It's Wednesday. I have had the grandbaby home for two days. Time to get some more work done. I finally got my paper from the UK and need to get Christmas behind me so I can take care of cleaning and decorating for Halloween.
I bought Halloween candy with rite aid dollars on sale. We don't have a lot of trick or treaters. Our downtown merchants stay open and give out candy. Downtown is just one big party . The police block off the roads so it so safe for the children and show some police presence. Safe and sane Halloween!
On another note, I studied SAFEWAYS add again. I hate to waste the ten dollar coupon, but it doesn't so any good if you pay full plus price on the things you buy.
Chuck steak or bottom round roast is 2.49. Less twenty percent ( the 10.00 coupon) is two dollars a pound. The 7 percent hamburger is 3.49, less the twenty percent is 2.80. I think we will grind our own. Hamburger hasn't been two dollars for a long time. LOL
Grapes are 3/5 on Friday as well as
Salad 5/5
Brats
Cheese 2#
I am having a real hard time matching coupons to these like I did the last time. Still, the meat and cheese savings are remarkable.
The other place I would go of I needed to would be QFC. It's stock up time I'd you have diced tomatoes or canned veggies on your stock list. The pudding is a remarkable price with coupons. It is one of the items on the back pack kids list.
Note : this is a really good reason why you shop two stores and buy specials.
7 percent hamburger is 4.99 at QFC. Grinding your own is 2.00. That's three dollars a pound.
If it takes you twenty minutes to grind, and you buy ten pounds, you have saved 30.00. Twenty minutes is 1/3 of an hour. That means you would be making 90.00 dollars an hour. No one has EVER paid me 90.00 an hour. I know, this is an abstract that some people can't see. None the less, you will be saving thirty dollars over just going to the store and buying your food. Whether you are buying two pounds five times, or you buy ten pounds once, you will still eat dinner. The difference is that you will have thirty dollars to buy at least ten more meals of meat!
Buying in bulk at RBP and bulk cooking saves because
1) you portion control a meals worth of meat. No waste.
2) you cook once, so you use less energy-- both yours and the utility bills
3) you clean up once.
4) with hamburger you can take the time to defat the crumbles and taco meat.
5) dinner time is quicker because you have a head start. The meat takes the longest time to cook. You are getting convenience without it starting with the "letter" $$$.
Tomorrow, meal plans from the ads.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
The ads 10/8
Here are the ads for this week. Please note that I post anything that is perishable , dairy or meat that is a good buy as well as the stock items that are good prices. There can very well be a cheaper price on another ad. After you use the list, you need to cross off anything you don't need, anything that is more expensive elsewhere, and check coupon commectioms or the coupon ,matching site that is on your area.
TOP
Turnups, rutabagas, beets .80
Jivama .80
Nalley chili .80@@
Olives .80@@
QFC
Pork shoulder roast 1.79
Butter 2/4
Tomatoes .99
Broccoli,, cauliflower. .99
Mega deal. Buy 10 , get 5 free.
Nets. .67 each
Corn
Diced tomatoes
Starkist tuna
Snack pack$$
ALBERTSOMS
Coupons needed
FOLGERS COFFEE 6.99@@
Tuna, salmon .99@@
Red Baron 2.49@@$$
Hillshire farms 3/10@@
Eggs .98@@
Bread .99@
SAFEWAYS
Remember the 10.00 coupon expires next week.
Pot roast 2.49
7 percent hamburger 3.49
Oscar Mayer lunch meat 1.99 buy 3
Apples .99
HORMEL chili bogo$$
5 dollar Friday
Grapes
Salads 5/5
Brats
Subs
That's about all. I am going to work a bit on SAFEWAYS ad to use the ten dollar coupon. So far, ot will be hard to maximize the savings.
The roast at safeways is 2.49. Time to grind your own hamburger.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
TOP
Turnups, rutabagas, beets .80
Jivama .80
Nalley chili .80@@
Olives .80@@
QFC
Pork shoulder roast 1.79
Butter 2/4
Tomatoes .99
Broccoli,, cauliflower. .99
Mega deal. Buy 10 , get 5 free.
Nets. .67 each
Corn
Diced tomatoes
Starkist tuna
Snack pack$$
ALBERTSOMS
Coupons needed
FOLGERS COFFEE 6.99@@
Tuna, salmon .99@@
Red Baron 2.49@@$$
Hillshire farms 3/10@@
Eggs .98@@
Bread .99@
SAFEWAYS
Remember the 10.00 coupon expires next week.
Pot roast 2.49
7 percent hamburger 3.49
Oscar Mayer lunch meat 1.99 buy 3
Apples .99
HORMEL chili bogo$$
5 dollar Friday
Grapes
Salads 5/5
Brats
Subs
That's about all. I am going to work a bit on SAFEWAYS ad to use the ten dollar coupon. So far, ot will be hard to maximize the savings.
The roast at safeways is 2.49. Time to grind your own hamburger.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Monday, October 7, 2013
Recap, the plan
Ok, we talked about getting started and planning your trips to the store. We talked about cooking from scratch and not falling into the pitfalls that jack up the food bill. And, we talked about scratch cooking to keep costa down.
Portion controls are a necessary topic too. We only need a four ounce portion of meat. That's about the size of the palm of your hand. By portion controlling your meat before it goes on the table, you can stay within budget. Take a look at the food pyramid. Fill in the meal with whole grains, vegetables and some starch. When my kids were teens, or had snack foods that they knew were free foods. That is, I bought them for the sole purpose of allowing them protein rich snacks to tide them off until dinner time. They knew that those foods were not part of dinner and they could eat as much as they wanted. I never had to worry about the kids spoiling their dinner. They all ate well and didn't have a weight problem. We always had plenty of good food to eat in the house.
I made stew beef from a three pound hunk.of chuck steak, we had beef tips, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad one night. We included my six foot four son. We still had enough for me to have a lunch the next day and for my husband and I to have a dinner of stew the following night.
When I went to the nutritionist when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, she stressed a four ounce portion of meat, a small portion of starch, and Over 1/2 your plate was to be veggies. A good balance of foods is essential for nutrition and for keeping a sound budget., there are USDA guidelines for food on the Internet.
On another note. The USDA has come out saying that foster farms has had some problems with salmonella. They are not recalling the chicken, ALWAYS remember to wash everything that touches or that you touch with raw meat juices very good. Cook your chicken until 179 degrees. I have a probe thermometer. Last time I got carried away working on my studio and it cooked beyond its
timer.
Thanks for stopping by.
Pleas share
Jane
Portion controls are a necessary topic too. We only need a four ounce portion of meat. That's about the size of the palm of your hand. By portion controlling your meat before it goes on the table, you can stay within budget. Take a look at the food pyramid. Fill in the meal with whole grains, vegetables and some starch. When my kids were teens, or had snack foods that they knew were free foods. That is, I bought them for the sole purpose of allowing them protein rich snacks to tide them off until dinner time. They knew that those foods were not part of dinner and they could eat as much as they wanted. I never had to worry about the kids spoiling their dinner. They all ate well and didn't have a weight problem. We always had plenty of good food to eat in the house.
I made stew beef from a three pound hunk.of chuck steak, we had beef tips, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad one night. We included my six foot four son. We still had enough for me to have a lunch the next day and for my husband and I to have a dinner of stew the following night.
When I went to the nutritionist when I was first diagnosed with diabetes, she stressed a four ounce portion of meat, a small portion of starch, and Over 1/2 your plate was to be veggies. A good balance of foods is essential for nutrition and for keeping a sound budget., there are USDA guidelines for food on the Internet.
On another note. The USDA has come out saying that foster farms has had some problems with salmonella. They are not recalling the chicken, ALWAYS remember to wash everything that touches or that you touch with raw meat juices very good. Cook your chicken until 179 degrees. I have a probe thermometer. Last time I got carried away working on my studio and it cooked beyond its
timer.
Thanks for stopping by.
Pleas share
Jane
The basics, part three: cooking
It's Monday. October 7th, time for the third part of the equasion. Scratch cooking.
One of the easiest ways to derail your budget and run out of money on a fixed food budget is to buy your food ready made and in boxes. That being said, there is always exceptions, but they are few.
Certainly, any pancake, waffle or pop up item is off limits, they are way over prices and easily cooked. Muffins or quick breads are an easy, fast, cheap alternative. I do use bisquick that I get at Costco. I have a recipe for baking mix, but it calls for shortening and I avoid solid fats.
Oatmeal from scratch is easy and not much more work than instant.
1 cup water
1/2 cup oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl.
1-1/2 minutes in the microwave.
I cook the oatmeal for 1 minute, stir and cook 30 seconds, it seems to keep it from boiling over.
I add fruit and milk, or some raisins and milk.
Cold cereal is a given. Avoid the sugary ones, they are expensive and whole grain Cheerios or corn flakes are better and I almost always can find coupons.
Some items for dinner are as cheap ready made, but not many.m instant mashed potatoes on sale cheap are sometimes cheaper than scratch. I buy refried beans because they are time consuming to
make . Ditto tortillas. I usually keep a cake mix on hand when I can get them for less than the flour.
There are ways to cook from scratch that don't mean that you have to slave over a hot stove for an
hour. Unless, you want to. Carla on The Chew introduced me to the word, passive cooking. I was well aware of the concept, just didn't have a name for it.
The slow cooker and the oven can be your best friend in the kitchen. There is something really comforting about the smell of dinner cooking all day, and I really enjoy having dinner done when I have worked the late shift and come home to dinner ready. Many recipes are a dump and turn on
Recipes. No hard work here.
Fries on the oven from scratch are really easy. I also get fries from the dollar store. my family does not like the shot string ones, I like steak fries the best. Oven roasted potatoes, and any root vegetables you can come up with including radishes. Radishes take on a different taste. They are really good.
Pre cooking meats helps make dinner time less hectic. The meat takes the longest time to cook. If it is already done, putting a Casserole together and putting it on the oven is really quick.
I heat sliced meat in a broth. If it is sliced thin , you can heat the broth, put the meat on and torn off the burner. It will heat through while you make the rest of dinner.
Meat balls are a real dinner boon. You can do a lot with them. Meatballs and spaghetti, meat ball soup, meatballs and gravy, meatballs with a cream sauce on noodles, meatball subs. Get a basic recipe and dome over mix them. When I batch cook, I put a rack on a sheet pan , make meatballs the size of walnuts and bake them off, the grease drips off the meatballs. You are better off using a higher fat content for meatballs and meatloaf. I use a 7-9 percent for tacos or crumbles.
If you cook crumbles, drain them in a colander, pour boiling water over them. This makes hamburger have LESS fat than boneless, skinless chicken breast. I return some crumbles to a pan with some water and my taco seasoning. The recipe for many mixes are on an earlier post. The crumbles I portion control and put on bags for meat sauce or pizza.
There is a recipe for pizza crust on an earlier blog. Also the concept of almost free pizza.
There is also a recipe for pizza crust on the back of the bisquick box, although we don't like it. Sometimes , Big Lots has a bag of pizza crusts really cheap. Big Lots has a twenty percent off everything sale ever so often. They don't have a very long shelf life. Use them soon. If your family is like mine, there is no twisting arms to get someone to eat pizza. LOL
Roasting a chicken is easy, and well worth your efforts. It takes me about ten minutes to put a chicken in the oven. It is a remarkable difference between a deli chicken and a cooked chicken.
never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds. The ratio of bone to meat is a break even at three pounds. Less than that you are paying for bone that you can't eat. you don't know where the deli chicken has been. I prefer locally grown chicken. You are paying early for a little bit of effort.
