Costco

ot seems almost impossible to get out of Costco for under a hundred dollars.   I did it.....but not by much! LOL.  It was one of those to,Es when we needed to stock on some things that last far more than a month.    It is sooo much cheaper that it is worth the investment.   

Rice is a lot cheaper.    I thought that twenty five pounds was a lot of rice, but we had gone through ten pounds in a couple off months.    I did try every recipe and every way to cook rice until I got a rice that was easy and to our liking.    It finally came down to using a black and decker 16.00 rice cooker.   I have a very large rice cooker, but for four of us, this is a better option.   

Popcorn is 12.00 for a gallon sized container.   That lasts a really long time.   If you factor in how many bags of potato chips and the like you can get for 12.00 even at grocery outlet, it's not hard to see the savings.    Not to mention the fact that it is better for you.    If you air pop ( Kohls  for 15.00) the corn, you can control the butter and salt -- no harsh chemicals that microwave popcorn has.   

Over the counter , Doctor prescribed medicine is a lot cheaper.    So much cheaper that I got a years supply of one of them for three dollars more than a month copay.   It pays to investigate.    My entire SSA check goes for medical, I save as much as I can to reverse that statistic.  It also reduced the amount the insurance pays, and stretches out the doughnut hole.   

Dawn dishwashing soap is the only kind I will buy.  It a lot cheaper on the gallon type jug.   We fill a glass bottle ( shaped like a fish) with it and I lit a bar-those dispenser top on it.    It makes washing dishes easy,   The other thing that makes cleaning pans easier and less harsh in your manicure, is a Brillo brush that you can fill with soap.  ( dollar tree) . 

I priced the cost of bulk pinto beans.   They are more expensive than at the dollar store.   And, yes, they are grown in the USA and have no GMO.   5 cups of beans to a package makes them twenty cents a cup.   

I got ten pounds of organic carrots.    When I got home, I chopped what we had in the produce drawer and bagged them for the freezer.  They are ready for soup.   I also cut celery that speared on my fridge amd froze it.    

My daughter bought a huge bag of fruit at the fresh food stand so we washed it all its vinegar and she juiced a lot.  Peppers were .69 for really big ones.  

I digress 

Hamburger patties were 2.50 a pound in the frozen food section.    Hamburger bins are cheapest at Winco.   You have to look for them.  The more expensive ones are up front.   The smaller ones we prefer ( less carbs) are parallel to the checkouts and further south than the entrance.   

Bananas are always cheaper and not fluctuate with prices through the year.   

About all.     

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Meal plans

Went to Costco.   We were running low on big staple items.   Dawn, popcorn, rice.   

Meal plans using what I have in stock.    

1. Breakfast for dinner - bacon, eggs, raspberry muffins, fruit.   
2. Split pea soup.  Cheezy biscuits  ( use carrots and celery in freezer 
3. Tacos or pizza 
4. Hamburgers , suddenly salad, fruits - hamburger patties were 249- a pound at Costco.  
5. BBQ chicken parts , fries, salad ( thighs) 
6. Fish packets ( green beans ) 
7. Sausage w root vegetables, roasted (radish) 
8. Chicken stir fry and noodles.  ( ramen) 

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

The ads

Fred Meyers Fourth of July ad   TOMORROW

As usual, the holiday is not the best time for bargains, except for picnic supplies.  

• Personal watermelon.  1.99 
• Cherries 1.88
• Tillamook ice cream 2/5@@
• Zucchini .99
• Best foods 2.39@@
• Mustard .79@@
• BBQ sauce .79@@
• Strawberries 3.99
• Corn 5/2 ( .40 each) 
• Coffee 4.99

That's about all.   

If  I was going to pick a rotation, it would be chicken breast ( last day today ) at Fred Meyers and/or 20 percent hambirger in chubs at Safeways.   Safeways also has a basket coupon for 3.00 on just for u.   Of your careful, that makes your meat 2.00 a pound.  Be sure to de-fat it.   Sloppy joes are cheaper than hamburger patties.   Don't buy the sauce in a can.   Homemade is a lot cheaper.  I use a recipe that calls for a base of catsup with mustard, water, and liquid smoke.    

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Facts of life.....

I was watching a untie last night...couldn't sleep.... A lady was talking about why she stocks and doesn't coupon.    I disagree.  You can look for sales and still coupon,,,,double dipping discounts is great.    But, she said something really profound......they were trying to pay off debt load.  She could either work more, or spend less and spending less seemed to be easier.    Working more when I was a single mom would have been finding more daycare, paying more daycare , amd not giving my child my quality time.

