Meal plans

I need to do another week of meal plans.    Taking you along with the thought prices might help those that are overwhelmed with the idea.   If you have money to burn, it's not hard to think of what you would like to eat and go buy it.   On a limited budget, it can be a daunting task.  

First, take inventory.    If you have been stocking, you should have a variety of meat in the freezer.  
My meat inventory is up to par  now, but only because I restocked this month- a lot.    The rest of the food is at higher levels because We used rebate money to buy bulk.

One note:  purging a pantry needs to be coupled with some common  sense.   Pull dates are arbitrary dates manufacturers put on food.    We waste , according some accounts , half our food on the United States.  
Probably because people, or their children go in and blindly toss food.    Cade on point,   I have about four Suddenly salads that are right in the edge of they'll date.   Think about it, pasta has a eight year shelf life and the rest of the kit is a packet of herbs.   Herbs  might loose their  potency, but they don't go bad.    Nothing magically goes bad a day after the pull date.   I eat anything within a month.   I can't  tell others what to do-- that's their call.    We are eating salad in the next few weeks.  

So, we have :
The usual fresh veggies and fruit minus the carrots that I froze this week.

1. Radishes, lettuce, grapes, apples. Bananas, cantaloupe, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries.  
2. Frozen veggies.   

We have 

1. Pork roast, chops, cubes 
2. Chicken thighs cooked, chicken breast- raw, amd chicken pieces and stock. 
3. Ground sausage, cooked
4. Ground beef cooked 
5. Meatballs
6. Hambirger patties
7. Hot dogs 
8. Smoked sausage 
9. Beer brats with an end of month pull date ( I do pay attention to those. ) 
10. Cheese , white and yellow 
11. American slices 

Ok, first, we need to start to use up anything that is approaching the pull date or freeze it.   

Take into consideration, any thing that we need to fill in before shopping, and what's a cheap price.    

We are going to get food value from fruit, no matter what we buy , so it only makes sense to buy the fruit in season for the lowest price.   Take into consideration the weather.    You probably don't want chilli on a 80 degree day.  

I usually have a matrix of 

2 vegetarian 

2-3 chicken or pork

1 beef 

1 fish or shellfish

I don't specify which meal gets eaten which day I kess I have to take into consideration our schedule for a particular day.

1. Breakfast for dinner - blueberry pancakes. Yogurt parfaits, bacon.   
2. Cesear salad with shrimp 
3. Sloppy joes , suddenly salad, corn on cob 
4. Pot luck : pasta salad 
5. Tomato soup, toasted cheese 
6. spiced chicken breast ( cooking for two CB) , white bean salad , peppercorn, parm bread 
7. Pork chops on Apple bread dressing with Craisens , green salad ( use leftover bread from last night, cubed) 
8. Buffalo chicken pizza , salad ( use chicken pieces from debonong breast) 

Takes us from Sunday to Sunday.    

I will need 

Bread for cheese sandwiches or sub cheezy biscuits 

Cucumber 

Blue cheese ? 

That's about it.  

Basically, I made a mental note of what to use up amd followed my matrix. 

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis.

 It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.

    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Big lots 20 piece to off everything tomorrow

We  went to the twenty percent off sale at Bog Lots .   We had review privileges today,   I went for female stiff and to look at the food prices.    I got dried onions for .80 as well as marshmallows for .80 and  jalapeño peppers.    They had two bath mats on sale for 13.70.   Blue, roses , and the skoosh of memory foam.....yah, I can dig that.    Ocean spray diet drinks 4/1.60.  

First , we went to grocery outlet.    We really made out, a legit 67 percent off.   Yummy name brand cookies for .99.  Spaghetti for .50 a pound!    Beer brats for a dollar.   (BOGO). Annie's  yogurt 4/.50 that's like .12 each.   Cantaloupe 1.25.  

The little things, not buying a lot that you wouldn't buy anyway.  I got onion flakes because I am going to make some spice rubs and seasoning "mixes" this week.  

It's that little extra effort that means I can feed us on 75 percent of snap money.    We are not in snap, but we spend less and wind up with food in the pantry at the end of the month.  



Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will 

need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 

on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the 

planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Tomorrows Fred Meyers ad

Tomorrows.   Fred Meyer ad

First a bog NOTE:  Sunday's paper has a three dollar off Oxy Clean HD laundry detergent coupon.
The paper so a dollar at the dollar tree.  

