Fred Meyer for tomorrow, and a 3 day at Alberways

Fred Meyers

FF Chicken, whole .97
California mandarins 2.99 - 3 lbs
Milk .99

Ground beef 7 percent 3.49 ****

Berries 2/4

Sour cream/ cottage cheese 1.25

Spinach .99

Cabbage .49

Oranges .88


Buy 6, save 3 —not the best mega event -net prices

Dreyers ice cream 2.99

Campbells chunky soup .99

Dave killer  3.49

Nalleys chili .89 - there is a .40/2 coupon out there makin g it .69



ALBERWAYS

GARDEN SALADS .79

Lean ground beef 2.77 =20 percent fat *****

Tortillas, 30 count .99

Signature select ice cream 1.99@@@

Remember case lot sale

****

Comparing hamburgers

Fred meyers hamburger is 7 percent for 3.49 or translates to 3.49 X 1.07 equals 3.73 a lb

Alberways is 2.77 a b and 20 percent fat.  Or translates to 3.22

I prefer the less fat, but at 3.22 you can defat the hamburger.   Defeating hamburgerlooses u to 17 percent of the fat.  

You can also watch for a sirloin sale and grind yours ow.   The last time I did that it was a net of 2.40 a lb and it was almost no fat visible.  

11 things NEVER to buy at the grocery store.

There are just some things that are not a friend of your budget and /or your heath

• Snack salty foods:  its no accident that the first thing that you see when you walk into some stores is the chips, and other salty snacks.   There are whole isles dedicated to them.   They are also some of the most expensive things per pound in the store.  If you want a ‘salty snack” you are much better off having a homemade air popped real popcorn.   A huge canister is a good price at Costco and it lasts forever.   I use the container for storage of dry goods.  
• Baked goods.   We all buy a loaf of bread.   The cheapest price these days is at Dollar Tree (orowheat) and there are coupons in inserts that net it out at .45 a loaf.  This includes double fiber and whole wheat, and some rolls.   It is extremely cheaper to make your bread and it can take a matter of minutes and about a quarter or so to make a rustic loaf of bread or french bread.   For a bit of a 6.00 bag of flour and a 3.oo plus change bag of yeast, you can have many many loaves of bread.   Artisan bread can cost 3.00 a loaf.   Muffins can have healthy additive and can cost as little as 50 cents a dozen.   A few minutes of your time can make a .50 investment make as much as what cost 6.00
• Rotisserie chicken .   Another case where a ten minute investment of time can save a lot of money. 
• Fruit juices.   Yippee cups of fruit juice are not good for children’s teeth.   A nutritionist told me that my children were much better off eating the apple instead of a cup of juice. 
• Bread crumbs.  Why pay upwards of 2.40 cents a pound for someone elses dry bread and tosss yours out.?   
• Pizza sauce.   Pizza sauce is very expensive at the regular grocery stores.   The dollar tree has name brand sauce for a dollar.   Use what you need and put the rest in an ice cube tray and freeze it.   When it is frozen, dump the cubes into a zip lock.   Or, use part of a jar of pasta sauce you are using for another meal or a part of a 8 ounce can of tomato sauce you have purchased for less than .33.   Freeze any leftovers.
• Cans or jars of broth.   Again you are paying for someone elses garbage.   A lot for someone else’s garbage.   Debone chicken breasts and put the bones in your slow cooker with some water and vegetable scraps (celery and carrot, onion) before you go to bed.   When you get up, you will have chicken broth.   Ditto vegetable broth, or buy reduced sodium boullion.   
• Croutons.   I usually just skip them.  But, they, too, can be made from your dry bread.   
• Pizza crust costs less than 20 cents and takes about five mnutes to make if you are slow.  Pizza purchased even at the grocery store is at least 3.00 .   The cost of a cheese pizza is 1.05.  You can do wonders with a little pepperoni purchased at the dollar store or leftover meat and veggies.    Save a few pieces of cooked meat or fresh veggies every time you chop something that you could put on a pizza.  Keep a few bags in the freezer door.   
• Hamburger Meal Boxes.   Very little product for a lot of money....even at a dollar at the DT.  The one my daughter and I dissected had a little more than 4 ounces of pasta and an envelope of sauce mix full of things I couldn’t pronounce.                          

Pesto Pasta

Pesto

1 bunch basil
1/4 cups walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parm
4 cloves garlic

Mix together in food processer or blender.


