Monday madness.

Momday again.  I received an insert from the Sunday paper last night from a friend of my husbands.

Fred Meyer has their ads running from Sunday to Saturday.  

They have really good produce buys this week.  I can wait until midweek when I am due to shop again.  

Peaches or nectarines 1.28

Broccoli .77

Green onions, radishes 3/1

Eggs .99@

Hillshire farm sausage 2/5@

Sour cream 1.00

Butter 1.99@

Oscar Mayer lunch meat 3.29

Cheerios 2/4

Braille pasta .89@ limit 4.  Coupon for .75 any two. Makes it 2.06 for four.  

Note: there are coupons out there for the Cheerios, the Braille pasta, the Oscar Mayer lunch meat, and I think the sausage.  Check coupon connections.com.  The coupons in the paper are Fred Meyer coupons,so you can stack them.  I love it when you can double dip.  

I have been watching more videos, but it all comes down to the fact that the people that are saving the 90 percents are doing it in states that entertain double coupons.  I normally save 1/2 of the national average, and nearly half of the USDA  guidelines for thrifty meals WITHOUT coupons. Some weeks I add another ten percent off.  I don't spend a  lot of time at it.  My life is too busy to spend 10-60 hours a week on couponing.  Most of the coupons  out there are for non-food items.  We don't spend a lot on toiletries.  Pretty much, we get shampoo and soap from Costco as well as Toilet paper and laundry soap.  I have been getting toothpaste for free.  A co worker tells me she got toilet paper for free too, as well as getting cash back at IGA when  her coupon was for more than the item.  I have never heard of that in this state before.  I know that some of the large  chains state they won't do that on their coupon policies.  

Just a note, Rite Aid   has ice cream buy 1 get one.  And bleach nets 1.50 after up reward.

ALBERTSONS has coupons, Basicly giving you an extra 10 percent in the Sunday  paper. 

3/30, 5/50, 10/100.  Strawberries  June 23-25.  

Thanks for stopping by, 

Please share

Jane

I'm going to go get my coupon box and see what  matches!   

The basics

Late start, it was a long night.
 OK.  Back to the basics, again. I have been doing this for a year.  I usually do a basic overview the first of the month.  I have been posting the basics in detail all month. The basic of groceries on the cheap is taking an methodical approach to buying your food.

It takes  a three pronged approach.

1. Planning and organizing 
2. Shopping wisely
3. Cooking from scratch

PLANNING AND ORGANIZINGN

• First, gather seven recipes for dinner that use low cost sources of protein.  Start with seven and expand to 14 so that you have a variety of meals.  

• Make a list of the staple items that you buy frequently.  These should be non perishables that you can stock.  In our house that would be beans, refried beans, pasta sauce, pasta, mashed potatoes, canned diced tomatoes, a few tuna, salmon and green beans and corn and a few chicken noodle soup.  
• Start a data base on your stock items. You should have  10-15 items.  you are going to record, the item, the size of the package, the store, the date, and the price you paid for it, coupon!  

          Pasta, 16 ounces

           Date.                       Store.                         Price.             Coupon                Net

          6/5/13.                      SAFEWAYS.             .88.                1.00/2                 .38

You can use a tablet or a spread sheet.  The idea is to find the rock bottom price for your item.  Stores operate on a 8-12 week cycle.  You, like playing the stock market, want to buy low and eat high.  NEVER get stuck paying full price.  The difference between buying 1 can of pasta for 1.59 and buying two cans for 1.54 is getting two meals instead of one.  you are going to stock the items on your list.  If  I use something once a week, I stock 24, if I use it once a month, I stock 6.  by doing that, I almost never get stuck paying full price, and I could skip shopping and survive if I needed to.  

