The ads

QFC has a two week ad.  Methods os the second week for these deals.

Berries 2/4
Broccoli .99
Milk 4/5
Oranges .88
Strawberries 2/5


Haggens
Mangos 5/3
Spinach .89
Nalleys chili .99@@


ALBERTSONS
Tillamook yogurt .38@@

Coupon mania
Hunts BBQ sauce .99@@
Frozen entres .78@@

SAFEWAYS
Corn 4/2
Berries BOGO.  Hard to tell if that's a good price or not.
Chicken .88
Coffee 7.99$$?
Brownie mix .99@@

Five dollar Friday
Bushes beans 5/5$$
Solid white tuna 5/5

There are a just for you coupon for three dollars off of twenty.  

With some effort, you could probably,come up woth twenty dollars worth of good buys.  

thanks for stopping by.
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Jane

My marathon cooking

I have a five pound chicken that we purchased for .88 a pound at Fred Meyers.   I also have a six pound pork loin I purchased for 10.38.   Total about 15.00.  

Today in 40 minutes, I marathon cooked it all-- kinda sor of.  

I put the chicken in a crockpot with carrots on the bottom and a dry rub.  Cook it for an hour a pound on high.   Makes for good breast meat and the rest is like pulled chicken for sandwiches, tacos, casseroles etc.

I butchered the pork loin into

• Two packages of two pork chops. 
• A two pound roast  for roast pork, BBQ pork sandwiches 
• A crockpot 1/2 full of pork cubes being slow cooked on salt, pepper, beer.   For pork stew, and tacos, or enchiladas, or to put in a soup.    

12 meals for us for 15.00.    Now, there are only two of us that eat meat.   I would guess that nine meals could be had for a proverbial family of four ( two adults and two school aged children) I'm not talking teen age boys here! LOL.   

This is a quick marathon session.  It takes me a whole lot longer when I do ten pounds of hamburger into 

• Meatballs
• Meatloaf
• Hamburger crumbles 
• Taco meat

On another note, I found a u tube a fellow made making a tex-mex dinner of refried beans, Spanish roce, and enchalladas.  I was mostly interested in a quick and easy enchalada sauce. I found it as cheap as fifty cents, but homemade would be cheaper.   

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Jane 

10 ways to save bucks on food.

After watching numbers is videos on cheap eats, I feel compelled to wrote ten ways to saveon groceries   without eating chickpea tofu or potatoes, breaded chicken, carrots and corn bread....can you spell pure starch!     LOL. To each his own, but it's not mainstream in my eyes.

I digress. Here goes.

1. Stick to coffee tea, milk, and water out of the tap.    Herbal teas are really good, and make good iced tea.  Fruit teas can be found at the dollar tree or on sale with coupons. Sodas are expensive and have little food value.   
2. Avoid the chip isle .  Popcorn in bulk (Costco) is cheap and actually healthy when popped with an air popper.   
3. Think out of the box  and try new recipes,knowing that simple foods cost less and are easier to cook.   
4. A hop the perimeter of the store.  The big sellers are going to be at eye level on the shelves.   Manufacturers pay for shelving fees.  Those fees are going to be passed on to you.  Look up and look down.    Buy fresh fruits and veggies that are in season.   You get  better taste for less money.   Buy typical holiday foods when they are in sale at or nearly after the holiday.   
5. Stock your staple items.  Those are things you go for frequently when cooking dinner that are shelf ready.   Set yourself a quantity limit and a price limit.   That would be the rock bottom price (RBP) That  it sells for.   The object is to replenish when the proce is at it's lowest.   
6. Don't be brand loyal.   Store brands are often lots cheaper.  
7. Don't be grocery store loyal.   Show the two stores that have what you need at the lowest prices that week.   Go, get what you,need, and get out.  The  longer you stay in a store, the more money you will spend.  
8. Buy the protein loss leader for the week.   Buy it in bulk, cook it if appropriate and portion control in packages you will need for one meal.   Rotate meats on a monthly basis. 
9. Plan meals.   Write an outline that best suits your family and is still within a Budget.  Our matrix is 2 beef, 2'chicken or pork, 2'vegetarian, and 1'fish or shellfish,  plan some quick and easy meals to avoid the let's go through the fast food line or order pizza syndrome.   
10. Keep track of your vegetable bin and adjust meals to incorporate things that need to be eaten soon.   There are apps that let you plug in an ingredient and it tells you,what you can make. The USDA also has an ap that takes the guess  work out of  knowing if a particular food is good to eat.    

