Had to go to a nearby town for business, so we hit grocery outlet and dollar tree. Our dollar tree had suddenly salad with time sensitive advertising in it and it wouldn't take coupons, the other dollar tree would take the coupons. It made suddenly salad .75 .
Dollar Tree
Suddenly salad
Pizza sauce
Dehydrated fruit
Total 7.50
Safeways
Diced tomatoes .39
Eggs .78
Buns
Lettuce .69
Onions .69
Total 6.07
Grocery outlet
Pudding mix - 3/1
BC sweet potatoes 3/1
Fiber one bars .99
Kind bars 4/1
Craisens 2/1
Squash plant .99
Sliced Italian salami 1.99
Total 26.00
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Snowballing. : yes it's summer!
Someone once said to my daughter, you saved a dollar, what can you do with that...buy a Mac Donald's hamburger?
I get that some people just don't get it. The concept of saving money 💰 is not part of their mental process. Unfortunately, there are more and more people that I am afraid are going to need to save money. The current administration is on a path to reduce the rich people's taxes and balance the budget on the backs of the poor and elderly.
I am a firm believer that knowing how to save money on food is a good skill to have even of you don't need to use it. If you know how to feed your family on a strict budget, it's not hard to spend more. Having a small stock on hand of things you can make a meal out of is insurance, What if, the car gets in a wreck and you can't get to the store? Or your child is sick and you don't want to take him out, or you are sick, or the road floods and the grocery store isn't getting shipments....that's not far fetched it happened here a few years back. If you have a small stock on hand, you are covered. You can do that with a meger budget if you know how to shop.
Shopping......walking through the store with a shopping cart and throwing everything that looks good in your cart. Wrong.........this is especially hard not to do if you go to the store hungry, Now, of you go to the store extremely full it will backfire and you might get home and wonder what's in the house to eat! Lol.
I don't go with a specific list. I have the ad with the RBP items circled. I know pretty much which food groups need replentishing and if there is a rotation protein that is a RBP. I rarely spend more than 30.00 at a store. Probably closer to 25. That is for three of us. It would have to be a big sale to have that happen. Now, I do go to at least two stores a week. More if I hit the occasional Costco or dollar tree/ grocery outlet.
The advantage if this kind of shopping. Is that you rarely get home and forget a major item . You also never pay that nasty F word.....full price. You are not looking for specific items except the few RBP items. You are, rather, looking for food groups. Your mindset is , I need calcium ( dairy) what's on sale. If you can get your calcium during a dairy sale and buy enough to last you with expiration dates, you will be better off. Pay attention to the rhythm of the dairy sales. Here, Fred Meyer (Kroger) will pit dairy at least once a month. I can usually get sour cream and cottage cheese a month out. Milk can usually be augmented at oor other Kroger store (QFC) for either a dollar or a dollar and a quarter. If we have too much nearing the expiration date, its time to have clam chowder, potato soup, or pudding.
Meat is purchased on a rotation basis. First you need to make a list of protein that you can make meals of and that your family will eat. These need to be economical cuts of meat. For us it is pork loin, chicken, low fat hamburger. Sausage, cheese, and beans. When a protein is on sale at a RBP, buy as much as you will need to cover a months worth of those meals. In other words, if you eat hamburger once a week, you will need to buy enough for four to six meals. This allows you to be on a four to six week cycle. You can almost bet someone will have hamburger at a RBP sometime in that six weeks.
I get pork loin for somewhere between 1.49-1.69 a pound for a whole or half loin . It only tasked a few minutes to make roasts, stew meat, and Pork chops out of a loin.
Chicken breasts are eight dollars a pound, Sometimes they are half price. Split chicken breast that are local grown can be as low as .88 a pound and sometimes 1.28. It takes a few minutes to cut the ribs off and cook the meat and bones for stock, and pit the breast on quart bags, I put the quart bags in a gallon bag and date it. The bones go in a stockpot with herbs and onion ends to make stock and I pick the bones. I usually get 2 quarts of stock and a quart of chicken pieces from six large breasts. A quart of chicken pieces can be two to three meals. And a quart of stock can be two to four dollars a box. Place the stock in the fridge and scoop away the fat after it has congealed. Chicken pieces can be in enchiladas, chicken pot pie, chicken soup, tacos...
Sausage is up to almost five dollar a chub (pound) . I have bought it for two and a quarter with a coupon. It is less in the three pound chub at Costco. Fry it, de-fat it and freeze it. You can add it to omelets , put it in a quiche, or soup.
My target price for cheese is as close to two dollars a pound as I can get it. Never over 2.50. I buy Mexican blend and pizza cheese. It is a misconception that shredded cheese is more expensive than brick cheese. Cheese is cheese. A pound of cheese is a pound of cheese. Go by the price per pound. We toured a cheese factory. The grated cheese is what is left over from cutting the bricks out of a huge brick. They place the scraps in a bus boy tray like vessel and it goes to the shredding machine.
