Long term storage.

BIgfamilyhomestead.com posted a list of foods that keep a long time, some almost indefinitely for the our lose of having emergency rations.  

Whether or not you are going to have an emergency ration storage big time, is up to you,  what I got from this is you don't have to believe every pull date on the store.   I do expressly adhere to the pull date on meat.    Fresh vegetables speak for themselves.    Ofmthemfreezerof slime, they are pretty much toast,    I have been drying anything that looks like it might go to slime.    My daughter bought cilantro.   In three days it was slime.   When I bought parsley, I dried it,   It is a lot greener and fresher looking than the stuff in a bottle.  

I know there are adult children that go into their parents food stash and throw anything near a pull date,   Pull dates are deceiving and not to be taken at first glance,    Canned meat and fish has a shorter shelf life as does anything with acid.   But, things don't go bad instantly the day after the pull date. i would use it within the next month unless there are tell tale signs that it is bad.  Ise your own good judgement,  

The list of on hand foods that are good almost forever.    

1. Ramen noodles.   Obviously, keep dry,   Not much food value, but will keep your tummy happy.   
2. Rice 
3. Beans 
4. Dry milk 
5. Salt 
6. Sugar 
7. Hot cocoa mix 
8. Honey 
9. Maple syrup ( real pure ) 
10. Instant coffee 

I Would add pasta . Pasta, according to a in line class from BYU, has an 8 year shelf life.    I don't keep ot 8 years, but I buy any pasta that is under a dollar.    Preferably, the ones with veggies on them or with added fiber.    I am surprised he didn't add flour.    Most of that stiff I have a small storage of already,    I buy a big bag of salt and soda .  Ot doesn't go bad and ot so soo much cheaper than buying a small box.   I cherish my big glass jars I have saved over the years.   We used to sell the, for five dollars all the time at the antique store.    The pickle jars now are plastic and they hold the smell And don't seal as well.   If you need to keep insects out of a jar, the USDA big guy told me to out plastic wrap over the jar opening and then screw the lid on tight,    

If you are having trouble with starch moths. Freeze your rice or pasta before you store it,   Like for three days when you bring it home from the store,  I got starch moths from one particular grocery store years ago, I took me a year to get rid of them.  I took everything out of the pantry, washed it all with bleach, scrubbed the shelves. And still they came back.   Finally I called the extension service ( no longer there ) and they referred me to the USDA big guy.    I finally got rid of the starch moths  and haven't had any since.    I also don't buy cheap pasta.  

Before someone ( foodies) say...OMG I would never eat that, you would be surprised what you will eat when there is nothing available to eat.     Better safe than sorry,     

I posted a blog on what you could do with dollar store food.   Some of dollar store food is. Ore expensive than the grocery store.   It is, however, on small quantities.  Assuming that you had to start from scratch, and had limited transportation and money was my focus.   Make your tummy happy until money was available for food.    The dollar store has .....

1. Pasta sauce ( more expensive than discount ) 
2. Pasta 
3. Pizza crust 
4. Cheese (watch some is cheese product ) 
5. Beans 
6. Rice 
7. Almond milk 
8. Eggs 
9. Peanut butter 
10. Oatmeal 
11. Coffee 
12. Nuts 
13. Ramen noodles 
14. Hot cocoa mix 
15. Green beans 
16. Fruit - pineapple or frozen 
17. Frozen potatoes 
18. Chicken , frozen 
19. Tuna 
20. Bread 
21. Pepperoni
22. Sausage 
23. Applesauce 
24. Baguettes 
25. Mashed potatoes 

Some of these things are not what I would buy on a regular basis. Some are more expensive than 

buying them from a grocery store.   But. With limited transportation and money, they would get you through.   There are not a lot of fruits and veggies at the dollar store.   Pretty much everything is either canned or frozen.   The frozen fruit comes from China mostly.   But, you could , with good decisions, get enough food to be somewhat balanced fir an emergency  situation.    

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Meal plans

i did do meal plans.  I'm not going to fed Meyers because we don't need anything.  My daughter and I went to Winco amd I bought a few things.   Yesterday I made muffins, brownies, dried bananas and strawberries.

1. Sloppy joes or hot dogs. Pasta salad, cucumber salad 
2. Shrimp salad 
3. Tacos. Refried beans, rice 
4. Chicken parm ,green salad 
5. Pizza 
6. Breakfast 4 dinner 
7. Ribs , corn on the cob , pasta salad in lettuce cups 

Notes : 

Hot dog and hamburger buns are always less than a dollar at Winco. Sometimes  .68, sometimes  .88 .

Pasta salad was purchased for .75 with coupons.    

Refried beans , not fried are about a third of the cost of a can  and have no fat.   Hamburger is 7 percent and defatted.    Taco seasoning homemade.   Rice is in bulk at Costco.   Taco shells were .50 at grocery outlet.   

Spaghetti was .50 for a full pound at grocery outlet. Chicken breast was .88 a pound at Fred Meyer.  ( it's in form.98 this week) we make our own bread crimbs from crusts.   

Pizza as 2.99 for Freschetta at grocery outlet, pull date end of the month.    

Eggs were a dollar a dozen at Winco,   English muffins are always 3/5 for  a dozen at Fred Meyers.    

I bought ribs for 1.40 a pound at Winco frozen and corn on the cob was frozen at ..25 an  ear.    Baby romaine is,cheaper than field greens at Costco and lasts a lot longer.   You can also use them for lettuce wraps.