Fred meyers haul!

We did go to Fred Meyers.

I spent 37.61 with coupons


1 chicken
1 French fries 1.89
English cucumber
Milk
2 pkg granola bars
Hummus
Cheese
Blues
Strawberries
Raspberries
Butter

I need to work the meal plans and include the produce I bought.

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Jane

Happy Mother's Day

Since I can't sleep and I have already cleaned the bathroom and reorganized the shelves, I thought I would get  a head  in a Mother's Day post.   LOL

There was a show in the 50's called I remember MAMA.   I was laying  here thinking of all the things that stood out about my mother.   My grocery shopping Savvy came from my mother and a whole lot of reading and trial and error.   I am still evolving.   My mother had many talents.   I miss her every day.  

On another subject.   There are a lot of organizational posts on u tube.  Many are from young people and their dollar store hauls.    The best organizational tip for your kitchen is to put things where you use them.   The less steps you can take to get a job done,the more jobs you can do .   The more you do by scratch in the kitchen, the more money you can save.    I have the coffee and tea pots on the kitchen counter above the dishwasher. It's next to the sink so filling the units is easy. The  cupboard above the dishwasher  has cups, tea, and teapots.  

Unloading the dishwasher, if you pull all of one thing out at a time and stack plates and bowls, you are taking one trip to the cupboard to out them in.   I know some people that set the dinner table on the morning as they unload the dishwasher.   It saves a step and the table is ready for dinner.  

Prepping food as it comes home from the store, or sometime afterwards when you have the uninterrupted time, saves tome and money.  I just saw  a clever lady make hummus, place it in portion cups ( Betty crocker at the dollar store- several in a package) .  Then she cut pita bread and packed it on a quart zip lock.   It was all ready for her to grab out of the fridge  and take to work or for kids to take to school.  

Getting organized is a real key to savvy grocery shopping and carrying the idea in through to meal plans and using up perishables before they go bad.  

Checking the fridge and incorporating things on the edge onto your meals is a real money saver.   Use the USDA app to check the actual pull dare on foods before you toss them.  Obviously of they are growing hair prettier than yours,they need to get pitched.  LOL.

It takes so,e effort to stay in top of things, but the savings are well worth it. You spend more time managing your stock and shopping, and less time cooking.    It all averages out.   After you get into a routine, it actually probably takes less time than you took before.  

I do less than I did before the store closed, but in some ways I do more.  I expanded my business and still keep house and babysit and belong to a women's group.  

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Jane

Big savings- Fred Meyers

Fred Meyers has really good buys this week.  

Tillamook cheese  - 2 lbs, limit one 3.99
Foster farms chicken .88
Berries 2/4
Good ground beef 3.88
Tomatoes .97
English cucumbers .99
Broccoli. .99
Tillamook yogurt .39
Dreyers 2/5@@
Butter 3/5@@
Milk .99@@

That's about all


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Jane

The ads 5-5-15

The ads.  I'm not impressed this week.  Fred Meyers was about the best on Sunday that I see.  None the less, here are the ads.  

Groceries on the cheap is a different way of looking at how you shop and cook food.  The basis of it comes from my mother.  I have been working in the concept of good food cheap for about fifty years now and have perfected a system that works.  It works in any economy, anytime.   I spend
Seventy five dollars a week for my husband and I and supplement my daughter and her daughter.  With that, I have amassed  a large pantry.   I am in perishable foods only mode with feed exceptions to pare down the stock.    Ot will be interesting to see what the stats for the next few months play out.  

Basically, the mantra is never pay full price for anything.    You buy when your staple items and a meat is at it's lowest, and eat when it is the highest price.    I take the  so called loss leader of meat and I buy enough to last us for a months worth of that type of meal.   I precook if appropriate and freeze.  Working on a four week cycle.   I have a matrix for meal plans that makes it  easier and faster to set your meals for the week.