Beans can be purchased in bulk at Winco. The cheapest price for pinto beans is .67 at the DT. ( dollar tree) they are non gmo and made in America. The only other place they are cheaper is at Costco and you have to buy 25 pounds. It would take us too long to eat that many beans. Lol
I keep them in the containers we get popcorn in. (Costco) .
Pasta at our house has a dollar a pound limit. I usually pay less. Some of our pasta ( Barilla) I paid 38 for , some of it was free. There are almost always coupons for pasta. Pasta has an eight YEAR shelf life. Buy it when it is cheap. Buy as much as you have coupons for. I just got Barilla pronto for .88 a package and I had a. 75 coupon. Yes, Virginia, there are coupons for real food. Like shopping at the goodwill, you have to plow through a bunch of garbage to find the food stuff.
Every twenty five cent adds up. The notion that you got food stamps so it doesn't matter how much you pay for the food is shooting yourself on the foot. The more you can buy with your money, the longer you will be able to eat. Not having anything in the house to eat makes a child feel really insecure. The stress of no food in the house they have found shortens your lifespan. Learning to stretch a buck in food is important .
I get that some people just don't get it. The concept of saving money 💰 is not part of their mental process. Unfortunately, there are more and more people that I am afraid are going to need to save money. The current administration is on a path to reduce the rich people's taxes and balance the budget on the backs of the poor and elderly.
I am a firm believer that knowing how to save money on food is a good skill to have even of you don't need to use it. If you know how to feed your family on a strict budget, it's not hard to spend more. Having a small stock on hand of things you can make a meal out of is insurance, What if, the car gets in a wreck and you can't get to the store? Or your child is sick and you don't want to take him out, or you are sick, or the road floods and the grocery store isn't getting shipments....that's not far fetched it happened here a few years back. If you have a small stock on hand, you are covered. You can do that with a meger budget if you know how to shop.
Shopping......walking through the store with a shopping cart and throwing everything that looks good in your cart. Wrong.........this is especially hard not to do if you go to the store hungry, Now, of you go to the store extremely full it will backfire and you might get home and wonder what's in the house to eat! Lol.
I don't go with a specific list. I have the ad with the RBP items circled. I know pretty much which food groups need replentishing and if there is a rotation protein that is a RBP. I rarely spend more than 30.00 at a store. Probably closer to 25. That is for three of us. It would have to be a big sale to have that happen. Now, I do go to at least two stores a week. More if I hit the occasional Costco or dollar tree/ grocery outlet.
The advantage if this kind of shopping. Is that you rarely get home and forget a major item . You also never pay that nasty F word.....full price. You are not looking for specific items except the few RBP items. You are, rather, looking for food groups. Your mindset is , I need calcium ( dairy) what's on sale. If you can get your calcium during a dairy sale and buy enough to last you with expiration dates, you will be better off. Pay attention to the rhythm of the dairy sales. Here, Fred Meyer (Kroger) will pit dairy at least once a month. I can usually get sour cream and cottage cheese a month out. Milk can usually be augmented at oor other Kroger store (QFC) for either a dollar or a dollar and a quarter. If we have too much nearing the expiration date, its time to have clam chowder, potato soup, or pudding.
Meat is purchased on a rotation basis. First you need to make a list of protein that you can make meals of and that your family will eat. These need to be economical cuts of meat. For us it is pork loin, chicken, low fat hamburger. Sausage, cheese, and beans. When a protein is on sale at a RBP, buy as much as you will need to cover a months worth of those meals. In other words, if you eat hamburger once a week, you will need to buy enough for four to six meals. This allows you to be on a four to six week cycle. You can almost bet someone will have hamburger at a RBP sometime in that six weeks.
I get pork loin for somewhere between 1.49-1.69 a pound for a whole or half loin . It only tasked a few minutes to make roasts, stew meat, and Pork chops out of a loin.
Chicken breasts are eight dollars a pound, Sometimes they are half price. Split chicken breast that are local grown can be as low as .88 a pound and sometimes 1.28. It takes a few minutes to cut the ribs off and cook the meat and bones for stock, and pit the breast on quart bags, I put the quart bags in a gallon bag and date it. The bones go in a stockpot with herbs and onion ends to make stock and I pick the bones. I usually get 2 quarts of stock and a quart of chicken pieces from six large breasts. A quart of chicken pieces can be two to three meals. And a quart of stock can be two to four dollars a box. Place the stock in the fridge and scoop away the fat after it has congealed. Chicken pieces can be in enchiladas, chicken pot pie, chicken soup, tacos...
Sausage is up to almost five dollar a chub (pound) . I have bought it for two and a quarter with a coupon. It is less in the three pound chub at Costco. Fry it, de-fat it and freeze it. You can add it to omelets , put it in a quiche, or soup.
