Protein.

Protein is the highest priced group of foods.   That means to save on protein it is imperative  to save on your grocery bill and cut your grocery expense in  half.   Duh!
Most of us eat far more protein than we need.

The RDA for protein is .08 grams for killagram of your weight.  That's far to technical for me to fathom.   The bottom line is about 46 grams for women and 56 for men.  

To put thing in perspective there is 61 grams in 8 ounces of chicken breast,   A woman would need six ounces of chicken breast and 1 egg ( 6 grams) .

Consider that protein is in a lot of incidental foods.   There was 5 grams in our tomato soup and that was before I added some blue cheese.   We also had cheese in cheesy garlic biscuits and milk in our chocolate desert.

I think what I am saying, is that no one needs to eat the best part of a two pound roast.

Eating realistic amounts of protein can drastically cut yournfood budget.   Almost always serving a slice or whole chicken breast is eating too much protein and increasing  your cost.   Americans eat far more protein than any other nation.    A whole piece of meat shouldn't cover more than the palm of your hand,  your plate should be a quarter meat, a quarter starch, and a half vegetable to be healthy.

I find that easier in the summer where you can eat more salads.  Lettuce this week was two dollars a head at QFC.  The darker the green, the more food value it has.   Romaine is better than head lettuce.

Again, NO food is going to do your family good if you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.
There was a joke om Facebook about kale and cocoanit oil .  Cocoanit oil has MORE saturated fat than a four ounce piece of sirloin   steak.   It's a fad.   Fads might as well start with a Dollar sign surrounding them.   Learn to differentiate between a trend to be more healthy and a trend to separate you from  your money.   I think some trends  are marketing ploys to get you to spend more money at places like Trader Joe's and PCC, and Whole Foods.

Case in point ....I bought a carton of strawberries 🍓 at QFC.  They put the organic strawberries in woth the regular ones.  The organic ones were five dollars, the regular ones were a dollar and eighty eight cents or more than double the price.    In two days they were rotten.  Again. No food will do your family any good if you are  feeding it to the garbage disposal. I had the same thing Halle to carrots at Costco.

Organic doesn't mean that your food has no pesticides.   They can still grow organic in a field that has been pesticide free for three years.   HEY people, some  pesticides live  longer than three years in soil that has been full of pesticides for years. Wash your produce in vinegar water, peel it if appropriate.   Never buy organic bananas.  Themskin id too thick for anything to penetrate and you are paying more for nothing.   I'm not convinced that organic is better.   This is my opinion, take it or leave it.

Thursday bullets- emergency recipes

Five things you can make yourself in a pinch

1. Soda crackers 
2. Cheese from dry milk 
3. Sour cream from dry milk 
4. Buttermilk 
5. Sweetened condensed milk 

Recipe - low sodium, low fat white sauce mix

This  is a low salt, low fat version of a cream soup mix .    Also used  for white sauce or cheese sauce.

2 cups dry milk powder
1-1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup low sodium chicken granules.

You can substitute vegetable broth granules .
This is stored in the cabinet, but you do have to adhere to the sell by date on the cornstarch.

Recipe : 1/3 cup  mix to 1-1/4 cups water.    Stir together in saucepan over medium heat until,

Makes equivalent to 18 cans of soup.

To make: place ingredient together in saucepan and stir  with wisk  over medium heat until thickened.
For cheese sauce, add cheese of choice.

Thursday Bullets : so you forgot to thaw the meat!

Ten quick dinners for when a ;););) storm happens, or you just forgot to prep  dinner.

1. Nachos,   Remember the ground meat bulk hack 
2. Tacos 
3. Sausage, peppers, corn on the cob and red potatoes 
4. Mac and cheese 
5. Pancakes and bacon or sausage 
6. Chicken parm ( use FF chicken patties from the freezer section, 
7. Hot dogs 
8. Hamburgers 
9. Speghetti and meatballs ( freezer or bulk made) 
10. Baked potato bar  ( leftovers or cheese, broccoli, sour cream, canned chilli, bacon.   

DInner

The sausage is separated from the veggies because my daughter is vegan,    Potatoes, red peppers, and onion was oven roasted.    Tossed with olive oil and sorinkked with garlic pepper and pink sea salt.  

Thursday bullets : poverty

There are a lot of stats and proven theories that stem around poverty.   Many can be corrected even if you have a strict budget.

1. People that are on a position to wonder where the next meal is coming from have stress and it has been proven that the stress reduces your life expectancy.    
2. People that wonder where the next meal is coming from tend to over eat to compensate . 
3. Not knowing how to  s t r e t c h your dollar forces people to buy garbage food or on other words, cheap food that has little nutrition, but makes the tummy happy.    
4. This purchasing of junk food tends to make people obese, which in turn, also reduces their life expectancy.   
5. This is exactly why I wrote this blog.    I have and am still developing ideas that make it possible to eat well on a strict budget.   

If you are r easing this and,not on a strict budget you can still save  money and be more efficient on the kitchen while making scratch dinners.    And, you might consider sharing the web site with someone that is having trouble.   Thanks, 

No spend week Winco haul

The freezer and pantry are full.    It's time for a no soend week.   Of course, no soend never means absolutely no spend .   There are always fresh fruits and veggies needed to  fill-in.  

Mustard. .78
Blue bunny ice cream 2.78
4 lbs carrots @ .96 -1.96
Potatoes, 10 lbs 1.78
Strawberries, lrg 1.78
Frozen French fries , 2 lbs .98

Total 10.00.


Fresh food  and the mustard we were out of and  who can live without ice cream!  😂
I realized we had some hash browns, but no French  fries, and sometimes it's just easier to make frozen,    Window fries are not perfect, all the fries aren't all the same size.    They all eat the same and the fiidmvakue is the same, they are half the price of other fries.    One time, I got ore ida at the dollar tree and when I can get regular ones with coupons , I do that.   Being flexible helps you stay on a strict budget.  

Chain store ads 6/14-17

Alberways,

Grapes .88
Cheerios 3/5$$
Hamburger and hot dog buns 2/100@@
Sweet baby rays - .49 limit 2 @@. Digital only


QFC

Cantaloupe .49 lb
Berries 1.88
Eggs .99
Dijiorno 2/9

????    GM cereals 4/8 with free milk. ?????

10-10
Popcycles
Cream cheese
Sour cream / cottage cheesec



About it.  

Reading,,,,,an awakening

I have been reading a lot lately on a quest for more knowledge.   I'm on a mission to learn all there is to learn about feeding a family when one may have small reserves.    Hopefully my quest I'll help someone somewhere.

I heard a lady say that she has come to the realization that if she learned how to make bread and soup her family would never go hungry.  Soup and bread is one of my family's favorite meals.   I especially    Like or because a few minutes in the morning and dinner is well  on its way to being , well, dinner.  
Some drop cheezy biscuits or a loaf of quick artisan bread and dinner is done.   Hands on time , maybe twenty minutes.

I am  not found of freezer meals, I went to a freezer meal class years ago.  My main objection is that they take up valuable freezer space with your meat and vegetables etc that don't necessarily need to take up space.   I need my space for protein and vegetables --oh, and ice cream!  LOL.  The other reason, is that I have health issues and before retirement I had time constraints.  A lot of the time I held two jobs and a family to take care of.   a busy mom's best  defense is multi tasking.   Efficient cooking leaves  more time to plan meals and shopping trips and you can take that to the bank.

I have been dehydrating some foods lately and can see where a few pint jars of a soup mix might be a real benefit if I'm otherwise occupied.  Dumping a jar and adding two jars of water to a slow cooker or soup pot is a activity most people in this household can muster.   Lol.

Refrigerator no knead bread dough is a recipe that is a lifesaver.   Anytime that two ten minute blocks of time can produce a loaf of bread 🥖 that is one tenth of the cost of store bought is nothing short of a miracle.

Most soups can be made for less than two dollars and when you add .30 for a loaf of bread, you still have a really cheap meal.  

Kitchen management , June 12

kitchen management is taking a block of time and prepping for the weekly meals,  or saves a lot of time during the hectic dinner hour and I'd more efficient because you are more likely to use your appliances effectively when you are focused.

• Make pasta salad, - add cut tomatoes, seeded, sliced olives, radishes. 
• Open pizza sauce and freeze on ice cube tray. 
• Mark calendar to thaw chicken and pork chops. 
• Wash carrots and potatoes 
• Wax east wall cabinets 
• Wash floor
• Clean refrigerator, note exploration dates.    
• Straighten pantry,   Seal glass jars.   
• 
  

The ugly truth

I have been watching a lot of grocery hauls.  Mainly, I watch to see what people are buying and how much things cost in other parts of he country.   It is dramatically true that we in the PNW have high prices compared to the Midwest  and South.  I surmise that our wages are higher too, however, that's doesn't hold true if you are  retired.   Still, it's more telling of what's in their cart, not necessarily what price they are paying.  The term 1/2 price is relative.  