Rice is .03 a serving when bought in bulk at Costco.    The cost per pound is .34 .  There are 2 cups of raw rice per pound.  A cup of raw rice makes three cups of cooked rice.   So, cooked rice costs .03 cents a 1/2 cup serving.     That's rounding high!   

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Thanks for stopping by.   Please share.   I would like to reach more people.   

dont believe everything you read..

I'm pissed, but I won't go into it here.  

Pinto beans are two pounds for a dollar at the dollar store.   When you can find them.    I have repeatedly going to three different dollar trees and they have had no pinto beans.   At a dollar a pound, pinto beans are not a bargain.  They are cheaper at Winco in the bulk isle at .69 as of today.    I checked.     They are also .50 a pound at Costco of you can use a gigantic bag.    

Oatmeal is not a bargain at the dollar store.    It is cheaper in bulk at Costco.  .Rice is a lot cheaper at Costco in bulk sacks.   

Feta cheese is 1/2 price at the dollar tree vs Winco.   

Winco has cheaper Hunts  spaghetti sauce.   

Dollar tree has pasta cheaper - Barilla when they have it.    

The expensive really good French type cookies are a dollar in stead of four dollars.   

Bottom line, you can't say dollar tree is cheaper unless you know your prices.  Although. I can pretty much be confident that dollar tree is cheaper than whole foods! LOL.  

Fred Meyers ad for tomorrow

Fred Meyers

Grapes .99
Split chicken breast .98
Cantaloupe 2/4
Milk .99@@
Blues 2lns 5.99
Strawberriesv2/5 lb
Oranges .99
Green beans 1.49

Tide 4.99@@$$

Sour cream 2/4
Fudgsicke  10/10


About it

Thanks for stopping by

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 

Split pea soup

Last night I made split pea soup.   I used the insta lot recipe, but I didn't want to add ham because my daughter is vegan.    I think I should have added more vegetable stock.  It was really thick.  

Other than that, ot as good.   And really cheap.    Like about a dollar for enough to feed a family of four.   I added a dollop pfmsoirmcream to mine and I would add some homemade bread.   That would bring the meal to less than two dollars.    It cooked in 12 minutes in the pressure cooker.   I could have put it in the slow cooker yesterday morning,  

Having a select group of time saving appliances really helps cook more efficiently,    I haven't always had the appliances. I got them one at a time.   Al lot of gadgets are on the marketplace, most ofmthemyoumcan very well do without, they see as really just clutter mongers.    Concentrate on the basics .   A good paring knife, a good butcher knife.  A medium sized knife for debonong,.  A grater , spatulas.  Mesinplas bowls. Colander. Hot pads. Cutting board. Measuring cups and spoons, a good set of mixing bowls. Pancake turner and wish, slotted and regular spoons.   A lot of that can be had at the dollar tree amd Amazon,    Some web sites will alert you to when things are on sale cheap.    

I love my bread baker, food processor, and electric pressure cooker.   They are real time savers and money savers.  

I am starting to use the food dehydrated that we have had for many many ears.  It was so old that the trays were yellowing and disenegrating .  I purchased new trays and some mesh inserts so I could dehydrate vegetables.  Before this, my husband always just made beef jerky. Dehydrated foods can be very pricey.    Peppers keep a bog stock of the .  I don't want to go to that extreme, but I do want enough stock to carry us through in an emergency - anything from a real disaster to a miner one like the highway flooding so food doesn't get to market, to that ugly S word in the PNW.., or just as mind and as being down with the flu and not wanting to go to the store.  

Especially when  you are living paycheck to paycheck, it doesn't take much to upset the apple cart.  It osmhard,not to live paycheck to paycheck when that paycheck is already rock bottom.   They say to live below your means, but at minimum wage, that just isn't always possible,  

Groceries on the cheap is a food shopping plan that allows you to feed your family and stock for emergencies on a rock bottom budget.    We eat on three dollars a day.   That leaves up a dollar per person to stock food.    After a while, you can accumulate a pretty good stock.   Stocking is what gives you the opportunity to eat for less.    You almost never pay full price for your everyday food.   You buy inexpensive sources of protein, and buy the best quality of that protein you can find.    That is not to say that you are looking for food grown on Mars; but you are looking for quality,  

Something as simple as the way you buy your food anywhere you buy your food can make a huge difference.  

Back in the 70s I was a single mother.    I didn't get much child support from my ex.; the operative word there is ex.   LOL. Times were tough for everyone.  We had double digit inflation and o didn't get a raise for three years.  Almost 1/2 my pay went for rent, the other 1/2 for daycare.    I didn't get any welfare.  

The cost of a number 10 can of pear pieces was the same as a 14.5 ounce can of pears.  My dad asked me why we were eating pear pieces.   I made a very profound statement.  Your body doesn't know the difference if your ears are cut up or not, it's the same food value.  

Your body does not know of you ate four ounces of hambirger, or four ounces of steak.    It's the same food value.   You eat first with your eyes.   If you can make inexoemsove food look appetizing, you have it made.

I saw a u tube post where the lady had made her own hot dog buns and filled them with a sausage and carmakized onions.  They looked amazing,   She added a stir fried portion of su,mer squash.   Then, she added a portion of mashed eggplant that looked like the dog had just made a pile.   It ruined the whole plate for me!   You eat first with your eyes.

