Sunday, July 26, 2015

Things I never buy........never say never!

My mother told me one time never say never......so here goes.   Things that I almost never would but. Don't have problems with others buying.   In other wirds, my personal prospective coming from a groceries in the cheap prospective.  


10.  Bread crumbs.  Why throw your old bread ends away and buy somebody's dry bread for up words of two dollars a pound.    It only takes a few minutes.   Ditto stuffing mix.   

9.  Boxed meals.     Pound for pound, they can be the most expensive sundry in the store.    You are paying for a minuscule amount of pasta and an envelope of dry ingredients most of which are things I cannot pronounce.   

8. Deli chickens.   You are paying dearly for someone else to do ten minutes of work.  Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds.  You are paying more for the bones  you can't eat than you are for the meat.   You don't know where that chicken came from.   At five bucks for a three pound chicken, you are laying 1.67 a pound for what you can buy for .88 a pound and you know where that chicken came from.  Buying a five pound chicken gets you a whole lot more meat for your buck.   

7.  Boxed Parmesan cheese.   If Parmesan cheese is too expensive the day you buy it, try any number of dry cheeses.  They will give you the same flavor boost, but for less money.   Invest in a micro plane or a fine grater.  Betty Crocker has one at the dollar store.   

6. Potato chips.   Haggens has them for 2.50 for 6-8 ounces.  At 8 ounces, you are paying five dollars a pound for potatoes.    In contrast, Winco has five pounds of French fries for about 3.50.  You can cook them in the oven and have less fat!   

5.  Boxed Mac and cheese.   Home made is just so much better.   And it doesn't take much more time.  

4.  Fruit juice in little boxes.   Many of them are ten percent juice.   So, what's in the other 90 percent.  I suspect sugar if some sort and preservatives.   

3.  Canned peas.   I'm sorry, they are just gross.   

2.  Microwave popcorn.   And air popper and regular popcorn ( Costco is cheapest) is cheaper and better for you.   You can control the salt and butter.   

1. Fruit in bags.    If you get one rotten apple. You have not saved anything,   One time I got a entire bag of rotten apples.  

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Scratch Mac and cheese




Home made mac and cheese.  

Cook I package of seashell pasta until soft according to package directions.   I cook it in the ,corporate so I can cook the sauce while the pasta is cooking,  

Make white sauce from homemade mix ( Taste of Home) .  Add 1 cup grated cheese.   I use a combination of cheeses. ( a good way to clean out the cheese bin ) .

When pasta is done, drain well and pour into greased 9X13 pan.    Add cheese sauce to pan.  
Stir.  
Place in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes Or until sauce is bubbly.  

You can make a topping of bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese and dried parsley and add to top of casserole before it goes on the oven.

Serve with chopped broccoli or mixed veggies.  

A very economical, comfort food meal.  

Winco

I spent 19.00 at Winco, got .45 on ibotta.    Blues were 3.00 for 18 ounces, apples a buck. Olives .99 with a .25 ibotta.   Bread was .88 with a .20 ibotta.  Low carb tortillas, also gluten free.   Hunts pasta sauce was .95.  

I did get a win in the paper department.   I was getting 1/4 sheets of black for layering at michaels.   They don't have them anymore.   I bought 50'sheets at Joanne's.  They were five bucks but the nice lady at the checkouts, used my phone  to get a fifty  percent coupon for me and I paid 2.50.   You can download a coupon on the spot on your phone and get fifty percent on an ite not on sale.   I then took the ream to office max and the guy cut all two hundred sheets into quarters for 1.50.   For four dollars, less than the cost of 25 cut sheets at michaels. I got 200.   Score!  

I got  two papers at the dollar store.    The red plum is still coming in the mail.   The other coupons were mostly for back to school, lots of personal Heigene, but not much food.   Unfortunately, my printer is acting up and I blew two coupons ea of some high end because they won't scan!  

Guess you can't win them all.  

