Why?....

Someone once asked my why I fed us for fifty dollars a week. ( this was some years ago) .   My husband and I had both been laid off of work and  while we were fortunate to get jobs, we took a cut in pay to get them.    My answer was , " because the mortgage company doesn't have a sense of humor.   ".   LOL.  They really don't care what your situation is, they just want you to live up to your promises.  

Honestly, no matter how much we have earned, I have always economize on food.   It was how I was raised.   We never wanted for food, we always had good quality food, but my mother never wasted food or allowed us to have junk in the house.  Cold cereal was only in the summer time, and not very much of that.  Drink mixes or fresh fruit, or pop just never happened.   We grew up in the fifties when fresh wasn't quite as easy to get as it is now.    

I have read economizing tricks and articles for years -- like over fifty years.   I've tried a lot of things: some worked, some didn't.   I never got soy beans or lentils to come out any better  than rocks.   LOL.   I am still reading a lot.  Only,now, we have the internet that makes things  easier.   

I have been watching  a lot of grocery hauls.   Some mothers that virtually make everything from scratch.   Some mothers that buy everything in a box or bag, and some that are in between.  Some mothers that buy everything organic and spend two hundred dollars a week.   Some that still spend two hundred dollars a week and buy organic milk, but boxed Mac and cheese.   Some that buy everything from the dollar store or .99 store regardless of how big the box or where it came from.

All of them buy their food one week or two weeks at a time.  

What I have developed is a different way of grocery shopping,  it is easier, and a lot more economical.   It's neither all organic, or all junk food.   It's some planned, controlled, scratch cooking And a little ready made when it makes sense.  It developed over a lot of years trying things, twekting things, and sticking to what worked to keep our budget in tact.   

It works.   It takes a few weeks to get up and running.  It takes some time  to get planning and organizing.  Once you get yourself set up, shopping is a piece of cake.  Some weeks I don't have to shop if I don't feel like it-- and it doesn't mean that we are eating out three days a week.  I can cook a variety of meals any day .    I have dinners on the shelf that can make dinner on a hurry.  Tonight we were going to have tacos.    By dinner time, my body wasn't cooperating.    My granddaughter and I made scratch cheese bread and we had chilli.    

No body died!   

Life goes on......

Terrific Thursday - 4-14-16

One of the ways to stretch your food dollar is to take advantage of extra promotional sales when offered.     Somewhere, ( I'm working on where) there is a specials coupon for five dollars off of twenty five dollars at Safeways.

The trick is  is to only spend the twenty five dollars and  only  on things that are already a good price, and use coupons.    It can be a really good saving opportunity.    Usually, most of the items in the store are full price.  

Safeway's- virtual shopping trip-- shop Friday.   

2 dozen eggs  ( 1.98) with coupon on ad
Strawberries ( 2/4)
Pork tenderloin -24 ounces (5.00)

Either :
I chub of ground sirloin ( 11.97)
              Or 
Buy 4, get free milk participating GM products ( up to 399 value)

1.  Cheerios , Cinnamon Toast Crunch ( 2 each- use dollar off coupons ) nets you 8 dollars for a 3.99 milk, and four cereals.    Depending how you look at it , if you attach a regular sale price of two dollars to the milk, you are paying  six dollars for four cereals, or 1.50 each.   ( that is still higher than my target price.   

Now you are up to either 22.95 - buying beef or 18.98 buying cereal.    

Fill in 2.05 in the case of beef, or 6.02 if you bought cereal.   

This is the key point: if you overpay for  your fill in, you loose.   

Ideas -1) ramen 5/1 , sour cream 1.50 (250)

Or.      2) 10 ramen -2.00, tortillas, signature kitchens 167, salsa, 1.67 , romaine 1.49, (6.83) 

That's as close as I can come and not buy somethings that are not over priced.    

For 20.45 ( beef option) you get ( protein option ) 

1. 2 dozen eggs
2. Two pounds strawberries 
3. 1 pork tenderloin 
4. 3 pounds lean ground sirloin 
5. 5 top ramen 
6. 1 sour cream 

Or 

For  20.81 - cereal option you get ( breakfast option) 

1.  2 dz eggs 
2. 2 pounds strawberries 
3. Pork tenderloin 
4. Gallon milk 
5. 4 boxes cereal 
6. 10 top ramen 
7. Signature kitchens tortillas 
8. Salsa (1.67) 
9. Head of romaine 

In my opinion, I would go for the beef option-- it gives you more bang for your buck.    I can get more meals out of it.   We don't eat a lot of cold cereal.   It can get costly if you have a child that would abuse it amd not eat their meals.   

1. 
   

  

        

 

Alberways ad

since Albertsons and Safeways have identical ads, I'm just posting one set of prices.  
Albertsons bought all of the Albertsons and Safeway stores.   The prices are the same, but the stores still have two names.    The Safeway store in shoreline that became a Haggens, is,now back to being  a Safeways.

Strawberries 2/4
7 percent ground beef 3.99
Eggs .99@@


5 dollar Friday
Shrimp
Pork tenderloin


Buy  4 General Mills indicated cereals, get milk free. Assuming milk costs two dollars, that makes the cereal two dollars each.   There are coupons out there for cereal to make them cheaper.   Also includes,uses nature valley granola bars.

Wicked Wednesday.

So, I don't know what is wicked about it, but it is Wednesday.   There are no ads for QFC this week, it is a two week ad last week.  That means that the buy 10, save five salemsmsill on.  A lot of the items are for processed foods.    I am trying to steer clear of too much salt, sugar, and fat,    A little at a time.    I'm using what we have stock  on and starting with the things that we eat the most of and replacing things with healthier versions as long as the budget will hold out,  I am still on budget.   I went to Winco and Fred Meyers this week along with doing an extreme couponing for the B10;save 5  haul.  

At Fred Meyers I picked up a few non food items.    They had 160 count tissue for a buck and the shampoo was cheaper than the dollar store.   I just bought fruits and veggies and a couple of cream cheese packets for a buck.   I also bought six white beans and garbanzo beans so we can make hummus and chicken Chimichangas.     I got one more Barilla pronto with a .75 off coupon,  

Strategy for buy XX, save XX sales.    First, make sure that there are enough things in the list that are not too processed and that you will actually use.  

Nothing is a bargain if you feed it to the garbage disposal.   That bears repeating.   Nothing is a bargain if you feed it to the garbage disposal.    

Usually, there are a few things that are in the dollar range.    I never do a haul if I can't match coupons with it,    That's a deal breaker.   You can't save enough money.    This time I was close to sixty percent,  last time i was  at 78 percent.    I do keep frozen pizzas on the freezer.   While I can make pizza from scratch, pizza is our go to meal when my husband and I are gong out , or when someone is sick and we don't feel like cooking,    Cheaper and not any worse than take out.    Tombstone was on sale, imhadmcoupoms, and there was an Ibotta on it too.   They are 3/10 at Fred Meyers and there is still the coupons and Ibotta.  

I had coupons for ritz crackers and I found lowered fat and whole wheat.  We eat crackers,my it not a ton of them.  Dtto salad dressing and BBQ sauce.    We eat a few more hot dogs on the summer time,
Nathan's is my hit dog of choice,  it's the best ingredient wise and it has as many hot dogs as there is buns in a package.   Of course, in a pinch, you can make pigs in blankets.  

When to meal plan

Meal plans help you stay on track and not cave into the take out or pizza delivery demons.   We stopped the pizza delivery when a driver told my daughter that twenty percent wasn't enough tip.   It's expensive and in the to,e it takes to wait for the delivery, you can Doctor up a frozen pizza and have it 1/2 cooked.   I'm still trying to perfect a thin crust home made.  