My target price for cheese is as close to two dollars a pound as I can get it. Never over 2.50. I buy Mexican blend and pizza cheese. It is a misconception that shredded cheese is more expensive than brick cheese. Cheese is cheese. A pound of cheese is a pound of cheese. Go by the price per pound. We toured a cheese factory. The grated cheese is what is left over from cutting the bricks out of a huge brick. They place the scraps in a bus boy tray like vessel and it goes to the shredding machine.
Beans can be purchased in bulk at Winco. The cheapest price for pinto beans is .67 at the DT. ( dollar tree) they are non gmo and made in America. The only other place they are cheaper is at Costco and you have to buy 25 pounds. It would take us too long to eat that many beans. Lol
I keep them in the containers we get popcorn in. (Costco) .
Pasta at our house has a dollar a pound limit. I usually pay less. Some of our pasta ( Barilla) I paid 38 for , some of it was free. There are almost always coupons for pasta. Pasta has an eight YEAR shelf life. Buy it when it is cheap. Buy as much as you have coupons for. I just got Barilla pronto for .88 a package and I had a. 75 coupon. Yes, Virginia, there are coupons for real food. Like shopping at the goodwill, you have to plow through a bunch of garbage to find the food stuff.
Every twenty five cent adds up. The notion that you got food stamps so it doesn't matter how much you pay for the food is shooting yourself on the foot. The more you can buy with your money, the longer you will be able to eat. Not having anything in the house to eat makes a child feel really insecure. The stress of no food in the house they have found shortens your lifespan. Learning to stretch a buck in food is important .
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Chain store ads : Alberways
this is Alberways only because last weeks ad for QFC was a two week ad.
Milk gallon 1.79
Tomatoes on the vine , lettuce .69
7 percent fat hamburger 2.77
Berries 3/5
Diced tomatoes .39 @@ limit 4
Eggs .78
My rotation meat would be the hamburger.
My stock item would be the diced tomatoes.
You can do almost anything with diced tomatoes. If you need tomato puree. put them through the food processer or blender . Already ready for soups or salsa.
Milk gallon 1.79
Tomatoes on the vine , lettuce .69
7 percent fat hamburger 2.77
Berries 3/5
Diced tomatoes .39 @@ limit 4
Eggs .78
My rotation meat would be the hamburger.
My stock item would be the diced tomatoes.
You can do almost anything with diced tomatoes. If you need tomato puree. put them through the food processer or blender . Already ready for soups or salsa.
Tuesday notes : Balancing the budget.
So, why do you even bother with groceries in the cheap? It's a good question. Sometimes when I am getting a zillion (2 or 3 hundred hits from France or Russia that I know don't really want to know who has the best prices week) , I wonder. I have written over two thousand blogs . One a day for almost five years.
I started this because I was hearing that people on snap were having a hard time making it to the end of the month: running out of money before they ran out of month. I am finding that that isn't necessarily who is reading my blog.
I'm trying to out in efficient kitchen management tips, recipe remakes that are healthier or more tasty, the best prices on good food any particular week, even though I have come to realize my blog reaches far behind the PNW and ways to cut your food costs.
Why! Because I have discovered that I have a talent. Ha ha. I learned thrift from my mother and when the going got tough, I got going on learning all I could learn to stretch the food dollar. There are people that need to know this information. Social security has had no raises in two years, last year it was .3 Tenths of a percent and they took it back for Medicare. That doesn't mean that food orices didn't go up, or insurance and taxes didn't go up. Food is probably the most expensive discretionary budget item in a seniors budget. Food stamps are on the chopping block as well as school lunches since the republicans think that adding to their already rich pocketbooks is more important than feeding the less fortunate. It will be even more imparative to know how to stretch the food dollars.
- Ibotta is a rebate site that gives you money back on your purchases. If you are in food stamps, it is a way to pay for the oaoer products that food stamps don't pay for. Hey, we all need toilet paper. Lol if you aren't on food stamps, it a way to get something your budget doesn't allow for. Bottom line, it cuts your food costs. There are a few more sites that do the same thing,
- Coupons cut costs. Many are for things that you can supply cheaper by making yourself, but there are still real food coupons that help reduce costs. Things like butter, pasta sauce, pasta, laundry detergent, mayonnaise.
- Efficient scratch cooking. Not many of us have all day to spend in the kitchen.
- Plan. Plan, plan. It's the easiest way to stay in track and keep costs low.
- RBP! Rock bottom prices. Few things in the grocery store never go on sale. Watch for the lowest price and buy as much as you will need for the next month to six weeks. You can do this becaise you are laying 1/2 price often and you are rotating the things you buy. If I buy two packages of mega pack chicken this week, I can buy two packs of Pork loin the next week, You have a variety of food, but you have laid 1/2 price for it.
- Be your own butcher. A pork loin can be as low as 1.49 a pound. Cut your own pork chops and roasts. If the loin tapers down, cut stew meat. De-boning your split chicken breast saves about 7 dollars a pound. That's not a bad return on ten minutes worth of work.