I can get chicken for a dollar a pound. Grill pack chicken for a dollar makes boneless, skinless
chicken breast and pulled chicken. Pulled chicken makes tacos, soup, and pulled chicken sandwiches.
Roasting off a pork loin makes a pork loin dinner and hot sandwiches. You can cut off pork chops before you roast the loin.
I cook a beef roast when I can get it for under three dollars a pound. That doesn't happen too much lately. But hopefully lower beef prices will return.
You need to average two to three dollars for protein a dinner to keep a five dollar dinner is get. It is a game for us now. The operative word is average.
If you add a couple of vegetarian meals to the mix, it affords a more expensive cut of meat sometimes. Eggs, beans and cheese are still cheap sources of protein when you get them on sale.
Eggs have a month fridge life. Buy them in bulk when they are cheap. I like close to a buck. Last time. I had to pay more. They are still a cheap source of protein. I want cheese for two to two forty a pound. I am still getting this price. I buy the one they let you buy even of I don't end it right then. It has a bit of a fridge life, you can always grate it and freeze it. I add a little cornstarch to it to keep it from sticking together. About a tablespoon per two pounds of cheese.
The the main thing to remember is avoiding the F word..... full price! LOL.
Don't let cooking from scratch overwhelm you. Take one thing at a time. There are books at the library, there is a Martha Stewart series on PBS.
Learn to substitute ingredients when a recipe calls for an expensive ingredient. Just remember you are looking for the similar taste and texture. Celery can replace mushrooms and take up the bulk of onions.
That's about it.
There are blogs on scratch cooking every month. I write off the top of my head like I am talking to you on my kitchen. Each one is different. Please feel free to read earlier blogs.
Every week I analyze the ads for the Seattle area, usually on Wednesday because our mail comes late on Tuesday afternoon. You can usually gleam the best of the ads on coupon connections on line. She, however, has been posting coupons I haven't been able to find. It is a good resource that saves you a lot of time. I print coupons for things I usually buy the first of the month. There is a limited amount of coupons to print, so get yours when they are there. I have a coupon binder that I put together cheap. I don't cut the coupons from the paper. I just put inserts together with a binder clip. By month and clip them when I need them. I rely on coupon connections to tell me when there is a good deal. I mostly use them for toothpaste and other deals that are cheaper than scratch. Sometimes at rite aid, they will pay you to take things home. If I can use the item, or I know where I can donate it where it will be needed, I "buy" it. Toothpaste and baby food are a natural here.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
One of the easiest ways to derail your budget and run out of money on a fixed food budget is to buy your food ready made and in boxes. That being said, there is always exceptions, but they are few.
Certainly, any pancake, waffle or pop up item is off limits, they are way over prices and easily cooked. Muffins or quick breads are an easy, fast, cheap alternative. I do use bisquick that I get at Costco. I have a recipe for baking mix, but it calls for shortening and I avoid solid fats.
Oatmeal from scratch is easy and not much more work than instant.
1 cup water
1/2 cup oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl.
1-1/2 minutes in the microwave.
I cook the oatmeal for 1 minute, stir and cook 30 seconds, it seems to keep it from boiling over.
I add fruit and milk, or some raisins and milk.
Cold cereal is a given. Avoid the sugary ones, they are expensive and whole grain Cheerios or corn flakes are better and I almost always can find coupons.
Some items for dinner are as cheap ready made, but not many.m instant mashed potatoes on sale cheap are sometimes cheaper than scratch. I buy refried beans because they are time consuming to
make . Ditto tortillas. I usually keep a cake mix on hand when I can get them for less than the flour.
There are ways to cook from scratch that don't mean that you have to slave over a hot stove for an
hour. Unless, you want to. Carla on The Chew introduced me to the word, passive cooking. I was well aware of the concept, just didn't have a name for it.
The slow cooker and the oven can be your best friend in the kitchen. There is something really comforting about the smell of dinner cooking all day, and I really enjoy having dinner done when I have worked the late shift and come home to dinner ready. Many recipes are a dump and turn on
Recipes. No hard work here.
Fries on the oven from scratch are really easy. I also get fries from the dollar store. my family does not like the shot string ones, I like steak fries the best. Oven roasted potatoes, and any root vegetables you can come up with including radishes. Radishes take on a different taste. They are really good.
Pre cooking meats helps make dinner time less hectic. The meat takes the longest time to cook. If it is already done, putting a Casserole together and putting it on the oven is really quick.
I heat sliced meat in a broth. If it is sliced thin , you can heat the broth, put the meat on and torn off the burner. It will heat through while you make the rest of dinner.
Meat balls are a real dinner boon. You can do a lot with them. Meatballs and spaghetti, meat ball soup, meatballs and gravy, meatballs with a cream sauce on noodles, meatball subs. Get a basic recipe and dome over mix them. When I batch cook, I put a rack on a sheet pan , make meatballs the size of walnuts and bake them off, the grease drips off the meatballs. You are better off using a higher fat content for meatballs and meatloaf. I use a 7-9 percent for tacos or crumbles.
If you cook crumbles, drain them in a colander, pour boiling water over them. This makes hamburger have LESS fat than boneless, skinless chicken breast. I return some crumbles to a pan with some water and my taco seasoning. The recipe for many mixes are on an earlier post. The crumbles I portion control and put on bags for meat sauce or pizza.
There is a recipe for pizza crust on an earlier blog. Also the concept of almost free pizza.
There is also a recipe for pizza crust on the back of the bisquick box, although we don't like it. Sometimes , Big Lots has a bag of pizza crusts really cheap. Big Lots has a twenty percent off everything sale ever so often. They don't have a very long shelf life. Use them soon. If your family is like mine, there is no twisting arms to get someone to eat pizza. LOL
Roasting a chicken is easy, and well worth your efforts. It takes me about ten minutes to put a chicken in the oven. It is a remarkable difference between a deli chicken and a cooked chicken.
never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds. The ratio of bone to meat is a break even at three pounds. Less than that you are paying for bone that you can't eat. you don't know where the deli chicken has been. I prefer locally grown chicken. You are paying early for a little bit of effort.
I can get chicken for a dollar a pound. Grill pack chicken for a dollar makes boneless, skinless
chicken breast and pulled chicken. Pulled chicken makes tacos, soup, and pulled chicken sandwiches.
Roasting off a pork loin makes a pork loin dinner and hot sandwiches. You can cut off pork chops before you roast the loin.
I cook a beef roast when I can get it for under three dollars a pound. That doesn't happen too much lately. But hopefully lower beef prices will return.
You need to average two to three dollars for protein a dinner to keep a five dollar dinner is get. It is a game for us now. The operative word is average.
If you add a couple of vegetarian meals to the mix, it affords a more expensive cut of meat sometimes. Eggs, beans and cheese are still cheap sources of protein when you get them on sale.
Eggs have a month fridge life. Buy them in bulk when they are cheap. I like close to a buck. Last time. I had to pay more. They are still a cheap source of protein. I want cheese for two to two forty a pound. I am still getting this price. I buy the one they let you buy even of I don't end it right then. It has a bit of a fridge life, you can always grate it and freeze it. I add a little cornstarch to it to keep it from sticking together. About a tablespoon per two pounds of cheese.
The the main thing to remember is avoiding the F word..... full price! LOL.
Don't let cooking from scratch overwhelm you. Take one thing at a time. There are books at the library, there is a Martha Stewart series on PBS.
Learn to substitute ingredients when a recipe calls for an expensive ingredient. Just remember you are looking for the similar taste and texture. Celery can replace mushrooms and take up the bulk of onions.
That's about it.
There are blogs on scratch cooking every month. I write off the top of my head like I am talking to you on my kitchen. Each one is different. Please feel free to read earlier blogs.
Every week I analyze the ads for the Seattle area, usually on Wednesday because our mail comes late on Tuesday afternoon. You can usually gleam the best of the ads on coupon connections on line. She, however, has been posting coupons I haven't been able to find. It is a good resource that saves you a lot of time. I print coupons for things I usually buy the first of the month. There is a limited amount of coupons to print, so get yours when they are there. I have a coupon binder that I put together cheap. I don't cut the coupons from the paper. I just put inserts together with a binder clip. By month and clip them when I need them. I rely on coupon connections to tell me when there is a good deal. I mostly use them for toothpaste and other deals that are cheaper than scratch. Sometimes at rite aid, they will pay you to take things home. If I can use the item, or I know where I can donate it where it will be needed, I "buy" it. Toothpaste and baby food are a natural here.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The basics, part two: shopping
First, if you HATE to shop, deligate this to someone who doesn't, provided you can trust them to be diligent at their efforts. One time, we needed some things at the grocery store to fill on because I had been recovering from an operation, and no one had shopped for two weeks. I sent my husband to the store to buy a weeks food. He came back with two pomegranates and beer. LOL. I decidedd it would be better of I sent my college age daughter with a budget. She came home with two bucks to spare and enough to make meals for a couple of weeks of things I normally buy.
Ther are a lot of places that sell food these days. Every week, I pick two of the chain stores based on what my needs are, and what prices they have.
Warehouse stores, over-stock stores, the dollar store, and drug stores also sell food. Many times the alternative stores have better prices. They only buy bargains, so they don't have a wide variety,but what they do have many times is a really good price.
The big key here is that you have to know your prices. You don't have to know all the prices in the store, but every family has key things that are their stock items that make up the majority of the non- perishable food in their pantry. It's usually 10-15 items. You can't know if something is a bargain if you don't know what the rock bottom price is in the first place.
We go to the chain stores once a week. We go to Costco on a need basis . We go to Winco when they send us a coupon. It is a ways away and last time I went, the prices weren't that good.
We go to the grocery outlet and big lots when we are n the area for other things. Grocery outlet has a wide variety of cheese, some is a good price, some isn't. You need to be really mindful of the pull dates at overstock stores.
I hit the dollar store once a week for the Sunday paper. They keep it all week. The dollar tree takes coupons. By watching coupons and not being brand loyal, you can get your deodorant, toothpaste and soap for FREE. This is really big if you are on SNAP that doesn't pay for non- food items. We are not on snap, but on a retirement fixed income, I take advantage of everything I can find of ot is something we can use. I have started on my toothpaste fairy basket again. LOL. ,last week, I got eight dollars worth of food for a buck at the dollar store. I also buy catsup , frozen veggies, Kleenex, cotton balls, and window cleaner in bulk.
We hit the bakery outlet when we are in the area, or about every eight weeks. I fill in if bread is cheaper at the stores on sale. They have brown and serve baguettes sometimes, otherwise I get them from Costco.
There is a couple of posts on the Phycology of retailers. It really helps your bottom line if you can beat them at their own game. It's well worth the read.
Snack foods and convenience foods are the biggest profit for retailers. Avoid them like the plague.
That being said, there are a few things that are cheaper than homemade, or homemade is just too time consuming to go that route. Tortillas come to mind here, the cost on sale is so low, it's not worth it. When in doubt, do the math. I factor in my time. If I can make a decent amount per hour, I make scratch. Besides, boxes have to have preservatives. I want to use them in moderation. The recipe starter at the dollar store is cheaper than making white sauce from scratch. They don't always have basil and garlic flavors. Last time they only had tomato. Simce I got it for free, it was cheaper.