Basically, half of the average cart 🛒 is drinks and snack foods.    Growing up, we had water, tea, An
and occasional milk.   I always had a allergy problem, and it was thought milk creates mucus.   It has been reported lately that three glasses of milk a day is not recommended for girls because it increases your chance of breast cancer.    Calcium can come from all kinds of dairy, milk doesn't have to be the only source.  

I digress.  

Too much of many carts are pop, sports drinks and kool aid types.   If you stick  to water, coffee and tea, your bottom line will be better off.  If you are concerned about tea with children, use herbal. Some of the fruit  based ones are really good.    Fruit juice has more sugar than pop.    A nutritionist years ago told me I was better off giving my daughter the apple instead of the apple juice.   Apple juice in tippy cups  is really bad for a child's teeth.

Snack foods!    Stop and figure out how much per pound you are paying for things like potato chips or veggie sticks.    Holly ;);)()!    Air popped popcorn is really cheap.   A 12 dollar carton at Costco will last a long time.  Air popping doesn't ad any oil.   The flavoring that they add to microwave popcorn is nasty.  It has made the factory workers that make that stuff sick.    You are much better off health wise and money wise to use an air popper.    We do buy tortilla chips. I watch formthe kind with the least amount of oil.   Some of them just shout oil in the package.   They are cheapest  at Costco.    Salsa is a good alternative to other dips.  

Cutting the drink and snack budget down to a minimum is the first step on lowering your grocery bill-- one step, a lot of gain both for you waistline and your budget.    Sugar free drinks are not the best for you,   I have read that the body doesn't recognize the fake sugar and attaches itself to your fat cells making them fatter!    Ironic.

Next step: finding your protein at the lowest price!   Find your RBP on the cuts of meat that you buy, minimize the cuts you buy.   It just makes life easier.    Less prices to remember, easier storage.   I have a side by side fridge.    I marked the drawers with a meat category: beef, chicken, Pork, and fish and veggies. It makes life simple.  Start with one at a time.  Find the lowest price, buy bulk and butcher it if necessary.   I put each chicken breast in a quart bag and then out the batch in a gallon bag and label with the meat and the date.   I can get quart bags cheap at the dollar tree and use better quality gallon bags .  You can place a chicken breast in the insta pot without ever touching the raw meat.

Now, the biggie. Scratch cooking.   There are appliances these days that cut the work dramatically.   There are also recipes all over the Internet that make cooking from scratch efficient.   You can basically make a dish from scratch just about as fast as buying the mix or meal bag.   Get yourself a binder from the dollar store or goodwill, plastic sleeves for the most used recipes and start a binder.  

One of the ways you can make a big difference is to make a list of mixes you can make yourself and stop buying the pouches.  A taco seasoning pouch can cost a dollar.   There was a coupon on our eggs for a dollar off of four gravy packets.   The packets were 1.25.    How can you spell rip off.   Gravy is flour or cornstarch, meat or other fat,  and water!   The mix calls for you to add the liquid.    A roux is a basic cooking skill.    It's easy!    If you don't have drippings, get better than bouillon or dried boullion.    Baking mix, muffin mix, pancake mix, white sauce mix are all better than the store bought and not very time  consuming.   Teach a older child.    It's a learning experience and frees up your time.  My mother didn't like to bake.   She taught is from about nine years old to bake.   My 5 yo can make a pizza totally from scratch with supervision, of I make the dough.  She loves it.    What a confidence builder.  Wash their hands , don't let them deal with raw meat  until they are old enough to disinfect. No sharp, no hot until they are older.

Mixes make life easier because you are making them in bulk when life isn't as hectic and using them when it is more hectic.   It saves money and you aren't eating things you can't pronounce.

I can tel, you how to cut your food costs to a minimum and still eat well.   I can't tell you that it will be effortless and that food will magically appear on the table.    Hey, if  I could do that on a meager budget, I'd sell the idea and be rich!   LOL.

Meal plans - 6/12/17

meal plans for week of June 12 , 2017

We have some multiples of things that need to be used up over the summer.   Things I got dirt cheap . Buying multiple of a few things that you know can be used up on a short time is a good way  to feed your family good food for cheap money,    The object is to have good  food cheap, not cheap food.

I purchased a Pork  loin from Costco and QFC both for 1.49 a pound.   My last chicken was free.    Usually I pay any  where from .88 to 1.28 for boneless, skinless chicken feast  because I butcher  them myself.   Hamburger is 3.28 a pound frequently at Winco for 7 percent fat.    If I can find a roast cheaper than that, we grind it ourselves.    A little labor can cut your meat bill dramatically,and still have good nutrition.  I always buy fresh fruit and veggies based on seasonal produce supplemented with frozen and some canned.

I think the big thing is portion control.    We eat far too much protein and starch in this country.   I just read where too much coffee, sugar, and meat can ruin your kidneys.  It always comes back to moderation and balance.  

My matrix :  1 beef, 1 shellfish or fish, 2 vegetarian, 3 Pork or chicken.   We have a five  yo in the house, so most of our menses are kid friendly.  

• Hot dogs, corn on the cob, (1/2 ears) pasta salad. 
• Pork chops. Mashed sweet potatoes. Green beans 
• Home made chicken nuggets, oven fries, fruit salad 
• Mac and cheese (scratch) , peas and carrots. 
• Pizza 
• Shrimp stir fry, rice, mandarin oranges, 
• Belgian waffles. Strawberries or blueberries. Bacon

Fred Meyer ad for tomorrow.

Ok, let's just say it's a bust.  Last week was good.  Veggies all over the place at .99.    Some of it was a three daynsake, but if I wanted veggies, I would go today.  

This week is Father's Day themed and when they think it's a holiday, they think you'll spend whatever!  

Cherries 299 lb.  - not great, bit cherries have a shirt window .
Milk .99
Sour cream/cottage cheese.   4/5
Pie 3.49.      Based on blueberries at four ninty nine, you can't  make it for that.

That's about it.   Winco and grocery outlet had better buys.

Winco haul with prices

corn .33 each
Grapes 1.78 lb
Coffee 5.94
Green chillis .58
Diced ham 238
Olives, sliced .68
Suddenly salad .74  coupon
Total 17.35

What to do with what you got

I purchased eleven pouches of sweet potatoes at grocery outlet.    They were 25 percent more product for .33 instead of over a dollar.  That's enough for us to have one a week all summer before the expiration date.    I think they would be good longer than that, but it's a good benchmark.   So, this weeks pork chops will have sweet potatoes subbed for the starch.  When something is dirt cheap at a overstock store, always check the expiration date. Many ones it is on a special package, or a test market product and many times the reason why it didn't fly was because of price.    When the price is discounted, you are the winner.    

Chocolate pudding is a no brainier with a 5yo in the house.    

Suddenly salad is a bargain with coupons and summer means salads.     Some of them have bacon and take mayo, and some take olive oil or veggie oil.  

Getting diced tomatoes for .39 was wonderful.  I can use them for a lot of things and you can make salsa, tomato sauce or even put them  on nachos in  a pinch.   

So, how does a few cents  here and a few cents there add up to savings!    When you consistently get a good price on ingredients you can use to make balanced meals, your food bill goes down dramatically.    When you can scratch cook efficiently, your time is not much more, sometimes less, than cooking from packages, and you can control the preservatives, salt, sugar, and fat.  

• Pork chops, mashed sweet potatoes, peas, salad   Cost ;   Pork chops were 1.49  per pound , sweet potatoes .33, peas 1/2 package .50.   Salad .50 .   Total. 2.46.   That's about 1/2 of what the breakdown of a meal for four dollars a day per person.    
• Pizza : total cost of a scratch cheese and pepperoni pizza 🍕 when purchased at RBP is 1.30 total cost of a take out pizza is at least 5.99 and can be 20.00 from a delivery.   
• 4 cans of vegetable soup can be upwards of four dollars.   The same amount of scratch soup with .39 diced tomatoes cost 1.50
• Summer : hot dogs, buns, suddenly salad . Veggie sticks- raw.    Hot dogs are 2/5 ,   suddenly salad s .75 , add carrot and celery sticks at .50.  Total 2.94 
• Veggie egg omelets, cantaloupe.    Eggs are .78.   Tomatoes, zucchini chopped .94. Cantaloupe 1/2 .50 total for three people 1.83 

Total for five meals / three people 10.03 .  Granted, I would add fresh bread with the soup and maybe toast with the omelettes.   A loaf of homemade bread is another .30.   10.33 divided by 15 meals is .69 a meal.   

All this is predicated on buying your groceries in bulk, on sale, and rotating bulk protein monthly or on a six week interval. 

 

Buying your food at one store and one week at a time, just what you need for one week is rigged against you.  Just like gambling at a casino, the payout is rigged for the house.    Their house, not yours.   