The magic question is whether to plan before shopping or after.   Since I already have most of the basics before I go shopping, I plan on a specific day.  Before Alberways happened, I used to shop on Fridays.   Because there is no consistency in the times the ads come out, amd some places don't have ads, that doesn't quite work.   We go to Fred Meyers usually on Sunday or Monday because the ads come out Sunday.  I can check the ads for QFC and Alberways and see if there is anything worth a trip.    Otherwise it's usually Friday for Winco.   I do meal plans on Monday.  Whatever day you choose, make it the same day.

Doing certain things and having a plan is a lot more efficient.   If I don have. Plan, I might do a few things, but I get a lot more done with a list.  

Making a matrix saves a lot of time when planning,   I use a protein based matrix to give us a variety of foods and keep everyone happy.   Some people use a theme based matrix : i.e.  Soup, breakfast for dinner, Mexican, Italian, casseroles, pizza.   Etc.  

Most people have a list of meals they make often.   Of not written down, on their head.   Wrote them down under the type  of protein.   It makes meal planning a cinch.  

1. Make a list of things in your fridge that need  to be used up soon.   
2. Check your schedule for nights out, or appointments that will make your day hectic.   Plan on a crockpot meal or a meal you can make the morning of or the night before to accommodate.    
3. Check your matrix and fill in the blanks using the things that need to be used up and adding any things you need to fill in the meal.   

Product review.....one cheap dinner.

I purchased pronto spaghetti ( Barilla) at  the dollar store  with a .75 coupon.   I was a little Leary, expecting it to be starchy like a hambirger helper, but it wasn't.    It took ten minutes and was just the consistency of boiled pasta.   I googled a recipe and adapted it to use up ingredients I had in the fridge.   I added 8 ounces of pasta sauce. A can of white beans and 1/2 of a package of beer brats we had left over.    Total cost 1.90 for six servings.   I added a salad.   ( I pulled two servings out before I added the beer brats for daughter and granddaughter. ) and added a sprinkle of parm and parsley.

5 Bargain dinners.

Continuing the five theme....Less than five dollar dinners from the specials this week.  

1. Tombstone pizza   2.00  salad 1.00   Total 3.00
2. Speghetti, meatballs. Sauce.    Sauce w coupon .79, Speghetti with coupe , .25. Meatballs 2.00 total 3.05.   Green beans .58.   3.63 
3. Pulled pork sandwiches 2.50, buns .98. French fries. .75 Carrot sticks..50.     4.73 
4. Pigs in blankets. 1/2 - 1.75,  pasta salad   .75 
5. Scrambled eggs 1/2 dozen .84, oranges .84, fried potatoes .20, Bisquits    1.88

Now, I would not eat all of these meals on the same week.   Far too much processed foods.

But, incorporating them into your meal plans can severely reduce your food budget.    

Extreme couponing, QFC buy 10, save five.

Total spent 19.93.   At least two of the items were already marked down from regular retail.    The slip says a 57 percent savings.  I also picked up a 1/2 gallon of milk for .99.

Nathan's hot dogs
Tombstone pizzas w coupon
Lloyds BBQ meat w coupon 2.49. Retails 6.00
BBQ sauce .99
Kent dressing on sale with coupon
Ritz crackers, whole wheat with coupons


Plus a Catalina for 1.25 off tombstone pizzas and a dollar Ibotta on the pizza.  

Meal plans

Meal Plans for week of April 11

These plans are on no particular order.  I have a weeks worth of plans, but no rigid schedule.   I do have a matrix based on origin choice.

1. Chicken pot pie 
2. Ham and chicken quiche , salad 
3. Tomato,roasted red pepper soup with  basil.  . Cheesy Bisquits. 
4.  Meatballs  and speghetti pronto 
5. Pizza , salad 
6. Tacos,re-fried beans, rice 
7. Salmon patties , rice, broccoli 

Chicken is chicken breasts I de-boned - 1.00 a pound 

Ham is from cubes in a pouch from Winco - 1/2 pouch - 1.20

Tomato soup is from Costco -2.00- add basil, milk. 

Meatballs are already madman freezer

Taco,shells, seasoning and sauce is a dollar at grocery outlet , taco meat batch cooked.    

Salmon patties recipe is on "jenny can cook" .   

That's it for today..... 

Don't throw the baby out with the water.

Pinterest and u tube are really good sources for finding new recipes .   It's nice to shake things up and cook something  different .  It broadens our horizons and stretches our brain.   Often times, a recipe will sound good, but in examination, it either has expensive  ingredients or is very unhealthy.  

Now, if the main ingredient is lobster, you prolly should skip it.   But, often, you can adjust and substitute an ingredient to make a recipe more healthy or less expensive.  

Basically, if  you substitute an ingredient, you need to replace it with something that has the same bulk and flavor.   My husband does not like onions, green pepper, or mushrooms.   I often substitute celery or red and yellow peppers.  

I saw a recipe on u tube.   I was intrigued because it was an oven recipe that made chicken and rice in the oven.  The problem was that it called for onion soup mix ( onions and a lot of salt) , cream soup and two cans of water.    Basically you put rice in the bottom of a baking dish, add rice, boneless , skinless  chicken breast, and add a cup that has onion soup mix, cream of celery soup, two cans of water and bake for 2 hours  at 320 f.  

1. Grease the pan.   Add raw rice ok .
2. Debone 1/2 chicken breast .  Difference is 3.00 a pound savings.   
3. Instead of onion soup and cream of chicken soup ( too much salt and preservatives and cost. ) use a can of cream of mushroom soup, 2 cans  of chicken stock and some grated onion.   You can get cream of mushroom soup for as little as forty cents with coupons at thanksgiving time.  Stock up for the year providing the pull dates on the can are far enough out.   We don't  use a lot.  It was hard to tell how much liquid he was using because it was imperial measurements.   
4. I would also add parsley to the top for color and serve with broccoli.    I would still bake for 2 hours on a medium oven 350 degrees.  

That was a hard one because I was dealing with Celsius and method measurements,  their can if soup didn't look the same size either.   

Basically, I'm saying don't overlook a recipe that sound good just because an ingredient is too expensive or not healthy.  Look for an equivalent in taste and mass.  If it is a spice, don't use it, or replicate the flavor with something else.   No capers!   Add a little salt.     

Or goggle the dish and see what pops up.   

Happy cooking.    

Tomorrows Fred Meyers ad

Large  avocados .99
Berries, black or raspberries 1.88
Chuck roast 3.77
Kroger veggies or beans 2/1 @@ limit 6 stock up price
Hillshire sausage 2/5@@
Eggs 1.69
Sour cream/cottage cheese/ cream cheese .99
Cantaloupe 2/5 each

Dollar tree haul.  

Tomorrow's paper 1. Instead of 2.00

Speghetti, Barilla , .25 with coupon 

Speghetti o's , large per than large can 

Hangers, velvet type 2/1

Laundry basket for wet choices.   

Garbage can 

2 spray,cans of "Pam" one butter, one canola 

I don't have price comparisons on everything, but I'm sure that did well. 

5 ways to have Passive cooking

Passive  cooking is a word coined by the Chew.   It's the cooking time where you have assembled your ingredients, put them to cook, and can walk away to do other things.    To my favorite type of cooking.   Efficient cooking .

There are many recioes that use passive cooking.   When they don't, sometimes you can cook early on the day or on the weekend so that you aren't cooking if dinner time is hectic in your house.   It certainly is on our house.    

