Monday madness

I want to talk about yesterday's shopping trip.  It takes some tenacity to make deals work.  Often the karma is not working like clockwork.  Yesterday was the ultimate work with it day.

Bartells has almonds, 6 ounce cans for 1.79.  There is a dollar coupon on the flyer on Sundays paper when you buy 2 . It is misprinted to be for 16 ounce containers.  There are no 16 ounce containers.  The coupon inserts has a coupon for .75 off of two cans of 6 ounce containers.  That makes just about a BOGO.  After some discussion, we got the almost BOGO.  Roast beef hash was on sale for 1.99, it rang 2.99.  Another discussion.

At Rite Aid, HORMEL,chili is a buck.m buy 15 of anything on the section of the ad, and get a 5 dollar up reward.  There os not much on that ad that I would buy except the chili that I had .55/2 coupons for.  I had four coupons.  they did not have 15 cans of chili.  I bought 8.  And used my coupons.  Effectively getting 8 cans , but paying for 6.  I went to another rite aid to buy the remaining 7.  Turns out, the two I got for free didn't count, so I bought 9.  I wound up paying 9.89 for 17 cans of chili.  Some of them are no beans.  I'm thinking they might be good on tacos or on baked potatoes for a loaded baked potato.  Either way, I saved about a buck a can.  More than a half price trip.
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Jane

Chicken, glorious chicken .

One of the ways you can stretch your dollar and clean the refrigerator at the same time is to make soup. My husband cooked two chickens I got for $.49 a pound at QFC yesterday. I've broke them apart into bags.  . I put one chicken breast in each of two bags. I put the dark meat in one bag and what was left in the other for soup.  This will provide many meals for five dollars worth of chicken.

Buying  in bulk and portioning you're meat in meal sized bags saves a lot of time and money.  Food is wasted because it is not all eaten and finds it's way to the back of the fridge and is forgotten.  You are not spending a lot of money on a box of something to go with your meat.  Chicken is a staple that has a stable price in the meat department. Pork and beef have both Rosen on oroce,meet with the largest percentage.  

I purchased " frugal moms guide to Once a month cooking" by Candace Anderson. While I am not in a position to cook a months worth of foods in a day, the recipes are good and jump start a menu plan. My spin on once a month cooking, is to batch cook a meat a week.  It is less taxing both on your energy and your time and gives you the benefit of scratch cooking lower cost meats , portion controlling, and speeding up dinner time.  In most homes, dinner time is the most hectic  time of the day.  Streamlining dinner can go a long way to reduce that stress.  

Ways to use chicken

Sweet and sour chicken 

Chicken pot pie

Roast chicken dinner

Chicken nuggets

Chicken quesadillas

Chicken nachos

Chicken tacos

BBQ drumsticks 

Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken parm 

Chicken broc casserole 

Chicken Noodle soup

Chicken rice  soup

Chicken vegetable soup

Buffalo chicken  pizza

Buffalo chicken pie

Chicken pizza

The list could go on......and on..... LOL

That's all for now .  

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Jane 

Pizza pig heaven

I found an even better deal on digiorno pizza. Target has 2/9 with free 2 liter soda, and there is a coupon  in the 1/26/14. RP insert for BOGO.   I think that means that you are getting 2 pizzas, normally at least five  bucks and a bottle of soda for 4.50.

Rite aid and Fred Meyers ...early.

My husband got the paper for me--tomorrow's paper.  It has P&G  COUPONS as well as smart source.

Fred Meyers

Fryers .97 ( QFC has them for .50)
Roma's .78
Milk 4/5@
Snack crackersv3/5@
Blues 2/5
Cauliflower .99
Duel monte veggies 3/2
Kraft Mac and cheese 1.00--it's .50 at QFC
Kraft BBQ sauce 100-.79'at QFC
Fm sour cream or cream cheese .99@@
Nalley chili .89@


Rite Aid

Scope 2.99 w 1.00 up reward nets 1.99
Ragu 4/5.  Less coupon in the paper .50 nets 4/4.50 or 1.12 each.

That's about it.  Please be sure to check couponconnections.com  for any more that my appeal to you.

HORMEL chili at  Rite A id is a buck.  Coupons for .55/2

The Red plum for 1/26 has a BOGO coupon for digiorno pizza.  It's 4.49 at QFC this week when you buy six of assorted buys.  These also include Mac and cheese and water.  BBQ sauce for .79  and snack crackers.

Bartells has red vines for 5.99.  Also 1.00 off coupon for 2 blue diamond almonds.  Add to that a .75 off coupon for two in tomorrow's smart saver.










