The ads 7/4/13

Here are the ads as soon as I got them

IGA

15 percent hamburger. 2.99
Leg quarters .99
Dreyers ice cream 2.99
Strawberries, raspberries 2/5
Tomatoes on vine 1.49
Can't elope 2/3
Blues 3.99
Corn 6/2

Salads 3.49

TOP
CORN 6/2
Dreyers 2.49
Hebrew national 2.99
Cheese 4.99
Land o frost sausage 3.99
Grapes 2.00
Lettuce 1.00

SAFEWAYS
Cherries 2.49
Corn 5/1
Toni Roma's, plum rose or loyds ribs BOGO
Chicken .99
Dreyers 2.99
Milk 2.59
Eggs 1.49

QFC
CORN 4/1
Butter 3/5
Hebrew national 2/6

ALBERTSONS
Country ribs 1.29
Corn 8/2
Milk 2.59
Strawberries 2/5
Grapes 1.99

QFC
1/3 flat raspberries 7.99
Cherries 2.99
Peaches 1.48

That's about all
Don't forget to delete anything you don't need to stock and anything that is higher priced elsewhere.

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Jane

Answer to Suddenly Saturday.

I heard from a woman in the mid west that had 500 dollars to feed her family of eight.  She stated that a good dinner was corn she could get for .12 and watermelon .  While that tastes really good especially on a hot day, she needs more protein to grow good muscles and dairy for good bones.

I would say that if you don't have a large chain store in your town, network with other mothers to get a car pool going to at least go once a month for supplies.  I am assuming if you can comment on my blog, you can look up your chain stores ads to find out who has the lowest prices.  

If you have eight people in your family, dinner has to cost less than ten dollars a meal.  That leaves you 100 dollars for breakfast and 100 dollars for lunch.  if vegetables are cheap in your area, take advantage of that and buy in o bulk.  Buy oatmeal in bulk or at the lowest price.....it's as low as 2.64 here.  Sometimes we have fruit and toast or muffins.  you can make muffins out of just about anything.  Carrots, fruit, zucchini.  Almost everything.  

There  are coupons for lunch meat all the time,me specially helpful if your state doubles coupons.  Also egg salad and tuna and peanut butter and cheap alternatives.  If there is a bread bakery outlet buy the bread in bulk, freeze it if you can.  If fruit and veggies are plentiful, take advantage of them to add to the meal.  

popcorn  makes a good snack.  

OK, that's my ideas.  If anyone has more ideas, especially if they live on the mid west and have large families, please leave comments.  

Basicly, I am saying, 

•  break your budget down to a dollar figure for each meal.  
• If you don't have resources to large grocery chains, and warehouse stores, try to get help or arrange with another family to facilitate it.  Take 125.00 a week , and try to stick to it.
•   Buy in bulk and portion control your protein.  Take advantage of cheap veggies.  Be careful to portion control. .  
• Find something the kids like that is cheap and specify what they are allowed for snacks.  Look for coupons that are for snack foods that are free.  Last week, I got pudding snacks for free with coupons.  They Re out there, especially if your state has double coupons.  
• Analyze your spending habits.  It might be a cultural shock, but high priced snack foods would have to be curbed unless there is a good sale price matching a good coupon.  trust me, if your children are old enough to scrounge a Sunday paper, or surf the net, they will find coupons.  

Soups, stews, burritos with rice, beans, and a little meat , and pasta stretches far.  

There are componers that swear you never have to pay for pasta.  I have been getting it here for .38 combining sales with coupons.  

Look at obstacles as challenges and find a way to go through, under or over the brick wall. 

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Jane

it's Fireworks Day

We are having fireworks today.  I know ,it's the third of July.  We will go those to see them again at home.  But my daughter has to go back to work.

I was reading The Tightwad Gazette again.  it was originally published in 1996..almost twenty years ago.  I can remember getting tomato soup for a dime, and frozen lemonade for 3/1.00 and liver for .35 a pound in the 70's.  But, the difference in prices between the early to mid nineties and now is remarkable.   Was feeding a family of two adults and two teenagers for 50.00 then.  I was on the Woman's Day magazine.  They thought that that was remarkable.  the prices that are in the Tightwad gazette were cheaper than I was paying.  I can remember getting chicken  legs and thighs for .50.  She is quoting 5 pounds for 1.50.  ground beef for .99.  I remember ground chuck in the 70's for .69.
Some of the produce prices are not much more than they are now,  pasta is greatly inflated.  The cost of food is rising 3-5 percent a year.  It is higher this year because of the drought.  I haven't cost out our food plan from then, but I think it would be very interesting.  I am spending fifty percent more.  Three percent times twenty years would be 60 percent, but that's not quite the math,  it compounds.
The difference between 1996 and now is that we are eating more chicken and pork, and a lot less beef. Seldom do I find room in the budget for flank steak or stew meat. I could still buy sirloin roast up until about three months ago.  I will price out my typical meal list when I get home and can cost to with today's prices.

The trick to maintaining a budget is to adapt to the fluctuations in prices. If beef is skyrocketing in cost, switch to more vegetarian and Chicken.  There are literally zillions of chicken recipes out there.    The problem I have with that now, is that vegetarian tous means more cheese and cheese is doubling as well as beef.  I have a stockpile so I can peobavly ride the storm.

Chicken Tacos

1 envelope taco seasoning or two tablespoons heaping of home made taco seasoning.  (Earlier post)
1 pound raw chicken , cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Toss chicken in taco seasoning.
Cook chicken on olive oil until chicken is done, about 5 minutes.  Juices should run clear.  Remove from pan.
Add
1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers ( orange, red or yellow)and 2 T chopped cilantro or parsley.
Sauté until the veggies are crisp tender.  Add the chicken back to the skillet.

Fill Taco shells or gorditoes.
Serve with lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, and cheese.