You can buy 1 packet of potatoes for 1.29 , or you can buy  4 packages for 1.33.  One  time , you eat one meal. The other way, you eat four meals.  

Friday recipe - remake

Today's recipe is a remake of a box of tomato 🍅 roasted red 🌶 pepper  soup .   The soup is expensive everywhere unless you find it at Costco,   Then it is about two dollars a box.   Considering it feeds three of us with enough left over  for a lunch, it is not  bad.


1 box of tomato soup.
Add :

Milk or cream
Blue cheese or parm
Basil

Serve with cheesy biscuits or bread sticks, or artisan bread .

Grocery outlet, dollar tree and Safeways haul.

Had to go to a nearby town for business, so we hit grocery outlet and dollar tree.   Our dollar tree had suddenly salad with time sensitive advertising in it and it wouldn't take coupons,  the other dollar tree would take the coupons.   It made suddenly salad .75 .

Dollar Tree
Suddenly salad
Pizza sauce
Dehydrated fruit
Total 7.50

Safeways
Diced tomatoes .39
Eggs .78
Buns
Lettuce .69
Onions .69
Total 6.07

Grocery outlet

Pudding mix - 3/1
BC sweet potatoes 3/1
Fiber one bars .99
Kind bars 4/1
Craisens 2/1

Squash plant .99

Sliced Italian salami 1.99

Total 26.00

Snowballing. : yes it's summer!

Someone once said to my daughter, you saved a dollar, what can you do with that...buy a Mac Donald's hamburger?  

I get that some people just don't get it.   The concept of saving money 💰 is not part of their mental process.    Unfortunately, there are more and more people that I am afraid are going to need to save money.   The current administration is on a path to reduce the rich people's taxes and balance the budget  on the backs of the poor and elderly.  

I am a firm  believer that knowing how to save money on food is a  good skill to have even of you don't need to use it.    If you know how to feed your family on a strict budget, it's not hard to spend more.    Having a small stock on hand of things you can make a meal out of is insurance,    What if, the car gets in a wreck and you can't get to the store?   Or your child is sick and you don't want to take him out, or you are sick, or the road  floods and the grocery store isn't getting shipments....that's not far fetched it happened here a few years back.   If you have a small stock on hand, you are covered.    You can do that with a meger budget if you know how to shop.  

Shopping......walking through the store with a shopping cart and throwing everything that looks good in your cart.    Wrong.........this is especially hard not to do if you go to the store hungry,   Now, of you go to the store extremely full it will backfire and you might get home and wonder what's in the house to eat!  Lol.

I don't go with a specific list.    I have the ad with the RBP items circled.    I know pretty much which food groups need replentishing and if there is a rotation protein that is a RBP.    I rarely spend more than 30.00 at a store.    Probably closer to 25.     That is for three of us.    It would have to be a big sale to have that happen.    Now, I do go to at least two stores a week.    More if I hit the occasional Costco or dollar tree/ grocery outlet.  

The advantage if this kind of shopping. Is that you rarely get home and forget a major item .   You also never pay that nasty F word.....full price.    You are not looking for specific items except the few RBP items.   You are, rather, looking for food groups.    Your mindset is , I need calcium ( dairy) what's on sale.   If you can get your calcium during a dairy sale and buy enough to last you with expiration dates, you will be better off.  Pay attention to the rhythm of the dairy sales.    Here, Fred Meyer (Kroger) will pit dairy at least once a month.   I can usually get sour cream and cottage cheese a month out.    Milk can usually be augmented at oor other Kroger store (QFC) for either a dollar or a dollar and a quarter.    If we have too much nearing the expiration date, its  time to have clam chowder, potato soup, or pudding.

Meat is purchased on a rotation basis.  First you need to make a list of protein that you can make meals of and that your family will eat.  These need to be economical cuts of meat.    For us it is pork loin, chicken, low fat hamburger. Sausage, cheese, and beans.  When a protein is on sale at a RBP, buy as much as you will need to cover a months worth of those meals.   In other words, if you eat hamburger once a week, you will need to buy enough for four to six meals.   This allows you to be on a four to six week cycle.  You can almost bet someone will have hamburger at a RBP sometime  in that six weeks.

I get pork loin for somewhere  between 1.49-1.69 a pound for a whole or half loin .   It only tasked a few minutes to make roasts, stew meat, and Pork chops out of a loin.


Chicken breasts are eight dollars a pound,   Sometimes they are half price.    Split chicken breast that are local grown can be as low as .88 a pound and sometimes 1.28.    It takes a few minutes to cut the ribs off and cook the meat and bones for stock, and pit the breast on quart bags,   I put the quart bags in a gallon bag and date it.   The bones go in a stockpot with herbs and onion ends to make stock and I pick the bones.   I usually get 2 quarts of stock and a quart of chicken pieces from six large breasts.  A quart of chicken pieces can be two to three meals.    And a quart of stock can be two to four dollars a box. Place the stock in   the fridge and scoop away the fat after it has congealed. Chicken pieces can be in enchiladas, chicken pot pie, chicken soup, tacos...

Sausage is up to almost five dollar a chub (pound) .  I have bought it for two and a quarter with a coupon.  It is less in the three pound chub at Costco.   Fry it, de-fat it and freeze it.   You can add it to omelets , put it in a quiche, or soup.

My target price for cheese is as close to two dollars a pound as I can get it.   Never over 2.50.   I buy Mexican blend and pizza cheese.   It is a misconception that shredded cheese is more expensive than brick cheese.   Cheese is cheese.    A pound of cheese is a pound of cheese.     Go by the price per pound.  We toured a cheese factory.   The grated cheese is what is left over from cutting the bricks out of a huge brick.   They place the scraps in a bus boy tray like vessel and it goes to the shredding  machine.

Beans can be purchased in bulk at Winco.   The cheapest price for pinto beans is .67 at the DT.  ( dollar  tree)  they are non gmo and made in America.    The only other place they are cheaper is at Costco and you have to buy 25 pounds.  It would take us too long to eat that many beans.  Lol
I keep them in the containers we get popcorn in. (Costco) .

Pasta at our house has a dollar a pound limit.   I usually pay less.  Some of our pasta ( Barilla) I paid 38 for , some of it was free.   There are almost always coupons for pasta.   Pasta has an eight YEAR shelf life.  Buy it when it is cheap.  Buy as much as you have coupons for.   I just got Barilla pronto for .88 a package and I had a. 75 coupon.   Yes, Virginia, there are coupons for real food.    Like shopping at the goodwill, you have to plow through a bunch of garbage to find the food stuff.  

Every twenty five cent adds up.  The notion that you got food stamps so it doesn't matter how much you pay for the food is shooting yourself on the foot. The more you can buy with your money, the longer you will be able to eat.   Not having anything in the house to eat makes a child feel really insecure.   The stress of no food in the house they have found shortens your lifespan. Learning to stretch a buck in food is important .

Chain store ads : Alberways

this is Alberways only because last weeks ad for QFC was a two week ad.  

Milk gallon 1.79
Tomatoes on the vine , lettuce .69


7 percent fat hamburger 2.77
Berries 3/5
Diced tomatoes .39 @@ limit 4
Eggs .78



My rotation meat would be the hamburger.  
My stock item would be the diced tomatoes.  


You can do almost anything with diced tomatoes.   If you need tomato puree.  put them through the food processer or blender .    Already ready for soups or salsa.  

Tuesday notes : Balancing the budget.

So, why do you even bother with groceries in the cheap?   It's a good question.  Sometimes when  I am getting a zillion (2 or 3 hundred hits from France or Russia that I know don't really want to know who has the best prices  week) , I wonder.    I have written over two thousand blogs .   One a day for almost five years.  

I started this because I was hearing that people on snap were having a hard time making it to the end of the month: running out of money before they ran out of month.    I am finding that that isn't necessarily who is reading my blog.   

I'm trying to out in efficient kitchen management tips, recipe remakes that are healthier or more tasty, the best prices on good food any particular week, even though I have come to realize my blog reaches far behind the PNW and ways to cut your food costs.    

Why!   Because I have discovered that I have a talent. Ha ha.   I learned thrift from my mother and when the going got tough, I got going on learning all I could learn to stretch the food dollar.    There are people that need to know this information.    Social security has had no raises in two years,  last year it was .3 Tenths of a percent and they took it back for Medicare.    That doesn't mean that food orices didn't go up, or insurance and taxes didn't go up.    Food is probably the most expensive discretionary budget item in a seniors budget.    Food stamps are on the chopping block as well as school lunches since the republicans think that adding to their already rich pocketbooks is more important than feeding the less fortunate.    It will be even more imparative to know how to stretch the food dollars.   

• Ibotta is a rebate site that gives you money back on your purchases.    If you are in food stamps, it is a way to pay for the oaoer products that food stamps don't pay for.   Hey, we all need toilet paper.   Lol if you aren't on food stamps, it a way to get something your budget doesn't allow for.   Bottom line, it cuts your food costs.   There are a few more sites that do the same thing,    
• Coupons cut costs.    Many are for things that you can supply cheaper by making yourself, but there are still real food coupons that help reduce costs.   Things like butter, pasta sauce, pasta, laundry detergent, mayonnaise.  
• Efficient scratch cooking.   Not many of us have all day to spend in the kitchen.  
• Plan. Plan, plan.    It's the easiest way to stay in track and keep costs low.   
• RBP! Rock bottom prices.  Few things in the grocery store never go on sale.    Watch for the lowest price and buy as much as you will need for the next month to six  weeks.   You can do this becaise you are laying 1/2 price often and you are rotating the things you buy.  If I buy two packages of mega pack chicken this week, I can buy two packs of Pork loin the next week,   You have a variety of food, but you have laid 1/2 price for it.    
• Be your own butcher.    A pork  loin can be as low as 1.49 a pound.   Cut your own pork chops and roasts.   If the loin tapers down, cut stew meat.   De-boning your split chicken breast saves about 7 dollars a pound.    That's not a bad return on ten minutes worth of work.   
• Portion control.  Obesity is a problem in the US so I'm told.   Portion control is good for the budget and the waistline.  Buying bulk meat and dividing it into meal sized portions is a way to get the meat cheaper and is more efficient. 
• Eat vegetarian one or two days a week.   
• Use less meat and augment your meals with another protein. - add beans to your taco meat. Use less meat in a cassarole that can have a cheese topping.   Have breakfast for dinner.    An impossible pie  can have cheese, eggs, and a vegetable.   Low cost and really good.   

Virtual paycheck

No, you can't exactly take it to the bank.   I guess if you really have mass $$ a week to spend on food, you actually can put the difference you save on the bank.  For many of us, saving on the grocery bill makes it easier to take care of necessities and not go without.

Virtual paycheck is a concept a true realist can't fathom.  

It is used to make a logical conclusion as to wether  or not making something from scratch, or buying it ready made  is worth your time.   You can use it for anything you use your manual labor for.
Of course, other rationale comes into play at times.   Like is homemade healthier?

Here's a couple of senerios  to explain.

Tortillas.   I can buy them for about .10 each,    Or 1.00  for 10.   The ingredients are minimal, but  it would take you an hour to mix, rest, ball the dough , roll it out and cook it both sides one at a time.
The material cost is about .40 .   So, you would  be making .60 an hour . Not enough to make me take on the chore.

Artisan bread 🍞.  The cost of artisan bread in the store bakery is upwards of 3.00 a loaf.   The cost is less than .30.   Difference 2.70.   It takes five minutes per loaf to make the dough,   Another five minutes to shape it  and put it to rise.   Seconds to program the oven .   Total ten minutes a loaf.   Doing the math, that's 16.20 an hour.   That makes it worth my while considering there are no preservatives . No fat, and I get it fresh, hot, out of the oven.

My daughter and I made lemon pound cake and compared it to the cost of a piece of lemon pound cake at the big buck coffee stand.    We figure we made 212.00 an hour!  

Food for thought

No food can do your family good if you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.  

Just as the odds are against you at a gambling establishment ( it's rigged to benefit the house ) , the odds are against you if you go weekly or daily ti the  grocery store for a weeks worth of food.  

If you don't understand why someone would clip coupons, you ain't never been broke enough.  

Monday kitchen management

Monday kitchen management

• Put stove fan screen in the dishwasher. 
• Clean the microwave 
• Wax the north wall cabinets 
• Wash potatoes 🥔 
• Clean vegetable bin 
• Fill the flour bin 
• Wash and disinfect counters 
• Wash floor 
• Make bread dough 
• Make pizza dough 
• Pull chicken breast to thaw
• 
  

Fred Meyer haul

Fred Meyers and dollar tree.

Chocolate milk .99
Barilla pronto pasta .88 less two .75 coupons.  Basically. We got two boxes almost free.   Who says you can't buy real food woth coupons?   LOL
Nathan's beef franks 2.99


 All .99 a lb inkess otherwise stared
Nectarines
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Granny Smith apples

canteloupe was a dollar a piece
Cottage cheese /large 2.00


Total 17.77 less 1.58 for tissue and tax  is 16.04

Dollar tree I bought the pepperoni with coupons for .50 because the coupons expire tomorrow.   They will not take the suddenly salad coupons because it s a special package.  Promotional.  

Meal plans week of June 4

meal plans for week of June 4, 2017

• Chicken nuggets ( homemade ) dip chicken cubes from breast meat on melted butter, the  bread crumbs with seasoned with herbs and parm,   :  oven fries 🍟, fruit cup 
• Pizza : scratch crust, motts, pepperoni 
• Meatballs and speghetti.  Salad-  French bread with butter, parm and herbs 
• Pork chops. Baked potatoes, oven veggies 
• Chicken pot pie - use cresent rolls
• .Tuna patties, a graitin  potatoes, mixed veggies 
• Breakfast 4dinner . 

Notes

1. Thaw chicken breast for nuggets the day before in the am.  
2. Pizza cost about 130. 
3. Meatballs are already in the freezer.    Speghetti is on sale at Fred Meyers as well as canned pasta sauce,   I'll use a jar I got with a coupon, 
4. Pork chops were cut from the Pork roast purchased from Safeways last week. ( 3 pounds) zucchini is a dollar at FM . 
5. Chicken pot pie is a no brainier,   Use white sauce mix from scratch and crescent rolls on hand or sub baking mix biscuits,   
6. Tuna patties are scratch.   A gratin  potatoes boxed on pantry, and mixed veggies from vegetable bin. 
7. Breakfast 4 dinner : use waffles bought from grocery outlet on sale,    

Trying to use up prepared mixes.   Jars of dried food have no place to go in the transition,   

Vegetable bean soup in insta pot

Process 3 cups of pinto beans.   Pinto beans are cheapest at the dollar tree.   They are non gmo and grown in USA.   ,  wash and sort pinto beans.  Place in insta  pot bowl.   Cover with water to your second knuckle.  Place the lid on the insta pot and make sure the vent is on seal.   Push the bean button.   

After processing,  turn the insta pot off and drain the beans and place in separate pot.   Return the pot to the insta pot machine and turn the pot on sauté.   Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.   Sauté 2 sliced carrots and a rib of celery in olive oil until slightly softened.   Turn off the sauté function and add :   The beans, two 15.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings , two cans of water, a 2 ounce tube of tomato paste and a large pinch of dried parsley.    

Program pot to slow cooker for four to eight hours.   I program it to work for as many hours as I have before it's time for dinner.    

Sautéing veggies 

After adding all ingredients.   

Fred Meyers ad for tomorrow- 6/4/17

First, there is an apendage a 3 day sale, SMT

.99 sale

Peaches or nectarines
Cantaloupe - it doesn't state per lb or each
Zucchini
Peppers ( usually cheaper at Winco )


Regular weekly ad
Nathan's hot dogs 2.99
Strawberries .99
Boneless chuck roast $2.77 –grind your own  hamburger time.  
20 percent fat hamburger is 3.49 **
 Milk $.99.
 Butter 2/5.00
Tomatoes.99


Notes :
* by picking your roast and looking for one that is lean , you can save by grinding your own hamburger.  Hamburger  can  be processed with the grinding attachment on  a kitchenaid, or by using a good  food processor.    Also, there is always the manual ones our grandmothers used. You can usually find them for cheap at garage sales  or antique stores,   Ask around, there may be one in somebody's  attic!  

Another note : Foster Farms split chicken  breast are 1.49 .   A week or so ago they were about .89.  They subbed Draper valley . their butchering job was somewhat deplorable to say the least.  There were extra parts and what looked like liver attached.    I  emailed them and complained.   They sent me ten dollars which was more than I paid for the chicken.  Heritage farm chicken is Arkansas chicken.  The price for boneless is 1.99.   Still, with Foster Farms being fifty cents cheaper, you are better off,  Foster Farms is potentially cleaner and cheaper and chicken stock and the rib meat is an added bonus.    You are always better off buying local chicken and not frozen.  

Another note :  Tuesday is senior day at Fred Meyers.   An extra 10 percent off for anyone over 55.   This includes private brand groceries.  

Friday recipe - healthier tortillas

to get me to try tortillas from scratch there has to be an incentive.    If something takes time to make, it's either got to be a whole lot cheaper , or or it has  to be healthier or both. imdodmrin onto a recipe for tortillas that healthier. I decided to keep it in case for some reason I couldn't get to the store or I wanted to show granddaughter that tortillas didn't just appear out of a plastic bag.   The cost difference alone doesn't warrant the time consumed.

3-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
7 Tbls canola oil

Mix together until a smooth ball forms,  knead.  
Separate dough into two ounce balls.
Let balls rest, covered for 10 minutes.
Roll out to be very thin.
Cook on a flat griddle until browned on both sides.


