Fred Meyer haul

Yesterday , we went to Fred Meyers.

Box if tomato soup was 2.79 , the signage on the shelf said 2.25.   You have to watch Fred Meyer they are good at charging you twice for the same thing and not having what is advertised,   Not to mention that the sign didn't match the computer.

I bought -- all were .99

4 boxes blackberries
Head of lettuce
2 - 5 lb bags if potatoes
Milk


Yogurt at .40
Radishes .59
Cucumbers .69
Sour cream 1.88. Large tub
Brats 2/5
Cheese slices 2/5

Spent 31.65 10.00 of that was stock purchases.  
Sometimes otnoaysnto spend more one week and less another,   There are weeks where you don't need much and weeks where the prices are better.    It's to your advantage to go with the flow,  

Last night ( super bowl ) we had hot dogs, French fries and a vegetable platter.    The Nathan's hot dogs were 2.00 Friday only at QFC.   Winco buns are always about .88.   French fries were 2 pounds for a dollar for frozen.   I could  have made scratch cheaper.  

I washed and cut up the veggies and put them in deli cups.   You set up to do it once and you are good for the week,  .  My daughter ate the rest of last weeks with some hummus.

I have dinner meetings Monday and Tuesday, so I'll probably re address my meal plans.   It makes more sense to me to make a big pot of vegetable soup so the family can eat dinner without me and not have to cook.


Kitchen management day,  

I made chocolate rice crispy treats.  We had crumbs from the Carmel popcorn 🍿 so I added them to the mix.  
I made vegetable soup.   I used potatoes mateas to beans because I had some potatoes and I bought ten pounds on sale yesterday.  We have cheese, crackers, and vegetables to add to the meal.   A
So, herb bread  from yesterday,  

I had mixes I bought from the dollar store a while back.   They were priced compared at target for three dollars.    I substituted sour cream for the yogurt it called for and added blueberries we needed to use up.  

Using up bits of things and substituting when you so t have somwth My is a way to stretch your dollars and eat well. It also frees up space in the pantry.  

I might switch a meal this week for baked 🥔 potato  bar.   It's a fun and easy dinner.  

A little effort goes a long ways to make ways available to stretch your dollar.  Pinterest is full of ideas as well as u tube.  

Meal plans

Meal plan work sheet 

Since I took this picture, I added a master list of oerisha ones that I keep on a regular basis.  It's easy to check off what I have and what I need to buy based on what's on a good sale.   

Meal plans 

Speghetti and meatballs , salad 

Pizza

Chicken enchaladas 

Ham and scalloped potatoes

Pork chops 

Tuna cassarole, peas and carrots. 

Breakfast 4 dinner.   

Notes : entrees only listed 

1. Speghetti and sauce were both bought on super sales.   Meatballs are 1.99 for almost a pound at Winco.    Total cost 2.41 for three  of us, 
2. Pizza crust cost .17.   Cheese was purchased for two dollars a pound and a cup costs  50.  Pepperoni 🍕 1/2 package is .25.  Add the bottom of the sausage bag. And a slice of red pepper chopped.   .92 
3. Chicken enchaladas.   Floor tortillas are a dollar for 12 at GO.   .25, chicken 🍗 is 1.50. Add .10 enchalada sauce and cheese .50.   2.35   Rice costs .03 a serving 
4. Ham cubes , scalloped potatoes using potatoes at .20 a pound,   Homemade white sauce mix , parm.   2.00 
5. Pork chops were purchased for 1.50 a pound,   Stuffing 125.   2.88 plus veggies 
6. Tuna cassarole.    Tuna 1.00, white sauce mix, peas .33. Noodles .50 total 1.88
7. Breakfast for dinner - eggs .30, English muffins .42, blackberries 1.50, sausage 1.00 total 3.22 

Total under twenty dollars for three of us.   15.88 plus some veggies.    .95 a plate.     

Fred Meyers ad for tomorrow.

Grape tomatoes 1.99
Fm yogurt 10/4
Ice cream 2.99

Potatoes 5 lbs .99
Broccoli .99
Cauli .99
Pears .99

Blackberries .99
Grapes 148
Milk .99
Sour cream/ cottage cheese 1.88@@
Foster farmsmcooked frozen chicken 4.99



About it.    Good time to buy fruits and veggies.  

FUN Friday

Today I am making refried beans in the insta pot.   Yesterday, we had chicken stir fry so the rice is already cooked.    Taco s. Refried beans and rice.   I got a taco kit at grocery outlet for a dollar.  I usually just get taco shells and make my own seasoning , but for a dollar. This is a better buy.   It has hard shells, soft shells that I sometimes use for another purpose.and seasoning and taco sauce.   Because the insta pot does three functions, it's one of the Best Buy's in the appliance  department.  Usually if something does several things, it doesn't do anything well.   That is not the case here.   I'm finding it takes less space on the counter and I'm using it at least three times a week.   It pays for itself.  