My daughter and I made the lemon pound cake she was buying at the big bucks coffee place. I think I figured we made 212.00 an hour making it from scratch! I wouldn't buy it in the first place, but the comparison was interesting.
There are web sites out there in Internet land that match up store sales with coupons from the paper and coupons that can be printed on the Internet ( coupon.com) . You have to download the coupon printer drivers, but so far I haven't heard of any bad experiences from those that have done this.
The coupon marching site in the Seattle area is couponconnections.com . A google search should net you the one in your area.
Couponconnections is a fast search. She posts the really good deals in red, so you can check it out really fast. I skip over any ready mades I less the price is really lower than scratch. I can't make a cake mix for free, or .14. Flour costs .075 cents a cup in bulk. I have been finding taco dinner mixes for little more than the tortillas. They have both hard and soft shells to satisfy everyone. When I quit finding them, I will go back to buying shells and using my own spice blend. Most of the time , coupons are for things I don't use. By only printing the things you will use at the first of the month, and keeping the inserts from the paper in binder clips by dare, you can make the best use of coupons without spending a lot of time clipping coupons. It takes a matter of a few minutes to pull up the matching site and scroll through the stores in your area. If you do it after you have decided which store to go to, you narrow your search. Then, the printables have a link, or you can go directly to the insert and pull the coupon you will use to make your purchases.
I love the word FREE, almost as much as the words that they will PAY you to take the product home. That only happens at rite aid for me. But, when someone pays me a penny to bring a 3.00 tube of name brand toothpaste home, I am going to take advantage of it. If I am not going to use it, I save it for the women's shelter or the food bank.
There are mix recipes on prior posts. Buying mixes, and ready mades and snacks will bust your budget big time in short order. Check the price of potatoes per pound. Now, do the math on potatomchips. The exercise is eye opening. Besides, chips have a lot of salt in them. We feed our children far too much salt,sugar, and fat. It is hiding in a lot of our foods. The first step in healthier children is to stop buying sugar coated cereal and salt laden snack foods.
My daughter and I dissected a hamburger meal box. The results are quite remarkable (see earlier post) . Since then, they have come out with a new box that is a bit better, bit I suspect not much. I also posted alternatives to the meal box. The key words...better, cheaper, faster.
Keep in mind, in order to keep under budget on snap, you need to average five dollar dinners.....a meal, not a person. Do your math. If you get full snap, divide the amount by 30. That's your amount per day. Modified it by 4.2 and that is the amount per week. There are ways to make breakfast really cheap and many times kids can get lunch free or nearly free at school. You can have leftovers. Because of that, I concentrate on dinners.
Next time, cooking from scratch.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Ther are a lot of places that sell food these days. Every week, I pick two of the chain stores based on what my needs are, and what prices they have.
Warehouse stores, over-stock stores, the dollar store, and drug stores also sell food. Many times the alternative stores have better prices. They only buy bargains, so they don't have a wide variety,but what they do have many times is a really good price.
The big key here is that you have to know your prices. You don't have to know all the prices in the store, but every family has key things that are their stock items that make up the majority of the non- perishable food in their pantry. It's usually 10-15 items. You can't know if something is a bargain if you don't know what the rock bottom price is in the first place.
We go to the chain stores once a week. We go to Costco on a need basis . We go to Winco when they send us a coupon. It is a ways away and last time I went, the prices weren't that good.
We go to the grocery outlet and big lots when we are n the area for other things. Grocery outlet has a wide variety of cheese, some is a good price, some isn't. You need to be really mindful of the pull dates at overstock stores.
I hit the dollar store once a week for the Sunday paper. They keep it all week. The dollar tree takes coupons. By watching coupons and not being brand loyal, you can get your deodorant, toothpaste and soap for FREE. This is really big if you are on SNAP that doesn't pay for non- food items. We are not on snap, but on a retirement fixed income, I take advantage of everything I can find of ot is something we can use. I have started on my toothpaste fairy basket again. LOL. ,last week, I got eight dollars worth of food for a buck at the dollar store. I also buy catsup , frozen veggies, Kleenex, cotton balls, and window cleaner in bulk.
We hit the bakery outlet when we are in the area, or about every eight weeks. I fill in if bread is cheaper at the stores on sale. They have brown and serve baguettes sometimes, otherwise I get them from Costco.
There is a couple of posts on the Phycology of retailers. It really helps your bottom line if you can beat them at their own game. It's well worth the read.
Snack foods and convenience foods are the biggest profit for retailers. Avoid them like the plague.
That being said, there are a few things that are cheaper than homemade, or homemade is just too time consuming to go that route. Tortillas come to mind here, the cost on sale is so low, it's not worth it. When in doubt, do the math. I factor in my time. If I can make a decent amount per hour, I make scratch. Besides, boxes have to have preservatives. I want to use them in moderation. The recipe starter at the dollar store is cheaper than making white sauce from scratch. They don't always have basil and garlic flavors. Last time they only had tomato. Simce I got it for free, it was cheaper.
My daughter and I made the lemon pound cake she was buying at the big bucks coffee place. I think I figured we made 212.00 an hour making it from scratch! I wouldn't buy it in the first place, but the comparison was interesting.
There are web sites out there in Internet land that match up store sales with coupons from the paper and coupons that can be printed on the Internet ( coupon.com) . You have to download the coupon printer drivers, but so far I haven't heard of any bad experiences from those that have done this.
The coupon marching site in the Seattle area is couponconnections.com . A google search should net you the one in your area.
Couponconnections is a fast search. She posts the really good deals in red, so you can check it out really fast. I skip over any ready mades I less the price is really lower than scratch. I can't make a cake mix for free, or .14. Flour costs .075 cents a cup in bulk. I have been finding taco dinner mixes for little more than the tortillas. They have both hard and soft shells to satisfy everyone. When I quit finding them, I will go back to buying shells and using my own spice blend. Most of the time , coupons are for things I don't use. By only printing the things you will use at the first of the month, and keeping the inserts from the paper in binder clips by dare, you can make the best use of coupons without spending a lot of time clipping coupons. It takes a matter of a few minutes to pull up the matching site and scroll through the stores in your area. If you do it after you have decided which store to go to, you narrow your search. Then, the printables have a link, or you can go directly to the insert and pull the coupon you will use to make your purchases.
I love the word FREE, almost as much as the words that they will PAY you to take the product home. That only happens at rite aid for me. But, when someone pays me a penny to bring a 3.00 tube of name brand toothpaste home, I am going to take advantage of it. If I am not going to use it, I save it for the women's shelter or the food bank.
There are mix recipes on prior posts. Buying mixes, and ready mades and snacks will bust your budget big time in short order. Check the price of potatoes per pound. Now, do the math on potatomchips. The exercise is eye opening. Besides, chips have a lot of salt in them. We feed our children far too much salt,sugar, and fat. It is hiding in a lot of our foods. The first step in healthier children is to stop buying sugar coated cereal and salt laden snack foods.
My daughter and I dissected a hamburger meal box. The results are quite remarkable (see earlier post) . Since then, they have come out with a new box that is a bit better, bit I suspect not much. I also posted alternatives to the meal box. The key words...better, cheaper, faster.
Keep in mind, in order to keep under budget on snap, you need to average five dollar dinners.....a meal, not a person. Do your math. If you get full snap, divide the amount by 30. That's your amount per day. Modified it by 4.2 and that is the amount per week. There are ways to make breakfast really cheap and many times kids can get lunch free or nearly free at school. You can have leftovers. Because of that, I concentrate on dinners.
Next time, cooking from scratch.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Saturday, October 5, 2013
The basics, part one
It's the start of a of new month. I can't believe it is October already. The first of each month,mi usually go over the basics of groceries on the cheap. Each time I write off the top of my head, so each one is a little different.
Groceries on the cheap takes a entirely different approach to buying your food. Instead of going to the store and buying all your food for a week, you go to two stores and replenish your food supply. Because you only buy what is at a rock bottom price, you save money. Or, if you have a male mentality, you spend less money. I Spend about half of what the normal person does for our family and have done it for years.
It takes a little planning at the beginning, but once you get yourself set up, you will probably spend less time than before. Some of these things you probably already do automatically. It's a matter of jotting them down on paper.
Let's get started.
1) write down the inexpensive sources of protein your family will eat. Do try new foods and expand your variety if foods. My mother never cooked pork. I first cooked it after I was married. In our house that would be some beef, pork, chicken, eggs, cheese, beans and rice.
2) write down 7-14 meals your family ears that use these protein sources.
3) write down the key non perishable ingredients that you use to cook these meals. Most families will have a list of ten or so items. These are your stock items.
4) track your stock items. You can use a small notebook from the dollar store, or a spread sheet n the computer. You want to identify the name of the item, the size of the package , the date, store, and amount you paid for the item. Odd you use a coupon!?
5) when you find the rock bottom price ( I call it my target price) , buy
A) as many as you can afford
B) as many as the store will let you buy ( limit)
Or C) as many as you need to fill in your stock.
Stores operate on a eight to twelve week cycle for sales. If I use something once a week, I keep 24 max. If I use it once a month, I keep 6. For things like catsup, mayo and mustard, I keep one on hand. When I open my back up, in start looking for a sale. I found catsup for .80 this week, so I bought two.
You never want to get stuck having to pay full price.
When the ads come out. I start with a piece of computer paper, preferably out of the recycle bin.
I mark it off in quarters.
Now, I write down the things on sale that are on my stock list and are rock bottom prices.
Ditto the produce that is on season and the cheapest prices that I can use to fill out my meals.
Dairy is next . And a protein source that is at a rock bottom price that I can batch cook.
Cross off anything you don't need to stock, anything that is cheaper at a different store. Now pick the top two stores. Picking two stores gives you the best chance to effectively buy the best produce and take advantage of the sales. Plan your trip with other errands to make the best use of your gas. If your stores are far apart, split the shopping to piggy back the trip on your way home from other errands.
If you buy a protein at a rock bottom price and buy bulk, batch cook it and portion it on meal sized containers, you will have less waste and cook more efficiently with less clean up. Stores rotate their meat bargains. Buy the bargain, and buy enough for a meal a week for the month. By working on a four week cycle, you can have variety and spend less doing it. This week, SAFEWAYS has chicken for a buck. Next week I might find hamburger or pork loin or sausage.
When you get home from the store, make out your meal plans for the week. I just write down the main dish. The rest of it takes care of itself. I usually try for an easy dish the days I have the late shift. You don't have to be rigid and follow the plan to a t. Just have a plan. Without a plan, it is too
easy for the order pizza gremlins to rear they ugly head!
Next time : the shopping trip
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Friday, October 4, 2013
Shopping Trip
Today's shopping trip was to TOP foods. I spent 38.40 on our food. And 1.40 for the food for the kids backpacks. We have a definite list of things for the children. When I can get the for cheap woth a coupon, I will.
I posted a pic on Facebook, but don't know how to get it onto the blog. I got a bunch of things for .80 in lots of ten because it is TOP Foods 80th birthday. I used a coupon when I could. I got refried beans and hunts pasta sauce. Catsup is .80 and cheaper than the dollar store.-- I got two. Carrots were .40'a pound and peppers were 2.00 as well as apples for .80. I used a coupon for Yoplait at 2/80. And a manufacturers coupon for .40. So six were 2.00, or.33 each. Bread was .80.
Ice cream was 2.80. There was a deal where milk was .80 if you bought a bunch of kelloggs cereal. I don't need cereal so I paid the normal 2.59. You could have bought the cereal with coupons.