Despite the fact that the congress doesn't think the COL went up this year, our mandatory expenses have gone up sixteen hundred dollars.   On our budget that's a lot of money.  That is almost my husband's entire pension for the year.    Since we are getting too old to work amd we have a four year old we are responsible for every afternoon, the only thing left is to spend less.  

Because I have already cut our food bill in half, it is a real adventure to cut in more.    But, cutting it more will give readers more ideas to cut their food bill.  If you are on snap, it might afford you the luxury of a stockpile or the opportunity to have a special treat some of the time.    Having a stockpile gives you the satisfaction of a job well done as well as the security of knowing there is food in the house im case something goes south......and you can't get to a store.  

A lot of grocery stores have been closed because of Safeways and Albertsons merging.   Fortunately, it was because there was another store close buy, but that give you less competition or choices .   Both stores are keeping their names, but the ad prices are the same.  I've taken to calling it alberways .  I don't see the benefit of the redundance of posting both stores ads.   LOL?

 My next step is to cook from scratch efficiently some of the things that I bought ready made previously. I have tried  and succeeded at refried beans that are not fried.    I started making or bread.
It's a lot cheaper even than the bakery outlet.     I made breadsticks in the bread machine. It still took several hours. Pizza dough was almost as long  I was able to put the raw dough in the refrigerator and  Roll it out later.

 It is still possible to get some mixes and barbecue sauce cheaper then cooking scratch. I got barbecue sauce for $.55  memorial day weekend with coupons. Picnic supplies are best stocked on summer holidays.   Using coupons cuts the cost more.    I have got catsup for as low as .75 with no preservatives.   BBQ sauce, the best brand was .55.   Mustard is on sale at Fred Meyers.  You can get these for a dollar at the dollar store year round.    They even have the designer types  of mustard.  

I am sure that scratch cakes are cheaper than mixes, even though I lay a dollar or less for mixes.  I do keep a yellow cake mix on hand because I want the capability of a easy fast desert.     Apple dump cake from Betty Crocker is easy, fast, amd less sugar than other dump cakes.    I'm not fond  of the sugar or price of canned pie filling.    It bumps up the price and plain apples are more desirable,   There is plenty of sugar in the cake mix.

There are recipes for your own cookie and cornbread mixes on the Internet.   I have not priced them, but I would assume that you can buy the ingredients for less money,  

Prices are strange.   Sometomes logic doesn't hold true,   Case in point,  bulk pinto beans are more expensive at Winco in the bulk isle  than the two pound bag at the dollar store.    That price is even cheaper than buying a twenty five pound bag at Costco.     Save your storage space for the things that pay you to buy in bulk.  Rice is cheaper in bulk at Costco.  I , fortunately saved pickle Lars from way back when they came in glass.   We used to have a second big fridge and could keep a gallon of pickles.   With three kids in the house, we went through a lot of pickles.    Now they come on plastic and you probably couldn't get the smell out of it.

You can't always assume that  bigger is better and a calculator from the dollar store can be your best friend,   Costco breaks down unit proces  in ounces.   That makes it hard to compare cans of things.
It's great for dry goods and dishwasher pods, but not much help with cans,   I, constantly doing the math,

One last note.  Proces on cherries are per pound usually, not per bag and weight can tricky,   The bags I checked were almost ten dollars.    Buyer beware!  




Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Dinner......and other notes

We went to Dollar  tree yesterday.  I ran out of rug cleaner and need to clean the stairs .   I also ran out of cupcake liners and had made delicious raspberry muffins with the fleishmans  muffin mix from dollar  tree.  It takes vanilla Greek  yogurt.  

I priced the pinto beans,   They are made in USA and nonGMO.   They are cheaper than Costco's bulk, and cheaper than Wincos bulk.  --.50 a lb.   

There are a few things at dollar tree that are cheaper and work as well as anything else on the market.  

I'm not inclined to buy cheap throw away toys.   The workbooks, on the other hand, are very good.    

You can find good expensive books there,.   The cleaning products are good for the most part.   They carry Brillo products.   I bought a brunch that holds liquid soap.   It's really handy for ore long stuck on thing before the dishwasher.    I keep ot on a small pitcher that sits on the counter.   