1. Make ahead. Some people make dinner the night or day of dinner.
2.  So,e people  make freezer meals.  Freezer meals can be made in multiples in a short amount of time,   The Pinterest is full of recipes.  Dinner is ready for the crockpot.  You pull the bag the night before, out it in the fridge to thaw and sumo it on the crockpot on the morning,   
3. Crock pot dinners.   We love soup.   
4. Oven dinners.    Meatloaf, baked potatoes and acorn squash was my mothers favorite go to.  The whole meal cooked on one oven.    Pork chops with Apple cranberry, bread stuffing is one of ours too.   
5. Hobo or pocket dinners.    We have fish packets all the time.    I got the recipe from "do it on a dime,"  it cooks fish on parchment with spinach, rice, beans, fish and broccoli layered on parchment paper. Sealed. And common on the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.   There are a lot of other foil packet dinners that basically put your starch, meat, amd veggie on a piece of foil and seal and either out them on the oven or on a grill .    Mothers love them because they are easygoing and washing the dishes is a breeze.   No pans.  No dirty plates.    Kids like them because it's camping out!,   

About all.    If you want recipes, let me know on the comments.   

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 pro spective.  The emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stable/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 
on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

5 mixes you can scratch cook.

Buying packets of seasoning can derail your meal train in a hurry.   If I'm going to spend another dollar on dinner, I would rather buy more meat or ice cream for desert.   Making your own mixes can save a lot of money and can avoid artificial ingredients.   ( preservatives etc)

1. Taco seasoning. 
2. Ranch dressing mx 
3. Baking mix 
4. BBQ rub
5. Cream soup mix 

Many of these are already on this blog or they are in the Internet.   

We have Tex-mex at last once a week.  It's an easy way for me to make everyone happy and I am not cooking two meals.   My taco seasoning is already made .  Sometimes I add it to the hamburger when I am batch cooking.   Last time I used ready made just because it was virtually free along with the sauce. 

There are a lot of recipes in cyberspace that call for just using the packet of seasoning.   Making your own salad dressing can avoid hydrogenated oil.   It has to be used faster, but has no preservatives.   

Baking mix is a mainstay at our house,   Besides the usual breakfast fare, I like to use it for chicken pot pie and banana, oatmeal, blueberry bread.   

BBQ rub makes the fastest chicken ( non-passive time) in the west.....or east.    

Cream soup mix is healthier than the alternative.   Less salt and good for Mac and cheese, casseroles.

5 meals from 1 chicken.

Now, I must preface this with the fact that a chicken doesn't mean a rotisserie chicken that weighs 3 pounds or less.    Other than, boneless, skinless breasts, it os about the most expensive chicken in the market.  Three pounds of chicken, even at five dollars, is 1.67 a pound.    Whole chickens are as low as .87 and often .99 a pound.   At .87 that's almost 1/2 price.    In addition, the break even point for a chicken is three pounds.  As my sister pointed out, that means if you buy a 3 pound chicken, you are going to get 1.5 pounds of meat.   Every increment beye drops 3 pounds  gives you more meat to bone ratio.    I usually opt for a 5.5 pound chicken.   I can either roast ot on the oven, or I can throw it in the crockpot.   The roasting tastes better, the crockpot is more efficient, gives you a good  stock, and has less cholesterol.  

Five dinners.      Pieces of chicken stretch further than slices of a meat.   You get further with sloppy joes , than you do with hambirgers.   It's the stretch phenomenon .  

1. Chicken noodle soup, cheesey bread.  
2. Chicken pot pie.  Fruit cup 
3. Shredded chicken ( dark meat) tacos.   , refried beans, rice.
4. Winner, chicken dinner.  Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, Cesear salad 
5. Buffalo chicken pizza.   Layer. Ranch or blue cheese salad dressing.. Chicken pieces ( soak in some Tabasco sauce I you like spicy) chopped red peppers, blue cheese / and or white cheese.    

Bones make chicken soup. 

1/2 of a breast  makes chicken pot pie, and pizza 

1/2 of a breast makes roast chicken dinner.   

Dark meat makes chicken shreads 

Winco deals.

These prices are per favado.  I went to Winco, prices are revised!  

Strawberries 198
Pronto pasta w coupon .33-  not available - it was at the dollar  tree Last tome I was there.  
Armor meatballs 1.98
Kens  dressing - there is a coupon out there
Frenchs  mustard - with coupon. 25- coupon want th name if your last born son!   Not going don that road!  
Betty Crocker brownie mix .98
Parsley .48
Chicken thighs 1.28
2 pack fryers .98
Starkist albacore 128
Pork sirloin chops 198
Corn chips 148
Hamburger or hot dog buns .98
Butter 282
London broil 298
Diced chillies - last time there was a in store coupon in the
Grapes 173

Eggs Are. 1.18 a dozen.   Some have a 4/18 pull date
The huge picante sauce is less than five dollars.  
Mjb coffee was a good price and I have a coupon.
Lindsay olives are a buck with a .25 Ibotta
Baby tomatoes were 2.00
Strawberries are two bucks a pound and looked good
Three different kinds of apples are a buck a pound
Peppers were too high, cucumbers were 1.00 for English and less  for regular.  

5 myths about couponing

i read an interesting? Article on Pinterest.   The lady said she didn't coupon any more because she could save more by not wasting.   Duh, why can't you coupon and not waste?  

5 myths about couponing ....

1.  Couponing takes a lot of time.   You can extreme coupon and take a lot of time, or you can spend very little and make a coupon book.  Download coupons once a month for a total of about 15 minutes and glance at the coupon inserts that are in the paper or come on the mail to see if something in there is what you buy. Favado tells you what's on sale, if there is a coupon, and where to find it.   Most of the work is done for you.   Some things are free.  Free goes a long ways to cut your expenses.   
2. Coupons are just for highly processed foods I wouldn't buy anyway.   True,  there are a lot of junk food coupons,   There are also coupons for yogurt, frozen  veggies, frozen potatoes, whole wheat bread and other things that are not  junk, processed food.   Ibotta has rebates in real fresh vegetables, milk, cheese and other real foods.  
3. Coupons are just one thing I would  forget to use or take to the store.  A little organization puts them in a categorized binder and leaves  them in the car next to your reuseable bags.   I also carry a cooler in the car for transporting the frozen and perishable foods.  
4. Coupons are a waste of time.  "I'm not going to spend my time to save a quarter".  If you save three dollars a week with coupons for something you are going to use, you save 156.00 a year.   
5. Stores hate coupons.    Stores do not hate coupons.  They sell new products that they might not sell otherwise.   They get paid a fee for collecting the coupons and get reimbursed for the amount of the coupon.   

Note : I have found Favado  to not always be accurate.   It may be because prices and merchandise is not always the same in other parts of the country.   This is especially true of the dollar tree.   Many dollar trees on the PNW do not have the name brands that they do in the east and south.   In addition, the dollar tree coupon policy says you cannot get something for free unless it is on a BOGO.   That being said, I have got things for free with coupons there.   You can, also only use four coupons on any given day per household.    

Hang onto your hats.........the ads

Of I was looking for good buys in the ads that we got in th Mail, I'd look elsewhere.   I went to the doctor today, but, I didn't go to the Winco.   Winco has no ads on favado.  

The Alberways ads are pretty much a bust.

QFC is a two week ad

Strawberries - 2/4
Chuck roast BOGO 3.50.
Milk .99
Cheese 2/6.  NOTE THAT IS 6.00 a pound for shredded cheese.   Costco is 2.08 a pound last I went.
Pork shoulder 1.59


Buy 10, save 5.   A lot of this so junk food.     I think it would depend how much your family eats
Nathan's 349
Frosted Flakes 188
Ritz crackers 1.88
Jiff 1.99

There may be a coupon for Frosted Flakes.

NOTE.   THERE Is A .75 coupon for pronto pasta ( Barilla) .  It is at the dollar store.   Nets .25.   You can only buy 4 things with a coupon at the dollar store.    And, from what I see supplies are limited.  

I am pretty well stocked.   If I had to go to a store, I'd try Winco .   The best meat buy would be the BOGO roast at QFC to grind  your own hamburger .   Milk is a buck at QFC also.