- Portion control. Obesity is a problem in the US so I'm told. Portion control is good for the budget and the waistline. Buying bulk meat and dividing it into meal sized portions is a way to get the meat cheaper and is more efficient.
- Eat vegetarian one or two days a week.
- Use less meat and augment your meals with another protein. - add beans to your taco meat. Use less meat in a cassarole that can have a cheese topping. Have breakfast for dinner. An impossible pie can have cheese, eggs, and a vegetable. Low cost and really good.
Monday, June 5, 2017
Virtual paycheck
No, you can't exactly take it to the bank. I guess if you really have mass $$ a week to spend on food, you actually can put the difference you save on the bank. For many of us, saving on the grocery bill makes it easier to take care of necessities and not go without.
Virtual paycheck is a concept a true realist can't fathom.
It is used to make a logical conclusion as to wether or not making something from scratch, or buying it ready made is worth your time. You can use it for anything you use your manual labor for.
Of course, other rationale comes into play at times. Like is homemade healthier?
Here's a couple of senerios to explain.
Tortillas. I can buy them for about .10 each, Or 1.00 for 10. The ingredients are minimal, but it would take you an hour to mix, rest, ball the dough , roll it out and cook it both sides one at a time.
The material cost is about .40 . So, you would be making .60 an hour . Not enough to make me take on the chore.
Artisan bread 🍞. The cost of artisan bread in the store bakery is upwards of 3.00 a loaf. The cost is less than .30. Difference 2.70. It takes five minutes per loaf to make the dough, Another five minutes to shape it and put it to rise. Seconds to program the oven . Total ten minutes a loaf. Doing the math, that's 16.20 an hour. That makes it worth my while considering there are no preservatives . No fat, and I get it fresh, hot, out of the oven.
My daughter and I made lemon pound cake and compared it to the cost of a piece of lemon pound cake at the big buck coffee stand. We figure we made 212.00 an hour!
Virtual paycheck is a concept a true realist can't fathom.
It is used to make a logical conclusion as to wether or not making something from scratch, or buying it ready made is worth your time. You can use it for anything you use your manual labor for.
Of course, other rationale comes into play at times. Like is homemade healthier?
Here's a couple of senerios to explain.
Tortillas. I can buy them for about .10 each, Or 1.00 for 10. The ingredients are minimal, but it would take you an hour to mix, rest, ball the dough , roll it out and cook it both sides one at a time.
The material cost is about .40 . So, you would be making .60 an hour . Not enough to make me take on the chore.
Artisan bread 🍞. The cost of artisan bread in the store bakery is upwards of 3.00 a loaf. The cost is less than .30. Difference 2.70. It takes five minutes per loaf to make the dough, Another five minutes to shape it and put it to rise. Seconds to program the oven . Total ten minutes a loaf. Doing the math, that's 16.20 an hour. That makes it worth my while considering there are no preservatives . No fat, and I get it fresh, hot, out of the oven.
My daughter and I made lemon pound cake and compared it to the cost of a piece of lemon pound cake at the big buck coffee stand. We figure we made 212.00 an hour!
Food for thought
No food can do your family good if you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.
Just as the odds are against you at a gambling establishment ( it's rigged to benefit the house ) , the odds are against you if you go weekly or daily ti the grocery store for a weeks worth of food.
If you don't understand why someone would clip coupons, you ain't never been broke enough.
Just as the odds are against you at a gambling establishment ( it's rigged to benefit the house ) , the odds are against you if you go weekly or daily ti the grocery store for a weeks worth of food.
If you don't understand why someone would clip coupons, you ain't never been broke enough.
Monday kitchen management
Monday kitchen management
- Put stove fan screen in the dishwasher.
- Clean the microwave
- Wax the north wall cabinets
- Wash potatoes 🥔
- Clean vegetable bin
- Fill the flour bin
- Wash and disinfect counters
- Wash floor
- Make bread dough
- Make pizza dough
- Pull chicken breast to thaw
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Fred Meyer haul
Fred Meyers and dollar tree.
Chocolate milk .99
Barilla pronto pasta .88 less two .75 coupons. Basically. We got two boxes almost free. Who says you can't buy real food woth coupons? LOL
Nathan's beef franks 2.99
All .99 a lb inkess otherwise stared
Nectarines
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Granny Smith apples
canteloupe was a dollar a piece
Cottage cheese /large 2.00
Total 17.77 less 1.58 for tissue and tax is 16.04
Dollar tree I bought the pepperoni with coupons for .50 because the coupons expire tomorrow. They will not take the suddenly salad coupons because it s a special package. Promotional.