Pesto Pizza Dish

8 ounces bow tie pasta , cooked
2 cups broccolli or cauliflower or combo of both , blanched
2 cups leftover chicken or turkey, cubed
1 can diced tomatoes wtth italian seasonings , not drained
1/4 cup pesto

Toss all ingredients.   Top with parm or Romano cheese.
Bake at 350 deg for 30 minutes or until heated through

Thursday Bullets: Morphing meals

There is just something about the word leftover that sends some husband’s screaming from the building.   It is still a good idea to be able to cook once and eat twice.   Its more efficient .  So, instead of reheating the same dinner, you can reinvent the ingredients and morph the meal.   It helps to space the leftover (morphed) meal in between another meal.  

• Pork roast can become pork sliders with bbq sauce. 
• Meatballs and speghetti can become meatball subs. 
• Cooked chicken breast can become chicken broccoli salad , or chicken pot pie , Thai noodles 
• Leftover cooked chicken or pork can become stuffing for a calzone
• Shredded chicken can become tortilla soup 
• Leftover beef can become beef and blue cheese pizza
• Leftover beef can become sliders
• Leftover beef can become bbq beef pizza 
• Leftover just about any meat can become a coconut  curry noodle bowl
• Shredded meat can be a meat for tacos. 
• Leftover cooked meat can go into a Denver  potato casserole 
• Ham can morph into seasoning for split pea soup 
• Leftover chicken can become a chicken Alfredo pizza or 
• A buffalo chicken pizza
• Meatloaf one day can become meatballs on noodles another.   (Just cube the meatloaf) 

Chili or a vegetable soup can be served over rice another day.

• Leftover taco meat can become a burrito bowl another day 
• The black beans you cooked for a Mexican dish can become black bean cakes . 
• Meatball stew  

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Chain stores ads

Ok. QFC had a two week ad last week and there was not a lot in it.  

Alberways

Signature Farms chicken breast or thighs.....1.67
Note:   We dont now where these come from and thighs are .99 for FF at FM.

Grapes 1.97

My or match Kellogg’s cereal 3/5....thats 1.67 each and FM is a better buy even without coupons, but way better with.   Coupons.com

Progresso 2/3....FM is .99 when you buy 8; use 1.00 off four coupons


3 days only FSS.

Butter 1.97
Avacados 77

*****
FRIDAY only -5 dollar Friday

18 ounces raspberries or blueberries
40 ounces skippy peanut butter
******

Sour cream/ cottage cheese 4/5

STOCK UP SALE -THE BEST PART OF THE AD
THERE IS A 5 DOLLARS OFF OF 50 COUPON FSS ONLY
THESE ARE ALL STORE BRANDS AND USUALLY CASE LOTS. (12)

CREAM SOUPS .49 NET WITH COUPON .44
PASTA SAUCE .99 NET .90
PASTA .59 NET .53
REFRIED BEANS .59 NET .53
BEANS .49 NET .45
CANNED VEGGIES .59 NET .53
TOMATOES .49 NET .44

No money: dollar tree purchases

Its hard to believe that you could actually find a meal at the DT.   But, it is possible and it can be food made in the USA.

Not all food at DT is a good price canned veggies are more money than ou can get at other stores and , frankly, some of it is nasty.   There is some cheese there, but you need to read the labels carefully some of it is cheese product.   They have chicken , but you dont know where it came from.  I just got chicken thighs from Washington for .99 a lb.  

1. Orowheat bread is 1.00 and there are coupons out there (inserts) for .55 off. 
2. Tortillas are a dollar . 
3. Pizza sauce is a dollar and a good brand.  A lot cheaper than regular grocer stores. 
4. The pizza crust is really really thin and you can make it a lot cheaper (.19) .
5. Chili is a dollar.   Don’t know about the brand, have been  seeing it a lot on u tube blogs.  
6. Pepperoni is a dollar for a good brand.  You can’t use coupons anymore because they have a minimum of size of box.   
7. Feta cheese is a bargain. 
8. Barilla pasta can be found and you can use the coupons if you find them. 
9. The spices are all a dollar. 
10. Marie Callender’s biscuit type mixes are a reasonable price.   
11. Rice and beans are reasonable.   The beans (pinto) are .67 a lb-the cheapest price I have found.  
12. Tea is a reasonable price.   

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Fred Meyers: week 3

Week three total spent 50.72.  4.98 under budget



FF Thighs. .99 lb 4.62
Progresso soup 8@.99 less .50 coupon

Kellogg’s fruit loops (2)
Kelloggs Frosted Flakes (2)
1 gallon milk 2.60 (FREE)
Less coupons 2.00 - MAKES THE CEREAL .85 EACH


SARGENTO CHEESE BOGO.   2.00 EACH

TOTAL SPENT 22.03

10 basic meals.......up a notch

There is a concept out there that the average family has about 10 got meals that they eat on a regular basis.   I got to thinking and came up with more.  A brainstorm happened and i thought a list of meals that used a particular protein would create variety and make meal planning easier.   Purchasing bulk meat and limiting the cut to something that is very versatile saves money....a lot of money if you look for RBP and think out of the box.   

