Terrific Thursday/ what to do with what you got edition

With our scheme of things, TOP seems to be the store of choice,followed by SAFEWAYS .  I do see that SAFEWAYS has increased the price of milk on J4U.

Top has save five dollars on produce when you buy 5 participating GM products.  Most of the items are ready made and high prices with the produce savings.  Cheerios can be found lots cheaper with coupons.  You can't take every "bargain at face value". .  

Freshetta pizza is 3.99 and there are coupons out there.  Beans are 15/10.00 or .67 each.  A food time to stock if you need to.  

I would prefer to use stock and batch cook a meat.  But, there are meals from the ads.  

Shrimp stir fry. ( SAFEWAYS 5 dollar Friday) 

Sausage quiche ( SAFEWAYS 5 dollar Friday)

Sausage bean soup ( the rest of the above and two cans of tops beans )

Loaded baked potatoes ( HORMEL chili is a buck on 5 dollar Fridays and there is a coupon out there) 

Sunday chicken ( SAFEWAYS 1.29) 

Chicken pot pies 

Tacos ( ground beef 1.99 or 2.99.  

That's picking from two grocery stores. It is is not as varied and healthy as it would have been if I had  planned meals from my stock and added one batch meat.  

My meat of choice would have been  the 2.99 ground beef at SAFEWAYS or the Pork shoulder roast.

I batch cooked ground beef two weeks ago when I got it for 2.00 a pound at SAFEWAYS.  

Alternative meals 

Shrimp stir fry

Pork roast, potatoes,carrots, salad and apple tart.  

Sausage quiche ( 12 ounces of sausage) 

Tacos, refried beans, rice 

Spaghetti and meatballs 

Mac and cheese, peas and carrots 

Vegetable bean soup

This is using stock and some things on sale this week.  It is using the Jane Matrix and limits the processed and fatty meats.  Remember to defat your sausage and ground beef.  Cook your meatballs in the oven over a rack lined  sheet pan.  Batch cook the pork roast and set aside pulled pork for another day.( sandwiches)

That's about all.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane 

  

The ads

The ads for the week of Oct 23-29

SAFEWAYS

20 percent ground beef. 1.99
Apples .99
Pears .99

Kleenex .79@@

Eggs 1.49@@
FIVE  DOLLAR FRIDAY

Sausage 2 lbs
Halloween cake
Shrimp lb
Grapes 3/5
Chili 5/5 $$

ALBERTSONS

Apple juice .99@@
15 ground beef 2.99@@

QFC
Apples, pears 10/10
Nalleys chili 10/10
Dreyers 2.99
Green peppers .59
Cucumbers .59
Pork shoulder 1.79

Freshetta, new mans own pizza 2/10$$

TOP
French bread 2.00
London broil 2.99
Pork shoulder roast 1.69
Apples .87
Beans 15/10
Tillamook yogurt 10/5$$
Freshetta, dugout a pizza 3.90@@$$

That's about it.

@@'means with an in ad coupon
$$ means there is a coupon out there

Note there are several prices for the same thing.  Be sure to cross off the highest prices.
Check out couponnconnections on the Seattle area for coupon matchups.

Next time, meals from the ads.

Thanks for stopping by

Pleas share

Jane

Tuesday/ recipe edition

I thought that I would start writing this blog with some structure.  The first of the month will still be a rehash of the basics for anyone new. Tuesday, a recipe.   Wednesday ( or so) will be the ads.  Thursday, ideas for using the food in the ads and in season produce.  Sunday the ads for rte aid and Fred Meyer.


Tex Mex Salad.
Fresh or frozen corn
Black beans, drained and rinsed
Red, yellow or orange peppers , chopped
Tomato, seeded and chopped.
Vinaigrette

Fusilli with creamy sauce

Cook and drain 4 servings of fusilli, or corkscrew pasta.  Keep warm.

In a skillet, , cook 2 slices bacon , remove from pan and chop, place in bowl.
In skillet sauté 1 tsp minced garlic and  1/2 cup chopped onion in olive oil and add to the bacon.

Add 2 t flour to the skillet and gradually add on 2 cups of milk.  Add 1/4 cup sour cream, reducing heat.
Add 2 cups frozen peas, thawed and 3/4. Cup parm or other hard cheese.
Salt and pepper.
 Add bacon and vegetables back to the sauce.

Toss sauce with the pasta.  Garnish with basil/ and or parm.