5 principals of groceries on the cheap

Ok, continuing with the five  series. .....five principles of groceries on the cheap.

In order to stay on a very frugal budget and not feel deprived or run out of food before the end of the month....

1. Never pay full price for anything.    Identify the things that you use on a regular basis for your main dishes.   Find the RBP for these "target" items and buy in quantity when they are on sale.....just enough to last you until you can find that price again.  Set a stock number.    I use three months on some things.  I keep one of other things.   Just enough to not have to run to the store in the middle of cooking.
2. Plan meals to avoid the " take out demons." .  Develop your matrix to make meal planning quick and easy.   
3. Buy one loss leader protein a week.  Buy enough to last you for that kind of meal for a month rotation in bulk.   Batch cook, or portion control soon after you get home from the store.  This gives you the best prices and saves a lot of time when things can get hectic around dinner time. When everyone hits the door after school, or daycare and work, things can just be crazy.   
4. Plan your grocery trips .  Being hungry without a plan and going to the grocery store is a recipe for disaster.    Because you already have the basics in stock at home, you are only looking to replace any short supply of your basic stock items that are a RBP, , a so called loss leader protein to rotate, and the produce in season and dairy you will need to finish your meals.    Make a list and stick to it.   Check the flyers of the stores that have them, check favado or the store web sites of the ones that don't. Make your list  and check to see if there are coupons to match up.   Pick your 2 best stores that will fulfill your needs.   
5. Plan to go to 2 stores.   This gives you the best prices of two stores and the best produce selections,   Last week, I checked Safeways and Winco and both of them had rotten grapes in their bags.    Usually, however, you can find good between two stores.    This gives you the availability of two stores sales.  

KNOW YOUR PRICES.   I have saved the most important for last.   You don't have to know every price of everything in the store-- just the things on your target list.    My mother used to say...." Some people wouldn't know a bargain if it came up and bit them in the butt."   Don't be that person,  

Dollar tree

We went to Bothell today.   I stopped at the dollar tree and the grocery outlet.    Grocery outlet always has good sliced cheese in a variety of flavors for 2.39.   I also found beer brats for 1.50.

Dollar store has a bunch of name brands.   I got Barilla pasta for a dollar and used a .55 off coupon,   I also got puff facial tissue for a dollar with a .25 coupon, and Hormel pepperoni for .50 with a coupon. You can use up to four coupons any given day per household.   Items can't be free unless you have a BOGO coupon.

You could , conceptually, find a dinner for five   bucks.   Barilla speghetti is .45 with a coupon for pronto, or 100 for regular.   Hunts pasta sauce is a dollar, as well as brown and serve hard rolls.  Parmesean  cheese product is a dollar as well as a can of green beans for .79.    Total 4.79.   Now, that being said. I personally would not buy parm cheese product.  I want the real thing.    The green beans are Libby's and I'm not sure about the bread.   In a pinch, you could do it.  

They have mayo, brand name tuna,pickles  and  bread.   They have oatmeal and fruit cups and peanut butter and jelly.  

Conceptually, you could feed a family for easily 14.00 dollars : breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a pinch.

1. Oatmeal, almond milk. Fruit cup.   
2. Tuna salad sandwich with pickles, potato chips ( or equivalent) 
3. Spaghett with red sauce. Green beans, sour dough hard rolls, parmesan
4. Peanut butter toast for a snack 

4 times 4 is 16.   

Some things are cheaper at the dollar store; some are not.   Some are good or better quality than a regular grocery store, some are not.   This is an answer to you are stuck and need to eat.   It has happened to is before.   If I had a dollar store and a elementary kitchen, we would have been in good shape.   

List : 

1. Oatmeal 
2. Almond or regular milk 
3. Box of fruit cups 
4. Tuna 
5. Pickles 
6. Mayo
7. Bread 
8. Potato chips 
9. Speghetti
10. Pasta Sauce 
11. Parmesean product 
12. Green beans (.79) 
13. Sour dough rolls or baguettes.  
14. Peanut butter 

5 things that make for a pick up meal.

We have all  had those days.   Things just don't go as planned.  If you have a stock, you can wing it for dinner and come up with better than cold cereal.   We eat very little cold cereal.   It's expensive by the time you add milk.    That's how some families  go through gallons and gallons of milk.    Not necessary.   Milk does not build bones like they use to think.  

I digress....five easy dinners

1. Tacos, refried beans, and rice.  : my taco meat is already made in the freezer from my batch cooking.  Best the bag on the counter a couple of times and place it on a glass bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water to thaw and reheat.   Meanwhile, open a can of refried beans, place it on a small casserole, and top with a layer of cheese.   Put a small batch of rice in the rice cooker and turn it on.  Get out three bowls and chop tomatoes, lettuce and add cheese to one.   Your cheese should be already grated in a lock and lock.   This takes avoit 15  minutes . 
2. Spaghetti with meatballs, salad .  Put spaghetti on to cook.   Heat pasta sauce and defrost the already cooked meatballs you got out of the freezer.   Add a bagged salad and the karma cheese you already grated in the fridge.      
3. Hot dogs, French fries and fruit salad .  All cooks in record time.  Put the French fries in the oven....minutes, hit dogs took almost no time after the potatoes are almost done.  Wash and put any fruit you have in a bowl.  We have been working in a bowl of salad all week.  I just keep adding to it. 
4. BBQ chicken thighs and drumsticks, oven roasted root veggies. Salad.   The chicken parts Re already cooked from your batch coming and on the freezer.   Place the sealed bag in the sink and run cold water over it while you are cutting up carrots, potatoes and any veggie you can add.  Place them on a baking sheet with sides and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.   Sometimes I add Rosemary. Put the chicken pieces on another own and spread BBQ sauce with a pastry brush on top.   Bake until the vegetables are done at about 375-400 degrees.   Our oven has only a top element, so I out the chicken on the bottom rack and switch midstream.   About 20 minutes. 
5. Tomato soup with some milk or cream, basil, and blue cheese or Romano ( parm) . English muffins topped with grated cheese and put on the oven to melt. Or French bread with butter or olive oil and parm broiled until the bitter melts and the cheese is toasted lightly.    I get tomato soup on a box at Costco.   It is tomato and roasted red pepper.   Costco also has a sour dough baguette that is about a dollar for a half a loaf.   English muffins are always 1.67 a dozen at Fred Meyers.    Another option would be cheese quesedeas. 

All these things I have in my stock except maybe the hot dogs that I don't buy often.   Both Hebrew national and Nathan's were on sale this week.  I opted for Nathan's because 1) Hebrew national does not have the same amount of hotdogs as a standard package of buns. And, 2) Hebrew national has soy protein and Nathan's has corn protein.   Corn was the least ofmthemevils because my granddaughters Doctor does not want her to have soy.   

After trying every method of cooking rice that I could find-- the microwave, the pressure cooker,mthe large rice cooker, the stove and having no luck getting the textile I wanted. I bought a 16 dollar black and decker rice cooker.....success!   

Radishes are wonderful added to oven roasted root veggies.  

That's about all......anyone have an idea of what dive list they want to see next? 

5 things not to buy.

Trying to start a five things theme.  

Five things not to buy at the grocery store  to save money.

1. Potato chips and other bagged snacks.   High in salt and higher on prices.  Do the math.    A good rule of thumb is to only buy things with good food value in them.   Opt for air popped pop corn.  The difference in price well pays for an air popper.    
2. Individual wrapped snacks. You  are paying for a lot of packaging and then paying  again to put  them in the recycle.  
3. Sugar drink packets.     My dad wouldn't let us have them on the house,   Smart dad. He didn't allow pop either.    Neither are good for you and they see full or sugar or the alternative which is just as bad.   Opt for herbal teas iced or water. 
4. Fruit juices.   Too much sugar.   A nutritionist told me that feeding the child an apple was better than giving them the juice.   
5. Gum and candy bars.  That nasty s word --sugar again and they are bad for the budget too.  