Setting a table with a little centerpiece and a cloth or place at, even of ot is a plastic one from the goodwill, makes a lot of difference.  Make dinner time pleasant.  Try to do dinner with candlelight ( fake works) at the table one night a week!    Your imagination at  a couple of dollars at the tree can do wonders.   I've been known to make a floral arrangement from twigs out of the yard.    A dollar vase and a dollar bag of rocks will last you forever and give you countless possibilities.   Kids can cut hearts for Valentine's Day or Suns for summer.  Make dinner enjoyable.
--not always an easy task when toddlers are at the table .  

I Digress .....

The ads

Alberways

Peaches .99
Kraft singles 1.99@@
Green peppers ,79


QFC

Broccoli .99
Strawberries 2lbs 2.99
Draper valley whole chicken .99
Milk 4/5
Pumpkin pie 2.99
Yoplait 10/5$$
Sour cream 4/5

That's about it.    
Groceries on the cheap is looking at the Put Dinner On The Table meal train from a different

 Perspective . 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 revisited

I have been looking at many meal plan stratdagies lately.  My plan outcome uses a matrix.   I do it to provide variety and balance in our food consumption.    We don't stick religiously to eating a particular meal on the allotted day.  

What works for us, might not work for your family.    Enter the freezer meal families.   Many start with a theme based matrix.  They take a couple of days and designate a particulaf  well received meal -- pizza, Mexican , and breakfast for dimmer seem to be the most popular.   Then they fill in with. A couple of freezer based meals that use chicken or hamburger as their main protein base.   All are children friendly.  

We don't have a lot of freezer space.   I tend to use the freezer for pizza for a pinch when I'm not home,  vegetables, potatoes, ice cream ( that's a major food group, right? ) and batch cooked, portion controlled portions of meat, and grated cheese back ups.   Adding a freezer meal that takes a few cans of vegetables doesn't make sense to me.    It's really fast to add a few cans im a crockpot and if you are goimg to be rushed in the morning, you can ,are ot the night before , refrigerate and put it on in the crockpot in the morning,  

Chicken breasts coke from frozen to done in the pressure cooker in 8 minutes.  

Whether you have a theme based or a protein based meal plan, having a plan is key to maintaining a small budget.

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

 Perspective . 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.    

Thanks for stopping by

A ad bust!

I still haven't seen ads.  

Today I had business in a nearby town, so I stopped on the best dollar store on the area and the grocery outlet next door.    Then, we had to go look at flooring for the bathroom.   The contractors cost not at 700.00.  It's laminate, not gold.  Guess who's going to put in a new floor.    I got a senior discount hair cut.  

There wasn't much at dollar tree or the grocery outlet,     Freschetta pizza is three dollars with an end of month date.    I got a loaf of wholewheat bread for 1.59 and some tomatoes for a dollar.   It's a treasure hunt, you never know when you will find a good bargain.    I have actually left empty handed before.  


We are having roasted root veggies and beer brats for dinner.    The bratts , I got in sale at grocery outlet for a buck.  

I was looking in Pinterest for recipes.  I, always looking for new ideas.   That's what keeps economy cooking interesting and not hum drum.    You have to be careful, five dollar dimmers can mean five dollars a person.    When they start talking about salmon and shrimp, it's time for a concern.   We have salmon and shrimp, amd a piece of steak every know and then.   The salmon is sometimes canned ( Costco) , sometomes not.   The shrimp is from Costco or Safeways.   We can have more expensive proteins because we average it with inexpensive meals.   If you take an eff dinner at .16 a person, you can have a salmon canned dinner at a dollar a person and average .58.    Throw in a few more inexpensive dinners  and you can have a piece of salmon or steak and still stay on a small budget.  

• Work smart, not  hard 
• Four plus one is five.   Four people, one meal, five bucks.   
• Better, Cheaper, faster.   
• I ain't as green as I am cabbage lookin. 

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

 Perspective . 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.    

 

No ads

There were no ads to day,   I checked Winco at favado, but not all the information was correct.    

I did stop at Winco  on the way home from the PT.  I  did the weeks prep yesterday and found some shortfalls.   I dehydrated some radishes and some black grapes.   Chopped amd sliced carrots for the veggie with a casserole and the split pea soup.   I ran the last of the russets through the peeling machine to make French fries to oven roast.   

I also cooked five pounds of ribs and portion controlled them.   

I digress that left us with potatoes needed for the baked potatoes later on the week amd radishes for the oven roasted root veggies.  Pasley was .48 and so I bought  bunches and  put one in the dehydrator.   I bought new trays and screens for the old machine because the trays were disintegrating.  

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

 Perspective . 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.    

Dry mix recipes

Onion soup mix ( you can control the salt. Y buying low sodium beef boullion.  

1-1/2 cups  minced onion
2/3 cup beef granules
3 T onion powder
1/2 tsp sugar


Mix together store in a tightly covered container in a dark, cool place.    I reuse food jars with screw on lids that I have put through the dishwasher.   Be sure to label them   5 T equals a package of mix.   Be sure to shake before using.  

Salt free herb mix

2 T EACH of onion powder, parsley and garlic powder
1 T EACH of dry basil and thyme
1 tsp pepper.  

Mix. Store in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid I'm a cool dark place.  


RIce mix

6 cups rice
1/2 cup dried parsley
4 T broth crystals
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Pinch of rhyme or Rosemary.  