Nice Freddie's

Strawberries 1.49
Grapes 1.69
Blues 18 oz 3.99
Zucchini my.99
Radishes 2/1
Broccoli .99


Milk .99@@. In kids chocolate and OJ

Smoked sausage 2/5@@
Kroger beans or tomatoes  2/1@@ limit 6

Just a note heritage farm chicken is Tyson.  


That's about it,  
It's a very skimpy ad.  


Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. 

It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on  sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   
You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

It's just a quarter.

We have all been guilty of .......last week, we didn't go to Fred Meyers.   We needed milk and it would have cost more to drive o Fred Meyers than to pay the extra quarter at QFC a short distance from the house.    That makes sense to me.

But the price comparison we did with my daughters fruit haul was really graphic.   Even though it was fruit that I consider too expensive to buy on a limited budget, the fact that there was a ten percent swing in costs was evident.

Think about this, the fruit was the same,    The average family spends 8000.00 a year on food.   Ten percent of that is 800.00.   That's a chunk of change in my book.    That's the natural gas bill .

We spend less than.1/2 of of the natural average. That's because we buy almost all of our food at 1/2 price and less.   I'm not going to say that it takes no thought or effort.    I make up the extra time I spend planning a trip with cooking efficiently.    Most meals take less than twenty minutes of non- passive time.  We eat a variety of meals and we eat balanced meals.  

The food pyramid has worked for years.   It it ain't broke, don't fix it.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will 

need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 

on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the 

planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Grocery hauls

TodayWe went to Winco and QFC.   I didn't buy much,

Nectarines were about a dollar and corn was .25.  Pork center cut loin was 1.78.  

I compared some produce process from a grocery basket my daughter bought at Costco.    There was a huge difference between Costco and QFC.   Like about ten percent.   Although, I have t temper that with the fact that I wouldn't buy most of those fruits anyway,    On a thrifty budget, they jut aren't practical.    Your breakdown is usually protein, produce, dairy, and starch in that order.  

Last night we had hot dogs and leftover pasta and green bean salads.  

Tonight we are having sausage  with roasted root veggies and French bread,   French bread was 88 at Winco,    Milk was 1.25 at QFC, cheaper than Winco.

I bought hot dog and hambirger buns at Winco for later on the week.  Hamburger buns were. 68 and there is a .25 Ibotta on them.  We will have BBQ this week.  

The oink roast will be cut up into pork chops and enough for a pork roast so webcam have a roast dinner and BBQ pork sandwiches with the leftovers and the hambirger buns.   We can roast so,e potatoes in the oven,  

My rotation meat this week was chicken breasts at Fred Meyers.    I also got a pork roast because it was at my target price.    It just means that I dont have to worry about a rotation next week.mqfc has a two week ad.   That means you could conceivably get chicken breast this week, and okra roast for about the same price next week at QFC.  

To sum up some of the Winco prices that ain't advertised

Nectarines are just under a dollar.
Corn on cob is .25
Speghetti sauce is 1.28
Hunts is .88
Pork roast ( loin center cut ) was 1.78




Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will 

need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 

on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the 

planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Price comparison

 $27.45 at Costco.

My daughter sent me a picture of her grocery cart at Costco.  She and her daughter buy fruit for morning smoothies.    I thought it might be interesting to compare Costco haul with a Winco one.
I will price the same fruit at Winco.

If anyone is up to the challenge, you can price the basket at any other store and comment!  

I'll be back later with the results.

Winco
Watermelon 2.48 each.   4.96
6 mangos .48x6.  2.88
4 avocados 7.92
Blues 6.16 for 2 lbs

Pineapple n/a.  5.99 at QFC

Total 27.91

QFC

Mangos 6.00
Blues 5.99
Pineapple 5.99
Avacado a 7.92
Watermelon 5.00

Total 30.90


In a nutshell.  


Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis.

 It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.

    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

USDA stars

I was researching in my old 1970s cookbook and I found two USDA stars for September 1991 and March 1992.  

The cost of food at home for thrifty then was 46.20 and 47.10 for two adults
The family  cost with two teenagers at that time was 88.00.  I spent fifty and maintained a pantry.

Fast forward twenty five years.... Not that that was fast.  LOL.

The same family sizes would be 168.10. Just about double.  

Our stats for two adults now is 94.27.  add the two girls and it would be 148.10.  We only supplement the girls, and we have a large pantry.  

My yearly total last year was 68.00 a week.  This year it is 63.00 a week.  
The cost of food hasn't gone down, but we have a better variety of stores to choose from.  

We are 33 percent under the USDA stats for thrifty considering my husband and I not considering that I supplement the girls.  

For dollar a day for three of us would be 84.00.  We spend 63.00. Difference is 25 percent less.  