At rite aid, there is folders coffee for 8.00 with a 4.00 reward.   You, have to buy twelve dollars worth of either protein bars or coffee.   We bought two coffees and got four dollars, net sox bucks a can.   It's been running closer to ten bucks.   Score!    Sale ends today!  

Fred Meyers ad, tomorrow.  

Milk .99@@
Grapes .99
Broccoli .99
Kale .99
 Blues, rasp, 2/4
Strawberries 2 lbs 3.99

That's about all!

Thanks


Jane







Friday, July 24, 2015

Nice to know. ......

I wrote Foster Farms, the chicken people.    In light of all the Facebook  reports that the country of origin was going to not be printed on our meat and that the FDA wasngoingnto allow chicken  to be processed in China.  

Here is the news.   Foster Farms chickens are raised in Washington, Oregon, and California  and are processed there too.   Foster Farms has no plans to change this practice.  

I was   looking for a so called loss leader protein this week.  I, personally, don't need one.   Ground beef is supposed to be 5.5-6 pounds for 17.00 at Costco, according to FAV ADO.  My husband went  to  Costco  today, I had work at home to do.   you don't have to have a Costco membership to shop at Costco.   According to what I have read, you just have to have a Costco gift card.  

I was trying today to come up with an alternative cheap source of protein list.  

Turkey bacon is two bucks at Winco, a buck for A name brand at the dollar store.  
Pepperoni is .50 for Hormel at the dollar store with a coupon.  
Eggs are two dollars at agreed Meyers for grade A large, they are .99 for medium at Albertsons.  
Cheese is five dollars  a brick with coupon .  

I just heard that six ounces of protein is good for most of us a day and most of it  shouldn't come from meat.  Some of it should come from eggs.   Remember when eggs were supposed to be really really bad for you ?   I won't even go there!    

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The so called ads

There were no coupons in last weeks paper.   There is supposed together each of smart source and red plum and a PN G this week.  

QFC had a two week ad last week.  
Albertsons and Safeways are playing an identity crisis game.    The quarters ad is now on Safeways and five dollar is on Albertsons.    And, none of it makes the shopper the winner.
Enter  Haggens and the prices are out of he ballpark.  

Here goes the best of them.  Check Winco on FAVADO, but they are the best prices , not necessarily the true ones.   Prices vary by store.  

Albertsons

Ground beef  7 percent 3.99
Salad kitsv2/5
Yo plait yogurt .38@@ limit 10.   $ $ nets .28.   Check ibotta
Medium eggs .99@@

About it.  

Safeways

Ground beef 20 percent 3.99
Milk 2/5@@
Tillamook 4.99

5 dollar frenzie - guess thats not  five dollar Friday!   LOL
Blues or strawberries  2 lbs.
Cinnamon rolls or Pudding cake 2/5


Haggens

Zilch!  

 Really good news here, is that we still have Costco, Winco , and Fred Meyer.  I would suggest, tongue-in-cheek, that we use the alternative stores until Haggen corporation has decided to put decent prices on things. May be things will be better next week.  

Thanks

Jane







Small investments that will reap the snowball effect.

No ads yet.  We got no mail yesterday.  

Five things that will save you money on the long run.


  1. Air popcorn popper.    I got mine at Kohls  for 14.00.   It is a healthy way to pop popcorn and takes the place of all the snack foods that can detail your food budget.    
  2. Crockpot.   Crockpots can save bucks and not heat up an entire kitchen.    It is an easy way to beat the take out gremlins when you know you are going to have a busy day and are not going to be on the mood  to set out and cook a meal.   I have heard of older ones starting fires.   This is a case where buying new is probably best.    They last a long time.   
  3. A probe type meat thermometer.   Mine was 25.00 at Costco.    It makes cooking a roast or chicken almost set it and forget it.   Raw whole chicken can be as low as .88 a pound.  Rotisserie chicken can be upwards of two dollars a pound and you don't know where it came from.  Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds.   The ratio of bone to meat is too low and you are paying  for a lot of bone.   
  4. Automobile rags.   They are school bus yellow and are in the auto section of Costco.  They save a lot of paper towels for cleaning on general, and mopping up spills.    
  5. A microwave plate cover from the dollar store.   Saves paper towels and a lot of cleaning.  