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Jane

Freakin Friday

I am late .  Had a early appointment with the physical therapist.  Went shopping afterwards.  I usually go to Big Lots for pads and Kleenex.  I got 600 sheets for 4.00.   Mandarin oranges in cups are 4/1.00.  No sugar added,  pizza crust wad 2/2.50.

Next QFC

Draper valley chicken is .50 a pound.  Kraft Mac and cheese is .50.  Not quite a comparison, but I don't choose what my grandbaby gets for lunch! LOL

I took advantage of the fresh fruit buys and pepperoni at .50 a package.  Red Baron rising crust pizza netted 2.29.  A cheap lunch!

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Jane

SNAP !

I just read an interesting Article on one persons experience trying to voluntarily live on food stamps in NYC.  I was surprised at how much she got for a week, until she listed her grocery purchases.  The prices were our full prices and some were twice what I pay.  I realize that what you get is based on what the COL is in your part of the country.

  I didn't expect to have an audience in other countries or in different parts of the USA when I started this blog. Obviously, prices at our grocery stores are different than that stores in other parts of the country.
 Clearly,access to chain grocery stores has a lot to do with the prices you pay for food and storage on NYC is probably,not an big option.  But, the majority of us do not live on NYC.  One point she made that I thought was interesting was the realization that you can't live on SNAP and afford gluten free, organic, and specialty anything.  I can eat better than she did because of stocking and having access to four chain stores, 2 warehouse stores, and some alternative stores.  The gist is, you get less money on metropolitan areas, but you have more access to cheap food if you  look for it.


I also thought it was interesting that 80 percent of Walmart employees are on SNAP.  Walmart prides  themselves on contributing to the food banks.  H E L L O!  If Walmart paid their employees a decent wage, they wouldn't need SNAP!   And,  QFC is union, does pay a decent wage in comparison, and gives  to the food bank generously.  They just don't toot their own horn!   LOL

My principles of groceries on the cheap will work, no matter where you live.  The  prices will be different. The snap allotments are different.  The principles are the same.

I have read everything I could get my hands ( or eyes) on about thrifty cooking for some 45 years.  I have analyzed the ideas, added what I learned from my mother, and took the best of what I learned and put it together using my BLT approach.  Balance and logic test.  I don't want to spend my entire waking moments on groceries and cooking.  I want a reasonably healthy diet and a balanced diet.
Don't want  to stock until I look like a hoarder.  I want a reasonable amount of food to tide us over a disaster, and enough to last us until our staple items go on sale again. The only thing I stockpile as much as possible with no limits is toothpaste.  That is because I only buy it when it is free or almost free and I save it until I get a basketful to take to the women's shelter.

The secret to saving money is not to go buy just what you need at inflated prices.  It doesn't make sense to me to pay 1.59 for something you can get for .60.  My mother would have said, better the dollar in our pockets than someone else's.

That's not to say that she was not charitable.  I remember one time I went into Rite Aid and children's underwear was on a clearance table for next to nothing.  Knowing that a grade school in the area had children coming to school with no underwear, I bought all that I could afford.  I called my mom, she bought the rest!

I am a firm believer that no child should  wake up to no food in the pantry and the basics of a normal life.  I can't save the world, but I can do all I can to help.  Knowing how to stretch a buck and feed a family good, nutritious food can go a long way to help those on SNAP make it through the month and have food in the pantry at the end of the month.  It's not hoarding to have a reasonable stockpile of staple items that you use on a regular basis that you can make a meal from .


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Jane

Terrific Thursday

The ads finally came .

QFC

oranges .68
Berries 2/5

Buy 6, save 3
Kraft ez Mac .49 net
Kleenex .99
Smoked sausage 2.49
Kraft BBQ sauce .79
Red Barron pizza 2.79

SAFEWAYS
Strawberries 2/5
Oranges .99
Brownie mix .99
Skippy peanut butter 1.99@

Five dollar Fridays
Blues - 18 oz
Flan, fruit
Salmon
Wings


ALBERTSOMS

Save 3, buy 5
Fresh express salads 2/5$$
Berries 2/5


Eggs 4/5@

Quarters buys
Yoplait .60$
Bumble bee tuna 1.00
Tomato paste .50
Tomato sauce .25

TOP
Potatoes BOGO 2.79


That's about it.  I'm not seeing much.
Sometimes,  it might be better to choose an alternative store.  We might try Winco

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Jane

Wicked Wednesday

Another week.  We didn't get the ads yesterday. Probably because of the holiday.  My mantra is never to pay full price for anything. More the most part, I try to get the best quality I can for my buck.  There are a few things that I doesn't pay to buy quality.  Disposables come to mind,then I try to buy the least amount as possible.