The Food Pyramid....again

 The USDA  has made a food pyramid for as many years as I can remember.  My mother always made a protein, a starch, and a vegetable or fruit for dinner.    I can't see any real reason to deviate from the tried and true.   Some years ago , the USDA altered it to adjust for the fact that we are eating too much fat, sugar, and salt (sodium) in our diets.
Along came the alternative generation.    From the amount of advertising I am seeing and the amount of coupons that are appearing out there, I am sure it is a multi- million dollar business.   It is a trend that I'm not buying into.   Just my personal opinion.

Your body is a fine tuned entity.    It needs balance.   It needs a group of nutrients to feed your organs to run efficiently.   Kinda like a car.  A car needs gas, and oil, and transmission fluid, windshield wiper fluid.   Take some of that away and it doesn't run right.  I'm some cases, it doesn't run at all......

My take, eat a wide variety of foods. Eat in moderation.    Eat from the food pyramid.  Avoid too much salt, sugar, and fat.   If you feel the need to avoid a food group. Consult your MD doctor about it and get a nutritionist to help you put  your body back in balance,    You are playing with fire if you do it in your own.  You only have one body to last you the rest of your life.  You can replace your car, you can't replace your body.

The food pyramid.

The USDA  has made a food pyramid for as many years as I can remember.  My mother always made a protein, a starch, and a vegetable or fruit for dinner.    I can't see any real reason to deviate from the tried and true.   Some years ago , the USDA altered it to adjust for the fact that we are eating too much fat, sugar, and salt (sodium) in our diets.  

Along came the alternative generation.    From the amount of advertising I am seeing and the amount of coupons that are appearing out there, I am sure it is a multi- million dollar business.   It is a trend that I'm not buying into.   Just my personal opinion.

Your body is a fine tuned entity.    It needs balance.   It needs a group of nutrients to feed your organs to run efficiently.   Kinda like a car.  A car needs gas, and oil, and transmission fluid, windshield wiper fluid.   Take some of that away and it doesn't run right.  I'm some cases, it doesn't run at all......

My take, eat a wide variety of foods. Eat in moderation.    Eat from the food pyramid.  Avoid too much salt, sugar, and fat.   If you feel the need to avoid a food group. Consult your MD doctor about it and get a nutritionist to help you put  your body back in balance,    You are playing with fire if you do it in your own.  You only have one body to last you the rest of your life.  You can replace your car, you can't replace your body.  

Sunday notes

Yesterday, we went to the Bog Lots sale.   Ot only happens a few days a year and extends threw today.   Everything in the store is 20 percent off.   I was interested in buying feminine heigene products especially.   They are already the cheapest-- and twenty percent sweetens the deal.   I also bought two jars of Lindsay peppers , two packages of ice cream cookies, and a five pack of top ramen.   All were a buck, so they cost .80.    

We went to the dollar store because it is close by,   I got another stacking crate , some small bowls with lids ( 5/$1.) , 160 count tissue and a corn cookbook and an elf eye cream.   All would have been more money elsewhere.   I see a trend at the dollar tree to replace name brands with their brands.   Consequently, I am buying less and less food there.  I want to buy brands that I am familiar with .  

On another note, I was talking to a woman that told me she puts veggies in everything to get her children to eat veggies.    That brought up a lot ofmquetionin my mind,   What happens when they go to a friends hide and they don't have beets in their pancakes?   I think it is better to introduce  the one tiny bite program instead,  kids change their taste.   I never liked green peppers as a kid. I eat it now.   

We eat first with our eyes.   If something doesn't look appetizing, it's not likely you will want to try it.   

Some children don't like strong tastes,   I suspect that because our grandmothers cooked  veggies to death, some people don't like them and are too rigid to change their  minds.  Raw broccoli is a lot better tasting to some people than cooked does.     

I'm done shopping for the week.   We need coffee soon, because I didn't realize that we opened the back up.  It is  5. 99 for folders at Fred Meyers.    I didn't buy strawberries at Winco because they didn't look good , but we have other fruit so we are good and enough coffe for two weeks, so it'll wait until next week. 

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 pro spective.  The emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stable/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 
on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Meal plans

Monday's meal plans on Sunday,      

I plan meals based on a matrix . It makes meal planning a snap.   Lately I have been not only using my protein based matrix, but adding a couple of theme based  ones too.   Basically because I want to eat down the stock in a couple of areas.   Some people just use theme based meal plans.    Like.,..

1. Soup and sandwich 
2. Breakfast for dinner 
3. Tex-mex 
4. Crock pot 
5. Pasta 
6. Soup
7. Vegetarian 

Our meals are based on 

2 vegetarian 

1 beef

3 chicken or pork

1 fish 

Meals 

1. Breakfast for dinner ( use up eggs) 
2. Pizza ( pizzas bought for 2.44) 
3. Pork, rice, beans ( Mexican pork BC) 
4. Hot dogs, suddenly salad 
5. Chicken pot pie 
6. Shrimp stirfry w frozen stirfry and ramen noodles 
7. Chicken enchiladas (green) in slow cooker.   BC

BC means the recipe is in the Betty Crocker  on line cookbook.   I have been trying to introduce something new every week,   I am also trying to learn to cook scratch things that I previously bought ready made to save more, broaden my knowledge and keep growing, and lessen our intake of hydrogenated oils.   

I bought canola oil this week.    I have some vegetable oil to use up as well as some things like Bisquick .   Canola, safflower, amd olive oil are the oils that are not hydrogenated ( so omhavembeen reading ) I bought low hydrogenated oil peanut butter when I needed to replace it.    It's a slow process, but it will happen.   Patience is a virtue!    

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 pro spective.  The emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stable/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals 
on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Tomorrows Fred Meyers ad

Strawberries 2/4
Pork 1/2 loin 1.79
Broccoli .99
Milk .99@@
Folders 5.99
Red Barton/ tombstone pizza 3/10@@$$
Bottom round roast 3.99


That's about it.

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 pro spective.  The emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stable/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Shopping trip

I went to Winco first.   Good plan because th things I was going to have to go to a third store for were cheaper at Winco.  

I got

1. High fiber bread 
2. Nathan's hot dogs 
3. Lean ground beef  3.18 a pound 
4. Hot dog buns ( .88) 
5. Taquitos (5.41) 
6. Apples (.98) 
7. Ham and chicken lunch meat ( 1.98) 

31.83

Safeways 

1. Milk 
2. Canola oil
3. Barilla pasta ( veggie) 
4. Lettuce.    

13.24?

Total food purchased 45.07 

Shopping without stocking.

This  is the day  new coupons come out on coupons .com.    It's you snooze, you loose.   Get while the getting is good.  There are pepperoni, yoplait , and General Mills cereal ones as usual.

I thought I would virtual shop like I didn't have a stock and see if I could make meals from what's on sale this week.  


Winco
Shredded cheese 1.38 - 8 ounces
Strawberries 1.98
Asparagus 1.48
Yoplait .50
Diced chillies .88
Cilantro .47
Roma's .98
Celery .98
Oranges .58
Apples .98
Eggs 1.98
Pork chops 1.78$
Butter 2 99
Grapes 1.98
Yeast .96-  3 pack
Pepperoni 3.5 ounces 1.69
Hot dog buns .98$
Canned tomatoes .58
Blues 4.98$
Armour meatballs  1.98
Chicken thighs 1.28
Dark chocolate brownie mix .98
London broil 2.98$
Canned veggies .58 $
Mashed potatoes .85$
These prices are from favado, they aren't always accurate.