Chocolate milk .99
Barilla pronto pasta .88 less two .75 coupons. Basically. We got two boxes almost free. Who says you can't buy real food woth coupons? LOL
Nathan's beef franks 2.99
All .99 a lb inkess otherwise stared
Nectarines
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Granny Smith apples
canteloupe was a dollar a piece
Cottage cheese /large 2.00
Total 17.77 less 1.58 for tissue and tax is 16.04
Dollar tree I bought the pepperoni with coupons for .50 because the coupons expire tomorrow. They will not take the suddenly salad coupons because it s a special package. Promotional.
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Meal plans week of June 4
meal plans for week of June 4, 2017
Notes
- Chicken nuggets ( homemade ) dip chicken cubes from breast meat on melted butter, the bread crumbs with seasoned with herbs and parm, : oven fries 🍟, fruit cup
- Pizza : scratch crust, motts, pepperoni
- Meatballs and speghetti. Salad- French bread with butter, parm and herbs
- Pork chops. Baked potatoes, oven veggies
- Chicken pot pie - use cresent rolls
- .Tuna patties, a graitin potatoes, mixed veggies
- Breakfast 4dinner .
Notes
- Thaw chicken breast for nuggets the day before in the am.
- Pizza cost about 130.
- Meatballs are already in the freezer. Speghetti is on sale at Fred Meyers as well as canned pasta sauce, I'll use a jar I got with a coupon,
- Pork chops were cut from the Pork roast purchased from Safeways last week. ( 3 pounds) zucchini is a dollar at FM .
- Chicken pot pie is a no brainier, Use white sauce mix from scratch and crescent rolls on hand or sub baking mix biscuits,
- Tuna patties are scratch. A gratin potatoes boxed on pantry, and mixed veggies from vegetable bin.
- Breakfast 4 dinner : use waffles bought from grocery outlet on sale,
Trying to use up prepared mixes. Jars of dried food have no place to go in the transition,
Vegetable bean soup in insta pot
Process 3 cups of pinto beans. Pinto beans are cheapest at the dollar tree. They are non gmo and grown in USA. , wash and sort pinto beans. Place in insta pot bowl. Cover with water to your second knuckle. Place the lid on the insta pot and make sure the vent is on seal. Push the bean button.
After processing, turn the insta pot off and drain the beans and place in separate pot. Return the pot to the insta pot machine and turn the pot on sauté. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté 2 sliced carrots and a rib of celery in olive oil until slightly softened. Turn off the sauté function and add : The beans, two 15.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings , two cans of water, a 2 ounce tube of tomato paste and a large pinch of dried parsley.
Program pot to slow cooker for four to eight hours. I program it to work for as many hours as I have before it's time for dinner.
Sautéing veggies
After adding all ingredients.
Fred Meyers ad for tomorrow- 6/4/17
First, there is an apendage a 3 day sale, SMT
.99 sale
Peaches or nectarines
Cantaloupe - it doesn't state per lb or each
Zucchini
Peppers ( usually cheaper at Winco )
Regular weekly ad
Nathan's hot dogs 2.99
Strawberries .99
Boneless chuck roast $2.77 –grind your own hamburger time.
20 percent fat hamburger is 3.49 **
Milk $.99.
Butter 2/5.00
Tomatoes.99
Notes :
* by picking your roast and looking for one that is lean , you can save by grinding your own hamburger. Hamburger can be processed with the grinding attachment on a kitchenaid, or by using a good food processor. Also, there is always the manual ones our grandmothers used. You can usually find them for cheap at garage sales or antique stores, Ask around, there may be one in somebody's attic!
Another note : Foster Farms split chicken breast are 1.49 . A week or so ago they were about .89. They subbed Draper valley . their butchering job was somewhat deplorable to say the least. There were extra parts and what looked like liver attached. I emailed them and complained. They sent me ten dollars which was more than I paid for the chicken. Heritage farm chicken is Arkansas chicken. The price for boneless is 1.99. Still, with Foster Farms being fifty cents cheaper, you are better off, Foster Farms is potentially cleaner and cheaper and chicken stock and the rib meat is an added bonus. You are always better off buying local chicken and not frozen.
Another note : Tuesday is senior day at Fred Meyers. An extra 10 percent off for anyone over 55. This includes private brand groceries.
.99 sale
Peaches or nectarines
Cantaloupe - it doesn't state per lb or each
Zucchini
Peppers ( usually cheaper at Winco )
Regular weekly ad
Nathan's hot dogs 2.99
Strawberries .99
Boneless chuck roast $2.77 –grind your own hamburger time.
20 percent fat hamburger is 3.49 **
Milk $.99.
Butter 2/5.00
Tomatoes.99
Notes :
* by picking your roast and looking for one that is lean , you can save by grinding your own hamburger. Hamburger can be processed with the grinding attachment on a kitchenaid, or by using a good food processor. Also, there is always the manual ones our grandmothers used. You can usually find them for cheap at garage sales or antique stores, Ask around, there may be one in somebody's attic!