Store up to six months in an air tight container.

Cook according to your regular rice cooker instructions.  


Better, cheaper, faster.  


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

 Perspective . 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.    

Efficient cooking.

We are all busy people .  Someone reminded me when I had 2 toddlers and a teenager that I didn't work.   Excuse me, I worked harder than when I worked.   That's not to say that most days it was very satisfying, but I worked,    I dug gardens, cleaned house, did 17 loads of laundry a week, cooked from scratch , made all the children's clothes and my own ( except dad and teen) .   We were living on one income.  My husband taught classes in Boston often amd was gone a week at a time.   I worked.  

I learned to cook more efficiently.   You can cook from scratch and not spend all day on the kitchen.   Having a few well thought out kitchen appliances helps.  It may take time to accumulate them.  Some of them can be found  at the thrift stores  at estate sales or garage sales.    

One of the best tools is a slow cooker.    They have come down in price.   The other thing I have discovered is the insta pot.   It's pricey, but not too bad for a six quart.   It tak s the place of a rice cooker, a slow cooker, and a pressure,cooker.    When you take that into consideration, it's a pretty good investment,   Less clutter, more efficient.    

Them something would be a food processor.   It's nice to have a kitchen and mixer, but a food processor is less Expensive  and will mix things and chop, and grate.   

I use my slow cooker amd my food processor more than any other appliance in the kitchen with the exception of the coffee  pot and toaster.   

Batch cooking and making your own mixes saves a lot of money and time.  Planning your meals and prepping when you can carve out some time makes dinner time less stressful.  I used to get a lot  done when the children were taking their nap.   A lot of giggling going on in that room for a while, but they did take a nap.   

I can make mixes and bread crumbs with my granddaughter,   We count.   We talk about sizes of measuring spoons.    We shake jars.   She pushes the food processor button.   It can teach a child fractions, and counting, and the fact that food doesn't come from a salt and sugar and preservative laden box.   

Spending a little time making mixes and breadcrumbs etc can save a lot of money and to,e on the long run.     It's something  you only have to do once every month or two and well worth the effort.   

Writing your list and thinking it through helps.   You can prioritize the list and do the things that can be doing themselves while you are doing other things.   Start the laundry, soak things.   Unload the dishwasher before you start cooking.   Your dishes can go directly on the dishwasher many times and avoid having to set on and do dishes after you have cooked.   

Batch cooking a protein, will save a lot of time at dinner time.   The protein often takes the longest to cook.    I cooked a whole 4.5 pound package of chicken thighs this weekend.    I held out what we needed for dinner, amd froze the rest in meal sized portions.  Dinner  last night was a breeze.   I put rice in the rice cooker ( maybe three minutes) washed and cut the ends off the green beans, amd out both the chicken thighs and the green beans on the microwave.to cook.  ( maybe another three minutes. )  I could load the dishwasher. Sweep the floor and wash the countertops while food was cooking,   - course, I didn't, I painted roses instead!    Bottom line, actual non passive cooking was about five minutes.   When I batch cooked the chicken, it wasn't much longer.   It took me more time to disinfect the kitchen than to out the thighs on the oven on a sheet pan.    I sometomes out a rack on the sheet pan and let the fat drain.   I also cut extra fat off the thighs before I put them in to cook.    You save time and only clean once.   

You are still cooking food fast but not  cooking fast food.    

Today I am going to cook 5 pounds of ribs and freeze them in batches.    First, I am going to check my meal plans amd prep  anything I need for dinner this week.   Remember beans and rice have a three day fridge life.  Check the meat and cheese drawer and vegetable Bon to see what,needs to be incorporated or frozen.   Music going always help me stay motivated amd on my toes.    LOL.  

Next : dry mixes not already posted.   

Thanks for stopping by 

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

 Perspective . 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.    

Our grandmothers

By all accounts my grandmother was an excellent cook,   She could take whatever she had and make a meal out of it.   Not being rich and going through the Great Depression, she was a miracle worker in the kitchen,   They didn't obsess about what was "good for you ".  They were too busy trying to scrape two cents together to put  food on the table.  Let's just be grateful we have food.  

We have become a nation that is obsessed with what we think is good food and what we think is clean food.   That terminology irks me,   My food is clean,  I always  disinfect counter tops and use multiple kitchen knives, rags, amd kitchen shears while cooking so I don't cross contaminate.  We have a glass chopping board that I can wash in the dishwasher and won't harbor germs,   I wash our fruits and veggies,  and  disinfect  the  drains and sinks, amd wash my hands with a soap dispenser  that requires no pumping.  I don't cook dirty food.    

Eat balanced, eat real food, and eat in moderation.    Avoid salt, sugar and saturated fats and hydrogenated oils.   We all need some oils, especially the ones that boost our good cholesterol. Salt and sugar.....in moderation.   We also need a whole host of vitamins and minerals to keep our body running properly.  Self imposed diets are dangerous: it's not nice to  try to fool Mother Nature.  

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

 Perspective . 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.    

What not to buy at the grocery store

you can't believe everything you read.   There have been several articles about what not to buy lat of that have been misinformed.   The one that enraged me.  Is a picture of two cake mixes that were being recalled.     " that will get you to think twice before you buy a cake mix,".    The cake mix contained bike metal four that they found  contaminated,     It had nothing tondo with the cake mix,,,,,it was the flour and if you made a cake wit flour, you would have the same problem.  