For  those on  another part of the country, grocery outlet is a overstock store.   Somethings are staples that they almost always have, and some that things are occasional or one time only items.  It's a treasure hunt,   We go where there are grocery outlets and dollar stores next to each other to maximize our gas.   Sometimes I find almost nothing, sometimes I score. If you find 35.00 worth of things, and you are a veteran, there is a discount.   I have never found that much,   I don't buy fresh veggies because I got bad ones and they didn't make good, and I am not comfortable about meat.    Lots of organic and gluten free that we don't use.  

If you sound more time planning your meals and your shopping trip and less time cooking , you will save more money and have better meals.   You can look the night before or the morning of and prep anything you need to prep.   A kitchen management time is a great tool to make the hectic dinner hour easier.  Buying bulk meat on a rotation basis and prepping and portion controlling it saves time and money.    The protein is the part of the meal that takes the longest time.  Scratch cooking doesn't have to take all day.   If you are hesitant, try one thing at a time.    Almost anything you need to learn, you can find on the internet.   It saves a lot of money and is healthier too. After you have nailed shopping the specials and stocking a limited amount alike, it's second nature and takes less time than a trip to Costco.   I try to limit my trips  to Costco and go with a list.    It seems like the minimum order is usually a hundred dollars.   LOL.  Not usually for us unless I save up the med list.  

Rant alert:
Everyday I am seeing another blurb on the internet trashing a food and saying it's bad for you and causes cancer.    It's true, there are things that are bad and cause cancer.   If they all caused cancer, all of us would have cancer.    In my opinion, moderation is the key.   Balanced diets are good for us,

Case on point,    Now Nutella supposedly causes cancer.    It's the palm oil.   My question of the day is why does it cause cancer because it has palm oil, but fake butter has more palm oil and it's supposedly healthy?    People. Fat is fat.   Hydrogenated oils thicken your blood. Fake sugar makes you obese because your body doesn't know what to do with it and it attaches to your fat cells.   HFCS is also supposed to be bad for you.   Too much salt is bad for you.   Stock to the tried and true that your medical doctor will tell you.   Grains are good for you and the closer to natural the better.   Anything you can't pronounce is prolly not good for you. the more you can cook from scratch, the cheaper and better it will be for you.   Don't believe everything you hear, people have agendas.   If there is a study, who finder it is a good benchmark as to how reliable it is.    Remember when liver was good for you and eggs weren't.  Turns out eggs have cholesterol-- good cholesterol!   Fat isn't fat.   You want to boost your good cholesterol and lower your bad.  

Note : these are my own observations,  I am not a nutritionist or a doctor.   It's my opinion and you need to come to your own conclusions and consult a nutritionist or you medical professional if you need to.  

Thursday

Thursday at our house is zone  cleaning day.    I thought this month that we would start at the back of the house and move forward.    I ised to be able to clean the entire house in a day, but my butt won't let me,   LOL.   I do what I can do.    Nobody died from a little dust! Right?  

I went to Safeways yesterday and bought the two dollar cheese, some hamburger buns and some grapes.   I was down to apples and blueberries for fruits.    I have enough cheese to last us the month or more so we're in good shape  now.  I haven't been able to see a pattern of sales for cheese yet.   I suspected that we were gong to see a rise in price when the USDA bought so much cheese 🧀 last summer.    I'm seeing a lot of three dollar and more prices. But am still able to get two dollars a pound.   Having a stock softens the blow of high prices.    You have the luxury of waiting for a sale,  

Every family has a short list of the things that they buy on a regular basis.  Most families have seven to ten dinners they make on a regular basis.    Listing the ingredients of those dishes, and a master grocery list is helpful.   I did it on my meal plan form with a column for things I need to add to complete our meals.  

One time only, go through the list and wrote down a target price and where you usually find it .  
I can't help those on other parts of the country, but I can on the PNW.  Lately, Winco and Fred Meyers seem to have the best prices.   A few things are best at Costco. And from what I can gleam, sams club is comparable.  