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

Your matrix may be different.   Use whatever works for your family.

This is more detailed on earlier posts.   

I digress....the ads 

SAFEWAYS 

Strawberries 2 lbs 3.88

Cantelope  .69

Salads 2/5

Corn 4/2

Yoplait 5/10

Kens salad dressing bogo$$. 

Cucumbers 1.00

Five dollar Friday 

Tulips 

Blues - 18 ounces 

Haggen 

Blues  3.00  - 6 ounces *

Raspberries 5.00- 12 ounces *

Tillamook cheese 3.99 - 1 lb*

Corn 5/3*

Barilla 4/4@@

No bargains here.   Cheese is 5-6 on sake all the time for TWO pounds!  Same brand.   

QFC - two weeks 

Broccoli .99

Berries 2/4 6 ounces

Oranges .88 

Tomatoes ,99

Barilla 3/4**

ALBERTSONS 

Cucumbers 1.00

Salad 2/4

Blues 18 ounces 8.99**

Berries - 6 ounces 3/10 ( 3.33) 

Note wide range of prices for berries.   

Blues  per 18 ounces 

ALBERTSONS.   8.99

QFC 6.00

Haggens. 9.00

SAFEWAYS  5.00 (Friday only) 

So much for ads.  Again, it's a holiday weekend, not much in sales.   

Please share and FOLLOW.   I would like to get my stats up.   Also, what kinds of posts  do you want to see!  There is a comment section!    

Thanks for stopping by 

Jane 

Fred Meyer breakdown

Total spent 29.10
The biggest purchase was a pork loin, actually a half pork loin for 10.34.   I will cut it up and make several meals put of it, freezing some.   It was over five pounds since it was 1.88 a pound,  

• A roast 
• Pork chops 
• Cubes for stew 
• Stir fry 
• Fried rice.   
• BBQ sandwiches sliced thin.   
• 
  

My aunt used to grind a roast leftovers, add  mayo and pickle and use it for sandwiches .   

• Green beans and white corn (6) the limit on the coupon.   .50 beats 1.59. 
• Cherub baby tomatoes 3.49 plus shredded lettuce .88 minus a dollar coupon.   ( tacos) 
• 10 Yoplait at .50
• 2 eggs at .99
• 2 milk at .99
• Mayonaise 1.99

I had no Yoplait coupons this time.   

I made  a salad for a pot luck last night .  

Orzo .45 with coupon 

Pickled asparagus ( dollar store) 

Baby tomatoes cut in half 

Black olives ( on my replenish list ) - my target price is 1.00. 

Orange peppers ( 3/1 at grocery outlet ( Canadian) 

Italian dressing ( .75 a bottle on sale) 

That's about all.   

Thanks for stopping by 

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Jane 

Five frugal things

Five frugal things I used the last few days.
1) got a haircut while they  were 1/2 price.  
2)not six tops that retailed for 35-39.00 for 3.15 each!
3) got a beautiful scarf at the dollar store.
4) spent 28.99 at Fred Meyers and got a cooler full plus two bags full of good actual foods using specials and coupons.
5) bought a new 70.00 top at the goodwill for ten bucks.
Bonus is 6) I made 16 cards with the one sheet wonder I designed!  




You can have a decent lifestyle on a meager budget!    I downloaded the months coupons from coupons,com.   There were not many coupons for real food.

I did buy five plus pounds of pork loin.   We can have pork roast, stirfry, pork chops, pork stew, pork fried rice.    Etc.


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Jane

The Fred Meyer ad

Good time for basic food this week at Fred Meyers .   Milk and eggs are both a buck.    Oranges Are .59.  

Boneless half loin roast is 1.88
Lettuce .99
Apples .99
Broccoli .99
Hunts pasta sauce .89
Pace picante sauce 1.89 ( 16 ounces ). Note the small one at the dollar store.
Yoplait 10/5.

Good ground beef 3.99
Milk .99@@
Canned veggies, tomatoes, beans..49@@ limit 6@@
BREYERS or Klondike 2/5@@

That's about it.  