Serves 4

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Monday

it's Momday again, funny how that works.  I broke down and went shopping Sunday, but only less than 30 dollars.  We needed bread and I have too much work to do to make bread that DH wouldn't eat anyway.  I did take advantage of good buys.  I got two pizzas for  3.00.  Ok I'm a pinch and cheap lunch.  Also I got reduced sodium chicken noodle soup for .52 a can with a coupon and up rewards.
That is more than RBP.   The rest of the cart was ice cream , fruits and veggies.

The grocers are due to go on strike tonight at 7 o'clock.  We are stocked for some time.
My grandbaby is really excited about Halloween.  I need to clean and decorate today.

The cold weather brings out the memories of hot soups, pumpkin everything and apple recipes.  I had the recipe for my MIL's apple cake, don't know where I put it.  We just loved it.  It called for salad oil, sugar and apples and them you mixed the dry ingredients and folded the two together.

Betty Crocker has e mailed me another batch. One osman impossible pumpkin pie that you do on muffin tins.  Sounds like it would be  a good one for individual dishes and simplifying a buffet table,
There are coupons this month for canned pumpkin.  Now is mangold time to stock baking supplies.  They all go on sale this time of the year, and almost never other times of the year.  For many people this is the only time of the year that they bake.

The Internet/ Facebook is full of recipes.  Most of them take expensive ready made items.  Most of the time you can scale them down or substitute ingredients and get the same results.  Case in point : a pizzeria Cassarole.  Ot took, sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and cottage cheese.  Que on pasta and pasta sauce.  That's one protein loaded dish!  You could choose between the sausage and the pepperoni.  Sausage can be defatted.  Pepperoni is cheapest at the dollar store--name brand.  Cottage cheese can be low fat.  And you can reduce the amount of the cheese.  Moderation is the key.  The simpler the dishes, the least expensive they will be.

Substitutions are on the Internet.  Usually I can find any information I need.  My sister gave me a substitution book for Christmas one year.  The Internet is a great tool that our mothers and grandmothers never had.  Also, there are great cookbooks out there that came out of the ww2 era that simplified recipes to compensate for war rationing.  Red velvet cake came put of WW2'because an ingenious woman tried to make a cake that looked like chocolate . Chocolate was in short supply.

I haven't found cheap apples yet.  I am still seeing two dollars a pound.  I haven't checked the fruit stand.

We like tex Mex food.  I especially like it because I can make one meal and satisfy everyone. Semi- vegetarians included.

Cheese Enchilada Casserole

1 cup (1/4 lb) grated cheddar cheese
1cup chopped tomato ( fresh or well drained diced tomato canned
1 cup cottage cheese
Sliced  green onion
2 tsp taco seasoning

9 six inch corn tortillas

Taco sauce
White cheese

1) combine  first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
2)  line a greased oblong  baking dish with three tortillas.
3) spread 1/2 the cheese mixture over the tortillas.
4) repeat layers ending with tortillas.
5) top with taco sauce and white cheese.
6) bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Until dish is heated through and cheese is melted.

Notes.  At two dollars a pound for cheese,  1/4 pound is .50.  Cottage cheese was 1.67 last week.  Substituting  canned diced tomatoes saves more money.  If you have more tomatoes left over, make salsa.  Tortillas are cheap at grocery outlet and big lots.  This is easier than making enchiladas because the tortillas don't have to be softened and rolled.  A lot faster dish.


If you spend more time shopping, and less time cooking, you will be money ahead.   Think about it this way.  If you normally spend 150.00 for a weeks food and you cut the cost to 75.00.  The difference is 75.00.  Say you are just learning to shop differently and take an extra hour prepping your trip and shopping.  You will be making 75.00 an hour.  If you are in the workforce, you will have to make 90.00 to spend that 75.00. The savings are remarkable.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Sunday savings

This blog is about buying your groceries as cheap as possible and buying as healthy as possible.  It is not about hoarding,

It is not about minimalists either.  

There are three types of shopping habits.  

1) go to the neighbourhood store, the most expensive store in town, and buy just what you need to last you one or two days....about 3-4 trips a week.  Your food is really fresh, or not, and you spend 110 to 120 percent of retail.  

2 go to the big box warehouse club once a week and fill your cart with ready made and anything that floats your boat that day.  Less trips, some of the items are cheaper, some not and you are bombarded with zillions of impulse buys.  You average retail, maybe a little less.  