Just a breakdown..... Boring numbers.  

More DIY mixes

I dug  out my old 1970s personal cookbook.   A lot of those  recipes I still use , albeit adapted for more healthy cooking,  

In case no one has noticed, I tend to be middle ofmthemroad when it comes to almost anything.

Homemade croutons

1T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cubed day old bread
Pinch of onion powder

Pour the oil and garlic in an 8 inch baking pan.    Bake at 325 for about three minutes or until the garlic is barely  browned.  

Add bread and onion powder and toss to coat.    Bake another 10 minutes or until the bread is lightly browned, stirring frequently.

I have also done this on the stove top on a skillet.   It is easier for me to watch it while o do other things in the kitchen.

Rice  seasoning mix 

6 T onion flakes
6 T parsley flakes
1 tsp celery salt
2-1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp pepper

Place ingredients in a air tight container,   Shake to mix,   Stores for 3 months. Makes 1-1/2 cups?


 Ranch dressing mix

A lot of recipes call for ranch dressing mix as well as the actual dressing that is a favorite here.  
All ingredients are dried-- found in the slice isle.

1/2 cup parsley flakes
2 T dill leaf
2T garlic powder
2 T onion powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a air tight container.   Shake to mix before use.
Use 1T mix for 1 cup  of a mixture of mayo and sour cream or buttermilk.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. 

It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person. 

  You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking mend by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

The ads

Note : QFC has a two week ad such as it is. It's not too big.

Watermelon , small, or cantaloupe 2/4
Grapes 177 ( the redder the grapes,the more food value they have

Boneless, skinless chicken breast BOGO at 8.00 a pound.   Note that Freddie's has chicken breasts for .88 a pound until next Sunday.

Milk 4/5
Boneless pork half loin 1.77
Green bans 1.49


Alberways

Blues 3.99
Milk, chocolate or regular, gallon 2.99@@


Buy 5, save 5. But all  I see that isn't junk food is coffee and peanut butter.  




Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will 

need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 

on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the 

planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Do it yourself

Buying sauces and mixes and seasoning packets can jack your food bill up lots.   Sauces can cost more than the meat they cover.    Spices are really,cheap in bulk at Winco or Costco and small jars are a dollar almost very where ( dollar store, bog lots. Grocery outlet ) .   Save jars from foods and ash thorally in the dishwasher and let dry several days.  

Cream  soup mix is on the Internet.   Google cream soup mix .  It's from taste of Home.   ( I don't know how legal it is for me to repost.  -- probably

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

Taco seasoning

            1/2 cup plus 2T chili powder
             2/3 cup paprika
            1/2 cup plus 1T cumin
             1/3 cup onion powder
           1/3 cup garlic powder
            1-2/3 tsp cayenne powder
           2 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix well and store in air tight container.

Cocoa mix.

2 cups non fat dry milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa ( Dutch  if possible )
1 tsp salt
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Store in tightly fitting container.

Pizza crust
1/2 to 3/4 cup warm water ( 105 degrees)
1T dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cups flour
1 T vegetable oil
1/2  salt

• Combine 1/4 cup water with yeast and sugar.    Let stand in warm place until bubbly.  About 5 minutes .  It will look like root beer with a head on it.
• Put the flour, oil and salt in the food processor.  Use the metal blade.   Process to combine,   
• Add the yeast mixture through the feeder tube, a little at a time with machine running.  Add just enough liquid until a dough ball forms and leaves the side of the bowl. 
• Process until the ball makes 5 turns around the bowl.  
• Put the ball on a greased pizza pan and let rest for 10 minutes.   
• After 10 minutes, pat the dough to cover the pizza pan.   
• Fill the crust with your favorite pizza toppings 
• Bake 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the dough is cooked.   

Seasoned bread crumbs.  

1) dry bread ( use the heels etc.  

2) process the bread in the food processor until you have crumbs.    

3) fir seasoning add parmesean cheese, oregano, basil, and garlic and onion powder.  

More tomorrow.  

Greek green bean salad.

Bring water to a roiling boil.   

Wash a bag of green beans and cut the ends off of them.   

Prep a colander on the sink with ice cubes.  

Back up ice cubes, you will need 2 batches.   

Meanwhile, cut two medium tomatoes.   Deleted them amd chop finely,   

De seeding  tomatoes.   Seeds will make the. Salad runny.   

When pot is boiling, place green beans on pot , 1/2 at a time and boil for three or four minutes or until they are crisp lender.   