Alberways
Friday only
COD filets - 1 lb $
Foster farms chicken, frozen 2 lbs
Barilla pasta 5/5
Nalleys chilli 5/5


Nathan's 4.99
Shrimp 3.99 frozen @@
Ground turkey 2.99
Potatoes 2/1$
Pizza 3/10@@$
QFC

Hebrew national 3.49$
Berries 2/4 @@$
chicken breast I BOGO nets 4.00 a pound.
Di Giorgio 4.99


Dollar store
Jenne-0 turkey bacon $
Pancake mix $


Dinners

1. Hot dogs, buns , suddenly salad     5.77
2. Turkey bacon, eggs, pancakes , oranges and blueberroes 4.25
3. Pork chops , baked potatoes , green beans  3.36 
4. Pizza 3.33 
5. Speghetti with meatballs , green beans   ( grind London broil, pasta of a buck at Safeways amd the dollar tree.    Speghetti Sauce is always 100 or mixer at Winco)    4.08 
6. COD. Scalloped potatoes. Fruit cup - 7.50
7. Chicken thighs w BBQ sauce. , mashed potatoes , Corn 3.71 

This assumes you have the basics of floor , oil,etc.   it has too many processed foods to my liking. And a lot of it would be cheaper if you bought it in bulk.  I marked the ingredients used with a $.  This would also take you to four stores and cost more in some instances than stocking. 

I paid .75 for suddenly salad . I make it with olive oil.    , chicken thighs are .68 at times at Winco.   Binkess chicken breasts are 4.00 a pound at QFC on sale BOGO for wa grown.   I paid a buck at Freddie's last week. ( sale still on til Saturday) .  Scalloped potatoes I got for .60 .   Sometimes if the
dollar store has Betty Crocker they are free with coupons.  Potatoes were 1.00 for ten pounds at Winco last week.   

Total dinners 32.00 divided by 7 equals  4.57 each.

Things to buy at the dollar store.

The  best smelling hand soap.

Organizing baskets - when all of one thing is in a basket, it's easier to find and things are neat.  

A dust pan with a handle saves your back....

Bowl covers.   Easiest way to solve the problem of putting a bowl in the fridge you can't find a cover for. Or that has no cover.  It doesn't touch the food.  

Why pay big money for tissue you are going to throw away.   Sometimes they have counts of 200 per box.  This was 175.  They have puffs too.  

Gift bags, tissue, gift boxes 

Best cookies that sell for upwards of four dollars elsewhere.    

U

Canvas cubes that sell for five dollars elsewhere.   We are using them to sort clean c,others ready for the chest of drawers downstairs.  

What's in your refrigerator?

Wednesday is usually clean the fridge day.   Life in the kitchen is a lot easier if you have zones in your refrigerator.   If  categories of food are placed in the same zone, it is easier to tell if you have enough if a particular product , or even where it is.  

Top shelf - condiments. That is where you will find the pickles. Jelly, mayonaise, etc.
next shelf. bread those products and eggs .    Tortillas. Baguettes. Eggs
Next : dairy.   Leftovers,  yogurt, sour cream cottage cheese
Bottom shelf.   Cheese in lock n locks, fruit in green boxes.

Drawers.  Meat, vegetables, cheese.
Door. Milk, small bottles of condiments, syrups etc.

On cleaning day, wash any spills.
I go threw the fridge top to bottom.   This week, I baked another dozen eggs.  I had a surplus because of Easter specials.  
Next stop, check expiration dates on dairy.  What needs to be used up soon.   Can you incorporate leftovers into lunch!
Fill the cheese boxes if,needed from cheese in the freezer.    Check the fruit and veggie for freshness.

Meat drawer.  Check dates.   Use up oldest first.  
Vegetable drawer, change the paper towel in the bottom of the drawer. Check freshness and not what needs to be used  soon.
Cheese drawer.  Check stock . Grate cheese if needed.  

Post what you have and star  anything that needs to be used up soon to meal plan work sheet.

This only takes a few minutes, but saves a lot of time and money,    You know what you need and what you have before you shop so you aren't duplicating anything.   You also use up what you have before it is food for the garbage disposal.  

No food can do you any good if you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 pro spective.  The emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stable/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Easy Peasy artisan bread

I am on a mission to replace the things I buy ready made win easy , quick homemade equivalents.   To save money and have more control of what goes into our food.  But, I also am not all about spending all day in  the kitchen.   If you spend more time on the planning and the shopping and less in cooking, your budget will be better off and you will have more, healthier food as a bonus.

Artisan bread.   This is a far different concept than I have ever used to bake bread,   I can bake bread in the bread baker in a very short time......like maybe five minutes non passive cooking.   But, this bread is more artisan than what comes from the bread baker.   

This calls for bread flour.  One of thei-tubes  I watched said that all purpose flour works too.   

In a large bowl, mix.  

3.5 cups flour 

2 tsp table salt 

1/2 tsp bread baker yeast 

Add 14 ounces of cool water.   

Stor dry ingredients to incorporate the salt and yeast. Add water and stir until dough forms a ball.   Cover with plastic wrap and set out on a counter for 8-24 hours.   

(My dough looked untouched after 10 hours.  It  was a sponge at 23.  It might have been sooner, but I went to bed and looked at ot on the morning,    )

Flour your counter or a board and dump the batter out .  Flour the mass and using a dough scraper, form it onto a loaf.  Dough will be sticky  and soft.    Turn it into a greased loaf pan.   

Cover and let proof for 1-1/2 hours in a warm place.   Meanwhile place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.   15 minutes before your 1-1/2 hours so up. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  After the 1-1/2 hours loaf should be over the top of the pan,    Bake 45 minutes.    Total non- passive cooking about 15 minutes.    

Dry ingredients 

Sponge after 23 hours 

Proofing , taken before it was done.   

Done after 45 min.  

The ads

The ads came,  

Alberways,


Ground turkey 2.99
Grapes 1.99
Yoplait 10/5 - same price at fm
Milk 1.99
Nathan's 4.99


Five dollar Friday
Barilla 5/5
Chilli, nalleys  5/5

QFC
Berries 2/4
7 percent ground beef 4.99
Hebrew national 3.99***
Mission tortillas 2/4

Terrific Tuesday

It's Tuesday , the ads come out today.   I will post them , but I really don't have to go shopping.  Mthe fridge and pantry are full.  

Yesterday. I made cranberry chicken in the crockpot.   I de-boned four other chicken 1/2 breasts.   The weighed a little more than a pound each.   I put the bones into a stockpot and added some herbs.  
I now have some chicken left over from last nights dinner, soup stock and a tub of chicken pieces, and four more de-boned  chicken breasts.   Cost of last night's  meat was about .50.   Even if we use the entire breast, it  would be a dollar.    That goes a long way to balance  with a salmon dinner and still stay within a five  dollar dinner.   I will use the chicken from the bones for chicken enchiladas later in the week.   I will freeze the chicken stock after I defat it and I take the salmon out of our baby freezer.
That means I will get seven meals from  5.50 worth of chicken.    That's  .79 a meal.  


The dollar store has them stale brothers cookbook.  It has a variety of surprisingly sophisticated dishes in it.   Just saying..

I have been watching a lot of food hauls on u tube.   Most of them are for two hundred dollars and up.   Most of them either have copious snack food, or  are real heavy with alternative foods.   I try to hit the middle of the road. . . I don't buy expensive alternative food, nor do we buy four bags of chips every week.    I buy tortilla chips sometimes.    Sometimes we have nachos for dinner,  or we have them with chilli or taco soup.   They don't seem to be lady with salt.    Sometimes I buy hummus when I can get it on sale and we dip veggies in it.   Popcorn and an air popper make for a good snack.  You can control the salt and the butter, and there is no garbage in it like microwave popcorn has.  