SAFEWAYS did not have enough on special to warrant the trip. Maybe next week. I have a ten dollar coupon. The Only thing that I saw was the cheese BOGO. I do have a coupon for Sarjento.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I posted a pic on Facebook, but don't know how to get it onto the blog. I got a bunch of things for .80 in lots of ten because it is TOP Foods 80th birthday. I used a coupon when I could. I got refried beans and hunts pasta sauce. Catsup is .80 and cheaper than the dollar store.-- I got two. Carrots were .40'a pound and peppers were 2.00 as well as apples for .80. I used a coupon for Yoplait at 2/80. And a manufacturers coupon for .40. So six were 2.00, or.33 each. Bread was .80.
Ice cream was 2.80. There was a deal where milk was .80 if you bought a bunch of kelloggs cereal. I don't need cereal so I paid the normal 2.59. You could have bought the cereal with coupons.
SAFEWAYS did not have enough on special to warrant the trip. Maybe next week. I have a ten dollar coupon. The Only thing that I saw was the cheese BOGO. I do have a coupon for Sarjento.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
And life goes on
This all started back in the 70 's when we had double digit inflation and I found myself a single parent. We were in a recession, and I didn't get a raise in three years. Rarely did I get child support.
I cut everything I could cut. I shut off the heat I some rooms, turned the dishwasher off after the rinse cycle and cut the newspaper. I had the cheapest car on the road, rationed my gas and washed my hair with dish soap. When the 10 inch black and white tv with rabbit ears broke, we listened to old radio. When I was in an accident and the fender was rubbing on the wheel, my five year old and I tried to pull it away from the wheel with a hammer. We both landed on our buts. His contagious laugh made me forget that my buttwas bruised until I got into bed that night! LOL
I started reading everything I could get my hands on, I tried anything that sounded like it might work. Chicory in coffee and liver. Soy bean meat loaf----not so much. I never could get soy beans soft. I re sorted to TVP. Through the years, I learned more and more and developed a plan that worked. I am still learning. My daughter and I went to a couponing class and I added a scaled down version to my plan. I have finally got it so that we spend 1/2 price on food and eat well, and we have been for years. I was interviewed by Woman's Day. At the time the younger kids were teens. I spent fifty dollars a week. The woman asked me how old the children were. I said teenage. Then, she asked me if they were girls. When I told her I had one of each, she said she was impressed.LOL
Of all this came 1/2 price groceries, groceries on the cheap. I started this blog when it came to my attention that some people were running out of money before they ran out of month on SNAP. It is totally possible to eat well on full snap. Snap is based on the USDA stats for thrifty cooking. It is my understanding that the amount you get is based also on your income. I feed three adults on about sixty dollars a week and am still building a stockpile.
I have found that some people reading my blog read it to get a new recipe to keep their dinners fresh. Some do it to find easier, faster ways to get out of the kitchen! Whatever you can get from my blog, I am glad you are reading.
I suspect that some people read it once and say OMG you have to work at it! I am not going to tell you that some little elf is going to instantly make dinner appear on the table. Does anyone remember I dream of genie? once you get set up and get the hang of ot, it actually takes less time to get dinner from the grocery store to the table.
Groceries on the cheap takes a three-disciplined approach .
Planning and organizing
Smart shopping
Cooking from scratch
More tomorrow
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I cut everything I could cut. I shut off the heat I some rooms, turned the dishwasher off after the rinse cycle and cut the newspaper. I had the cheapest car on the road, rationed my gas and washed my hair with dish soap. When the 10 inch black and white tv with rabbit ears broke, we listened to old radio. When I was in an accident and the fender was rubbing on the wheel, my five year old and I tried to pull it away from the wheel with a hammer. We both landed on our buts. His contagious laugh made me forget that my buttwas bruised until I got into bed that night! LOL
I started reading everything I could get my hands on, I tried anything that sounded like it might work. Chicory in coffee and liver. Soy bean meat loaf----not so much. I never could get soy beans soft. I re sorted to TVP. Through the years, I learned more and more and developed a plan that worked. I am still learning. My daughter and I went to a couponing class and I added a scaled down version to my plan. I have finally got it so that we spend 1/2 price on food and eat well, and we have been for years. I was interviewed by Woman's Day. At the time the younger kids were teens. I spent fifty dollars a week. The woman asked me how old the children were. I said teenage. Then, she asked me if they were girls. When I told her I had one of each, she said she was impressed.LOL
Of all this came 1/2 price groceries, groceries on the cheap. I started this blog when it came to my attention that some people were running out of money before they ran out of month on SNAP. It is totally possible to eat well on full snap. Snap is based on the USDA stats for thrifty cooking. It is my understanding that the amount you get is based also on your income. I feed three adults on about sixty dollars a week and am still building a stockpile.
I have found that some people reading my blog read it to get a new recipe to keep their dinners fresh. Some do it to find easier, faster ways to get out of the kitchen! Whatever you can get from my blog, I am glad you are reading.
I suspect that some people read it once and say OMG you have to work at it! I am not going to tell you that some little elf is going to instantly make dinner appear on the table. Does anyone remember I dream of genie? once you get set up and get the hang of ot, it actually takes less time to get dinner from the grocery store to the table.
Groceries on the cheap takes a three-disciplined approach .
Planning and organizing
Smart shopping
Cooking from scratch
More tomorrow
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Thursday, October 3, 2013
How many ways can one say stupid, without saying it out loud,
I was reading a blog where people were telling of ways they SAVED money. I know, to each his own, and I didn't want to attack anyone on a blog discussion. That being said, going to the store and buying just what you need for a week, regardless of the cost is dare I say STUPID. YOU ARE THROWING MONEY AWAY. IF YOU DONT CHOOSE TO STOCK, AT LEAST PLAN YOUR MEALS AROUND WHAT IS ON SALE AND MAKE BEST USE OF COUPONS. And, I almost never just go to one store!
Z Last week, I went to the dollar store, I spent 1.00 on food. I got two recipe starters that are 2.59 at SAFEWAYS for FREE. I got two boxes of potatoes for .50.
The rite aid netted taco kits for little more than the shells would cost. And the baby's Mac and cheese for .50 instead of 139. ( her teacher requests pre made because she's making lunches for multiple kids.) and I went to SAFEWAYS for a savings of over sixty percent.
Why pay more than retail for food you can buy for 50 or more percent off? In my book, that's just STUPID! Unless, of course,you have money to burn!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Z Last week, I went to the dollar store, I spent 1.00 on food. I got two recipe starters that are 2.59 at SAFEWAYS for FREE. I got two boxes of potatoes for .50.
The rite aid netted taco kits for little more than the shells would cost. And the baby's Mac and cheese for .50 instead of 139. ( her teacher requests pre made because she's making lunches for multiple kids.) and I went to SAFEWAYS for a savings of over sixty percent.
Why pay more than retail for food you can buy for 50 or more percent off? In my book, that's just STUPID! Unless, of course,you have money to burn!
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Terrific Thursday
Yesterday was a hard day. I was exhausted. I cut up and cooked beef tips in the crock pot before I went to work. When I got home, my daughter made a salad, my husband made mashed potatoes, my son took the baby and I made gravy. Dinner was ready in five minutes or so. I ate dinner and went to bed. Have to do the dishes this morning. And make up the studio time I lost yesterday.
On to the subject at hand . I plan my meals after I go to the store. You need a plan. You don't always have to stick to the plan, bit you need a plan. Meal plans keep you on track and scare away the lets order pizza gremlins. LOL. I plan a slow cooker or other easy meal for the days I know are going to be hard. If I have to work the late shift, I want dinner in five minutes or so.
Using the matrix ( rough plan) affords you a variety of meals, makes everyone happy on our family, and makes the project easy. We all have different tastes in this family, I want us to have a variety of meals. So, we compromise and everyone gets some of what they like the best each week.
2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
When I buy and batch cook meat I rotate meats using whatever is the rock bottom price 8! The ads. Sometimes I have to be flexible because the meat is not as good as I would like, or they are out of it.
Last week, I used chuck steaks and made stew meat out of it, it was on sale, and I got twenty percent off besides. This week, I won't use the coupon for SAFEWAYS, I hope next week is better buys.
Chicken is a buck this week. I am still well stocked from the grill packs, but it would be my meat of choice this week. You can roast a chicken in ten minutes non-passive time. If you don't have a roasting rack, rough chop carrots and potatoes and cook the chicken on top of them.
The sausage at Costco has been creeping up in price. I suspect it is still less than at the regular stores.
I fry it, de fat it, and break it down to meal sized portions. You can use it in quiche, on pizza, and in soup.
I watch for hamburger to get nine percent for under three dollars. I was getting it at SAFEWAYS. Last time I got it from Costco. It was a finer grind. I would have prefered SAFEWAYS. I make meatballs, meatloaf, crumbles, taco meat, Salisbury steak sometimes. I defat the crumbles and taco meat.
Meatballs are very versatile. Meat ball subs, meatballs and gravy, red sauce, white sauce over noodles,...
I use crumbles in casseroles or on soup or on pizza.
Tacos are a standard on this family. We all like it and I can vary the meal to make everybody happy ( vegetarians and semi vegetarians. ).
I have been getting pepperoni for .50 instead of 3.50 lately. Watch coupons. Since processed meat has got bad publicity, the coupons are on great supply. My mantra is anything in moderation. I try my best to give us a variety of meals and not to eat the same thing over and over. It doesn't always work... Que the three chicken meals on a row last week, LOl, bit it usually does.
When I could, I got sirloin tip roast once a month. I still have been able to get pork loin roast. You can make a Sunday dinner and hot or BBQ sandwiches, pork chops, cubes for stew etc.
I am still trying for two dollars a pound. Lately, it's closer to three for beef. I can still get pork and chicken cheaper to average it out.
Cheese has taken a huge hike. I am still getting it for two to two fifty a pound by watching sales. If it isn't the price I want, I don't get it. I do get it when it is two dollars whether I NEED it or not. The biggest hurdle to get over of you are used to buying your food every two days on a need only basis,is to buy something that keeps wether you need it that day or not. It's a careful balance that buys enough to last you until a new sale, and not buying too much. I have been getting shredded cheese at Costco or SAFEWAYS. Costco's afforded my closer to two dollars a pound. Some cheese is four dollars a pound. It is to your advantage to buy it at two dollars.
If you are lucky enough to have the time to cook beans and eat them the same day, go for it and use dry beans. They are cheapest if you can get with friends or family and split a bag from Costco ( or another warehouse store) . Beans and rice have a short fridge life. I use canned beans because of it. I rarely have time to make scratch beans. I have not tried them in the pressure cooker. Has anyone cooked beans in the pressure cooker before? I get beans for between .50 and .67. At .50 with beans from the regular chains, you break even on cost. I make a sausage bean soup. It takes cans and can be "thrown " in the crockpot in a matter of minutes.
I almost always have a hard cheese in the house. Please, DONT buy parm from a can! Of parm is not cheap, I buy whatever hard cheese is . Grocery outlet is a good source for cheese. There is usually a wide variety of cheeses, some cheaper, some not. They carry a jalapeño grated cheese that is really good mixed with other cheeses for Mac and cheese. I make Mac and cheese often, because, again, I can make one meal and don't have to adapt to compensate for vegetarians. My daughter has started to eat chicken. It really helps, even though gramps is not thrilled with chicken. He eats it, but would rather have beef. I think it is important for health reasons to have a variety of meals.
You are better off with sloppy joes than hamburgers when beef is as expensive as it is now. You use a lot less meat!