3) plan your trips.  Go to several stores and buy the sales.  Buy as many as fits your plan.  You don't have a weeks groceries, because last weeks plan fills in this weeks plan.  You average 50 percent of retail.  It takes some prep time.  You are going to an average of two stores and you are planning your trip to maximize your gas.  You are also saving about FOUR  THOUSAND dollars a year if you are the average family. It uses less gas than the person that runs every day to the grocery store, it saves a lot more money than either of the alternatives, and it builds a stock.  

Let's talk about stock.  

A) you are never out of food, no running to the store because you are on the middle of cooking and don't have an ingredient.  

B) you are prepared if any disaster strikes.  Something  as simple as not feeling like taking  yourself to the store, that dreaded S word making it dangerous to go to the store, or the grocers going on strike and you not wanting to cross a picket line. 

C) there is some sense of security knowing that you have food in the house.  I would never want to turn a family member away because I didn't have enough food to feed them dinner.  

D) there is a smug satisfaction knowing that you paid half price for your food, and don't have to waste your resources on paying top dollar for your food.  

I thank God that I grew up with a belief system that paying top dollar for anything is stupid.  Buying the best quality of things that will last you a long time is smart, spending more than you have to on the rest of your necessities is not.  It has got me threw some really tuff times.  I was left with a child to take care of and 5.12 cents in the bank.  I couldn't have survived without some grocery smarts,  we can go without a lot of things, food is not one of them.

Enough on the naysayers.  To each his own.  I really shouldn't have to justify my belief system.

I'll get back to groceries on the cheap . I know that there are people that want and need to stretch their grocery dollars.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Tomorrow"s ads for Fred Meyer and rite aid update

Since my husband brought me the Sunday paper, this is  so early.

Rite Aid

Allergy tablets and nasal spray are BOGO.
Candy for Halloween is a buck for9 ounces and two bucks for sixteen ounces, reg 3.00.

Most of the food is not a bargain.
Campbell's chicken noodle soup is 5/5 and there so a up reward.  Nets .60.  I also remember a coupon.  Will get back later with the particulars, my coupon book is on the car so I can't forget it! LOL. It was .40 cents off multiples.  I got five low sodium chicken noodle soup for 2.60.  Half retail.
Also our Benadryl 1/2 and some candy for entertaining.


Fred Meyers

Nabisco  crackers 3/5@@
Fm yogurt 3/1@@
Frank bread 2/4
Grapes 1.48
Fm frozen veggies .79. 12 ounces@@
Red Baron pizza 2/4@@$$
Ice cream 2/6 @@
Squash .88. Organic

That's about it.
 I was t going to shop......I stayed away on Friday.  LOL.   I got pizza for 1.50 net..  A really cheap lunch.  .375 cents.  So,e grapes and veggies.  And I was out of ice cream.  I aren't more than rock bottom because I need low carb.  I walked out of there spending less than 29.00.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Dollar store

The following is a repost of my piece on  the dollar store.  I really did it as a lark.  I don't buy all our food from  the dollar store, nor would I have.  Although, a dollar store would have been a welcome site when we were at the beach with no food!    LOL

I buy a select few things from the dollar store,  most of the things are cheaper at the regular store.   I have been getting things for free lately, and free is a good price LOL.  The frozen veggies are cheaper when they are not on sale at the chain stores.  Recipe starter is .50 and cheaper than making it from scratch.  Enter a fifty cent coupon and it is FREE.  I got Betty Crocker potatoes for fifty cents.  Everybody needs some things you can use on a pinch.  

I GET THE NEWSPAPER EVERY SUNDAY FOR THE COUPONS.  They carry it all week so I don't have to rush down Sunday morning.  I check to be sure that there is a coupon insert.  There are usually two in the first Sunday.  A lot of coupons are for things I don't buy on the first place.  Sometimes, I luck out.  I save the inserts on a binder clip per month.  I just threw June away, most of the coupons had expired.  

I use couponconnections in the Seattle area to check for matchups.  Many times I can get really good buys at rite aid.  Like free or pay me to take something home. It is still not worth it if I can't use it or I don't know a place that would gladly take it.  I brought about two dozen toothpastes to the women's shelter.  It is my understanding that there is a domestic violence shelter opening up in our area soon as well.  They can always use individual packages of personal   products.

The dollar store ( Dollar  Tree) does have normal food as well as junk food.  They have rice, beans, and frozen veggies ...things normal scratch cooking mamas would buy.  I also find some cleaners and tissue there.

We have .99 stores on the area that sell drug paraphernalia.  Not all dollar  stores are  created equal.