Notes.  You can get small mixed peppers cheap usually at the grocery outlet.  ( about four dollars a bag.  I get peppers cheaper at the fresh food market sold by the pound.  I got sour cream for a buck last week.  I have cilantro in my garden and parsley.  Serve with a Mexican rice dish.

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Jane

4+1=5. Four people, one meal, Five bucks
Feed your family, Better, Cheaper, Faster.

Terrific Tuesday

Tuesday is usually the day that we get the ads.  No ads or coupons yet.

I haven't talked about the staples of catsup, mustard, pickles etc. You can get mustard, catsup, and
Pickles  at the dollar store.  I buy the Dijon mustard at Costco.  I buy black olives anywhere I can find them.  The best price I have found was at Winco.   Used to pickle watermelon rind.  it's really good, but watermelon has gone up in price so much and it is the worst fruit I could possibly eat as a diabetic. It is extremely high on the glycemic index.  one the less, pickled watermelon rind is almost found food!   LOL

 I found sugar free  butterscotch syrup ....a real great!  A great on bananas, apples, and blue bunny ice cream. it is the best for low fat and sugar!  I wrote the company and am getting coupons.  I brought banana split ice cream to a BBQ and it was a hit!  Chocolate over strawberries is a real treat too.

I got cocoa in bulk at Winco.  I am still looking for cheap dry milk.  So far, I found a box at Costco for 40.00!  It is more expensive than whole milk.  I did find a recipe for cream soup starter and it is a lot less than buying cream soup.  I can't say that it is less sodium, but it is convenient and less expensive, takes less room in the pantry.

I don't usually buy pudding cups.  They are too expensive, and are to processed.  But, I got them for such a low price at the same time that we were going on our trip.  They were a dollar a four pack at SAFEWAYS and there were dollar coupons.  I couldn't find the dollar coupons, but I did find .80 ones.
This  week it is ALBERTSONS for us, because it is the only store that is a believable walking distance. They also have a dollar store and rite aid.  Pretty much everything you could need between the three stores. There  is a hardware store in the same strip mall.  I am having too much fun at the children's consignment store and the thrift store who's proceeds go to the food bank.  the women's consignment store wanted 10.50 for a regular pair of  kacki shorts.  I got an expensive pair of designer shorts and a t shirt to match for 12.00.  it makes me feel good that the proceeds go to feed
People.

Guess that's all for now.

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jane

4+ one= 5.  4 people , one meal , five bucks .

Feed  your family : better -cheaper -faster.

Monday madness

Another week, another month gone.  I usually talk about the basics at the first of the month, but did it early.  Check previous post for the basics. Its   beautiful in the pacific NW.  We had 88 degrees yesterday and they are predicting  90 today.  I have had to rethink my menus, last year it rained all the time.  Instead of tomato soup and toasted cheese, my husband toasted cheese sandwiches on the deck and I fixed an array of fruits and veggies.  A case of adapting to circumstances.  make a plan--even of you alter it, have a plan.

If starting this concept is overwhelming and you see obstacles, break it down in small steps.  A motivational speaker once called it the Swiss cheese treatment.  Punching holes in a project until it is done.

• Write down your typical meal plan  for a week.  
• Break it down as to ingredients you would buy to make it
• Now cross off anything that is a perishable and leave the non- perishables
• If there are mixes or ready mades on your list, break down  the ingredients.  
• Now you should start to get a picture of your staple items.
• Think of other things you family likes to eat for dinner and add them to the list.  

If you like spaghetti and meatballs, you need spaghetti, meatballs, and sauce.  Put on your list spaghetti and pasta sauce.  It is cheaper to buy hunts sauce than it is to make it from scratch.  it comes in a lot of varieties even with chunky vegetables.  I would add a hard cheese to the mix.  Parmesan, or Romano or......

I think you get the gist.

Now,  start pricing your staple items.  You are going to look for your target price or the rock bottom price.  Track your prices of your staple list.  A staple is a product that you use weekly or at least bi weekly that is a non perishable.  You are going to stock a 3-6 month supply.  That is because grocery stores work on a 8-12 week sale cycle.  You never want to pay full price for a staple item.  You want the lowest possible price on the non staples too, but perishables are harder to control.  The best you can do is buy the lowest price on season.  

Rotate  your stock and replenish your stock when the target price comes up again.  

Like the stock market , you want to buy low, and sell (eat) high.  that doubles the impact of your food dollar.  If you can pair a sale price with a coupon, even better.   there aren't many coupons for real food.  

Some target prices for the Seattle metropolitan area 

Pasta sauce .78

Pasta. .38-.49. Less than .88

Refried beans .80

Canned corn .33-.50-.67

Canned beans .67

Instant mashed potatoes .80 or less

Diced tomatoes .48-.67

Tomato paste. .40

Note.   Pasta is the one thing that you can find coupons for .  Check coupons.com. For printable ones.  You can have two per computer.  Our state does not double coupons, but you can get good buys if you watch.  My best bet for tomatoes is big lots when they are having a 20 percent sale.  .  Refried beans were cheaper at grocery outlet last time I bought any.  Pasta sauce is cheapest at ALBERTSONS on sale or at Winco.  The cheapest corn I found was green giant at big lots.  No, you are not going to five stores a week.  That is the object of stockpiling.  You buy it low a thing or a couple of things a week until you are at the point of only buying a bulk purchase of rock bottom priced meat and anything rock bottom priced on your staple list that you need to replenish, and your perishable fruits and veggies in season.  

Pick the two chain stores that have the lowest prices.  Hit the warehouse stores when you can --we hit them about every four to six weeks.  And the alternative stores we hit whenever we are in the area on other errands.  after visiting the warehouse and alternative stores, you get a really good feel for their specialties   and what they have that you buy.on a regular basis.  