Lots of basics and some at stock prices.    Beans and tomatoes are a really good buy at .49.  Even if you can only buy six.     It's a good start or fill in.  

thanks for stopping by.
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Jane

Still off the grid.......

I am in a mini vacation.  Our vacation last year was or emptied by my stay at the rehab.    One could only imagine the vacation we could have had with the 1400.00 that I sent for my expensive ride from the hospital to the rehab!   LOL.  Water under the bridge.    We got away just the two of us.    It's been a quiet weekend.m considering there is a wrestling match going on and there are no rooms left in any of the hotels.    We found one , a little sparse, a little noises,next to the freeway, but adequate none he less.    

This vacation has cost a total of 150.00 including gas and food out.   Conversely, I purchased 245 worth of blouses and a scarf for......it's coming...27.00.    Unfortunately I. Couldn't  find any pants  that weren't low rise.     I'll check the goodwill again.    LOL.  

The one sheet wonders save money.  Sets are good gifts especially for shut ins.  

Tonight will roast a pork tenderloin since Monday is the pull date.    Back to the meal plans

I will post Fred Meyers tomorrow or tonight and well get back to the food subject this is supposed to be about.  

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Jane

Still in paper mode...

One sheet wonder with a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper.

Cut the following pieces from the standard sheet if paper.   Decorate if desired.m.

Along the 11 inch side cut one strip at 3 inches.    Now, sub cut this strip into a 3X3 square and two pieces at 1.5 X 5.5.  

Next along the long some cut a strip at 2-1/2.
Cut this strip into two pieces 2-1/2 X 4-1/4

This leaves a piece 5-1/2 X. 8-1/2
Cut 1/2 inch off the 8-1/2 inch side.   You should have 5-1/2 X 8.
Now cut two pieces ea at 2X 5-1/2.  This leaves a 4-1/4X 5-1/2 topper.  
Cards

Solid topper
Stripes of 1-1/2
3 X3 square, matted
2-1/2X 4-1/4 rectangles
2X 5-1/2 rectangles


8 total cards plus a  1/2 inch strip that can be placed on the inside of a cut away top.  

One sheet wonder card pattern

Cut the following out if a 12X12 sheet that is all over,non directional print or a print you make yourself.,  

Cut two strips 5.5 X 12.  

1) on one strip, cut on long side, two pieces 4.25, and two pieces 1.5 inches.   Leaves you 1X 5.5 inch piece.  Cut in half to make 2 ea  1/2 X 5 1/2 inch pieces.   ( trim on two cards.  )

2) on second 5.5 X 12 inch piece, cut lengthwise ( 12 inch side)   6 ea if 1-1/2 inch strips.    This leaves a 3 inch X 5-1/2 inch piece.   Trim off 1/2 inch of the 5-1/2 inch piece.   ( centerpiece if a card)

3) using the 4-1/4 X 5-1/2 pieces, cut on the diagonal.   ( makes four cards.   )


Makes  15 cards.  

4 ea  cards with diagonal trim .  Sentiment along edge of diagonal.  Embellie on the trim.  

4 ea with a trim across bottom of landscape card, about 1/2 inch up from bottom.    Add sentiment and embellies.  

4 each with trim on side of a portrait card.  Sentiment on side and embellies.

1 each card with a 3 X 5 centerpiece of trim.   Add sentiment and embellies.    I might want to cut this down to 3X4.   This would leave you another 1 X 3 inch banner piece.  

2 each cards with 1/2 inch cut off of the right side ( portrait card. ) and trim added to the inside if the card.  

Waste is 1 piece .5 X 3  ( can be used for banners ) and one piece 1 X 1/2.   .  

Seven meals for 32.62--under five dollars a meal average.

These meals do not include basic cooking supplies like oil, homemade soup mix, salad dressing,   The job of costing such things would be a nightmare.    It is, however, under five dollars a meal average.  

Pork stir fry
Egg drop soup
3.99

Scrambled eggs with cheese
Hash brown patties
Strawberries or mixed berries in season
4.30

Roasted pork tenderloin
Frozen chopped broccolli
4 cheese mashed potatoes
4.61

Pizza with
Hamburger crumbles ( or .50 pepperoni from dollar store w coupon)
Cheese
Red peppers ,diced
Black olives chopped
3.66 with hamburger, 3.41 with pepperoni

Meat ball subs
2 sourdough baguettes ( Costco brown and serve)
( cheaper of you can find individual rolls ore baked in bins at grocery at .33)
Meat balls from 2.97hamburger
BBQ sauce,
Green salad or coleslaw.
7.00

Mac and cheese
Peas and carrots
4.81
Macaroni is high fiber in sale with coupon, cheese from Costco, soup mix scratch, top with homemade bread crumbs from heels (free) and parm from at 1/2 of a tub if parm.  
Frozen peas and carrots

Spaghetti with red sauce and hamburger
Parm
Green salad with tomatoes.
4.25


Total 32.62

Substitute meat ball subs with split pea soup 30.02 with soup left over for lunch.  

Split pea  soup
Jalapeño corn bread
4.50

The ads

I got the ads yesterday evening.  We seem to be on the last leg of the mail persons run.    The only good thing is that we can get the mail as soon as it comes.  

The ads are skewed towards Cinco de mayo.   Might be a good thing.   It seems , though, when a holiday happens, so,e stores take advantage of the fact that you are probably going to buy those ingredients at any price,m. Beat them at their own game,     Soft tortillas are to dollars at SAFEWAYS and Haggens.  Fred Meyer has them for a buck and there is a coupon on line for .55.   Net .45 -- that's a savings of  75 percent.  

Haggens
Haggens salsa  3/5
Country ribs 1.99
English cukes .69

Not worth the trip for us. Some of these things are a good price, but we are at a point where we don't need them.  The pantry is full.   Some would say that it would be better if we paid full price and left our money on savings.  I am getting an average of fifty percent on my money.  No bank would give me fifty percent interest.    I am still with stocking, well under the USDA stats for my husband and I and we are supplementing the girls.  


SAFEWAYS
SAFEWAYS is in a five dollar kick.  Just remember because something is 5/5 doesn't mean you have to buy five unless they specifically make that a condition.  

Roma's 5/5 ( the best buy in tomatoes.  They give more flesh for your dollar.  
Tillamook cheese 4.99@@
Five dollar Friday
Pizza

Don't  get suckered in with small bags that are multiple priced.  Cheese 2/5 when the bags are 8 ounces   means you are paying five dollars a pound,  as contrasted to the Tillamook that is five dollars for TWO pounds.  Grated cheese at costco's wholesale is 2.31 ( about) a pound.  It comes Mexican blend and motts.  


QFC

Chicken 100 a pound.  
Grapes 1.88
Tomatoes .99
Sliced cheese 1.99- 6 pounds.   Well over five bucks a pound.
Frozen veggies 1.00- note sizes of packaging varies.  It's only a good buy of it is 16 ounces.  

ALBERTSONS
Tomatoes .99
Corn on cob 3/1
Mission taco chips, tortillas 1.49 when u buy three.  

Buy five, save 5  net prices
Refried beans .89
Red vines 6.99
Enchilada sauce .69
Green chilies .69

Cukes .69

That about it.

Next time five dollar dinners.    Yes, it can be done and they can be nutritious without buying princess Martian  food.  

Thanks  four stopping by

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Jane

I hate hackers

Someone hacked in and changed my password.  It took me a solid hour to fix the problem.   I'm sure that's who is stealing my identity too.   A certain country is hitting tens of times and looking at stuff no one would legitimately look at.  I'd really like to see those creeps caught!    It's frustrating that I have no control over catching them and the people that do don't.  

I digress.  

Fred Meyer ads
Fred Meyers continues to tote new low prices.  
Apples .88
Ground turkey 2.99
Canned veggies .59
Lettuce .99
Tomatoes 1.00 16 ounces
Apples .88
Broccoli .99
Pot roast 3.99
Bread 3/4@@
Ice cream 2/4@@
M and ms 2/5@@$$
Sour cream .99
Mission tortillas .99$$
Tomatoes 2/5$$
Radishes 2/1

Notes:
Tri colour peppers are 3.99.  This last week, I got tri colour peppers 3/1 at grocery outlet, product of Canada.   This  is just one example of  watching your prices and knowing a bargain.  
Ground beef is 3.99.   I paid 2.97 last week at Hagens.   Buy when prices are downs; eat while they are high.  


I continue to buy only fresh perishables and want to see how long we can take to pare down the pantry and freezer.    I have maintained a 75.00 a week budget for some time now,   The first quarter I went over a little, but have been stocking a lot.   It's time  to reap  the benefits and see a true picture
of what we are really eating money wise.   It's got to be less than 75.00 a week.  

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane

Constantly on the lookout..,

The USDA has an app to help you know how long your food os still good after the pull date on the package.    The consensus is that we throw too much good food away in this country.  The app is called FoodKeeper.  

On another note, we  went to Bothell to make some deliveries.   I am always looking and checking other stores for their specialities.    I have noticed lately that some u tubes about dollar tree are showing  things our dollar trees don't have.   I don't buy a lot of decorator type stuff from the dollar tree.   I did, however, buy a mitt made from micro fiber .   It is supposed to clean blinds well.   I walked into the kenmore dollar tree and found ketchup for a buck and their was a .50 coupon on two of them.  Net cost .75.   They had more variety of the cookies in tins.  Pirouline pull date 2016.  Made in the USA.  

Grocery Outlet had Genoa salami for  2/1.00.   Sliced Smoked Gouda  was 2.39.   They also had a wide variety of Annie s organic foods as well as some of the normal stuff grocery outlets carry.   A very large jar of grape jelly was really cheap too.  I remember it was cheap, but I can't remember what  the cost was.  I'm thinking two bucks.  

Guess that's all.  


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Jane

Meal plans

I am a little over budget for the last three. I this.   A out five bucks.    I do have a huge inventory in the pantry and just bought ten pounds of grated cheese.m it is a lot,cheaper in five pound bags at Costco wholesale.    A whole lot cheaper!    Were going on an experiment to see how long we can go just buying perishables.    I went to Costco yesterday and bought bread, milk, and cheese.  


Meal plans

• Salmon,veggies
• Eggs, ham, fruit, hash browns 
• Split pea  soup with ham, jalapeño corn bread 
• Meat loaf , baked potatoes, fruit salad 
• Pizza
• Chicken soup, cheese biscuits 
• Mac and cheese, peas and carrots. 

• Pork stir fry, rice
• Eggs , hash browns, fruit 
• Fish and chips, vegetable sticks, coleslaw 
• Pork tenderloin , scalloped potatoes, peas 
• Pizza 
• Meat ball subs 
• Mac and cheese, peas and carrots. 

Easy no clean up fish 

Layer individual servings in parchment paper 

Spinach 

White beans , cooked or canned 

Fish 

Seasoning 

Green veggie ( broccoli, asparagus, green beans? ) 

Drizzle with olive oil.  

Seal pouches and bake on cookie sheet or sheet pan at 400 degrees for twenty minutes.   Check fish to see if it is cooked.   

From DOITONADIME.    On u tube.   She has a lot of ideas for organizing, and dollar store finds.  Some really good, some depend on your season in life!   She has a toddler!    LOL.  

Thanks for stopping by 

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Jane 

It's a pantry week!

Not much good buys this week. Lucky for us, we shopped several stores last week  and we have plenty of perishables and stock to not shop for a week.   I'll list what's there.   There are a few coupon matchups, I think, I haven't read the fine print on the coupons  yet.  

The only ads this week are for Haggens stores.   QFC has a two week ad.  ( they didn't have much either, but milk is .99 at Fred Meyer and 4/5 at QFC.   We went to grocery outlet yesterday because we had other errands in the area and my husband had to check on something at work.   I got protein Cheerios for a buck, split peas for .99, six asstd sweet peppers for 1.99( grown in Canada) .  

Haggens

Coupon in ad ten off fifty.
This week, I'm not seeing a plan.   Unless you have no stock built because canned goods are .77.  I really don't  need fifty dollars worth if canned goods, but if you are stocking from scratch,twenty percent off of .77 is a good buy.