My daughter has decided that she will eat chicken now.  Before she was a vegetarian.  We eat a lot of Mexican recipes because we like them and it is easy to accommodate diet restrictions.  It uses beans and cheese for protein.  Tacos can be chicken or pork as well as hamburger

.  When we went for lettuce tacos for happy hour I had chicken nachos.  It had some taco chips, a lot of shredded chicken, beans and some cheese.  Cheese is full of protein and calcium.  A lot more food value than the lettuce tacos that is mostly water.  Iceberg lettuce is mostly water, very  little food value.  The darker the green, the more food value it has.  Those tacos have one tablespoon of meat, doodles of lettuce with no food value, and a very little sprinkling of a tomato and cheese.  Look hard, you might miss it.  You are getting ten carbs of taco shell, very little protein and a lot of water.  Knowing how to analyze your food and balance protein and carbs along with analyzing the fat content is a good start in providing good food on a budget.  

Ortega put out a recipe booklet a few years ago.  It had more dollar value coupons than the book cost.
I don't think I can duplicate the recipes, some of the, are really fat loaded, some are somewhat healthy.  Some are expensive, some can be adjusted to accommodate the fat content and the cost.

Bacon shrimp quesadillas.
Mexican egg rolls ( turkey, peppers, black beans, cheese )
Chicken nachos
Corn chowder
Pasta and grilled vegetable salad
Chocolate chili
Taco salad
Taco soup
Chicken  enchiladas
Shrimp tacos
Oven roasted veggie tacos
Taco rice and beans

Many good recipes.  You might find it at a garage sale or the goodwill.  I get magazines at the goodwill for fifty cents.
Any recipe you can partially cook when time is more relaxed, or comes together quick is a good recipe. Add inexpensive sources of protein and it's a great recipe.

That's all for now.

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Jane

Extreme couponing---NOT

There is always some discussion when the subject of extreme couponers comes up. The show is planned to show someone getting a zillion bucks worth of stuff for next to nothing, a zillion bucks worth of stuff is only good if you are going to use a zillion bucks worth of stuff in an appropriate period of time as to eat things before the expiration date. No one needs 93 bottles of hot sauce. LOL

When I first started writing this blog, I was of the opinion that coupons were a waste of time. I only used coupons from the store ads. I saw a few down to earth extrememcouponers videos, and went to a free extrememcouponers class with my daughter at a local church. No one is twisting your arm, you can pick and choose what you cut coupons for.
( good thing , since mine is broken at the moment. LOL)

There are two sites I go to. Coupons.com is the main site for printable coupons. A lot of others just revert you to the site anyway and some of that ask for your life's history to use them. Not my cup of tea. Each month at the first of the month, the site is loaded with new coupons. The manufacturers specify how many coupons can be printed. The high figure ones go first. I down load the ones I think I will use because they are things that I use on a regular basis. Things like yogurt, ice cream, eggs, coffee, cheese, butter, toothpaste and soap and deodorant. I can parlay the coupons for personal hoe gene products into free things for the women's shelter.

My friend saves me her coupons from the Sunday paper. I usually buy one Sunday paper at the dollar store. I place them in a binder clip for each month. Our coupon match up site on Seattle is couponconnections.com. If you google coupon matchups, ( your nearest big city) you can find the one near you, these sights are free and post the ads and the coupons, where they are, and your net out of pocket cost. After I choose my best prices from the ads, I visit th site and look up the store and see
of what's on my list is matched with a manufacturers coupon to be a really low price. Then, I go to the binder clip for that month and pull the coupon. I don't spend 40 hours a week couponing, maybe twenty minutes, but I save an average of six dollars a trip.

The bottom line, between finding the best prices., Stocking the things we use on a regular basis, (enough to last us until they go on sale again) , and scratch cooking and, not buying junk food, I feed three adults on less than the USDA stats for thrifty meals at home. Actually, almost half.

We eat well. We don't eat like we would if we were foodies or puritianists. We just eat good basic food.


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Jane

It's all in the receipt.

The matter how you look at it, your receipt is your bottom line. Whether or not you can make it on the cheap, depends on what you buy. . It's the plain and simple truth.

I am in possession of two grocery receipts. My weekly trip and someone else's. To be fair, I don't know the situation of the person buying from the specialty store. This is just all about choices.


My trip to QFC

I am dictating this because I still have a broken arm. QFC was my store of choice this week. He could have just as well have been any of the other three chain stores I frequently at times.

3 lbs cheese 10.00
1 toothpaste
2 drinks @.88
4 blueberries 5.00
2 Tillamook ice cream @3/10
1fresh strawberries 2.50
1sour cream 1.00
1 -4.5 lb chicken
10 Yoplait yogurt

Less coupons on 1.00 each for ice cream netted 2.33 ea, .50 on toothpaste netted .50 ( women's shelter )
.40 on Yoplait netted 3.60 for 10. ( .36 each)

Total 33.66 less .26 tax and .50 toothpaste is 32.90.