To recap, protein is your most expensive item to buy for meals. Getting a good handle on ways to cut your costs with out sacrificing variety and nutrition is a good start on cutting your food bill. Taking advantage of coupons, and sales and stocking saves a lot of money. Watching your stock and not overstocking is essential. You want enough to last you of anything that is non perishable and things you use weekly to make meals. Fruits and vegetables are purchased in season at their lowest cost.
Ready made things are purchased at a minimum, mostly when they are cheaper than scratch.
If you are on SNAP, your budget is pretty much set, if not, the USDA has guidelines based on the sizes of your families and the ages of the members of your family. They have four different budgets, and update it frequently.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
On to the subject at hand . I plan my meals after I go to the store. You need a plan. You don't always have to stick to the plan, bit you need a plan. Meal plans keep you on track and scare away the lets order pizza gremlins. LOL. I plan a slow cooker or other easy meal for the days I know are going to be hard. If I have to work the late shift, I want dinner in five minutes or so.
Using the matrix ( rough plan) affords you a variety of meals, makes everyone happy on our family, and makes the project easy. We all have different tastes in this family, I want us to have a variety of meals. So, we compromise and everyone gets some of what they like the best each week.
2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
When I buy and batch cook meat I rotate meats using whatever is the rock bottom price 8! The ads. Sometimes I have to be flexible because the meat is not as good as I would like, or they are out of it.
Last week, I used chuck steaks and made stew meat out of it, it was on sale, and I got twenty percent off besides. This week, I won't use the coupon for SAFEWAYS, I hope next week is better buys.
Chicken is a buck this week. I am still well stocked from the grill packs, but it would be my meat of choice this week. You can roast a chicken in ten minutes non-passive time. If you don't have a roasting rack, rough chop carrots and potatoes and cook the chicken on top of them.
The sausage at Costco has been creeping up in price. I suspect it is still less than at the regular stores.
I fry it, de fat it, and break it down to meal sized portions. You can use it in quiche, on pizza, and in soup.
I watch for hamburger to get nine percent for under three dollars. I was getting it at SAFEWAYS. Last time I got it from Costco. It was a finer grind. I would have prefered SAFEWAYS. I make meatballs, meatloaf, crumbles, taco meat, Salisbury steak sometimes. I defat the crumbles and taco meat.
Meatballs are very versatile. Meat ball subs, meatballs and gravy, red sauce, white sauce over noodles,...
I use crumbles in casseroles or on soup or on pizza.
Tacos are a standard on this family. We all like it and I can vary the meal to make everybody happy ( vegetarians and semi vegetarians. ).
I have been getting pepperoni for .50 instead of 3.50 lately. Watch coupons. Since processed meat has got bad publicity, the coupons are on great supply. My mantra is anything in moderation. I try my best to give us a variety of meals and not to eat the same thing over and over. It doesn't always work... Que the three chicken meals on a row last week, LOl, bit it usually does.
When I could, I got sirloin tip roast once a month. I still have been able to get pork loin roast. You can make a Sunday dinner and hot or BBQ sandwiches, pork chops, cubes for stew etc.
I am still trying for two dollars a pound. Lately, it's closer to three for beef. I can still get pork and chicken cheaper to average it out.
Cheese has taken a huge hike. I am still getting it for two to two fifty a pound by watching sales. If it isn't the price I want, I don't get it. I do get it when it is two dollars whether I NEED it or not. The biggest hurdle to get over of you are used to buying your food every two days on a need only basis,is to buy something that keeps wether you need it that day or not. It's a careful balance that buys enough to last you until a new sale, and not buying too much. I have been getting shredded cheese at Costco or SAFEWAYS. Costco's afforded my closer to two dollars a pound. Some cheese is four dollars a pound. It is to your advantage to buy it at two dollars.
If you are lucky enough to have the time to cook beans and eat them the same day, go for it and use dry beans. They are cheapest if you can get with friends or family and split a bag from Costco ( or another warehouse store) . Beans and rice have a short fridge life. I use canned beans because of it. I rarely have time to make scratch beans. I have not tried them in the pressure cooker. Has anyone cooked beans in the pressure cooker before? I get beans for between .50 and .67. At .50 with beans from the regular chains, you break even on cost. I make a sausage bean soup. It takes cans and can be "thrown " in the crockpot in a matter of minutes.
I almost always have a hard cheese in the house. Please, DONT buy parm from a can! Of parm is not cheap, I buy whatever hard cheese is . Grocery outlet is a good source for cheese. There is usually a wide variety of cheeses, some cheaper, some not. They carry a jalapeño grated cheese that is really good mixed with other cheeses for Mac and cheese. I make Mac and cheese often, because, again, I can make one meal and don't have to adapt to compensate for vegetarians. My daughter has started to eat chicken. It really helps, even though gramps is not thrilled with chicken. He eats it, but would rather have beef. I think it is important for health reasons to have a variety of meals.
You are better off with sloppy joes than hamburgers when beef is as expensive as it is now. You use a lot less meat!
To recap, protein is your most expensive item to buy for meals. Getting a good handle on ways to cut your costs with out sacrificing variety and nutrition is a good start on cutting your food bill. Taking advantage of coupons, and sales and stocking saves a lot of money. Watching your stock and not overstocking is essential. You want enough to last you of anything that is non perishable and things you use weekly to make meals. Fruits and vegetables are purchased in season at their lowest cost.
Ready made things are purchased at a minimum, mostly when they are cheaper than scratch.
If you are on SNAP, your budget is pretty much set, if not, the USDA has guidelines based on the sizes of your families and the ages of the members of your family. They have four different budgets, and update it frequently.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Notes on Wednesday
Last night we went with friends to taco Tuesday! It is a good way for us to go out with friends and have fun without spending a lot of money.
It has come to my attention, that some of my readers are from different parts of the country, I am in Seattle. When I post a blog on the ads, I realize that the prices will do you no good. But, there is a methodology in preparing to shop. By doing an exercise to analyze the best store ads . You are looking for the best prices on the things your family needs. The object is to find the rock bottom price on the foods you use often. Buy as many as you can afford when they are the cheapest, as many as the store allows ( limit) or as many as you need to fill on your stock. If I use something once a week, I keep 24, if I use something once a month I keep 6. This works on shelf ready things that won't go bad. It won't happen overnight, but inch. Y inch it will happen.
Stores operate on a 8-12 week cycle. Y tracking the prices of your 10 or so items, you can see a pattern and get things at the lowest price for your area.
It's a whole different concept in shopping. You are not going to buy all of what you need to make 7 dinners in one shopping trip. You are going to stock items when they are at the lowest price, and eat them when they are at the highest. Not to different from the old days when our grandmothers put up fruit and veggies from the garden on the farm to get them through the winter.
When the ads come out, analyze the ads and pick the best two stores that have the best buys for the week on your rock bottom prices, your produce and dairy, and the meat of the week. If you pick I meat that is at a rock bottom price and buy the amount you will eat in a month, you will get the lowest price, buy on bulk, and portion control so there is no waste.
We operate on a matrix for variety. Your matrix may very well be different according to your families likes. Ours is
2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
So, for instance, if I was buying the chicken this week that is a. Buck a pound, I would figure I can get four dinners from one chicken. I will buy a five or so pound chicken. Roast it off, and use one meal of Sunday chicken dinner, one with chicken cubes ( like pot pie or a casserole) and one BBQ dark meat, one soup from the bones.
Next week, I might buy a log of sausage from Costco, or a pork loin, depending on what I can buy cheap. Maybe a brick of hamburger.
That's all about the time I have this morning.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
It has come to my attention, that some of my readers are from different parts of the country, I am in Seattle. When I post a blog on the ads, I realize that the prices will do you no good. But, there is a methodology in preparing to shop. By doing an exercise to analyze the best store ads . You are looking for the best prices on the things your family needs. The object is to find the rock bottom price on the foods you use often. Buy as many as you can afford when they are the cheapest, as many as the store allows ( limit) or as many as you need to fill on your stock. If I use something once a week, I keep 24, if I use something once a month I keep 6. This works on shelf ready things that won't go bad. It won't happen overnight, but inch. Y inch it will happen.
Stores operate on a 8-12 week cycle. Y tracking the prices of your 10 or so items, you can see a pattern and get things at the lowest price for your area.
It's a whole different concept in shopping. You are not going to buy all of what you need to make 7 dinners in one shopping trip. You are going to stock items when they are at the lowest price, and eat them when they are at the highest. Not to different from the old days when our grandmothers put up fruit and veggies from the garden on the farm to get them through the winter.
When the ads come out, analyze the ads and pick the best two stores that have the best buys for the week on your rock bottom prices, your produce and dairy, and the meat of the week. If you pick I meat that is at a rock bottom price and buy the amount you will eat in a month, you will get the lowest price, buy on bulk, and portion control so there is no waste.
We operate on a matrix for variety. Your matrix may very well be different according to your families likes. Ours is
2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
So, for instance, if I was buying the chicken this week that is a. Buck a pound, I would figure I can get four dinners from one chicken. I will buy a five or so pound chicken. Roast it off, and use one meal of Sunday chicken dinner, one with chicken cubes ( like pot pie or a casserole) and one BBQ dark meat, one soup from the bones.
Next week, I might buy a log of sausage from Costco, or a pork loin, depending on what I can buy cheap. Maybe a brick of hamburger.
That's all about the time I have this morning.
Thanks for stopping by
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Jane
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
The ads 10/2
Here are the ads for this week. Obviously, the mail is still moving.
Note. Betty Crocker potatoes are 1.25 at SAFEWAYS. I got them for a buck at the dollar store and got a coupon for 1.00 off two. Essentially I got them BOGO. Pudding is one of the things I am collecting with my friends for school backpacks for children. Nets 1.40 for a dozen.
I got HORMEL meat boxes for 3.20 last week at SAFEWAYS and fruit Popsicles for a little more than a buck. It pays dot watch and only buy what is on a true sale cheap. I almost never pay full price unless it is a dire necessity. LOL.
SAFEWAYS
Foldgers 6.88
Yoplait 10/5$$
Cheeses BOGO - there are no prices, so I don't know if this is a bargain or not.
foster farms chicken is .99
Grapes 1.99
Barilla pasta. .75
Betty Crocker potatoes 4/5 *****+note below $$
Skippy peanut butter 2.99@. $$
5 dollar Friday
QFC
APPLES .99
Pears .99
Tomatoes .99
Carrots .99
Chicken .99
Dryers ice cream 2.99
Eggs 2/3
Grapes 199
outshine bars 2.99*** notes
TOP
MILK .80
Potatoes 1.80
Gala apples .80
Dryers ice cream 2.80
2 lbs carrots .80
Yogurt 2/.80
Tuna .80
Ketchup .80
Snack PAC .80
ALBERTSOMS
Crescent rolls .88
Mega sale
Barilla .88
Tuna .88
Cake mix .88
HORMEL beef tips 4.99****
Milk 1.89@@
That's about it.
Note @@ means there is an in ad coupon
$$ means there Are manufacturers coupons out there.
***. These prices are exhorbitant. . See last weeks ads, specifically SAFEWAYS. This is why stocking and buying at the RBP is beneficial .
Please scratch off anything that is over priced and anything that is cheaper elsewhere. Check coupon connections on Seattle, or the coupon matchup site in your area.