Buying junk food will surely  derail your food train and besides, those foods are not good for you.  

The next step

now that I have nailed the under four dollars a day and built and maintained a stockpile of food, I am going to go one step further.   I always want to learn new things.   It's what keeps us young and our brains working.   I checked the February 2016 stats    from the USDA  and  we are sitting at less than 1/2 of the family stats and that is for food eaten at home, that does not include a pantry.

Now, I am on a mission to reduce the amount of hydrogenated oil we consume.  Hydrogenated oil is in everything.   By all accounts, it is bad for you.    Somethings   have different viewpoints, but not hydrogenated oils.   They are in everything.  - a lot of manufacturers are attempting to offer alternatives.   You can buy mayo with part olive oil.   There is peanut butter with a reduced amount in it.   Read the labels.   The ingredients are listed in order of volume.    It's a given that potato chips and other chip type snack foods are loaded with it.   But, on a thrifty budget, you can't afford them anyway.   Making something from  scratch lets you control what kind of oil you use.

Therefore, my next mission is to learn efficient ways to cook some of the few  thngs that we buy ready made.  My criteria is how much hydrogenated oil does it have in it and is it cheaper to buy it ready made, or can I control the oil better without slaving over a stove for hours.   The other option is to see if we can reduce our usage or eliminate it altogether from our diet.

I found a recipe for a simple bread dough and pizza dough that takes little non-passive cooking time.   Baguettes cost a dollar at best.   The thing that will hold me up is that it takes a pizza stone for the oven.   That's not on my budget yet.

I do have a bread baker.

I am trying rice on the pressure cooker.   It actually takes less time than instant.


Wish me luck !,, LOL.

Meal plans

Meal plans for this week.

I am trying to use up what we have.   This months foo was at 67.00 a week; first quarter food is at 70.99 a week.   USDA stats for our daily is 149.40.    We are at less than half.   That figure is the cost of food eaten,    We have a stock built and maintained.   

Meals - I dont necessarily assign a meal to a particular day of the week except if I want an exceptionally easy meal because of a busy day etc.   

1. Cranberry chicken breast, a gratin potatoes, broccoli.   ( chicken breast was a dollar a pound again  at fm.   Boneless chicken breast was 2.49 a pound.  It takes about ten minutes to debone half breasts of chicken.   I need to use cranberry sauce from the pantry.   A gratin potatoes were less than .70 and broccoli is left over from a veggie tray for Easter.   The recipe is BC ( bettymcrocker) 
2. Pizza ( DiGiorno was 2.44 super bowl weekend with sales and coupons. ) 
3. Chicken enchiladas.   ( I got tortillas for .25 with a coupon,  I use more expensive 6 carb ones for myself .  Chicken is from the dollar a pound chicken and I am going to try a new recipe for enchilada sauce from scratch, ) cheese is always aboutm200 a pound grated.   The best price on a block I have found is 2.50 a pound.   
4. Breakfast for dinner.   ( using eggs I got for 2.00 for 18.   - th best data I can find is that an egg a day is still in healthy eating guidelines.   We only eat eggs when we have breakfast for dinner except if I use them in baking.   
5. Speghetti with red sauce/ hambirger.   Bread, salad.   ( the bread was on sale at Costco nets a little less than a buck for 1/2 a loaf.    Hambirger was 318 a pound for 7 percent and I defatted it and froze the cooked meat.   Speghetti I got Barilla from the dollar store.    ) 
6. Salmon and gnocchi . Mixed veggies ( carrots, cauli, carrots.) this was touted as a dollar store dinner.    The gnocchi is at the dollar store  and is from Italy.    Our salmon is from Costco.   The veggies are from Easter veggie tray,   
7. Chicken club pie.   , broccoli.    ( chicken is a buck a pound, ham is some cubes I got at Winco for 2.38. Cents and we will use part of the bag.   Broccoli , you guessed it, is from the Easter veggie tray,   ) the recipe is Betty Crocker.    

All of these meals with the exception of the salmon one is less than five  dollars a meal.   Because the pizza and the chicken enchiladas are less than five dollars, it should average out.   

I can't reprint Betty Crocker recipes, but if you google them, they should be there.   I dos veered that enchilada sauce is basically a two cup thin white sauce recipe with the fo,losing substitutions : start with a fat to flour ration of 1 to 1. - two tablespoons flour to 2 tablespoons olive oil or another fat of choice.  Cook for a minute or so to get rid of the flour taste.  Add taco seasonings and blend in two cups of veggie stock or chicken stock.   The color comes from paprika and chilli powder.    

I found the recipe on Pinterest.   It's a real money saver since enchilada sauce is about a buck a can.   

Fred Meyers ad

Got the ad for Fred Meyers today,    My hubby went to the dollar tree and bought the paper and another pair of dress sox for granddaughter.   Seems she has lost one of her dress sox.   It was either buy another pair or let her do the bunny  hop! !   !  

The ad

Foster farms split chicken breast. .99.  

This is a really good price and it is easier to debone them when they are split.   I debone them and save the bones  for soup stock.   Buying soup stock in a box or can is another good way to derail your meal train.   I get low sodium chicken granulas or  better than Boullion.   I prefer better than boullion, but the dry granulas work for mixes.  

Grapes 1.88
Tillamook cheese 5.49@@.  Cheaper at Safeways,  

Hillshire farms smoked sausage 2/5@@

Berries 2/5

Chick roast 3.99

Kroger pasta 100.    Nite the dollar store has Barilla for a buck .  






That's about it.  

Eggs --so what Else would we talk about the day before Easter?

LOL.   ...

Two weeks ago, eggs were 18 for 2.00 at Fred Meyers.    It's another reason why you strike when the iron is hot.   If you wait  until the day before a holiday, often the prices go up.   They are banking on the fact that some people will wait until the last minute and taking advantage of that.

It still goes back to know your prices.   You don't have to know the prices of everything in the store, just the things that you use on a regular basis.    Have a target price and stick to it I less it is something you just can't live without....milk?

I digress.     Eggs

I hard cooked eggs on the oven this time.    It was really easy and a great way to get a lot of eggs done at one time.   No eggs cracked and it is really easy.  

Preheat oven to 325.   Place eggs , one each in muffin cups.  Bake for 30 minutes.   Meanwhile, make a ice water bath.  I put a big plastic bowl in the sink.  When the eggs were done take them  out of the oven  and use a hot pad  to remove the eggs to the ice water.   Cool 10 minutes and remove from the bath.    I placed them on a folded kitchen towel to dry.   Refrigerate after .   They are really easy to peel.   If you overlook hard cooked eggs, they will have a gray tinge around the edge.  They are still good to eat, just overlooked.  

Adding a hard cooked egg to your breakfast helps you to stay full until lunch.

Breakfast for dinner is a way I get another vegetarian meal in the meal plan and it's inexpensive.  
There are a lot of good quiche, breakfast casseroles. Omlettes. Waffles, pancakes. Muffins.
A Cobb salad is always good in the summer for a cool dinner.

At .11 a piece, it's a good way to stretch your dinner dollar amd leaves you open to have a more expensive cut of meat to average your costs.  

Contrary to what the rumors were in the past, now the guidelines for protein are so ounces of protein a day and some of that should be from eggs.

We don't eat eggs every day.   Moderation is the key again.  

What do you do with the hard cooked eggs after Easter?  
You can comment below.

Friday.