1. English muffins : 1.67 a dozen at FM 
2. Hamburger or hot dog  buns .68-.88 at Winco (seasonal) 
3. Flour - 5.99 for 25 lbs at Costco 
4. Veggies and fruit - Winco and FM 
5. Cheese : Costco and Safeways,  rarely does Winco have cheese sales. 
6. Chicken : whole chickens are on sale for anywhere from .88 to .98 often at FM . They are always a dollar and change at Winco for Foster farms.   Know where your chickens are from.   
7. Chicken breast lately are cheapest at Winco.   Split breast  were 2.28 last time at winco at  Foster Farms.   Window other brand comes from Idaho and it was two dollars for bonkess and skinless.    I felt that Foster Far,s were better quality.  The other brand wasn't bad.  It was frozen,   I just portion controlled the mega pack before it thawed.   
8. Pork tenderloin is on sale at times almost everywhere.   It was cheapest  at Costco wholesale.   149-1.69
9. Ground beef is cheapest most of the time when you can catch a sale at Winco.   I always,buy 7 percent fat.   3.28 
10. Eggs are another thing that are found just about anywhere.   The last ones I got were close to fifty cents because Safeways had a sale and a basket coupon.   
11. Ground sausage is cheapest at Costco in a three pound chub (8.00) unless you can find it on sale with a coupon at Winco.   I have made out at QFC before with a mega sale.   
12. Pepperoni, Hormel, is by far  at the dollar tree (DT) with a coupon (.50) a little goes a long ways.   
13. Dairy is cheapest at FM .  Milk is a buck, along with chocolate milk.   Sour cream is amdollar as well as cottage cheese.   It goes on sale about once a month.    So,etomes you have to have a coupon that is on the paper.   Flyers are stacked inside the front door of the store.   I usually post FM ads on Saturday before Sunday.ad starts.   A dollar each. 
14. Yogurt almost always has coupons.    I have found it cheap almost everywhere.   I tend to buy yoplait because otmosmlowest on carbs and doesn't have fake sugar.   
15. Rice is close to 8.00 for 25 pounds at Costco.   
16. Beans (dried) I want to pay  near a dollar a pound,    Pinto beans are cheapest at the DT. (1.5 pounds for a dollar. .   Try grocery outlet or Winco  compare bulk isle with regular.  Bulk isn't always the cheapest.  
17. Nuts are cheapest in the bulk isle at Winco and you don't have to chop hem either!   
18. Pizza sauce is cheapest at DT. 
19. Canned beans and diced tomatoes 🍅 I used to find for fifty cents at FM.   I, not finding that lately.   He vest is mcoukd do was fifty eight cents at Winco. 
20. Butter is cheapest at Costco unless you  find a sale,   My target price is two dollars.   Fake butter often has hydrogenated oils on them.  You need to be careful and read labels.   Avoiding hydroginated oils is a good thing.   Coconut oil has as much saturated fat as a beef steak.   I try for olive oil for almost everything.   It boosts you good cholesterol.  If can't use olive oil , I use canola.   Canola oil has gmo, but is not hydrogenated.   If I have to pick, the jury is still out on gmo, we know that hydroginat d oil is bad for your blood.  

Coupon time.

It's that Time of the month, Coupon time.  The first of every month coupons. com loads new coupons.    The first time you load them, you need to download coupon drivers.   The savings overall can be quite remarkable.   Yes, there are many coupons for non-food items and stuff that you probably shouldn't buy.   But, there are also coupons for real food.   Anything from taco shells, yogurt. V8 juice, coffee, toothpaste and  laundry detergent.  

I have a coupon binder. It only takes me a few minutes while I watch netflix or the news to pull the old coupons I haven't used and file the new ones.   I'm set for the month.   Is can save me as much as six dollars a week.   On a small budget, that's a chunk of change.   That's about 312 dollars a year.   That's a whole months worth of food budget for us.  

You can print two coupons.  You can stack coupoms at  most stores that take coupons.   Grocery outlet does not take coupons.   Winco doesn't stack.   You can't stack electronic coupons.   Verbiage  on the coupons must be exact.  You can use four coupons a day per family at the dollar tree and only two of them can be printable.   Some dollar trees have more sense of humor than others.    Some checkers have more sense of humor than others too.   LOL.

The ads

Last week, I found a lot of good buys, this week, not so much.   Whenever there is a holiday coming, usually you will find a lot of the advertising is taken up with party food that isn't a real bargain.
That's a good case for buying in bulk with a whole lot of resistance .   Calculating just how much you will eat before things go bad.    Making a plan helps

Alberways
Grapes 188
Cheese 3.99@@ -2 lbs
Buns .78@@
Sour cream .88 FSS
Brats 3.99 FSS

Assorted condiments BOGO note BBQ sauce is on there and there is a coupon out there for a dollar off.   Not knowing the original price, his may or may not be a bargain.

QFC (Kroger)

Blues 3.99
Tillamook Ice cream 2/6
DiGiorno pizza 3.99$$- note his is the time to stock frozen pizzas.   Coupons plus sales can make them really cheap.    There is a coupon out here for buy 2, get one free,

********

Just a note to clarify something ,   Four dollars a day is what the government bases SNAP allocations, on.  Not everybody gets the full amount, they base their allocations on what other income you might have coming in.  The four dollars a day is per  person.  The USDA  , before the gag order anyway, posted the cost of food at home statistics for age groups and for several groups.   Google usda cost of food at home.   This is actual food eaten, it doesn't compensate for holding a stock.

Last year (2016) I spent 72.00 a week on food for three people.    The USDA stats for my husband and I is really close to a hundred dollars.    That built a stock.  This year, so far, I have spent right at  Thirty dollars a week.  We eat balanced meals and aren't hungry.

Tuesday

This  is usually the day that we get the ads.   Not yet.

 I do intend to make a loaf of bread 🍞 and have finally solved the problem of the oven not cooking the bottom of the loaves. Watching numerous videos of bread making helped  a lot.   My goal was to find a scratch bread recipe for each of the kinds of bread that we eat frequently.  Most of them are under a quarter; that is a remarkable savings over store bought.   The exception is hamburger buns that I can get for as low as .68.