• This is new, I just started trying to incorporate some couponing into  the mix.  Rarely , do I find a coupon for real food.  But there are some out there.  I don't want to spend a great deal of time couponing.  but, I have been taking an additional 6.00 or so off my bottom line.  That is approaching ten percent.  If I wouldn't normally buy the product, I don't entertain a coupon unless it makes it free or dirt cheap.  
• Check couponconnections.com ( in the Seattle area) for coupon match ups.  If you can download a coupon, or if you already get the paper, clip what you would normally buy.   Don't want to spend more time on couponing than it takes the coffee to drip in the morning!  ...note: if you are not in Seattle, there are other websites that include your area.  Do a web search.  

SMART SHOPPING

• The first issue to address is smart shopping does not include snack foods..what my mom used to call peanuts, popcorn and crackerjacks ! LOL.   just basic food.  popcorn is a good snack food of it is air popped.  As is a piece  of fruit or some cheese and crackers.  snack foods can take up to  twenty percent of your food budget.  That s  a good place to start cutting.  Basicly many of them are empty calories-- lots of carbs with little food value.

1. The nuts and bolts-- When you get the store flyers, take a piece of paper and divide it in quarters.  Label each quarter with a name of a store.  Now, write down anything in the ad that is on your stock list at a good price, and anything in the meat and vegetable/fruit line that is a good price.  Now, cross off anything you don't need to stock now, and anything that is a lower price elsewhere. 
2. Clean your fridge and make a note of anything that should be used soon and what you have to make meal sides.  Pair them with what's on sale to round out a tentative meal plan.  
3. Add anything you need to replace to your grocery list.   IE: I have hot dogs, I need buns and coleslaw .  We need salad fixings for Speghetti.  When you are up and running, you should be able just to buy one meat item in bulk that's at a rock bottom price, and fresh fruits and vegetables to round your meals.  By buying one bulk meat a week and buying enough for a month, you can rotate your meat and never pay full price.  
4. pick the TWO cheapest grocery stores that week.  Plan your trip adding any other errands you need to make to use the least amount of gas.  Bring your ads, your coupons, your list and any list from your reward cards and a cooler.  
5. Go to the store, buy what's on your list, and get out.  The longer you spend in a store, the more you will spend. don't pick up anything you don't intend to buy.  
6. When you get home, jot down 7 meal plans from what you have and have bought. use the oldest perishables first.  I use a matrix of 2 beef, 2 chicken or pork,  2 vegetarian, and  1 fish.  
7. Dinners should average five dollars a dinner. 

COOKING FROM SCRATCH

• Batch cooking is a way to save time in the kitchen.  you buy one meat in bulk when it is at it's lowest price, and cook and portion control it for meals.  you can get a months worth of food in your regular fridge freezer.  Make a couple of hours time when the house is less hectic, and you save a lot of time when the hectic dinner hour rolls around.  Save a few no Brainer meals for the days you know are going to be especially hard.    Hamburger, roast chicken, pork loin, and roast beef work well for this,  lately, I haven't been doing much roast beef, I haven't found a cheap enough sale.  
• Basicly, to make 1/2 price meals, and be able to feed a family of four for 75.00 a week. You need to make 5 dollar dinners.  Meat( protein) should average 2-3 dollars a meal.  
• The slow cooker is your best friend.  many recipes are put there, you can put dimmer I'm the crockpot in the morning and have dinner waiting for you  you when you get home.  
• Tacos, hot sandwiches from the meat you have batch cooked, and pasta are all meals that go together in a flash. 
• Check a precious post for my recipe for No Brainer Pasta.  It is my answer to a Hamburger Meal Box.   Better, because you have more  nutrition and more product.  Cheaper, because it is cheaper per serving, and faster because most of it is passive cooking.  Please read my blog on dissecting a hamburger meal box, it is a real eye opener.  
• Bottom line is that anything that is premade and boxed is off the table, with a few exceptions.  Scratch cooking doesn't have to mean that you slave over a hot  stove all day.  there are a few things that are ready made that are either cheaper, or are not practical to cook from scratch.  Beans have a short fridge life.  if you get them cheap enough , canned ones are a better buy without waste,  I don't make tortillas or refried beans.  Instant mashed some times of the year are cheaper than scratch.  When I can get tomato roasted red pepper soup from Costco, it is cheaper than scratch.  

I guess I have bombarded you with enough.  If it all seems overwhelming, take it one step at a time. . If some part of this just isn't your bag, think of the savings, if that isn't motivation consider deligari g it to a family member that is more suited to the task An older child can do more than you think and they will be learning good life's lessons.  

Thank for stopping by

Please share 

Jane 

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Saturday

Saturday, the one day a week that I get a hot cup of coffee!  Its beautiful and peaceful here, and I have to do the business books and get the clothes replaced for the boat.  My husband emptied the  chest of drawers to be washed .  I have gone down two sizes since last summer, so I have to restock from home and  wash what I can still wear.  I batch cooked all yesterday morning into the afternoon.  Our meat is cooked and ready to go and plenty left over for the house sitter.  Batch cooking means that dinner will  be a snap tonight.

My daughter thinks I should address the issue of special diets.  I think the first question is , are you on a special diet because it is the "in thing" to do, or is it because the doctor says you have an health issue.
Most of the time, you can buy regular food and make healthy choices to accommodate your diet.  healthy doesn't have to be expensive.  I buy whole wheat products, and defat my meat, and live on a low carb diet.  Low sugar, low fat, and low salt doesn't mean that you have to buy all the items in the grocery store that claim low xxxxx.  Some of them have chemicals that aren't good for you in the first place.  It's clueless to me why if something is the "in" diet, suddenly everything has No xxx. On the label even if it never HAS  had that xxxx in it.  They use it to raise prices. If it is special, it  must cost more.

If you are a vegetarian , you don't have to buy the vegetarian equivalent of meats.  Our doctor would prefer that the baby not have soy based equivalents.  Soy is one of the crops that failed, and is going to continually get more expensive as we work through the effects of the drought.  My fear is that after the drought, the suppliers will assume we are used to paying high prices and inflate the prices for more profit.

There are grains and rice and beans that make for whole protein.  If you insist on buying the fake stuff, PCC is less expensive than some other stores, probably because they have more volume.  if you can make do with things from the chain stores, you will be better off if you are trying to make it on SNAP.  Quinoa ( I'm probably spelling it wrong) is at Costco and is a whole protein.  Rice and beans make a whole protein. Eat a lot of fruits and veggies and supplement.  My daughter eats a lot of Mexican.

There is a web site that has coupons for alternative foods.  Stacy talks about in her video.  Stacymakescents,com.

 I have  to admit, I am clueless on gluten free.  I assume that you can just eat no bread or pasta.  We pretty much lived on meat and vegetables when we were kids,  Thats what my dad liked.  If you avoid bread and pasta and get your starch from rice?  And buy a minimum of alternative thickening agents etc.  Obviously, the least amount of specialty products would keep your costs down.  My  normal budget is about half of the normal amount of the SNAP base for thrifty cooking. That leaves  you a little wiggle room.

Basicly, SNAP is based on regular food for a minimum cost diet.  They are talking meat, veggies, and grains.  There  is no room built in for specialty foods at an inflated price.  If  you choose or your health issues dictate you eat a specialty diet, you have your work cut  out for you.  I balance the vegetarian and my diabetic diet, but my daughter buys her own fake food.  There are some meals that she can eat too, or that I can make and pull her portion out and add our meat.

I'm not trying to be mean, the reality is , if you are on SNAP, your budget has no room for specialty foods.  you are going to have to work hard to incorporate regular foods that meet your criteria into your meal plans and use a minimum of specialty foods or find them at a reduced cost.  Most diets can be adjusted by using regular foods or some specialty items  are the same price.  As a diabetic, I just eat foods that aren't on my diet in moderation.  It s not what I can't eat, it's how much of it I eat... A full serving or a teaspoon! LOL.


Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Finally Friday

It is  Friday and the weekend chores are here again.  I grocery shopped on Wednesday and Thursday because we have a project we need done this weekend.  I need to roast off a chicken and cook a marathon batch of ground beef for our vacation.  I intend to get food ready and frozen so that I can make easy meals.

I have a 2 foot square kitchen and have to cook for a vegetarian and a semi vegetarian as well as us.  It's a challenge.  I have to cook one thing at a time.  I plan to do taco night and some foil pouches.  That way, I can put what everyone wants to eat in their packet and have my husband cook them on the BBQ....and no washing dishes in a teacup of water! LOL.  Salmon will work for one day.  Everybody eats salmon!  Speghetti!

1. Taco night
2. Chicken Alfredo packets
3. Hamburger stew packets
4. pizza
5. Salmon 
6. Soup and sandwiches
7. Speghetti 
8. Sloppy joes

That does it 8 meals that are camping, boating friendly with 1.5 vegetarians.

There  are a lot of meals that with precooking meats, can be done easy and quick.  there is no need to slave over a hot stove if you don't want to.  It just takes a little planning.  Having a plan keeps you off the what's for dinner stressor when everything is frozen.  if you precook meats, frozen is not a problem.  You can thaw and reheat taco meat in a few minutes.  While it is thawing, you can chop tomatoes and lettuce and get out the grated cheese.  Open a can of refried Beas and get it ready for the microwave.  In fifteen minutes flat, you can have dinner on the table.  

Meals from the ads

1. Hot dogs, coleslaw, French fries  --I buy only Nathan's or Hebrew national hot dogs.  Coleslaw was a buck at SAFEWAYS and French fries are at the dollar store.  
2. Pizza pork chops, orzo, green beans -- crockpot fare!  Betty Crocker web site.  
3. Roast chicken , orzo, spinach salad -- chicken was a buck at IGA
4. Tacos, refried beans -- good ground beef is 2.99 at SAFEWAYS
5. Tomato  basil blue cheese soup, toasted cheese sandwiches. Jello parfait
6. Mac and cheese, peas and carrots 
7. Salmon, pesto potatoes, mixed California veggies with parm.  - calif veggies are at dollar store.  

That about it.  The salmon is well above the five dollar mark as well as the hot dogs.  The Mac and cheese and tacos and tomato soup  and chicken bring the average down.  

Thanks for stopping by
Please share

Jane

Buying food and being poor.

 I hate that word poor.  My young son went to school where someone told him that they were rich and that we were poor.  I told him we were rich in what counted.  When there is a lot of love in a house, you are rich.  he promptly told my dad that he and gram were rich.  my dad said, oh I wouldn't say that!  My son  countered to his grandfather that his mom said that if there was a lot of love in a house, you were rich.  Grandpa  replied, well if that's the criteria, she's right!


I entered into a discussion on food and the poor.  The consensus was that the kids that were poor, only could eat canned and processed foods, frozen chicken parts etc.  That mindset is the misinformation that I am trying to dispell on my blog.  You can eat low fat  meats and fresh vegetables and fruit on SNAP. .  You just have to shop smart and budget.

 It is true that you probably can't have all the FREES.  The sugar free,salt free, gluten free, and whatever free that the latest fad is. I'm not so sure they are all they are cracked up to be.  The jury is still out on Organic.  That's a discussion to have with your health care professional.  .

 You can certainly eat things in moderation and eat a balanced varied diet on a low income budget.  I certainly wouldn't feel deprived because I could not afford all the FREES.  Unless you have serious health problems , Most of us need a balance of salt, sugar ( or carbs) to be well.  The key, in my opinion is moderation.

It is  sad that so many are like the woman I ran into that was feeding her children A hamburger meal box and sugar loaded drink boxes and fruit cups for dinner.  That's  why I started my blog.  If you have good shopping skills and a desire to feed your family well on a small budget, you can do it.  The problem I have is reaching the people that need the information.  No child should be eating top ramen  and potato chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner and no child should wake up to no food in the house.