The repost !


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

I went virtual shopping via my notepad.  I forgot to bring my electronics, so I did it the old fashioned way.  It was my challenge to make a good meal from the dollar store for my five dollar criteria.
I have not tasted the food here.  It was a lark to see of it could be done.  I wouldn't recommend it because the grocery store is cheaper on some things.  


I found

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

 Four dinners for 19.00 with beans and salsa left over.

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

Chicken breast strips 8 ounces

7 ounces of meatballs

4 ounces of tilapia

16 ounces Calif  blend veggies

Brocolli

Peas

Mixed veggies

French fries

Onion rings

Sweet potatoes, corn and red pepper medley

Sargento cheese

Mashed potatoes

Uncle Ben's  rice blends

Noodles

Ziti

Elbow Mac

Raw rice
Raw beans

Zatarans

Tortillas 

Pasta sauce

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

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Finally friday

For the first time in at least 50 years, I am not going to grocery shop this week.  We have errands to run and other than a a few things to entertain  this week, I don't need anything.

My twelve year old car didn't pass the emission control test.  Ot cost a minimum of 150.00 to bail it out.

I'll do meal plans from my freezer and pantry.  It's a luxury to not have to shop if the grocers are on strike, or an family emergency happens. I have been out of work with kids mouths to feed.  It's nice to know that we can eat and I paid  1/2 price or less for most of it.

I have a Jane outline for meals.

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

It makes it easy to provide a variety of meals for the family, with less time.

My mother tried several ways to do that.  One time we had hamburger every day, a zillion different ways.  There was a period of time when you knew what day of the week it was by what was cooking on the stove when you got home from school.  Thursday was bread and pizza day.  Fridays was clam chowder or a yummy egg dish that puffed up on the oven.  It was fun to watch it fall when she took it out!

I digress.
Meal plans

1) tacos , rice and beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, taco sauce
2) beef tips , mashed potatoes, green beans, salad
3) chicken pot pie, apple pie
4) pork spareribs , French bread, corn salad
5) 4 cheese Mac and cheese, mixed veggies
6) eggs, hash browns, fruit and yogurt cups
7) shrimp stir fry.  Rice

There are a lot of things going on here.  tacos mean I can thaw some chicken shreds and not cook two meals to satisfy the semi vegetarians.  Rice is a stair step.  I'll cook a double batch for shrimp stirfry a second day.  Beef tips are ready made because I got the, cheaper than scratch.  Good for a work day.
The chicken pot pie uses the rest of the chicken from the tacos.  I got a lot of shredded cheeses from grocery outlet, we like a combination of cheeses for Mac and cheese.  It kicks it up a notch .  Eggs are a cheap source of protein, and again, I don't have to cook a double meal.

The cost of the taco meat was 2 dollars a pound.
The cost of the tips was 3.20 a pound
The chicken 1.00
Pork spareribs 3.00
Shrimp was 5.00 a pound
Eggs were 1.25 a dozen.  1/2 dozen .62.

Total protein 15.82.
Divided by 7 equals 2.21 cents a meal.  Average

Mixing your meats, balancing an inexpensive protein with an expensive one makes you have a variety of meals, and makes you feel like you are not deprived because you are cooking on the cheap.
Moderation is the key.  No one needs to eat a whole  pound a shrimp in a sitting. Eating vegetables and rice to makes for a balanced meal.  Your dinners  should average five bucks a meal when your SNAP is 300.00.  That is the average I have heard from people.  Five  dollars allows you five for breakfast and lunch.  Some children get free lunches at school. I average five dollars for three adults and the baby just because I can.  I want to be sure what I am writing is true.  In the Pacific Northwest anyway. Obviously, you are not going to buy two dollar and fifty cent asparagus and five dollar a gallon milk on this plan.  LOL but I usually have the biggest drawer of the fridge full of fresh fruits and vegetables along with the counter.  Right now, we have apples, tomatoes, bananas and a couple of oranges.  Grapes, lettuce, carrots, celery and salad greens and cucumbers.

I am basing these meals on our family,  our family has stats of 141.00 a week.  A family of two middle aged adults and two teenage boys, for instance, has a stat of 168.00.  I actually spend average of 72.00 a week.  These figures are for actual food eaten.  My 72.00 includes building a stock.  It will be interesting to see what I average when we start eating down the pantry.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

The ads, finally

Here are the ads.  Apparently, the grocery workers go on strike on Saturday.