I watched an interesting video this morning about DT food.   Many things were NOT made in China and , in fact , many come  from other countries or were made in the USA.   Some are bargains, some are not.   Keeping in a budget doesn't leave a lot of room for deserts and snacks.  There are good cookies 🍪 that are made on USA and cost a lot more at other stores for the same thing,   Always read the ingredient list.    The German shortbread type cookies  look really good.   Soft pretzels in the freezer section do as well.

The pizza sauce is a name brand and well worth a dollar.   I am not impressed with the pizza crust.  You can make better for a lot less.    Some things cost more than they do at the regular stores.   A lot of things we just don't buy because buying snack type foods on a regular basis will de rail your budget fast.    If you set aside a separate budget, you will be more aware of what they are costing you.    If they aren't in the house, your children will pick a more healthy alternative.

Our goal is to eat and stock on a four dollars a day budget --or less.    If you are used to shopping at the big bucks stores, that may seem impossible.   It is, however, possible and you can eat fresh fruits
 and vegetables.    The difference is that you eat whatever is on sale for a honestly good price-- usually the items that are in season-- the food tastes better and is less expensive.  My target price is a dollar.   I found cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, apples, and cucumbers all at a dollar or less.   Peppers were less as well, but I have an abundance of them in the freezer and some family members don't like them.

 Eating on a three to four dollar a day budget does limit your protein choices.   I have a two dollar a pound limit on protein.   This is in the PNW.   I am seeing lower prices across the country.  I, also,  am really particular about quality.   We don't eat expensive cuts , but we do eat quality.   Buying bulk does help. And buying when the price is low, whether  you have some left or not.

1. Grated cheese can be six dollars a pound.  It freezes.    If I find it for two dollars a  pound, I'm going to buy it even if I have some in the fridge.   I have a top limit, but these days, it's not an issue,    We do eat a lot of cheese.    
2. Pork is usually in the form of bulk sausage when I can get it close to two dollars a pound or pork loin bought at two dollars or less.  Usually I can find it for less.    Last time it was a dollar and a half.   Portion control and freeze,   The sausage is cooked and de fatted and the pork loin is cut into cubes, Pork chops and Pork roast.    
3. Chickens are purchased  for under a dollar a pound. Easy cooking chicken  is in an older post.     Chicken breast can be as low as  two dollars and twenty eight cents for local, quality chicken,    De boning and cooking the bones is the best way to save. Boneless, , skinless, chicken  breast is as much as eight dollars  a pound and you don't always know where it comes from. Quality first.   
4. Ground beef here is cheaper  than ground turkey.   I can , and have a three dollar and twenty eight cent limit.   I only buy seven percent fat and I still de fat it,    Cook and portion control for crumbs, taco meat, and sometimes meat balls cooked on a rack on top of a sheet. Pan   in the oven.   Use a portion scoop so they all cook at the same time .   If I find a hunk of beef cheaper and we are low on stock, we consider grinding our own, 
5. Beans can be bought in bulk.   The cheapest pinto beans I have found are at the dollar store,  no gmo and grown and packed on the USA.    Rice is in bulk at Costco,    

If you buy loss leader protein, or the cheapest protein that is the best quality in rotation, you can get the best bang for your buck, Protein  is one of the most expensive categories of your food bill. 

The next expensive is drinks and snacks.   Make your own, and avoid pop and expensive waters.   Herbal teas and tap water.   A reasonable amount of milk.  Read the rda on milk for the age of your children.  Ditto in meat.    No child NEEDS to eat the better part of a two pound roast.   

Buy regular veggies in season.   Wash them in vinegar water.   If you Prep them on kitchen management day, the family  are more likely to eat them.   I found hummus cheap this week.   A good snack that is healthy.   

Monday : kitchen management day

Meal plans are just that ... plans.  

We went grocery shopping yesterday,   I pretty much stuck to my list and spent  less than thirty dollars on food.   I did, however , buy more vegetables this time than fruit,  the prices were not so good on fruit,  I bought a couple of bananas and some apples.    I also bought broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes, and a cucumber.   A large tub of hummus was two dollars.    Two pounds of frozen French fries were a dollar.  Cottage cheese and sour cream was a dollar.    I didn't get chicken because I'm stocked, but it would have been my rotation protein.   I went to two stores. Going to two stores gives you a better chance of finding the best prices on the food you need.

Kitchen management :

• Make refrigerator bread dough.   Easy to remember 2.2.4.8.   2 T salt, 2T yeast. 4 cups hot water, 8 cups flour.    Stir. Let sit out on the counter for two hours in a tub with a loose fitting lid to let the gasses escape.  Stir down and refrigerate. 
• Make split pea soup.   
• Clean vegetables : celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and cucumber.   
• Fill the popcorn canister and any other thing that needs filling.  Salt and pepper shakers?
• Wash the fridge and organize.   Keeping one type of thing in a shelf or on a door basket makes dining something easier and helps to not let something  get shoved to the back and forgotten; cleaning and organizing the fridge every week keeps that forgotten thing from growing hair prettier than yours.   
• Wash kitchen floor - after you are done!   And, check the microwave.   

