The ads

This weeks ads

First, Rite Aid has folders and maxwell house coffee for 6.99 with a dollar reward on it.

@@ means coupon. C.com means there is a coupon at www.coupons.com

QFC
B utter 2.00
Yoplait 10/5. @@c.com .40/6
Tomatoes .99
Rasp. 2/5
2 lb mini carrots 2.00

Buy 4
Dryers 2.49
DiGiorno 4.99
Morning star 2.99
Hillshire farm lunch meat 2.99@@c.com .55

Crest toothpaste 10/10 @c.com .50
Buy 10. Get 5 free
Corn **
Royal tomatoes
Manwich
Bc Mac & cheese **
Hunts tomato sauce
Tuna
**corn and Mac and cheese are cheaper at dollar store and big lots.  Corn at big lots and Mac at dollar store.
Note: there are coupons at coupons.com for many of the mega deal product

IGA Market Fresh
Chicken .99
Can't elope 2/3
Grapes 1.79
Bottom round 2.99
WF frozen veg .99
Cheese 4.49@ limit
IGA tomato sauce .60

ALBERTSONS
SAT ONLY
chuck roast 2.49

BBQ sauce .99
Strawberries 3/3.88
Fuji apples 1.00
Mushrooms 1.00
Broccoli 1.00
Baby carrots 1.00
Eng cukes 1.00
Romaine 1.00
Nalleys chili 1.00

TOP
Grapes 1.49
Blues 3.98
Celery .89
Roma's 1.00
Lean ground beef 3.49 ****. See SAFEWAYS JFU

SAFEWAYS
90 percent hamburger 2.99
Yoplait 10/5@c.com .40/6

5 dollar FRIDAYS
Hillshire farms / Oscar Mayer lunch mea
Tilipa
Blues strawberries 2/5
Rasp 2.00
Peaches 1.99

That's about it.


Thanks for stopping by
Please share

Jane

Planning your trip

I don't want to spend more than an hour to plan  my shopping trip; a half an hour is better.
I have tried to be methodical about it.

1. Before the ads come in the mail, check couponconnections.com to see where the coupon matchups are.  If you are not in Seattle, look for people in your part of the country.  Stacymakescents.com is a resource if you are in the south.  Snoop around the Internet and find someone in your area.  
2. Clean the fridge and note what needs to be used up and any staples you are short of ( eggs, milk, sour cream etc.  ) 
3. When you get the ads, take a sheet of computer paper, mark it in quarters and top each quarter with a store name.  Go through the ads and write down anything on your stock list that is a rock bottom price.  Note it on your data bank.  Mark any of the perishables (meat and veggies) that is a good price.  Cross off anything that is a higher price elsewhere and anything you have enough stock of.  I post this, which only works if you are in Seattle.  
4. Pick the best two stores on your sheet.  
5. Pull the coupons you have for the match ups that  you will use.  
6. Gather your list( or mine that has been marked up by you) , your coupon folder or envelope, the ads, and your just 4 you if you have one.  
7. Plan your trip so you don't waste gas.  Add any other errands that you need to do.  
8. Go to the stores, get in, buy your list, and get out.  the more time in the store, the more you will spend.  
9. Stick to your list. Only add something  you might have forgotten to write  down or an un-advertised special that you really need or is too good to pass up. one time I found a whole bag of mixed peppers for .25 cents.  I took them home and cut them in little pieces, flash froze them and we had pizza toppings and colour in our pasta for months! I am notorious for forgetting the hotdog or hamburger buns.  I really don't want to pay 3.00 for them. 
10. If you have children , try to arrange some kind of babysitting.  Trade with a friend, take them to grandmas, leave them home with dad, anything that works.  You can do a better job if you don't have distractions.  Multi tasking is too hard and stressful.  

This may sound  overwhelming, but take one number at a time. With some practice, you will get to the point where you can do it in a half hour or less.  

I am doing this blog to help people .  Who can't use a few more cents sin their pocket at the end of the month.  I have been finding toothpaste for free often.  I am hoarding it so I can take it to the women's shelter.  my husband jokes that I will be the toothpaste fairy!  LOL. If its free, why not spread the wealth! LOL. 

Thanks for stopping by

Please share so I can help more people.  

Jane 

PS

A survival recipe found in a cookbook on line, check it out in the sample at amazon.com.  The recipe is copywriter so this is the best I can do for you.  Our Favorite Freezer Friendly Recipes is the name of the book.

Pepperoni  and cheese quiche.  Fast, easy, and 1.42 to make.  Add a salad of lettuce and any veggie
you have around and you are still under two bucks.  Pepperoni is .50 at the dollar store with a coupon.
Buy two, get a buck off.