They have name brand cosmetics and soaps.   Watch the quantities.   Some are smaller.   Bar soap is name brands,    

Betty Crocker kitchen implements are good.  The measuring cups and spoons can't go in the dishwasher well.  The markings wash off.   But the kitchen shears are good and I like to have several pairs.  When I'm cooking, I change them out often.  I don't want to cross contaminate- especially when I'm cooking meat.   I put them through the dishwasher with the blades separated .   Great for cutting chives or parsley.   They have a small spatula that works great for small jars.   

Some of the things are made in China.   I avoid China made food.   As for other products.  Take a look at the things I your grocery store,    They are made on China too.  So, why pay more-- especially if it is something you are going to throw away...single use items like cupcake liners.    

Sundry items are almost never cheaper at the grocery store.   They are there for convenience and convenience almost always starts with $$$.    

Rarely, does something  made for saving you time, save you money too.    The price of pasta sauce with coupons or on sale with coupons is a rare exception.   By the time you buy the tomatoes to make sauce, you can spend more than ready made.    I got Alfredo sauce for .48 a jar.   The cheese and the cream would cost more.    If you are a foodie and have th Bucks it might be worth it,, but we neither have the excess money nor are we really particular.  It has to taste good, but gourmet isn't our middle name,   LOL.  

I can cut up my own fruit. I control how I clean it and how big the pieces are and it's lots cheaper.   

Studies have proven that washed greens are cleaner than of you wash them at home.   They tested washed greens,  then, they washed the greens.   They had more germs after washing than before.   

I can't spend all day in the  kitchen and I am retired.  I would venture to bet that working mothers can't either, besides working, they have to shop, pay bills, clean house, and take children where they need to be-- not to mention the laundry.   Been there, done that,  you can involve children in cooking.  There  is a lot of lessons to be learned -- everything from how to fold on an ingredient to fractions in measuring,   Some adults I've seen on u tube don't know the difference between a liquid measuring cup and a dry one.   Glass measuring cups are for liquids because you can get a more accurate measurement .  Dry measures fill to the top and you can level them with a case knife.   Also, of you are baking and have two liquid ingredients  , you can use the same cup and bring the sewing ingredient to the combined total measurement.  IE measure 1/2 cup of oil, then if the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of water. Add water to the 3/4 line. 

I usually mix all the wet ingredients and then all the dry ingredients in different bowls.   Them fold one onto the other.   Over mixing makes the dough tough.   I also break eggs in a separate bowl just in case one is bad.   Mesinplas bowls are 4/1 at the dollar store. 

Also, over mixing your mixture of ground meat can make it tough too.    

Speaking if meat, jenne-0 turkey bacon is at the dollar store.   Eggs are at the dollar store for a buck a dozen,   Also. They are a dollar at Walgreens this week too.   Dollar store also has Betty Crocker mixes, uncle ben's rice, zatarans , Libby's,   There are other things on the freezer that are name brands, be careful, they are sometimes more expensive than the regular store.   Name brand catsup is always a buck.   I have got ot for .80 at Safeways lately.    The BBQ sauce is more expensive at dollar tree than on sale .   Hunts  pasta sauce is more expensive too.    

The linens at the dollar store are poor quality.   The Best Buy I have found for kitchen linens is to buy seasonal , holiday linens at a regular store or Joanne's -- past the season.   They are marked down sometimes  as low as 90 percent.   They dry the dishes, who cares what print they have on them.  You can out out whatever season is aooropriate and use the rest.    My mother one time got towels with turning leaves on them for a dime.  She bought each of we three girls and herself ten of them.  Virtually, four of us got 40 towels for the price of one or two.  

Now you know where I learned to shop wisely.   LOL.   

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Chicken noodle casserole

Stop by step chicken noodle casserole.  Defrost peas and place them  in bottom of greased (Pam) baking dish,  

Divide bag of noodles in half.  ( I weighed six  ounces since three of us eat meat. ) 

I boiled water, salted it, amd cooked noodles until they were tender. ( you can cut the, easily with a fork.) 

I defrosted the chicken I cut from bones while de-boning  chicken breasts.  ( cooked) 

Prepare cream base from mix.   Let it come to a boil and thicken.   

I added a couple of handfuls of grated cheese.   

Stor all imgredients together in baking dish.   

Make 1/4 cup bread crumb topping :   Bread crumbs, parm cheese, and  1 T ranch dressing mix. 

The cream soup base, bread crumbs and ranch dressing mix are homemade.   