Cost :
Flour 3.5 cups at .08 cup is .28
Oil - 7 TBLS is .28
Total .56

Makes 15 tortillas
Or .04 each

A package of 10 cost a dollar on sale .   Or .10 each.
The mount of time to make the tortillas is too great to save six cents a tortilla.you are 60.   Itmwould only make sense of you wanted to avoid the lard or shortening,    It's a labor of love.  

Tuesday - notes chicken in depth

Everything you ever wanted to know about chicken.  

Chicken is one of the most inexpensive meats about now.   Some chickens are cleaner than others.    Local chickens are best.  Some southern chicken companies have received permission from the FDA to send the chickens to China  for processing,    

Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds.   That is the break even point where there is as much bone  weight as there is chicken weight.   In other words, the bigger the weight, the more chicken you are getting for your money.   Most deli whole roasted chickens are three pounds or under.    Do the math, you are paying  far more per pound than buying a raw chicken on sale,    Chicken can be purchased for as low as .88 a pound here.    

There are easy, very efficient ways to cook a whole chicken. (Later) .  The least expensive  to get boneless, skinless breast is to buy mega packs of split chicken breast with ribs.   Cut the ribs off and simmer them with water and some herbs.  You can then have chicken stock and pick the meat from the bones for taco meat, chicken salad, a casserole or enchiladas.    I get almost a quart of meat  of meat from six large split breasts.  That represents two meals.   I individually bag the breasts and out them in a gallon bag and label and date.   This doesn't take long and the .87-1.28 a pound is a lot less expensive than the eight dollars a pound that boneless, skinless chicken breast can cost.   Same brand, less money.   

Chicken breast can be cooked from frozen in the insta pot  in 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the breast.   Always disinfect all surfaces that touch raw meat of any kind for food safety.  Some people wear gloves.  Thawed chicken breast can be poached in the microwave. 

A whole chicken can make four meals for the proverbial family of four : 2 half chicken breasts, one from the dark meat and chicken soup from the bones.  Remember your goal here is to provide the RDA of protein for the day.   When you are using a smaller amount for a casserole or tacos etc, you are also adding cheese or beans to supplement.    This is key to keeping a very low price point for your meals.   

It is cheaper  and more efficient to buy meats in bulk and buy enough to feed your family for a month of that meat choice.    In other words, if you have pork once a week, you would buy enough for four meals.   If you buy a different meat or protein each week in a four to six week rotation, you will hit a sale price at least once during that time frame.   Keeping quantities at a four to six week level keeps your meat fresh.  Some people rotate, chicken breast or whole  chicken, Pork loin, hamburger, cheese, brand and rice, and bagged fish or canned tuna or salmon.   Keeping your bulk purchases to a four to  six week supply means unless you have a large family, you should be able to keep it in a regular fridge freezer.

Thursday bullets - what to bring to the grocery store.

Thursday bullets : what to bring to the grocery store.  

1. Bags :   Around here, some cities have banned plastic grocery bags.   Some cities charge you for your gricerynbags, some don't,  and some give you a credit (Winco) for bringing bags.   Bags that clip onto your cart work well and are more sanitary.    Studies have shown poop germs on the bottom of the carts.    Yuk!   
2. Coupon binder or envelope.   Having coupons for the things that you know you will buy he,os a lot.  Having them organized means you will have a better chance of using them. 
3. Rewards cards.    Every bit helps.    Our Kroger gives something sway every week. Don't take it ofmyou will never use it, but we take things we know we can pass on tonsomeone that dies need it.    -- food bank?    Cat lover?    
4. Calculater or your phone of it has one on it,   A lot these days have unit prices in ounces, not per can.  Bulk items need to be calculated to know if they are a bargain or not.     
5. The ads.    Circle the things that you are interested in- a good reminder.     
6. Small scissors  to clip coupons from the store ads if necessary.    Sometimes Winco has coupons on the entrance.    
7. Hand sanitizer.       Chicken cooties.      Enough said.   
8. A list of what you need if you are out of something.  

1. 
   

Safeways and QFC hauls

First, my hubby bought  bread, milk and cream for my daughter.   Total bill 3.04

Today I went to QFC with a list based on what I could condo my the internet.   The ,airman has not delivered oir ads  yet.  

Grapes 1.48
Milk .99
Tomato plant 3.79


Safeways.
Mayonnaise 2.00
Chicken of the sea tuna ( for backpack alerts )6 ea
Pork loin roast 1.49   Total 4.25
Bananas 1.32
Strawberries 5.99

Total 25.26

Weekly chain store ads

QFC - two week ad

Buy 5, save 5
Hummus 1.99
FF chicken patties 5.99$$
Mayonnaise 1.99
Kens salad dressing 1.49$$

Grapes 1.48
Milk ,99



Alberways

Bananas 3 lbs .99
Berries 2/5
Pork loin roast 1.49
Cheese -2 lbs 4.99
Bread 2/1@@
Tuna .49@@
Eye of round roast 2.99

Suddenly salad   4/5 - note : it's a dollar next door at the dollar tree.  
Note : Pork loin roast is a keeper for a rotation meat as well as the eye of round roast would make good meat to grind for low fat hamburger.  

Tuesday thoughts

Wednesday last, I went to get the needed dairy products at QFC because they were in sale,  I also picked up a box of raspberries.  I always try to keep two or three kinds of fresh fruit in the house.

I also always check the mark down section ever since I found one of my meds for less  than Costco charges .  They marked it down  because the box had been opened, but then it contained three boxes that were still factory sealed,    I got two cans of  S &; W low sodium chilli beans for .49 each,   The good deal happened when I used an.55 coupon.  I got two cans for .43.   Or .215 a can.

It just a mindset,   You can have good food, watch the nasty 😷 salt, sugar, trans fats, sulfite, hydrogenated  oils, HFCS, and preservatives and still eat on a budget.

• Know your prices and unless it's something you really really can't do without, don't buy anything unless it's at your target price.    
• Buy dairy when it's on sale and buy enough to feed your family before the sell by date  expires.
• Buy fresh produce in season and buy it as close to out of the  earth as you can.   .   In other words, less packaging  and handling is better for the most part.   Certain stores are better than others for produce.  I got ten pounds of potatoes for less than what five pounds cost at another store,    
• Buy a limited variety of cuts of meat,  buy it in bulk and portion control it.   Cook it if it is appropriate and freeze it.  Certain cuts are very versatile .  I always cook and de-fat ground beef and sausage,   It's more efficient than cooking as you need it,    Tonight I threw cooked hamburger, enchalada sauce   That I purchased for a dime, and taco seasoning that I made .10) in the insta pot on sauté,   As soon as it came to a boil, I reprogrammed it to slow cooker  and let it simmer.    It took a matter of minutes.    
•  Make your bread if possible,   The cost is about  a tenth of the cost of buying it.    There are recipes that are really fast and easy,   ( non passive time ) 
• Load up on picnic supplies around summer holiday time,    It will be the cheapest prices on things like BBQ sauce, catsup , mustard etc.    
• Things  like olive oil, flour and beans are cheaper if you can buy bulk at a warehouse store,    pinto beans  are cheapest  at the dollar tree and they are non GMO and grown and packaged  in the USA.     Costco is cheaper, but we can't use 25 pounds before they go bad,   

Monday kitchen management

Monday kitchen management.

It's the first of the month so the fan screen goes in the dishwasher the first load that's a little free.

• Put fan screen in the dishwasher, 
• Wash kitchen floor 
• Wax cabinets in the north side of kitchen 
• Make baking mix 
• Make pizza dough 
• Thaw Pork tenderloin in fridge 
• Wash vegetables 
• Straighten pantry. 
• make chocolate rice crispy squares. 

Meal plans - week of May 29 - total cost 18.42

I'm meal planning and taking you along to see my mindset.    The weather here is warm for a few days and then we have cooler  and rain.  Seattle and rain!   LOL.

I have three packages  of hot dogs.  They have far enough expiration dates that we can use them within the next few weeks.   We only eat hot dogs in the summer and only around holidays that trigger the grocers putting them on sale.  
Part of what we eat is based on what was on sale that week;  Part is based on our key ingredients that I try to keep on hand.  

Grocery shopping based on sales and coupons to get the lowest possible price and fill in what your pantry needs leaves you pretty much free to choose any meals you want within dietary and budget guidelines.