Psycology of Retail

As I have said before, the retailers have spent considerable money to research our habits and find ways to get us to spend more money.

Advertising multiples, when you can only by one item is one trick they use. Because something is 3/1.00 doesn't mean that you have to buy three.

The longer you spend in a store, the more money you will spend. That's why some retailers change things aroumd frequently. Costco is notorious for it. If you have the mind set that you are on the clock and want to get the most bang for your buck, you'll spend less time. It's a game. I want to save as much as I can in the least amount of time.

Impulse buying is the retailers profit. They figure that 70 percent of what we buy is impulse. Often it is the most expensive things in the store that. you don't really need. We want the retailers to prosper but they can do it on someone else's dime who can afford it more.

Create your own path through the store, if you don't need anything in an isle, don't go there. The true necessities are on the outside perimeter of the store.

Sometimes, what is truly on sale isn't the featured items up front.

Exercise the hands off rule. Studies say that if you touch it, you are most likely going to buy it.

It's a well known trick that if prices have to increase, the manufacturers will reduce the size of the package instead of outwardly increasing the price.

Know your prices, the bulk isle isn t always the cheapest price.

Keep in mind that foods are sold other places other than grocery stores. Many time you can find overstocks at the dollar store, big lots, Bartells and almost anywhere. Keep your eye open, and know your prices.

Pick your grocery store based on the prices, not how friendly the clerks are or how fancy the store is, or how uncrowded it is. think about it, there is a reason why the store is crowded. Either they have just forecasted that dreaded S word, or it's because they have the best prices. You go to the grocery store to purchase your food.

Stores charge manufacturers slotting fees. Basically they charge rent for the eye level shelves. You can just bet they are going to pass on the cost. Look UP and DOWN for the best buys.

Thanks for stopping by

please share

Jane

Extreme couponing

I ran down to the antique mall and did some things I needed to do.  Then I went extreme couponing.

I got 15.00 worth of stuff for 2.00.  For an 87 percent savings.

Toothpaste
Hefty slider bags for granddaughters Lunch.
2 pepperoni s


Just a note

Jane

Monday Madness

We made it through another week.

My  daughter bought turkey bacon....Turkey is one of the  cheapest meat in the grocery.  It was 8.00 a pound.  This is a case where buying regular  bacon and using it in moderation is a better choice.
Why is it that they put LESS something in a product and charge MORE money.  It doesn't seem logical.  LOL

Yesterday we why for a walk before dinner.  Dinner was late and we had pizza and salad.

I have been researching cook for a day and eat for a month.  I went to a class years ago.  I haven't the stamina for this norm but there are people that it makes sense for.  One lady does it because she has three children under six and dinner time was meltdown time.  It was easier for her and could spend the time with children.  Engaging the children in a quiet activity would be good too..

Having a stock ahead means you can add the few items you need new and still have money to fill in and take advantage of rock bottom prices on staples.

Instead of all day cooking, I choose go batch cook meat.  Using the slow cooker makes sense to effect a quieter dinner time as well.    I used to set aside some meals for our widowed  mothers as well.  If they didn't feel like cooking, all they had to do was  heat something up.  It's hard to cook some things for one person,

Another idea I just remembered.  If you are making a dish that your family likes, make a double or triple batch and freeze the leftovers.  Freeze item  in a freezer bag and lay it flat on a sided cookie sheet until it freezes.  It makes your bag flat and takes less room in the freezer.
You can get a months worth of meals in a refer freezer.

I purchased the ABC s of freezer cooking.  The new word for marathon cooking.  I'll give a review when I get it from Amazon.  Another good book is Don't panic, dinner is in the freezer.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane.

Stacymakescents.com

I ran on to a video on u tube that covers anything you ever wanted to know about couponing. she is from the south, so not everything she says holds true in  the pacific nw.
I checked out her website.  She had a guest recipe contributor,  she is toting 6 meals under 100.00 in the crock pot.  Her name is KM Logan and has a book on Freezer cooking.  I think that freezer cooking is a new way to say marathon cooking, cook one day and eat the rest of the month.   Her recipes are worth looking at on Stacy's website.  Just remember you can use bone in chicken breast, and most mixes can be made from scratch or the ingredients substituted for mix.  Italian dressing is on an earlier blog, as well as ranch dressing.  I am assuming when she calls for a bottle of dressing, she is using a small bottle.  Look for veggies and dry potatoes at the dollar store or big Lots.
I think with some savvy shopping, you could get this down to 5 dollar dinners.  You could also use cooked chicken and cut the cooking time.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day !

Yesterday we had BBQ chicken thighs, potato salad, corn on the cob and mixed berries.  I bought a bulk package of chicken thighs when I shopped.  We had Chicken Alfredo one night, and BBQ chicken, and I still have enough to have chicken and noodles another night from a 6.5 pound package of chicken thighs purchased at .99 a pound.