Another note : Foster Farms split chicken breast are 1.49 . A week or so ago they were about .89. They subbed Draper valley . their butchering job was somewhat deplorable to say the least. There were extra parts and what looked like liver attached. I emailed them and complained. They sent me ten dollars which was more than I paid for the chicken. Heritage farm chicken is Arkansas chicken. The price for boneless is 1.99. Still, with Foster Farms being fifty cents cheaper, you are better off, Foster Farms is potentially cleaner and cheaper and chicken stock and the rib meat is an added bonus. You are always better off buying local chicken and not frozen.
Another note : Tuesday is senior day at Fred Meyers. An extra 10 percent off for anyone over 55. This includes private brand groceries.
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Friday recipe - healthier tortillas
to get me to try tortillas from scratch there has to be an incentive. If something takes time to make, it's either got to be a whole lot cheaper , or or it has to be healthier or both. imdodmrin onto a recipe for tortillas that healthier. I decided to keep it in case for some reason I couldn't get to the store or I wanted to show granddaughter that tortillas didn't just appear out of a plastic bag. The cost difference alone doesn't warrant the time consumed.
3-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
7 Tbls canola oil
Mix together until a smooth ball forms, knead.
Separate dough into two ounce balls.
Let balls rest, covered for 10 minutes.
Roll out to be very thin.
Cook on a flat griddle until browned on both sides.
Cost :
Flour 3.5 cups at .08 cup is .28
Oil - 7 TBLS is .28
Total .56
Makes 15 tortillas
Or .04 each
A package of 10 cost a dollar on sale . Or .10 each.
The mount of time to make the tortillas is too great to save six cents a tortilla.you are 60. Itmwould only make sense of you wanted to avoid the lard or shortening, It's a labor of love.
3-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
7 Tbls canola oil
Mix together until a smooth ball forms, knead.
Separate dough into two ounce balls.
Let balls rest, covered for 10 minutes.
Roll out to be very thin.
Cook on a flat griddle until browned on both sides.
Cost :
Flour 3.5 cups at .08 cup is .28
Oil - 7 TBLS is .28
Total .56
Makes 15 tortillas
Or .04 each
A package of 10 cost a dollar on sale . Or .10 each.
The mount of time to make the tortillas is too great to save six cents a tortilla.you are 60. Itmwould only make sense of you wanted to avoid the lard or shortening, It's a labor of love.
Tuesday - notes chicken in depth
Everything you ever wanted to know about chicken.
Chicken is one of the most inexpensive meats about now. Some chickens are cleaner than others. Local chickens are best. Some southern chicken companies have received permission from the FDA to send the chickens to China for processing,
Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds. That is the break even point where there is as much bone weight as there is chicken weight. In other words, the bigger the weight, the more chicken you are getting for your money. Most deli whole roasted chickens are three pounds or under. Do the math, you are paying far more per pound than buying a raw chicken on sale, Chicken can be purchased for as low as .88 a pound here.
There are easy, very efficient ways to cook a whole chicken. (Later) . The least expensive to get boneless, skinless breast is to buy mega packs of split chicken breast with ribs. Cut the ribs off and simmer them with water and some herbs. You can then have chicken stock and pick the meat from the bones for taco meat, chicken salad, a casserole or enchiladas. I get almost a quart of meat of meat from six large split breasts. That represents two meals. I individually bag the breasts and out them in a gallon bag and label and date. This doesn't take long and the .87-1.28 a pound is a lot less expensive than the eight dollars a pound that boneless, skinless chicken breast can cost. Same brand, less money.
Chicken breast can be cooked from frozen in the insta pot in 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the breast. Always disinfect all surfaces that touch raw meat of any kind for food safety. Some people wear gloves. Thawed chicken breast can be poached in the microwave.
A whole chicken can make four meals for the proverbial family of four : 2 half chicken breasts, one from the dark meat and chicken soup from the bones. Remember your goal here is to provide the RDA of protein for the day. When you are using a smaller amount for a casserole or tacos etc, you are also adding cheese or beans to supplement. This is key to keeping a very low price point for your meals.
It is cheaper and more efficient to buy meats in bulk and buy enough to feed your family for a month of that meat choice. In other words, if you have pork once a week, you would buy enough for four meals. If you buy a different meat or protein each week in a four to six week rotation, you will hit a sale price at least once during that time frame. Keeping quantities at a four to six week level keeps your meat fresh. Some people rotate, chicken breast or whole chicken, Pork loin, hamburger, cheese, brand and rice, and bagged fish or canned tuna or salmon. Keeping your bulk purchases to a four to six week supply means unless you have a large family, you should be able to keep it in a regular fridge freezer.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Thursday bullets - what to bring to the grocery store.
Thursday bullets : what to bring to the grocery store.
- Bags : Around here, some cities have banned plastic grocery bags. Some cities charge you for your gricerynbags, some don't, and some give you a credit (Winco) for bringing bags. Bags that clip onto your cart work well and are more sanitary. Studies have shown poop germs on the bottom of the carts. Yuk!