Thank you for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Note. Betty Crocker potatoes are 1.25 at SAFEWAYS. I got them for a buck at the dollar store and got a coupon for 1.00 off two. Essentially I got them BOGO. Pudding is one of the things I am collecting with my friends for school backpacks for children. Nets 1.40 for a dozen.
I got HORMEL meat boxes for 3.20 last week at SAFEWAYS and fruit Popsicles for a little more than a buck. It pays dot watch and only buy what is on a true sale cheap. I almost never pay full price unless it is a dire necessity. LOL.
SAFEWAYS
Foldgers 6.88
Yoplait 10/5$$
Cheeses BOGO - there are no prices, so I don't know if this is a bargain or not.
foster farms chicken is .99
Grapes 1.99
Barilla pasta. .75
Betty Crocker potatoes 4/5 *****+note below $$
Skippy peanut butter 2.99@. $$
5 dollar Friday
QFC
APPLES .99
Pears .99
Tomatoes .99
Carrots .99
Chicken .99
Dryers ice cream 2.99
Eggs 2/3
Grapes 199
outshine bars 2.99*** notes
TOP
MILK .80
Potatoes 1.80
Gala apples .80
Dryers ice cream 2.80
2 lbs carrots .80
Yogurt 2/.80
Tuna .80
Ketchup .80
Snack PAC .80
ALBERTSOMS
Crescent rolls .88
Mega sale
Barilla .88
Tuna .88
Cake mix .88
HORMEL beef tips 4.99****
Milk 1.89@@
That's about it.
Note @@ means there is an in ad coupon
$$ means there Are manufacturers coupons out there.
***. These prices are exhorbitant. . See last weeks ads, specifically SAFEWAYS. This is why stocking and buying at the RBP is beneficial .
Please scratch off anything that is over priced and anything that is cheaper elsewhere. Check coupon connections on Seattle, or the coupon matchup site in your area.
Thank you for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Tuesday / recipe edition....almost free soup and more!
Ok, we all know it is Tuesday. It's is taco Tuesday, We had tacos already this week, but I guess we will live to tell about it. Our spur of the moment chicken enchilada soup, added to the tacos, means when we could only find a Teriaki place for dinner last night, we had chicken three times in a row. My husband just LOVES chicken !
ALMOST FREE chicken soup!
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
3 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 tsp garlic
1tsp olive oil
2 ounces mixed pasta ( the bottoms of the packages , or broken spaghetti.
Chopped or cubed chicken.
1) add chicken broth and water to pot, add veggies and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
2) reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes
3) add pasta and simmer 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
4) add cooked chicken and heat through. ( if frozen, defrost on the microwave.
Notes :
I would serve with some grated parm, or other hard cheese. I use the chicken bones to make stock.
So, the rest of the ingredients are about leftover stuff too, with the exception of the chicken. A portion of chicken at RBP is a buck. I would add any other leftover vegetables I had in the fridge that sounded good, maybe a pinch of poultry seasoning.
Maybe serve with cheese biscuits. And a hearty desert. Maybe apple crisp.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I will do the ads as soon as I get them. When I was at rite aid, the spices. Were .88. Has anyone seen spices cheaper????
Coupons out there for .50 off recipe starter and recipe starter is .50 at the dollar tree. They will let you use two coupons. it is cheaper than making white sauce from scratch. They have basil and garlic sauces. My daughter boiled and drained max, poured the sauce in, added cheese and put it in a 350 ocean to heat through. It was really good. You can also add a bread crumb and hard cheese topping.
Or crushed tortilla chips. Sometimes I make Mac and cheese with all the little buts of cheese left in the cheese drawer. I picked that up from a menu at a classy restaurant. LOL
I wouldn't go miles to the dollar store for this, but our dollar store is next to one of the chain stores. I go for the newspaper and any other necessity items that they have cheaper than elsewhere. Frozen veggies are cheaper and you can get deodorant, soap, and toothpaste for free at times with coupons.
http://www.grocerycouponcart.com
Thanks again,
Jane
ALMOST FREE chicken soup!
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
3 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 tsp garlic
1tsp olive oil
2 ounces mixed pasta ( the bottoms of the packages , or broken spaghetti.
Chopped or cubed chicken.
1) add chicken broth and water to pot, add veggies and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
2) reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes
3) add pasta and simmer 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
4) add cooked chicken and heat through. ( if frozen, defrost on the microwave.
Notes :
I would serve with some grated parm, or other hard cheese. I use the chicken bones to make stock.
So, the rest of the ingredients are about leftover stuff too, with the exception of the chicken. A portion of chicken at RBP is a buck. I would add any other leftover vegetables I had in the fridge that sounded good, maybe a pinch of poultry seasoning.
Maybe serve with cheese biscuits. And a hearty desert. Maybe apple crisp.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I will do the ads as soon as I get them. When I was at rite aid, the spices. Were .88. Has anyone seen spices cheaper????
Coupons out there for .50 off recipe starter and recipe starter is .50 at the dollar tree. They will let you use two coupons. it is cheaper than making white sauce from scratch. They have basil and garlic sauces. My daughter boiled and drained max, poured the sauce in, added cheese and put it in a 350 ocean to heat through. It was really good. You can also add a bread crumb and hard cheese topping.
Or crushed tortilla chips. Sometimes I make Mac and cheese with all the little buts of cheese left in the cheese drawer. I picked that up from a menu at a classy restaurant. LOL
I wouldn't go miles to the dollar store for this, but our dollar store is next to one of the chain stores. I go for the newspaper and any other necessity items that they have cheaper than elsewhere. Frozen veggies are cheaper and you can get deodorant, soap, and toothpaste for free at times with coupons.
http://www.grocerycouponcart.com
Thanks again,
Jane
Monday, September 30, 2013
Rite aid trip
Just went to rite aid....beer run....
I got my candy for 25 percent off...I love chocolate for no carbs!!!!!
I also got the Mac and cheese cups my granddaughter loves for 2.00 for four, they are 1.39 each. W up rewards.
And taco kits for 1.50 with up rewards and a coupon. That is really close to the price of a package of taco shells. You can get both hard and soft shells in the same package and taco seasoning and sauce.
There is still a clearance rack, not much there at Lynnwood. I did get a Sid video for baby for 1.75.
They have chairs, Mickey and princess and stools, and lap trays .
That's about it.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I got my candy for 25 percent off...I love chocolate for no carbs!!!!!
I also got the Mac and cheese cups my granddaughter loves for 2.00 for four, they are 1.39 each. W up rewards.
And taco kits for 1.50 with up rewards and a coupon. That is really close to the price of a package of taco shells. You can get both hard and soft shells in the same package and taco seasoning and sauce.
There is still a clearance rack, not much there at Lynnwood. I did get a Sid video for baby for 1.75.
They have chairs, Mickey and princess and stools, and lap trays .
That's about it.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Monday Madness
I can't believe it is Monday. It seems like I just posted a Monday madness , don't know where the week went. We had chicken tacos last night. I have been working in my studio a lot lately. It's crunch time. I usually have more done by now....just messing around. tacos, refried beans, and rice is a good quick meal. I used a pound of shredded chicken and put the sauce mix from the kit in water and reduced it and added the chicken. I would have used scratch, but I got taco kits at Rite aid with rite aid bucks and a coupon for the same as buying the shells. With care, I have rolled over the rite aid bucks for several months now. I will go for better than free toothpaste today or tomorrow. I took about twenty of them to the women's shelter Friday. I'll start another batch. My husband is jokingly calling me the toothpaste fairy. Ha ha
Retailers have studied ways to get you to spend money. They have studied human behavior and use the norm for their own benefit. If you want to stretch your buck and not fall into their plan to spend a lot of money, you need to shop with a definite plan and be strong and stick to it. By shopping wisely, you can live better ; make the most of what you do have. There is a certain sense of security in knowing if something happens, you still can feed your family.
Sending you free money is one way, or a coupon to give you a dollar amount off a certain bottom line on your receipt. I spent a little amount the previous week, so that I could spend more this week. I matched the things in the ad that I could use over a period of weeks and use the 10.00 off cart coupon, specials, store coupons and manufacturers coupons. The bottom line is I got a 61 percent discount. I bought some ready mades, but they were cheaper than making them from scratch. I have another coupon, they expire October 15. I'll watch for another good week to match up. In the mean time, I got the equivalent of 10 almost dinners for 46.89. I bought a few things because I was hosting a party, and some fruit pops that I got for a little more than a buck for six for the baby and she is teething. But, had I bought potatoes and veggies with the rest, I would have had all the ingredients. I have them, because I stock.
If I had got the same coupon from a department store, I would have passed.
I purchased three pounds plus of chick steak. I intend to cut it up and make stew meat out of it. I'll cook it in the crock pot and break it done onto family sized portions. I can make soup or stew, or serve it over rice or mashed potatoes. I could do the same with home made meat balls. When you make soup in the slow cooker and use precooked meat, just make the soup without the meat,mand add it the last half hour to 45 minutes to heat through, or heat it in the microwave and put it in the soup. Recooking meat in the crock pot will either make it fall apart or make it tough!
When I get grill packs for a dollar, I debone the chicken breasts. I use the bones to add to the pot that I cook the legs and thighs to shred the chicken and make stock. That makes chicken breasts about as cheap as you are going to get them. Deboneing a chicken breast is easy. There are videos on the Internet. Basicly, you just run your knife along the large bone and pull away the meat as you go. Slowly and carefully.
Citrus Chicken
4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 t butter
1 small lime~ wash the lime! zest 1 teaspoon on peel. Squeeze 2 tables juice.
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes ( optional)
1 orange
1) rinse chicken and par dry.
2) cook chicken in a skillet with the butter and garlic, about 8-10 minutes, turning over mid way through your time.the chicken should be tender and the juices should run clear.
3) in small bowl, combine remaining ingredients EXCEPT the orange.
4) peel and slice the orange, cut the slices into quarters, saving any juice.
5) add juices to the skillet and place orange slices on top of the chicken.
6) reduce heat, and cover. Simmer 2 minutes until the sauce is heated through.
I would serve with rice and a salad or brocolli.
Notes: chicken is a buck when you get it on sale. De inning your chicken saves a ton of money. Oranges were a buck a pound last week. This should be a quick meal. Start the rice cooking while you make the chicken. Zap a veggie while you are plateing the food.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Retailers have studied ways to get you to spend money. They have studied human behavior and use the norm for their own benefit. If you want to stretch your buck and not fall into their plan to spend a lot of money, you need to shop with a definite plan and be strong and stick to it. By shopping wisely, you can live better ; make the most of what you do have. There is a certain sense of security in knowing if something happens, you still can feed your family.
Sending you free money is one way, or a coupon to give you a dollar amount off a certain bottom line on your receipt. I spent a little amount the previous week, so that I could spend more this week. I matched the things in the ad that I could use over a period of weeks and use the 10.00 off cart coupon, specials, store coupons and manufacturers coupons. The bottom line is I got a 61 percent discount. I bought some ready mades, but they were cheaper than making them from scratch. I have another coupon, they expire October 15. I'll watch for another good week to match up. In the mean time, I got the equivalent of 10 almost dinners for 46.89. I bought a few things because I was hosting a party, and some fruit pops that I got for a little more than a buck for six for the baby and she is teething. But, had I bought potatoes and veggies with the rest, I would have had all the ingredients. I have them, because I stock.
If I had got the same coupon from a department store, I would have passed.