Ground Beef 

• Hamburgers :   Not done often on a strict budget, it takes too much meat.   
• Sloppy Joes 
• Meat pasta sauce with pasta. 
• Meat loaf -another high maintenance 
• Burritos 
• Burrito bowl 
• Tacos 
• Enchiladas
• Chilli 
• Cheeseburger macaroni

 Chicken breast : boneless, skinless

• Roasted chicken with roasted root veggies 
• Chicken pot pie 
• Chicken soup 
• Chicken enchaadas
• Chicken parm
• Homemade chicken nuggets 
• Chicken mac n cheese 
• Parmesean chicken with broccolli
• White chicken chilli 
• Buffalo chicken pizza 

Pork loin:  can be cut into stew, stir fry,center cut pork chops and roast 

• Pork roast w roasted veggies 
• Pork chops with cranberry relish 
• Pork chops with bread dressing : and apple and craisens 
• Pork stew with rolls 
• Pulled pork sandwiches 
• Pork slicers 
• Pork stir fry 
• Skillet pork chops 
• Pork tacos 
• Braised pork on rice or noodles 
• 
  
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Meatless

• Mac and cheese 
• Bean burritos 
• Tuna cassarole 
• Cheese pizza 
• Salmon patties 
• Split pea soup 
• Pesto pasta toss 
• Fried rice 
• French toast 
• Egg omlettes 
• Waffles 
• Peanut butter pancakes
• Huevos Rancheros casserole 
• Cheesy egg sandwiches  / egg mc muffins 
• Vegetable bean soup
• 
  

Meatballs : 

• Meat ball subs 
• Meatballs and spaghetti 
• BBQ meatball pizza 
• Meatballs with cream gravy over noodles 
• Meatball soup 

There are al lot more, these are all one that average five dollar meals when the protein is purchased at a RBP>.  

 

Meal plans 1/15/18

Meal plans are necessary to keep things on track.

• Vegetable bean soup , rolls 
• Pizza
• Pork stew 
• Burrito bowls 
• Roast chicken with root veggies 
• Pork chops bread stuffing with apple and cranberries , broccolli 
• Breakfast 4 dinner : cinnamon bread french toast, eggs, fruit 

Notes 

• Soup is a good meal if you’re cooking dinner and then you eat dinner at different times.   
• Pizza is a well lived staple .
• Pork stew is from the sirloin bought fir 1.69 a pound 
• Burrito bowls are easy and flexible 
• Oven roasted veggies are a good recipe to use inexpensive ingredients 
• Pork chops are made with stove type stuffing,  the store brand was cheaper.   
• Cinnamon bread was a dollar at the DT.  There are also coupons for 55cents off orowheat bread that is at the dollar store.  

Winco haul - week 3

This does not include non food items

Total 28.69

Winco stuffing -2—.88. **
Bc cake mix .88
Coffee - 5.48
5 lbs fries 3.39
Cucumber .48
Grapes 5.33
Ice cream 2.67
Grape tomatoes 1,98
Pork sirloin 6.52. I think it was 1.69 a lb

** note. - turkey flavor was .88 chicken was more.the chicken was more than the double stovetop brand when you factored-the price of  ea.

Smart source insert coupons

1.00 on ten yoplait.  

.40 on two cans of Nalley chili

1.00 on 1 pkg dream fields pasta

.55 on any orowheat bread
Note that orowheat bread is a dollar at DT, makes that .45 for bread including whole wheat and double fiber

Fred Meyers fir Sunday

The ad points for Fred Meyers

• Strawberries , 2 lbs 3.99
• Apples 1.49
• Progresso soup .99 when u buy 8. Find coupons 
• Pork shoulder 1.69
• Bacon 3.99 some are a pound 
• Sargenro chese BOGO
• FF split chicken breast 1,49

• What’s not a bargain.      Rotisserie chicken at 9.99 each.  They try to hide the fact that it is three pounds with using an ounce measurement instead of pounds.   Chicken has a break even point,   That is the point where there is the same amount if bone as there is meat,   At three pound chicken has 1-1/2 pounds of meat.  At 10.00 a chicken. You are paying 6.66 a pound for chicken.  In the same ad, split chicken breast is 1.49 a pound and kegs and thighs are .99.  You can put a whole chicken , often less than a dollar for locally grown in a slow cooker in less than 10 minutes including cleaning up the counter.   You are paying a lot for 10 minutes worth of work.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast are lower fat than dark meat, and even at two dollars a lb, you are saving money.   If you are using a chicken breast for a cassarole or tacos etc, you can cook a chicken breast from frozen in the insta pot in 8 minutes—probably less time than driving to costco and standing in line.   Anyway you look at it, you are paying three times the price for someone else to cook something that takes 10 minutes if your time to cook.   That means you are making 70 dollars an hour for your time.   In my book, that’s a chunk of change.   