If I was short on money, I would take baby steps and get things a little at a time.   



Thanks for stopping by 

Please share 

Jane  



Sunday, July 19, 2015

Non food items for almost free or free.

You can save on food, and I only buy food at the grocery store, pretty much.   There is always an exception.   I got deodorant BOGO at QFC and used a coupon for each .  Not every store will allow you to do that, but it doesn't hurt to ask,  net result was paying a quarter each for two deodorants.

Pretty much you should never buy personal Heigene products and cleaning supplies at the grocery store.   You are cha chinging their bottom line, not yours.  

I get almost all of those kind of products for free or nearly free.  


  1. Feminine pads are 330 for 48 at the big lots.  Twice a year everything in the store is 20 percent off.   
  2. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash are free at either  the dollar store, or at the chain drug stores with rewards.  Rite aid is easier than Walgreens.   
  3. Ibotta earns you money on gift cards for buying what you normally buy anyway.   That buys a twenty five dollar card from Amazon and toilet paper can  magically appear on your doorstep.   
  4. Shampoo, soap, can be cheap with coupons, or free from the dollar store.   
  5. Vinegar is close to two bucks a gallon at Costco in two gallon boxes.   Many things can be cleaned with vinegar.   
  6. Other cleaners are at the dollar store for far less than their name brand counterparts.   Bleach gel is one of my favorites for the sink and countertops.   
  7. There are school bus yellow rags in bulk at Costco in the auto section.   They do wonders to replace paper towels.   There is a cover for food in the microwave at the dollar store.    We make a case of paper towels last a year at our house.    Paper towels are cheapest and won a pick up challenge at dollar store.   A name brand basic bounty . 
  8. Shampoo is at the dollar store.   We don't use conditioner.    
Please comment if I forgot something.   




Saturday, July 18, 2015

RBP- rock bottom prices

Rock bottom prices varying with your location.    If you are in a small town where there are few grocery stores, it will be harder to find lower prices.  I would consider going to a bigger town when the stores there are having a big sale,   Some stores will mail you their flyers, some  chains have their ad on the Internet or on FAVADO.   If it is far away, consider car pooling with a friend or neighbor or grouping the trip with other errands.  


These prices are in the Seattle area.  

Flavored mashed potato packets .87 -
Diced tomatoes .5o - .67  ( 15 oz can )  Fred Meyers
Beans .50-.67. Fred Meyers - Haggens
Sliced black olives .70 - Winco
Olives 1.00 the last ones were at Fred  Meyers
Hunts  pasta sauce .80 - the last ones were at Albertsons
Refried beans - less than a buck - the last ones I found were at Costco
8 ounce can of tomato sauce .25 - Albertsons

I want ice cream for 2.50 or less.   I got Tillamook for 2.33 .
Pasta.   I want less than 1.00.  I have found it for as little as .38 the last I bought was firm.80'with ibotta and five dollar Friday at Safeways.  

I usually point out really good sales when I post ads weekly.  


Tomorrows Fred Meyer ad

FYI. There are no coupon inserts in the newspaper tomorrow .  I suspect they are coming with the red plum.  We'll see.  Our ads come really late, they come when the mail person feels like it.   This week they came in Thursday,   Makes it a little hard to shop on Wednesday!  LOL.  
Fred Meyer ads.  

Not much there this week.  

Peaches .99
Blues 2'lbs 4.99
Dryers 2/5@@
Bushes baked beans 2/3@@
Foster farms ground turkey 299@@
Sour cream .99
Strawberries 2/4
Zucchini,  yellow squash .99



Friday, July 17, 2015

The ads ,,,just got them


Note FAVADO doesn't always have accurate information.   