TOP

Red Baron pizza 2.99$$
Orzo wheat bread 1.99
Pork sirloin 1.99

Beef tenderloin 11.99.   Wow!  

Radishes .59
Apples 5 lbs 5 bucks
Oatmeal .99. @@

Shredded cheese 6.00 a pound ( we paid 2.50 a pound for sharp last week, and 2.00 per pound for regular.  This is why you don't wait until you really need cheese to buy it!  That is a FOUR dollar a pound savings.

SAFEWAYS

Pork sirloin chops 1.49
Chicken drums, thighs, legs .99
Grapes 1.99
Dave's killer bread 3.99
Crackers 1.99@@

ALBERTSONS

Pork sirloin roast  10/10. ( that's a lot of roast). But a buck a pound.
Salad 1.00
Avocados 1.00
Clams, albacore tuna, chicken.  1.00
Milk 1.99@@
English muffins 2/1@@
Hillshire lunch,eat 2.49@@. Check cc

10 for 10. No restrictions
Olives
Tortillas
Pineapple
Fresh veggie packs
Cream cheese
Apples
Cauliflower
Pears
Peppers
Carrots , 2 lbs

QFC
Broccoli, cauliflower .99
Pears .99
Bread 2/5

That's about it.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

@@ means with an in ad coupon
$$ cc means there is a coupon out there, or check coupon connections in Seattle area
Wow.   Check out the price of beef!   Another case of striking while the iron is hot.  We paid two bucks a pound last week!  
Pork sirloin is a bargain, but seems like a lot of meat even for batch cooking.  Maybe split one with a friend or relative.  ????

Thursday

Has anyone ever noticed that when you are sick, everything else takes a back seat to your getting up and well to get on with life and responsibilities.  I think that the same holds true, when you are short of money grocery shopping takes on a more important role in your life, because you have to eat, but you have to eat cheaper.  Throwing ready made food in a basket that looks good, is replaced by finding healthy food for your family within your budget.  It takes more effort to live when you don't have money and have to make ends meet.

My goal is to help people get through the process somewhat efficiently , and still cut the grocery bill in half.  What would you do with four thousand dollars?   The average family spends 150.00 a week.  If you save half, you would have about four thousand dollars a year more in you bank account.  Provided you had the four thousand in the first place.  LOL. When I was a single parent, I didn't have thousands to save, it was a matter of survival.

There was a study that came out recently that said that peoples IQ could actually go down when they were poor and struggling to make ends meet.  I'm guessing that it is the stress.  Once  you get the hang of it,  groceries on the cheap can lower the stress.  Having food in the pantry is a welcoming site.  The worry of what am I going to feed my kids slips away.  That's a good thing.

The whole key is to know your prices.  You don't have to know the price of everything in the grocery store, just the small list of things that you buy on a regular basis that you use  to cook your meals.
Only buy them when they are rock bottom prices.  It means that you can buy twice as many when they are on sale.  You have spent the same amount, but have one for another day.

Why pay 1.59 for a can of pasta sauce, when you can get two and have money left over?   It just makes logical sense.

When you find something on a really good sale that your family will eat, buy it and incorporate it into your meal.

My family loves blue cheese.  I found it at grocery outlet really cheap.  We like buffalo chicken pizza, and blue cheese and apple salad.  Apples are beginning to be in season and cheaper.

Stocking meat per week and rotating a sale protein on a monthly cycle, and using a meal plan matrix makes eating a variety of meals easy.  You have a road map.  You are rotating, so you always have a month worth of protein.  It doesn't take a lot of room,because you are dealing with already cooked meat and some meals are vegetarian.  It takes less time to make a batch of meat, and less clean up, and you portion control meals so you have less waste.

Blue cheese salad

Lettuce, or field greens
1 crisp tart apple, sliced thinly.

Dressing

3 T vinegar
1tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup blue cheese,crumbles.  ( 1 ounce)
Pepper.

Arrange apple on lettuce
In small bowl,, mix together vinegar, mustard.  Add oil and wisk in,
Add 1/2 of the blue cheese.
Sprinkle the other 1/2 of the blue cheese on the salad.

You can eat gourmet meals on a thrifty budget.  It just takes some smart shopping.


If you care to comment, what constitutes a gourmet, yummy meal to you?

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Wicked wednesday

Still no ads, like I had predicted. 

When I started this blog, I was under the impression that I would only have readers from the northwest.  I never dreamed that I would have readers from all over the world.  I was also green enough to believe that prices of groceries would be pretty stable between states.  We have national grocery chains , I didn't know the flux of prices.  

There is a flux of prices even here in Seattle.  Certainly if you go to trader Joes, PCC or Whole foods, you are going to pay more for your food than if you go to ALBERTSONS or SAFEWAYS.  

Regardless of where you are, or what your RBP is for your food.  You can save money on your food bill by using the techniques on the blog.  You may pay more for food, but you will pay less than the person that just goes to the store and willy,nilly buys whatever they want.  

What I would like to know, is where are you buying your food,  ie convenience store, regional chain, alternative store,  overstock store ? And what are you having to pay for say maybe cheese, a can of corn, and a whole chicken per pound.  ?     Rock bottom prices.  And what part of the country are  you from!  

It would be interesting to see the different prices.  

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane 

Terrific tuesday

Last night we had meatloaf , baked acorn squash with brown sugar, and green salad. The old days we would have had baked potatoes too, but I am trying to watch my carbs.  If I had a lot of boys to feed, I might add the baked  potatoes.

My husband ground the beef from chuck that I got at SAFEWAYS for two dollars a pound.  I batch cooked a roast and taco meat, hamburger crumbles and a meat loaf Saturday.  We had roast beef a jus sandwiches in Saturday.  Sunday we went to my SIL's  for dinner.  Tonight we have our dinner group,so we will have roast on Wednesday and I will freeze the rest of the roast cut thin for sandwiches over the next few weeks.  I put them in a food saver bag and can have dinner ready on about 15 minutes on a work day.  I got the roast for two dollars a pound as well.

I usually analyze the ads on Wednesday morning, but Monday was a holiday so it will probably be late.  If I was in a hurry, I would look them up on the Internet.  Our major grocery stores are going to go on strike, so there is no hurry.  We don't have to go to the store for a while.  We did a dairy run on Sunday and I went to grocery outlet for cheese  because we had to go for supplies for the business and I always group trips for gas savings.

Once you get the hang of it, buying your groceries for 1/2 price is easy and very cost productive.
It is a matter of knowing your prices and taking advantage of sales when they come your way.

I will do ads as soon as I get them and we will all hope the grocery workers and management can avert a strike.

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

The reason for living

I am a firm  believer that the only right we have is the right to be useful.  We didn't play when we were kids, we worked.  A lot of toys were not in my mothers budget plan.

I started this blog because I was asked to.  There were people that couldn't make it on food stamps, and  needed help.  I couldn't individually help each one, but thought I could help more people by writing a blog.

I have fallen on the dark side of broke before in my life and found ways to stretch a buck on food.  I can supply good, nutritious meals for about 1/2 the USDA statistics for thrifty plan.

It is my belief that no child should be eating watermelon and corn for dinner, nor should they exist on top ramen and potato chips., I know that is the extreme, but there are kids in that position.  Also, no child should have the insecurity of no food in the pantry.  That is a terrible  injustice in a country that can send aid to third world countries.  We need to take care of our own too.

You can eat well on full food stamps, but it takes some work and know how.  Unfortunately or fortunately , depending on how you look at it, I learned how by necessity.I wasn't in food stamps, but it would have helped if I had been.

This blog is my way of passing my knowledge  on to people that want and or need it.

I don't need remarks from minimalists that believe one should have a six digit income belief system on a lower five digit income.  Yes, my plan requires that we have a stock.  I believe the Mormons think the same thing.  I don't think that all the Mormons are wackos for stocking for an emergency,  it's called being self sufficient. My main objective is to never pay full price on the items I use on a regular basis to cook for my family.

It's true that a three months supply should get someone  by, but if you are In a precarious position, like your job is shaky and layoffs or strikes  are looming, six is better.

My plan works.  I' m not imposing it on anybody.  Whether or not you use anything in this blog is up to you.  Like someone once said on their blog when someone was criticizing , if you don't like it, no one is twisting your arm to read it.

I do wish I could teach a class somewhere and reach the people that really need it especially since our politicians seem to think it is ok to cut wic and food stamps. I know people will be needy.

They don't teach home ec the same in schools anymore and there is a whole generation of people that  think  Dinner comes out of a box.  Not the most nutritious and cost effective way to make dinner.

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Jane

Monday madness

I am proud of the fact that I can feed us for 1/2 the USDA stats for our family. It takes a little work, but the rewards are worth it.  I am trying to teach others so that they can get through hard times if they need to.or if they just don't want to waste money paying full price.  Feeding your family a well balanced meal in these times is a challenge, doing it on a thrifty budget is really a challenge.  It is doable with some  work and knowing some  tricks.