- Coupon binder or envelope. Having coupons for the things that you know you will buy he,os a lot. Having them organized means you will have a better chance of using them.
- Rewards cards. Every bit helps. Our Kroger gives something sway every week. Don't take it ofmyou will never use it, but we take things we know we can pass on tonsomeone that dies need it. -- food bank? Cat lover?
- Calculater or your phone of it has one on it, A lot these days have unit prices in ounces, not per can. Bulk items need to be calculated to know if they are a bargain or not.
- The ads. Circle the things that you are interested in- a good reminder.
- Small scissors to clip coupons from the store ads if necessary. Sometimes Winco has coupons on the entrance.
- Hand sanitizer. Chicken cooties. Enough said.
- A list of what you need if you are out of something.
Safeways and QFC hauls
First, my hubby bought bread, milk and cream for my daughter. Total bill 3.04
Today I went to QFC with a list based on what I could condo my the internet. The ,airman has not delivered oir ads yet.
Grapes 1.48
Milk .99
Tomato plant 3.79
Safeways.
Mayonnaise 2.00
Chicken of the sea tuna ( for backpack alerts )6 ea
Pork loin roast 1.49 Total 4.25
Bananas 1.32
Strawberries 5.99
Total 25.26
Today I went to QFC with a list based on what I could condo my the internet. The ,airman has not delivered oir ads yet.
Grapes 1.48
Milk .99
Tomato plant 3.79
Safeways.
Mayonnaise 2.00
Chicken of the sea tuna ( for backpack alerts )6 ea
Pork loin roast 1.49 Total 4.25
Bananas 1.32
Strawberries 5.99
Total 25.26
Weekly chain store ads
QFC - two week ad
Buy 5, save 5
Hummus 1.99
FF chicken patties 5.99$$
Mayonnaise 1.99
Kens salad dressing 1.49$$
Grapes 1.48
Milk ,99
Alberways
Bananas 3 lbs .99
Berries 2/5
Pork loin roast 1.49
Cheese -2 lbs 4.99
Bread 2/1@@
Tuna .49@@
Eye of round roast 2.99
Suddenly salad 4/5 - note : it's a dollar next door at the dollar tree.
Note : Pork loin roast is a keeper for a rotation meat as well as the eye of round roast would make good meat to grind for low fat hamburger.
Buy 5, save 5
Hummus 1.99
FF chicken patties 5.99$$
Mayonnaise 1.99
Kens salad dressing 1.49$$
Grapes 1.48
Milk ,99
Alberways
Bananas 3 lbs .99
Berries 2/5
Pork loin roast 1.49
Cheese -2 lbs 4.99
Bread 2/1@@
Tuna .49@@
Eye of round roast 2.99
Suddenly salad 4/5 - note : it's a dollar next door at the dollar tree.
Note : Pork loin roast is a keeper for a rotation meat as well as the eye of round roast would make good meat to grind for low fat hamburger.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Tuesday thoughts
Wednesday last, I went to get the needed dairy products at QFC because they were in sale, I also picked up a box of raspberries. I always try to keep two or three kinds of fresh fruit in the house.
I also always check the mark down section ever since I found one of my meds for less than Costco charges . They marked it down because the box had been opened, but then it contained three boxes that were still factory sealed, I got two cans of S &; W low sodium chilli beans for .49 each, The good deal happened when I used an.55 coupon. I got two cans for .43. Or .215 a can.
It just a mindset, You can have good food, watch the nasty 😷 salt, sugar, trans fats, sulfite, hydrogenated oils, HFCS, and preservatives and still eat on a budget.
I also always check the mark down section ever since I found one of my meds for less than Costco charges . They marked it down because the box had been opened, but then it contained three boxes that were still factory sealed, I got two cans of S &; W low sodium chilli beans for .49 each, The good deal happened when I used an.55 coupon. I got two cans for .43. Or .215 a can.
It just a mindset, You can have good food, watch the nasty 😷 salt, sugar, trans fats, sulfite, hydrogenated oils, HFCS, and preservatives and still eat on a budget.
- Know your prices and unless it's something you really really can't do without, don't buy anything unless it's at your target price.
- Buy dairy when it's on sale and buy enough to feed your family before the sell by date expires.
- Buy fresh produce in season and buy it as close to out of the earth as you can. . In other words, less packaging and handling is better for the most part. Certain stores are better than others for produce. I got ten pounds of potatoes for less than what five pounds cost at another store,
- Buy a limited variety of cuts of meat, buy it in bulk and portion control it. Cook it if it is appropriate and freeze it. Certain cuts are very versatile . I always cook and de-fat ground beef and sausage, It's more efficient than cooking as you need it, Tonight I threw cooked hamburger, enchalada sauce That I purchased for a dime, and taco seasoning that I made .10) in the insta pot on sauté, As soon as it came to a boil, I reprogrammed it to slow cooker and let it simmer. It took a matter of minutes.
- Make your bread if possible, The cost is about a tenth of the cost of buying it. There are recipes that are really fast and easy, ( non passive time )
- Load up on picnic supplies around summer holiday time, It will be the cheapest prices on things like BBQ sauce, catsup , mustard etc.
- Things like olive oil, flour and beans are cheaper if you can buy bulk at a warehouse store, pinto beans are cheapest at the dollar tree and they are non GMO and grown and packaged in the USA. Costco is cheaper, but we can't use 25 pounds before they go bad,
Monday, May 29, 2017
Monday kitchen management
Monday kitchen management.
It's the first of the month so the fan screen goes in the dishwasher the first load that's a little free.
It's the first of the month so the fan screen goes in the dishwasher the first load that's a little free.
- Put fan screen in the dishwasher,
- Wash kitchen floor
- Wax cabinets in the north side of kitchen
- Make baking mix
- Make pizza dough
- Thaw Pork tenderloin in fridge
- Wash vegetables
- Straighten pantry.
- make chocolate rice crispy squares.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Meal plans - week of May 29 - total cost 18.42
I'm meal planning and taking you along to see my mindset. The weather here is warm for a few days and then we have cooler and rain. Seattle and rain! LOL.
I have three packages of hot dogs. They have far enough expiration dates that we can use them within the next few weeks. We only eat hot dogs in the summer and only around holidays that trigger the grocers putting them on sale.
Part of what we eat is based on what was on sale that week; Part is based on our key ingredients that I try to keep on hand.
Grocery shopping based on sales and coupons to get the lowest possible price and fill in what your pantry needs leaves you pretty much free to choose any meals you want within dietary and budget guidelines.
I have three packages of hot dogs. They have far enough expiration dates that we can use them within the next few weeks. We only eat hot dogs in the summer and only around holidays that trigger the grocers putting them on sale.
Part of what we eat is based on what was on sale that week; Part is based on our key ingredients that I try to keep on hand.
Grocery shopping based on sales and coupons to get the lowest possible price and fill in what your pantry needs leaves you pretty much free to choose any meals you want within dietary and budget guidelines.
- Pizza - a necessary staple here. It's cheap. I make crust for less than a quarter, Add a fifth of a jar if pizza sauce bought at the DT. ( freeze the rest in ice cube trays ) add cheese - target price close to two dollars a pound and pepperoni that is.50 for a package with a coupon at the DT. Total cost 1.20 It also might get any leftover bits hanging around the fridge, Black olives scarfed from a cassarole, the ends of the sausage or hamburger bag. Etc
- Breakfast 4 dinner. Another easy dinner that keeps a low profile so we can have a more expensive meal another day. Eggs are .78 a dozen this week. I'll dry some, but we still have plenty. I found a recipe for a pancake mix that mis easy and inexpensive. Add that package if sausage that keeps falling out of the freezer on my toe, and some scrambled eggs and berries and we should be set. .36 for eggs, .21 pancakes , 1.88 berries. Sausage 1.00 total 3.34
- Pork tenderloin roast , smashed potatoes. Zucchini with some tomato and red pepper flakes. I have. A Pork tenderloin ( not a loin ) in the freezer that I got for five dollars. Zucchini is a dollar a pound at FM this week. 1/2 roast 2.50, potatoes .32, zucchini 1.00 Tomato paste .16 total 3.98
- Tomato soup. cheese biscuits. 2.50 - finish the case of tomato soup. ( organic roasted red pepper and tomato -Costco at 2.00 each in a case.
- Tacos. Spanish rice. Taco kit was a dollar at Grocery Outlet. Hamburger - $1.68 lettuce, tomato, cheese and - cup of rice. Total 3.58
- Tuna casserole uses tuna 1.00, noodles .50, cream soup base, peas .50 total 2.00 dry bread crumbs and a Tbs of parm is too small to count.
- Vegetable bean soup , bread sticks. Bread sticks .15 , soup 1.67 total 1.82
- Total 18.42 for 7 days
How?
- Buy when things are on real sale.
- Use coupons when you can for real food
- Buy bulk foods that you use a lot,
- Make scratch with efficient recipes.
- Buy bulk meat and butcher it yourself
- Eat vegetarian a couple of nights a week.
- Soup and bread is a good thing.
- Plan your meals, but be flexible
- Remake leftovers . Leftovers don't have to loom the same as the first time around.
.
Winco and big lots
Big lots
Animal crackers (6) 2.00
Ice cream cookies 1.00
Garlic 1.25
Winco
When it's hot, the meal plans go out the window and we have a burger, hotdog, or some kind of a sandwich and salads. Beats the heat in a east faced kitchen.
Chips 1.98
Salmon burgers 2.48
Buns .78
Bananas .68
Grill seasoning .10
Meatballs 1.98
Dry milk 3.48
Potato salad 2.98
Lettuce .98
Cucumbers.48
Grapes 3.44
Total 20.10
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