I think it is interesting to note that statistics show that 30 percent of a grocery cart is drinks; another twenty percent is snacks.   Loose those categories and you have cut your grocery bill in half.   Now, pay half price for the things you buy most often and you have drastically cut your grocery bill without sacrificing a thing.  If you are a snack person, make your own snacks and buy an air popper and make popcorn.   Or, consider a separate budget for snacks,    If you have a separate envelope of money, you will see more clearly how much you are spending.   If you are in a limited budget, your food money must be for things that are nutrition based.

Meal plans for week of Jan 30.

Meal plans

1. Chicken stir fry , mandarin oranges 
2. Split pea soup , ham and cheese quesedas. 
3. Pizza
4. Tacos , refried beans , Spanish rice 
5. Chicken noodle cassarole . Mixed veggies 
6. Tuna melts. Veggie plate. Fruit 
7.  🍳Breakfast   4 dinner 

Notes 

1. Chicken pieces from de boning chicken breasts, stir fry veggies from Winco less .35 coupon.   Mandarin oranges packed in glass from DT. 
2. Pizza - home made .17 crust.pepperoni is .50 with coupons at DT, 
3. Split pea soup.   Use the soft taco shells from the dollar kit and ham cubes . 
4. Tacos. ( use kit from GO.   ) rice, homemade refried beans, no fat. 
5. Tuna melts. Veggie plate, fruit, use English muffins - 1.67 a dozen from FM 
6. Chicken noodle cassarole used egg noodles, chicken pieces, and home made white sauce mix.   Mixed veggies bought with .35 off coupon.   
7. Breakfast 4 dinner - a staple!  The whole family cooks.   

Fred Meyers ad for tomorrow

Tomorrow's ad

4 day sale Sunday threw Wednesday,

Cheese  .99.  Limit 4.   Note watch for 8 pounce bags
Sour cram , cottage cheese .99
Tillamook yogurt 3/1

Top round 2.97
Lettuce .99
Foster farms whole fryer .88
Ground turkey 2.77
Broccoli .99
Zucchini .99

Barilla pasta  .79@@


Digiorno pizza 3.99$$.  Buyn2 get one free coupon out there makes them 2.66 each

Note top round is 2.97 and can be ground for hamburger

5 ways to cook scratch faster.

 It's Friday.  

Five ways to get out of the kitchen faster.   My daughter remarked the other day that it takes six hours to make dinner and it's gone in three minutes.    That's what mist people saymavot thanksgiving dinner, bit regular dinner doesn't have to take six hours and it doesn't have to be fast food.  

1. Plan your meals.   Don't plan a side dish that takes a long time and a main dish that takes a long time.  Yesterday, we had homemade chilli and homemade bread.  The chilli was made in the pressure cooker , but you could have just as well made it with canned beans or soaked beans the night before while you were doing the dishes amd put the chili in the slow cooker in the morning.  Of you are flying out to work on the am, pit the ingredients in the insert and refrigerate it,   Just add the beans and place the insert on the slowmcooker.   Or, pick a day when you don't have to work and make it ahead.   It takes two twenty minute cycles in the pressure cooker, but you can be doing other things the whole time.   Actual prep time was about ten minutes and that was because I used raw hamburger and not  the hamburger that I cook ahead.   While the chilli was cooking, I pulled off a hunk of refrigerator  bread dough and shaped it,   Let it rise in the warm oven and baked it off .    
2. Thinking ahead and cooking the item that takes the longest time first is a given, but it does take some thought. Multi tasking is the easiest way to get a lot done fast.   
3. Prep, prep, prep.   A little time set aside for bulk cooking can save a lot of time the rest of the week when you are busier.    
4. Deligate.   Even small children can help do little  things.  Teens can start dinner.   
5. Don't watch the microwave spin around.   It can take care of itself.  Set it and forget It.  Go on to make another part of the meal.   

Thursday - the benefits of fast scratch cooking,

Trying a new refrigerator bread dough.   It is my mission at the point in time to take down the cost of bread.  

Many things can lower your food bill.   Cooking from scratch is one of the best ways.  It helps in two ways, most of the time it is less expensive and it always has less preservatives and things you can't pronounce.

The trick is to make scratch food quick.   Most of us don't have the time to spend all day on the kitchen.  This is especially true of the working  poor.    Managing your time is important.  It is more beneficial to spend time planning meals and planning a shopping trip than it is cooking from scratch,   Planning saves a lot of money and makes it possible to feed your family better dinners for what you can afford to pay.  The added bonus is that your children learn to cook and learn that food doesn't  come out of a box or frozen food bag.  

I found Foster Farms chicken patties in the freezer section,   Its one of the premade things I do buy,  often I can find coupons or sales and coupons.   Everyone should have a backup meal for those day when life hands you a sh!t storm.   We have all had them.  Add a hamburger bin, so,e fries and a salad or veggie and dinner is easy peasy. On sale with coupons, they can be as cheap as a deBoned chicken breast.

I digress.   My mission lately has been finding ways to make bread that didn't take all day and was easy and foolproof.


The difference is that a loaf of artisan bread is upwards of three dollars.   The cost....wait for it...less than thirty cents.

Refrigerator bread dough takes a matter of maybe five minutes to put together.   It can sit in the counter while you do other things.   Then you put it in the refrigerator.    Take it out when you are going to make a loaf.  Pull off a part of the dough and shape it.....another few minutes.   Let rise....another two minute step and more passive time.   Then put it in the oven and bake for a half hour or so.    Total non passive time maybe ten minutes.    You can shape it before making dinner. Throw it in the oven after dinner when you are doing the dishes and have it ready by the time the dishes are done and the kitchen is cleaned up.  

 The taste in remarkable and it couldn't be more easy.  One rise is a no brainier.  The dough is on a large plastic with a loose fitting lid .  I literally stirred  the ingredients, set the lid on the bowl and left to go do my shopping,    When I got back, I put  it in the fridge.  This morning , I'll pull  a hunk of it and let it warm and do it's second rise while I prep dinner and put it in the oven to bake.   I can do my zone  cleaning while it bakes.  

I have perfected a thin pizza crust that takes minutes to make.   It too is less than a quarter - like .17 when you buy flour  in bulk or buy it around Thanksgiving  time.  The  other time that baking items might be on sale is Easter.  

Hogie rolls are a bit more time consuming as well as sandwich bread,   They are also a bit more expensive because they have sugar and egg in them.

The difference between buying a loaf of sourdough bread and making one can be enough money to make a entire meal.   Some of that work could be done by a child that is a preteen.   It's always good
to teach children to wash their hands while cooking and not eat raw dough.   I don't let my preschool granddaughter do anything with raw meat, sharp or hot.  But that leaves a lot she can do and she
loves it.

Involving children in cooking a) keeps them busy and under supervision while you are cooking and b) teaches them where food comes from and how to cook.  Even small children can help count things as you out them in a bowl,   They can butter bread, or roll pizza dough,.  Home Ec used to be a mandatory class in junior high,   Now, a whole generation of children don't have a clue how to cook.   It's a necessary survival tool for both girls and boys.

Fast scratch cooking can save money and open up time to plan meals and shopping trips to save a lot
of money,    The time you save not  slaving  over a hot stove can be time watching your favorite show and clipping   coupons to  save more money.   

Safeway haul

signing up for the just 4 younap at Safeways really pays off.  I had a really hard time  coming up with a twenty five dollar basket when I only wanted to buy things that were a good price.   It took me longer than if I had been at Winco or Freddies.    I did manage to get a two dollar and a for dollar basket coupon redeemed.    -$7.00.

Total spent 27.65 net cash OOP was 20.65

2 cans spam ( gramps  treat money) 6.98 a paid 3.75 

Pepperoni sticks ( gramps treat money) 5.99 paid 3.00

Total 6.75 

2 cans artichoke hearts BOGO 3.00

2 stock top stuffing 3/5 - 2.50 

6 yogurts - 1.71 

Chicken patties 4.99 paid 3.75 

2'lbs carrots 1.49 paid 1.12 

2 dozen eggs paid 1.17

Total food budget 13.90

The BOGO condiments were priced too high to make them worth while.   I never did find the tortillas.   

Meals in pics

Sloppy joes- Mexican edition , fries, vegetable salad 

Homemade  pizza

, 

Mac and cheese, homemade  artisan bread 

Broccoli, bread, Italian chicken over rice 

Mac and cheese. Homemade, mixed veggies , bread 

Salmon cakes. Green beans, fresh, fruit salad, bread 

Hunters Pork  , salad. Bread, green beans 

Alberways ad

I didn't get a QFC ad, perhaps it was a two week ad?  

Alberways

Oranges .58
Lucerne yogurt .38
Eggs .78@@

Five  dollar Friday
Shrimp

Digital only coupon - cheese .99-8 ounces

BOGO sale
Progresso soup
Tortillas
BBQ sauce condiments asstd.
Note: this can or cannot be a good buy, know your prices.  

Quality first .

You can shop wisely and eat good nutritious food on a limited budget.   It takes diligence.   You can't run to the corner grocery store and buy one day's worth of food at a time.   Anything good takes effort. But, it can be done.  

With talk of cutting food stamps and cutting ssa and privatizing Medicare, a lot of people are feeling the pinch or will be if the government as we know it gets their way.   Starting to adjust spending habits now will stave off the shock if it happens.   If you are on snap. Start being diligent about where  you buy your food and what you pay for it.   If you pay half price for food and store one away you will have a stockpile and bide yourself time.   It just makes sense not to waste.    There is a certain sense of security knowing you have a pantry and you know where the next meal is coming from.  

The last month I have spent thirty dollars a week and replentised stock.   It is doable.    It takes some effort. My mantra is that I can spend more time planning and shopping and less time cooking and make good meals happen for a limited amount of money,

My average for  three of us last year was 72.00 a week.   That is 1/2 the usda statistics for low income for our family.   So far since Christmas it has been less than thirty dollars a week.

1. Shop sales.   Only buy things if they are in a real sale -- know your prices and only buy at the lowest price. Know the prices of the things you buy on a regular basis that are shelf or freezer stable.   Buy low, eat high.  The same mantra as a stockbroker.    If you can get two for the price of one, you can use that one and set aside the other.   That builds a reserve.   In other words, if a ,!,! Storm happens , you've  got your back.    
2. Plan meals and plan for any leftovers or bits left on a can.  Waste not, want not.    Planning meals saves time and money.   Kitchen management makes best use of your time and resources.   If you notice you aren't eating some thing, incorporate it into a recipe. Make something and freeze it if necessary,   Mymfamily has,nit eaten the eight pounds of oranges I bought for five dollars.   I will grate the rind and freeze or dry it and make orange juice.    Having dinner half done just means that when dinner time is hectic, you can simplify the process.   
3. Establishing a stockpile now can mean that if you loose your job or funding, you can cut back and survive on less money.   I decided to experiment and find out just how much we could eat well and reduce using a stockpile and adding to it.   Tough times will require tough measures,   Portion control is important.  We don't want to starve ourselves, but we don't need to gorge ourselves either.    There is no reason why anyone needs to eat an entire regular sized pizza or eat the majority of a two pound roast.   
4. Re work leftovers.   Last nights chilli can be put over rice or used on nachos.    Incorporate leftovers in another meal, freeze, or use for lunch the next day.   If a family member doesn't like leftovers. Be creative and incorporate them into something else, or freeze and introduce them the next week.   
5. Buy meat in bulk.  Set a dollar limit on what you buy.  Orotein has to cost less than two dollars a pound to make it on a snap budget.    It is not hard to see that if you have three hundred dollars a month to eat on, you can't spend ten dollars for dinner a day.   Either you are going to run out of money before you run out of month, or you aren't going to eat lunch or dinner.  Fortunately that can be a average.  The PNW has so,e of the highest prices on the nation.   I watch  a lot of grocery hauls from all over the United States.   I can find: 1) 7 percent fat hamburger for close to 3.28 a pound.   Eggs are a dollar. Whole or half a  Pork loin is anywhere from 1.49-1.69.   Chicken breast can be 8.00 a pound, but Foster farms split chicken breast is 2.28 and it is easy to de-bone it and cook the bones  for chicken meat and stock.   I can get whole chickens s for a dollar , or sometimes less.   Pinto beans are .67 a pound at the dollar tree and they are no gmo and grown on USA.   Pepperoni is to be used on moderation, but with coupons it is .50 at dollar store instead ofm1.69 elsewhere.   Jimmy Dean sausage is 8.00 for three pounds at Costco, or sometimes less with coupons at a regular store.   
6. Buy meat or protein in bulk at the lowest price .   Rotate the so called loss leader by week, buy enough to feed the family as many times as you will eat that meat.   If you eat beef once a week, you want four portion controlled meals.    Cook or butcher it if appropriate and oration control.   Freeze.   You can get a months worth of food on a regular refrigerator freezer.   Save time and money.  
7. Find quick and easy scratch recipes.   Make your own mixes and slice blends.   Make a real  effort to buy any appliances you can that will make your time on the kitchen more efficient,   Mixers, food processors, and electric pressure cookers ( new ones) can save a lot of time and energy.   You can sometimes find them at estate sales or save up.   Beans can be made in a slow cooker.   A insta pot is about 80.00 and so a rice cooker, a slow cooker. And a pressure cooker.   If you only have a limited time to spend on feeding the family, spend more time planning a shopping trip and meals and less time cooking,   You can shop and plan with bits of time- when you are on hold making a phone call. Waiting for th school bus or the carpool, at two on the morning when you can't sleep!    Engage children early,   My sisters and I were baking at nine yo.   My granddaughter was helping at three.  Now, she is able with supervision. To butter and make"garlic" bread, roll pizza dough and fill it. Count as we put ingredients on a bowl.   Anything that isn't sharp or hot.   I don't let her deal with raw meat.    It's a good way to teach kitchen heigene and counting, and kitchen  skills.   By the time she's 10, she should be able to put a simple meal together.    

It's doable, it just takes some effort,   The rewards are remarkable,    

Master dinners lists

Having a master list of meals that you can go to when meal planning makes meal planning easy,   It's nice to try new things every now and then, but children especially like routine and the same things.

Beef
Speghetti and meatballs.
Sloppy joes
Tacos
Meatloaf
Beef enchaladas


Chicken

Roasted chicken kegs
Chicken noodle soup or casserole
 Chicken pot pie
Chicken stir fry **
Chicken enchiladas
 Roasted chicken with oven roasted root veggies
Buffalo chicken pizza


Pork
Pork chops on apple, craisens, bread stuffing
Pork roast
Pork,chops with sauerkraut
Hunters pork
Pork pot pot
Split pea soup with ham
Ham and eggs
Sausage and peppers
Green chillis


Misc
Pizza : ham and pineapple. Pepperoni. Sausage and pepperoni, buffalo chicken
Mac and cheese
Rice and beans
Chilli
Stuffed green peppers
Braised beef on rice
Stuffed zucchini


Meal plans are a must if you are dining in the cheap.    Make a plan, or plan to fail -so the  quote  stares goes.   It doesn't have to be ridged, but you have to have one.  It enables you to save some ingredients for another meal , or stair step.   It allows you to set aside a small snippet of time to do some kitchen management and make your meal times a lot less hectic.  Kitchen management is nails cleaning the fridge, making note of what needs to be used up, and prepped   anything you can make ahead.

**  If you know two days on a row you are going to have rice, make a pot of rice.    It's done   and when you add precooked chicken to a frozen bag of stir fry veggies that you have purchased with a coupon, you have a very fast ,  easy , ame cheap dinner  that has stand off the fast food gremilins,  

Feed four people for a buck.

Ok, it is possible.    I have been watching a lot of grocery hauls lately to get a feel of what grocery prices are in other parts of the country,    When I started this blog, I really thought that my readership would be the PNW.  It was at first intended to be to help people with limited resources feed their families better for less.   I'm finding that that isn't necessarily what is happening, I have readers all over the world and many of them just want to save money,  

Four people, one breakfast, one dollar.  

Real oatmeal ( not instant that is processed into oblivion ) is 8.00 for ten pounds at Costco.   Good old  Quaker Oats.   You have to eat three bags of the instant stuff to equal the nutrition of one half cup of the real thing,    It takes almost no time to make microwave oatmeal from scratch: once cup of water, one half cup of Oats. One and a half minutes.   Put the ingredients in a larger bowl than you need to make sure it doesn't boil over.  

Add one small or half a larger banana and some cinnamon sugar and a splash of milk.

Four people. One breakfast, one dollar.  


Senecio 2

English muffins are 12 for 1.66 at Fred Meyers.   Add an egg for eight cents and your total is .08.  
Total for an egg muffin is .24


senerio  3

Breakfast burrito .   Tortillas are a dime, add an egg for .08 and you still have room for some peppers and leftover potato.  


Three ideas for .25 per person breakfast dishes.  

With a four dollar a day budget, soending .25 on breakfast means you have plenty for 1.25 ( five dollar dinner for four people) and a lunch salad or planned overs.  

Remember, you need to save part of the four dollars a day for staples like flour, sugar, oil, butter, spices etc.  

Meal plans , January 23, 2017

Sometimes, meal plans need to be adjusted to compensate for specials.    I recently got enchalada sauce ten - ten ounce cans for a dollar --total.  They had a far enough pull out date to make it worth my while.    Enchalada sauce is well over a dollar a can, and I cant  make sauce as  low as a dime a can.

Last week, we had  chicken enchiladas for dinner one night,   Themleftovers for  the next day's lunch.   I made a huge batch of (three pounds of 7 percent fat groumd beef )  Mexican sloppy joes.   I froze what we didn't eat in portion controlled freezer bags for an easy dinner another time.  

1. Chicken pot pie , fruit cup 
2. Mexican sloppy joes, tater tots. Salad 
3. Chicken chimichangas , rice and beans 
4. Tuna cassarole, peas and carrots 
5. Chilli, cheese, taco chips. Sour cream 
6. Leftover chilli on rice 
7. Breakfast for dinner 

Notes 

1. Chicken breast cooked  com frozen in the insta pot - 8 minutes, homemade white sauce mix, mixed veggies purchased with a .35 off coupon,   
2. Mexican sloppy joes - freezer meal , buns purchased to round out a basket coupon for .57 ( 2-3 meals) tater tots were a dollar and change for two pounds at Winco,   Add a salad 
3. Chicken chimichangas.   Chicken breast, tortillas that were 12 for  dollar. Homemade white sauce with cheese. 
4. Chilli - made in the slow cooker.   Beans from dried.   Canned diced tomatoes with chillis bought for .58.   Buying diced tomatoes that already have seasoning is a way to cut a little off your food cost and save time in the kitchen,   Like finding sales , every little bit helps.   Small steps.   
5. Leftover chili on rice 
6. Tuna  casserole, peas and carrots.   Just to break up the Mexican kick,   We do like Mexican food as well as Italian a lot.   
7. Old main stay, everybody cooks together, breakfast for dinner.    Eggs were 1.44 for 18.   At Winco.  They wanted more for a dozen at Fred Meyers.   One of the reasons why it lays to go to more than one store.    I got good berries for two dollars at Fred Meyers, the English muffins are  always cheaper.