Once you get set up, you will find you spend no more time shopping than you do now and the savings are remarkable-- well worth the effort.  if you are retired or not working full time, you are making a profitable use of your time.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.  

Jane

Sunday deleted itself. ARRH

happy Sunday


I will do a quick recap. Just love maritime wifi.

I have started to read the Tightwad Gazette.
She covers ways to fix things, repurpose things, and how to in general, save money on just about everything.
She also covers how to look at a mix that you really love, and figure out how to DIY. I have purchased mixes before and dissected them. Sometimes you would r e a l l y be surprised what you are paying for...or maybe the right word is aren't paying for. If you really like something, buy one and figure out how to make it yourself.


Teaching a child how to grocery shop and be frugal about it is a lesson every child should learn. you hope they will never HAVE to use it, but it's a good lesson to have in their back pocket. Kinda like sewing on a button and heming a pair of pants and changing a flat tire. I like the idea of groceries on the SNAP allotment just to raise awareness of hunger in America. One idea was to do it for a month and give the savings to the food bank.

With coupons, you can get toothpaste for free frequently. I am saving it for the women's shelter. A good low cost way to help the community-- you have to pay the tax!


The Tightwad Gazette talks about the snowball effect. It kinda goes like this: If you save money and reinvest the money to buy something that will save you money, it gathers momentum and you save more money. surely, the money I have in CD's aren't gathering much money. Saving 50 percent on your groceries is more than you will get in any bank now. I don't ever remember in all my 60 plus years when a bank paid 50 percent on anyone's money. LOL



I had an anonymous commenter that stumbled on to my blog. First, thank you for writing. Second, I would love to know how you stumbled onto my blog. Finally remembered that my children set up a thing on Facebook. Mi will have to get my children to teach me how to use it! Thank you for bringing it to my attention!


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Jane

Suddenly Saturday

About the only thing I haven't talked about is vegetables lately. It's the best season for vegetables right now...I know, surprise tell me something I didn't already know.

Buying the vegetables that are in season is the best way to save money on groceries, compare the ads. One of the best reasons to go to two stores a week is so that you have a selection of produce. if the berries look awful one place, you can get them another. The other reason is that you have two sources of rock bottom prices. root vegetables are good in the winter. Please note that baby carrots are just regular carrots that have been cut. ,y MIL thought I was whacko when I told her that! Then she found one that had missed the machine! Sometimes on sale they can be as cheap as whole carrots, bit sometimes not.

One of the best ways to cook root vegetables is to oven roast them place cut vegetables on a baking sheet with sides. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with herbs. Roast them in a 375-400 degree oven until they are tender.
Try to cut the vegetables the same size helps too. Parm cheese is also good.

Red potatoes
Radishes, whole
Onion
Carrots
Turnips,
Rutabagas
Green onions ( put them in later)

This time of year, we eat a lot of mixed berries.
Corn was a quarter an ear this week as opposed to last year when we didn't have much.

We eat green salad most of the year. Costco pretty much keeps the same price all year round.
Bananas are always cheaper at Costco. The experts will tell you that organic bananas are a joke.

Someone did a study on washed lettuce in a bag. it was more healthy to eat it straight out of the bag than it was to rewash it. it is also at times cheaper than making it from scratch. I would prefer the field greens from Costco, my husband would prefer the iceberg lettuce kind.

Field greens with a fruit and balsamic or fruit vinaigrette is really good.
I also like iceberg lettuce, apple, chicken, grapes and walnuts.

In the winter, my mother often gave is cottage cheese and fruit.

In our garden my husband planted kale, green beans, peas, tomatoes, Swiss chard, corn, squash, a pumpkin for the grand baby, and we have rhubarb and rosemary. I have a pot of herbs on the deck because it is easily reached from the kitchen.

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Jane

4+1= 5. 4 people--1 meal--5 bucks.

better, cheaper, faster

Finally Friday

Its Friday again, my grocery shopping is done for the week.  I averaged 70.50 a week for the second quarter of 2013. The first quarter it was 74.70, for an average of 72.60.  I have a comfortable stock, and I buy for  my husband and I and we and supplement my daughter and granddaughter.  The amount we spent is well below the USDA statistics for thrifty cooking.  Their statistics are for what you actually eat.  It doesn't factor in stockpiling.  I am try up tring to get the weekly amount down.

Last night I got JELLO pudding cups for 1.00 less and .80/2 coupon.  There were 1.00 coupons, but I couldn't find them in my paper.  It made them .69omformfour servings.  I don't think I could make tapioca pudding for that.  I probably  wouldn't have purchased it, but I get a little lax on my standards for vacation.  Cooking with a electric frypan and saucepan in a 2 foot square kitchen gives me the excuse to be a little lazy. on the boat, we have storage and efficiency

Last  night we had hotdogs for dinner.  They weren't on the meal plan, but they were close to their pull date.  I think what I am trying to say  is there are times  when we break the rules. We just can't make a habit of it or we will break our budget.

I'll finish now that we are settled in.   Had to quit midstream, literally.

I talked about foil packets in an earlier post. It  is one of the easiest way to beat the heat and satisfy diversified tastes.  Basically, you place a double thickness of foil on the counter.  Place  a starch on the bottom and layer meat and sauce and veggies.  Seal the foil into a package and grill them or bake them.  If I was grilling them I would start with precooked  starch or corn on the cob.The smaller  the vegetables are cut, the faster they will cook especially something dense like carrots.  There are some really good sounding packet recipes on the Betty Crocker website.  great for camping.

That's about it for now

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Jane

Thursday

Yesterday I want to ALBERTSONS.  Just one store this week.  I saved 52 percent.  ALBERTSONS does not have store cards anymore.
I got Kraft BBQ sauce for .29.  I got mayo for 1.49 and Cheerios for 1.38.  All with good buys and a coupon.  I got Hebrew national for BOGO and bins for .88.  When it comes to a holiday sale, it pays to go with he flow.  Adjust your meal plans to compensate for the rock bottom sales.