Chopped tomatoes 

Chop a washed red pepper.   It is easier to chip from the meaty side than the outside.   

When green beans have been cooked slightly, gove them an ice water bath,   To stop the cooking process.   

Cut cooled beans in bite sized pieces.   

Make an dressing of 2 parts olive oil and I part vinegar.  Add garlic, chopped, oregano, parsley, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.   I wished it on the. I may, but you can do ot by hand too.    Toss with salad ingredients in a bowl.   

Chill.   

When ready to serve,  plate o, amd top with feta cheese.  Let stand a few minutes to warm up.   

Next : finished picture.   

Terrific Tuesday

tonight I am going to make a Greek Green Bean salad .   My husband picked up a sack of green beans at Costco Sunday.  I picked up another red pepper for .88 and some feta cheese at Winco.    I also got a piece of Romano cheese.  It was cheaper than buying it already grated.    Don't buy that stuff in a can.    It has wood fiber  in it.   The closer to the real thing you can buy is better.  There is just some things that it is not judicial to buy cheap.    They have come out with the fact that reak butter is better for you than the fake stuff.    Real is always better than fake.    I also got white fish because we were low and it is  cheapest at Winco.

I am pretty much caught up on replenishing the freezer.   My grocery budget is through the roof, but the rest of the month all o have to buy is fresh and things are cheaper in the summer.    I got really good fresh veggies at Fred Meyer and the most I will have to buy is dairy.    

Last year, I spent 68.00 a week, net.   This year up until the freezer disaster, I was at 63.00.   That has nothing to do with COL prices, prices, but, rather, the fact that we were in a position with a big shake up in the food industry here that we only had Kroger and Haggens for grocery stores.    That left no competition, and prices were higher.    Since Winco took over the top foods ( Haagen) building and brought some competition to the mix.    Fred cheers niw has a lower prices campaign.    Fred Meyers and QFC are owned by Kroger.    Albertsons and Safeways have merged and are owned by Albertsons.   Haggen stores are out there, but they too are owned by Albertsons.   Albertsons has added a few mega sales , but other than that, they are pretty pricey.  

Enter alternative stores.   Big lots has a twenty percent sale a couple of times  a year.    If you have their "rewards type card " you get special privilege to go Saturday afternoon before things are picked over.    

Grocery Outlet is cheaper on some things,   Some things are here today, gone tomorrow.   They will send you e mail alerts if you want and knowing your prices and checking pull dates is key,    Sometimes you can score a really good , almost free deal on things that arems I'll good, but need to be used soon.  It just means a little meal plan adjustment.   

The Dollar Tree  has a few real food,they have things  that are made in the USA, or Italy, Spain.   Watch prices, some are small quantities and are not as cheap as the regular store.   It is always good to look at pull dates.    They have name brand turkey bacon, catsup, Betty Crocker  cake mix ( sometimes cheaper at Winco,) the pizza sauce is good. If they have it, pinto beans are a dollar for 2 pounds, USA and no GMO.    Name brand pretzels are a real bargain. 

Costco is good for some things.    We safe enough in gas to pay for our membership.   Last week, it was .50 cheaper a gallon than our cheapest source.   We have seen it as cheap as a dollar less.   It doesn't take much to save the membership fee.  So,emthings, again are cheaper, some not.  Again, you need to know your prices.   Take a small calculater, some unit prices are ounces, not pounds or per can.   I am always comparing.    They have roasted red pepper and tomato soup sometimes for about half of what the grocers charge.    Green beans canned are lowest sodium I have found.  They have a brown and serve baguette that is about a dollar and keeps a long time in the fridge.   Bulk rice is cheaper.    As is bananas, blue cheese, and bacon.   

I don't have a SAMs club card.   Maybe someone can comment about their prices.    

Some of the bakery outlets are not a lot cheaper.   You can do better either making it yourself or buying Winco.   I got good bread for 1.78 at Winco.   

 

Happy 4th of July!

It's a lazy day today.    I worked virtually all day on food yesterday.   The pantry is cleaned and the chicken is deboned and chicken stock made.   I got 14 meals from 11.75 worth of chicken breast,  that's considering we use a whole chicken breast a meal.   These breasts were over a pound a piece.    Three of us eat chicken.    I also cut up cantaloupe and veggies for our pasta dish for dinner.    

I am researching sloppy joe recipes.   I'm still liking my recipe from the 70s.   Hambirger, catsup, dry mustard, water, and liquid smoke.   We always have liquid smoke because my husband makes beef jerky.    I have purchased catsup for as low as .75.  