Saturday Notes

Unfortunately, my keyboard has decided to go on strike.   I am back to typing with two fingers.  Ugh, lol .

The figures for  the two weeks of January are posted and I am a whole .50 a week UNDER.   I have not had to buy meat yet.   55.00 a week is my budget because I did it in that all last year.   That is  considerably less than the 120.00 that is the USDA figures fir cost if food at home for thrifty shoppers.   Unlike some people that write mineynsacing, there is no ciw in the backyard, and we didn’t can veggies and fruit all summer.  We don’t  have our food brought in from Walmart, nor do we feed seven people veggies that fill a soup bowl .  This is real food in real time .  We just got the stats from our checkups at the doctor and we all are under the maximum BMI for normal levels.  Just an added advantage of portion control . LOL

In case you are new, we use a multi disapline approach to groceries on the cheap.

• Never pay full price for your food. 
• Shop multiple stores.   No one store has all the best prices.   
• Shop your pantry, and replenish the pantry with sale priced staples. 
• Use coupons when it makes sense for real food. 
• Use a rebate program like ibotta to save even more.   I don’t count ibotta in my price calculations.   
• Portion control.  If you put a whole roast on the table, some people will eat a whole roast on the table. 
• Learn to cook from scratch.   Boxed dinner meals are expensive and not full of nutrition.   Easy scratch recipes are all over the internet. 
• The average family has 10 entree’s they eat on a regular basis.  Perfect those entrees.   That means you are only eTing that dinner three times during the month 
• Plan your meals.  An organized kitchen is less stressful at supper time.   
• Stock up when things that you use on a regular basis are at a RBP.   It makes no sense to have 10 bottles  if mustard , but 10 cans of green beans is another story.   Cans are the only storage solution other than dehydrating that will hold up in a disaster.  We have storms here that take out the power grid.   You still have to eat , even if the power is out,   
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Recipe Friday

Roasted vegetables

2 medium potatoes. Scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 carrots, cut into thick slices
1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 red pepper, cut into chunks

Olive oil
1 Tbls Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic

Spread vegetables on baking sheet with sides. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic and  bake at
375 degrees for 30 to35 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Grocery Outlet Haul

Grocery Outlet and dollar tree are side by side.

White bread .99
Whole wheat bread 1.00
Slider buns 1.00
Cinnamon bread 1.00

Italian salami 3.99
Smoked Gouda 2.39

10.37 or .37 over .

Thursday Bullets: Bleepn Happens....go to meals

Face it, we all have those days......those days when bleep happens.  All the meal plans in the world won’t  work when you day falls apart.   Having a PLAN for bleep days staves off the take out demons.

• Meatballs and spaghetti:  frozen meatballs are cheaper than homemade and a lot less work.  Pasta sauce is also cheaper in a jar on sale than scratch.   
• Breakfast for dinner.   Omlettes , toast and fruit works. 
• Chunky soup and rolls - the canned soup police won’t arrest you.  LOL
• Chicken Parmesean:  speghetti, sauce, chicken patties (Foster Farms) and Parm.- get chicken when its on sale.   Five dollars is my target price.   (Nothing to do with the store with the red balls.) 
• Tacos...they are a snap if you cook your ground beef when it walks in the door. Buying and cooking in bulk saves time and money.   
• Nachos 
• Tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches
• Dagwood sandwiches 
• Frozen pizza 
• Meat ball subs 

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Safeway Haul

Safeway Haul

Pillsbury Grands biscuits 1.00 less coupon equals .50 each

Foster Farms orange chicken and baked chicken nuggets 5.00 ea

2 pkg raspberaries 1.99 ea

Total 14.90

Chain store ads

QFC - not much there.  

Blueberries 18 ounces 3.99

Progresso soup, buy 8, price .99 -there are coupons for 1.00 off four at coupons.com
Even if you arent in the habit of eating canned soup, its a good thing to have in case of emergency in the PNW , we have wind storms that take out the power, sometimes for days.  

Sargento sliced cheese BOGO
Draper valley chicken is BOGO
Not knowing the regular price, I can’t  guarantee its a good price.  