• Pizza - a necessary staple here.  It's cheap.  I make crust for less than a quarter,   Add a fifth of a jar if pizza sauce bought at the DT. ( freeze the rest in ice cube trays ) add cheese - target price close to two dollars a pound and pepperoni that is.50 for a package  with a coupon at the DT.   Total cost 1.20   It also might get any leftover bits hanging around the fridge,   Black olives scarfed from a cassarole, the ends of the sausage or hamburger bag.    Etc 
• Breakfast 4 dinner.  Another easy dinner that keeps a low profile so we can have a more expensive meal another day.   Eggs are .78 a dozen this week.   I'll dry some, but we still have plenty.   I found a recipe for a pancake mix that mis easy and inexpensive.    Add that package if sausage that keeps falling out of the freezer on my toe, and some scrambled  eggs and berries and we should be set.   .36 for eggs, .21 pancakes , 1.88 berries. Sausage 1.00 total 3.34
• Pork tenderloin roast , smashed potatoes. Zucchini with some tomato and red pepper  flakes.  I have. A Pork tenderloin ( not a loin ) in the freezer that I got for five dollars.   Zucchini is a dollar a pound at FM this week.   1/2 roast 2.50, potatoes .32, zucchini 1.00 Tomato paste  .16 total 3.98 
• Tomato soup. cheese biscuits.  2.50 - finish the case of tomato soup.   ( organic roasted red pepper and tomato -Costco at 2.00 each in a case. 
• Tacos. Spanish rice.   Taco kit was a dollar at Grocery Outlet.   Hamburger    - $1.68  lettuce, tomato, cheese and - cup of rice.  Total 3.58 
• Tuna casserole uses tuna 1.00, noodles .50, cream soup base, peas .50 total 2.00 dry bread crumbs and a Tbs of parm is too small to count. 
• Vegetable bean soup , bread sticks.   Bread sticks .15 , soup 1.67 total 1.82 

• Total 18.42 for 7 days 

How? 

• Buy when things are on real sale.
• Use coupons when you can for real food 
• Buy bulk foods that you use a lot, 
• Make scratch with efficient recipes.   
• Buy bulk meat and butcher it yourself 
• Eat vegetarian a couple of nights a week. 
• Soup and bread is a good thing. 
• Plan your meals, but be flexible
• Remake leftovers .  Leftovers don't have to loom the same as the first time around.   

.

Winco and big lots

Big lots 

Animal crackers (6) 2.00

Ice cream cookies 1.00

Garlic 1.25 

Winco 

When it's hot, the meal plans go out the window and we have a burger, hotdog, or some kind of a sandwich and salads.  Beats the heat in a east faced kitchen. 

Chips 1.98

Salmon burgers 2.48

Buns .78

Bananas .68

Grill seasoning .10

Meatballs 1.98

Dry milk 3.48

Potato salad 2.98 

Lettuce .98

Cucumbers.48

Grapes 3.44

Total 20.10 

Fred Meyer Sunday ad

Sunday and Monday ONLY

Cherries 2.88
Tillamook ice cream 2/5


Regular ad
Zucchini .99
Grapes .99
Cantaloupe 2/4
Eggs .78
Yoplait - 10/5$$
Strawberries 2/5

*******++++
Rotation bulk meat for the week would be b
Boneless 1/2 loin pork roast is 1.69
*****+

QFC haul(s)

QFC haul

Bread 1.25,
Chips-ritz Free

Saved 4.63

Strawberries
Raspberries 1.88
2 doz eggs .78
Blueberry pie 1.99
Maple  extract 2.39 (. Markdown )


I will dehydrate eggs for future use--  I'm almost out of vanilla , so I thought I might stretch what I have by using maple flavor  when it mad sense.  

Total
14.05

Total per week so far this  quarter 54.70 .    Including buying bulk purchases.  

Friday recipe - mix

Cream soup base,    Cream of xxx soup is running well  over a dollar on sale.    this is much cheaper and doesn't take much more time than opening a can and you aren't eating things you can't pronounce.

Pick amtome when you can get butter for 2.00.  You can't substitute fake or margarine for this, it doesn't work. Store in the fridge for 2-3 months or freeze.  I make small batches.   

White sauce mix there are several variations out there.   Some Use cornstarch.   

4 cups dry milk ( not instant ) 

1 cup flour 

2 sticks butter. 

Cut butter into the dry mixture.   You can use a pastry cutter or your mixer with the wisk attachment. 

Basic white sauce for,white,sauce, add cheese for Mac and cheese etc.   

2/3 cup mix 

1 cup water 

Cook until thick over medium heat stirring with wisk.   

Thick cream soup ( condensed) 

3/4 cup water 

1 tsp better than boullion 

1 cup mix.  

Stir until thick, cooking over medium high heat.   

Add seasonings of choice about a 1/2 tsp each 

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Parsley 

Salt and pepper 

Chocolate pudding 

1 cup mix 

1/2 cup sugar

3 T cocoa 

1 cups water 

Measure ingredients in order and wisk on medium heat until combined.   Turn heat up and bring to boil.   Boil about 20 SECONDS until thick,  cover and chill.  

I have a different version that is low sodium and low fat.   

Another day, another dollar.     

Thursday bullets - ten thing never to eat

Some of this is  from a registered dietitian, but I also have heard it from multiple sources including my dear mother.    LOL.   It's not good to fool Mother Nature and fake is  fake.     This is my opinion, based on my reading.   I'm not a doctor and you need to use your own judgement.
.

1. Orange juice from concentrate has  more sugar than a soda.    
2. Soda pop.     It's full of sugar and the fizz can leach the calcium from your bones, so they say. 
3. Margarine and fake butter.   Hey, I really want to know why palm oil is supposedly cancer producing and terrible on Nutella, but it's ok in fake butter.     If you want to reduce the bad fat in your butter, try land of lakes butter with olive oil.   Olive oil is supposed to be for good cholesterol.   
4. Fake sugar.   They are telling us that sugar is bad for you, but fake sugar is worse.    I guess moderation is the key. I've taken to not using sugar at all in my drinks.    
5. Cheap whole wheat bread.   Not much different than cheap white bread.    Look at the nutrition label.    The more fiber it has, the better.    
6. Soy milk.    I don't have a clue why, but that's what the nutritionists say. 
7. Tilipa.   Dirty........that's all I can say. 
8. Southern grown chicken.    Local is better.   There is more to it.    
9. Individual packets of microwave oatmeal.    Cost more and have less nutrition.   
10. Microwave popcorn.   It's not the corn, it's the stuff they put in it.   
11. Bonus: cheap hot dogs.   There is a difference between Hebrew national and Nathan's vs the other brands.   Some hot dogs 🌭 have mystery ingredients.    There is also a faction out there that is against all processed meats.    We like them, so my answer is moderation. 

Grocery outlet and dollar tree

Guess where we went!    LOL

Holiday time  is a good time to stock  picnic supplies.  Prices are about  as low as they get on picnic type fare.  

I got plastic trays for the deck table to make eating out there easier.   Wenwalk threw two rooms to get to the family room door, so it should make life easier carrying our plates.  

I also get a pound cake from DT.  I have strawberries and whip cream already,   We are having Texas stew for dinner,   It's in the slow cooker/ insta pot.  I brought the ingr Donets up to warm woth the sauté feature because so,emofmthem were frozen and then switched to slow cooker.  

Grocery outlet

• Bluecheese 3.49
• Wish bone  Italian dressing - good for marinade.   At pull date.25 
• Lemon snack bars .99
• Pudding mixes , chocolate caramel  3/1 
• Tomato paste , hunts. Ind packets .99
• Challenge butter 1.98
• Nathan's franks 2/5 
• Sliced Italian salami 199
• Total 15.93  - saves 41.65 

Chain store ads

Just a note: some of the condiment and s'mores supplies are cheaper year   round at the dollar tree.  Beware of origins, but some are national brands. 

Alberways 

Five dollar Friday : Pork Tenderloin

Coupon 10 off 50.   I don't find that a good coupon becaise the other prices are so much higher that you aren't saving anything.  

Sweet baby rays BBQ.   .79 @@ if u have the coupon on last Sunday's paper it is cheaper  at FM. 

Hot dog buns 2/1.00@@

Tortilla chips 1.99@@

2 lbs Tillamook cheese brick 7.99-  not a bargain.  It's one of the misquotes that brick cheese is cheaper than grated.    

Sour cream 4/5 

QFC (Kroger ) 

Strawberries 188

Tomatoes .88

Tillamook 2 lb block 5.99 ( still too high ) 

Eggs .78

Butter 2/5 

Tillamook ice cream 2/6 

Hebrew national 2/6 

April-- this ones for you.    Corn 2/1.00

Note : Hebrew national is not my preferred hot dog only because they package them in numbers of one less hot dog than there are buns in a package.   It has nothing to do with the quality.  Another note of a dirty little secret.    Almost always , it doesn't pay  to get the hotdogs and the buns at the same store.   They will use one for a "loss leader " and make up the profit on the other.   

Tuesday book review

Taste of Home Meals in One Pan


It's always a time saver to cook meals on one pan because you have less things to watch and less pans to wash,   It's especially nice of it os a slow cooker meal that you can set and forget.   Threemcoirse or more meals are time consuming and not always the best if you have children  to watch as well.   I am a advocate of involving children in the dinner process.   Sunday breakfast 4 Dinner  can be a family affair.. even granddaughter can bitter the English muffins or toast.