Receipt from the specialty store

Yogurt 2.99
Cinnamon apple sticks 2.49
Peanut butter crackers 2.69
Lentils 2@1.99
Apple sauce 2@2.99
Cooked brown rice 5.07
Guacamole 3.99
Apple juice .44
Chocolate 4.58

Total. 32.21


Almost the same in bottom line.

Rite aid and Fred Meyers ads

Here are the ads.
Rite Aid.
I am not finding any bargains at writing. There are a few exceptions. Shredded wheat , Honey bunches of O 's,  and Great Grains no Topleaf are cheaper six with a two dollar after the board. There is probably coupons out there check your coupon matching site.

Colgate our toothbrushes. Retail 6.99, three dollars in ad coupon , two dollars coupon in the paper NetPrice  is 1.99

Fred Meyers

Apple $.88
Tillamook cheese 4.99 limit two,  coupon in ad
Dryers ice cream 2/5 , coupon in ad
Di Giorno Pizza $3.99 coupon in ad
Raspberries or BlackBerries 2/5
That's about all.

Thanks for stopping by. Please share. Jane







I don't know how this popped up in my blog.  We had this at Christmas.  Yum.  I'm sharing my e mail.

A Taste of Home Cooking

---

Yorkshire Pudding Posted: 17 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST Another staple on our Christmas table is Yorkshire Pudding. I'd never heard of it before my stepdad joined our family more than 25 years ago, but it's similar to popovers - crusty on the outside and custardy on the inside. In the years when my stepgrandmother made Christmas dinner I always assumed the Yorkshire pudding was a difficult thing to make. The year I took over making dinner I was worried about getting it right. It turns out Yorkshire Pudding is very easy to make. I've never had enough beef drippings to make it with those so I just use melted butter. This year's version was especially beautiful. Yorkshire Pudding The Joy of Cooking 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/4 cup beef drippings or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together the flour and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended. Heat a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and add the drippings/butter, then add the batter all at once. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Don't open the oven while the pudding is baking. Remove from the oven and cut into squares. Serve immediately - this is best eaten piping hot.

Today

Today  is a prime example of why I stock food. And, why I keep a certain amount of easy to cook meals already prepped. There's no way with a broken arm and a sprained foot on the opposite sides of my anatomy I could cook a scratch meal and go to the grocery store.  It really helps to be prepared.

Oops, went to the mailbox.

Oops, I went to the mailbox and twisted my ankle and fell on my arm.  Broke my elbow, they think.  Guess that's what I get for having the oddisity to go to the mailbox?,LOL

I did go to the QFC yesterday.  Lucky for me, today it would be a hardship.  I saved 51 percent between ads and coupons.  Tillamook ice cream was 3.33 and I had a dollar coupon, making it 2.33.  I did not buy the oranges because they didn't look good, and they substituted the blueberries because their shipment had a problem.  That's why I like to make meal plans after the store. I could not get more than a 4.50 pound chicken.

Yogurt for Yoplait was 10 for four dollars. In  addition I had a $.40 coupon which made it $3.60 or, basically , getting one free.  Free  is a very good word when you're trying to operate on a thrifty budget.

I didn't buy everything on the list that I posted yesterday because a lot of it we already had. I was trying to show someone  how you could start to stockup and still spend  an allotment of $75 a week or $300 a month . This senecio would leave the dark meat of the chicken and 14 cans of vegetables and beans.  After a while if you continue to stock up on the lowest priced items, your meal plans will be more varied and you will develop a stronger stockpile.  . Finding  your stock items at the lowest price affords you the opportunity to have a variety of foods and more of them.

You can start out by allocating yourself a certain amount for stocking , a certain amount for meat rotation and a certain amount for perishables. But soon you will find that you going to buy your perishables and the meat and sometimes you will buy stock  items and sometimes you won't depending on what the sales are for the week.  I keep track of how much I am spending on a spread sheet so I don't go over budget.

Yes that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by. We share. Jane

Thursday : virtual shopping trip

I'm going to do something different today. I'm going on virtual shopping trip.  Let's get started. I am also dictating this .we will  see what the reader does with auto spellcheck.  LOL.

Will start with QFC. I'll buy a

5 pound chicken at $.99 a pound.
2 lbs strawberries at 2/5
2 pkg Flour tortillas 2.00
Sour cream 1.00
Pasta, spaghetti , and elbow Mac 2.00
Frozen French fries , 4 pounds 2.00
Cheese 3/10. Three pounds, grated or solid
Pan bread 2/4, 2 loaves
Blueberries 2/5
Hillshire farm smoked sausage 2.50
Ice  cream  2.33 ( 3.33 w dollar coupon )
Yogurt 10/4 w .40 coupon is 3.60

Total 43.40 approximately, I did it in my head.