Safeways

Raspberries, blueberries blackberries 1.97
Not a bargain for the blueberries , cheaper at qfc.

Cheese 3.98@@
Foster Farms chicken 4.98, frozen @@
Yoplait .50
Grands biscuits 1.00 $$$


Note : artisan dinner breads 3.49.....the cost of a dinner bread is about .30.

Tuesday: Notes

Part of making a low budget work and still eating well is making food from scratch.   Because you spend a title more time planning a shopping trip , finding ways to efficiently cook scratch is to your advantage. Spending time to plan a  shopping trip saves time and money and helps to avoid impulse purchases. Impulse purchases can take up as much as 70 percent of your shopping cart and jack up your bottom line.   The other way to save money is to scratch cook.   I’m on a mission to effect a handful of recipes that are real money savers.   We will take you along for the experience.

• Pizza dough.   Scratch pizza costs 1.00 a cheese pizza .  Pizza can cost as muc as twenty dollars.   Pizza dough is 1.50 on sale sometimes at safeways.   The crust is 2.00 at central market.   The cost is .17 cents.   That’s at least a 90 percent reduction  in cost.  It takes less than five minutes.   
• Rolls .  A trending meal these days is sliders.   They are made from a sweet dinner roll.  I’m on a mission to find the easiest recipe with the least amount of ingredients.   The simpler the recipe the more you are enthusiastic to make it.  I’m leaning towards the one in Betty Crocker that starts with a bread machine dough.   
• Peasant bread is a piece of cake and takes almost no effort .   It cost .25 cents.   Sourdough bread is 3.00 a loaf and up.   
• Soups are another good meal that can cost little.   Many soups are pushing the two dollar price tag these days.   Don’t get me wrong. A can of soup can be your best friend if you are sick and dont feel like cooking for for a emergency ration.   You can heat a can of soup in the fireplace or on a burner on your grill outside.   Its a bit harder to bake scratch soup without power.   
• Pick your battles.   Pasta sauce is cheaper to buy than it is to make unless your are getting your tomatoes for free.   Use coupons and sales to bring your cost down.   I have been buying sauce in a jar for as little as .59.   Canned sauce is alwasy a dollar or less.   There’s that BPA scare tactic some people buy into.   Tomatoes in cans were tested.  There was 6 parts of BPA in several BILLION.   Safeway also carries diced tomatoes in a bpa free can.  You can limit your exposure.   
•  Learning to make ‘white sauce’ is a real money saver.   A lot of cassarole type ‘meal boxes or bags basically use a roux to begin with.  Gravy that comes in packets, jars, or cans is expensive.   You are paying for some boullion, flour and water:  Sometimes ,  just the flour and boullion.  Gravy can also be made from the drippings after you roast a piece of meat.   Its not had to make aroux and flour cost .07 a CUP.   The cost of two tablespoons is not even worth pricing vs up to a dollar for a jar or packet of gravy.   This technique also makes the basis for cheese sauce or mac and cheese.   
• Boxed mac and cheese is up to a dollar.  Its a few ounces of pasta and a cheese sauce in a packet.   You are better off making the sauce from scratch.   Its a matter of taste.   Again, the cheese sauce has whey ( the part of the milk that is left over after you make cheese ) .  It has protein, but, it is the slop thats left over.   Farmers use it to feed the hogs.   It also has TSP.   TSP is a cleaner we sold at the paint store .  You were not supposed to EAT it.  Scratch has flour, vegetable oil or butter, milk and real cheese.    Annies is a bit better , but it still has sodium phosphates .   
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Kitchen Management -Monday

Kitchen management is a tool that can be used to get yourself organized and more efficient in the kitchen.   It helps to make the dinner hour less hectic while providing a balanced meal to your family.
It consists of prep work and rotation of deep clean chores.  

Basic Meal Plan for the week.

• Baked potato cheese soup 
• Pizza
• Pork roast 
• Spaghetti and meatballs
• Pork sliders 
• Chix nuggets 
• Breakfast for dinner 

Translates to: 

• Wash kitchen floor 
• Wash and disinfect countertops and sinks and drains. 
• Clean out refrigerator and dump anything dead. 
• Put the stove filter through the dishwasher 
• Clean the drip pans 
• Wash potatoes for soup and oven fries 
• Wash and cut carrots for veggie trays.   Broccoli and cauliflower are already done. 
• Make a note to thaw the pork roast on Tuesday, the chicken on Friday.   
• Make bread for today 
• Find a roll recipe for sliders on friday. 

A little work today makes for a lot less work during the dinner hour.   

Finding recipes that are easy and efficient saves time and money.