Now, had they complained about preservatives or sugar, it might have made more sense,  I usually have a couple of cake mixes on hand.  We don't eat it on a regular basis.   We are more likely to eat popcorn or ice cream.

Five things nit to buy at the grocery store.  

1. Personal heigene products.    They almost always are high prices.  Most basics are better off bought with coupons amd rewards at Walgreens or CVS.  I have purchased some things where they lay you to take them out of  the store.   Sanitary pads are cheapest at Big Lots.  Things like deodorant and shampoo and toothpaste.    There are some name brands at the dollar tree,   Make sure you check where they are made or what the target market is. Toothpaste going to Mexico has more flouride in it.  Make up is included in personal heigene,   
2. Paper products.   They too are cheaper at the large drug chains or bog box stores with coupons,  
3. Batteries.    Batteries are best at Costco. 
4. Kids toys. Hands down.    Besides it being dangerous for kids to think they get  a toy every time they go  into a grocery store, they are often cheap crap at a high price.   
5. Laundry detergent without a bog coupon,   It's almost always cheaper at Costco or the chain drug stores with coupons,    I have seen three dollar coupons on a five dollar product lately.  Ain't no better price than free.  I have got laundry detergent for as little as a dollar a month with coupons and free.  

Never say never.   There are always exceptions.   Again, know your prices.   

1) not all the time  is prepackaged produce more expensive.  Mushrooms are sometimes cheaper.   Places like Costco and Aldi only sell packaged.  

2) black olives are cheaper  sliced. There are more in a can, and less water.   

Basically, grocery stores sell groceries best.   Stick to the basics, your bottom line will be better. 

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

 Perspective . 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.    

This weeks grocery hauls

this month is a lot higher than most months because I restocked after the freezer disaster.  
Nonetheless, I am still under the USDA stats for only my husband and I without stocking.

This week I spent 42.14

I got

Winco haul

• 20 ears of corn to put up for winter.   
• 2 packages of sliced cheese ( cheaper than grocery outlet ) 
• Green grapes 
• Bananas 
• Nectarines 
• Green beans, fresh 
• Sliced  olives 
• Strawberries
• Grape tomatoes  - 2 boxes 
• 5 lbs yellow onions 
• 5 yogurt ( .30 each with coupon ) 
• Blue bunny ice cream cones ( 2.88 with coupon)
• 4 pounds of chicken thighs 
• 5 pounds of ribs 

I'm cooking the chicken thighs and chopping the onions today and will cook the ribs and portion control them tomorrow.    That should put us in good shape through August.    And bring  my average back down.   

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

 Perspective . 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 mend 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.    

Fred Meyer ad

It is a bust!     Not much there. Mothers os,non,pass leader protein.   QFC is a two week ad and there were no cheap protein there either.    I am going to Winco today.   I have stocked protein big time to replenish our freezer disaster, so I'm not hurting for protein.    I, not going to buy a bulk pinto bean until we use a lot of the canned beans up.   I have a reasonable amount of raw beans to make not fried, refried beans.

Fred Meyer  specials

Peaches .99 - Wincos price too
2 lb blues 399
Greek yogurt .79@@
Pumpkin pie 2.99


That's about it.  

Thanks for stopping by

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

 Perspective . 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

I spent seven dollars this week at the grocery store.   I got a free liter bottle of root beer.   Maybe we will have root beer floats one night.   I replenished the sliced cheese (2.00 a package) and got so,e green grapes for 177 a pound.    We are out of cherry to,actors but they wanted twice the price as Winco, so I opted out.    We will still need to go to Winco tomorrow for a few odds  and ends.  

My husband spent most of the morning helping our son with his car and I out up corn,   

I digress , meal plans -- not necessarily in chronological order.   

1. Hamburgers . French fries, salad   ( soon because the bins are getting stale. )
2. Pizza 
3. sausage, roasted root veggies, bread 
4. Split pea soup , cheezy Bisquits 
5. Tuna casserole , peas and carrots 
6. Ham it up primavera ) with chicken instead if ham) 
7. BBQ thighs, baked potatoes, green beans 

Thanks for stopping by.   

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

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ 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 mend 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.    

Putting up vegetables

Tis  the season.      Yesterday's I sliced and dehydrated zucchini.  Seven good sized zucchini fit into a quart bag....-and it's not full.  

Today, we are going to get corn ready for the freezer.   My husband bought twenty ears while I was in a PT session.   They were .25 each.

We should have enough to ration it out all winter.   We have a small freezer.  

Any little thing that saves your  grocery dollars helps.   Take tiny steps.....pretty soon you have climbed a mountain.  

Corn on cob purchased for .25 at Winco.  

Shuck it. and  rinse.   

Meanwhile, boil lightly salted water . 

Blanch ( boil for three minutes ) and remove with a slotted item in or tongs.   

Plunge in ice water to stop the cooking process.  

Blanched con sitting on a dollar store tray.   

When cooled, bad in meal sized portions in quart bags, the bag the bags in a gallon bag.  

Freeze.   

Total timer 1 hour.   

Meals 13.  Cost 5.00.  Cost in store 3.29 for 2 ears.   

Savings 85 percent.   

Fast!

Six ways to cook a cheap dinner fast.    Yes, I used the words cheap and fast on the same sentence.  LOL.   My first thought was something I  remember from cooking school.    You have to cook squid either fast or very slow.    Otherwise, it is tough.    