Safeways 

Grapes 1.69
Tillamook yogurt 10/4

Five dollar Friday 

Bareilly pasta  1.00
Ice cream 2/
Hormel tenderloin $$ 1.00
Cantaloupes  3/5

Extreme coupons. - extremely expensive!   
Nalleys  chili .99
Klondike bars 2.99 they have no sugar added 
Salad .99
Tissue. 160 count .99
4 lbs sugar 1.79

Lettuce .88


QFC. Two week ad 
Lettuce .99
Butter 2/5
Blues 2.99
Yogurt 2/88$$. .50 on five 
Strawberries 1.88
Grapes 1.48

Albertsons 
Grapes 1.69
Eggs .99@@
Tillamook yogurt .38@@

Extremely expensive coupons 

DiGiorno 6.49
Ice cream drumsticks 4.99
Refried beans .99 ( cheaper at Costco)



Haggens......let's call it the whole paycheck store wantabee!   


Thanks for stopping by 

Please share 

Jane 








I just love the word FREE

There is something about the word FREE that excites me -- when it is for something I need.  
Most of the time,  if you watch and buy personal care products when you see them FREE  or near free, and not when you NEED them , you can luck out.

I want to get those things for free.   You can't be brand loyal.   You have to strike when the iron is hot, so to speak.  

I got my husbands deodorant on BOGO at QFC with coupons.   The net cost was .25 each.

This week, with coupons and rewards at Rite Aid, toothpaste and mouthwash are free.  

I with coupons have got enough oxy clean laundry soap to last us five months for 4.70.   That's less than a buck a month!    There are four of us and one of us is a toddler toilet  training!

I don't have enough coupons, but there is a coupon out there for 2.00 off of Starbucks k cups.   K cups are 7.00 at rite aid, buy fifteen dollars worth and get five back.

Buy 1 DiGiorno pizza for five bucks .
Buy two Starbucks k cups for 7.00 each.
Total 19.00, less two dollar coupon, is 17.00
Less five dollars reward is 12.00
12 / 3 is 4.00.

There are toothbrush coupons to make them free too.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Grocery outlet bargains

We went to the Grocery  Outlet And Dollar Tree in Kenmore.   Grated cheese is BOGO which makes it two dollars a pound.   Campbell's pasta sauce is two for a dollar.  It is a buck at the dollar tree.   August pull date.

They have a flyer at checkout.   Good until Sunday,   

Ore idea frozen potatoes 1.99
Cookie dough.  1.49
Kellogg's mini wheats 1.99
Wishbone salad dressing 2/1. I suspect that it has a very soon pull date.  
Foster Farms organic chicken 1.99 

They also have a really interesting handout...four dollars a day food.    Per person.   If you have more than two and a half.....LOL  people, that's more than your budget of you have a three hundred dollar allotment.  I do suspect that dinner menus would probably work.   Not all prices at grocery outlet are the best choices.   Some are good, some aren't.   I steer clear of any bagged produce after I got a bag of apples that were all rotten and couldn't speak to the manager for a refund.   This was at the aurora store.   Every store is owned by individuals.   


Recipe titles 
  1. Egg muffins with spinach, sausage and cheese 
  2. Avacado egg scramble 
  3. Berry baked oatmeal

Lunches 
  1. almond butter jelly sandwich 
  2. Lentil tomato soup
  3. Spinach and Gouda Mac and cheese 

Dinner 

  • Blackened chicken pasta 
  • Chicken fried rice 
  • Turkey sliders 

That's about it.     


Dollar tree still has yummy chocolate cookies in tins-- retail cost 3.99.  


Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Part three: what to do with what you got!,

Note: this is a whole new way of grocery shopping for some people.   You are not buying a weeks worth of groceries.  To start off, you are only buying the specials that are truly on special and will have to fill in with what you need to make meal plans. After  six to twelve weeks, you will have your pantry built and just buy specials to rotate your stock.   The advantage of this is that you almost never run out of a staple, and you always have something in the house to eat-- all that you have purchased at 1/2 price or below.