My target price for catsup is a dollar.   I can always get the name brand catsup at the tree.    During holiday weekend sales, it can be cheaper.  Alberways had it for .80 if you bought ten if their items a couple of months back,   I got catsup and vegetarian refried beans,  

When there is a sale like that, I watch to be sure everything is at a RBP.   Refried beans are cheaper by a few cents at Costco, but they don't carry vegetarian.  

Surprise, I'm over budget last week for groceries.     I restocked the freezer pretty much.  Double coloration of beef and a quadruple portion of chicken.    Not to mention some shrimp and cod.   But, we will make it up with not buying meat for several weeks,    I don't need a protein rotation,   Pinto beans are still the cheapest at the tree, but I have only found them at Edmonds.    The other trees don't seem to have them.    Maybe seasonal?  

I am seeing u tubes where the person preps ingredients  for a weeks worth of meals making it  easier to cook quickly at mealtime.    I am also seeing where freezer meals are some for as much as a months worth of cooking.   I usually cut something up, especially of it is getting too ripe.   I can get it in green cartons and stop the ripening.    Obviously, we eat that first.    Washing the sink or a dedicated pan and filling it with vinegar water to clean veggies makes sense to do all the fresh produce at one time.     I use a dedicated scrubber brisk and disinfect it with vinegar after each use or out it through the dishwasher.  

Yesterday, we made chocolate rice crispy treats.    There is a bog difference between prices  for marshmallows.    My target price is a dollar.    Again, they are always a dollar at the tree.    Usually a dollar at Winco.    I have seen them for as much as 25 percent more.    That's a lot when you are on a thrifty budget.    Cocoa crispies are not on sale a lot, but you can get the, in bags at Winco.   I keep them in a Tupperware type container. Air is the enemy of freshness.    My target price for butter is two dollars a pound.   I have seen it for 2/9.00.   And, it wasn't from Ireland.    LOL.

The biggest step in groceries on the cheap is to know prices and set boundaries on discretionary items-- things you don't have to buy. Buying things at RBP and reducing waste is the key.   

I have target prices on things -- my top dollar, so to speak.    If something is more than my target price , I don't buy it and I would prefer to get ot at a RBP.   Every month dairy goes on a good sale t Fred Meyers.    I stock as far ahead as the pull dates will dictate.    My back up plan is Costco on anything that we can use up before the pull date.   I check pull dates and adjust meal plans to use up things.   Being diligent about reducing waste is the second key factor in reducing your food costs.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Meals

Meal plans are necessary to keep food costs down.   They help because you are less likely to throw food out if you incorporate the oldest food first.   In business, they call that FIFO.  First in, first out,    

I took some time yesterday to take everything off the glass jar shelf on the pantry,    I took inventory by listing the product and the pull dates.  I found artichokes that are dated June 30.    Foods don't abruptly die on the specific pull date.   We are going to have them for dinner tonight-- a few days last their date.   I see I bought them at Big Lots.  The dollar process is on them, which means I paid  .80.   I plan to add them to the .48 can of Alfredo sauce I bought last week, and add red pepper, peas, and some chicken pieces and serve over spaghetti  I also bought on sale.    That's still a five dollar dinner.  If the sauce doesn't stretch far enough, I will add cream or sour cream.   

Meals ) I cranked these out while waiting for lunch to cook).  

1. Pasta Alfredo . Italian bread 
2. Sweet and sour meatballs.  Brown rice ( grocery outlet ) 
3. Potluck : Greek green bean salad 
4. Pizza -buffalo chicken 
5. Hamburgers, suddenly salad, corn on the cob ( 4th of July) 
6. Breakfast for dinner 
7. Salmon cesear salad 

Notes : I'm making croutons from the peppercorn, parm Italian bread I made a few days ago.    Chicken. Breast are .88 again at Fred Meyers.  I'm hoping there's some left when  I get there. I will de-bone them and cook the bones .  There is always chicken left on the bone when I de-bone.  I'm not as good as the butcher ,m it I get a couple more meals from the bones.    A cup of chicken pieces and a cup of grated cheese bough at RBP is a little more than a dollar.    Add a scratch pizza crust and a little ranch or blue cheese salad dressing and some red pepper sauce and you have buffalo chicken pizza.   You can tone it down if you don't like HOT.   

The tomato sauce in bags are still .50 at the grocery outlet -- for a liter.   I got meatballs for .98.   Add some peppers (.69 ) and 1/2 a can of pineapple chunks and you have sweet and sour meat balls ( over rice ).  Another way less than five dollar Dinner.    