Buying meat in bulk and batch cooking makes it easier at meal time and is less expensive.  You can freeze part of it so that you aren't eating a meat until you are sick and tired  of it. You can buy a batch of something that is in a  really good sale, batch cook it, and use 1 or 2 meals and freeze the rest.  pull out the things that you bought the previous weeks and you have balanced meats, but at a lower cost.

Almost any meat works for batch cooking.  Chicken leg quarters work, as well as breasts and whole chickens.  Whole chickens on sale are about 1/2 the price of a deli chicken.  NEVER buy a chicken under 3 pounds.  Your ratio of bone to fat breaks even at 3 pounds.  Otherwise you are paying for too much bone.  between a four and five pound chicken is the best.

Ground meat Is the simplest, a very versatile meat.  Meatballs, meatloaf, taco meat, crumbles, patties, Salisbury steak!  If good hamburger is not cheap enough,,consider grinding your own from a less expensive cut of meat.

A pork loin or tenderloin is another option. Imslice pork loom thin for BBQ pork sandwiches.

Roast beef  can be eaten for a roast beef meal, and then sliced for sandwiches.  Roast Beef is becoming almost cost  prohibitive.

My mix for meal plans is probably different than yours.  Try for a variety of meats to be balanced.

2 beef
2pork or chicken
2vegetarian
1fish or seafood

Variety in your meat selection gives you balance.  Every other day someone comes out with a XXXXX meat is not good for you,  I don't quite buy all of that..  Variety at least gives you a bit of all meats,  For, , next week "they" will change their mind! LOL

I keep clams, shrimp, tuna, and salmon along with some white fish.

In order to have five dollar dinners (average) you need to keep the protein at 2-3 dollars.  If I spend a lot one dat ( shrimp will take me over the top) I schedule eggs another day, or so,etching else that is low cost protein.  Maybe burritos with rice, beans, and a little leftover meat!  


Thanks for stopping by

Please share.

Jane

Alternative stores buys

My daughter and I went to get a sandbox.  We stopped at Big Lots ,  green giant corn was .33.  Chocolate wafer cookies were  1.00.

Rite aid had up rewards on dental hygene   stuff.  Along with coupons. I got two toothpastes and a 3.99 mouthwash for 2.64.

That's my BIG shopping dAy!   LOL



Jane

Suddenly Saturday

Saturday, and it is beautiful in the Pacific  Northwest.  Certainly,  a good gardening day.

On  to the topic of today.

The  goal in stockpiling,is to get to the point where you can only buy the specials that are rock
 bottom prices that you may need to fill on the holes in our stockpile, and the perishables you need to fill  in  a balanced meal plan.  It won't happen on a day, or even a week.  Just plug away at it as you find rock bottom prices on the staples your family eats  often.  One item at a time.  Sales go in 12 week cycles, and somethings are at a really rock bottom price once on a blue moon.  When that happens, stock up to the max of your level.  I try for a six month supply.It makes it easier  to make sure that you don't run  out and be forced to pay full price for something. That dreaded F word....FULL PRICE.  LOL

You don't have to be rich to do this, just smart.  Making some changes in the things we buy  and the way you buy your food makes a tremendous difference.  It makes no difference in your budget if you buy 1 can of pasta for 1.59 or two cans for 1.57. But ,  it makes a difference that you can eat twice instead of once!

Saving money on food has a snowball effect.  The money you save from one thing, means you can buy another on sale, and that savings rolls over to another sale and soon you have a stockpile.  Soon, you don't have to go to the store if you don't want to, or can't for some reason.  You have food in the pantry at the  end of the month.  It's a very  good feeling.

Tracking your prices gives you a good idea when your staple items are at a rock bottom price.

Pasta.   1 lb boxes

Date.                       Where bought.                         Price.             Coupon?              Net cost
6/10/13.                      SAFEWAYS.                       .88.                 2/1.00.                .38

You can run a spreadsheet, or use a small book that you can carry in your purse or coupon binder or box.

You will probably have 10-15 items on your staples list.  I have an idea on some things, and some things are traditionally  cheaper at some stores.

Catsup is always a buck at the  dollar store. Duh?!
I find tissue at the dollar store, but sometimes I find it cheaper at the Big Lots. big lots does not take coupons, dollar store does.  Big lots also doesn't take snap and dollar store does.

Coffee and cheese is always good at Grocery Outlet.  Coffee because it is cheaper, and cheese because it is cheaper sometimes and there is always a wide variety of cheeses, some unusual.

WinCo has a tremendous bulk food isle.  Some canned goods are cheaper and they have a wide variety of Mexican foods.