I am starting to read  The Tightwad Gazette again.  I tend to be a in moderation person and take what makes sense to me and leave the other data behind.  It's been several decades since I read the book.
More later.  I have been researching everything I can to bring grocery bills down.  There are still a lot of people that are hurting.

  The cost of food is still going up, and we all have to deal with the effects of the drought.  Nobody is talking about  it, but cheese has doubled in cost, as well as beef.  our house has adjusted to beef by only buying cuts of beef under three dollars a pound  which is  up from two dollars a pound from last year and  only eating beef twice a  week.  We added two vegetarian meals to the meal matrix.

It is my hope that I can help people get through a hard time and lower their grocery bill.  Many times, the discressionary spending is the only place that gives your budget any wiggle room.   You can economize without resorting to cheap hotdogs and mystery meat.  Make it a game.  If you have children old  enough to surf the web, let them find coupons to match your grocery list.  it is good for them  to contribute to the household and it keeps them  out of trouble in the summer while they learn how to save money.

 One  lady on extreme couponing referred to coupons as free money. That  only holds true if the  coupon is for something that you need. I used to figure that coupons were a waste of time and that you can get generic for just as cheap or watch for sales and be better off.You can  still watch for sales and buy low and be better  off.  But, if you can quickly match up a sale with a coupon for an item, it is much better.  Finding a coupon  for regular food is just about impossible.  None the less, you can google a specialty item coupon and hit the jackpot sometimes.

I am a diabetic.  Blue Bunny makes ice cream with low fat and low sugar.  it is really good,and I googled it and found a dollar  coupon. Because I gave them my e mail address, they will send me more!  If you need specialty foods because of a medical problem, google the item, or write the company.  You might get some coupons.

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Jane

just a note and COUPON MATCHUPS

I was surfing the web waiting for my meds to kick in.   Found a really good video on u tube.  It wasn't her subject that caught my eye, it was the fridge behind her. She  had a magnetic calendar for her appointments, a meal plan calendar with shopping list, and a goals of the week sheet with a honey do list section on the bottom.  The only problem I saw was that I have had magnet boards before that scratched the  fridge.

Her subject was meal planning. I thought it was interesting that she included her husband  in the process.    It wouldn't work with mine, his suggestion would bet bacon, bacon, bacon!  LOL

She obviously, has small,children.  Made happy face plates with crackers, bologna , cheese stick and apple slices, raisins, and craisens in the mouth!   Cute.

COUPON MATCHUPS at ALBERTSONS

Kraft mayo is 1.99 and there is a coupon in the ad for .50 off netting 1.49. Limit 2

Hebrew national hot dogs are buy 1 get 1.  Looking for a coupon.

Yoplait is 10/5. Printable coupon for .40 off of ........

buy Five nets 1.88
Trip
Cheerios
Fiber one bars
fruit roll ups

There are coupons for Cheerios

Check coupons,com. For printed coupons.











I guess that's it.

Please share

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.

Jane.

The ads 6/25/13

QFC

corn 4/1
Hebrew national 2/6
Strawberries 2/3.98
Butter 3/5
BUY 10
Brewers 2.49
Cheerios. 1.99
Bounty towels 6.49

Triscuit  3/5
Pork ribs 2.19
Blues 3.99
Morning star /3,.99

SAFEWAYS
grapes 1.49
Corn 6/2
Dryers 2.99
Cheerios 1.88
Buns .99
Spareribs 2.29
Salad bags 1.00

5 dollar Fridays
Turkey burgers
Poor buoy
Lemon meringue  pie
Blues
Fruit gushers BOGO
Betty crockervcake mix  .99@


ALBERTSONS
Ribs 1.59
Kraft BBQ sauce .79
Hot dogs / various brands BOGO
Strawberries 2/5
Grapes 1.99


Buy 5
Dryers 2.49
Yoplait 10/5
buns .88


TOP
Cherries 2.79
Ribs1.99
White bread.77
Milk 4/5 1/2 gal with 20 min purchase
Land o frost sausage 3.99

IGA
cherries 2.99
Corn 10/5
Hebrew national 6/26-7/2 1.99@
Raspberries 2:5
Strawberries 2/5

That's about all.

Please share
Thank you for stopping by

Jane

Please note many of these items have coupons attached to them.
Check couponconnections.com

Terrific Tuesday

We already talked about the basics this month.  I got a new phone because mine was years and years old.  I'm not so sure about this thing...it rings, tweets, flashes and goes ding in the night! LOL. the best part is that I have wifi for the same price I was already paying, and the phone was FREE.  I like the word FREE!

I have been getting toothpaste for free.  I'm saving up until I get enough to take to the women's shelter.  My husband thinks I am nuts!!!!

I have been reading a lot of Betty Crocker  lately.  The recipes have been appearing on my e mail box.  they are family friendly and after fifty years of meal planning I am stuck on a rut.  I know kids like repetition , but I get tired of eating the same thing over and over and......again.   LOL

I still use a matrix of meals to assure we are eating a variety of food.  When I was a kid, my mother went on a savings kick.  She wanted to pay down the house to get enough equity to buy up.  We brushed our teeth with ivory soap, yuk and she sent my sister to the butcher for 2 pounds of ground round every day.  I got so sick of hamburger.!  My Dad got bananas for free.  We ate a lot of meatloaf and banana cream pie.

I use the matrix of
2 beef
2 pork or chicken
2 vegetarian
1 fish or seafood

My husband would  only beef and seafood if he could, my daughter is vegetarian, and I eat almost anything.  This is a good compromise that makes us eat a healthy mix of foods.  your matrix may very well be different. All  meats have their attributes, , I think variety is the key.  Every week,someone  comes out with something else that isn't good for you.  pretty soon, we will be taking pills instead of eating like I saw in a scifi picture once! LOL.