Easter crept up on me .   I got product out in the stores, but I never managed to get decorations up.   I did stop and make treat boxes for the children  at granddaughters school amd went shopping yesterday and found granddaughter an Easter dress 55 percent off plus another 25 percent, and another twenty dollars off on a rebate.   Shoes were on sale at Sears.    I am not to particular about the sturdiness of little children's dress shoes.   They don't wear them enough to spend a lot of money on them.  It's better that the money go on a pair that they wear everyday.   After shipping,mew were hungry and decided to stop and have lunch at Denny's,    I had soup and a delightful sandwich of avacado and turkey and Swiss cheese,    Yummy, and it's in the 2.4.6.8 menu.  Besides we get a twenty percent discount with aarp card.   But, we weren't hungry at dinner time.  I fixed pizza  Quesadeas. I had seen them in on a u tube vlog.   Picky granddaughter are the whole thing!    Guess that's a winner,   Low carb to boot and quick. If I was  making a real meal, I  would add tomato soup.  Mission makes a low carb tortilla that has six carb grams.  

Tonight, we will make fish packets and get back to the plan.   

There is a lot of hype out there about food.   You could go crazy either trying to afford food from Mars or go crazy trying to make sense of a climate that has two sides to every food . My take is to eat in moderation, and eat a wide variety of foods.    I don't believe that it is appropriate to leave a whole food group out of your diet unless your doctor says that it is not good for you because of a disease.    I wholly agree that we eat too much fat, sugar and salt in this country.   There was a good program on pbs about food.   Basically, they said the same thing.    The French people eat everything pretty much, they eat in moderation and usually don't eat on the fly according to the program.    

We eat on 70 percent of the snap budget at four dollar a day per person.  We are not on snap.  I have built and maintained a stock on that amount of money.  I spend 75.00 a week on food and have lot of years now.  We eat a variety of protein, we eat inexpensive cuts of protein,but I buy the best quality I can of those proteins.   We always have fresh fruits and veggies.   I wash fruits and veggies or peel them if it is appropriate to do so.   I don't buy junk food.  Of a food has no food value, I don't buy it, sans herbal teas.   

Just a note,  there is absolutely  no reason to buy organic bananas unless you are trying to impress your neighbour.   

Nutrition wise, there is no reason to buy organic milk either.   In fact, organic milk does not have some of the nutrients that regular milk has.  Organic milk is processed longer and kills some nutrients.   

Jenny can cook

I just found a u-tuber that is remarkable.    She has videos on cooking healthy that won't break the bank.   Scratch cooking that is fast , easy and low fat.  unfortunately, she's not low sugar too.    None the less, she bakes with extra light olive oil which is a much better alternative to hydrogenated oil.

Flat bread, 20 minute pizza crust, no butter, no egg chocolate cake, easy mac and cheese, buttermilk  Biscuits-- and she is funny!     Jenny can cook.

Easy cooking from scratch saves time and money, besides not buying things with ingredients you can't pronounce!  

Trying too many things at one time can be overwhelming.  am planning on introducing a new dish a week along with trying to do more scratch cooking,  I was already pretty much scratch, but I am trying to reduce the hydrogenated oils we consume.   They are worse than the butter.   We don't consume a lot of butter either.    I already use olive oil for a lot of things.   Not all oil is created equal.  Someone told me oil was oil.    Wrong...... Vegetable oil, from what I read on the Internet, isn't recognized by your body and your body doesn't break it down.     It's not natural.  It gets into your bloodstream and thickens the blood.    Butter at least is natural.  Now, I'm not saying put a whole pat  of butter in your toast.   Moderation is the key.

Last night we had pork chops and roasted veggies : potato, carrot, cauliflower and radishes. That  wasn't  the plan, but Winco had gorgeous pork chops for two dollars a pound.    I will adjust our meal plans.   I also want to try no knead rolls.   The granddaughter is home, and she lives to help gram cook  in. the kitchen.   I think it is important for children to see where food comes from.   Not out of a box or plastic bag.    I, however, don't intend on spending my whole day in the kitchen.   My hip won't stand for it, and I have other projects I need to do and a house to run.  Cc

If I can, I'll take you along for the ride in pictures.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 prospective. .  The emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stable/ freezer staples )at the lowest possible cost and purchasing enough to last you until it goes on sale again -- Keeping a controlled non-perishable stock of they things you use on a regular basis. It means that when you shop, rather than purchasing just what you need for a day or a week, you  buy a loss leader protein, produce you will need on sale, a stock item if it's a RBP, and dairy instead.    This allows you to put well balanced meals on the table consistently  for a four dollar a day budget per person.   You spend more time on the planning and shopping end of the meal train and less on the cooking end by cooking efficiently.    

Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more isn't hard.   You still get more bang for your buck.    

Winco prices

Went to Winco, next to the doctors.    
Since Wimco has no ad, here are prices I saw.  

Nissin terriaki bowl are basically free with a coupon.   They are .58 and there is a dollar coupon with three.    The bottom line for three is .25 each.  

Yoplait is .50 with coupons .40

Ten pounds of potatoes are 1.00

Sliced olives are .58

Grapes are like 200 a pound.

Pork loin chops are 1.98 a pound

Cutting the food bill....one baby step at a time,

I have started micro managing our food bill......well, maybe micro managing is a strong word.   I have been broadening my horizons and finding recipes that are easy to replace the few things that imbue ready made or from a box or can.

Enchilada sauce is a dollar  a can.    It is sooo easy.   I always,thought that oatmeal tomato sauce in it. In a pinch. I used the leftover tomato paste from pizza sauce and added water and taco seasoning.   I wasn't far off the mark.   All enchilada sauce is is a white sauce recipe basically.  You start with the roux that you would make 2 cups of white sauce with.  Add taco type  seasonings and substitute the milk with either vegetable or chicken stock.  Easy and I probably can make a mix ahead of to,emto make it even easier.    The sauce keeps 2 weeks on the fridge, so the recipe on Pinterest says.

Next, I am tackling rice  from scratch.    I got brown rice don, rice is proving to be a little harder.

I found a recipe for thin pizza crust.   I have made thick crust in the food processor lots before. But hubby prefers a thin crust.   I found that recipe on the Pinterest too.

It's cheaper to buy pasta sauce than it  is to make it when you buy Hunts   on sale.  We buy instant mashed on sake and the price comparison is close to scratch.   Potatoes are hard for me to keep from going bad.   Many are already bad before I get them home.   It's just easier for us.   I do make oven fries .  I also buy fries frozen for 3.00 amd a few cents for five pounds at Winco.

That's about all buy that isn't scratch.
There are all kinds of seasoning packets in the store.   It is a good way to jack up the price of a  meal that would have been  an economy meal.  Spices are a dollar all over.  If you are in a pinch or you only need a little bit, Winco has bulk spices.   It is far cheaper  to make your own seasoning amd you can control the salt and heat.    Recipes are on an earlier post.  

The ads

Last  night we got the ads in the mail. Dare  I say two ads.   One for Alberways and one for QFC.  
I did part of our shopping on Sunday.    Basically dairy and perishable produce.  

This weeks ads are not surprisingly all about Easter.    It's. It usually a good time to stock.

QFC

Ham 1.49
Broccoli , cauli, .99
Tillamook cheese bricks 5.99

Nothing on the ten for  10 sale is a bargain,   The same frozen veggies are .79 at Freddie's.  
Ditto buy 3. Save 3.    Jenne o turkey bacon is a buck at the dollar store.  

Alberways

Ham 1.57
Strawberries 3.99 a 2 lbs
Tillamook cheese -2 lb loaf 4.99@@
Kraft mayo 3.88@@

Five dollar Friday
Pork tenderloin
Shrimp
General Mills cereal 3/5
Stove top stuffing, potatoes Bc 5/5@@$$

 Coupons in ad ....note a fm after them means that Fred Meyers has the same or lower price.  
Butter 1.99 fm@@
Cake or brownie mix .99 @@- always that price ot lower at Winco
Cream of mushroom soup .79@@$$

That's about it.