Costco is our place for bisquick, toilet paper, laundry soap, and some over the counter drugs our doctor has prescribed.  It is also cheaper on some fruits , especially bananas and I get brown and serve baguettes, because they are better and cheaper than their counterparts at the chain stores.
I keep them in the fridge and they keep a long time.

Big Lots has tomatoes  in a pinch.  When they have 20 percent sales, they are cheaper.  Also,
sometimes tea.

Our staples list

Tuna. Some
Salmon some
Diced tomatoes
Refried beans
Beans
Pasta
Pasta sauce
Green beans. Some
Corn. Some
Chili. Some
Chicken noodle soup. Some
Instant mashed potatoes
Rice. Some
Tomato paste some
A few cake mixes

I keep a few of the things that are marked some.  I usually keep a cake mix and a couple of brownie mixes.  the other things I keep a six months supply.  If I use the item once a month, I keep 4-6.  If I use it weekly, I keep 24.  I keep a bin of pasta.  Pasta has a very long shelf life.

Things like mayo and catsup, I keep one ahead.  I don't want to run out of something in the middle of cooking.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Freaking Friday

It feels weird that I am not doing the marketing today. We are all creatures  of habit.  

I watched a u tube seminar last night. It was on couponing and meal plans.  It could have been a boring , but  her sense of humor was delightful.  One thing resonated with me.  She was describing the difference between stockpiling and hoarding.  When you buy low and buy enough to last you until the next sale, you are stockpiling.  When you buy to be buying and buy things you don't use and at a quantity you can't use in your lifetime, that's hoarding.  

Last  night we had Chicken Alfredo and mixed vegetables.  It took me about 15 minutes , non passive time.  I put the pasta in the microwave and went out and talked to the neighbor..  I like quick, tasty meals, especially after I worked the second shift.  Cooking meat ahead makes dinner time cooking a lot less hectic.  Cooking is a lot less stressful  if there are  no time constraints on you.  

Pasta 49

Sauce .50

Chicken 1.50

Mixed veggies .75

Milk .12

Cheese.50

Bread .72

Total. 4.58

The basis for 1/2 price groceries is five dollar  dinners. Breakfast and lunch will take care of themselves as long as you keep to scratch cooking and 1/2 price shopping.  breakfast can be 

Banana  bread or muffins, or oatmeal with raisins or craisens, or yogurt and toast, an egg muffin made with biscuits.  Lunch is leftovers, a sandwich...1/2 price cold cuts, or tuna, or egg salad or a salad from the night before with hard boiled eggs.  I like cheese, whole wheat crackers and an apple . 

Basically, you

• Buy in season.  It tastes better, and it is cheaper.  
• Buy what is TRULY on sale, Not everything on the grocery ad is really on sale.  
• Know your prices, what is rock bottom.  Track your main grocery items. 
• Strive for 1/2 price there is a lot of difference between 2.20 and .38 for pasta.  The same brand. Pasta has a 8 YEAR shelf life.  
• Stack coupons when it makes sense.  I won't spend a lot of time couponing.  A few minutes a week can make a difference. Any more than that and you aren't getting paid enough.   If I spend ten minutes and save 6 dollars, I am making 36.00 an hour.  Since we don't buy a lot of ready mades and rarely is there a coupon for meat and veggies, any more time than that would be counterproductive.  
• Sometimes, bread is cheaper at the grocery store, but most of the time it is cheaper at the bakery outlet, especially the specialty items.  I don't have time to make bread.  It would be cheaper.  When I made sour dough bread, it didn't get eaten fast enough, so I quit.  It's not a savings if it goes on the garbage!

Thanks for stopping by

PLEASE SHARE WITH A FRIEND. If they share and they share......

Maybe I can help more people.  

Jane

Peanuts, popcorn and .........

While doing my many hours of research while being laid up, I ran on to an interesting statistic.  Twenty percent of the average grocery bill is for snacks.  If you really pay attention to the ads on tv and analyze the coupons being put out there , a lot of them are bidding for your snack food dollars.

If you spend your snack food dollars for building stock, you will be better off.  Air popped popcorn is a really good inexpensive snack.  Add some garlic powder or parm cheese if you want a different flavor...or any other flavor combo that the chips of the day are using.

Yesterday, I did our marketing alone while  my husband was at work.  I went to three stores in an hour and a half.  I , according to the receipts, saved 46,46, and 44 percent.  I stocked.  What I stock this week, might not be what I stock next week. I pretty much stuck to real food, as opposed to junk food and non food items.