Once you are set up, you will find that you spend less time shopping than before.   I spend more time shopping, and less time cooking.   Our family has commitments that make dinner fashionably late,   My body does not do fashionably late.  My dinners are somewhat pre-made  and I can put dinner on the table in twenty minutes or less, give or take.  If you are someone that hates to shop, ( yes, I hear there are some women that hate to shop!LOL) consider delegating it to someone else in the family, provided they will shop sensibly.

Now that  you have assessed your needs, and done your shopping, what do you do.   When you come home from the store, I first check the store and ibotta and see if I can get any rebates.  This is not necessary, but I have recently  found that we can gleam a few dollars for buying what I would normally buy anyway.    I add the perishables I bought  to my have list and put the groceries away.

Next finalize meal plans.That  doesn't mean Wednesday's meal has to be eaten on Wednesday, but it gives you a plan.   It staves off the I'm tired, it's been a long stressful day, let's drive through or order pizza syndrome. LOL I then post the receipts to a spread sheet so I can keep track how close to the USDA stats I am coming.   USDA cost of food at home.

That day or the next. , I cook the bulk item for the week if necessary.   This week it was .88 cent a
pound Washington grown chicken, whole and raw.    I then cut it up into the legs, thighs and wings
the soup bones, and the breasts and make four packages.  That's four meals from a close to sox pound chicken.   Five meals from a dove dollar chicken.

If you are on a snap budget, meals have to come to five dollars for dinner.  Based on three hundred dollars a month.   It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you spend ten dollars for dinner on a three hundred dollar  budget, you are either going to run out of money before you run out of month, or you are not going to eat breakfast and lunch.

I digress.   Meal plans

Meal plans done have to be detailed or take a lot of time.  Most of us have a really good idea of what sides we usually put with what main dish, so joting down the main dish does it.   I devised a work sheet with the boxes for the days of the week, a place for your matrix , and two columns for what I
need to use up, and have, and what might need to be purchased to fill in.   Being organized takes the stress out of the  whole process.  

To recap:

  1. Identify and buy only what is in a true sale if it is in your staples list.    Be logical about your staples list.  Canned lobster should not be on it ! LOL   Buy as many as you need, as many as you can ( store limits ) or what your budget will afford whichever comes first    Buy six to twelve weeks worth,   Sales run in six to eight week cycles in the east, and twelve week cycles in the west.    If you use something once a week in the PNW, you need 12 units.   
  2. Buy the so called loss leader of protein and buy enough to make your meals with it for a month.   If you eat hamburger twice a week, you will need enough to make 8 meals   Cook it and portion control it   Portion control is most important,   It cuts down on waste and makes for a well balanced meal. 
  3. Buy fresh veggies when they are lowest prices in season.   Don't overbuy unless you get a really good buy and can freeze fruits for winter   
  4. Buy dairy at the lowest price and buy enough to last you until the next sale.  If you watch, you will see a pattern.  I knew that Fred Meyer was due to have a sale on milk.   Otherwise, Costco is pretty cheap on sour cream, cottage cheese, and milk.   
  5. Grated cheese is cheapest at Costco wholesale.  Watch for sales, and grate your own if you can get it cheaper that way.  My target price for cheese is two dollars a pound   I can still get it close to that if I watch.   Grocery outlet is good for variety of cheeses.   
  6. Make meal plans with a work sheet and a matrix.  Like anything, it works better with a plan   
  7. A little work can be rewarded with cutting your food bill in half and freeing up resources for something else, or taking the stress of not having enough money to make ends meet.   
Thanks for stopping by

Please share 

Jane 





Sunday, July 12, 2015

Day 7, main dish

I

Mac and cheese,homemade
frozen peas and carrots.




Next: planning your trip














In and around our town, there are several chain stores.   Two companies own the five chain stores.   We also have a grocery outlet.   Ten miles up the freeway, there is a Winco.  In addition , we have other stores that carry food.   Making sense of all, well, that could be confusing and time consuming without a plan.