I purchased three pounds plus of chick steak. I intend to cut it up and make stew meat out of it. I'll cook it in the crock pot and break it done onto family sized portions. I can make soup or stew, or serve it over rice or mashed potatoes. I could do the same with home made meat balls. When you make soup in the slow cooker and use precooked meat, just make the soup without the meat,mand add it the last half hour to 45 minutes to heat through, or heat it in the microwave and put it in the soup. Recooking meat in the crock pot will either make it fall apart or make it tough!
When I get grill packs for a dollar, I debone the chicken breasts. I use the bones to add to the pot that I cook the legs and thighs to shred the chicken and make stock. That makes chicken breasts about as cheap as you are going to get them. Deboneing a chicken breast is easy. There are videos on the Internet. Basicly, you just run your knife along the large bone and pull away the meat as you go. Slowly and carefully.
Citrus Chicken
4 pieces of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 t butter
1 small lime~ wash the lime! zest 1 teaspoon on peel. Squeeze 2 tables juice.
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes ( optional)
1 orange
1) rinse chicken and par dry.
2) cook chicken in a skillet with the butter and garlic, about 8-10 minutes, turning over mid way through your time.the chicken should be tender and the juices should run clear.
3) in small bowl, combine remaining ingredients EXCEPT the orange.
4) peel and slice the orange, cut the slices into quarters, saving any juice.
5) add juices to the skillet and place orange slices on top of the chicken.
6) reduce heat, and cover. Simmer 2 minutes until the sauce is heated through.
I would serve with rice and a salad or brocolli.
Notes: chicken is a buck when you get it on sale. De inning your chicken saves a ton of money. Oranges were a buck a pound last week. This should be a quick meal. Start the rice cooking while you make the chicken. Zap a veggie while you are plateing the food.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Chicken E nchilada Soup
Yesterday, it poured rain and the wind was more than strong. Thankfully, we kept our electricity. My daughter and I decided it was a good day for soup.
We adapted a recipe from Realmomkitchen.com to meet the criteria for cost and so we didn't have to go out on the rain and wind to get anything. LOL
CROCKPOT CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 - 10 ounce can enchalada sauce
1'can cream of celery soup
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 family sized portion of shredded chicken.
In a 3-5 quart slow cooker, dump everything but the milk.slowly stir in the milk. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8. When almost done, break up your cooked chicken (last 1/2 hour) and add it to the cooker to heat through.
Top with cheese, we had tortilla chips with it also.
Notes:
This recipe called for cooking raw chicken breast . I am a "chicken-- " pardon the pun!) to cook raw chicken in the slow cooker. I don't know about bringing the chicken to temp soon enough.
I precook meats so I always have either chicken cubes cooked or shredded chicken. I always have a few cans of corn. I don't usually buy frozen. I picked up cream of celery soup when our grocery store closed for 1/2 price. Otherwise, I might have made a cup and a half of cream soup from my base. I would look for a sale about thanksgiving time and stock up for the year.
I got enchalada sauce for fifty cents at ALBERTSOMS. Enchalada sauce is one of the easiest things to make. At it's usual price of more than a dollar, it is a rip off. I watched a lot of videos on the Internet when I was stuck in bed a while ago. All it is is a white sauce that you make with water instead of milk and add chili powder to instead of milk. I used the recipe on the food channel the first time----it will knock your sox off! I would prefer a bit less chili powder. LOL red peppers I diced when they were going bad. They were 3/1 at grocery outlet. The cheese was from the dollar store, I used part of a chunk.
Black beans .50
Diced tomatoes .48
Corn .33
Red peppers .25
Enchalada sauce .50
Soup .60
Milk.19
1 cup shredded cheese .75
Chicken 1.00
Total 4.71.
If my budget was larger and I was feeding teen children I would maybe replace the cheese top with a dollop of sour cream and make some quesadas. That still would put you really close to the five dollar budget.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
We adapted a recipe from Realmomkitchen.com to meet the criteria for cost and so we didn't have to go out on the rain and wind to get anything. LOL
CROCKPOT CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 - 10 ounce can enchalada sauce
1'can cream of celery soup
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 family sized portion of shredded chicken.
In a 3-5 quart slow cooker, dump everything but the milk.slowly stir in the milk. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8. When almost done, break up your cooked chicken (last 1/2 hour) and add it to the cooker to heat through.
Top with cheese, we had tortilla chips with it also.
Notes:
This recipe called for cooking raw chicken breast . I am a "chicken-- " pardon the pun!) to cook raw chicken in the slow cooker. I don't know about bringing the chicken to temp soon enough.
I precook meats so I always have either chicken cubes cooked or shredded chicken. I always have a few cans of corn. I don't usually buy frozen. I picked up cream of celery soup when our grocery store closed for 1/2 price. Otherwise, I might have made a cup and a half of cream soup from my base. I would look for a sale about thanksgiving time and stock up for the year.
I got enchalada sauce for fifty cents at ALBERTSOMS. Enchalada sauce is one of the easiest things to make. At it's usual price of more than a dollar, it is a rip off. I watched a lot of videos on the Internet when I was stuck in bed a while ago. All it is is a white sauce that you make with water instead of milk and add chili powder to instead of milk. I used the recipe on the food channel the first time----it will knock your sox off! I would prefer a bit less chili powder. LOL red peppers I diced when they were going bad. They were 3/1 at grocery outlet. The cheese was from the dollar store, I used part of a chunk.
Black beans .50
Diced tomatoes .48
Corn .33
Red peppers .25
Enchalada sauce .50
Soup .60
Milk.19
1 cup shredded cheese .75
Chicken 1.00
Total 4.71.
If my budget was larger and I was feeding teen children I would maybe replace the cheese top with a dollop of sour cream and make some quesadas. That still would put you really close to the five dollar budget.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Suddenly Sunday, early edition
My husband needed a tool at the dollar store. He picked up the newspaper for me. This has the p and g insert as well as the smart source. They, however don't have a lot of good stuff in them. I see Yoplait yogurt.
Fred Meyers has some good sales. That is, of they have the product. Often times, like almost every time I go, there is so,etching on ad that they are out of. I guess that boosts their profits. LOL
Note: @@ means with a in ad coupon. $$ means that there is a coupon to be had.
TOMORROW
Apples and pears are .98.
BUTTER 3/5@@
Rib roast 2.99
Grapes 1.49
Country oven bread 2/3@@
Acorn squash 1.00
Yoplait yogurt is 10/5@@$$
Pizza 3.99$$
Dryers ice cream 2/5@@
Always check coupon connections if you are in the Seattle area for matchups. Sometimes , lately, I have been unable to make it work, but it is a good starting point. She does the hard work for you.
TOMORROWS RITE AID
Colgate total toothpaste 2.99 with a up reward of 2.00. A coupon for a dollar at coupons.com makes it a money maker. A WHOLE PENNY.
Jiff peanut butter 2/5 with a 1.00 up reward when you buy 2 . Nets 2.00 each
That's all I found.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Fred Meyers has some good sales. That is, of they have the product. Often times, like almost every time I go, there is so,etching on ad that they are out of. I guess that boosts their profits. LOL
Note: @@ means with a in ad coupon. $$ means that there is a coupon to be had.
TOMORROW
Apples and pears are .98.
BUTTER 3/5@@
Rib roast 2.99
Grapes 1.49
Country oven bread 2/3@@
Acorn squash 1.00
Yoplait yogurt is 10/5@@$$
Pizza 3.99$$
Dryers ice cream 2/5@@
Always check coupon connections if you are in the Seattle area for matchups. Sometimes , lately, I have been unable to make it work, but it is a good starting point. She does the hard work for you.
TOMORROWS RITE AID
Colgate total toothpaste 2.99 with a up reward of 2.00. A coupon for a dollar at coupons.com makes it a money maker. A WHOLE PENNY.
Jiff peanut butter 2/5 with a 1.00 up reward when you buy 2 . Nets 2.00 each
That's all I found.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Suddenly Saturday.
Yesterday we went shopping. The total for the month was just over 60.00. Yet, I have still growing stock.
Both SAFEWAYS and ALBERTSOMS had good buys. But, I had a ten dollar coupon for SAFEWAYS so it was the deal cincher . I saved 61 percent, a personal high and I didn't buy 90 bottles of hot sauce. LOL. It took me an hour to prep for the trip, most of that was finding the coupons for the pasta that SAFEWAYS computer didn't like anyway. I got pasta for .50 and some of the packages were packages with additional product. Pasta is an easy way to stretch a buck and still feed hungry mouths, it's probably why so many of our mothers served it for extended family dinners.
It's a crowd pleaser and with French bread and a salad, it is a well rounded meal.
Last night we had family over and we had pizza, salad and cake and ice cream-- another good family meal.
By carefully sticking to your list, adjusting for unforseen circumstances, and planning wisely, you can stretch your food dollar. I like 1/2 price. I really like 61 percent. When you buy one or two things that aren't on sale, it lowers your percent off. However, it is not realistic to shop like the television extrememcouponers. Some of the things they do are not allowed by the stores . Plans change when the register won't accept your coupons and they get their large numbers by purchasing large quantities of things that they will never use to clutter up their food storage. Making logical decisions is the key.
Pasta has a 8 YEAR shelf life. Fresh fruits and veggies don't. Canned goods are usually good for
three- four years, except meat and fish. Expiration dates are not etched in concrete. So,e things are perfectly good a bit past the pull date. We throw away , so the article I just read says, about 40 percent of our food. That's terribly wasteful. That being said, I would not feed my family anything I had a doubt about. Better safe than sorry.
The meats I bought were fridge stable. They have expiration dates. The coupon companies restrict you to printing two coupons. For a regular family, that's probably all you need. Most of the time, ready mades are more expensive than ready made. Most of the time is key here. With drought prices, some meat entrees are cheaper than scratch. Ready mades still have preservatives and such in them and buying four items that will spread over a month is good judgement. It is limiting your exposure while you eat scratch the other six days. If I have to work the late shift and the till doesn't balance, having a five minute meal in my back pocket is a good thing. if you know ahead of time, the slow cooker is a boon too. I get brown and serve baguettes at Costco or the bakery outlet. They also make bread sticks. Fifteen minutes and you have a hearty stew or soup and bread.
Again that word I always come back to. MODERATION? !
Groceries on the cheap is based on five dollar dinners for the average family. That being two adults and two school age children. We have, basically three adults and a child. My daughter purchases some alternative foods for their semi- vegetarian diet and buys her lunch. I am estimating that we are providing three meals. That might be a little stretch, but I am also doing it on 1/2 of the USDA stats for a thrifty budget.
Every few months, the USDA posts a chart with the food at home costs for meals in four different price budgets and breaks down the age and gender of family members. SNAP adjusts the thrifty stats with the cost of living index in your area. That's why buying a bunch of junk food and ready mades will burn your budget. Scratch cooking doesn't have to take all day of non-passive time. Oven meals and slow cooker meals are a great help. Slow cookers are at yard sales, estate sales, and the goodwill often. New ones are really inexpensive. I really recommend them to the busy person with a family that wants to eat on the cheap. A lot of slow cooker recipes lately call for a can of this or that. Most of the time you can substitute with an ingredient that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
A good cheap substitute for cream based soup is the recipe starter at themdollarmstore, it's .50. You will have to adjust the amount to compensate for the condensed soup. You can make a cream soup base with a recipe on a older blog. Again, reduce the amount of liquid the recipe calls for by part of the amount the recipe calls for. You are trying to make the same consistency of the original product.
At .50 a can for the basil or garlic sauces, it is cheaper than white sauce from scratch.