 ALBERTSONS has dairy at rock bottom prices. Enjoy them while you can, the effects of the drought  have only just begun, the price of dairy is probably going to skyrocket..  It's not something you can stock, and non fat dry milk is really pricy...a lot more than regular milk. Like a box  of milk at Costco is 40 dollars.  Cheese is eight dollars a brick some places.  you can freeze grated cheese.  Meat you can compensate with other sources of protein ....a little in a casserole.  I suspect that like our great grandmothers and grandmothers during WWII and the Great Depression, we will adapt and survive.  That is  how we got red velvet cake!!!  There is a group of  videos on U tube about cooking during the depression.  It's a hoot!  

I got excited over .12 yogurt and .38 cent pasta, not to mention .77 pasta sauce...talk about rock bottom prices!

If you haven't guessed, this blog is about groceries on the cheap.  I started out trying to teach people on SNAP to stretch their food dollars.  No kid should have to eat top ramen and potato chips for dinner and no kid should have to get up to the insecurity of no food in the house.  I have found out that more people have been reading because of tricks to get out of the kitchen faster, or seeing a new or old recipe they had forgotten as well. In these times, it is relevant to us all.  Who doesn't like a bargain!!!!?  

The basis of this is to buy low and eat high, kinda like playing the stock market .  Buy quantity of things you use on a regular basis when they are a rock bottom price, enough to last until they go on sale again.  lately, I have been trying to add coupons to the lowest price-- Thus .12 cent yogurt and .38 whole grain pasta.  Never pay full price for anything.  you can cut your food bill at least in half.
I do this without eating junk food or a lot of boxed meals.  Quick scratch cooking and cooking ahead compensates for convenience food.

This does take some prep time before you shop. I do some of it for you, but only you knows what your family wants to eat.  After your initial organization is done, it should take you a normal amount of time to shop.  Probably less time if you  are a meal at a time shopper.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share with a friend.

Jane

4+1=5. four people, one meal, five bucks.
Better, Cheaper, Faster

Coupons to match the ads

Here are coupons to match the good buys this week.  
Happy Saving. 

Albertsons
Tillamook yogurt.  Coupon in paper is for .24
                               Coupon on coupons.com is for BOGO - limit two. 
                               Makes them .12 each. 

Safeways
Barilla Whole Grain Pasta
                                Store coupon  .88
                                Coupon from Coupons.com 1.00 off two
                                Net cost   .38


QFC
Hormel Entrees on Buy 4
                               Store price 4.48
                               Coupons.com coupon 1.00 off
                               Net price 3.48
Some of the varieties are not the best tasting , in my familes opinion.  we like the beef tips.  
A 5 minute meal with instant mashed potatoes and a vegetable and/ or salad.  At the cost of
beef , the price is not bad. 

Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage  on Buy 4, mix or match
                                Store price 2.99
                                Coupon from previous Red Plum  .75
                                 Nets 2.24

Hope this helps someone.  Every little bit helps.  

Thanks for stopping by

Jan

The Ads

The ads for this week

TOP
Milk 2.49
Country ribs 1.99
Romaine 2.00 we only
Strawberries 2/3.49

Newmans own sale coupons
Pasta sauce 2/3
Dressing 2/5
Salsa 2/3
Popcorn 2/3
Pizza 3.99
Canned veggies  .69 @@@@
10 lb leg quarters .99 lb

ALBERTSONS
Corn 6/2
Cantaloupe  2/3

Hunts pasta sauce .77 buy 10
Milk 1.77@
Cheese 4.99@
Yogurt .24@
Ice cream 2.49@
Sour cream .99@
Butter 1.69@
Grapes 1.99
Strawberries 2/5
Plums 1.99

QFC
tomatoes .99
Grapes 1.28
Eggs (18) 1.99

Buy 4
Ice cream 2.49 buy 4
Nutrigrain bars 1.99
DiGiorno 4.99
Morning star farms 2.99
Tide 5.49
HORMEL entrees 4.48
Smoked sausage 2.99

Week end only
Strawberries 3/5
Pork loin 1.79
Butter 1.88
------

Hebrew national 2/7
Blues 5.99. 18 oz
Chicken breasts 1.49

SAFEWAYS
JUST FOR YOU 5 dollar Fridays
SUB 5.00
Boston cream cake
Strawberries 3/5
Newmans own entrees
------
Jfu
Muller yogurt -free

Chicken .99
Corn 6/2
Kraft singles or cheese sticks  BOGO
Kens  dressing BOGO
Pasta .88@@@


@@@@needs coupon

This is a tough one this week.  I'll have to do some analyzing.  Some of these have coupons that work with them from the red plum and the ss this week.

Remember to check coupons.  Couponconnections.com on the Seattle area.  Cross off anything more expensive elsewhere, and anything you don't need.

Thanks for stopping by
Please share

Jane

Internet Ideas

I have been looking at the Internet a lot lately.  If I have  free time or don't feel good..all that yard work played havoc with my back.  LOL.

I saw a lot of garbage, and recipes for stuff  I can't imagine eating...how about kippers on top of spaghetti?   Trust me, his dollar store meals are not 1/2 as good as mine by anyone's criteria.

There, however was a little girl, I wish I could remember her name, that was showing meals that you could make and freeze for a quick meal instead of buying the frozen counterparts.

She made pasta and veggies and chicken.  She flash froze the veggies with bottled Alfredo sauce, and flashed froze the chicken  alone, and the pasta again with sauce.  Each on a foil lined cookie sheet one layer thick.   After  an hour, she broke the sheet of food apart and put it in meal sized bags.

She also made pizza, par baking the crust and filling it with her toppings, then cutting it I to wedges and wrapping it individually.  My guess is that you could make whole pizza, but if there are only one or two of you, the first option would be more efficient.

maybe her name was  Divascancook.com ?

She had some good ideas mixed in with a little youthful anticks..

I just found Depressioncooking with Clara on u tube.  It's a hoot.  She is 91 years old, recanting times of the depression and cooking for her probably great grandsons.  Fun.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Terrific Tuesday

Tuesday , the ads come out tonight in the mail.  The coupons came out in the Sunday paper.  I understand from researching, that if you wait a couple of weeks, you are better off matching coupons with sales.  Many of the coupons are for ready mades and non food items.  I am choosing to choose my coupoms wisely.  I'm not buying just because there is a coupon or something is free.

Saving money at the grocery store is more about putting good nutricion on the table for less than the stats say you need.  it's about providing your family an adequate, nutritious diet for less.  By cooking from scratch, shopping to maximize savings, and planning, it can be achieved in less time than you think.

Batch cooking enables you to save time and clean up and buy meats when they are at their lowest in price.  You can portion control the meat and have less waste.  When it is time to cook dinner, the major time consuming part is already done, and your dinner time is less hectic.  There are videos on u tube about cooking once for a month of dinners.  Some of them set aside a specific meat or dish for a given day of the week.  My mother did that for a time.  We could tell you what day of the week it was by the dinner that was cooking on the stove.  It got rather boring, and only lasted a few months.  Now, my aunt that lived four doors down made cookies every Tuesday, we NEVER got tired of that !
It  was soo unfortunate that we just had to pass her house on the way home from school!!! LOL  LOL

The only thing wrong with writing a blog, is that you don't ever know your demographics,  I don't know who is reading.  Are they people that are victims of the recession?  People on SNAP, retirees, young mothers? People  that just want to get out of the kitchen faster or try a new recipe???

Tonight we tried chocolate waffles.....with bacon and mixed berry compote.  Yumm
I got the recipe from a Betty Crocker post!!!!

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

4+1=5

better, cheaper, faster!!!

Monday madness

It's Monday again, funny how that works, another week looms.  I have been spending my free time watching blogs about cheap food.  there are not many about good food, cheap.  It is frustrating seeing all the cut your grocery bill in half, when I already do that without coupons.  Either Washington state is a lot more rigid on their coupon policies, or they have all changed because people were taking advantage.  Clearing the shelves without regard to other shoppers is rude.
None  the less, these women are getting 15000 hits a day.  I was excited to get 10000 in a year ! LOL
I don't know how to reach more people.  I am trying to take a practical approach to this.


Onward, my focus this month is going to be to add a few coupons on top of good sales to kick up the savings a notch.  Another challenge is to see how low I can get the basic hie gene necessities, since SNAP only covers food.  I have got toothpaste for as low as free.  on to deodorant, toilet paper, and soap.

Progresso recipe starters are 2/1.00 at the dollar store.  There are .50 coupons, but they don't work at the dollar store...darn.   I have used the cheese one, it was pretty good,  I added more cheese to bow ties and peas.  it was a very quick meal when things went  a rie at our house.  Having some items that save the day is important, it is better than the drive through or ordering pizza.  I also have the challenge of cooking with one pot at a time I'm a two foot square kitchen on the boat.  Drastic times call for drastic measures.  I cook normal foods on the boat, many go out for dinner every night.  Some convenience saves my day and a lot of money.

Betty Crocker has some really good recipes this week.  Check out their website. I will try the beer bread!   Beer bread pizza sounds really good too.  If you don't like alcohol, you can always use no alcoholic beer.  There are a lot of other really good recipes too.

When I shopped, I mostly bought fruits and vegetables.  We are paring down our stock of meat.  Yesterday, we went to a BBQ, so I didn't cook.   Have three more days left to cook.  I did the math, one day we go to Happy Hour with friends, two days I work the late shift.

1. Hot dogs, corn on the cob, mixed berry fruit cup
2. Chicken and sausage couscous
3. Pasta skillet

Chicken and sausage couscous 

1/4 pound chicken pieces, cooked

6 ounces fully cooked sausage , cut into bite sized pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into small chunks

2 carrots, cut into slices

1-1/3 cups chicken broth

1 cup couscous

1/2 red pepper, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

1T cornstarch

Place sausage in skillet with a little oil.  Brown meats about 5 minutes.  

Add carrots and celery to skillet, cover and cook until soft 3-5 minutes

Cook couscous,  bring 1-1/3 cups broth to a boil.  Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat.  

Let stand. 

Add chicken and red pepper to skillet.  Stir fry until red pepper is soft.  

Mix remaining chicken stock with cornstarch.  Add to skillet.  Stir fry until  sauce is thick.  

Serve meat and veggies over couscous.  

Pasta skillet

1 cup seashell pasta.  ( cooked and drained)

3/4 pound ground meat, cooked

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup beef stock

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp garlic 

1 cup frozen green beans

2 ounces feta cheese ( if desired)

Add all Ingredients to a skillet, except pasta.  Cook until  frozen beans are done.  

Add pasta to skillet and stir.  

Garnish with feta if desired.  

Notes:  meat was cooked ahead when it was on sale for 2.99 a pound.  Pasta was .50 a pound.  

Tomatoes are .67 when TOP has them on sale. 

Feta  cheese is often cheap at grocery outlet.  last time I got it with sundried tomatoes.  

 Thanks for stopping by

Jane

PLEASE share.  

What's wrong with this picture?

not to be critical, but this gal doesn't have a clue.

Meal Plans

Hot Dogs
Pasta
Pizza
breakfast
Steak um sandwiches

I'm over budget, I spent 51.00

grocery Trip
Watermelon, cut into cubes in a plastic container
Tomatoes on the vine
24 bottles of water
12 cans of ginger ale
16 steak umps
2 baby cans of kitty food
White bread
8 rolls of paper towels
1/2 gal milk
ready made chicken breast strips
Ready made sliced apples in a bag
1 dozen eggs
Head of lettuce
2 - 8 ea tubes of  drink gushers
2 ears of corn
16 bottles of Gatorade

I'll let you You imagine what they are going to eat, I'll bet they will be well hydrated!


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Saturday

First a little housekeeping.  Dollar store dinners was a challenge.  I have eaten the potatoes and the frozen veggies from the dollar store.  They are good.  A lot of the dry goods are the same brands that are at the regular chain stores.  Some are cheaper, some are not.  I have not eaten the meat or fish from the dollar store, so I can't offer an opinion.  of course, the dollar store does not have perishables( fresh fruits and vegetables).  I don't think I would use the dollar store as my main food store.  LOL  This  was an experiment .  I always get French fries and pepperoni from the dollar store and their mixed veggies are good.  The same brand is 1.25 elsewhere.

The dollar store has a variety of things that are necessity items, but cheaper.  It's like what we called the dime store when I was a kid.  We had Woolworth's and Sprouse Ritz. I probably spelling it wrong.  Then came the 88 cent store.  A product of inflation, we have the dollar store.  The dollar store accepts coupons.  Because everything is a dollar, if you can do a match up with the correct sizes, some things can be free or near free.  You  cannot extreme coupon at the dollar store, they will only take four coupons at a time, it is my understanding. but, FREE is a  VERY nice word to the budgeter.  I got toothpaste for free, and I got sandwich bags for 1/2 price.  our granddaughter is small and she brings lunch to "school".  The quart bags we were sending in her lunch were too wasteful.
While, it isn't a food item, (SNAP doesn't pay for personal hygiene necessities. )If you can get them for free it is best.  I have purchased toothpaste for free or near free.  I am next going to tackle deodorant and toilet paper.  Watch for coupons and sales or the dollar store, and try to match them up.  This state doesn't allow overages and double coupons for what I can tell, so it might be a challenge. If someone finds it, please let the rest of us know.  There is a comment section below.


If you have the luxury of a variety of stores to shop at, then why not take advantage of that.
I wouldn't  recommend driving miles and miles, but planning your trips to group other errands works.
I stock, I don't buy 1 thing a week.  That being said, I would not stock anything that I haven't had before or that I didn't have storage for.

It's  a trade off, you find storage someplace in your house.  My dad always built a storage room in the basement in every house we ever lived in.  the trade off is that you  never have to run to the store or borrow from the neighbor something because you are in the middle of cooking dinner  and don't have something.  And, more to the point, you never have nothing on the house to eat and you are prepared for an emergency...be it you're too sick to get to the store, or an act of God has made the store inaccessible.

Last  night we had bean and rice burritos with leftover pork tenderloin.  That way, I could make some with meat, and some without.  That was three days on a pork tenderloin.  The tenderloin costs 7.50 divided by three makes 2.50 per meal for meat.

1. Pork tenderloin with potatoes and vegetable.  
2. BBQ pork sandwiches, German potato salad
3. Burritos

To  make five dollar meals, you have to average two to three dollars a meal.  If you hit the three dollar mark often, you are restricted to the starch and veggie for the meal.  You need to get in at least five servings of fruits and veggies a day.  We often use fruit as a desert.  Sliced bananas or strawberries with chocolate topping is a favorite.  As is bananas with butterscotch.  Or strawberries with cream.  I make a banana bread from Betty Crocker on line, that has oatmeal, bananas and blueberries in it.  It is really fast, easy, and inexpensive.  Bananas  are cheapest at Costco.  Do not buy organic bananas.  All bananas are organic and it is a rip off in my opinion.  I have heard experts say the same thing.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Dollar store dinners

Now, after I got a tube of toothpaste from the dollar store for free, I have purchased nine toothpastes for a total of two dollars.  All of them are either Colgate or Crest.

I went virtual shopping via my notepad.  I forgot to bring my electronics, so I did it the old fashioned way.  It was my challenge to make a good meal from the dollar store for my five dollar criteria.

I found

1. Meatballs, ziti, pasta sauce, and mixed California vegetables.  --5 bucks. (Two pkgs meatballs)
2. Chicken strips, French fries, regular mixed vegetables,  - 4 bucks ( using a pound of strips
3. Tilapia,  sweet potatoes, corn, and red peppers.  5 bucks (a pound of fish)(rice*) 
4. Bean and rice burritos with cheese.  ( beans and rice scratch 1 lb for a buck each) tortillas 1.00. Cheese 1.00, salsa .  5.00.  * enough rice for the fish dinner. 

. Four dinners for 19.00 with beans and salsa left over.

I found (some items are cheaper on sale elsewhere) but, my criteria was a meal from the dollar store.  I did not include normal staples like butter, catsup, etc.

Chicken breast strips 8 ounces

7 ounces of meatballs

4 ounces of tilapia

16 ounces Calif  blend veggies

Brocolli

Peas

Mixed veggies

French fries

Onion rings

Sweet potatoes, corn and red pepper medley

Sargento cheese

Mashed potatoes

Uncle Ben's  rice blends

Noodles

Ziti

Elbow Mac

Raw rice
Raw beans

Zatarans

Tortillas 

Pasta sauce

And some other  mixes I wouldn't buy, personal preference

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Getting started

I thought I would write about getting started.  Most of us don't have a lot of excess money hanging  around.

The term stockpiling conjures up the image of hoarding food all over the house.  Actually, stockpiling is buying your food at the lowest price and buying enough of it to cover yourself until you can find it at a rock bottom price again.  I try for a six month supply.  By the time it goes on sale again, I still have some and can add enough to fill myself in.

I only stockpile the foods on my most frequently used list.  My stock list .  Most people have  10-15 items  they use frequently.  You track these prices for the lowest price.

If you cut out the pop, and junk food and start buying one thing at a time, the next week, buy another thing on sale. Or on sale cheap with a coupon.  This snowballs and soon you only have to buy perishables until a sale comes along.  You will find you are spending far less than you did before and still have a pantry full of food.

Today I went to QFC and bought perishables that pretty much were on sale.  I bought 2 pounds of butter, 1.97 cent berries, apples, etc.  I bought a 1.00 crest toothpaste, because with a coupon, I got 2 free.  That's three tubes of toothpaste for a buck.  That averages me 8 toothpastes for 2 dollars total.

Tommorrow,  I will hit SAFEWAYS.  they have mayo for 2.22. Just 4 you.  I am at the end of my bottle, so I will replace the pantry one.  I always keep ONE of catsup, mustard, and mayo  type of thing so I can't run out in the middle of dinner.  Otherwise, of I use something weekly, I keep 24.  If I use something monthly, I keep 4-6.  Sales run an 8-12 week cycle.  If you watch for coupons for the things you buy and track the sales prices, you will see a pattern and take advantage of the rock bottom price.

Think about it, if you are playing the stock market, you want to buy low and sell high.  You are buying at rock bottom, and eating at high prices.  Adding the perishables at lowest market prices and you have a winning ticket! LOL

This week there is not a lot of things to stock on. Butter can be frozen and it is 2  bucks at QFC.  The toothpaste at QFC with a coupon is a stocker.

Last two weeks were better weeks to stock.  Top had beans and tomatoes for .67.  ALBERTSONS had pasta and cake mixes for .49.  With coupons, I  got two cake mixes for an  average of .07 cents.

Thanks for stopping by,

Please share

Jane