I rotate cooking the meat that is on sale the cheapest any particular week.  Routinely, the 7 percent ground beef is 2.99 at SAFEWAYS.  It used to be 2.67.  I find chicken for .99 at times.  I will only buy chickens from the northwest.  I used to be able to find sirloin tip roast cheap, but that isn't
happening lately.  Pork loin or tenderloin happens for under two bucks for loin and I got tenderloin for 3.00 at Costco.

 I try for between 2.50 and 3.00 a meal average for protein.  If you are working on a SNAP budget, dinner needs to be 5.00 for a family of 4--2 adults and two school age children.
The USDA stats are on the Internet.  Google USDA Food costs.  I heard on a blog that the wholesale price for fruits and veggies is on a USDA web site as well.  You can tell if you are being gouged at the market. I just compare prices.

I try my best to hit the middle of the road.  I don't want pre packaged foods with preservatives and things that I cannot pronounce,  cheap hot dogs, or things that remind  you of the cardboard that they are packaged in, or sugar coated anything.   I also don't go for organic everything and forge weeds out of my neighbors yard.  LOL. You  can be middle of the road healthy meals on a bare bones budget.  I think we eat quite well on 1/2 the low income stats.

Do your normal shopping trip.  Now stop and analyze your receipt.  How much is sports drinks and pop, how much is fruits and veggies, how much is protein.  How much is snack food.  In  any persons budget, more than 85 percent of your sales receipt should be for protein, produce and dairy.  Don't buy non food items at the grocery store.  You can do better with coupons and deals at the drug stores and alternative stores.

You can expect to take an hour and a half, planning your shopping trip, and going to the stores.  Don't go at dinner time and battle the loonies that don't plan their meals and grab something  on the way home from work each day.  Pick  a time when the store isn't crowded so you can make informed decisions.  Some stores are open 24 hours, you can fit in the time.    I like shopping Wednesday when the specials are fresh.
I had to switch to Friday because my co worker didnt want to split her days to work.  She wanted to work two days in a row.   I do like to shop SAFEWAYS for five dollar Friday.

I digress, we  are talking about meal plans.  using a matrix gives you an outline.  All you need need to
Do is

Clean your fridge and dump anything dead and make a note of what needs to be used up

          Look in your freezer and jot down enough meats that fit your matrix.
          Add the meat that you pick to bulk/batch cook this week.
       
          Survey the ads and fill in the sides that make the best use of the fresh produce that is cheap this
          week. 


If you are on SNAP, take your total monthly allotment, divide it by 4.2.  The answer will be you weekly food budget.  try to stay as close to that as you can.  Under is better.  Remember, after you are set up, you are only buying your bulk purchase of meat(under 2 -3 dollars a pound) , anything at a rock bottom price to fill in your gaps in your stockpile, and fresh produce to round out your meals.

This is not hoarding, you are only buying a six months supply of the main things that you use to make meals. There should be 10-15 of them.    If you use the item once a week, keep 24 max.  If you use it once a month, keep 6.  Don't restock the shortage until you find the item at rock bottom prices.

Admittedly, this takes a little more time than going once a week to the big box warehouse store and buying whatever strikes your fancy.  But, the savings are remarkable. You  are being compensated greatly for your efforts. Especially of you are out of money before you are out of month.  A little time  is a cheap price to pay for the peace of mind that comes  with knowing there is always something in the house to eat!  No child should live with the insecurity of having nothing in the house to eat and no child should have to eat top ramen and potato chips for breakfast, lunch, and dinner . 

Enough  said.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.  My object of this blog is to help people eat better, cheaper, faster. 

Jane

Monday madness.

Momday again.  I received an insert from the Sunday paper last night from a friend of my husbands.

Fred Meyer has their ads running from Sunday to Saturday.  

They have really good produce buys this week.  I can wait until midweek when I am due to shop again.  

Peaches or nectarines 1.28

Broccoli .77

Green onions, radishes 3/1

Eggs .99@

Hillshire farm sausage 2/5@

Sour cream 1.00

Butter 1.99@

Oscar Mayer lunch meat 3.29

Cheerios 2/4

Braille pasta .89@ limit 4.  Coupon for .75 any two. Makes it 2.06 for four.  

Note: there are coupons out there for the Cheerios, the Braille pasta, the Oscar Mayer lunch meat, and I think the sausage.  Check coupon connections.com.  The coupons in the paper are Fred Meyer coupons,so you can stack them.  I love it when you can double dip.  

I have been watching more videos, but it all comes down to the fact that the people that are saving the 90 percents are doing it in states that entertain double coupons.  I normally save 1/2 of the national average, and nearly half of the USDA  guidelines for thrifty meals WITHOUT coupons. Some weeks I add another ten percent off.  I don't spend a  lot of time at it.  My life is too busy to spend 10-60 hours a week on couponing.  Most of the coupons  out there are for non-food items.  We don't spend a lot on toiletries.  Pretty much, we get shampoo and soap from Costco as well as Toilet paper and laundry soap.  I have been getting toothpaste for free.  A co worker tells me she got toilet paper for free too, as well as getting cash back at IGA when  her coupon was for more than the item.  I have never heard of that in this state before.  I know that some of the large  chains state they won't do that on their coupon policies.  

Just a note, Rite Aid   has ice cream buy 1 get one.  And bleach nets 1.50 after up reward.

ALBERTSONS has coupons, Basicly giving you an extra 10 percent in the Sunday  paper. 

3/30, 5/50, 10/100.  Strawberries  June 23-25.  

Thanks for stopping by, 

Please share

Jane

I'm going to go get my coupon box and see what  matches!   

The basics

Late start, it was a long night.
 OK.  Back to the basics, again. I have been doing this for a year.  I usually do a basic overview the first of the month.  I have been posting the basics in detail all month. The basic of groceries on the cheap is taking an methodical approach to buying your food.