Every week, four of the stores  send us ads in the mail.   Fred Meyers ad comes in Sunday's paper.
I go over the stores and circle or write  down the things that are on a stock list or perishables and protein that are a good buy.   I mark those that need an in ad coupon with a @ sign.  If I know there is a coupon for them, I add a $$ sign.

The next step is to decide  which TWO stores have the most things on your particular list of needs.
Pick two stores.   Check FAVADO for more specials and any coupon match ups.  ( more about coupons later.) check ibotta for rebates.  Don't get too excited about rebates, just note if a cucumber is the same price both stores, ibotta may give you another .20 if you purchase it at the right store.   Especially for produce, they may or may not give you the rebate.   Just take it as gravy!

When you are planning your trip, look at your worksheet to see what you,need to fill in a meal and what you need to use up.

Go, get in, and get out,   The more time you spend in a store, the mine money you are going to spend.
The more people you being with you, the  more you are going to spend.   If you pick up something, you are probably going to put it on your cart.  Don't touch anything you are not going to buy.   Unless, you are like me, and if it's something different, I want to know what the serving size is and how many carbs it has.

Bring your coupon binder, the ads, your list, a calculator.
If someone hasn't marked a price on the computer,not helps if you have the ad to show the correct price to the checker.  

Coupons
You can use manufacturers coupons and a store coupon and an ibotta on one item.  Unless you are at Winco.   We don't have double coupons ( at least that I have found) and rarely are you allowed to make money on a coupon.   Like a lot of TV programs, extreme coupons is not a reality.  The only way you may be able to make money is when you shop at a drug store that has bonus points that turn into cash on your next purchases.   Be careful, they Re no bargain if they raise the price to give you restricted dollars.

The most important technique for saving money at the grocery store is to KNOW YOUR PRICES.
MY MOTHER USED TO SAY THAT SOME PEOPLE WOULDNT KNOW A BARGAIN IF IT GOT UP AND BIT THEM IN THE Butt!  Don't be that person!   There can be as much as a 75 percent difference between the most expensive and cheapest price on the SAME item.   Put that 75 percent in YOUR pocket!

2nd rule.  Don't buy sundry items at the grocery store.  That's where they make their most profit margin.  You are much better off buying paper products and cleaners at the dollar store or an off price or big  box store.   Again, know your prices.   You can almost always get laundry soap and toothpaste, deodorant etc almost free with coupons.

3rd rule
Don't buy snack foods or copious amounts of sugar coated cereal.  Most kids will just eat cereal and there is,not enough food value in them.   If it isn't on the house, they won't eat it and your budget will be much better off.   We grew up with no pop, candy, cold cereal, except cornflakes and wheat puffs on a bag, or Popsicles or Kool aid in the house.   We didn't snack between meals.   We were not allowed to be picky, you ate what was on the table, or you didn't eat.  Nothing more till breakfast.
We all survived and we eat almost everything.  Ready made stuff for the most part is very expensive and some dinner kits are ridiculously expensive and you add the food value.  You might as well just make it more nutritious in the first place.   LOL. There are a few convenience foods that are cheaper than scratch and worth the price  when found on super sale.


That being said, I always had a few items that my teenage children knew they could eat all they wanted, whenever they wanted.  At the time beef and bean burritos were a quarter.  My daughters favorite was top ramen.  We always had peanut butter and jelly and bread and cut veggie sticks.
It satisfied to hollow leg syndrome.





Big lots has everything in the store twenty percent off



Big lots haul.  I spent 19.00 and saved 58 percent of retail.

