron.   I found chuck roast for four dollars a pound last week.  You can grind it and make your own hamburger.   I know where a mind would go with that, " just eat the roast."   But, you will find that you will eat more poundage of the roast than if it were stretched in a sloppy joe or pasta sauce, or on tacos .   Still, every,now and then, we have to splurge in a real hunk if meat!    LOL.   

If you are having a meal that seem to skimp a bit on the protein, make a desert or appetizer that compensates.   Like cheese and crackers, or pudding.    

Pizza is also a great five dollar or less dinner that goes well with everyone,  save bits and snatches of things that go in pizza as you are cooking other meals.   Freeze them.   Top a cheap pizza or make crust from scratch,   It's easier than you think.  See prior post for pizza crust with the food processor.   

When take and bake is five dollars at SAFEWAYS, it would feed two meals.  Just add your extra toppings.    I buy red peppers  when they are cheap and chop and  freeze them.  You can out the. Directly on the pizza from the freezer.   I buy canned sliced olives when I find them for fifty cents.  They are cheaper and less work than slicing them from a can of whole olives.   Costco is still the cheapest in sausage I have found.   Pepperoni when you can find it at the dollar store with a coupon is .50.  Made in America!   

Pasta is always on sale somewhere.   You can almost always find coupons,  with imagination, even the coupons that are for specialty pasta work without buying expensive whole wheat pasta.   I checked.   Whole wheat pasta takes longer to cook, has more carbs than some other pasta, and in my opinion tastes nasty!   If you get white pasta with fiber, it has less carbs than whole wheat.   The fiber is what makes it hit your bloodstream slower.   I also bought pasta with veggies in it.  They( family)  never knew the difference!    

I got eggs for 2/3 this week.  I had been getting the. 4/5.   I suspect Fred Meyers will do that again, but now I'm  set for another month or so.   We will probably need to have breakfast for dinner once a week for a while to manage the pull dates.    

About Wednesday, I clean the fridge and make an attempt to use anything that is on the edge.  It's a good time for a stir fry or fried rice.   

Guess that's all for now. 

Thanks for stopping by 

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Jane 

Albertsons and Big Lots

Today we went to ALBERTSONS and Big Lots .    I was disappointed with Bog Lots.  There was a big  sign in a new freezer section announcing that they now take SNAP..   Everything in the freezer section was over priced that I compared.   I bought very few things.  They had a couple of bags of sugar free mints.   They had cereal  with extra protein for a dollar that I didn't buy, and they had pudding for a buck.   I have found good buys in the food section before, but had in luck this time.

ALBERTSONS netted eggs for 2/3.  I haven't found an egg sale for weeks.   There were a bunch if five off five things on sale,   The best being salad dressing  that I had a coupon for ( nets .75) for Kraft.   , coffee for 6.49, and salsa for a buck,

I haven't found a good meat sale for several weeks now.    We had fish tonight.
guess that's all.

Jane

Hagens

We went to Hagens today.  There  was a coupon in the flyer as an addition .   It had Yoplait for .25 limit twelve,    I have coupons too, but have used them.   Coupons,com has forty cent  coupons for six  of them and you can print two.  

I just bought things that were cheaper or the same price as my RBP.    I spent twenty dollars and a few cents.  

Honestly, they are up there in my list with Whole Foods , PCC, and Trader Joes.    Everything else was about 10 percent higher than the regular price in other stores.  


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Holy Cow!

My daughter went to PCC to get a special sugar substitute she wanted.   I asked her o pick up a bag if frozen stir fry vegetables .   holy cow!  10 ounces if stir fry veggies were almost three dollars!    I then glance thre the flyer she brought home,  mind you, these are to specials.   I think I'm in shock and I discovered how you could spend almost eight thousand dollars a year on food per person.  LOL.

Three dollars for a green pepper!    They area.69 at Fred Meyers this week If I'm not mistaken,   Tomatoes 3.99.   Asparagus.   4.99 a pound.    I thought it was high at 169.  

Needless to say, I was just reminded of why I don't shop at PCC.    Most of the items  listed on their flyer were  food  that sounded like ot could come from another planet!   LOL.  

   Never the less, I managed to make A close to five dollar dinner .  

Pieces of pork tenderloin leftover   1.25
1/2 box of tomato spaghetti. .40 ( bought in sale with coupon)
Mixed veggies 2.50.  
Cashew .50
2T basil pesto  ( 2.00 a jar  at Bartells ) .40

$5.05. For four people.  .  


Note, if the stir fry veggies were from QFC accross the street from PCC, they would have been about half of that price.

The tomato pasta was good and not terrible carb wise becausemthmvegetabkes and the meat took up most of the volume.  

There are still good dinners for five dollars.    I am basing  my five dollar dinners on a typical family of four-- two adults and two school aged children.   We are three adults  and one small child.  Probably comparable.   This won't feed teen age boys.   But, teen ate boys would warrant more money from snap.   The USDA stats are broken down into four monetary groups and age groups.   Then they adjust for your part of the country.   We are lucky enough to have three major chains close by and two more in next towns ( within five miles ) . Also, Costco, big lots, grocery outlet, and Winco in neighboring towns,    

The best trick for lowering your food bill is to know your prices, shop more than one store, and never pay full price .   Buy low and eat when the item is higher priced.   Dairy and eggs have a far out pull date.    Buy them on sale .   I'm running low on eggs, waiting for another sale. I misjudged.   Vegetables and fruit I buy whatever is in sale the cheapest in season.    We have a farmers market,the real kind, and can buy from them.   We also have a farmers market, I call the social kind that has jewelry, food, flowers etc.  It's fun,but not the place to go if you are serious about good  cheap food.
I want to pay a buck a pound for tomatoes, not five dollars a pound.  

Many people have the means to pay any price they want for food.   If you are able to do that, more power to you.  Everyone has to do what they think is best for their family.    If you are on a tight budget and can stay hime all day and cook everything from scratch, go for it.   Many of us either don't  choose to do that, or don't have the luxury of staying home, if you can call it that!  

This blog is assuming you are on snap and maybe part of the working poor, maybe not.   Everyone can benefit from tips and recipes, but I don't want to loose sight if the reason I started this blog in the first place.   I'm not going to tout that I can feed my family in a hundred dollars a month. That would not be realistic.   And, you can't probably do a five  dollar dinner in New York City either.   You can ,however, take the premise of shopping on the cheap and tailor ot to your situation and needs.   I studied  a lot of comcepts through the years.  Tried a lot, amd came up with a plan that works.   It doesn't take spending all day in the kitchen, your shopping time after organization is probably,no more than Anyone  else with a family, and there is always food in the pantry.  

Basically

• Never pay full price 
• Like playing the stock market, buy low, and  eat when prices are high
• Shop at least two stores, plan your trip to not waste gas.   
• Keep a stock of non perishables .   
• Buy perishable on sale and in season.   Use up before they go bad.   
• Plan meals from what is in your pantry and fridge and what's in sale after you shop.  
• Design a matrix of meal plans that works for your family 
• Buy one meat or protein that is on a RBP a week and buy enough to feed your family that meal for the designated times a month.   Rotate meats and meals.  My cook once,meat many times.   Saves time and money.   

Thanks for stopping by.   

Please feel free to comment or ask questions.  

Please share and follow 

Jane 

Grams Apple custard pie

10 inch pie plate , greased

Fill with 4 cups apples, sliced.
3/4 c sugar
Cinnamon

Stir together in separate bowl
3/4 cup 1/2 and 1/2
1/2 cup bisquick
2 eggs
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sour cream.  


Pour over apples.
Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  

Freddie's

Fred Meyer ad is here for tomorrow.  

Snack crackers 3/5@@
Apples .89
Brisket, corned beef, point cut 2.99
Cheese 5.99@@orowheat bread or English muffins 1.88@@
Ground turkey.  3.99@@
Berries 2/5
Cukes .59
Nalley chili .99@@

That's about it.  

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Buy five save five

I see coupon mania here.

Classic pasta sauce in jars is a buck.
Freshetta pizza is 3.49
Speed stick gear deodorant 2.49 coupon for 2.00 makes it .49.plus BOGO coupon makes it .49 for two.  
Cascade action packs 3.99 coupon 1.00. Nets 2.99
Tide 4.99. Less coupons .50 for one, 1.00 for two or 200 for three


Back when I see the results.

Ok. I'm back.  I got deodorant for .25 each.  Regular proce 3.49.   They marked it on buy 5 for 2.49.  I had a two dollar coupon and a BOGO coupon.   That made two deodorants  a total of .49.   SCORE,


I got high-fiber pasta for a dollar. It is less carbs than a whole wheat pasta and tastes a lot better and is easier to cook.

Gel tablets for the dishwasher for 499-250 savings by this a dollar coupon made them  1.50 for 20.

Tide  laundry detergent enough  to wash 32 loads was six dollars -2 dollars for the big event plus a dollar coupon made it three dollars.

My total bill was 53 percent off and DH bought lefse, milk, and bread not on sale.  

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Jane

The weekly ads.

We have gone from two ads earlier in the month to four ads.  

The first matter of business this week is corned beef briskit because Tuesday is St. Patricks day.  

SAFEWAYS

I have a three dollars off twenty coupon on my just 4 you.

Five dollar Friday
Grapes (2 lbs)
Pizza ( take n bake )
Ground turkey (2 lbs)
Ice cream 2/5
Brownie mix 5/5

Corned beef brisket flats 3.99
Strawberries 2/4
Corned beef points 2.99

ALBERTSONS
Bacon 1.99@@
Tillamook 3/1@@
Grapes 1.88
Coupons
Ice cream 2/5
Skippy peanut butter 3/5


QFC ( two weeks)

Buy 5,save 5 ( net costs) you can also use coupons with these )
Pasta sauce ( glass) .99
Freshetta pizza 3.49
Bacon 3.99
Sliced cheese 2.49
Gear deodorant 2.49
Dishwasher action packs 3.99
Tide 4.99


Tomatoes 2/5


Hagens
10 lbs potatoes  1.49@@
Milk 1.99@@
15 percent hamburger 2.99@@
Corned beef 2.99
Pro wheat bread 1.99
Freshetta 3.99

That's about it.

Thanks for stopping by
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Jane

Just some notes

Just some notes.

Kindle has free downloadable books.  There  is also an app  for other readers that allows you to download kindle.  I downloaded several eat cheap type recipe books yesterday.   So,e have alternative ingredients, some regular ones.   Alternative ingredients are those that you might find at the specialty stores..

I found it interesting that another blogger came to the same conclusion I have been toting for years.   She bought 4 bags of food at SAFEWAYS for forty dollars.   She was next to someone at trader joys that paid almost two hundred dollars for four bags.   Now, she didn't list the things bought at trader joes,no that isn't exactly a scientific comparison.   I went to trader joes once.   I found a box of strawberries, overpriced, but gorgeous strawberries and a basil plant that was a good price.   Period.

Buying groceroes in the cheap and balancing a speciality diet for health concerns is not an easy task.  Often times, your budget or snap does not take onto consideration you need to eat a speciality diet.   I think it can be done and I am about to embark on a journey to find out how.   I have been realitively good, but the doctor says I need to be better.   For below the normal stats.   I, sharing this because there are other people that need to eat on the cheap, that still want to eat well, but have limited resources.   When the wealth of the country is broken down, there are  a lot of us that are living near the poverty level.

We had a realistic retirement plan.m not over the top, but realistic.  We did not plan on helping adult children, nor did we plan on medical taking a third of our income.   I am thankful my mother taught us by example how to make the most of a grocery budget.   By adding an education gleamed by reading everything I could find to read, I came up with a plan.

Groceries on the cheap came about when I was asked to teach someone how to make their snap dollars stretch to cover the months groceries.  My,children said I should start a blog and teach more than the one person.  I was hearing of a lot of people on snap that were running out of money before they ran out of month.   With snap allotments being cut and grocery prices on the rise, the problem
was getting bigger.

No child should have to suffer the stress of having nothing in the pantry at the end of the month.  Basicly, not knowing where the next meal is coming from.  And, no child should  be eating top ramen and potato chips for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I went threw a period of time when I was a single mother without the benefit of much child support and without the benefit of welfare.  Most of my income was spent on childcare and rent.   There was very little left for insurance, utilities and discressionary spending -- food, gas, haircuts, clothes etc.
I had to make it.   I read everything I could get my hands on before the days of Internet and augmented what I learned from my mother.  I have developed a plan that works.    I'm sharing the plan for free!   I don't make money off this like others do.  My motivation is to help people love better for less.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

I see Asparagis, It must be SPRING!

Fred Meyer ads this week are featuring asparagus!    At 1.69 a pound....ugh!  

Chuck Pot Roast is 3.99
Hamburger ( good stuff) is 4.99.

Green onions or radishes are 2/1
Red Baron pizza 3/10
Frozen veggies are a buck
Oranges .69
Milk .99@@

Note QFC has the same price on milk without a coupon.   Also chocolate milk and oj

When boneless chuck is in sale for 3.99 it's cheaper to grind your own hamburger.  

I love radishes oven roasted with potatoes and carrots.  

No one store has the best prices.   If you are shopping at one store, you are not getting the best prices.  Of that's ok for you and you are pressed for time, that's ok.  Just know that if you need rock bottom prices, one store is,not going to cut it.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please,share and follow.  

Jane

How to read a barcode.

Ot seems the origins of the food we eat are not always specified on the label.   One way to know where our food is to know how to read the bar codes.

Now, that being said, I had a long discussion with the USDA and the FDA regarding made in China  food.   The FDA has monitors that oversee the standards on food in factories that goes to the US.   Charity, as my mother would say, begins at home.   We need to have more options to buy American.

I digress.   How to read a bar code

Begins with

690-692.  China
47 1. Taiwan
00-09  USA and Canada
30-37. France
40-44 Germany
49 Japan
50 UK


I though that was very interesting.  

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Jane

The ads

Here are the ads.  It's a mixed bags no one has a lot of great buys.  

Haggens, shoreline
grapes 1.98
Oranges 1.29
Apples .59
White albacore tuna .99@@
Orzo wheat bread 1.99@@
Cheese. 7.99***
Roma's 1.29
Dreyers 2/5@@
Free 1 lb bananas @@
Eggs .99@@


SAFEWAYS

Grapes 1.99
Oranges .99
Tomatoes 1.99
Chicken .88
Five dollar Friday
Strawberries2 lb
Cheerios  . 3/5$$

QFC

Berries 2/5
Chicken .99
Milk .99
Cheese  5.99**
Pie 2.99
Tomatoes 1.99


ALBERTSONS
Strawberries 2 lbs  3.99
Cinnamon rolls BOGO
Butter 1,99@@
Cheese 5.99@@


That's about all.  Note the prices of cheese-- all the same brand.  

Getting started-- a repeat post.

It's the start of a  of new month.  I can't believe it is October  already.  The first of each month, I usually go over the basics of groceries on the cheap.  Each time I write off the top of my head, so each one is a little different.

Groceries on the cheap takes a entirely different  approach to buying your food.  Instead of going to the store and buying all your food for a week, you go to two stores and replenish your food supply.  Because you only buy what is at a rock bottom price, you save money.  Or, if you have a male mentality, you spend less money.    I Spend about half of what the normal person does for our family and have done it for years.  

It takes a little planning at the beginning, but once you get yourself set up, you will probably spend less time than before.  Some of these things you probably already do automatically.  It's a matter of jotting them down on paper.  

Let's get started.  

1) write down the inexpensive sources of protein your  family will eat.  Do try new foods and expand your variety if foods.  My mother never cooked pork.  I first cooked it after I was married.  In our house that would be some beef, pork, chicken, eggs, cheese, beans and rice.  

2) write down  7-14 meals your family ears that use these protein sources.  

3) write down the key non perishable ingredients that you use to cook these meals.  Most families will have a list of ten or so items.  These are your stock items.  

4) track your stock items.  You can use a small notebook from the dollar store, or a spread sheet n the computer.  You want to identify the name of the item, the size of the package , the date, store, and amount  you paid for the item.  Odd you use a coupon!?   

5) when you find the rock bottom price ( I call it my target price) , buy 

A) as many as you can afford

B) as many as the store will let you buy ( limit) 

Or C) as many as you need to fill in your stock.  

Stores operate on a eight to twelve week cycle for sales.  If I use something once a week, I keep 24 max.  If I use it once a month, I keep 6.  For things like catsup, mayo and mustard, I keep one on hand.  When I open my back up, in start looking for a sale.  I found catsup for .80 this week, so I bought two.  

You never want to get stuck having to pay full price.  

When the ads come out.  I start  with a piece of computer paper, preferably  out of the recycle bin.  

I mark it off in quarters.  

Now, I write down the things on sale that are on my stock list and are rock bottom prices.  

Ditto the produce that is on season and the cheapest prices that I can use to fill out my meals.  

Dairy is next .  And a protein source that is at a rock  bottom price that I can batch cook.  

Cross off anything you don't need to stock, anything that is cheaper at a different store.  Now pick the top two stores.  Picking two stores gives you the best chance to effectively buy the best produce and take advantage of the sales.  Plan your trip with other errands to make the best use of your gas.  If your stores are far apart, split the shopping to piggy back the trip on your way home from other errands.  

If you buy a protein at a rock bottom price and buy bulk, batch cook it and portion it on meal sized containers, you will have less waste and cook more efficiently with less clean up.  Stores rotate their meat bargains.  Buy the bargain, and buy enough for a meal a week for the month.  By working on a four week cycle, you can have variety and spend less doing it.  This week, SAFEWAYS has chicken for a buck.  Next week I might find hamburger or pork loin or sausage.  

When you get home from the store, make out your meal plans for the week.  I just write down the main dish.  The rest of it takes care of itself.  I usually try for an easy dish the days I have the late shift.  You don't have to be rigid and follow the plan to a t.  Just have a plan.  Without a plan, it is too 

easy for the order pizza gremlins to rear they ugly head!   

Next time : the shopping trip

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Jane