Top foods
20 cans of stock up items , 12.00
4 kidney beans
4 black beans
4 refried beans
4 cans green beans
4 cans diced tomatoes

2 lbs carrots .89
Butter 1.99

Total 14.88

Ok that's the trip.   58.00 and change.


Part of this would stock.  Assuming you haven't stocked before but have a few staples on hand, you could eat and still have food left.

I see

Bean and rice burritos.
Chicken soup and quesadas.
Chicken Alfredo with spaghetti noodles
Chicken dinner.
Sausage and bean soup
Sausage and peppers stirfry with rice.
Mac and cheese
Blueberry  waffles, yogurt parfaits,

7 dinners, Sunday breakfast and  Oatmeal. Fruit, yogurt for the rest of the week.  Leftovers for lunch.

 Assuming a 75.00 budget, you have 17.00 left to fill in the meals.

Eggs , milk ( 6.00)

Peas, rice, mixed veggies , peppers! Cookies From the dollar store ( 5.00)
Canister of oatmeal 3.00
Potatoes 3.00

Total 75.00

That's assuming you have limited things on hand and have not stocked.  By stocking, you can have a more varied meal plan, and take advantage of other things when they are on sale. The canned items are not on sale every week.
You are  going to use six of the 20 cans, leaving a stock of 14 cans.  If I didn't already have a stock, I would buy at least ten more cans.  I could do that because I already have rice, oatmeal, and pasta that I have got on sale cheaper than these prices.

This post sounds disjointed, bit it would be the way I would plan my shopping trip if I had not already stocked our shelves.

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Jane

Elizabet rose and the simpler days.

Many years ago I designed a simple girl figure with a upbeat personality.  She's a young girl with wisdom beyond her years.  Part funky fashion designer, part smart mouthed teenager. "Life" ,she says, " was much simpler when boys had cooties and your clothes didn't have to match.  "

Her name was Elizabeth. She just came back  into my life.  I think her name,appropriately,should be Elizabeth D Rose.  

This has nothing at all to do with  groceries on the cheap, other than to say that creativity in life whether  it is on the kitchen or the studio, can enrich your live and the live of others.  That extra spice to a dish can make a big difference in cooking on the cheap.  That cinnamon on the apple pancakes , or the cumin in the taco mix can make a real difference.  

I Digress, the ads because it is Wednesday 

SAFEWAYS 

Roast 2.99

Chicken .99

Blues 2.99

Friday five dollar specials

Strawberries 2 lbs

Black Forest cake

TOP

CHUCK ROAST 2.99

Refried beans, beans,corn, green beans, diced tomatoes 10/6 note you must buy six,mix or match . 

Haggen  pasta 1.00

Pears .89

Butter 1.99@@

Carrots 2 lbs .89@@

ALBERTSONS

This was a test.  I wanted to see if it was possible  to use your carry-over coupons to make best use of the money you would save if you took advantage of their specials last week.  

Bone in pork chops 1.48

Apples .98

Snack pack .88

Hunts pasta sauce .88

Kens salad dressing 1.58$$$

QFC

Chicken 1.00

strawberries 2/5

Tillamook ice  cream 3/10$$

Mandarins 3.99

Nalleys chili 1.00

Barilla pasta 1.00

Thursday-Sunday

Yoplait 10/4$$

Blues 2/5

Colgate 1.00$$

Please note differences in prices.  $ means there's a manufactures coupon out there in cyberspace. 

@Means there's in ad  coupon.

  My picks this week would be QFC and TOP food. Top foods because of the chuck roast and the  can goods that have a good stock up price . Butter is also a good price.  

QFC is good on fresh chicken .   ice cream is a good buy with a coupon. The fries are the same good price as Freddie's had last week.  barilla  pasta is a dollar also is  Nalleys chili. Thursday to Sunday 

Yoplait yogurt is 10 for four with a  manufactures coupon out their to make it even a sweeter deal.  franz  bread is two dollars.  Along with toothpaste and there are coupons too.  

Terrific Tuesday! January 14

My daughter tagged me an article on Facebook.  Ot was titled " feed a family on 50.00 a week.,   It Basicly was the same tried and true principles that I write about all the time, Sans the stockpiling part.  .  I don't know when this  piece was written, but 1.50 a pound meat is not really realistic now.
My plan is a bit more, Basicly we eat about sixty dollars a week and I spend a little more than that, 75  on a good price week, but less other weeks. Their meal plans were not as hearty either.

Recipes are all over, everyplace you look, you can find new recipes.  Some call for ready made ingredients that can be a bit pricy , but substitutions are a good fox.  Women's magazines, the Internet, my e mail box has weekly recipes from Betty Crocker, backs of packages, even a candle I was given as a gift had a recipe on it.  Trying new recipes keeps meal times interesting.

We had taco rice skillet last night for dinner.  It was on Betty Crocker website,  Basicly taco meat, corn ( my corn had peppers and beans in it) salsa, and rice.  Top with cheese.  We added sour cream and some tortilla chips.  No box here.  No more time than using the box either.  I make my taco meat ahead and batch cook.  Ot makes dinner time less hectic.  Microwaves defrost things in a snap.  Taco meat can be banged on the counter to break up and cooked I'm the microwave for a couple of minutes for tacos, or just added to th skillet for taco rice skillet.

So far this week , we have had

• Pizza ( pepperoni was .50 at the dollar store with a coupon.  
• Blue cheese hamburgers.  
• Salmon 
• Taco rice skillet

We go out with friends in Tuesdays to a happy hour someplace.  Last week we went to the claim jumper and I had a Caesars salad and a six  inch pizza for 6.00.  Tonight we are going for all you can eat lettuce tacos for five dollars.  Personally, or would rather have three tacos with more meat on them.  I can only have three or four tacos to maintain my carb limit, and I'm not getting much cheese and meat for my five dollars.  That works for the guys that can eat 12 tacos.  LOL.  

That's 1 pork, 2 beef, 1 fish.  To complete my matrix we will need a pork or chicken and a vegetarian.  I'll count the tacos with a tablespoon of meat and a butt load of lettuce with a garnish of cheese and tomato as vegetarian ! lol.  

I'm only telling you what we eat so that you can see my thought process.  Your menus will reflect your family's taste.  Basicly, we can eat plenty of good food on our budget.  If you stock and have more momey on snap, you can add a better cut of meat every now and  then.   It's easy to spend more, having food left over at the end of the month and eating well on a more than thrifty budget is a bit harder, doable, but harder.  

I try for close to two dollars a pound ( or meal) for meat.  That's an average.  I can get sausage , ham and pork loin for that.  Chicken I can get for a buck or less.  That can offset the three dollars I have to pay for beef.  These days I pretty much am left with good hamburger and a pot roast sometimes.  As the USDA predicted, I can find ready made beef tips and BBQ pork or beef for around three dollars a pound with coupons and a sale.  I also augment the protein with cheese , rice and beans, and eggs.  

Being flexible and taking advantage of the meat you can find on sale is a way to eat well and lower you food bill.  Protein is traditionally the most expensive food group on your plate.  

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Jane 

A blog before coffee!!!

It's really early for me and I have a busy day.  Hence,I'm  writing thos even before I get my coffee.

We did go to Fred Meyers yesterday.  That was my 2nd store for the week.  A lot of things were on sale and I had coupons.  Milk was 1.25 a half gallon.  Salsa was on sale for 2/4 and I had a coupon,
The strawberries were delightful.  The frozen fruit on ad did not have any 24 ounce packages.  At 16 ounces, the price was iffy.  I need to check Costco and grocery outlet to see the best price.  I froze some blueberries last summer.  We like blueberry banana oatmeal bread and blueberry pancakes and waffles. -remember to coat the blueberries with a little of the dry mixture so they incorporate into the batter better.

French fries were 2 pounds for a dollar.  The cheapest I have found them is a dollar a pound at the dollar store.  We have BBQ pork I got really inexpensive with coupons  and add the .50 a pound for fries and some coleslaw and you are still  under the five dollars.  I try to keep processed meat down to one meal a week.  Moderation , in my opinion is the key .

Four plus one is Five....Four people, one meal, five dollars.

We had salmon,rice, and a fruit cup last night.  That was a more than five dollar dinner.  I'll average it with a quiche or other cheap dinner another night.

  I cooked the rest of the hamburger meat to freeze.  It is surprising to see how little water came out of the hamburger.  Very little fat.  When I cooked a meat loaf with 20 percent fat, the meat loaf underpan was full of fat.

Keeping your meat budget down per meal is a must.  Because the price of meat has gone up 30
percent, it is getting harder to serve a slab of meat.  We rarely have pork chops, hamburgers, or a roast beef.  I still can serve proper protein by having things like casseroles, tacos, etc where the protein is augmented with cheese or eggs.

I found a pulled pork recipe.  The problem is that it was 1.79 a pound last time.  I have seen it as cheap as a buck a pound.  ( pork shoulder) . It calls for five pounds of pork.

Pulled pork BBQ

Rub
2 T chili powder
1 T onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1-1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

5-6 lb pork shoulder roast, cut in half.
4 - 1/2 cups water

2 cups BBQ sauce

1) dry roast with a paper towel.
2) rub the dry rub on the roast.  Cover and let stand in the fridge overnight.
3) uncover roast place roast in slow cooker
4)  add water
5) cover and cook on low 10 hours.
6) remove from cooker and shred meat with fork.
7) return to empty cooker with 2 cups of BBQ sauce and 3 cups of strained broth.
     Cook an additional 2 hours.


The USDA said the effects of the drought would be seen well into 2014.  Now there is a dairy scare.  I dont think that that will materialize.  Other than freezing cheese, there os not a lot you can do to hedge on that one.

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Jane

Suddenly Sunday

There was a big football game on yesterday and my husband bought me the Sunday paper.  I was thinking it was Sunday all day.  My daughter went out to lunch with a girlfriend and my husband went to a football party, I had the day to spend on my studio.  I got a lot done. valentines Day product has to hit the stores soon.  LOL

We had blue cheese burgers for dinner.  With the cost of beef these days, groceries on the cheap doesn't leave a lot of room for sinking your teeth into a whole piece of meat.  It was a really good treat.

Taking advantage of coupons and matching them with sales can make a big difference in the cost of your food.  You can eat well, and not spend your whole allowance for food.  There is another opinion in how to save on food out there.  It is based on the fact that if you don't eat from the inside of the isle  of the grocery store and only buy just what you need each week, you will save money.  Paying full price for food is just plain stupid.  Not eating beans, or rice and having no flour or salad oil or spices is also not very logical to me.  And, not having any backup reserve is also not an option for me.  We have storms in his part of the country.  Also, being left with no food in the fridge is not smart.  It forces you to go the store whether you feel like ot or not.  When you have to drag your but to the store, you don't make informed decisions.  When there is a disaster, you will be forced to pray on the generosity of those of us that stock.  In my opinion, it just not a sound practice. I guess maybe it is because that was not the way I was brought up.  My parents survived the Great Depression. It left it's mark on their way of thinking.

It does take some planning, somedue diligence    in managing your fridge and pantry.  Marking the shelves helps.  You know at a glance how many of something you have.  When the section of the shelf is full, you don't need any more.  Taking a good look at the fridge mid week, allows you the luxury of using up the bits  of things that are left.  It's a good day for a crock pot soup or stew.

There are times when the fridge seems empty, but we always have cheese and the basics of root veggies and most of the time sour cream and milk.  I have a back up supply of dry milk to use on a pinch, even though it costs more than fresh milk.  I almost always have brown and serve baguettes so we are not completely out of bread.

My husband informs me that we have a six  months supply of recipe starters.  I have been getting them for free.  There is not a large stock of them left at the dollar store, so I don't think that will be a problem.  I only "buy " them when I have a coupon and they are free.

The average SNAP that I have seen from the people that consult with me os 300.00 for a family of three .  They have cut that by 5 percent.  If a family is used to spending the average of 150.00 a week for food, they are rapidly going to have a problem living on the three hundred dollars a month food budget.  It is believable to eat on that. But not without some effort.


Let's break down some good, but inexpensive meals.

1) pizza, green salad when greens are inexpensive, fruit when it is not.
     Pizza crust 1.00 ( big lots) or scratch
     Pepperoni .50 ( dollar store with a coupon)
     Cheese ( 1/4 pound at 3.33 a pound at QFC) .84
     Tomato sauce ( 1/2 can ALBERTSONS .25
     Total. 2.59

2)  pasta primavera
      1 can recipe starter ( basil flavor) free at dollar tree with coupon.
       12 ounces pasta ( .88 at Fred Meyers). 66
       4 ounces cheese .84
       1 pkg veggies frozen  1.00 ( dollar store or QFC)
       1/2 cup sour cream .50 ( 1.00  Fred Meyers) or milk and some flour to thicken
Total 3.00

3) HORMEL BBQ beef or pork ( with coupon at QFC) 2.99
     Buns free at the bakery outlet
     French fries  ( 1 pound at Fred Meyers .50-- 1.00 for two pounds)
Total 3.50

This is all possible because of stocking and buying only the specials.  Some things can be frozen, some have a long shelf life, pasta for instance. Take advantage of what's free or on sale and incorporate it into your meal plans.  It's a little work. The rewards are  a small food bill , the peace of mind that there is always food in the house, and the smug satisfaction that you did it.

For a family not on SNAP, half price groceries saves the average family 4000.00 a year.  What would you do with an extra 4000.00 in your budget?

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.  I don't get money for this blog. I am trying to help people either get by on their SNAP
Allotment and have food left at the end of the month, or save money if they are not on snap.  I throw out ideas, what you do with the is your call.  I just want to help as many people as I can.  A lot of people are hurting, unemployment is still high, and many are underemployed.

Jane

Eventful Saturday: Rite Aid and Fred Meyers for tomorrow.