Greek green bean salad is a splurge.     Green beans are 149 at Freddie's today.    Add feta and red pepper and tomato.   ( Pinterest) 

Suddenly salad was .75 with coupons and hamburgers are 249 a pound at Costco. Buns are .68 at Winco,   I bought suddenly salad a month ago when Safeways had it on sale.    The meat was purchased in a monthly Costco stock run?  I purchased the buns this week.    I'm answer to do I shop all those stores every week.    Not usually.    Corn on the cob is on sale every where this week.    There are a lot of,yum,y recipes for toppers out there.   

Breakfast for dinner is always a low cost meal.  

I have frozen salmon in the freezer that was upstairs.   I will make the croutons from old bread.    Parm is a staple around here.   I either buy it grated fresh when the price is right, or I buy it in a block and run it over the micro plane.   Of parm is too expensive, I check Romano or another hard cheese that I get at Costco for 12.00 a huge wedge.    It lasts a really long time.  In other words, I buy whatever hard cheese that is on sale when I need it.    

.  Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Tomorrows Fred Meyers ad

Fred Meyers add - TOMORROW

Sunday and Monday ONLY

Tomatoes .77
Split chicken breast ,88
Corn 5/2

*****
Berries  1.77
Lettuce .99
Radishes .50
Cucumbers .50
Green beans 1.49
Spinach .99
Leaf lettuce .99
Zucchini .99
Cilantro 2/.99
Frozen veggies .99$$


The P and G in tomorrow's paper has .50 off puffs.    They are at the dollar tree    That makes a box .50.    And .50 off one bounty basic also at the dollar tree.


Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Lists

During my career I had the pleasure  of working as a systems administrator for an office furniture manufacturer.    I worked in a glass box and had to be picture perfect everyday because salesmen give tours of the facility to show the furniture.    The good news is that I had state of the art furniture and a very pleasantly decorated office.   The bad news, was that my hair, nails and wardrobe had to be sophisticated too.  

I digress,. One of the perks was that we got to go to seminars on a host of topics.   Management school was one of them.   One of the "tools" they taught was a prioritized list.  It's a simple concept that works well. If I don't have a list, I can ditz the day off and not accomplish much.    A list keeps me focused.    Looking at my list , I can prioritize by what can be doing itself while I do other things and what needs to be done first.    Peeping dinner is usually one of the first things.   Putting things to soak, or getting the wash in would probably be second.  

Another theory I saw and tried years ago, was to list everything that needs to be done on index cards. Get a recipe box and dividers and shuffle th cards so that everything that needs to we done, weekly, monthly or yearly has a place in the box.   You pull that days cards and pick a day for the monthly and yearly chores.    That was a little too ridgid for me,   I do make it a point to wash the hood screen on the dishwasher in the first of the month.   I usually pick a day to clean and pick the thing that is shouting NASTY !    LOL.  


I have a list on my meal plan sheet of things that I usually buy.  --dairy and veggies.   I cross off anything that we don't have and out them on the other side of the sheet in the to buy column.  

This is really easy if done on the computer. - still not hard if you do it by hand .

I have a spiral notebook ( small) that I keep by the computer desk.   It's really handy for jotting down telephone messages and other notes, and I use it to write to do lists.    Giving each a number was the drill  in management school, but these days I can do it in my head.  

Obviously, things happen that derail your plans.....a sick baby, e,regency babysitting, flooded garage.....etc.  

In other words.    (&($(& happens.    


Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Dinner.

Dinner : corn on to cob. Leftover rice with leftover veggies, ribs.  

And then....

we went to grocery outlet and dollar tree this morning, and then to feed Meyers because I needed a couplemofmfill On my way! from Fred Meyers and I want to grab bags from the dollar store.   

Naturally, they were out of grab bags at the dollar tree, but o did get the berry savers and edifices for the kitchen drawer that had a 40 plus yo broken divider......its soooo old that it is harvest gold! Lol.   

Grocery outlet netted ribs for dinner ( 3.99) and  green giant green beans 2/.79.   

Fred Meyers  netted best foods mayonaise with a coupon (in store) and a printed coupon -  1.50

Corn,on the cob for dinner with our ribs.    

A free 42 ounce bottle of low carb ocean spray juice.   

And I replenished the parm.   It was on sale for 299

About all.    

Freaky Friday

This is the second anniversary of my breaking my hip.   It's still not well.   It happened in a split second. It's just a reminder that life has its hiccups. And stocking a pantry makes it easier to keep home fires burning when you are away or not able to do things yourself.

That's where stocking  and having some freezer meals ready saves the day.   Take out is usually not the best nutrition and its expensive and can get old in a hurry.   Pre cooking saves  money and gives a lot of piece of mind in the process.

I really can't see how some of the freezer meals help - the ones that just take meat and add a can of this and a can of that.   It only takes a few minutes to add a few cans of something to a pot.  It doesn't make sense to take something that is taking pantry space and put it on the freezer.  Our freezer space is more limited. Now, the things that take a lot of chopping is a different matter.   This works especially if you piggy back some recipes that take the same meat ( you can buy bulk) and the same basic ingredients.   Use your food processor or a mandolin to bulk chop vegetables.   Make double batches of anything you know your family will like.   I wouldn't make huge batches of a new recipe.  

I went to a class on cooking  for a day and making a months worth of meals a few decades ago.   It doesn't make sense to me.  It is an exhausting task, and freezer meals could get old after a while.   That being said, different people have different obstacles to overcome.   If the main cook is away at dinner time because of work or school, it would make more sense to have a crockpot at the ready for family to eat when you aren't there.  

It would have been handy if I had known I was going to break my hip and land in rehab for a month.   As it was, my daughter stepped up to the plate and cooked for the month.    She made things like chilli that would last a couple of days.   Since we have been retired, my husband has helped me dump things in the slow cooker.    He could probably do it himself.  

There is a lady on Pinterest that posted a lot of freezer meals.   Some  are even vegetarian.

http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com/2015/10/slow-cooker-freezer-meals-20-meals-for-under-120.html

Some of these are really looking good.   Some, not so much.    A lot take a chicken breast, cubed.  An easy task with boneless chicken breasts ( made from chicken split breasts) .  That keeps the chicken at about a dollar for a whole large breast.   The quantity may be enough to make more than one meal.

  My budget on the seventies for protein at a meal was two dollars for two adults and a small child.   The prices have skyrocketed since then.  I could get hambirger for .69 , Tuna was .28, chicken parts could be as low as .10.   I still use two dollars as a guideline.  We have two adults and a small child eating meat.  Our daughter is a vegetarian and eats more of the vegetables.  The difference is that we eat less meat (more healthy) and we eat different cuts of meat and supplement vegetarian two nights a week.

The best advice I could give someone that has to make a life change is to learn to roll with the punches.   Pick yourself up, and put your big person pants on and be creative.    I can't bend at the waist after hip surgery.   You would really be surprised what one can do with their toes-- the dustpan on a stick from the dollar tree helps too.   LOL.

I once cooked a huge package of chicken necks amd pulled the meat off of them.  They were .10 a pound and I spent .35.   I added white sauce and chopped mushrooms and filled home made manicotti  aka pasta rolls.    A little nutmeg and parsley goes a long ways.

In the 70s liver was supposed to be good for you.  You could get a cottage cheese sized container for .35.   My mother always made it with tomato and green pepper and braised it.   You could cut it with a fork.    My sister used to make chicken gizzard speghetti.    There so a lot you can do when you are just plain under water on your budget.  

Thankfully, there were times when being frugal with the budget was a game and not something I just had to do.    And, I have a bit more money so we can eat better and normal food on a really limited budget.    Last year my average was 68.00 a week.   This year so far it has been 63.00 a week.   That's a compilation of a years worth of food divided by 52 weeks.    That does not include beverages other than coffee and tea, and it doesn't count the few times we went out to dinner- that's the entertainment budget.   That feeds the two of us and supplements daughter and granddaughter.  To benchmark. The USDA stats for my husband and I is almost a hundred dollars a week.  They consider food eaten at home, that doesn't include keeping a stockpile.   Our pantry is full and the freezers are pretty full too. I have restocked a lot since the freezer quit.    That bumped up our grocery totals a lot as well as buying ten pounds of oatmeal amd twenty-five pounds of rice, amd a big jar of popcorn.   Two batches of hamburger and two packages of chicken breast.

Winco had chicken quarters for .39 a pound.   I was hesitant and didn't buy them because we don't like dark meat that well and I don't know where it has been.   I am a chicken snob.  I will only buy chicken grown and processed in the PNW.   ( Idaho and California are OK in a pinch. ) I have reasons I won't discuss here.

On another note, the FDA has come out with the same guidelines for raw flour as for raw meat.  Don't eat raw dough, wash the utensils and cutting boards or counters thorally after baking.  I always disinfect the counter tops.   I use a spray bottle with dishwashing soap, water, and  hydrogen peroxide.  Best to wear an old apron because like bleach, it will bleach your clothes.   Hydrogen peroxide is really cheap.  You can get a big bottle at the dollar tree- aka the tree.     They also have spray bottles and 100 percent cotton t shirts.   I wear them whenever I'm doing anything nasty in the
house.  It's so much less traumatic of you ruin a dollar t shirt than ruining a expensive well liked top.