1.  Always keep an organized kitchen. As closely as possible keep things close to where you use them.   A kitchen should have the fridge, sink and stove within close proximity of each other.   They call that the kitchen triangle.   
2. Have a plan. It's always faster with a plan rather than flying by the seat of your pants.    Less chance for disasters!   
3.  Clean your fridge out and wash it before you go grocery shopping,    This way you know what you have, what.needs to be eaten quickly and what you need to buy to complete meals.   No running to the store at the last minute.    
4. Prep veggies and meat before the dinner hour,     Tonight we had sloppy joes, fruit and corn on the cob.   The meat was already cooked.   I defrosted it in the microwave while I shucked corn. The fruit was already washed and cut up,   I added the sloppy joe sauce to the meat while I cooked the corn in the microwave.   Dinner in 10 minutes flat.    
5. Plan no brainier dinners,    Crock pot meals ate good, winter or summer.   When the veggies are prepped  , salads are fast.   A lot of casseroles can be prepped, shoved in the oven, amd you can walk away.    
6. Foil dinners leave the cooking to the BBQ or the oven and leave no cleanup.   No pans or serving bowls and the dishes are a cinch.    

• Speghetti and meat balls
• Sloppy joes 
• Stir fry with ramen noodles 
• Breakfast for dinner 
• Soup and sandwiches or cheezy Bisquits 

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

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ 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 mend 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.    

Thursday notes - food in season

It's already Thursday.    Like you didn't know that.   When you are retired all the days run together.  If I didn't have a schedule, I'd really be messed up.    We do certain chides certain days.   The garbage man comes certain days as well as the recycle man.   lol.

Yesterday, I didn't do the kitchen management,  I made pizza dough and out it in the refrigerator until we were ready for dinner instead and I started cleaning the closet on my studio.    I still have more purging to do.    Supplies get old and are beyond their useful life.    I also watercolor red ice cream cones!    So much kess caloric than the real ones!    LOL.   I liked the fresh citrus colors  

Motivation and new ideas can come from magazines,   I get mine at the goodwill.   Wednesday is senior day and they are only .49 to begin with.    Cooking magazines never go out of style.    I can always gleem something from them.  

How many years has watermelon been a part of summer picnics!    Some foods have taken a hike in prices and have to be relegated to "treat" status.   But, there are still lots of reminders of good food.  

 Corn on the cob - freeze corn that has been blanched in water flavored with a little sugar and salt.  

Don't hesitate to substitute ingredients if an ingredient is something  the family doesn't like or is too expensive.   There is a recipe for ham it up primavera.    I can't copy recipes from a magazine but a lot of times  you can goggle them ,    Substitute cooked chicken pieces for ham or sub fresh green beans for asparagus,   I always have parm or Romano in the house,    I ise it for a lot of things,    Sometimes I have half and half for Italian ice.    It's one of the drinks that o can make that is low on carbs.  

Grilled salmon packets with lemon pepper - yum .   Remember you can use the oven instead and you can wrap on parchment in the oven, or wrap on parchment and then on foil on the grill.    you can find parchment paper at the tree.  

Garlic parmesean orzo.   Just sounds yummy .

Apple panini. With bacon. Sounds yummy too.   Add a salad of mixed greens!  

You can fill a hamburger with almost anything .   Blue cheese. Regular cheese. Herbs.  

Just a few ways to spruce up regular fare without breaking the bank.  

Groceries on the cheap doesn't have to mean beans and rice everyday.   It's a matter of taking some time to research new recipes, use ones that don't take all day, and find your ingredients at a RBP.   Fortunately, when fruits and veggies are in season, they also are at their lowest price.  

I have taken to wash my veggies in vinegar water.    I get it at Costco cheap by the two gallon jugs.   You can also use vinegar to disinfect amd clean things, and kill weeds - just add Epsom salts and a little dishwashing soap.   Some people use it on the washer too as a rinse agent.  
The tree has cleaning vinegar, but it isn't any less expensive than buying food grade and then you can use it for anything.  

I am  finding that prepping anything I need to prep on the morning is an easy way to make the dinner hour less hectic.   Between having meat already cooked, amd veggies already washed, dinner is a snap.   I include granddaughter because it is easier to include her, than it is to clean up the messes she can get into of left to her own devices.  It also build self confidence and teaches her that bread doesn't come out of a plastic wrapper and dinner doesn't come from the fast food line!    


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

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ 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 mend 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.    

Pizza !

Tonight we made pizza.   I made pizza dough this morning and out it in the fridge.   I took it out about an hour before we were going to start dinner.    My granddaughter and I rolled out the pizza doughs (2) ,

When everybody got home, we made a vegetarian and a pepperoni pizza.  

I used part of a jar of pizza sauce and froze the rest on an ice cube tray so I could put them in a freezer bag and that what I needed for other pizzas.  

Pizza dough is some salt, sugar, yeast, water and flour.-- about .80 worth of flour.   Add cheese at .50 and pepperoni at fifty cents .   Now there is 1.80 plus a quarters worth of sauce.   2.05 for two pizzas,
--a bit more if you add veggies,

My daughter brought me an article about a lady that was attempting to feed herself vegan in 1.50 a day trying to emulate some world stats.  

I'm still a believer that the USDA food Pyramid as it was revised is a good benchmark for nutrition.   The jury is still out in all these alternative diets.  Our great grandmothers are living well into  their nineties.     Not to shabby in my scheme of things.    If it ain't broke, don't fix it.    I get washing your fruit, cooking with sanitary conditions, Watching fat, sugar and salt contents.   Avoiding trans fats and hydrogenated oils.    But, that's as far as I am willing to go.   Most trending diets have resulted in people getting sick.    I'm for using the tried and true in moderation.

As for a dollar fifty a day, she couldn't do it balanced, and I don't think I could either.   I do it for three dollars a day.

On another note, I had a request for No Brainer Pasta.  My nephew named it that.  I was looking for an alternative to the boxed Mac and cheese dinner that was better, cheaper, faster.  
This is :

Better because it os made with real food.
Cheaper because dot makes more quantity and the ingredients are inexpensive
And
Faster because there is almost no non- passive cooking.  

Ingredients :
1 package dry pasta - almost any shaped pasta except spaghetti -those or whole wheat.
1 can pasta sauce
Water
Grated cheese
- cooked meat optional.

Directions
1) spray or grease a 9X13 pan
2) pour the contents of a box of pasta on the pan ( raw, dried pasta )
3) mix a can of pasta sauce with a can of water and pour over the pasta.   Stir.
4) cover with foil , not letting the foil touch the food.  
5) bake 45 minutes in a 425 degree oven or until pasta is tender.
6) reduce heat to 400,  uncover and add grated cheese to the top and optional cooked meat.   Cook until cheese is melted.

• Pasta .50 
• Cheese .50
• Pasta sauce .88 

Total 1.88 plus leftover meat

Less than two dollars for 8 servings 

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

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ 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 mend 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.    

How much is your grocery haul!

Our average grocery haul is thirty dollars or less.   That's partially because I just buy dire necessities or fruits, veggies and dairy and  what's on sale.   The exception is Costco.   Most of the time, Costco is for bananas, bacon, and maybe blue cheese.    We call or the blue run LOL.   Every few months, we do a mass haul of stocking items,   Oatmeal, beans, doctor ordered meds, any spices that need replacing and cheese.   Grated cheese can be frozen and is close to two dollars a pound at Costco.  Sometomes better at Costco business supply.    Mind you, this is for basically three adults.   I a, a,aged at grocery hauls from people that have for or more older children how much the hauls are.   Part of ot so they are going to one store.

No one store has the best prices on everything.   You are much better off going to two stores a week and buying the specials and whatever is RBP on your necessities.  I used to take a sheet of copy paper out of the recycle bin, quarter it ( when we had four ads ) and wrote down the best of each stores ad.   I could then decide which store had the best buys on the things I needed.    Now, so,e weeks, we only have basically one ad amd Fred Meyers ad from the Sunday  before.     You can check favado foreign is prices. But I have to caution you, favado isn't always spot on.    It does, however, March coupons for you.  Again, be cautious amd read the product description on the coupon.   They don't always match product sizes.  Coupons have to match product descriptions exactly.  

Larely, Fred Meyers and wonco are the cheapest prices.  Unfortunately, I can't do both stores on Friday anymore.   Going on Sunday to get Fred Meyers specials so best because things that are a good deal go fast.    This is especially true of split chicken breast.  I guess I'm not the only one that has figured out that 88 a pound for boneless chicken breast is better than six dollars a pound.   You have to do some work.  They say I look at it is to figure out how much time I am spending and how much I save.   How much am I making per hour.   This is virtual pay, so,e people can't wrap themselves around that.    If I spend ten minutes debonong  2 chicken breast amd chicken breasts cost 6.00 a pound amd I have spent .88 a pound.   The difference is 5.12.  Times that by six ( six ten minute segments in an hour ) and that's 30.72.  Consider that you would have to make 22  percent at least more to spend that money ( taxes) that's 37.47 an hour.   A lot of people don't make that much an hour.     Another way to look at it, is that you are getting more quality and quantity for your dollar.  

That's the whole basis of groceries on the cheap.   Getting the best quality food for the least amount of money.   This feeds us well for three dollars a day and leaves us more to stock.    Stocking is the key to always having food at a RBP. It is NOT HOARDING.

  A lot of young people are obsessed with not hoarding.   That works with not collecting worthless junk.  That doesn't work with stocking.   You aren't buying more than you can use before the pull dates.  Although, pull dates are deceiving.  

It's back to the things our great grandmothers did.   They put up food for the winter.   It basically is the same premise as stock brokers use.   Buy low and sell high.   That's their mantra for making money.   Stocking is the same thing.   Buy low and eat when the product is high prices.  Buy again to restock when the prices are low.    You are eating the same amount of food, you have just paid 1/2 price or less for it. Paying full price for something is just like throwing that money down the toilet.

A little disclaimer here, this is not going to come easy. It takes a little rethinking.    It's also not going to happen my snapping your fingers.    It takes some time.   I have it down. Y now, and can do it quickly.   I spend more time planning a trip and checking coupons and less time cooking by cooking efficiently.   Bottom line : we eat better for less.  


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

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ 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 mend 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.    

As, promised ,,,,,,Alberways

Alberways-    Since Albertsons and Safeways are owned by Albertsons and have the same ad, I am posting one and calling it Alberways,  

Safeways ice cream 1.99
Gallon chocolate milk , reg milk .99@@
Lucerne yogurt 4/1 @@
Lucerne cheese 4/1 @@ ( this is a bargain  if you find them8 ounce packages)

Grapes 1.29
Eggs .99@@
Tortillas 30 ct 1.49@@

About it.  


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

 Perspective . 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 mend 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.    

Terrific Tuesday

No ads yet because it's too early for the mailman.  QFC was a bi weekly ad and wonco doesn't have an ad , so what I expect so What I can expect is Alberways.  

In the beginning......I started this blog four years ago to help people on a limited budget (snap) make good grocery shopping decisions.  I had heard that some people on snap were having a hard time making the money last to the end of the month.   While I was never on snap, I was a single mother during the recession of the 70's.   One paycheck went mostly for daycare and one mostly for rent.  Since I didn't get much child support if any at all, I had to make it on what was left.    I used the skills my mother had taught me by example and started reading everything I could get my hands on to hone  my skills.   Some things worked, some things didn't.  I never could get soy beans or lentils to come out less than rocks.    Buy trial and error, I managed to tweet the plan and adapt to changing times.  

The result is groceries on the cheap.   I am reminded that cheap is not a very good descriptive word, but it gets the point across.    I don't want cheap food; I want good food cheap.  

I buy quality food.  I just don't pay full price for it.    I want 1/2 price.  If I can find or use a sale and coupon stack even better.  We spend about 75 dollars a week for two adults and supplement a darter and granddaughter.   We , subtracting the stock on hand, eat about 6300 a week this year, amd 68.00 a week last year.    I used very generous assumptions in those calculations.    We probably spent less.  

We eat well balanced meals. We always have fresh fruit and veggies in the house.    The pantry and freezers are full.  

It is my opinion that no child should suffer the insecurity of an empty pantry.  With a small budget it is possible to keep a pantry and still eat well for a lot of people.   In extreme cases, the plan won't work, but it will work for a lot of people.  
The USDA has stats to tell a person how much food at home should cost.   We eat on 75 percent of the four dollar a day estimate that snap is.   The USDA current  figures are on their website.  

You can ad up the figures for different age groups that best represent your family.   Don't forget to add or subtract the percentages for the size of your family.   These figures are for real food.   They are not for pop or multi bags of chips or what can be called junk food.   It's for good nutrition.  

After I mastered buying good food cheap, I added trying to cook scratch food easy.    I already was mindful of salt, sugar and fat reduction, but I have added trying to avoid hydrogenated oils and partially hydrogenated oils.  

My mantra is to spend more time planning a shopping trip to maximize savings and less time cooking by using recipes to cook more efficiently.

I am hearing that people that don't watch their bottom line at the grocery store are using the blog to cook more efficiently and stay out of the hot kitchen.    A lot of people find dinner time the most hectic time of the day besides the time when family  gets off to school and  jobs.    Making dinner less stressful, makes the dinner hour more pleasant.  

I have my granddaughter ( 4yo) with me at dinner.    I try to prep when I have a quiet time.   I out the golden oldies on the radio or tv and chip away at the prep work for dinners for the week.   If I have time in the morning, I cook what I can.  We batch cook meat when I come,Es hole from the store if it is appropriate.  The end result is that I can make almost any dinner in twenty minutes or less without resulting to boxed or bagged dinners.  

Whenever I cook, I bring the granddaughter on to help.   My mother always said that  if the children weremhelpingmylu,mthe won't be making a mess for you to clean up.    Truer words were never spoken! LOL

The other day, we were having sausage with roasted root veggies and French bread .  While I chopped the potatoes, carrots, amd radishes for the roasted veggies, my granddaughter buttered the French bread that I cut in half for her.  We washed her hand thorally and I gave her a bitter spreader so ot wasn't sharp. Then, I helped her with the parsley and parm cheese.  I wrapped it on used foil and put it in the oven with the root veggies.    She is learning how to cook age appropriate things and I'm not cleaning up a mess.  A win won situation in my book.  

I keep the heels of the bread in the food processor until they are dried out.   Then I make breadcrumbs.  Why pay someone upwards of two dollars a pound for their dry bread?  
One  day, my daughter neglected to tell me that she was going to be indisposed for a while.   I was on the back 40 of the house.   I heard my daughter yell, get her, I hear the garbage disposal.   I rushed into the kitchen.   What are you doing!     The response was, I'm making bread!    She had pulled a chair up to the counter and was pushing the on button of the food processor.    I guess you know, we communicate better, and I unplug the food processor now.    lol.

I think that it is important that children learn that all food doesn't come from a fast food line or a box.
There are a lot of things that can do supervised that are safe.   Stirring, buttering.   Dumping the ingredients in the bowl. I got stainless steel bowls with rubber coated bottoms, so the bowl doesn't slip.   But, you could also put a damp rag under the bowl.

By the time we were nine years old, my mother had us baking.   It was something she did t like to do.
She didn't trust us with the real dinner, but we all learned to bake.   We had home Ec in school as a required course.  I dont think that happens these days.   A lot of young people don't know how to cook.   That's why I do picture walk through a sometimes.   It was estimated that 38 percent of college student don't know how to boil an egg.  

Learning to do things builds self confidence and self sufficiency.   My goal is to teach her how to make a simple meal by the time she is old enough to safely handle a pan.  

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

 Perspective . The  emphasis is on purchasing good food( shelf- stabll/ 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 mend 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.