This cookbook is a soft sided one that I got at a discount at Winco.    I have written for Taste of Home in the past.    I also have been published in Womans  Day.

The book is divided into chapters to include those of protein ,and cooking vessels with the added bonus of deserts.    Yum!  There are a variety of meals woth a variety of basic costs.  Some are more expensive than others, and some can be easily adapted without sacrificing the integrity of the meal.

It's one that you will refer to often to spark up a dull meal week.

Monday kitchen management

reminder of meal plan

Pizza
Breakfast 4 dinner
Texas stew
Stuffed pasta shells
Asparagus ( green beans ) Angel hair shrimp
Chicken enchaladas
Meditranian  Pork and orzo,

• Buy green beans, hominy, check shrimp , tomatoes 
• Texas stew : hamburger, hominy, corn - wash potatoes for slicing 
• Stuffed pasta shells -ok.    Bought shells for 1.29 
• Wash veggies 
• Clean fridge 
• Take inventory of meat drawer,   Disinfect drain boards and drains 
• Make a desert 
• Wash floor 
• Wax north side of kitchen cupboards

Grocery hauls

Grocery shopping / Sunday

Wheat bread.   1.45
Hot dog buns .79
Blue bunny ice cream 3.50  less .50 coupon
English cucumber .78
Strawberries 1.98
Green beans 2.98
Red grapes 148 a pound
Total 14.36


Fred Meyers

Chicken breast
Hebrew franks 3.00
Sweet baby rays sauce 100 les .33 cents .67 ( coupon)
Blueberries 299
Tomatoes .88
Total 16.77

Total 31.13

Costco Rebate Haul

Rebate hauls don't hit my total spent list becaise it is a return of money we already spent,  

Non food items are not listed on this list.  We bought soap thatnwas discounted, new pillows, and husband's  beer.  

• Soy sauce 
• Tortilla chips. 
• Bananas 
• Celery 

Meal plans -may 22

Meal  plans save time, effort, and money and a lot of stress.  

Focus....taste of home - Meals on one pan

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

• Pizza 🍕- a favorite and basic pizza cost little more than a dollar.   A good way to use up bits of leftovers 
• Breakfast 4 Dimner - another great way to feed family for less.    Eggs are still .10 or less.   
• Texas stew.: a slow cooker meal with hamburger, hominy, corn , tomatoes, beans, etc.    - Taste of Home 
• Stuffed pasta shells , broccoli. 
• Asparagus and shrimp angelhair ( sub green beans ) 
• Chicken enchaladas woth sour cream sauce.   
• Mediterranean Pork and orzo 

Fred Meyer Sunday specials

It's  BBQ time.    Now would be the time to buy your YEARs worth of BBQ sauce.   For us, that's not a lot.    Baby Rays is 100 several places. We ncludimg fred Meyers and there ism buy 3, save a dollar coupon in Sunday's paper.   There is also a coupon  for .50 off of Blue Bunny  ice cream cones,    A good treat if you are in a diet or are counting carbs.  

Foster Farms split chicken breast .87 - stock  up rotation alert!
Blueberries 299
Tomatoes .88
Turkey bacon  2/5

Sour cream , cottage cheese, cream cheese 4/5
Hebrew national hot dogs 2/6


Notes : Hebrew national hot dogs as well as Nathan's have no excess animal parts in them.  
Now would be a good time to stock chicken breast for a rotation meat.  
Buying picnic type BBQ sauce, catsup. Mustard etc is a good time,  many times you can find condiments with coupons.really cheap.    Sweet baby rays has taken a price hike from last year so getting it for .67 is a good buy.  ( coupons) .  

They are also pushing s'mores .    I can almost always get Graham crackers and marshmallows at the  DT .   ( Dollar Tree) .  

Hot dog and hamburger buns are always under a dollar for Wincos brand,   The hamburger buns are smaller but suit you well if you are counting carbs or on a diet.  

Freddies wanted five dollars for good hamburger.  I can usually get it for 3.28 at Winco.

Friday remake of a recipe

Herb dip with veggies

Dip :

2 cups reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup homemade ranch dressing mix
1 T onion flakes ( or dehydrated onions )
2 T dried  parsley

Place in bowl and stir.   Cover to store in refrigerator.

Serve with  carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes.broccolli

Thursday bullets -5 basic ingredients

Ten things that are food bargains

1. Basic oatmeal.   Good old Quaker oatmeal in a bulk box (Costco) or a round carton.  Dover, nutrition.   Takes, I longer than a instant package and is more nutritious,   It takes like three packages of the instant stuff to have the same nutrition as one 1/2 cup portion of "real" oats.   1 cup water, 1/2 cup oats, 1.1/2 minutes in the microwave.    Use a bowl larger than you need,  somerimes  it tends to boil over.    Breakfast, cookies, breakfast cookies, banana bread 
2. Carrots.   Plan old fashioned carrots.   Most of the time they are 1/2 the price of baby carrots and they use bleach to process the baby carrots.   
3. Flour.   Bought in bulk it can be as low as .08 a cup.   If you price bisquick, cake mixes, bread, or pancake mixes, flour is a real bargain.    
4. Eggs.   A powerhouse of protein for a few cents an egg.    Very versatile.   The RDA for protein is 6 ounces that include eggs,    
5. Potatoes.   Another versatile ingredient that is soo much cheaper than the frozen counterparts.   Potato soup, clam chowder, baked potato bar, oven fries 🍟 (no trans fat) mashed potatoes.    

Wednesday chain store ads - May 17th

Alberways

Fresh whole chicken  .67 ( note this is not marked with origin.   )

Red seedless grapes .77


Five dollar Friday

Sweet baby rays BBQ 5/5
Ragu pasta sauce 4/5 $$$


QFC

Milk .99
Raspberries 2.99
Peppers .88
Sour cream or cottage cheese 2/5


About it.  

Fred Meyers haul

Fred Meyers haul.  

I'm still sitting at less than 45.00 a week this month.

Yogurt - .33 each less .10 coupon.   .23
Butter 1.99
Blueberries 4.99
Yogurt dipper .89 less .50 coupon .39
Eggs .79
Cucumbers 2/.99

Total 14.27

Tuesday musings.

I am bulk cooking three pounds of Jimmy Dean sausage.    While opening the chubs, I was reminded of what I paid of these sausages .  One was free, one was 2.25 purchased with a coupon, and one was full price ( a mistake ) and 5.79.   All were not out of date  and all were the same sized package,   That's a 5.79 difference in price spread.  A good reason to pay attention to prices and not just put the same thing in your cart at the same store every week.

That almost six dollars can buy another two meals if you continue  to look before you leap.

Consider this,  it's called the snowball effect.......only it is  much better  than that snowball the neighbor kid threw at  your picture window.  Lol

I got a free chub of sausage with a coupon,  That saved 5.79.   With that 5.79, I bought 4 ragu pasta sauces with coupons for .75 each.   Now I have 2.79 left.   I bought 4 Barilla pastas for .625 each with two coupons,  that's 2.50.  Now I have .29 left.   Now I have the start of

4 full packages of pasta
4 jars of pasta sauce - 4 pasta dinners plus a hold lit for a pizza
Enough sausage for part of a pizza
The rest of a package of sausage for a quiche for dinner
And the pizza sauce of o snag a little from the pasta dinner.

Or, the majority of five dinners.  

My argument for spending a total of ten minutes while I was waiting for my turn at the hair salon on couponing,    This week I got :

•  Free pound of jimmy dean  sausage 
• Free sack of frozen peas 
• Free nacho chips 
• Free dipper yogurt 
• 4 jars of pasta sauce 3.00 
• 4 packages of pasta 250 
• 2 packages (1 lb) cheese 1.76      7.26
• 10 lbs potatoes 1.78                     9.04

That is enough to go a long ways to feeding a weeks worth of dinners,    Granted, this works best when you find an equally good week and buy other foods to rotate. But, essentially you can :

• Pull a few tablespoons of cooked and de-fatted sausage for the pizza.   Add cheese and pepperoni bought with coupons for .50 at the DT.   1/2 a package will do.   
• Pull half of the remainder for nachos add cheese , the free chips and anything you have to augment - peppers, tomatoes, beans  ....
• The rest can be for a quiche.   Add eggs, milk, cheese, and bisquick
• 4 meals of pasta and sauce .   Add parm cheese? A salad? 
• Baked potato bar- add a dollar can of chilli, cheese. 
• Potato soup- add biscuits or corn bread, milk and carrots, celery.    
• Scalloped potatoes, ham cubes, and peas .   Ham cubes are - little more than two dollars at Winco, or you might have some left from Easter.  

Basically, notmcounting bare basics like flour, yeas, milk spices etc.  you would need : 

Pepperoni .50 

Can of chilli 100

Can of beans .50 ( or a 1-1/2 pound of dry beans for 100 at the dollar store.   