Dollar tree is supposed to, according to u tubers that do dollar tree hauls, have grab bags for 2/1.  They sold for a lot more.   They fit across the sides of the grocery cart and hold your food.   They have done studies on the basket where you put your purse and the bottom of the grocery cart.    It often has feces germs on it.    We are putting our veggies in that cart and then transferring them  to the conveyor belt.   Regardless of wanting to save the planet, put your veggies in plastic bags. Your families health comes first.  E. coli is just plain nasty.   Having the bags keeps your food off the bottom of the cart.  

Just a note. I once got a hamburger from Burger King .  It was not cooked thorally.  I discovered ot two bites in when I got a mushy bite.   I spit  it out.  Regardless , I was so sick.   I would never like to go through that again.  I haven't been back to Burger King since.

There is a lot of listeria and E. coli recalls lately.   Cook things thorally .  Wash your veggies with vinegar water.   Clean your counters often, and use new rags often.  I get school bus yellow rags from the automotive department at Costco.   Their cheap and I use several during my cooking sessions.  Another reason to batch cook.   Meat is cooked, batched, and put in the freezer.   You don't have raw meat hanging around several days -just one cooking session.

Grocery haul - stock up sale.

QFC grocery haul.   Saved a lot.  Used five dollar coupons.    Lunch entrees were .88.   Doughnuts 2.00.   Vegetables a dollar, cheese , sliced cheese, sargento  for  2.00.    Blue bunny ice cream were 1.00 off two.   You can do well with this sale and  coupons.  There are coupons for BBQ sauce, cheese, Cheerios, and vegetables.  


The dollar store was supposed to have  two canvas grocery bags that hang on the grocery cart.    They didn't have any.  They also doesn't have any berry boxes.   Our dollar tree is about the worst of all of them.    I walked out without spending anything.

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective.
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis.

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week.
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level.

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently.

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.

Best plans....sometimes change

There is a saying, failing to plan is to plan to fail.    Meal plans are a necessary part of saving money on food.    We don't get down to what to have specifically each particular day.mdexoding on the morning taking into consideration the weather and what our day is like activity wise,  

That being said, there is always room for change,    I discovered while cleaning the pantry yesterday , that we have yummy roasted red pepper and tomato soup.   I also have half and half on the fridge.   I think we will have tomato, basil and blue cheese soup and toasted  cheese or cheezy Bisquits instead of split pea soup.  

There is a good buy six,mace three sake at QFC.   There are coupons to go with the sales, so if you choose wisely, you can score big savings,   I am not going to go because our pantry is full and we don't need any more.    So, I will virtual shop.  

BBQ sauce ref 1.59. On sale for .99 a coupons for 100 off three.   Reg 4.77. Pay 1.97 savings 2.80

Cheerios regular  1.99.    On sale, coupons nets 199.  Savings in two.     1.98

Steam fresh veggies 1.99.  On sale with coupon.   .99.   Save 2.00

Total savings 6.78.   Retail 11.14.  

Savings 61 percent.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective.
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis.

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week.
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level.

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently.

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.

The best of the ads

usually a holiday week end is not a good stock weekend.  It is,  however a good weekend to look for picnic supplies to stock.   It's usually the lowest price you will ever see during the year.  

Alberways.

7 percent ground beef 3.76
Hillshire farms smoked sausage

Corn 3/1
Top round 3.99
Dryers 2/6  - note Tillamook is 2/5 before Saturday.  


Friday deals
Doughnuts


QFC

Buy 6. Save 3.   This is usually not a great bargain unless you can stack coupons.   Net prices

Cheerios.....1.49$$ coupons for 1.00 on 2 makes them a dollar.  

Hillshire farm smoked sausage 1.99

FrenchS  mustard .99.

Birds eye steam fresh 1.49. There are coupons for 1.00 off two. Makes them a dollar.  

Sweet baby rays BBQ sauce -there are coupons for 100 off three net notice before coupons is .99.   After coupons .66.  



Better buys in veggies at Winco.  
Mustard is .79 at Fred Meyers

Note: I have target prices ( nothing to do with the store with the big red balls.) .   If something is way over a target price, I don't list it.

I try for under two dollars a pound for meat.   Average.  
A dollar a pound for veggies
Canned soup has to be under .75




Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.