It takes  a three pronged approach.

1. Planning and organizing 
2. Shopping wisely
3. Cooking from scratch

PLANNING AND ORGANIZINGN

• First, gather seven recipes for dinner that use low cost sources of protein.  Start with seven and expand to 14 so that you have a variety of meals.  

• Make a list of the staple items that you buy frequently.  These should be non perishables that you can stock.  In our house that would be beans, refried beans, pasta sauce, pasta, mashed potatoes, canned diced tomatoes, a few tuna, salmon and green beans and corn and a few chicken noodle soup.  
• Start a data base on your stock items. You should have  10-15 items.  you are going to record, the item, the size of the package, the store, the date, and the price you paid for it, coupon!  

          Pasta, 16 ounces

           Date.                       Store.                         Price.             Coupon                Net

          6/5/13.                      SAFEWAYS.             .88.                1.00/2                 .38

You can use a tablet or a spread sheet.  The idea is to find the rock bottom price for your item.  Stores operate on a 8-12 week cycle.  You, like playing the stock market, want to buy low and eat high.  NEVER get stuck paying full price.  The difference between buying 1 can of pasta for 1.59 and buying two cans for 1.54 is getting two meals instead of one.  you are going to stock the items on your list.  If  I use something once a week, I stock 24, if I use it once a month, I stock 6.  by doing that, I almost never get stuck paying full price, and I could skip shopping and survive if I needed to.  

• This is new, I just started trying to incorporate some couponing into  the mix.  Rarely , do I find a coupon for real food.  But there are some out there.  I don't want to spend a great deal of time couponing.  but, I have been taking an additional 6.00 or so off my bottom line.  That is approaching ten percent.  If I wouldn't normally buy the product, I don't entertain a coupon unless it makes it free or dirt cheap.  
• Check couponconnections.com ( in the Seattle area) for coupon match ups.  If you can download a coupon, or if you already get the paper, clip what you would normally buy.   Don't want to spend more time on couponing than it takes the coffee to drip in the morning!  ...note: if you are not in Seattle, there are other websites that include your area.  Do a web search.  

SMART SHOPPING

• The first issue to address is smart shopping does not include snack foods..what my mom used to call peanuts, popcorn and crackerjacks ! LOL.   just basic food.  popcorn is a good snack food of it is air popped.  As is a piece  of fruit or some cheese and crackers.  snack foods can take up to  twenty percent of your food budget.  That s  a good place to start cutting.  Basicly many of them are empty calories-- lots of carbs with little food value.

1. The nuts and bolts-- When you get the store flyers, take a piece of paper and divide it in quarters.  Label each quarter with a name of a store.  Now, write down anything in the ad that is on your stock list at a good price, and anything in the meat and vegetable/fruit line that is a good price.  Now, cross off anything you don't need to stock now, and anything that is a lower price elsewhere. 
2. Clean your fridge and make a note of anything that should be used soon and what you have to make meal sides.  Pair them with what's on sale to round out a tentative meal plan.  
3. Add anything you need to replace to your grocery list.   IE: I have hot dogs, I need buns and coleslaw .  We need salad fixings for Speghetti.  When you are up and running, you should be able just to buy one meat item in bulk that's at a rock bottom price, and fresh fruits and vegetables to round your meals.  By buying one bulk meat a week and buying enough for a month, you can rotate your meat and never pay full price.  
4. pick the TWO cheapest grocery stores that week.  Plan your trip adding any other errands you need to make to use the least amount of gas.  Bring your ads, your coupons, your list and any list from your reward cards and a cooler.  
5. Go to the store, buy what's on your list, and get out.  The longer you spend in a store, the more you will spend. don't pick up anything you don't intend to buy.  
6. When you get home, jot down 7 meal plans from what you have and have bought. use the oldest perishables first.  I use a matrix of 2 beef, 2 chicken or pork,  2 vegetarian, and  1 fish.  
7. Dinners should average five dollars a dinner. 

COOKING FROM SCRATCH

• Batch cooking is a way to save time in the kitchen.  you buy one meat in bulk when it is at it's lowest price, and cook and portion control it for meals.  you can get a months worth of food in your regular fridge freezer.  Make a couple of hours time when the house is less hectic, and you save a lot of time when the hectic dinner hour rolls around.  Save a few no Brainer meals for the days you know are going to be especially hard.    Hamburger, roast chicken, pork loin, and roast beef work well for this,  lately, I haven't been doing much roast beef, I haven't found a cheap enough sale.  
• Basicly, to make 1/2 price meals, and be able to feed a family of four for 75.00 a week. You need to make 5 dollar dinners.  Meat( protein) should average 2-3 dollars a meal.  
• The slow cooker is your best friend.  many recipes are put there, you can put dimmer I'm the crockpot in the morning and have dinner waiting for you  you when you get home.  
• Tacos, hot sandwiches from the meat you have batch cooked, and pasta are all meals that go together in a flash. 
• Check a precious post for my recipe for No Brainer Pasta.  It is my answer to a Hamburger Meal Box.   Better, because you have more  nutrition and more product.  Cheaper, because it is cheaper per serving, and faster because most of it is passive cooking.  Please read my blog on dissecting a hamburger meal box, it is a real eye opener.  
• Bottom line is that anything that is premade and boxed is off the table, with a few exceptions.  Scratch cooking doesn't have to mean that you slave over a hot  stove all day.  there are a few things that are ready made that are either cheaper, or are not practical to cook from scratch.  Beans have a short fridge life.  if you get them cheap enough , canned ones are a better buy without waste,  I don't make tortillas or refried beans.  Instant mashed some times of the year are cheaper than scratch.  When I can get tomato roasted red pepper soup from Costco, it is cheaper than scratch.  