Can of doced tomatoes .50 

Milk 149 this week at QFC 

Carrots 100

Ham cubes 2.39 

Celery 100

Salad 100 

Another 10 dollars. 

7 dinners for under twenty dollars. - the price of a take out pizza or two dinners from a meal service.   

Finding time to scratch cook.

Face it, there are only 24 hours in a day.    Running a home, raising kids, holding one or two jobs all takes time,   I had the opportunity to take management courses when I worked at a firmitre factory as a systems administrator,   It was helpful, I learned about tickler files. And priority lists. I iedna tocklermfile for years.  Then I got sick and just getting out of bed was a chore,   The tickler file kinda went by the wayside.

I did learn to schedule.   It's something you do when you work.    It's a way to avoid becoming overwhelmed.    I still make lists.   Somehow, when things are in paper, I'm not laying awake at night wondering if I've forgotten something or of there are going to be enough hours in a day to do what needs to be done.

Our mothers and grandmothers would spring clean,   I can remember my mother loading up a utility cart and move from room to room washing walls, washing curtains, and waxing floors.    O don't think anyone does that anymore.  We have full lives and most of us have a lot on our plates.   The concept of zone cleaning helps reolace the spring cleaning.  Take a day you have free time, or make free time to spend an hour on a particular room or section of the house,   Rotate big jobs and rotate rooms .  That way, eventually , every room gets a deep clean.

I digress.    The kitchen is the focus.   How to find time to scratch cook.....

• Leave often used appliances out.  Having to drag out a heavy appliance slows you down,   
• Find easy recipes.   Refrigerator bread, slow cooker meals. One pot suppers (less dishes ) 
• Delicate - even small children can do some things.  And you know what they are doing while you are cooking,    My sisters and I were baking by the  time we were nine years old.   We also got the wonderful job of washing the dishes by hand and cleaning the kitchen.    LOL.  
• Spend an hour once a week to Prep.   It's faster to wash all the vegetables at one to,e than it is to wash as you go.   Ditto chopping,   Set up the food processer or your machine of choice .  Saves time and clean up.    
• Plan meals .  Make notes on a meal plan form when you need to defrost meat.    
• Invest in appliances  that will hero you be efficient in the kitchen.  If money is tight, prioritize spending and look for them at estate sales and the goodwill.   Bread machines are all over the place and as low as five bucks.  Instead of buying a lot of appliances , consider an Insta   pot even if you have to save up for it.   It's a slow cooker, a rice cooker and a pressure cooker.    Easy, few steps, and a lot safer than the old fashioned kind.  
• Make your own recipe book of a limited amount of meals that are efficient.   
• Instead of buying for particular meals, develop a list of foods that you use in a regular basis, and cook from those ingredients.   Having basics in the house means there are no special trips to the store.   The less road blocks you give yourself, the more efficient cooking is.   Many boxed mixes are only a few ingredients if you leave out the added salt and preservatives you don't want for your family anyway. 

,  

: cookbook review

I have long been a fan of Taste of Home.   I was a contributor in the past.    I was also on woman's day for my budget cooking.   I find that the Taste of Home recipes aren't trying to sell a particular product, they are family tested and sometimes are that recipe grandma  used to make that was sooo yummy.  

I bought The Complete Brunch Cookbook.  It is soft  bound and I bought it discounted  Winco.  We have long been a fan of Breakfast  4 Dinner.   It's a good way to s t r e t c h a dollar .  

Some of the recipes are definitely for a company brunch,   I say that because they are fancy and take a fair amount of work.    I am all about easy and quick. It goes back to sounding more time planning and shopping, and less time cooking, assuming you have a life and it's not being a master cook,

Some  recipes that did intrigue me are :

Sausage quiche squares
Bacon and egg pizza
Tater tot bake
Veggie packed  strada
Sausage from scratch - ( no garbage)
Denver scramble tostada
turkey sage sausage patties
Broccoli brunch skillet
black bean frittata
Chocolate pecan waffles
Banana oat pancakes
Bacon potato  waffles ( leftover mashed potatoes? )

Chocolate chip coffee cake
Chocolate banana muffins
Pumpkin pecan loaves
Ham and green onion biscuits
Orange cranberry bread


Total 108 recipes.  
Some Taste  of home recipes can be found on line.  

Making a new recipe mixes things up and makes a meal less boring,

Fred Meyers Sunday ad

Happy  Mother's Day!  

Eggs .79

FF boneless, skinless chicken breast 177

Tillamook cheese 5.00 a two pound brick - limit 2

Butter 2.00 - limit 2

BBQ sauce 100
Cake mix 100
Frozen treats 100

Hillshire Farms sausage 1.99
Cucumbers, radishes, green  onions 2/1.00

Meal plans -- not,

Because my   fingers were too fat....I posted meal plans early.   So I thought I would go back to the beginning and talk about why this blog got started on the first place and why I am the person to write it.    Actually, it was a suggestion from my children.  

Growing up, my mother was always careful with money,   She survived the Great Depression and watched her mother make meals from barely anything with great grace.    I'm guessing that had a part in her manta to avoid the Nasty F word -----full price.  

I continued to be thrifty when I moved out on my own: mostly because I was living on minimum wage.   When I was first married, my husband would love to go to my mothers house for Sunday dinner because we always had roast beef and I was cooking a lot of tuna noodle casserole because we were saving for a down payment on a house.

Then the  big /$:): storm happened,   It was the early seventies.   Nixon was in office.   There was a gas shortage,  we had double digit inflation and I found myself suddenly a single mother.   I had 5.12 in the savings account and 2 months of daycare and rent, car repair payment, and utilities to pay for.
-- far more bills than I had money.   I called welfare and was told that it didn't matter how much daycare cost, I earned too much money.  That would be 200 dollars twice a month.   I cried.   Then I put my big girl pants on and got creative.   It was lucky for me that I had stocked some food.  I had remembered how much crap I had got for buying a case of tuna fish because Safeway had put it on sale for .28.   It and liver was our lifesaver: besides the fact that we were enjoying my mothers Sunday dinners.  

Thrifting  our groceries as well as my clothes became a way of life.    I set out to read ( no Internet    those days ) everything I could read.   I tried everything I could.  We made bean sprouts. I tried to cook soy beans. How many ways can me spell rocks.  Lol.  I used tvp.   And I read every book the library on economy cooking.  

Seven years after I became a single mother, I remarried.    By now, feeding us on a budget was a habit.  I continued to read and now I could go to cooking school.    I went to every one I could find that we could afford.

I was published in Taste of Home and Woman's Day for my efforts.   At the time, I was feeding four of us including two teenagers, for fifty dollars a  week.

To five years ago, my daughter has taught low income children for years.  Some parents were lamenting that they couldn't make their SNAP stretch for the whole month.   My daughter said, oh, my mom m knows how to stretch food dollars.    I began to try to think of how I could help and knew  other people that wanted to stretch their food budget too.   My children helped me set up a blog almost five years ago.

Since then I have found more ways to cut corners.   I have grown .   I'm a firm believer that you should never stop learning and growing.   I hope I  have helped others grow too.   I would love to find a way to reach more people.

We spend 40-55 dollars a week for three of us and maintain a small stock.   The USDA statices for my husband and I are about twice that.   We eat well.

We have had the best of times, and the worst of times, all anyone can do is put your big girl pants on and go forward.    One time I said " life's a bitch and then you die.  ". My young son  told me " no, mom it's life's a beach. "   I have a very smart son.

Winco grocery haul - Thursday

First, my daughter tells me that cheese is 3.88 a brick at Safeways.  Pork sirloin  was a really good price at Winco.   Our pork "drawer" is full so I didn't partake,    

I did get 

2 mild green chilies cans to replenish  what we ate last week.    .58 

A bag of California fresh veggies 1.98

A bag of stir fry veggies 1.54

A package of Nathan's hot dogs.   2.88 

Hot dog buns .88

A jar of salsa with a coupon 1.03 

Coffee 5.48 

Total 14.83 

Friday recipe : pronto Mac n cheese

Barilla pasta was on sale at QFC for a dollar.    It's somewhere for a dollar often.   I had a .75 coupon on two boxes that made the boxes (6 servings) .625 each.   Cheese was .88 for 1/2 a pound At Safeways on Friday only and peas were free at QFC.     We made Mac and cheese and peas for dinner.  

Total cost : 1.88

Pronto Mac n cheese from the internet . 

Pour pasta into a large skillet. Add 3 cups of water and turn on high.   Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer.  Set timer for 10 minutes.   Stir frequently.   

After 10 minutes , stir in 1 cup of cream and 1/2 tsp dry mustard .  Bring back to a simmer and stir.   

Remove from heat and add 3/4 cup parmesean cheese, 1-1/2 cups grated cheese, and 2T parsley . 

Stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste.