I am going to attempt to post the buys at Fred Meyers. I am doing it on line because We havent got the paper yet.
Foster farms chicken .96
Peaches and pears .88
Cheese 3.99@@
Tilamook yogurt is really cheap with your coupon. (Printable)
Corn .30
Strawberries, 2.00 a pound
Other berries 2.00 for 6 ounces
Milk .99
Butter 1.67@@
Barilla pasta is .88 $$ see couponconnections. Nets .38******£
That's about all I found on line. I will post after I go to the store. The weather is turning here; it's about time to start the winter cooking. LOL. We have gone from 90 to 60 something in the site of a week.
Ritenaid has trick or great candy with coupons at coupon connections for cheap.
That's about all.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Saturday notes on hunger
Its Saturday. I finally got to watch the special on childhood hunger that was on the food channel. I think that it is well and good to donate to food banks etc. A group I belong to has adopted a school ( via a church program) to make sure kids have breakfast and lunch the two days that they don't go to school.
That being said, there are a lot of people that are getting food stamps. Just getting food stamps is not enough. food stamps are bare bones money. Most of the information out there in TV land has unrealistic budget meals in the scope of a thrifty budget via the USDA. All the organic push is a joke on that budget unless you are fortunate to grow/ produce your own. That's not all bad ! In my opinion, we need to teach people on food stamps how to shop to maximize their SNAP. And, if you have never cooked from scratch, they need to learn how. They don't teach home ec in schools anymore. It went by the wayside along with cursive writing.
There are books and television shows on PBS that show you how to cook from scratch. A few basics are enough to get you by, but you do have to learn them.
There is, however, no lessons on how to shop. The native Americans have an expression, I will paraphrase because I don't think I have ever heard it for real. " Give a person a fish, he eats for a day; teach a person to fish, he eats for his life!
Giving people care packages is the right thing to do. No one should go hungry in this country. We help all kinds of other countries and charity begins at home. But, we can't give people food forever, people need the skills to shop wisely and cook what they buy that is in their budget perimeters. We have all had to do this, some more affluent than others.
This is why I started this blog. I am glad that other people are enjoying it as well,and taking from it what they can use in their lifestyles. I am not a nutritionist, nor have I had any form of home economics training with the exception of some cooking and sewing classes. I have just been in a position of being part of the working poor and having to make it. I read everything I could get my hands on for years. I still read everything that I see that can help me. Even the budget cooking shows on TV, while unrealistic for a low income budget, can teach you some things. many times you can make the meal for your budget if you have shopped wisely.
My plan has worked for years. It is sustainable and doable for most people. I just have to reach the people that need it.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
That being said, there are a lot of people that are getting food stamps. Just getting food stamps is not enough. food stamps are bare bones money. Most of the information out there in TV land has unrealistic budget meals in the scope of a thrifty budget via the USDA. All the organic push is a joke on that budget unless you are fortunate to grow/ produce your own. That's not all bad ! In my opinion, we need to teach people on food stamps how to shop to maximize their SNAP. And, if you have never cooked from scratch, they need to learn how. They don't teach home ec in schools anymore. It went by the wayside along with cursive writing.
There are books and television shows on PBS that show you how to cook from scratch. A few basics are enough to get you by, but you do have to learn them.
There is, however, no lessons on how to shop. The native Americans have an expression, I will paraphrase because I don't think I have ever heard it for real. " Give a person a fish, he eats for a day; teach a person to fish, he eats for his life!
Giving people care packages is the right thing to do. No one should go hungry in this country. We help all kinds of other countries and charity begins at home. But, we can't give people food forever, people need the skills to shop wisely and cook what they buy that is in their budget perimeters. We have all had to do this, some more affluent than others.
This is why I started this blog. I am glad that other people are enjoying it as well,and taking from it what they can use in their lifestyles. I am not a nutritionist, nor have I had any form of home economics training with the exception of some cooking and sewing classes. I have just been in a position of being part of the working poor and having to make it. I read everything I could get my hands on for years. I still read everything that I see that can help me. Even the budget cooking shows on TV, while unrealistic for a low income budget, can teach you some things. many times you can make the meal for your budget if you have shopped wisely.
My plan has worked for years. It is sustainable and doable for most people. I just have to reach the people that need it.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Friday, September 13, 2013
Coupon matchups for this week
I just downloaded my recipes from betty crocker and my coupons from coupons.com
ALBERTSONS has chicken noodle and tomato soup for .50 limit 8. There is a coupon, you can print two, for .40 off of three. That means that for the first six you buy, you are paying 2.20 for all six. Or about .36 for soup that is a buck elsewhere on sale. 64 percent savings.
There is a dollar off three hunts snack pudding packs.....attention school title one backpack suppliers!
I am still checking if the dollar store carries it. You can only buy two of any one item and use a coupon for them.
Yoplait is 10/5". Coupon for .40 on six. You don't have to buy 10 to get the discounted price. 2.60 for six net price.
Nature valley is 1.69. (Bars) coupon is .50 on two. Or .50 on one soft baked oatmeal. I have tried the soft baked oatmeal ones...yummy and granddaughter will confer!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
ALBERTSONS has chicken noodle and tomato soup for .50 limit 8. There is a coupon, you can print two, for .40 off of three. That means that for the first six you buy, you are paying 2.20 for all six. Or about .36 for soup that is a buck elsewhere on sale. 64 percent savings.
There is a dollar off three hunts snack pudding packs.....attention school title one backpack suppliers!
I am still checking if the dollar store carries it. You can only buy two of any one item and use a coupon for them.
Yoplait is 10/5". Coupon for .40 on six. You don't have to buy 10 to get the discounted price. 2.60 for six net price.
Nature valley is 1.69. (Bars) coupon is .50 on two. Or .50 on one soft baked oatmeal. I have tried the soft baked oatmeal ones...yummy and granddaughter will confer!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Friday Focus
It's Friday. I'm exhausted after working two double shifts., I'm getting too old for this stuff. But, we went on vacation, and others need to go too. We trained a new gal so things should get better; and she is younger. LOL
We will go,shopping today, but not for much. We don't need much and I am working on averaging for our big summer months of good buys. ALBERTSONS has chicken noodle soup for .50 a can limit 8. We like chicken noodle soup for lunch sometimes in the winter. I'll have to make room in the pantry. We start making soups more in the fall and winter, so it should be paring down soon. QFC has mega deals that have coupon matchups. I don't need any of these, but if you do, it is a good time to stock up. I usually can score close to 70 percent off. There is snack crackers and the holidays are coming, Cheerios, and bars. September is coupon month,so there are unusually high coupons out there, dollar wise. They are first come, First served, so get them early.
using coupons that match up with sales can be a great budget booster. I don't buy a lot of the ready made stuff,because it can be a great budget breaker. I do buy a few things that are hard or too time consuming to make.
Just like other times in life, you have to pick your battles. A lot of things are easy to make and take minimal non passive cooking time. Those are the things that I cook from scratch. I usually do the math I'd I am in doubt. I buy crackers and I buy protein rich breakfast bars. I am diabetic and it is a good way to be able to measure my carbs and protein for a balanced fast breakfast or snack. Imonlynbuy them when I can get a good deal with coupons and sales. That's called coupon matching. When you have a store sale or coupon and a manufacturers coupon, you can double dip. It's a real money saver.
Things I buy ready made.
Peanut butter
Crackers
Refried beans ( I saw a recipe for refried beans that was simple,but I can't remember where! )
Instant mashed potatoes
Cake mix
Chicken noodle soup
Tomato soup in a box
Cheerios
I don't buy any of them unless they are on a good sale or I have a good sale and a coupon.
We don't use a lot of peanut butter, cake mix or cheerios. I just started buying cheerios when granddaughter came.
On a good sale, these things are cheaper than making them from scratch.
When in doubt, do the math. If you are going to make a couple of bucks an hour, it's probably not worth your time to make something from scratch. But, my daughter and I have done the math a few times , and we have "made " 200 dollars
an hour before -- now that's well worth our time. Another consideration is whether or not scratch is a lot more healthy or has a lot more food value in it. As is the case with hamburger meal boxes. The new ultimate boxes have more food value, but they are more expensive too. I haven't done the math, but suspect that you are still better off with scratch. Figure out what different sauces have in them and keep them in a book. That's about all you are buying when you buy a mix-- either a pasta salad or a hamburger dinner. It's usually simple ingredients. Many state with a white sauce. It's a really simple thing to master if you haven't already. I know they stopped teaching home EC in schools. It's a pity that home ec and handwriting has gone by the way side, in my opinion. I digress...
there are some skillet sauces on SALE at ALBERTSONS for 1.49. Really? That is more than the meat that you put them on in some cases. Sauces are not that hard, and many times they are a few cheap ingredients. If you haven't already read my piece on hamburger meal boxes, please do it is a real eye opener. Before you buy a mix or meal box, read the label including the nutrition facts and ingredients. Ingredients have to be listed in order of volume. Of something has cheese in it, it should also have cholesterol. Cholesterol is a dirty word in some households, but lets be realistic. I never knew a cheese I didn't like, and I never saw a cheese that didnt have cholesterol. LOL.
Almost anything you need to know you can google on the Internet!
It has saved my many a time or given me peace of mind.
granddaughter had a visit from the Fire department at school yesterday. Someone smelled gas, so the kids were evacuated. She came home saying fireman come. Fireman come! I guess they were impressed with the red trucks. Turns out it was some paint fumes from down the street.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
We will go,shopping today, but not for much. We don't need much and I am working on averaging for our big summer months of good buys. ALBERTSONS has chicken noodle soup for .50 a can limit 8. We like chicken noodle soup for lunch sometimes in the winter. I'll have to make room in the pantry. We start making soups more in the fall and winter, so it should be paring down soon. QFC has mega deals that have coupon matchups. I don't need any of these, but if you do, it is a good time to stock up. I usually can score close to 70 percent off. There is snack crackers and the holidays are coming, Cheerios, and bars. September is coupon month,so there are unusually high coupons out there, dollar wise. They are first come, First served, so get them early.
using coupons that match up with sales can be a great budget booster. I don't buy a lot of the ready made stuff,because it can be a great budget breaker. I do buy a few things that are hard or too time consuming to make.
Just like other times in life, you have to pick your battles. A lot of things are easy to make and take minimal non passive cooking time. Those are the things that I cook from scratch. I usually do the math I'd I am in doubt. I buy crackers and I buy protein rich breakfast bars. I am diabetic and it is a good way to be able to measure my carbs and protein for a balanced fast breakfast or snack. Imonlynbuy them when I can get a good deal with coupons and sales. That's called coupon matching. When you have a store sale or coupon and a manufacturers coupon, you can double dip. It's a real money saver.
Things I buy ready made.
Peanut butter
Crackers
Refried beans ( I saw a recipe for refried beans that was simple,but I can't remember where! )
Instant mashed potatoes
Cake mix
Chicken noodle soup
Tomato soup in a box
Cheerios
I don't buy any of them unless they are on a good sale or I have a good sale and a coupon.
We don't use a lot of peanut butter, cake mix or cheerios. I just started buying cheerios when granddaughter came.
On a good sale, these things are cheaper than making them from scratch.
When in doubt, do the math. If you are going to make a couple of bucks an hour, it's probably not worth your time to make something from scratch. But, my daughter and I have done the math a few times , and we have "made " 200 dollars
an hour before -- now that's well worth our time. Another consideration is whether or not scratch is a lot more healthy or has a lot more food value in it. As is the case with hamburger meal boxes. The new ultimate boxes have more food value, but they are more expensive too. I haven't done the math, but suspect that you are still better off with scratch. Figure out what different sauces have in them and keep them in a book. That's about all you are buying when you buy a mix-- either a pasta salad or a hamburger dinner. It's usually simple ingredients. Many state with a white sauce. It's a really simple thing to master if you haven't already. I know they stopped teaching home EC in schools. It's a pity that home ec and handwriting has gone by the way side, in my opinion. I digress...
there are some skillet sauces on SALE at ALBERTSONS for 1.49. Really? That is more than the meat that you put them on in some cases. Sauces are not that hard, and many times they are a few cheap ingredients. If you haven't already read my piece on hamburger meal boxes, please do it is a real eye opener. Before you buy a mix or meal box, read the label including the nutrition facts and ingredients. Ingredients have to be listed in order of volume. Of something has cheese in it, it should also have cholesterol. Cholesterol is a dirty word in some households, but lets be realistic. I never knew a cheese I didn't like, and I never saw a cheese that didnt have cholesterol. LOL.
Almost anything you need to know you can google on the Internet!
It has saved my many a time or given me peace of mind.
granddaughter had a visit from the Fire department at school yesterday. Someone smelled gas, so the kids were evacuated. She came home saying fireman come. Fireman come! I guess they were impressed with the red trucks. Turns out it was some paint fumes from down the street.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Chicken, glorious Chicken
What to do with what you got.
Chicken continues to be a bargain at a buck a pound. There are chicken recipes every where you turn. To so a bland tasting meat that takes on different flavors well which makes it a very versatile meat.
I had found a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pizza. basically it is made with ranch dressing for a base, blue cheese crumbles, chicken cubes or bite sized pieces tossed with a little melted butter an hot pepper sauce. Mgarnishnwith red pepper chopped, mushrooms, or black olives.
chicken pot pie
Roast Chicken Sunday Dinner
BBQd thighs and legs
chicken Cesar salad ,
Chicken chop salad
Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds.
I roast it off , rubbing olive oil on the skin and stuffing it with anything I have hanging around, Apple, inion, lemon, orange. If I am feeling ambitious, I put fresh herbs under the skin.
I use a chicken breast for one meal. Save one for another and separate the dark meat for a third meal and bag them for the freezer. The bones go into a bag for stock.
When I bought grill packs, I deboned the breasts, saved the bones for stock. I zit the rest of the hindquarters in a
Pot with water and veggies and simmered them off. When they were a little cool, I strained the broth and froze it, and shredded the rest of the meat. That gave me boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a dollar a pound-- sweet!
I have only covered the tip of the iceberg, the Betty Crocker web site has a lot more. It is a good source for ideas.
What chicken ideas do you have? There is a comment section below!
I had double shifts yesterday and today. We had BBQd beef sandwiches and leftover pasta salad. My boss brought us vine ripe tomatoes from her garden-- best tomatoes I have ever eaten.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Chicken continues to be a bargain at a buck a pound. There are chicken recipes every where you turn. To so a bland tasting meat that takes on different flavors well which makes it a very versatile meat.
I had found a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pizza. basically it is made with ranch dressing for a base, blue cheese crumbles, chicken cubes or bite sized pieces tossed with a little melted butter an hot pepper sauce. Mgarnishnwith red pepper chopped, mushrooms, or black olives.
chicken pot pie
Roast Chicken Sunday Dinner
BBQd thighs and legs
chicken Cesar salad ,
Chicken chop salad
Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds.
I roast it off , rubbing olive oil on the skin and stuffing it with anything I have hanging around, Apple, inion, lemon, orange. If I am feeling ambitious, I put fresh herbs under the skin.
I use a chicken breast for one meal. Save one for another and separate the dark meat for a third meal and bag them for the freezer. The bones go into a bag for stock.
When I bought grill packs, I deboned the breasts, saved the bones for stock. I zit the rest of the hindquarters in a
Pot with water and veggies and simmered them off. When they were a little cool, I strained the broth and froze it, and shredded the rest of the meat. That gave me boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a dollar a pound-- sweet!
I have only covered the tip of the iceberg, the Betty Crocker web site has a lot more. It is a good source for ideas.
What chicken ideas do you have? There is a comment section below!
I had double shifts yesterday and today. We had BBQd beef sandwiches and leftover pasta salad. My boss brought us vine ripe tomatoes from her garden-- best tomatoes I have ever eaten.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Grocers dirty little secrets!
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.
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
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.
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
Life is like a big pasta salad
Yesterday, I made a big pasta salad to take to a happy hour picnic. Reflecting on my life, I think that life is like a big pasta salad. The pasta is the base. Our moral values, or its what we are made of. The veggies and stuff that we throw into it is the life experiences that get thrown at us. We can process them so that we wind up with a gourmet delight, or not. The dressing so how we pull it together. How we find a positive, out of a negative situation.
Back in the days when we went without a 10 inch black and white tv with rabbit ears, I would have never dreamed I would have a thirty something flat screen with hundreds of channels. We listened to old time radio. Now, I listen to old time radio because I want to and enjoy it. I can listen and still work in my studio or fold clothes .
When I studied everything I could get my hands on to learn to stretch a buck, I learned valuable life's lessons. Life's lessons I am trying to teach others. Making a positive out of what could have been a negative. My mother always said that no one ever gets through life without paying their dues. What you do with the experience is the key to a " flop or a gourmet salad."
So, I write this blog to help those people who, by their own volition want to stretch a buck or because someone is in a position to Have to stretch their food dollar, can make informed decisions and eat better for less.
My way of turning a negative into a positive.
The little feedback I get is telling me that people take different things from this blog. Some like to try a new recipe, some like a way to get out of the kitchen faster, or streamline the hectic dinner hour. Some just like to laugh at my terrible keyboard skills on the I pad! LOL. Whatever the reason, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are sharing so that I can reach more people. They can take what they want from it. I do not get paid for doing this, I am doing it to try to help people eat better for less. Better, cheaper, faster,
Again, thanks for stopping by
Jane
Back in the days when we went without a 10 inch black and white tv with rabbit ears, I would have never dreamed I would have a thirty something flat screen with hundreds of channels. We listened to old time radio. Now, I listen to old time radio because I want to and enjoy it. I can listen and still work in my studio or fold clothes .
When I studied everything I could get my hands on to learn to stretch a buck, I learned valuable life's lessons. Life's lessons I am trying to teach others. Making a positive out of what could have been a negative. My mother always said that no one ever gets through life without paying their dues. What you do with the experience is the key to a " flop or a gourmet salad."
So, I write this blog to help those people who, by their own volition want to stretch a buck or because someone is in a position to Have to stretch their food dollar, can make informed decisions and eat better for less.
My way of turning a negative into a positive.
The little feedback I get is telling me that people take different things from this blog. Some like to try a new recipe, some like a way to get out of the kitchen faster, or streamline the hectic dinner hour. Some just like to laugh at my terrible keyboard skills on the I pad! LOL. Whatever the reason, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are sharing so that I can reach more people. They can take what they want from it. I do not get paid for doing this, I am doing it to try to help people eat better for less. Better, cheaper, faster,
Again, thanks for stopping by
Jane
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
The ads sept 11th
Top
London broil BOGO nets 2.75
Cheese 4.99@ limit 1
ALBERTSONS
Campbell soups 2/1.00 limit 8
Grapes 1.28
Yoplait 10/5 $$$
BOGO meat, no prices
Dryers 2/7 *****
SAFEWAYS
Corn 3/1
Dryers 2.88***
5 dollar Friday
2 strawberries
Cream cake
QFC
Peaches .99
Romas .99
Buy 5 /5 mega
Cheerios 1.50$$
Dreyers 2.49 $$
Nature valley 1.69$$$
Oscar Mayer lunch meat 2.49
Sirloin tip 2.99
Whole chickens .99
Butter 2.00
Notes:
Dryers ice cream is 2.00 with a printable coupon at rite aid'and up rewards.
Rite aid also has Russell stovers sugar free candy for a buck a bag with up rewards.
They also had sox for .25 each. Adult , the kind you wear with sneakers, colorful.
And Kleenex tissues for .88, 100 count
@ means an in ad coupon
$$ means there are coupons either printable or in an insert, see coupon connections.com.
Chicken is a buck at QFC!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
London broil BOGO nets 2.75
Cheese 4.99@ limit 1
ALBERTSONS
Campbell soups 2/1.00 limit 8
Grapes 1.28
Yoplait 10/5 $$$
BOGO meat, no prices
Dryers 2/7 *****
SAFEWAYS
Corn 3/1
Dryers 2.88***
5 dollar Friday
2 strawberries
Cream cake
QFC
Peaches .99
Romas .99
Buy 5 /5 mega
Cheerios 1.50$$
Dreyers 2.49 $$
Nature valley 1.69$$$
Oscar Mayer lunch meat 2.49
Sirloin tip 2.99
Whole chickens .99
Butter 2.00
Notes:
Dryers ice cream is 2.00 with a printable coupon at rite aid'and up rewards.
Rite aid also has Russell stovers sugar free candy for a buck a bag with up rewards.
They also had sox for .25 each. Adult , the kind you wear with sneakers, colorful.
And Kleenex tissues for .88, 100 count
@ means an in ad coupon
$$ means there are coupons either printable or in an insert, see coupon connections.com.
Chicken is a buck at QFC!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Terrific Tuesday
It's Tuesday in case you were confused! LOl. Sometimes, I get confused if I don't have any special thing to so in a day. The days run together when you are retired. Sometimes, I think I work harder than I did before I was retired.
I sure don't miss driving to Everett everyday. LOL
Last night we had leftovers. I made baked potatoes and peas for our meatloaf. An old fashioned dinner if I ever had one!
It still feels like summer here, we are having unusually warm September. We are going to a BBQ tonight.
Granny's macaroni salad.
1 cup medium sized macaroni, cook, drain
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red or yellow pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pickles
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1 hard cooked egg, chopped
1/4 cup thawed frozen peas.
Dressing
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T milk
1T pickle juice
2 parsley
Salt and pepper.
Mix dressing, macaroni and rest of ingredients. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
I just got a new coupon list in my in box. I haven't looked at all of it yet, I tend to wait until I get the real computer so I can print too, it's more efficient. I did find a dollar off three pudding cup packages. Some of us are gathering food for take home packs for needy children. I think the dollar store carries it. That would make 12 for 2.00.
We stopped at grocery outlet yesterday because I needed some supplies and went to Lynnwood.
They had shredded cheese. It is a little pricy at 2 dollars for 8 ounces, but there was blue cheese crumbles and several varieties of specialty cheeses. Red and yellow peppers were .50. There was five pounds of chorizo sausage crumbles for 6.99. It is already cooked and drained so that would be a good price. I passed on it.
Like any store, not everything is a bargain. You really need to know the lowest prices on the things you buy regularly.
I want to pay 2.50 a pound for cheese. I have been finding it occasionally, and have a stock on hand. I got shredded motts for 2.19 or so at Costco. I have plenty of cheddar bricks. I can always put a brick through the food processor and add a little cornstarch to it. ( natural anti caking agent). The grated cheese at grocery outlet makes really good four cheese Mac and cheese. We also like blue cheese in tomato soup with basil. I got a fresh basil plant for 3.34 cents and have been eating off of it all summer. If you add to,atoes from the garden and basil and motts with a balsamic dressing , it is really good. It's almost time to start eating cheeseburger macaroni from scratch again. My granddaughter has been eating cheese quesidas all summer.
Thanks for stopping by
Please,share and join.
Jane
I sure don't miss driving to Everett everyday. LOL
Last night we had leftovers. I made baked potatoes and peas for our meatloaf. An old fashioned dinner if I ever had one!
It still feels like summer here, we are having unusually warm September. We are going to a BBQ tonight.
Granny's macaroni salad.
1 cup medium sized macaroni, cook, drain
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red or yellow pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pickles
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1 hard cooked egg, chopped
1/4 cup thawed frozen peas.
Dressing
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T milk
1T pickle juice
2 parsley
Salt and pepper.
Mix dressing, macaroni and rest of ingredients. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.
I just got a new coupon list in my in box. I haven't looked at all of it yet, I tend to wait until I get the real computer so I can print too, it's more efficient. I did find a dollar off three pudding cup packages. Some of us are gathering food for take home packs for needy children. I think the dollar store carries it. That would make 12 for 2.00.
We stopped at grocery outlet yesterday because I needed some supplies and went to Lynnwood.
They had shredded cheese. It is a little pricy at 2 dollars for 8 ounces, but there was blue cheese crumbles and several varieties of specialty cheeses. Red and yellow peppers were .50. There was five pounds of chorizo sausage crumbles for 6.99. It is already cooked and drained so that would be a good price. I passed on it.
Like any store, not everything is a bargain. You really need to know the lowest prices on the things you buy regularly.
I want to pay 2.50 a pound for cheese. I have been finding it occasionally, and have a stock on hand. I got shredded motts for 2.19 or so at Costco. I have plenty of cheddar bricks. I can always put a brick through the food processor and add a little cornstarch to it. ( natural anti caking agent). The grated cheese at grocery outlet makes really good four cheese Mac and cheese. We also like blue cheese in tomato soup with basil. I got a fresh basil plant for 3.34 cents and have been eating off of it all summer. If you add to,atoes from the garden and basil and motts with a balsamic dressing , it is really good. It's almost time to start eating cheeseburger macaroni from scratch again. My granddaughter has been eating cheese quesidas all summer.
Thanks for stopping by
Please,share and join.
Jane
Monday, September 9, 2013
Monday madness, and a new post
It's Monday. Back to school for the little one, I have to still get the rest of my big order out, so it's stuck in the studio working.
Last night we had meat loaf, squash and salad.
I was looking at some retro cookbooks. We certain,y ate a lot more fat and sugar than we do now. Many recipes are really good. We just need to alter them to make them a bit more healthy. in other words, we don't need to deprive ourselves of the foods we like, we just need moderation and to make so,e adjustments to our recipes.
Many recipes call for,shortening. I think they have taken the saturated fat out of shortening. I still try to steer clear of it.
Grocery Outlet is a good source for cheese. They have a wide variety of cheeses and So,e of them are inexpensive as cheeses go. Cheese is still a good source of protein. Especially if we avoid fried foods and and fatty meats.
The harder the cheese,the better it is for you.
Three Cheese Fettuccine
1-1/2 cups broccoli
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced
1T olive oil
4 green onions, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
2T flour
Oregano, salt, pepper
3-1/2 cups plus 1T milk
1/2 cup shredded Gouda
1/2'cup shredded Swiss
1/4'cup parm
12 punches of fettuccine or linguine , cooked and drained. Keep warm.
1) cook broccoli and carrots with a little water until crisp tender and drain.
2) in a large skillet, sauté garlic and green onions on oil. Stir in flour and spices. Cook 1 minute , then add milk and stir until white sauce has thickened. Add cheese a little at a time. Add vegetables to the cheese sauce.
Note : you could add cooked chicken to this. Serve with a tossed salad and breadsticks.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share and join.
Jane
Ps. I had to go to the next town for supplies. Stopped at grocery outlet. 4 pack of fruit was 1.49; 5 pounds od cooked sausage was 7.99.,peppers were .50.
Last night we had meat loaf, squash and salad.
I was looking at some retro cookbooks. We certain,y ate a lot more fat and sugar than we do now. Many recipes are really good. We just need to alter them to make them a bit more healthy. in other words, we don't need to deprive ourselves of the foods we like, we just need moderation and to make so,e adjustments to our recipes.
Many recipes call for,shortening. I think they have taken the saturated fat out of shortening. I still try to steer clear of it.
Grocery Outlet is a good source for cheese. They have a wide variety of cheeses and So,e of them are inexpensive as cheeses go. Cheese is still a good source of protein. Especially if we avoid fried foods and and fatty meats.
The harder the cheese,the better it is for you.
Three Cheese Fettuccine
1-1/2 cups broccoli
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced
1T olive oil
4 green onions, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
2T flour
Oregano, salt, pepper
3-1/2 cups plus 1T milk
1/2 cup shredded Gouda
1/2'cup shredded Swiss
1/4'cup parm
12 punches of fettuccine or linguine , cooked and drained. Keep warm.
1) cook broccoli and carrots with a little water until crisp tender and drain.
2) in a large skillet, sauté garlic and green onions on oil. Stir in flour and spices. Cook 1 minute , then add milk and stir until white sauce has thickened. Add cheese a little at a time. Add vegetables to the cheese sauce.
Note : you could add cooked chicken to this. Serve with a tossed salad and breadsticks.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share and join.
Jane
Ps. I had to go to the next town for supplies. Stopped at grocery outlet. 4 pack of fruit was 1.49; 5 pounds od cooked sausage was 7.99.,peppers were .50.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Rite,aid coupon extremes.
We went to Rite aid. I did not go to Fred Meyers. I got a tremendous amount of things for 15.00 at Rite Aid with coupons and specials and up rewards. I got 2 ice creams for 2.00 a piece. I got sugar free Russell stoves chocolate for a buck. I got sox 4 pair for a buck. I got the baby's treats for two dollars off. And I got Kleenex for .88 a box. Basically, I got half off.
Thanks for stopping by
Please,share
Jane
Thanks for stopping by
Please,share
Jane
Fred Meyers ad out
I have not got out to dollar store to get a paper. But, I checked on line.
Broccoli .77
Chicken breast 1.37
Bottom round 2.99
Eggs 1.25@@
24 ounces of sour cream or cottage cheese 1.88
Note for Beta Gals
I don't usually get instant oatmeal. It is so easy with as many steps as instant to make it from the bog box. But, we are buying food for weekend backpacks for school children.
Instant oatmeal at Fred Meyers is 1.50 net with a printable coupon found on coupon connections.
one cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1.5 minutes. Instant oatmeal without the cost.! Add cinnamon, a little apple, craisens, sugar, or what strikes your fancy!
Thanks for stopping by
I will add anything once I get the paper.
Jane
Broccoli .77
Chicken breast 1.37
Bottom round 2.99
Eggs 1.25@@
24 ounces of sour cream or cottage cheese 1.88
Note for Beta Gals
I don't usually get instant oatmeal. It is so easy with as many steps as instant to make it from the bog box. But, we are buying food for weekend backpacks for school children.
Instant oatmeal at Fred Meyers is 1.50 net with a printable coupon found on coupon connections.
one cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1.5 minutes. Instant oatmeal without the cost.! Add cinnamon, a little apple, craisens, sugar, or what strikes your fancy!
Thanks for stopping by
I will add anything once I get the paper.
Jane
Suddenly Sunday, what to do with what you have. Edition.
It's Sunday. It's beautiful out after the rain and storm. We are still having meatloaf for dinner. My husbands beef jerkey is in the machine.
I stumbled on to chocolate waffles. I guess they are supposed to be for desert. We love them for anytime. Basically they are just waffles with some cocoa in them. I can see that of they were served with some bacon and a yogurt parfait, it could be a balanced meal the kids would talk about all week! lol. As long as there is protein, starch , fruit/ and or veggies and dairy in a meal, it can't be all bad! LOL. I wouldn't, however, have it for a steady diet. Again, moderation is the key.
Breakfast for dinner is another way to cut the cost of feeding your family. Often, breakfast is cheaper to cook than dinner. I am not talking about having cereal for dinner. I usually don't have enough time to cook a real breakfast for breakfast. Like a quiche or scrambled eggs and toast and fruit, or veggie stuffed omlettes.
One way to cut costa is to use what's in season and have a group of recipes that use small amounts of food.
Like steak salad. ( leftover eye of round steak that was on sale this week? Pizza is another way to use up little bits. Ditto soup. When we were kids,sometimes my mother made depression stew. No, for you young people,She was not depressed. She grew up during the depression-- a period in our history when nobody had jobs or money. Depression stew is a stew made of any bits and pieces of meat and potatoes and veggies. Like a piece of bacon, some meat balls, potatoes and carrots.
Looking for recipes that incorporate the ingredients that are on sale that week.
Grape Broccoli Salad
1 cup broccoli florets(fresh), quartered.
3/4 cup grapes, cut in half
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup raisins or craisens
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T mayo
Place everything but the sour cream and mayo in a bowl. Mix together the sour cream and mayo.
Fold into the veggies. Chill at least an hour.
Note: Grapes and broccoli are both on sale this week. Green onions and radishes were .50 at Winco.
Oranges were a buck last week. They are always good for orange quick bread. I have chicken breasts that I deboned from the grill pack for a buck last week.
Orange Chicken Salad
1 pound of chicken breasts
DRESSING
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 T orange juice
2 T olive oil
Parsley
Salt, pepper,
Dashed red pepper sauce,if desired
Mixed salad greens
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 cup orange sections
Red onion slices
Craisens
Almomds , cashews or walnuts.
1) grill chicken and slice. ( or use cooked chicken cubes)
2) mix together dressing ingredients and chill.
3) toss together salad ingredients.
Assemble salad.
I would serve with a crusty bread or bread sticks.
Berries continue to be reasonable in cost. You can make a mixed berry compote or shortcake.
The strawberries didn't look good this week,but raspberries did as well as blueberries and blackberries.
We went to Costco Yesterday. I bought fruit and meds and coffee! The chocolate covered almonds just jumped into the cart!
Seems Mickey Mouse decided to sit next to granddaughter too. LOL. Can you guess grandpa is a pushover for baby granddaughter?!? LOL
Thanks for stopping by
Please share .
Jane
I stumbled on to chocolate waffles. I guess they are supposed to be for desert. We love them for anytime. Basically they are just waffles with some cocoa in them. I can see that of they were served with some bacon and a yogurt parfait, it could be a balanced meal the kids would talk about all week! lol. As long as there is protein, starch , fruit/ and or veggies and dairy in a meal, it can't be all bad! LOL. I wouldn't, however, have it for a steady diet. Again, moderation is the key.
Breakfast for dinner is another way to cut the cost of feeding your family. Often, breakfast is cheaper to cook than dinner. I am not talking about having cereal for dinner. I usually don't have enough time to cook a real breakfast for breakfast. Like a quiche or scrambled eggs and toast and fruit, or veggie stuffed omlettes.
One way to cut costa is to use what's in season and have a group of recipes that use small amounts of food.
Like steak salad. ( leftover eye of round steak that was on sale this week? Pizza is another way to use up little bits. Ditto soup. When we were kids,sometimes my mother made depression stew. No, for you young people,She was not depressed. She grew up during the depression-- a period in our history when nobody had jobs or money. Depression stew is a stew made of any bits and pieces of meat and potatoes and veggies. Like a piece of bacon, some meat balls, potatoes and carrots.
Looking for recipes that incorporate the ingredients that are on sale that week.
Grape Broccoli Salad
1 cup broccoli florets(fresh), quartered.
3/4 cup grapes, cut in half
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup raisins or craisens
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T mayo
Place everything but the sour cream and mayo in a bowl. Mix together the sour cream and mayo.
Fold into the veggies. Chill at least an hour.
Note: Grapes and broccoli are both on sale this week. Green onions and radishes were .50 at Winco.
Oranges were a buck last week. They are always good for orange quick bread. I have chicken breasts that I deboned from the grill pack for a buck last week.
Orange Chicken Salad
1 pound of chicken breasts
DRESSING
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 T orange juice
2 T olive oil
Parsley
Salt, pepper,
Dashed red pepper sauce,if desired
Mixed salad greens
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 cup orange sections
Red onion slices
Craisens
Almomds , cashews or walnuts.
1) grill chicken and slice. ( or use cooked chicken cubes)
2) mix together dressing ingredients and chill.
3) toss together salad ingredients.
Assemble salad.
I would serve with a crusty bread or bread sticks.
Berries continue to be reasonable in cost. You can make a mixed berry compote or shortcake.
The strawberries didn't look good this week,but raspberries did as well as blueberries and blackberries.
We went to Costco Yesterday. I bought fruit and meds and coffee! The chocolate covered almonds just jumped into the cart!
Seems Mickey Mouse decided to sit next to granddaughter too. LOL. Can you guess grandpa is a pushover for baby granddaughter?!? LOL
Thanks for stopping by
Please share .
Jane
Pizza crust
Pizza Crust, easy
1/2 to 3/4 cup of warm water (105 to 115 degrees
1T dry yeast
1tsp sugar
2cups flour
1T veg oil
1/2 tsp salt
Combine 1/4 cup water with the yeast and sugar.
Let stand in a warm place till bubbly --about 5 minutes.
It will look like a root beer with a head on it.
Put flour, oil, and salt in food processor with a steel blade. Process a few seconds, add yeast mixture through the tube with processer running. Add enough water through the tube until dough forms a ball. Process until the ball makes 25 turns around the bowl. Approx 1 count every 25 seconds. Put dough ball on pizza pan. Let rest for 10 minutes. ( a good time to assemble your ingredients.).
Put tomato sauce and Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder in a small pot and simmer till warm and somewhat reduced.
When dough has had it's resting time, pat into a circle on pizza pan.
Spread sauce and pizza toppings on the crust. Bake 425 degrees for 15 a 20 minutes
Until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
BAKING MIX
6cups flour
1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon non fat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, margarine or shortening cut into small bits
Mix together. Store in a cool dark place . Shelf life. Two weeks.
TACO SEASONING
1/2 cup plus 2T chili powder
2/3 cup paprika
1/2 cup plus 1T cumin
1/3 cup onion powder
1/3 cup garlic powder
1 2/3 tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp red pepper flakes
Mix well and store in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons per pound of ground meat.
1/2 to 3/4 cup of warm water (105 to 115 degrees
1T dry yeast
1tsp sugar
2cups flour
1T veg oil
1/2 tsp salt
Combine 1/4 cup water with the yeast and sugar.
Let stand in a warm place till bubbly --about 5 minutes.
It will look like a root beer with a head on it.
Put flour, oil, and salt in food processor with a steel blade. Process a few seconds, add yeast mixture through the tube with processer running. Add enough water through the tube until dough forms a ball. Process until the ball makes 25 turns around the bowl. Approx 1 count every 25 seconds. Put dough ball on pizza pan. Let rest for 10 minutes. ( a good time to assemble your ingredients.).
Put tomato sauce and Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder in a small pot and simmer till warm and somewhat reduced.
When dough has had it's resting time, pat into a circle on pizza pan.
Spread sauce and pizza toppings on the crust. Bake 425 degrees for 15 a 20 minutes
Until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.
BAKING MIX
6cups flour
1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon non fat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, margarine or shortening cut into small bits
Mix together. Store in a cool dark place . Shelf life. Two weeks.
TACO SEASONING
1/2 cup plus 2T chili powder
2/3 cup paprika
1/2 cup plus 1T cumin
1/3 cup onion powder
1/3 cup garlic powder
1 2/3 tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp red pepper flakes
Mix well and store in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons per pound of ground meat.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Suddenly Saturday
We went to Winco this week. It is a ways for us to go so we don't go often. I was surprised somewhat that the prices were so much higher. There were a few bargains, but not nearly as many as I had seen the last time we were there. I would have to have a ten dollar coupon before I would go up there again.
I spent around 35.00. I did ask if they accepted manufacturers coupons, and she said,yes, but not competitors coupons. Pasta was more expensive than it is at the chain stores and pasta sauce was more too. I don't usually like their produce, but they had gala apples that looked OK and salad greens for the same price as Costco. I got an a pen squash for .68 and bought some meat loaf ground meats to make a meat loaf to go with it., my mother used to make meatloaf, baked potatoes, and acorn squash stuffed with butter and brown sugar for dinner. It was a signal of fall.
It was that and the breaking out of the oatmeal box!
Since we have to bag our own groceries at Winco, I brought in the cooler bag and boxed up our groceries, using the cooler for the meat and dairy. Basicly, I got meat for meatloaf, milk and yogurt, and vegetables and bread. The whole wheat English muffins were a bargain. The yogurt wasn't bad. Had I brought in my coupon binder, it would have been cheaper. there were a few coupons at the store. I had been under the misconception that they didn't take coupons. They do not take credit cards. They do take debit cards and snap.
Friday night, we had pizza. I used the last of the white cheese. I have lots of yellow,and some pepper jack.
I used red peppers I had chopped and frozen, sausage I had pre cooked, some pepperoni I got for .50 at the dollar store and 1/2 of a .25 cent tomato sauce can and part of a .50 can of black olives. The crust was 1.25 from big lots. That totals, in my head, 1.62. Adding some green salad, we are still well under the five dollar benchmark.
ALMOST FREE PIZZA.
When I said that to my frugal co worker,she said,someone is giving away pizza? Ha ha
If it sounds too good to be true.....
Take a couple of plastic containers or zip lock bags and put them in your freezer door.
Every time you chop an ingredient for a recipe that would also go on a pizza, chop a little more and put it in the bag. Do the same for bits of meat ( in a separate bag) that will work for pizza. Put them in the door because if your freezer is like most I have seen, of you put it on the regular part of the freezer, to might be lost forever. LOL.
When you have enough for a pizza, you can either use an inexpensive pizza crust or make the pizza crust recipe that I have on an earlier post. At .075 a cup for flour and bulk yeast,it is next to nothing to make a crust.
The pizza took almost no time, and almost no money and dinner was on the table and everybody was happy! I love easy dinners that I can adjust to please every picky eater in one effort.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I spent around 35.00. I did ask if they accepted manufacturers coupons, and she said,yes, but not competitors coupons. Pasta was more expensive than it is at the chain stores and pasta sauce was more too. I don't usually like their produce, but they had gala apples that looked OK and salad greens for the same price as Costco. I got an a pen squash for .68 and bought some meat loaf ground meats to make a meat loaf to go with it., my mother used to make meatloaf, baked potatoes, and acorn squash stuffed with butter and brown sugar for dinner. It was a signal of fall.
It was that and the breaking out of the oatmeal box!
Since we have to bag our own groceries at Winco, I brought in the cooler bag and boxed up our groceries, using the cooler for the meat and dairy. Basicly, I got meat for meatloaf, milk and yogurt, and vegetables and bread. The whole wheat English muffins were a bargain. The yogurt wasn't bad. Had I brought in my coupon binder, it would have been cheaper. there were a few coupons at the store. I had been under the misconception that they didn't take coupons. They do not take credit cards. They do take debit cards and snap.
Friday night, we had pizza. I used the last of the white cheese. I have lots of yellow,and some pepper jack.
I used red peppers I had chopped and frozen, sausage I had pre cooked, some pepperoni I got for .50 at the dollar store and 1/2 of a .25 cent tomato sauce can and part of a .50 can of black olives. The crust was 1.25 from big lots. That totals, in my head, 1.62. Adding some green salad, we are still well under the five dollar benchmark.
ALMOST FREE PIZZA.
When I said that to my frugal co worker,she said,someone is giving away pizza? Ha ha
If it sounds too good to be true.....
Take a couple of plastic containers or zip lock bags and put them in your freezer door.
Every time you chop an ingredient for a recipe that would also go on a pizza, chop a little more and put it in the bag. Do the same for bits of meat ( in a separate bag) that will work for pizza. Put them in the door because if your freezer is like most I have seen, of you put it on the regular part of the freezer, to might be lost forever. LOL.
When you have enough for a pizza, you can either use an inexpensive pizza crust or make the pizza crust recipe that I have on an earlier post. At .075 a cup for flour and bulk yeast,it is next to nothing to make a crust.
The pizza took almost no time, and almost no money and dinner was on the table and everybody was happy! I love easy dinners that I can adjust to please every picky eater in one effort.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Friday.
Yesterday we had thunder storms. I put a slow cooker of vegetable bean soup on before I went to work. All I had to do when I came home was to put a couple of baguettes in the oven.
Another case of having a plan and adjusting for circumstances.
Wednesday I made a quick bread loaf from a muffin mix. I got the muffin mix with a sale and a coupon, so it was cheaper than scratch. I like to make loaves instead because it is more efficient and you can portion it better.
I might think different if we were always taking them out of the house.
Sour Cream Muffins
1-1-2 cup baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix wet ingredients together.
Mix dry ingredients together .
Mix the two together. Do not over mix.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes.
A good way to use up the last of the sour cream.
Baking your own baked goods is a way to save a lot of money and spend a little time doing it.
What kind of muffins do you bake?
Thank you for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Another case of having a plan and adjusting for circumstances.
Wednesday I made a quick bread loaf from a muffin mix. I got the muffin mix with a sale and a coupon, so it was cheaper than scratch. I like to make loaves instead because it is more efficient and you can portion it better.
I might think different if we were always taking them out of the house.
Sour Cream Muffins
1-1-2 cup baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix wet ingredients together.
Mix dry ingredients together .
Mix the two together. Do not over mix.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees 15-20 minutes.
A good way to use up the last of the sour cream.
Baking your own baked goods is a way to save a lot of money and spend a little time doing it.
What kind of muffins do you bake?
Thank you for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Thursday, September 5, 2013
The ads , some beef prices are decent
This is the second week that the prices in the ads are not very advantageous to a frugal budget. It is usually the case with a holiday weekend,but the prices are continuing to be high on actual food. Bargains are on processed food, a lot of cereal and cereal products.
SAFEWAYS
Chicken 1.29
SAFEWAYS has a lots of BOGO meat, all are processed, non are priced.
Corn on cob 3/1
Peaches .99
Raspberries BOGO
Yoplait 10/5 $$
Milk 2.59
Mega sale
5, save 5
Cereal, bars, 1.49 $$
Kellogg's cereal, bars 1.99$$
TOP
Apples 1.29
Chuck roast 2.99
Yoplait 10/5
Potatoes 10/2@@
Pork sirloin 2.00 @@
Green peppers 2/1
QFC
Broccoli .99
Blackberries 2/5
Mega 5/5
Dreyers 2.49
Nabisco crackers 1.50
Nature valley bars 1.69$$
Cheerios 1.50$$
Skippy 1.99 $$
Round roast 2.99
ALBERTSOMS
Berries 2/5
Milk 1.79 @@
Canned veggies .49@@
15 percent ground beef 2.79
Notes:
@@ means an in ad coupon
$$ means that there is a printable or paper coupon out there. Check coupon connections or you matchup site.
There are some meat prices for three dollars a pound. While that is a 50 percent increase in prices, it is about the best we can hope for in this climate. And, I am still seeing some decent prices on fruit.
There are not a lot of buys out there, and really not a lot to stock up on. Some snack crackers because the holidays will be upon us . It's a good reason to stock when the prices are low.
It might be a good week to go to Winco, although I haven't seen a ten dollar coupon lately.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
SAFEWAYS
Chicken 1.29
SAFEWAYS has a lots of BOGO meat, all are processed, non are priced.
Corn on cob 3/1
Peaches .99
Raspberries BOGO
Yoplait 10/5 $$
Milk 2.59
Mega sale
5, save 5
Cereal, bars, 1.49 $$
Kellogg's cereal, bars 1.99$$
TOP
Apples 1.29
Chuck roast 2.99
Yoplait 10/5
Potatoes 10/2@@
Pork sirloin 2.00 @@
Green peppers 2/1
QFC
Broccoli .99
Blackberries 2/5
Mega 5/5
Dreyers 2.49
Nabisco crackers 1.50
Nature valley bars 1.69$$
Cheerios 1.50$$
Skippy 1.99 $$
Round roast 2.99
ALBERTSOMS
Berries 2/5
Milk 1.79 @@
Canned veggies .49@@
15 percent ground beef 2.79
Notes:
@@ means an in ad coupon
$$ means that there is a printable or paper coupon out there. Check coupon connections or you matchup site.
There are some meat prices for three dollars a pound. While that is a 50 percent increase in prices, it is about the best we can hope for in this climate. And, I am still seeing some decent prices on fruit.
There are not a lot of buys out there, and really not a lot to stock up on. Some snack crackers because the holidays will be upon us . It's a good reason to stock when the prices are low.
It might be a good week to go to Winco, although I haven't seen a ten dollar coupon lately.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Wicked Wednesday.
It is the first day of school here. The kids in the neighborhood are so excited!
It is time for packing lunches. I usually don't talk much about lunches because, for us it is leftovers, cheese and crackers and fruit. Most people, I suspect, that are of snap also get school lunches too.
When we were kids, we either got to come home for lunch, or we got a sandwich. Period.
Breakfast was always oatmeal in the winter. Oatmeal for, scratch is just as easy as oatmeal from the canister.
1 cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-1/2 minutes in the microwave. I like to add craisens or blueberries.
Breakfast muffins are a good thing, or a quick bread that you can make ahead.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/blueberry-banana-bread/96c37e01-6aad-42a5-9907-2117e388209b
Google Betty Crocker banana blueberry bread. There is a heart healthy version too. It uses egg beaters and low fat bisquick. In my book, 2 eggs split between 12 servings is not a lot of eggs.
Bananas with black spots on the skin are supposed to be anti cancer. Blueberries are anti oxidents, and oatmeal is good for cholesterol. Nutritious,easy and inexpensive is a winner in my book. They just happen to taste good. I wasmaskedmfor a substitute for the banana. I guessed chopped apple. I googled it, it said papaya. I have never bought a papaya, I would guess that it would derail the cost effectiveness of the muffin. Muffins are a dollar a piece in the grocery store. That is another time when scratch is a money maker.
To find out if something is worth making from scratch, first figure the cost of the bought product. Then cost out the scratch product. Time your non- passive cooking. Divide the difference in cost by the time it takes you to make the muffins. you will get the amount of money you are "making an hour " to scratch cook. if it is a couple of dollars, it's probably not worth it. When my daughter and I cost out lemon pound cake vs buying it at the lots of bucks store, we figure we made over 212.00 an hour if memory serves me. That's a little extreme, but at a dollar a muffin, I am pretty sure, scratch is well worth your time. If you can make them in a loaf pan instead, itmwouldmbe even faster.
Another thing that can be cost effective to make is salad dressing ( not mayo).A vinaigrette can be cost effective. There are recipes for salad dressings on an earlier blog. When salad dressing is a buck or less with a coupon, it is probably not cost effective.
I think what I have learned is that not everything is black and white playing this game. But, all in all, you will come out the winner if you put some effort into it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Please share
Jane
It is time for packing lunches. I usually don't talk much about lunches because, for us it is leftovers, cheese and crackers and fruit. Most people, I suspect, that are of snap also get school lunches too.
When we were kids, we either got to come home for lunch, or we got a sandwich. Period.
Breakfast was always oatmeal in the winter. Oatmeal for, scratch is just as easy as oatmeal from the canister.
1 cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-1/2 minutes in the microwave. I like to add craisens or blueberries.
Breakfast muffins are a good thing, or a quick bread that you can make ahead.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/blueberry-banana-bread/96c37e01-6aad-42a5-9907-2117e388209b
Google Betty Crocker banana blueberry bread. There is a heart healthy version too. It uses egg beaters and low fat bisquick. In my book, 2 eggs split between 12 servings is not a lot of eggs.
Bananas with black spots on the skin are supposed to be anti cancer. Blueberries are anti oxidents, and oatmeal is good for cholesterol. Nutritious,easy and inexpensive is a winner in my book. They just happen to taste good. I wasmaskedmfor a substitute for the banana. I guessed chopped apple. I googled it, it said papaya. I have never bought a papaya, I would guess that it would derail the cost effectiveness of the muffin. Muffins are a dollar a piece in the grocery store. That is another time when scratch is a money maker.
To find out if something is worth making from scratch, first figure the cost of the bought product. Then cost out the scratch product. Time your non- passive cooking. Divide the difference in cost by the time it takes you to make the muffins. you will get the amount of money you are "making an hour " to scratch cook. if it is a couple of dollars, it's probably not worth it. When my daughter and I cost out lemon pound cake vs buying it at the lots of bucks store, we figure we made over 212.00 an hour if memory serves me. That's a little extreme, but at a dollar a muffin, I am pretty sure, scratch is well worth your time. If you can make them in a loaf pan instead, itmwouldmbe even faster.
Another thing that can be cost effective to make is salad dressing ( not mayo).A vinaigrette can be cost effective. There are recipes for salad dressings on an earlier blog. When salad dressing is a buck or less with a coupon, it is probably not cost effective.
I think what I have learned is that not everything is black and white playing this game. But, all in all, you will come out the winner if you put some effort into it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Please share
Jane
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Tuesday
It's Tuesday. it seems like a Monday because of the holiday. I actually cleaned my studio and organized some things. I guessed I could start my busy season neat!
Last night we had a taco tater tot bake in place of the tacos on our plan. My husband wasn't impressed. It was ok, but I don't thinks will make it again. It had lots of ingredients and sounds more tasty than it was. Trying new dishes keeps meals interesting.
Mealtime can get in a rut. Children, however like repetition.
I am making muffins today. They are quick and easy and a good breakfast or snack. I usually make muffins with veggies or fruit. I got a couple of oranges at Fred Meyers because they were a buck a pound. I also got a few peaches of sale. Milk was a buck a half gallon and that included chocolate milk. Orange quick bread is one of cheapest ones. Grating and drying the orange peel saves it for other dishes. My MIL used to candy it.
Trying to waste the least amount of food is another way to stretch your food dollar. Mid week, do a fridge clean out and use up anything on the edge and dump anything dead. Hopefully, there won't be much dead. That is a good time to make vegetable stock. I make it on the stove, but when I worked,I made it in the slow cooker. I use it in a base for split pea soup when my daughter was a complete vegetarian.
It is the first of the month. Printable coupons have an expiration date. Many aremforma short time and all of them
Have limits, You can print two and the manufacturer sets a limit on the quantity that are printed. The large dollar coupons go first. I go through and print the ones I am likely to use if I find a sale. I file only printable coupons in my coupon binder. When I file this months, I throw out any lingering with stale dates. Most coupon sites have the same download file, they all come from coupons.com. Coupons.com doesn't make you go through hoops to get the coupons. You have to download coupon drivers once. It has been my experience that coupons.com is safe.
I purchased two skippy natural peanut butter with a coupon at Fred Meyer. They were dated 9/2. ( a group I belong to is providing food for needy kids.) I then downloaded another two dated October. Fred Meyers net cost with the coupon was .95. SAFEWAYS cost with the coupon was 2.44 for the same jar of peanut butter. To me, not buying the same peoduct with the cheapest price is wasting about 3.00. All those dollars add up. Instead of one kid getting a jar, I can get for almost three.
I started this blog when it was brought to my attention that people were running out of money before they ran out of month on SNAP ( food stamps) . It is possible to eat well on full food stamps. USDA hasnstatsnthat are updated frequently on what food costs. It is on the Internet. They base SNAP on these figures and the place where you live. No childmshoudmhave to live with the insecurity of waking up to no food in the house. And, no child should have top ramen and potato chips for a steady diet.
I am writing this blog from a suburb of Seattle. I know that different parts of the country have different stores and quantity of stores and different prices. The basics of groceries on the cheap work with all places. Saving is realitive. I think I had a wake up call when we went to a resort town off season for our anniversary trip. Lodging was cheap. BUT, there was no place to eat! The town had one eatery that had fish and chips. Fish and chips cost 40.00 for two of us. I had ice tea and my husband had 1 beer. The only store was an independent that had almost no food and what they had did have didn't look fit to eat! It was twenty miles to the nearest big store. We googled subway and found one four miles away and we ate the food I had brought from home in a cooler and subway the rest of the weekend.
If I was in that position, I would get the stores to mail me their ads or see if they were on line. Then, I would see I'd I could find another person to car pool with me and go twice a month when they had the best buys, my SIL and I used to go to the next town to shop together. They only had one car at the time, and we both had toddlers. The husbands could watch the children and we could go to the cheapest store to buy food. Shopping without toddlers makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing. It seems every town has a dollar store. Our little town even has one. there are some foods that are cheaper; some are not. Make it a point to know your prices on the things on your
Stockpile list anyway. My mother had an expression, " some people wouldn't know a bargain if it bit them in the butt." Don't be that person! Ha ha
If you are on SNAP or a limited budget, knowing what a bargain is and taking advantage of them when they come along can make the difference between skimping along, or eating well and having something in the pantry at the end of the month.
It will be worth your while to download coupons early in the month before the high dollar ones are gone. Knowing your prices of the things that you buy often can save a bundle. Making adjustments to your shopping if you don't have chain stores available in your neighborhood might be necessary to effectively cut your food costs. Shopping without children makes for a more effective shopping trip. Why is it that even if younremondmchildren to go to the bathroom before you leave, it is right on the middle of you're calculating a unit cost when they announce to the world that they have to go potty! Ha ha.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share. You can join in the right hand corner of this blog!
Jane
Last night we had a taco tater tot bake in place of the tacos on our plan. My husband wasn't impressed. It was ok, but I don't thinks will make it again. It had lots of ingredients and sounds more tasty than it was. Trying new dishes keeps meals interesting.
Mealtime can get in a rut. Children, however like repetition.
I am making muffins today. They are quick and easy and a good breakfast or snack. I usually make muffins with veggies or fruit. I got a couple of oranges at Fred Meyers because they were a buck a pound. I also got a few peaches of sale. Milk was a buck a half gallon and that included chocolate milk. Orange quick bread is one of cheapest ones. Grating and drying the orange peel saves it for other dishes. My MIL used to candy it.
Trying to waste the least amount of food is another way to stretch your food dollar. Mid week, do a fridge clean out and use up anything on the edge and dump anything dead. Hopefully, there won't be much dead. That is a good time to make vegetable stock. I make it on the stove, but when I worked,I made it in the slow cooker. I use it in a base for split pea soup when my daughter was a complete vegetarian.
It is the first of the month. Printable coupons have an expiration date. Many aremforma short time and all of them
Have limits, You can print two and the manufacturer sets a limit on the quantity that are printed. The large dollar coupons go first. I go through and print the ones I am likely to use if I find a sale. I file only printable coupons in my coupon binder. When I file this months, I throw out any lingering with stale dates. Most coupon sites have the same download file, they all come from coupons.com. Coupons.com doesn't make you go through hoops to get the coupons. You have to download coupon drivers once. It has been my experience that coupons.com is safe.
I purchased two skippy natural peanut butter with a coupon at Fred Meyer. They were dated 9/2. ( a group I belong to is providing food for needy kids.) I then downloaded another two dated October. Fred Meyers net cost with the coupon was .95. SAFEWAYS cost with the coupon was 2.44 for the same jar of peanut butter. To me, not buying the same peoduct with the cheapest price is wasting about 3.00. All those dollars add up. Instead of one kid getting a jar, I can get for almost three.
I started this blog when it was brought to my attention that people were running out of money before they ran out of month on SNAP ( food stamps) . It is possible to eat well on full food stamps. USDA hasnstatsnthat are updated frequently on what food costs. It is on the Internet. They base SNAP on these figures and the place where you live. No childmshoudmhave to live with the insecurity of waking up to no food in the house. And, no child should have top ramen and potato chips for a steady diet.
I am writing this blog from a suburb of Seattle. I know that different parts of the country have different stores and quantity of stores and different prices. The basics of groceries on the cheap work with all places. Saving is realitive. I think I had a wake up call when we went to a resort town off season for our anniversary trip. Lodging was cheap. BUT, there was no place to eat! The town had one eatery that had fish and chips. Fish and chips cost 40.00 for two of us. I had ice tea and my husband had 1 beer. The only store was an independent that had almost no food and what they had did have didn't look fit to eat! It was twenty miles to the nearest big store. We googled subway and found one four miles away and we ate the food I had brought from home in a cooler and subway the rest of the weekend.
If I was in that position, I would get the stores to mail me their ads or see if they were on line. Then, I would see I'd I could find another person to car pool with me and go twice a month when they had the best buys, my SIL and I used to go to the next town to shop together. They only had one car at the time, and we both had toddlers. The husbands could watch the children and we could go to the cheapest store to buy food. Shopping without toddlers makes it easier to concentrate on what you are doing. It seems every town has a dollar store. Our little town even has one. there are some foods that are cheaper; some are not. Make it a point to know your prices on the things on your
Stockpile list anyway. My mother had an expression, " some people wouldn't know a bargain if it bit them in the butt." Don't be that person! Ha ha
If you are on SNAP or a limited budget, knowing what a bargain is and taking advantage of them when they come along can make the difference between skimping along, or eating well and having something in the pantry at the end of the month.
It will be worth your while to download coupons early in the month before the high dollar ones are gone. Knowing your prices of the things that you buy often can save a bundle. Making adjustments to your shopping if you don't have chain stores available in your neighborhood might be necessary to effectively cut your food costs. Shopping without children makes for a more effective shopping trip. Why is it that even if younremondmchildren to go to the bathroom before you leave, it is right on the middle of you're calculating a unit cost when they announce to the world that they have to go potty! Ha ha.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share. You can join in the right hand corner of this blog!
Jane
Monday, September 2, 2013
Meal plans
There is a picture on the Internet that has been circulating . It is three grocery carts. The forest one says 1998 and is full. The second says 2005 and is half full. The third one says 2012 and is almost empty. Each is headed with a twenty dollar bill. Groceries are a big part of our discretionary spending. The cost of food has gone up every year , but this year some items have doubled in cost. It is getting harder and harder to Stay on a thrifty budget. I can still average ten dollars a sack; the sacks are just smaller. LOL.
This week , I spent thirty dollars at ALBERTSONS and twenty at Fred Meyers and 4 at the dollar store. I didn't get any protein. I have a lot stockpiled. Mostly fresh food and some frozen veggies. A
It is possible to eat well on a thrifty budget. Last night we had Scratch Mack and cheese and mixed vegetables. vegetables. it is a dinner that satisfies the whole family and I only have to cook one version.
When I make meal plans I use a matrix. We have a vegetarian, a semi vegetarian and a dad that doesn't like most vegetables., I have given up and just cook veggies. Take it or leave it. But, I cook a variety of protein in an effort to be more healthy and satisfy everyone.
My matrix is
2 beef
2 pork or chicken
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
This makes meal planning easier. Your matrix may be different, but a matrix helps. Betty Crocker web sites help. I get them on e mail weekly. They even tell you if there is a store near you that has ingredients on sale.
Some recipes need adjusting to be on the cheap, but almost all are doable and many sound really good. You can also google an ingredient you need to use up and it will provide recipes.
I use the matrix and incorporate what's in the fridge with my meal plans. What needs to be used up.
1) tacos, refried beans, vegetarian Spanish rice.
2) Italian meatballs and spaghetti,small ad baguette
3) chicken Kiev , baked potato, minted peas, salad.
4) smoked pork, peppers, potatoes, baguette
5) Mac and cheese, mixed vegetables
6) split pea soup, bread sticks
7) tuna Cassarole with peas.
Notes:
Taco kit was 1.55 at ALBERTSONS with a coupon. I bought enough for tacos once a week or the month. I usually make my own taco seasoning, but this is cheaper than making and Buying the two different kinds of shells, the seasoning, and the taco sauce.
The chicken is from the grill packs I bought last week. I de boned the breasts and cooked and shredded the rest. I added some vegetables during n the cooking time so that I had a stock left when I was finished. I portioned the chicken shreads so that I have one meal bags. For salads, tacos, stir fry, on top of Mac and cheese. I can use the stock in split pea soup: easy fare in the slow cooker. The smoked pork was I think 1.23 with a sale and a coupon. Peppers are at the dollar store. The meat balls were batch cooked from hamburger I got at Costco for 2.89 for 9 percent ground beef. Ditto the taco meat. The base for the Mac and cheese was a garlic recipe starter that I got for .50 at the dollar store. It is cheaper than making white sauce.
Plans can be altered, but you need to have a plan. I remember one time, years ago, when I walked into albertsons to get milk. They announced over the store PA system that they had purchased too much Dover sole . It was two dollars a pound. We had Dover Sole that night.! LOL. Without a plan,things are sure to go a muck the first time your schedule is compromised.
groceries on the cheap takes on a whole different way of grocery shopping. You do not come home from shopping with a weeks worth of food. Because you have the basics for a weeks worth of food in your pantry and freezer, basicly when you are fully set up you are buying
A) the loss leader meat/ protein that is available that week. I buy cheese when it is under pr at 2.50 a pound. Grate it and freeze it. I add a little cornstarch to it so that it doesn't clump. I want pork loin for under 2.00.
I want ground beef for as close to 2.50 as I can get it and I want 7-9 percent. If I want more fat for meatballs or meatloaf, I can add some ground pork that I have ground from a pork loin, or I can grind my own from chuck if it is cheaper than good ground beef. I want to pay a buck a poundnformchicken. I have been getting whole chickens for a buck, I got grill packs this month for a buck at two of the chain stores, and saw them at the other two on sale too.
Sausage is cheapest at Costco in a roll. The price keeps going up, but with sausage a little bit goes a long ways. I cook it and de fat it and portion control it in bags in the freezer. Use it on pizza, in soup, or on quiche. The pork, chicken are pretty much passive cooking. The ground sausage and beef are a bit more time consuming. I used to buy a roast beef before beef took such a hike.
There is a idea out there for what they are calling now freezer cooking, we used to call it marathon cooking. Thos is a compromise that takes less commitment of time, allows for more fresh food, and less freezer space. I think it is more doable. I don't have the stamina to shop and prep for 8 hours and cook for eight hours. Itmcouldmworkmfor some families I think, especially if the family had parents that had 12 hour shifts for work and left a culinary challenged parent to cook. I used to do some freezer cooking so that I could take already cooked meals to our elderly mothers. To is hard to cook for one person, especially of you are not well.
If you buy and cook one thing a week in bulk and rotate to for your meal plans, it will save time and money. You cook when you are more relaxed. Most of the time, you can passive cook the meat and when the meat is already cooked, it makes for an easy dinner time. In most families with children, dinner time is the most hectic time of the day, besides getting everyone out the door in the morning. I would not batch cook any more of one thing than a months worth. You can get a months worth of dinners in a standard freezer section of a fridge.
Rotate it for variety.
B) the perishables you will need to round out your meals. : fresh produce, dairy and eggs. I buy eggs when they are close to a dollar. They have a loag fridge life.
C) anything on your stocking list that is at or below your target price that you need to bring you up to your goal amount.
All this takes a little planning to get started. The result is better, faster, cheaper meals. The average family can cut their food bill by 1/2. 75.00 a week times 52 weeks is wait for it......
3900.00. And, it probably won't take you more than an extra hour a week. That is about 75.00 an hour.
Next time: ready made or scratch. When is it worth it.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share, there is a join or follow button on the right side of the blog. I don't knowmmuchnabout it, I am tech challenged! LOL
Jane
This week , I spent thirty dollars at ALBERTSONS and twenty at Fred Meyers and 4 at the dollar store. I didn't get any protein. I have a lot stockpiled. Mostly fresh food and some frozen veggies. A
It is possible to eat well on a thrifty budget. Last night we had Scratch Mack and cheese and mixed vegetables. vegetables. it is a dinner that satisfies the whole family and I only have to cook one version.
When I make meal plans I use a matrix. We have a vegetarian, a semi vegetarian and a dad that doesn't like most vegetables., I have given up and just cook veggies. Take it or leave it. But, I cook a variety of protein in an effort to be more healthy and satisfy everyone.
My matrix is
2 beef
2 pork or chicken
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
This makes meal planning easier. Your matrix may be different, but a matrix helps. Betty Crocker web sites help. I get them on e mail weekly. They even tell you if there is a store near you that has ingredients on sale.
Some recipes need adjusting to be on the cheap, but almost all are doable and many sound really good. You can also google an ingredient you need to use up and it will provide recipes.
I use the matrix and incorporate what's in the fridge with my meal plans. What needs to be used up.
1) tacos, refried beans, vegetarian Spanish rice.
2) Italian meatballs and spaghetti,small ad baguette
3) chicken Kiev , baked potato, minted peas, salad.
4) smoked pork, peppers, potatoes, baguette
5) Mac and cheese, mixed vegetables
6) split pea soup, bread sticks
7) tuna Cassarole with peas.
Notes:
Taco kit was 1.55 at ALBERTSONS with a coupon. I bought enough for tacos once a week or the month. I usually make my own taco seasoning, but this is cheaper than making and Buying the two different kinds of shells, the seasoning, and the taco sauce.
The chicken is from the grill packs I bought last week. I de boned the breasts and cooked and shredded the rest. I added some vegetables during n the cooking time so that I had a stock left when I was finished. I portioned the chicken shreads so that I have one meal bags. For salads, tacos, stir fry, on top of Mac and cheese. I can use the stock in split pea soup: easy fare in the slow cooker. The smoked pork was I think 1.23 with a sale and a coupon. Peppers are at the dollar store. The meat balls were batch cooked from hamburger I got at Costco for 2.89 for 9 percent ground beef. Ditto the taco meat. The base for the Mac and cheese was a garlic recipe starter that I got for .50 at the dollar store. It is cheaper than making white sauce.
Plans can be altered, but you need to have a plan. I remember one time, years ago, when I walked into albertsons to get milk. They announced over the store PA system that they had purchased too much Dover sole . It was two dollars a pound. We had Dover Sole that night.! LOL. Without a plan,things are sure to go a muck the first time your schedule is compromised.
groceries on the cheap takes on a whole different way of grocery shopping. You do not come home from shopping with a weeks worth of food. Because you have the basics for a weeks worth of food in your pantry and freezer, basicly when you are fully set up you are buying
A) the loss leader meat/ protein that is available that week. I buy cheese when it is under pr at 2.50 a pound. Grate it and freeze it. I add a little cornstarch to it so that it doesn't clump. I want pork loin for under 2.00.
I want ground beef for as close to 2.50 as I can get it and I want 7-9 percent. If I want more fat for meatballs or meatloaf, I can add some ground pork that I have ground from a pork loin, or I can grind my own from chuck if it is cheaper than good ground beef. I want to pay a buck a poundnformchicken. I have been getting whole chickens for a buck, I got grill packs this month for a buck at two of the chain stores, and saw them at the other two on sale too.
Sausage is cheapest at Costco in a roll. The price keeps going up, but with sausage a little bit goes a long ways. I cook it and de fat it and portion control it in bags in the freezer. Use it on pizza, in soup, or on quiche. The pork, chicken are pretty much passive cooking. The ground sausage and beef are a bit more time consuming. I used to buy a roast beef before beef took such a hike.
There is a idea out there for what they are calling now freezer cooking, we used to call it marathon cooking. Thos is a compromise that takes less commitment of time, allows for more fresh food, and less freezer space. I think it is more doable. I don't have the stamina to shop and prep for 8 hours and cook for eight hours. Itmcouldmworkmfor some families I think, especially if the family had parents that had 12 hour shifts for work and left a culinary challenged parent to cook. I used to do some freezer cooking so that I could take already cooked meals to our elderly mothers. To is hard to cook for one person, especially of you are not well.
If you buy and cook one thing a week in bulk and rotate to for your meal plans, it will save time and money. You cook when you are more relaxed. Most of the time, you can passive cook the meat and when the meat is already cooked, it makes for an easy dinner time. In most families with children, dinner time is the most hectic time of the day, besides getting everyone out the door in the morning. I would not batch cook any more of one thing than a months worth. You can get a months worth of dinners in a standard freezer section of a fridge.
Rotate it for variety.
B) the perishables you will need to round out your meals. : fresh produce, dairy and eggs. I buy eggs when they are close to a dollar. They have a loag fridge life.
C) anything on your stocking list that is at or below your target price that you need to bring you up to your goal amount.
All this takes a little planning to get started. The result is better, faster, cheaper meals. The average family can cut their food bill by 1/2. 75.00 a week times 52 weeks is wait for it......
3900.00. And, it probably won't take you more than an extra hour a week. That is about 75.00 an hour.
Next time: ready made or scratch. When is it worth it.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share, there is a join or follow button on the right side of the blog. I don't knowmmuchnabout it, I am tech challenged! LOL
Jane
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