I guess I have bombarded you with enough.  If it all seems overwhelming, take it one step at a time. . If some part of this just isn't your bag, think of the savings, if that isn't motivation consider deligari g it to a family member that is more suited to the task An older child can do more than you think and they will be learning good life's lessons.  

Thank for stopping by

Please share 

Jane 

• 
  

Saturday

Saturday, the one day a week that I get a hot cup of coffee!  Its beautiful and peaceful here, and I have to do the business books and get the clothes replaced for the boat.  My husband emptied the  chest of drawers to be washed .  I have gone down two sizes since last summer, so I have to restock from home and  wash what I can still wear.  I batch cooked all yesterday morning into the afternoon.  Our meat is cooked and ready to go and plenty left over for the house sitter.  Batch cooking means that dinner will  be a snap tonight.

My daughter thinks I should address the issue of special diets.  I think the first question is , are you on a special diet because it is the "in thing" to do, or is it because the doctor says you have an health issue.
Most of the time, you can buy regular food and make healthy choices to accommodate your diet.  healthy doesn't have to be expensive.  I buy whole wheat products, and defat my meat, and live on a low carb diet.  Low sugar, low fat, and low salt doesn't mean that you have to buy all the items in the grocery store that claim low xxxxx.  Some of them have chemicals that aren't good for you in the first place.  It's clueless to me why if something is the "in" diet, suddenly everything has No xxx. On the label even if it never HAS  had that xxxx in it.  They use it to raise prices. If it is special, it  must cost more.

If you are a vegetarian , you don't have to buy the vegetarian equivalent of meats.  Our doctor would prefer that the baby not have soy based equivalents.  Soy is one of the crops that failed, and is going to continually get more expensive as we work through the effects of the drought.  My fear is that after the drought, the suppliers will assume we are used to paying high prices and inflate the prices for more profit.

There are grains and rice and beans that make for whole protein.  If you insist on buying the fake stuff, PCC is less expensive than some other stores, probably because they have more volume.  if you can make do with things from the chain stores, you will be better off if you are trying to make it on SNAP.  Quinoa ( I'm probably spelling it wrong) is at Costco and is a whole protein.  Rice and beans make a whole protein. Eat a lot of fruits and veggies and supplement.  My daughter eats a lot of Mexican.

There is a web site that has coupons for alternative foods.  Stacy talks about in her video.  Stacymakescents,com.

 I have  to admit, I am clueless on gluten free.  I assume that you can just eat no bread or pasta.  We pretty much lived on meat and vegetables when we were kids,  Thats what my dad liked.  If you avoid bread and pasta and get your starch from rice?  And buy a minimum of alternative thickening agents etc.  Obviously, the least amount of specialty products would keep your costs down.  My  normal budget is about half of the normal amount of the SNAP base for thrifty cooking. That leaves  you a little wiggle room.

Basicly, SNAP is based on regular food for a minimum cost diet.  They are talking meat, veggies, and grains.  There  is no room built in for specialty foods at an inflated price.  If  you choose or your health issues dictate you eat a specialty diet, you have your work cut  out for you.  I balance the vegetarian and my diabetic diet, but my daughter buys her own fake food.  There are some meals that she can eat too, or that I can make and pull her portion out and add our meat.

I'm not trying to be mean, the reality is , if you are on SNAP, your budget has no room for specialty foods.  you are going to have to work hard to incorporate regular foods that meet your criteria into your meal plans and use a minimum of specialty foods or find them at a reduced cost.  Most diets can be adjusted by using regular foods or some specialty items  are the same price.  As a diabetic, I just eat foods that aren't on my diet in moderation.  It s not what I can't eat, it's how much of it I eat... A full serving or a teaspoon! LOL.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Finally Friday

It is  Friday and the weekend chores are here again.  I grocery shopped on Wednesday and Thursday because we have a project we need done this weekend.  I need to roast off a chicken and cook a marathon batch of ground beef for our vacation.  I intend to get food ready and frozen so that I can make easy meals.

I have a 2 foot square kitchen and have to cook for a vegetarian and a semi vegetarian as well as us.  It's a challenge.  I have to cook one thing at a time.  I plan to do taco night and some foil pouches.  That way, I can put what everyone wants to eat in their packet and have my husband cook them on the BBQ....and no washing dishes in a teacup of water! LOL.  Salmon will work for one day.  Everybody eats salmon!  Speghetti!

1. Taco night
2. Chicken Alfredo packets
3. Hamburger stew packets
4. pizza
5. Salmon 
6. Soup and sandwiches
7. Speghetti 
8. Sloppy joes

That does it 8 meals that are camping, boating friendly with 1.5 vegetarians.

There  are a lot of meals that with precooking meats, can be done easy and quick.  there is no need to slave over a hot stove if you don't want to.  It just takes a little planning.  Having a plan keeps you off the what's for dinner stressor when everything is frozen.  if you precook meats, frozen is not a problem.  You can thaw and reheat taco meat in a few minutes.  While it is thawing, you can chop tomatoes and lettuce and get out the grated cheese.  Open a can of refried Beas and get it ready for the microwave.  In fifteen minutes flat, you can have dinner on the table.  

Meals from the ads

1. Hot dogs, coleslaw, French fries  --I buy only Nathan's or Hebrew national hot dogs.  Coleslaw was a buck at SAFEWAYS and French fries are at the dollar store.  
2. Pizza pork chops, orzo, green beans -- crockpot fare!  Betty Crocker web site.  
3. Roast chicken , orzo, spinach salad -- chicken was a buck at IGA
4. Tacos, refried beans -- good ground beef is 2.99 at SAFEWAYS
5. Tomato  basil blue cheese soup, toasted cheese sandwiches. Jello parfait
6. Mac and cheese, peas and carrots 
7. Salmon, pesto potatoes, mixed California veggies with parm.  - calif veggies are at dollar store.  