Revlon fingernail polish
Rice
Tissue ( based in dollar store prices, not the full mark up of drug store prices.
Suddenly salad.
Mustard ( big)
Candy ( Werthers  original sugar free)

L

Sunday

   There has to be people that with the high cost of food and a limited discretionary budget, need to cut the costs of what they eat.   If for no other reason, to not throw their money away paying full price.   Sooner or later, most regular staple items will go on sale.  Some things like BBQ items only hit in May and July.   Some things like holiday baking items and turkey only hit on November time frame.   Most staple items hit every eight weeks in the south and east, and every 12 weeks  in the west.   The object of stocking is to pay the RBP on your food.   There will be things that are harder to find. I concentrate on protein, staples, and dairy.   Fresh produce I buy in season.   If something is too high I substitute something that isn't or use a frozen substitute,   Frozen veggies are fresher than what we get in  the stores.   They are picked and then packed almost immediately.

Everything starts at the beginning.   If you are  new to this you are probably overwhelmed and don't know where to start.  Start  with baby steps.   One thing at a time. Lay  your ground work. This takes some time, but once it's done, it's done; you only do it once.
  1. Write down the sources of protein your family will eat.   With us that would be  chicken , Beef, pork, beans, cheese,and eggs.   
  2. Now write down 7 to 14 meals you can make from these ingredients. Gather the recipes if you need to. Cuts of meat need to be inexpensive.  I try around  two dollars a pound.   
  3. Write down a list of the ingredients you will need to make these recipes. Now make a list of the things that are most prevalent. In our house that would be diced tomatoes, beans, black olives, chicken noodle soup, re-fried  beans, instant mashed potato packets, chili, tuna, salmon, small cans of chilies.   
  4. Start to look for best price you can find these items. This will be your rock bottom price.you only want to pay rock bottom price.  When something goes on a real sale, you buy, as many as the store will let you ( limit with in ad coupon) , as many as you can afford, or as many as you need to buy to replenish your stock.   If we use something twice a week, I keep 24, if I use it once a week, I keep at least 12 , things like catsup and mayo, I keep one ahead.   when we use the backup. I start looking for a sale . 
  5. Just took an inventory. I can usually tell if we are short something by looking at the self  and seeing  the white  shelf bottom.   
  6. Make meal plans when you come home from the store.   Make yourself a matrix based on what your family likes and will eat.   Our matrix is 2 beef, 2 pork or,chicken, 2 vegetarian, and one fish or shellfish,   It makes it easier to plan meals to have some perimeters.   I have made a meal planning work sheet so that  can list the things we  need to use up after assessing the fridge, and a list of things I need to pick up at the store.   I then pencil in a meal plan, and finalize it when I get home from shopping.  
Next: shopping.   The plan and the trip.  



Saturday, July 11, 2015

Make it up!


Directions, not in order that my daughter did with a bag of fruit and veggies she got free to promote.

We needed to make up a recipe .  Since it was due last night.  (Can we spell procrastinate! LOL.   ), I did it on the fly.

Put  two cups product in a saucepan and cooked it with enough water to barely cover from frozen.   Drained fruit mixture into a bowl , reserving liquid.

Took 1/2 cup reserved liquid and made a slurry with a Tbls. Of cornstarch.   Returned liquid to saucepan and added slurry.   Cooked, stirring with whisk until thickened.  Added back fruit.
Served as a sauce over already cooked chicken legs.

Mixture included carrot, sweet potato, peaches.




The ads and more.

Fred Meyer ads

The paper tomorrow comes with a smart source.   You can use smart source coupons, in ad coupons or sales and ibotta on the same thing.  

Fred a eyes has yo plait yogurt for  10/4.  The smart source has a coupon for 50 off of five.   Now five yogurts cost .40 ea less .10 or .30 each.   Sometimes if you just pay  full price , they are .85 each,! There is no ibotta on them.

Cherries 1.77
Spareribs or pork chops 1.97
Milk ,99@@
Hebrew national 3.99
Corn 6/3
Blues, organic, 4.99
Broccoli .99
Cucumbers 3/2. .20 ibotta, but I'm not sure how you would redeem it.
Lettuce .99
Strawberries 2/4

Bar tells, tomorrow
Hormel  hash 1,99
Top ramen 6/99
Gummy candy .99

That's about all.