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Total cost 1.50.   

I would serve it with some Italian bread and / or broccoli.    

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

The ads

THe  ads for this week are for Alberways and QFC.  

Grapes 1,79
Shrimp 3.99@@
20 percent hamburger 2.99
Tomatoes .99
Berries 2/6

Buy5, save 5

Ice cream Bars Asst.    2.49
Ore ida potatoes 1,99
Coffee 6.99

BOGO
Catsup
Tortilla chips
Old El Paso $$
Best foods
BBQ sauce

I don't know the prices of the BOGO, so I can't tell if they are a bargain or not.


QFC

Ground turkey 2.99
Zucchini .99
Berries 2/4
Draper valley chicken .99
Corn 2/1
Yoplait 10/5


Buy 6, save 3. (.50)

Cheerios. 1.49$$
Hillshire farms sausage 2.49$$
Best foods 2,99



That's about it.  


@@.  In  ad coupon needed
$$ there is probably a coupon out there in cyberland.  


Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Winco

I got Ragu for .48.   Cantaloupe for .38 a pound and nectarines for 128.   Blue bunny ice cream comes were 3.25 and olives for .78.  Some of that was with coupons.  Meatballs , 14 ounces .98.   Coupons in Winco web site....expire today. You snooze, you loose!   LOL.



Also there is a u tube that addresses a lot of inexpensive recipes.   It is,called "livimginadime".  Recipe for homemade brown sugar.  

Meals and their cost

7 meals and their cost when bought at RBP.  
For three adults and 1 child or toe adults and two school aged children.  



I don't always cost meals out, it's. Ice everyone and the to do a reality check.  

Scratch pizza , one with black olives and red peppers, one with pepperoni,   2.43 with leftovers

Soup from leftover beef tips ( factor in leftover price ) biscuits 3.18

Chicken noodle casserole with peas and carrots.  2.76

Baked white fish, fries salad.   5.00

Chicken stir fry : chicken pieces. Celery, peppers, ramen noodles, celery and carrots 1.76

Chicken tacos, rice and fried beans 2.05 -

Breakfast for dinner :  blueberry waffles. Vanilla yogurt parfaits,  bacon.  4.20

Total.   21.38.  Average 3.05 a meal.


Notes : pepperoni is at the dollar store and there is in essence BOGO coupon.  
             Peppers were 5/3 at grocery outlet, I cut them in pieces and froze them.

             Black olives. Sliced were .58 at Winco

             Leftover soup from tips we had 1/2 package of meat was 2.00 and 1/2'can tomatoes .25.  Add                      
             Celery and carrots.

              Ten pounds of split chicken breast were ten dollars.   I devones the breasts, saving the tenders aside.   The rest of the bones with meat were cooked for stock and the meat was pulled from the bones.   That left 16 half breasts (1.25 pounds each) chicken tenders, amd two cups of chicken pieces.   19 meal s for .53 a meal.    Meat stretch further if you don't serve individual pieces.    The RDA of protein is 6 ounces per day which should include eggs.

Peas and mixed veggies I paid .60 a pound bag for with coupon at Winco.    Frozen

Fries are a dollar a bag, or five pounds for 300 amd change at Winco, I bought ore-Ida at the dollar tree.  

Use  chicken pieces for stirfry and add a top ramen noodle pack - always dove or sox for a dollar at dollar store.  

Taco kits are a dollar at grocery outlet.   Use the rest of the chicken meat or the chicken tenders , bulk rice and homemade re- fried beans not fried.  

Breakfast for dinner : use waffles homemade or pancakes.  Plain yogurt layers in small tall glass with blueberroes or other chesp  fruit in season and  top  with some granola.  That can be made from scratch too.   I have also found it at the dollar store- a name brand.

Jenne-o turkey bacon is at the dollar store.

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Green enchilada sauce

Gather ingredients : calls for 1.5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock .   

Also I small can of green chillies , drained and rinsed.   

Betty  Crocker  can drainer is a great help.  Drain and rinse.   

Recipe is in a sheet protected from the dollar store.   Keeps it clean.   

Make a roux of garlic in oil and flour.  

Add in vegetable broth and stir until thickened.  Add spices and green chillies.   

Having everything on a tray keeps you from forgetting anything if you are pulled away.  

Take used things off the tray as you use them. 

Simmer finished sauce 30 minutes.  Cool and place in covered container.   Top will skim . 

Dinner

Sausage with oven roasted root veggies

     

Meal plans

Meal plans

1. Sausage, oven roasted root veggies : radish, potato, carrots , Bisquits 
2. Homemade pizza , salad ( pepperoni .50. Homemade crust. Part of a jar of pizza sauce, motts cheese.  
3. Soup from sirloin tip leftovers 
4. Sweet and sour meatballs over rice
5. Breakfast for dinner : blueberry waffles, yogurt parfaits.   
6. Shrimp stir fry 
7. Mac and cheese, ( homemade ) peas and carrots 
8. Sausage and oven roasted veggies 
9. Chicken soup, cheezy rolls 
10. Tacos, rice and refried beans 
11. Speghetti and meatballs, salad
12. BLTs with soup or fries
13. Baked potato bar
14. Baked fish , fries. Fruit salad 

Fred Meyer haul

just a disclosure,   I have spent more this month because of the freezer thawing and needing to replenish at least some of our stock.   We are still lower than the USDA stats for my husband and I and we subsidize the daughter and granddaughter.   Their USDA stats are 69.00 more.  

Google : cost of food at home USDA for your stats.

Our freezer is pretty  much full.

Fred Meyers haul.  3 pounds of beef made 8 dinners ; two approx 5 pound chicken breast made 8 breasts plus some chicken tenders, plus chicken stock and enough chicken pieces for several casseroles and or chicken pizza.   Three Red  Baron  pizzas.   2 gallons of milk, 2 lbs of butter, 2 blue bunny ice creams and 2 suddenly salads that were .50 with coupon and sale.    Low low carb yogurt 

was .40.   I bought four to see if I liked them.   - Kroger spaghetti was .89 and a dollar for chocolate fudge cycles for granddaughter.     

Freezer with labeled bins.  

All the sauces and vegetables and cheese is in the big freezer.   

We came home from the store and my husband cooked the ground beef (7 percent fat ) and separated it into crumbles and taco meat, then seasoned the taco meat.    I bagged it into portion controlled quart bags and then bagged the quart  bags accordingly.   

While he was cooking the meat, I was debonong the chicken split breasts.   They left the chicken tenders on so I cut them off and put them in a separate bag.   The bones and the meat I left on the, are  simmering for stock  and chicken pieces for soup or casseroles or pizza.    Buffalo chicken  pizza is really good.    

Kitchen management is sometimes the key to eating well on four dollars a day budget.   I am still with restocking the freezer less than the four dollars a day and we have more than two weeks worth of meals.    Between kitchen management and purchasing food at least 1/2 price, you can eat well for a limited budget amount,   

At QFC, suddenly salad was 2.69. I paid .50.   Boneless, skinless chicken breast are 6.00 a pound and you don't always know where they came from.    I paid a dollar a pound.  I deboned eight breasts in less time than it took hubby to cook three pounds of beef in the frying pan.    Frozen chicken breast take 8 minutes to cook in the pressure cooker or you can thaw them in the fridge the night before you want to cook them.    

I used 11.50 worth of coupons this week end .    

Sunday notes

Yesterday was a good day to clean out  the freezer and wash the inside.   I took the opportunity to wash the baskets and organize them , putting one vegetable into each basket.    Corn, green beans and edamame , peas and peas and carrots, and mixed veggies.   Potatoes went in the bottom bin.    I'm leaving it to vegetables and cheese until I'm sure it works ok,    That means I have meat and a few things like pizza sauce in my refrigerator freezer.    It has drawers and I marked them with the type of meat with a grease pencil.    ( it washes off) I use a grease pencil for the egg keepers as well, it washes off and I can put the pull date on the top.

Which brings me to refrigerator / freezer/ pantry hacks .

• Pizza sauce is a dollar for a good sized  jar.   It makes about four pizzas. I put the contents of a jar in a ice cube tray and freeze it.    When it is frozen, I dump them in a zip lock bag   
• When I am chopping anything that can go on a pizza during a meal prep, I put veggies in a bag in the freezer door.   Meat can be pulled away in separate bags-- sausage, bacon, ham, chicken pieces - when you are ready to make a pizza you are all ready to make a pizza in a snap.   You can buy thin pizza crusts at big lots or the dollar store, make pizza dough from scratch ( it can be frozen) or buy inexpensive pizzas and add toppings.   Or, use French bread.   
• I freeze cheese, grated.   If  I grate  my own,  I add a little cornstarch . I usually keep ot to motts  and  Mexican blend.   
• Buy bulk -loss leader meats and cook/ portion control when apropriate .   No thawing and cooking - it's really easy right out of the freezer. Thawing cooked ground meat is fast . 
• Foster farms chicken breast is on sale for about a dollar often.   It takes about ten minutes to debone split chicken breast package.    The difference in cost can be as much as five dollars a pound and you know where this chicken comes from.   Not all chickens are alike.   I wrap each half breast separately and then put them all on a gallon bag.   It is easier to get them out of the bag and makes for a more organized freezer.   
• Organizing freezer and pantry space lets you see at a glance what you need to replenish when it's on sale.   Usually, I kept the ads trigger my investigation of stock levels.   
• Dollar store baskets are a good tool to harness small cans - green chillies, tomato sauce, chopped or sliced black olives. 
• Some markers wash off slick services.  You can use them to mark pull dates on lock and lock egg cartons, or on the shelf pulls of the freezer.   Things get lost when they are just stashed willy - Nilly.
• A little time in the freezer and pantry will save you lots of money - not buying things again.   
• Keeping track of things that might go bad and prepping them for the freezer helps eliminate waste.   
• Some people cut cooking time and stress by making crock pot meals ahead and putting them in the freezer.   I would probably forget to take it out of the freezer the night before.   You would probably be more efficient.   
• Having a pressure cooker allows you to cook frozen fast and keep food  moist.    A frozen chicken breast is ready in eight minutes plus the time it takes to come up to pressure.   It gives you time to prepare the rest of dinner while the chicken is cooking.   No watched pot. 
• Slow cookers and pasta cookers are another no watched pot helpers on the kitchen .

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

BRINNER - breakfast for dinner

Tonight's dinner :

BRINNER: eggs, biscuits .50 and bacon .78/2, fruit.   

Restocking the freezer, one piece at a time.

OOPS!  Someone , or a goblin, left the freezer door open or the freezer malfunctioned.    Needless to say, we took six bags of meat and ice cream and pizza to the dump.   It's not worth taking a chance eating food that may be spoiled and risking health of family members.  

So, I start over.    I will post as I go along for those that are just starting to stock on a dime,  

Today, I went to Costco.   The only stock  thing I purchased was shrimp.
Then to QFC where I bought one package of cod and sale ice cream.

I don't want to load up the freezer until I am  sure it's not going to malfunction.

Tomorrow I will go to Fred Meyers,  chicken is on sale and I can debone chickens.    I'm only going to stock ice cream and veggies in the downstairs freezer Until I am sure it works properly.

I haven't restocked pizzas because they were to high priced.

We can eat the meat in the upstairs side by side and replenish with loss leaders in time.


Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 


This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Repost:'life is just one big pasta salad

Yesterday, I made a big pasta salad to take to a happy hour picnic. Reflecting on my life, I think that life is like a big pasta salad. The pasta is the base. Our moral values, or its what we are made of. The veggies and stuff that we throw into it is the life experiences that get thrown at us. We can process them so that we wind up with a gourmet delight, or not. The dressing so how we pull it together. How we find a positive, out of a negative situation.

Back in the days when we went without a 10 inch black and white tv with rabbit ears, I would have never dreamed I would have a thirty something flat screen with hundreds of channels. We listened to old time radio. Now, I listen to old time radio because I want to and enjoy it. I can listen and still work in my studio or fold clothes .

When I studied everything I could get my hands on to learn to stretch a buck, I learned valuable life's lessons. Life's lessons I am trying to teach others. Making a positive out of what could have been a negative. My mother always said that no one ever gets through life without paying their dues. What you do with the experience is the key to a " flop or a gourmet salad."

So, I write this blog to help those people who, by their own volition want to stretch a buck or because someone is in a position to Have to stretch their food dollar, can make informed decisions and eat better for less.
My way of turning a negative into a positive.

The little feedback I get is telling me that people take different things from this blog. Some like to try a new recipe, some like a way to get out of the kitchen faster, or streamline the hectic dinner hour. Some just like to laugh at my terrible keyboard skills on the I pad! LOL. Whatever the reason, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are sharing so that I can reach more people. They can take what they want from it. I do not get paid for doing this, I am doing it to try to help people eat better for less. Better, cheaper, faster,


Again, thanks for stopping by


Jane

Beef tips in the pressure cooker

Sirloin beef strips were near 3.00 a pound at Winco.   Rarely do we get a real piece of beef.  The price is too high for  my guidelines.  It was a good time to try making it in the pressure cooker.     I used a veal stew recipe and adapted it to fit beef.   It called for diced tomatoes and 1 ct cups of chicken stock and wine.    I used chicken stock and added Italian seasoning.  

Winco had beef for 3.22 a pound.  I cut strips into cubes. 

Dredge cubes in flour and brown in oil.  I used olive oil.   

Transfer meat to the pressure cooker insert and deglaze the pan with the stock.   

Deglazing the pan.  Pour the stock into the pressure cooker insert and add a can of diced tomatoes and spices.   

Process according to directions for 15 minutes on high.   

Note: 15 minutes was not enough.  I processed another 5 minutes. 

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

72 percent off

Dollar  Tree and Grocery Outlet

I know, processed foods.   I go back to less than I can scratch cook.  

Dollar tree 

Elf cosmetics, wet  and wild , 

Puffs tissue .50 w coupon, BC cake mix, cider vinegar, pepperoni BOGO w coupon, 

Basket to organize . 

Grocery outlet , 80 percent off .  Coffee 6.49, mango juice for pop cycles .99, liters of red sauce .50, bacon .78, pills bury grands .50.   Spent 13.27, saved 33.03.  Saved 72 percent

Thursday dinner

Tonight  I took the rice from last nights taco bowls and put a couple of teaspoons of water over it and steamed in on the microwave with a sikacone cover on it,    Then I took a .50 bag of tomato sauce and added meatballs, pineapple, and red peppers to it.    Sweet and sour meatballs over rice.  

Buying the things you know they are at a good price helps save you fro being stuck paying top dollar.
I got red and yellow peppers for 5/3.00 at grocery outlet a few weeks ago.   I cut me in chunks and froze them.   The meatballs were already frozen and I got a can of pineapple ( Libby) from the dollar store.  We used 1\2 a can.  The  sauce was fifty cents for a liter at grocery outlet.    I used 1/2 of the bag.  

Meatballs .87
Pineapple  .50
Peppers .60
Sauce .25
Leftover rice.  

Total 2.22

Dinners can be really inexpensive if you shop wisely.


You can easily eat in four dollars a day when you get eight dollars worth of food for four dollars.
Know your prices.    Keep a book if you need to.  Or a spread sheet.    If you spend more time planning and shopping, and less time cooking, you can save a lot.  

Once you get used to shopping that way, it takes very little time.    I didn't go to Fred Meyers last week.    All we needed was milk, amd QFC was only a quarter more than Fred Meyers.   It hardly made it worth the trip.  

I spent maybe an half hour clipping coupons and cleaning out the coupon binder.    When I was ready to go shopping, I checked favado to see what prices Winco had.   You have to remember that favado has net prices including rebates and coupons.   Not all the time are they accurate, and sometimes the coupons aren't available on your area.    It does give you a guideline.    I always bring the coupon binder because you never know when you will see a good bargain.  Coupons also work on clearance items.    I knew walking in that Ragu sauce was a dollar off and it was 1.48 is week at Winco.   The deal with me is of I can't make it easily cheaper, I will buy ready made.    I can't buy the cream and the parm for .48.   It pays to have a few really simple meals on the back burner so to speak so that you can stave off the pizza delivery demons when you are having a eventful day.  

I had a lot of dollar coupons.   They add up fast.   A lot of them  were for regular food, not junk food as many claim coupons are all about.    Coupons.com has oxy clean HD detergent coupons for 2.00 again and you can print two.

I used a dollar off

1. Blue Bunny ice cream ( low on carbs) 
2. Bounty paper towels - along with a dollar Ibotta 
3. Two Ragu alfredo sauces 
4. Maxwell house coffee 
5. And I had two .35 coupons for frozen veggies.   

By the way, coffee had taken a huge leap.    Even winco offer is nine dollars a can.  If you can find cheap coffee with a coupon, now would be the time to stock up.   I couldn't use the other coupon I 

had for coffee before it expired, so I left it for the next person.  - a little random act of kindness.   

I have a coupon for .75 off of two dole fruit products.  I'm checking the dollar tree for those along with a dollar off of pepperoni and uncle bens rice.  

Every little bit helps.   

Ragu Alfredo sauce .48. Pasta .25, peas 1/2 bag .30, cooked chicken breast deboned and cooked 1.09

Total dinner 2.12-----not a person, a four person family.   

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.