I am not expecting everyone to follow my plan.  I realize that there are people that don't have to desire to spend any time on economizing.  That's what makes the world go around.  This blog is for the people that have to or want to make both ends meat and grocery shop on the cheap while feeding their family a variety of nutritious foods.  Some  people get a new recipe to try out of it , some get an idea to get out of the kitchen faster.  Whatever you get out of it, I hope it helps you,that is my motivation.  I don't get momey for this blog, I just want to help,people with the tools they need to live by any means they have..  Been there, done that, and want to help people get through it easier than I did.  

I was really excited when I discovered that I had two tubes of toothpaste for my stash for the women's shelter.  I was paid fifty cents to take them out of the store.  At that rate, I will be able to get a lot more.  

I have been averaging fifty percent at the grocery stores.  It,does,mean that you need to go to two grocery stores a week.  Some weeks I have gone to one because the buys weren't there..  Some weeks I go to three because I can make best use of the sales and coupons. It all averages out.  

If you are trying to make it on SNAP, you can't go to the store and buy anything that strikes your fancy.  It takes some restraint and self control.  Planning meals helps to make the hard days easier.
Finding recipes everyone in your family likes is a real boon too.

I would like to reach more people, especially people that are going to be hurting when snap monies are cut.  I just don't exactly know how.  Anybody that has a great idea, please comment.

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Jane

Fred Meyers and rite aid shopping trip.

We did go to Fred Meyers and rite aid.  I figured that the stores were so busy, no one would be looking at me. I got toothpaste, four packages of sugar free chocolate, a package of sour patch and the OOP was 1.64 including the almost ten percent tax we have in Washington.  !  The toothpaste they paid me .49 to take out of the store.  I am starting  my stash for the women's shelter again.

Fred Meyers yielded k cups for 3.50' cheese for 3.99, milk for a buck and ice cream for two dollars.
Sour cream and cottage cheese for 1.67 each.  Freshetta pizza for 2.75.  Close enough to scratch to warrant the expenditure.

That's about all.


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Jane

Rite aid and Fred Meyers ads coupon matchups. UPDATED

I don't have the paper yet, I am using the Internet for these prices.  When I get the paper, I will change anything that is different .( if there is anything.  )

Note: @@ means that there is an in ad coupon.  $$ means that there is a paper coupon somewhere.  Check coupon connections.

Fred Meyer
Updated:

Cross rib roast 2.99
Beta alert.... Peanut butter 2/3.00 @@
Canned veggies .50@@


Apples, pears, .98
Broccoli .88
5# potatoes .88
Cukes .59
Zucchini, squash .88
Milk .99   Usually ok and choc milk are the same price.
Gm cereal is 1.67 @ $$ nets .92
Cottage cheese, sour cream 1.67 ( 24 ox)

CHEESE 3.99. Limit 2

Freshetta pizza. 3.59 limit 4 $$. Makes it 2.75 @@@



Rite aid alert

Colgate max fresh toothpaste. With up rewards and $$ coupon is FREE.
Russel sat overs chocolate sugar free is a buck with rewards.,m

Also trick or treat candy and shampoo are inexpensive with coupons, see coupon connections.

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Jane

Suddenly Saturday, updated

It's Saturday.  I was supposed to go to a funeral  this morning, but I look like I could try out for a horror film.  I think I shall save people the horror and stay home!  LOL

My husband volunteered to grind meat and put some summer yard stuff away.

The egg board has a few coupons in a limited supply.  I reposted it on Facebook.  I guess from talking to a lady at work that has chickens, this is the season for mounting and the hens don't lay a lot of eggs.  That's probably why they are more expensive lately.  Even at a higher price, they are a cheap source of protein.  Betty Crocker impossible pie only takes a few for a whole pie.  Added cheese and a small amount of meat covers you protein wise with little money.

When I went for the cheese at SAFEWAYS on five dollar Friday, the grated cheese was a smaller package than the  brick.  And they had sharp for the same price,  score!!!!

I like to mix several cheeses to make Mac and cheese.  So,eti,es I ise ot for a way to clean put the bits in the cheese drawer.  I get a seasoned grated cheese at grocery outlet.  Our family all like spicy, so that part of pleasing everyone is easy.

I want to pay between two and two fifty a pound for cheese.

Setting prices on things and not paying full price is another way to reduce your food costs.