Organic tomatoes , pint, 2/3
Corn .60
Bushes beans 2/3@@$$
Dreyers  2.99@@
Green chilies .99 can
( if you buy fifty dollars of oroducts, and no more, the discount with the coupon is twenty percent)
Canned goods sale.   With the twenty percent, a can is .62.

• Vegetables
• Beans
• Refried beans 
• Tomato sauce 
• Tomatoes 
• Tuna 

SAFEWAYS 

Five dollar Friday 

Shrimp

Ice cream 2/5

Salad greens 2/5

Life cereal 3/5 

Brownie mix .99@@

Tea 2.99@@

M and M s 2/6$$ ( BOGO print coupon.  ) 

Cherub tomatoes 2/6 $$

ALBERTSONS 

Eggs 2/3@@

Yoplait .38@@

Quarters sale 

Top ramen 3/.50

Tomato paste .50

HORMEL chili 1.00 $$?

Radishes and green onions .50

Shreds and garden salad .75 

That's about all.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please share and follow.   

Jane 

MEAL PLAN /GROCERY MANAGEMENT TOOL

I sat down with an Excel spreadsheet program and made a meal plan/ grocery management form.   I have tried to do inventory sheets and they are too time consuming for their worth.  I have designated spots on the pantry shelf and can see at a glance when inventory is getting low.   Periodically I check dates and rotate the stock so that the oldest gets used first.

The form has two columns, one for things to use up, and one for things needed to fill on to make the meal plans.   One of the best ways to manage meat or protein is to buy the so called loss leaders and batch cook.   By using a matrix for your meals, you have a variety and can rotate out the loss leaders. Ideally you find one " meat" a week.   This week I found several.   It just means that I will spend less next couple of weeks.   I got hamburger for just under three dollars a pound,   it was supposed to be twenty percent, but judging from the fat it gave off, I think it was better than that.    I also got two pork tenderloins and a very large pizza.   The pork tenderloins have a bit of longevity on them and I put up seven pounds of hamburger and froze all but the meatloaf that we ate last night.  Mondays meal is pizza.   We cut the pizza in quarters when it comes from the store.   ( it's too big to fit in the oven or the fridge.  We can top it with everyone's preferences and bake as people get home.
I still have chicken in the freezer so we have a variety of meals.


There are some things that I keep one of in  the pantry for a back up.   As soon as we use that item out of the pantry I start looking for a sale.    I just pulled a ketchup, and found it for .80 at ALBERTSONS.  At that cost with summer coming up, I bought two.    Usually, unless I find a better sale, I can buy the same  brand  at the dollar store.

The dollar store has really good cookies.  MADE in AMERICA . That come in a tall skinny tin.  I bought them because the cookies taste good.( chocolate, right! ) and the tins are good storage for makeup brushes and some things in the craft room.   The can is worth a buck.

I have written  over a thousand posts all in the hopes of helping people.   I will do the basics again, but thought by seeing how the mental process works , some people might get a better picture.   All I know is that the process works.  It takes a little time.   But the operative word is little.   I know there are people that find the  time to cook all day.  I know there are people that find the time to clip coupons for forty hours a week.   Most people I know either work outside the home, or are retired and  volunteer and babysit grandchildren and have busy lives.  While this takes time, it doesn't take a lot of time.   Basically, you spend a little more time shopping and preparing for your trip, and less time cooking.  Batch cooking saves a lot of time.   The up shot of this is that you can put a meal together without a lot of effort, and eat more healthy foods.   Also, you never have an empty pantry and are prepared for life as it comes.    And the best part os that you can do it for less than themUSDA stats for thrifty.   I am still at less than seventy five dollars a week, which is about 15 percent below stats for just my husband and I.  We also supplement my daughter and granddaughter.   It's easier that way when I'm cooking already.

I posted information  I had from a spread sheet I found that was done April 2009.   The price differences are remarkable.   A few things haven't changed much, I think chicken may be Lowe, but a lot has really gone up.   I can still put good meals on the table for a five dollar bill.   Obviously, that is not a steak dinner-- but that is good food.   It's done with smart shopping, watching for bargains, and incorporating inexpensive sources of protein for some meals.  

Just some notes?

Jane