With a pasta cooker from big lots, you can cook pasta in the microwave with passive time. No stirring, or watching. You measure the pasta, fill the oval pan to the correct mark, and set the time on the microwave. When you done, you use the strainer lid instead of a colander and have less dishes. They are five bucks at the big lots. Another version at my store that sells tv things, it is one tv gadget that makes a lot of sense.
Not watching the pasta pot allows you to heat your sauce, add meat, and make a salad while the pasta is cooking with a whole lot less stress.
Thank you for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Both SAFEWAYS and ALBERTSOMS had good buys. But, I had a ten dollar coupon for SAFEWAYS so it was the deal cincher . I saved 61 percent, a personal high and I didn't buy 90 bottles of hot sauce. LOL. It took me an hour to prep for the trip, most of that was finding the coupons for the pasta that SAFEWAYS computer didn't like anyway. I got pasta for .50 and some of the packages were packages with additional product. Pasta is an easy way to stretch a buck and still feed hungry mouths, it's probably why so many of our mothers served it for extended family dinners.
It's a crowd pleaser and with French bread and a salad, it is a well rounded meal.
Last night we had family over and we had pizza, salad and cake and ice cream-- another good family meal.
By carefully sticking to your list, adjusting for unforseen circumstances, and planning wisely, you can stretch your food dollar. I like 1/2 price. I really like 61 percent. When you buy one or two things that aren't on sale, it lowers your percent off. However, it is not realistic to shop like the television extrememcouponers. Some of the things they do are not allowed by the stores . Plans change when the register won't accept your coupons and they get their large numbers by purchasing large quantities of things that they will never use to clutter up their food storage. Making logical decisions is the key.
Pasta has a 8 YEAR shelf life. Fresh fruits and veggies don't. Canned goods are usually good for
three- four years, except meat and fish. Expiration dates are not etched in concrete. So,e things are perfectly good a bit past the pull date. We throw away , so the article I just read says, about 40 percent of our food. That's terribly wasteful. That being said, I would not feed my family anything I had a doubt about. Better safe than sorry.
The meats I bought were fridge stable. They have expiration dates. The coupon companies restrict you to printing two coupons. For a regular family, that's probably all you need. Most of the time, ready mades are more expensive than ready made. Most of the time is key here. With drought prices, some meat entrees are cheaper than scratch. Ready mades still have preservatives and such in them and buying four items that will spread over a month is good judgement. It is limiting your exposure while you eat scratch the other six days. If I have to work the late shift and the till doesn't balance, having a five minute meal in my back pocket is a good thing. if you know ahead of time, the slow cooker is a boon too. I get brown and serve baguettes at Costco or the bakery outlet. They also make bread sticks. Fifteen minutes and you have a hearty stew or soup and bread.
Again that word I always come back to. MODERATION? !
Groceries on the cheap is based on five dollar dinners for the average family. That being two adults and two school age children. We have, basically three adults and a child. My daughter purchases some alternative foods for their semi- vegetarian diet and buys her lunch. I am estimating that we are providing three meals. That might be a little stretch, but I am also doing it on 1/2 of the USDA stats for a thrifty budget.
Every few months, the USDA posts a chart with the food at home costs for meals in four different price budgets and breaks down the age and gender of family members. SNAP adjusts the thrifty stats with the cost of living index in your area. That's why buying a bunch of junk food and ready mades will burn your budget. Scratch cooking doesn't have to take all day of non-passive time. Oven meals and slow cooker meals are a great help. Slow cookers are at yard sales, estate sales, and the goodwill often. New ones are really inexpensive. I really recommend them to the busy person with a family that wants to eat on the cheap. A lot of slow cooker recipes lately call for a can of this or that. Most of the time you can substitute with an ingredient that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
A good cheap substitute for cream based soup is the recipe starter at themdollarmstore, it's .50. You will have to adjust the amount to compensate for the condensed soup. You can make a cream soup base with a recipe on a older blog. Again, reduce the amount of liquid the recipe calls for by part of the amount the recipe calls for. You are trying to make the same consistency of the original product.
At .50 a can for the basil or garlic sauces, it is cheaper than white sauce from scratch.
With a pasta cooker from big lots, you can cook pasta in the microwave with passive time. No stirring, or watching. You measure the pasta, fill the oval pan to the correct mark, and set the time on the microwave. When you done, you use the strainer lid instead of a colander and have less dishes. They are five bucks at the big lots. Another version at my store that sells tv things, it is one tv gadget that makes a lot of sense.
Not watching the pasta pot allows you to heat your sauce, add meat, and make a salad while the pasta is cooking with a whole lot less stress.
Thank you for stopping by
Please share
Jane
Friday, September 27, 2013
The ultimate extrememcouponers coupoming
I did my errands and we went to SAFEWAYS.
I spent 46.89. I saved 74.70. For a savings of 61 percent.
Most of it was meat that I got for less than scratch made. By the time that I used my SAFEWAYS cart coupon, manufacturers coupons and the sale prices the savings were remarkable. There were a few things on my list I substituted other things for. Brownies for a birthday cake , vegetables for the chicken dogs for granddaughter, but I stayed pretty close to task.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jame
I spent 46.89. I saved 74.70. For a savings of 61 percent.
Most of it was meat that I got for less than scratch made. By the time that I used my SAFEWAYS cart coupon, manufacturers coupons and the sale prices the savings were remarkable. There were a few things on my list I substituted other things for. Brownies for a birthday cake , vegetables for the chicken dogs for granddaughter, but I stayed pretty close to task.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jame
Finally Friday / Safeway 10.00 coupons
It's finally Friday and I have errands. I bought a punch at Michaels. This the third time I bought something at Michaels that was either broken or used. I am also going to take my toothpaste stash to the women's shelter. I have been getting toothpaste for cheap or free for months. Driving my husband crazy, he kept saying , we don't need any more toothpaste ! LOL. imagine his surprise when I start the stash again! I get to work a whole year on it this time.
I digress,were talking about food. groceries on the cheap is not about hoarding. It's about stocking enough of the staples that you use on a weekly basis to last you until it goes on sale again. Sales run on a 8-12 week cycle. Now enter the drought situation to mix things up. Try to keep a at least three month supply of the things that you use weekly. Things like mayonnaise, catsup and mustard, I keep one ahead and when I open the back up one, I start looking for a sale. That stuff usually goes on at picnic time. Catsup and mustard are always at the dollar store.
This won't happen overnight. It comes a can here and a box there. If you are short on space , get inventive. I once used an ottoman that had storage in it. One lady took a garbage can and put a wood round on top and covered it with a cloth. Some people just have two of the storage boxes from Home Depot that have tops in the corner of the kitchen. Whatever works. Growing up, we always had a storage room in the basement. When we moved into a new house, Dad would put up shelves. My parents would also mark the top of the cans with the date it came in the house .
We didn't have the convenience foods that we have these days, but they are a sure way to inflate your food budget to the max.
I am going to make quick breads this week end. at here is a good apple one I found on Betty Crocker, an orange one on the food channel, and I got a pumpkin bread box from Costco. With the cost of pumpkin it is cheaper than scratch. My son makes pumpkin pie from scratch, but I haven't ventured into that yet.
Ok, as promised, I am reading the SAFEWAYS fine print. It's so done, I am using a magnifying glass. Basically, the ten dollar coupon includes all FOOD items after sales, except dairy, it has to be used in one single transaction before Oct. 15. There are two of them, if you aren't going to use two, be a good neighbor and share with someone that will. That random act of kindness can really make someone's day.
Ok,
HORMEL ready made entrees are on 5 dollar Fridays. There is a printable for a buck. They are almost a pound to 22 ounces, scratch is higher if you are talking beef, some of them we have tried are yucky to coin my granddaughters expressions. The beef tips are good. And they are a good way to make a five minute dinner. They will feed a typical family of four, or three adults.
There is also one on Lloyd's ribs. That makes sirloin tips about 3.20. , the same price as a pound of sirloin.
Digiorno pizzas are on also. There is a coupon for 2 dollars off two. Also a net of four. Or 3.20 net.
Remember you are also getting another twenty percent off od you keep your spending to fifty dollars.
Eggs are 1.25. Net with the coupon 1.00
Frozen fruit bars are 2.49 and there is a 1.10 coupon net 1.39 less twenty percent 1.13. I'm thinking they would be good for kids sore throats, Sooth the throat, vitamin c ???? LOL
Just for you coupons need to be store coupons to make the manufacturers coupons work. I checked, they work. So, you can use a Safeway coupon, a manufacturers coupon, and also get to bucks off of fifty dollars. Bring your calculator. Note your net prices.
Golden grain pasta is .50. There is a coupon for -50 on coupon connections. I really like the word FREE.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
I digress,were talking about food. groceries on the cheap is not about hoarding. It's about stocking enough of the staples that you use on a weekly basis to last you until it goes on sale again. Sales run on a 8-12 week cycle. Now enter the drought situation to mix things up. Try to keep a at least three month supply of the things that you use weekly. Things like mayonnaise, catsup and mustard, I keep one ahead and when I open the back up one, I start looking for a sale. That stuff usually goes on at picnic time. Catsup and mustard are always at the dollar store.
This won't happen overnight. It comes a can here and a box there. If you are short on space , get inventive. I once used an ottoman that had storage in it. One lady took a garbage can and put a wood round on top and covered it with a cloth. Some people just have two of the storage boxes from Home Depot that have tops in the corner of the kitchen. Whatever works. Growing up, we always had a storage room in the basement. When we moved into a new house, Dad would put up shelves. My parents would also mark the top of the cans with the date it came in the house .
We didn't have the convenience foods that we have these days, but they are a sure way to inflate your food budget to the max.
I am going to make quick breads this week end. at here is a good apple one I found on Betty Crocker, an orange one on the food channel, and I got a pumpkin bread box from Costco. With the cost of pumpkin it is cheaper than scratch. My son makes pumpkin pie from scratch, but I haven't ventured into that yet.
Ok, as promised, I am reading the SAFEWAYS fine print. It's so done, I am using a magnifying glass. Basically, the ten dollar coupon includes all FOOD items after sales, except dairy, it has to be used in one single transaction before Oct. 15. There are two of them, if you aren't going to use two, be a good neighbor and share with someone that will. That random act of kindness can really make someone's day.
Ok,
HORMEL ready made entrees are on 5 dollar Fridays. There is a printable for a buck. They are almost a pound to 22 ounces, scratch is higher if you are talking beef, some of them we have tried are yucky to coin my granddaughters expressions. The beef tips are good. And they are a good way to make a five minute dinner. They will feed a typical family of four, or three adults.
There is also one on Lloyd's ribs. That makes sirloin tips about 3.20. , the same price as a pound of sirloin.
Digiorno pizzas are on also. There is a coupon for 2 dollars off two. Also a net of four. Or 3.20 net.
Remember you are also getting another twenty percent off od you keep your spending to fifty dollars.
Eggs are 1.25. Net with the coupon 1.00
Frozen fruit bars are 2.49 and there is a 1.10 coupon net 1.39 less twenty percent 1.13. I'm thinking they would be good for kids sore throats, Sooth the throat, vitamin c ???? LOL
Just for you coupons need to be store coupons to make the manufacturers coupons work. I checked, they work. So, you can use a Safeway coupon, a manufacturers coupon, and also get to bucks off of fifty dollars. Bring your calculator. Note your net prices.
Golden grain pasta is .50. There is a coupon for -50 on coupon connections. I really like the word FREE.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share
Jane
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