I bought six pounds of meat for 2.00 a pound using specials and the 10.00( twenty percent if you plan your trip and spend a total of 50.00.  ) coupon.,

My husband ground it.  I cooked 5 batches of taco meat, 1 batch of crumbles, and a two pound meatloaf plus beef stock.  That would make 5 meals for a typical family for 12.00.  Or 2.40 per meal.
That makes a beef meal fall well within the five  dollar range.  We cooked all that plus putting a roast on the oven on about an hour and a half. We have 12 meals handled for is.  For a family of four meat eaters, we would have 8 meals.  The roast was 7.12.  You can have a roast beef dinner, roast beef a jus sandwiches and still have enough to put in a Cassarole.



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Jane

Grocery shopping Friday.

I was being in the groceries and fell.  I was glad I hadn't bought eggs! LOL. I'm pretty messed up, but nothing is broken.

Indie save fifty percent at SAFEWAYS.  I got meat for 2.49 a pound, less twenty percent.  I got five dollar cheese ( sharp) and brats.  I tried to get the johnsonville coupon, but couldn't find one.

Lettuce was five for five and grapes were 3/5 either red or green.  When you have a choice, the darker the skin, or greener the lettuce, the more food valu it has.

Taco cause was BOGO and then I had a coupon, netted a buck a bottle.
Chicken wings were cheap.
All in all, I got a lot of protein and vegetables,

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Jane

Yesterday's shopping trip

I went to the store with my daughter yesterday before I went to work.  I will go to another store today to finish up.  I wanted to take advantage of the mega sale.  The bottom line  was 52 percent savings.
I used two coupons.  For a buck a piece.  Not exactly extreme couponing, but I am still happy with the savings.  I got the veggies that were on sale , pizzas and ice cream, and ten canned goods to get 15.  I got the kids pudding for a dollar and a penny.  That's for 12 servings.  A little more than 8'cents a cup.
Diced tomatoes were at my RBP.  And I got 2 cans of corn to fill in.  I found a recipe for bacon corn chowder and it sounded good.  Sometimes, a little fat can go a long ways to make something tasty.

This is not a weeks groceries, and you could not make a meal from it, but it was not meant to be.  By stocking instead to just buying what you need for the week, you can make a remarkable difference on your grocery bill and still eat well.

I will have a Safeway run to do for meat, cheese, and some  fruits and veggies.
I have planned the trip.  Again, there are not any coupons that work here.  If I needed yogurt, there are coupons for that and it is .50 for Yoplait.  The 5 dollar Friday brats , according to coupon connections, are johnsonville.  There is a buck coupon printable. Also, salsa is a buck with a coupon From the newspaper, only until Sunday.

Real food coupons  are few and far between.  You have to take advantage when you find  them and KNOW your PRICES!   That's the real key.  I get calls all the time, how much should this cost!  Or where is the cheapest.....  Knowing your prices and buying at the RBP is the key to half price groceries.  If you can do that and avoid the junk food and ready made food, you will have it made.

By stocking, and only buying what's at the  RBP, you can take advantage of the stores rotation of sales and wind up with a stock that will make well balanced meals continuously.

When you shop, you are going to buy
1) fruits and veggies that are in season and a low price.
2) a meat (protein item ) that is RBP to batch cook.
3) anything on your stock list that is RBP within your guidelines.

Honest, it works and cuts your bills in half.

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Jane

Thursday

It's Thursday, time to plan shopping trips.  I still have to download coupons and Betty Crocker has a bunch of new recipes that sound good.  A baked pumpkin doughnut .  Sounds like it could be healthy ( not fried  and pumpkin is good for you.  )

I have a menu matrix that I use to keep us eating a variety of foods and simplify meal plans.  It kind of makes it a fill in  the blanks exercise. This is what works for our family, you might haven't make up your own.

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

My mind set: I plan to buy and make hamburger this weekend.  I made a chicken on Monday.  Tuna is on sale at QFC.  I have a acorn squash , and carrots were on sale last week.  Salad is a buck at SAFEWAYS.  Cheese is on five dollar Friday at safeways.  This is a case    where most of the dinners are from sale items at two stores over two weeks ads.  I is easing into buying meat on a rotating basis.

1) meatloaf, acorn squash, salad
2) tacos
3) chicken pot pie.
4) pork chops
5) Mac and cheese, peas and carrots
6) vegetable egg omelets , fruit salad, toast.
7) Tuna Casserole, salad

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Jane