Lately I have been bombarded with third world countries trying to send me spam.  I  JUST want to help people, either get through a tough time, find a different recipe, or a new way to be more efficient in the kitchen.  I don't have any fancy degrees, I just have lived through it and want to share what I learned by  reading everything I could find to read.  I never got food stamps, but I remember a month that I spent 25.00 on food for the two of us, and we still ate balanced.  We looked forward to Sumday dinner at Grandparents home.  LOL.

Every first of the month I go over the basics for anyone new.  if anyone has an idea of how I  can reach more people, please let me know.  There is a comment section below.  You don't even have to leave your name !

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Dinner in a flash. 5 buck dinner alert

I went grocery shopping yesterday.  I went to our local IGA because they were having their grand opening and had low prices.

I got a chicken (.99) pork chops 2.31 for four) and some minute steaks.  Also veggies and fruit.  Total 30.00 and change.  Imstill have a few things to pick up from SAFEWAYS, but I should be well under my budget.

Today I made the pork chops in the crockpot.  It was a pizza pork chop recipe from Betty Crocker.  If you go on Betty Crocker website, there is a place where you can "google" your ingredient s and they will display recipes.  The total cost for the dish is  4.10  I have enough sauce left to make pizza sauce.  ( in the freezer.). I used  one of the baby's cups from her fruit cup treats she takes to school.
You could use an ice cube tray.

pork chops 2.91
Pasta sauce .77
Onion .20
Orzo .49

Total 4.37less pizza sauce .27 equals  4.10 add bread.50 and green beans  .33 and it totals 4.93.
It took me almost no time.  And when I get home from work, dinner will be made.  My husband gets the pleasure of smelling it cook all afternoon, LOL.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

my read on the ABC s of freezer cooking

I bought the ABCs of freezer cooking.  It came today.  It will take me longer to earn the 5.90 that it costs than it did for me to read it.  I wouldn't recommend anyone spending their hard earned money on it.
 I also bought Don't Panic, Dinners in the freezer!  it, on the other hand, is very informative with wonderful recipes and full of information and a conversion chart to multiply recipes.  Each recipe comes in single, double, and triple batches.  

Betty Crocker Dinners is free on line and has delightful recipes.  Some are over budget, but can be adapted to fit specific needs.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Most common mistakes

I have been watching grocery hauls on the Internet. Mostly young gals are doing them. I am beginning to see a picture that is all telling.

The most common mistakes grocery shopping to be on the cheap instead of spending the whole paycheck are

1. Buying  8  gallons of drinks.  Buy tea bags, herbal if you wish, and some crystal light type mix at the dollar store or big lots.  Water is a good hydrater.  .  Buy a lemon to add a slice to it and chill it.  
2. Buying ready made mixes and meats.  Take on one meat at a time, and learn to cook it.  The savings are remarkable.  If you don't have the pans to cook it, go to the goodwill and find one.  if you don't have a roasting rack, pile rough chopped carrots / and or potatoes or onions  on the bottom, and roast your chicken on top.  
3. Buying tons of junk foods.  Buy popcorn it's cheap and relatively healthy.  The savings more than make up for the price of an air popper on sale.  I got mine for 14.00.  
4. If your passion is sweet, find easy and inexpensive recipes for brownies or another cake or cookie.  There is a recipe on the Internet for a mixture of 2 cake mixes that cooks in a few in the microwave.  Or make muffins or quick breads.  They can be healthy and satisfy your sweet tooth.  
5. Not Sticking to your meal plans and not thinking things out. don't come home without the things you need to make them or you have wasted your time and need another costly trip to the store.  
6.  The worst mistake is to go to the store hungry, with screaming kids that need a nap, and buy 
7. anything in the store that looks good to you.  It's stressful and expensive.  you shouldn't come home broke and ready to drop from the grocery store! LOL  

Take a look at your grocery receipt and break it down as to how much is drinks, how much snack food and desert, and how much fruit and veggies.  The most percentages should be fruit and veggies and proteins.  Less than ten percent should be snacks and drinks.  

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane 

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.


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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.


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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.

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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!  


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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.

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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!

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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.

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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