After taking almost an hour to get into google to post this, a "tree" falling on my car, and a mishap with granddaughters toilet training, I am spent and the day has just begun! LOL

My husband brought me the paper for tomorrow.  He also brought me a can of recipe starter that he purchased with a coupon for free.  We got one yesterday too along with two 3.50 packages of pepperoni for a total of .50.  That's 9.79 cents if you bought it straight out at the store, for a total of .....wait for it   .50.  That's extreme couponing.  I realize that some foodies wouldn't buy the stuff in the first place, but it is good food from name brand companies.  And,when you are on a strict thrifty budget, a pepperoni pizza or a casserole made of pasta, 9 percent meat and a tomato starter is good food.  

I am not seeing any bargains at rite aid.

Fred Meyers  has a very short ad for food.  Remember this ad starts tomorrow.,

Pot Roast  is 2.88
Loin chops are 1.99
Strawberries 2/5
Butter 2/4@@
Milk 4/5 ( 1/2 gallon ) includes chocolate milk and on @@
FM yogurt 3/1 @@
Hillshire farm smoked sausage 2/5@@ check for a matchup
Sour cream 10/10 remember,you some have to buy 10
Cottage cheese 2/4
Frozen French fries 2 lbs 10/10. That's a real bargain.
Pasta .99
Peanut butter 3/5 @@

Note 2-3/4 lbs deli chicken 8.99.  Do the math.  Regular chicken raw would be 2.75 or less.

Please note that there are a lot of really good coupons in tomorrow's paper.  Several are for a buck and the paper at the dollar tree is a buck.

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Jane

Life is just one big balancing act

My son walked in a few days ago . He had been to the sample shop that was open before Christmas to benefit charity. His big purchase was three light up juggling balls.  He's really good at it.

It reminded me of my life.  My entire life since adulthood.  It's just one big juggling act, a big balancing act.  Trying to do everything that needs to be done and then some,

I run two businesses, work two days a week, take care of my granddaughter, run the house, write a blog, and belong to a service group for women.

I think that's why I am also for a balanced approach on grocery shopping on the cheap.  I coupon.  I do not spend 40 hours a week couponing.  I also don't buy 93 bottles  of hot sauce, or 120 candy bars.
I spend about two hours a month couponing-- an hour at the beginning of the month downloading the new months coupons, and about 10-15 minutes a week checking the match up web site for good matchups.

I think what I am saying is that groceries on the cheap is not my whole life.  I probably don't spend more time than the average family on grocery shopping.  I have learned to "make up any tome I spend on the front side of grocery shopping ( planning) on the cooking part.  Night before last we had a taco rice skillet from scratch.  It didn't take any longer than a hamburger meal box, but it was scratch, not out of a box.  Last night we had steak strips with veggies over rice and fruit cup.

There is a balance.  A balance in serving protein, veggies and starch in proportion, a balance in not spending your whole day grocery shopping, or planning your meals.  A balance in buying just the amount you need to get you through until the next time something is on sale.


Life is just one balancing act.

What to do with  what you got.

SAFEWAYS has good hamburger for 2.99.  Good hamburger is best for meatballs and meatloaf where you can replace the fat that isn't in the meat with veggies that will maintain some moistness.
Taco meat and crumbles can be defatted to render them with less fat than a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Apples are on sale.  I see an apple cake in my future. Oranges are cheapest at Fred Meyers, a difference of half.  Orange quick bread or muffins are good for breakfast.  Also good side for breakfast for dinner.  Ditto berries.

Unless I am baking, olive oil is my oil of choice.  It boosts the good cholesterol.

What not to buy:  roasted chicken on the deli at SAFEWAYS os 6.49 for 30 ounces.  That is a little less than two pounds.  Forgive me for repeating myself.....

• That os a net of 3.25 a pound.  That is over three times what it cost last week for raw chicken whole.  And well over three times when it was .79 a few weeks back.  
• Less than two pounds means that you are paying too much for bone and getting little chicken.  Three pounds os the break even point and more is gravy.  
• It takes about ten minutes to put a chicken on the oven.  Do the math.  Never mind the balance of meat to bone ratio, cooked chicken is 6.49.  Two pounds of sale chicken is 2.00 ( or less) difference 4.50 rounding.  Remember,get we also rounded the weight.  Ten minutes is 1/6 of an hour .  Six times 4.50 is 27.00 an hour.  With no taxes, that means to clear that much you would have to make 33.00 an hour.  

Remember, you want to average five dollars a dinner.  London broil is 2.99 a pound.  If you have a couple of I expensive meals, you can still have steak and stay on budget.  

I am writing this blog as if you are on snap and have an average of three hundred dollars or so for two to three people.  You can always spend more, learning how to spend a lot less is harder.  

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Jane