That about it.  The salmon is well above the five dollar mark as well as the hot dogs.  The Mac and cheese and tacos and tomato soup  and chicken bring the average down.  

Thanks for stopping by
Please share

Jane

Buying food and being poor.

 I hate that word poor.  My young son went to school where someone told him that they were rich and that we were poor.  I told him we were rich in what counted.  When there is a lot of love in a house, you are rich.  he promptly told my dad that he and gram were rich.  my dad said, oh I wouldn't say that!  My son  countered to his grandfather that his mom said that if there was a lot of love in a house, you were rich.  Grandpa  replied, well if that's the criteria, she's right!


I entered into a discussion on food and the poor.  The consensus was that the kids that were poor, only could eat canned and processed foods, frozen chicken parts etc.  That mindset is the misinformation that I am trying to dispell on my blog.  You can eat low fat  meats and fresh vegetables and fruit on SNAP. .  You just have to shop smart and budget.

 It is true that you probably can't have all the FREES.  The sugar free,salt free, gluten free, and whatever free that the latest fad is. I'm not so sure they are all they are cracked up to be.  The jury is still out on Organic.  That's a discussion to have with your health care professional.  .

 You can certainly eat things in moderation and eat a balanced varied diet on a low income budget.  I certainly wouldn't feel deprived because I could not afford all the FREES.  Unless you have serious health problems , Most of us need a balance of salt, sugar ( or carbs) to be well.  The key, in my opinion is moderation.

It is  sad that so many are like the woman I ran into that was feeding her children A hamburger meal box and sugar loaded drink boxes and fruit cups for dinner.  That's  why I started my blog.  If you have good shopping skills and a desire to feed your family well on a small budget, you can do it.  The problem I have is reaching the people that need the information.  No child should be eating top ramen  and potato chips for breakfast, lunch and dinner and no child should wake up to no food in the house.

Lately I have been bombarded with third world countries trying to send me spam.  I  JUST want to help people, either get through a tough time, find a different recipe, or a new way to be more efficient in the kitchen.  I don't have any fancy degrees, I just have lived through it and want to share what I learned by  reading everything I could find to read.  I never got food stamps, but I remember a month that I spent 25.00 on food for the two of us, and we still ate balanced.  We looked forward to Sumday dinner at Grandparents home.  LOL.

Every first of the month I go over the basics for anyone new.  if anyone has an idea of how I  can reach more people, please let me know.  There is a comment section below.  You don't even have to leave your name !

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Dinner in a flash. 5 buck dinner alert

I went grocery shopping yesterday.  I went to our local IGA because they were having their grand opening and had low prices.

I got a chicken (.99) pork chops 2.31 for four) and some minute steaks.  Also veggies and fruit.  Total 30.00 and change.  Imstill have a few things to pick up from SAFEWAYS, but I should be well under my budget.

Today I made the pork chops in the crockpot.  It was a pizza pork chop recipe from Betty Crocker.  If you go on Betty Crocker website, there is a place where you can "google" your ingredient s and they will display recipes.  The total cost for the dish is  4.10  I have enough sauce left to make pizza sauce.  ( in the freezer.). I used  one of the baby's cups from her fruit cup treats she takes to school.
You could use an ice cube tray.

pork chops 2.91
Pasta sauce .77
Onion .20
Orzo .49

Total 4.37less pizza sauce .27 equals  4.10 add bread.50 and green beans  .33 and it totals 4.93.
It took me almost no time.  And when I get home from work, dinner will be made.  My husband gets the pleasure of smelling it cook all afternoon, LOL.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

my read on the ABC s of freezer cooking

I bought the ABCs of freezer cooking.  It came today.  It will take me longer to earn the 5.90 that it costs than it did for me to read it.  I wouldn't recommend anyone spending their hard earned money on it.
 I also bought Don't Panic, Dinners in the freezer!  it, on the other hand, is very informative with wonderful recipes and full of information and a conversion chart to multiply recipes.  Each recipe comes in single, double, and triple batches.  

Betty Crocker Dinners is free on line and has delightful recipes.  Some are over budget, but can be adapted to fit specific needs.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Most common mistakes

I have been watching grocery hauls on the Internet. Mostly young gals are doing them. I am beginning to see a picture that is all telling.

The most common mistakes grocery shopping to be on the cheap instead of spending the whole paycheck are

1. Buying  8  gallons of drinks.  Buy tea bags, herbal if you wish, and some crystal light type mix at the dollar store or big lots.  Water is a good hydrater.  .  Buy a lemon to add a slice to it and chill it.  
2. Buying ready made mixes and meats.  Take on one meat at a time, and learn to cook it.  The savings are remarkable.  If you don't have the pans to cook it, go to the goodwill and find one.  if you don't have a roasting rack, pile rough chopped carrots / and or potatoes or onions  on the bottom, and roast your chicken on top.  
3. Buying tons of junk foods.  Buy popcorn it's cheap and relatively healthy.  The savings more than make up for the price of an air popper on sale.  I got mine for 14.00.  
4. If your passion is sweet, find easy and inexpensive recipes for brownies or another cake or cookie.  There is a recipe on the Internet for a mixture of 2 cake mixes that cooks in a few in the microwave.  Or make muffins or quick breads.  They can be healthy and satisfy your sweet tooth.  
5. Not Sticking to your meal plans and not thinking things out. don't come home without the things you need to make them or you have wasted your time and need another costly trip to the store.  
6.  The worst mistake is to go to the store hungry, with screaming kids that need a nap, and buy 
7. anything in the store that looks good to you.  It's stressful and expensive.  you shouldn't come home broke and ready to drop from the grocery store! LOL  

Take a look at your grocery receipt and break it down as to how much is drinks, how much snack food and desert, and how much fruit and veggies.  The most percentages should be fruit and veggies and proteins.  Less than ten percent should be snacks and drinks.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane