Safeway’s haul and meals

Safeways has a number of really good prices on basic necessities using digital coupons.  I suspect that the future life of coupons will become less paper and more digital.  That , unfortunately, makes it harder to buy multiples of items and eliminates our ability to shop stores for the best prices to match with coupons.  There are still ways to make the best use of your money to feed your family the best meals possible.   Balanced meals have never gone out of style because it is the best nutrition.   

Signature Kitchens Cranberry Juice:  FREE

Sour cream, 24 ounces 1.49

Cream cheese 1.29

Kraft slices cheese 1.99

Shredded cheese .99 ( also on Saturday digital -kroger ) 

Milk -gallon .99

Eggs limit 2 .79

Ground turkey 1.99

Now what to do with what you got.   These are all really good RBP .   The trick now is to figure out how to incorporate them into your meals. 

• Cranberry juice can be drunk as is, or with ice. You can thicken it and use it for a syrup on ice cream, pancakes, or drizzled over peaches.  
• Sour cream is a  good base for chicken enchiladas. , an addition to baked potato bar, topping for chilli or other soups.  
• Cream cheese can fill celery sticks, did anyone say cheesecake?   There is a good recipe for cheesecake in the insta pot. Also, a lot of recipes on pinterest use cream cheese for sauce or filling for chicken breasts. 
• Sliced cheese is pretty self evident. 
• Shredded cheese is at the RBP.   And useful for quesadillas, mac and cheese, sandwiches, topping for cassaroles ...
• Milk:  besides drinking and on cereal, you can make bread pudding, or pudding.  Scratch pudding is not much more work than the box kind and a lot cheaper. 
• Eggs:  an inexpensive source of protein. 
• Ground turkey can be added to other ground meat for meatloaf or makes good taco filling. 

Thursday Safeways Haul

Safeways Haul for 6/15/18

Cheese .5.00
Tillamook ice cream 2.88
Milk 1.79
Salads .99:   Shreds, salad, spinach express salad
Strawberries 2.50

Total 19.01

Saturday ‘s Winco haul

Green grapes 1.98

Romas .98

Yams .98

Tater tots 2 lbs 1.68

Bread 2.78

Salmon 4.98

Shredded parm 1.98

Beans .48

Olives .78

Green chillies .66

Total 20.88

Chain store ads 6/21/18

Again, we didnt get any ads in the mail his week.   

Alberways 

Just fort You digital coupons 

Milk 99 gallon 

Eggs .79

Bread .49

Ground turkey 1.99

Bubbly water free 

Salsa 1.79

QFC 

Blueberries 18 oz 3.49

DiGiorno pizza 3.99

Shrimp 5.99

Buy 6, save 3

Sargento cheese 1.99-coupons?

Sour cream -large 1.99

Cottage cheese 1.99

Natural choice lunch mat 2.99

Fred Meyers 

DIGITAL-ALSO QFC 

SATURDAY 6/23 ONLY 

CHEESE .99

POST CEREAL .99

REG AD 

AVACADOS .99

FOSTER FARMS SPLIT CHICKEN BREAST .87

NOTE:  MY VOTE FOR THE ROTATION MEAT WOULD BE THE SPLIT CHICKEN BREAST AT FRED MEYERS.   AND THE CHEESE FOR A DOLLAR WITH DIGITAL COUPONS, SATURAY ONLY.   BOTH ARE GOOD SOURCES OF PROTEIN AND SAVE A LOT OF MONEY FOR VERSITILE PROTEIN.   

How did she do that? TUESDAY

Remember, Its not what you buy as much as when an where you buy it..   A little planning is key .
If you decide at ten o’clock at night that you want some chicken noodle soup and you hit the nearest store , you are probably going to pay three times the price as if you plan and buy that soup on sale.

Not everything on a sale ad is a sale.  On sale is just saying that you can buy it.   A real sale is a marked down price or a price that is less.   Knowing what price is the lowest price is key.   It doesn’t have to be on everything in the store.   Simplify, buy at low cost, and always have food in the house.

BBQ pork sliders.

Sometimes adjusting for what you have is a  good thing.   We have hamburger buns from the hamburgers we had earlier.   There is not much sense in making slider buns and then throwing away the hamburger buns.  The smaller buns that are store brand are a lot less expensive , especially at a holiday time.

Buns: .88 or .44 for a half package

Pork Roast is from a Pork Loin.  It was 1.29 a pound.   Slicing your own roast and chops takes a matter of minutes, almost no talent, and saves a lot of money.   Center cut porkchops can be 3.50 a pound.   The difference between the dollar or dollar twenty nine that I am paying, and 3.50 is two dollars a pound.   This is huge.   Pork Roast for a smaller family does two meals. Pork Roast “Sunday Dinner” and a bbq slider another day.   Slice roast thin, and heat in bbq sauce that has been watered down a little.   You can add cheese if you want.

1.5 pounds of thinly sliced pork roast 1.94

Salad :   1.00
We use head lettuce these days.  I would prefer to buy romaine.  The darker the leaf , the better food value and it lasts longer.  But, there have been too many times lately, that there have been ecoli outbreaks.   We will grow our own soon.   Meanwhile, we are using dollar a head iceberg lettuce.   Tomatoes have been .88 a pound.   Lettuce  and tomato salad is good.   I add cucumber when I find it.

There is also a cucumber and tomato salad that is really good.  Cost is probably close to the dollar or more like 1.50 if you don’t get cucumbers cheap.

1.94 .44, 1.25 for salad is 3.63  condiments are not added.   Still, way below the five dollar budget.

Monday Kitchen Managment.

Kitchen management is a tool that helps save time and money in the kitchen.   By rotating deep cleaning chores and doing some meal prep in one kitchen session, you can save the set up and clean up time and save the hectic dinner time.


Recap of Meals:
Tomato, roasted red pepper and carrot soup quesadillas
Pizza
Minestrone , bread
Stuffed chicken breast, baked potatoes, green beans
Salmon, rice pilaf, fruit
Enchiladas, lettuce, tomato
Breakfast for dinner

• Wash kitchen floor 
• Clean and disinfect countertops and sinks and drains.
• Clean refrigerator and dump anything dead 
• Wash veggies 
• Mark the meal plan with the time to take chicken out of freezer. 
• Make rice mix 
• Make bread 
• File recipes 

Meal Plans 6/17/18

Meal Plans are a tool that saves time and money.   Because GOC operates on the assumption that you have a stock of versatile basic food , you write meal plans after you grocery shop.   Having a stock of food on hand, you can always do a pick up meal.  

• Tomato, roasted red pepper and carrot soup, bean and bacon quesadillas  
•  Pizza      

•  Stuffed chicken breast, baked potato, green beans 

•  Salmon, rice pilaf , fruit cup

•  Enchiladas , lettuce, tomato 
•  Breakfast for Dinner 
•  Minestrone , bread 

Notes:

1. Tomato, roasted red pepper and carrrot soup uses red peppers purchased for .88 last week.  And part of the milk bought for 1.79.   Usually the regular price of milk here is 1.79 for a half gallon rather than a whole gallon.   Bean and bacon  quesadillas bump up the protein.  
2. Pizza is a mainstay:  everyone likes it and it can be made for 1.00 a pizza.  Save toppings from other meals .  
3. Stuffed chicken breast uses spinach purchased for a dollar at Alberways.  
4. Salmon is frozen. Pilaf uses peas purchased for a dollar frozen. 
5. Chicken or beef enchaladas.  Chicken enchaladas have a homemade sauce made with chi;clean stock, mild diced peppers and sour cream. 
6. Minestrone uses more spinach.   

Incorporating items found on sale helps to keep your food costs down.   Working with a stock of inexpensive , but versitle foods and scratch cooking .  Using every available way of saving money on food maximizes your savings.   

 

Saturday Concepts

What not to buy at Grocery Outlet ( Or any other discount overstock store)

1. Dented cans 
2. Items out of date :  except items that truly never go out of date.   Pasta has an eight year shelf life.  Honey never goes out of date.   Cereal a little out of date is a little stale, but won’t  hurt you.  Canned goods are good for a while out of date.  Check the internet for exact numbers.   I tend to be really careful of anything acidic.   
3. Anything that is more expensive than other stores.   Yes, everything at any store is not necesssarily a good buy.   It always goes back to knowing your prices.   
4. Stick to tried and true brands.   If you are adventurous, try an off brand by buying one.   
5. I steer clear of produce and meat.   The meat is prepackaged .   
6. Do buy deli that is name brand.   The sliced cheese, while more expensive than grated, is good. We have been getting it for two dollars a package.   The grated cheese is not a bargain . 
7. They carry Nathan's and Hebrew National hot dogs.  There are just some things that are best bought high quality.   Dont buy dollar hot dogs.   They are full of nasty things.   
8. Many things are on the edge.   IF you intend on eating them immediately, its OK.  W bought bacon for 1.50 a package yesterday.  It had a pull date of today.  It usually means its good for a while.   I cut it up and put it rendering in the pan while I put the groceries away and fixed our lunch.  When it was done, we removed it with a slotted spoon and drained it on paper towels. It hit a zip lock and the freezer.   I will use it to season greenbeans, or bean soup.   A little bit goes a long way to season a dish.   
9. I have been getting diced tomatoes or tomato sauce for really cheap:  like .33 and .50 cents.   It can be 1.58. Don’t buy quantities of things close to the pull date.   Only buy what you can safely use before the pull date.  This is where having meal plans and knowing how often you make certain dishes works.   You can incorporate those items in your weekly meal plans and us them before they expire.   A few days past doesn’t hurt.   Nothing is going to expire exactly on the date it is marked.   
10. Tilipa.   Just Tilipa......never anywhere!  Its garbage fish.   Its hard these days to get good fish.   Dont skimp.   There are places to economize and places not to economize.   

Recipe Friday- pasta with garlic sauce

Friday recipes will be an attempt to incorporate things on sale this week into a meal.    Even if you are not in the PNW, things on sale are typically things in season.  Bacon was on sale for 2.99 at Fred Meyers last Saturday and Spinach is on sale at Alberways this week.   Barilla Pasta is a dollar fat QFC.  It is on sale for 1.25 at Alberways today only.  That is 25 percent more.   It pays to know your prices and make your decisions accordingly.

Pasta with Garlic Sauce

1/2 package of spaghetti , cooked
8 ounces of bacon

Two handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 small onion , chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup sour cream
2T butter.
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Salt, pepper to taste
Nutmeg

• Cook bacon in skillet. 
• Remove  bacon with a slotted spoon  and reserve some of the drippings. 
• Add chopped onion and garlic powder to the skillet and cook until the onion is softened.   
• Add the spinach and let it wilt.  
• Scoop vegetables to the side and add milk, sour cream and butter.   Stir sauce together.   Gradually add in the cooked vegetables and sprinkle with bacon.  
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

Winco Haul

Special Note:   We are on a limited spend month.   We have plenty of stock on hand and are over budget a little because of buying bulk meat.

Winco

2 dz eggs @ 1.14

5 lbs carrots 2.28

Celery .78

Frozen french fries 1.37

Total 8.08


QFC
Peppers .88
Cucumbers .88
Total 3.52


Total spent 11.60

Chain Store Ads

QFC

QFC went to a one four page spread ad.
Not much there.

Kroger cheese slices 3/5
Bread 3/5

Barilla pasta 1.00

Fruit pie 2.99

ALBERWAYS

SALADS INCLUDING SPINACH .99
LIMIT 4

Hot Dog or Hamburger buns .79@@
Milk 1.79 @@

Cottage cheese/ sour cream 2/5 - large
Strawberries 2/5


Fred Meyers

Cantaloupe 2/4


Buy 6, save. 3

Sargento cheese 1.99$$
Cream cheese 2 pack 3.49
Nathan’s 3.49



2 lbs strawberries 3.99
Grapes 1.99
Lettuce .99

Dinner: How did she do that?

Vegetable platter container we got from Winco after Christmas for a couple of dollars. 

Filling it on Kitchen Management Day is prepping for snacks and a quick veggie/fruit course anytime during the week.   Just add more as it is depleted.

Sausage, cheese, and diced mild peppers quiche.   

A quick and easy main dish that is low carb.   

How did she do that?   

Cost: 

2 eggs .20

Milk .13

Bisquick .15

Sausage :  2.00*

Chillis  .33*

Cheese .50

Total 3.31

Serves 4 

Notes:  

I held back a half cup of cooked sausage that had been de-fatted for a pizza on Tuesday.  

I also held back 1/2 the peppers for pizza or re-fried beans (scratch) -no fat.

Place cooked meat of choice in bottom of a baking dish.  Add cheese and peppers or diced green chillis.   Mix eggs, milk and bisquick in the blender (liquids first) and blend until homogeneous.  Pour over the proteins and bake at 400 for for 25 minutes or until tests done.   

Its easy, made in a few minutes.  And well within a five dollar dinner range even wih a veggie tray.   

Monday: Kitchen Management

Kitchen Management is a tool that saves time and stress during the hectic dinner hour.  

Our meal plan form has spaces for the weeks dinners and a grocery list of the perishable things that we use on a regular basis.   Taking a very quick invenemtory is a good tool to facilitate meal plans and kitchen management.  

Recap of meals :

1. Mac and cheese 
2. Pizza 
3. Chicken nuggets, oven fries, veggie platter 
4. Chicken rice casserole 
5. Salmon cakes, rice, green beans 
6. Tacos, refried beans in the insta pot.
7. Breakfast for dinner.  

• Wash carrots and potatoes with vinegar water.  Use a dedicated brush. 
• Mark the meal plan with a reminder to thaw chicken 
• Clean refrigerator and dump anything dead.
• Note things on the edge to incorporate into meals. 
• Clean and disinfect counters and clean sink drains. 
• Wash kitchen floor. 
• Put the stove vent screen through the dishwasher.   
• Wash kitchen window.   
• Fill veggie tray with washed veggies. 
• Run vinegar through the coffee pot. 

Stairsteppng meals saves time and money.    One batch of chicken cubes makes chicken nuggets and chicken and rice cassarole.   One batch of rice makes the carb for salmon dinner and the chicken and rice casserole.  The toppings for the pizza are set aside from the quiche last week. (Freeze) The taco kit purchased at the grocery outlet was the price of a package of taco shells and includes tacos sauce and seasoning.  You can add your already cooked and de- fatted hamburger to a small pan, with a little water and the taco seasoning and heat the meat.   It heats quickly from frozen.   Slicing lettuce and tomatoes and pulling the grated cheese from the refrigerator takes a matter of minutes while the meat heats up.   Insta Pot refried beans have NO fat and take a matter of minutes to gather ingredients and set the pot.   

Efficiently scratch cooking is a key in lowering your food bill without taking a disproportionate amount of time to accomplish the task.   

Buying in bulk simplifies the shopping experience.   By minimizing the amount of things you have to buy, the shopping trip takes less time and effort.   

Simplify, buy at a RBP in bulk if it makes sense, and always have food in the house.   

Meal Plans -week of June 11, 2018

Meal plans are a good tol to organize and keep  yourself on track .   They save time, money, and stress.

• Mac and Cheese , glazed carrots : comfort food
• Pizza 
• Chicken nuggets (homemade) oven fries, vegetable platter 
• Chicken rice cassarole 
• Salmon cakes, seasoned rice, green beans 
• Tacos, insta pot refried beans, 
• Breakfast for dinner.   

There is a faction out in U tube land that is low spend month.   Its when you declare that you have enough food to ‘eat down’ the pantry.   It is a winning thing. 

1. Mac and cheese, the great comfort food.    Easy and satisfying.   
2. Pizza is a staple.   Everyone likes it and a cheese pizza is less than a dollar. 
3. Chicken nuggets are handmade with a breading of homemade bread crumbs, nuts, and parmesean cheese.   Oven fries use almost no fat.  
4. Chicken and rice cassarole uses the rest of a package of chicken and is just good. 
5. Salmon cakes are from Costco salmon.   Seasoned rice is a homemade mix.   Using your own mixes gives you the flavor of favorite mixes without the things you can't pronounce.   
6. Tacos are from a kit bought at GO.  It saves money because the kit cost what taco shells cost, but has taco sauce and seasoning in it as well. 
7. Breakfast for dinner is a favorite and a family affair, we all cook.   I remember putting our ten 3 yo granddaughter at the buttering bread station.   She was about half way through when she announced “ I can’t  believe I get to do this!”

I just read that Seattle has some of the most expensive groceries in the nation.   I teach people how to feed their family on four dollars a day and keep a pantry.   Please consider sharing this blog. I would like to help more people.   

Pics in review -SATURDAY

Pasta salad 

Nachos

Steak, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes

Quiche, salad 

Edamame black bean salad :  Betty. Crocker 

Vegetable bean soup

Chicken Salad

• Summers coming....it is time to start thinking of dinners on the deck or patio with a nice glass of iced tea or lemonade.    

You can still enjoy a hearty salad and keep your costs down.

Recently, Barilla Pasta was on sale at Kroger (QFC) for a dollar.   Instead of using a deli chicken, you can save a lot of money by cooking a breast in the insta pot or poaching it in the microwave.   We have also just roasted a whole chicken or cooked it in the slow cooker.   The recipe for slow cooker chicken is on another blog and the hands down easiest way to cook a chicken if you are only interested in cooked chicken and not necessarily a crispy skin.

SaladL

• 1 cup orzo pasta (raw) cooked according to package directions 

•  1.5 cups shredded chicken 
•  6 cherry or grape tomatoes.   - half if using cherry 

•  1 can sliced black olives

•  1 stalk celery, cut 

•  3 T fresh parmesean cheese.   

Place ingredients in a large serving bowl and toss well with a vinaigrette.

 

Background -what is this blog anyway ?

Welcome.   I started this blog six years ago because I was having requests from some single moms that needed to feed their families and were ‘running out of money before they ran out of month.    

I was a single mother for seven years.  It was during a time in America when we had double digit inflation and I had no raises for three years.   It was sink or swim and I had to swim.   I read everything I could find about economizing .   Food included.   Food is the biggest part of our discretionary spending.   Fifty years later.....I am sharing what I learned with anyone I can help;.   

I am still learning.....

This is about well balanced meals.  Its about watching the amount of salt, sugar, saturated fat, hydrogenated oil, HFCS, and GMO’s.   Its about efficient scratch cooking. (  It’s not as scary as it seems.). It’s  about not paying full price for anything.  It’s about using every bit of what you buy if possible. It is about always having food in the house.   It is about basis.   

On Sunday’s, I publish a meal plan.   It’s ideas. It is more about the thought process than telling someone what to eat.  Meal plans keep us organized.   

Monday is Kitchen Management Day.   Again, kitchen management can happen any day it is convenient for you.   Its is a tool to make the sometimes hectic dinner hour less hectic and make it easier to stay on track.   

Tuesday is new here.   It is “ How did she do that?”   .   It takes a very basic inexpensive dish and maps out what it cost and how it is made.   Tips and tricks.   We live in the  7th highest COL in the United States for prospective.    Not everyone will get the same ‘bargains”. I study other parts of the county’s prices.   A lot of them are cheaper.   My guess is that some are more expensive too.   Its all relative.   

Wednesday is for Chain Store ADS.   I post the best of the buys.   DT means Dollar Tree.   @@ means there is an in ad coupon for a product.   $$ means there are coupons out there for the product to lower the price.   Good coupons are harder to find these days.   Main sources are Coupons.com and inserts in the newspaper.   Digital coupons are coming into their own.....   Kroger stores have Saturday specials that are sometimes fruitful.   Not everything in a grocery ad is a SALE.   By essence of the word, SALE just means that you can BUY the item.    RBP is the lowest price you might ever see for that item.   It is what you strive for.   You should have a BUY price in your head or in a small notebook.for the things you buy on a regular basis.  Unless  something is a real necessity and there are no substitutions, don’t cross over that price.   

Thursday is Haul Day.   Sometimes with pics, sometimes not.   

Friday is Recipe Day. 

Saturday is concept day.   It is a rant, or a comparison, or an idea of how to cut costs on food.   

This is all written to help you s t t e t c h your food dollar.    Studies show that people that have to wonder where the next meal is coming from have a lower life expectancy.   It isn’t being a hoarder to have a month to six weeks supply of food basics in the house.   It is smart planning.    Bleep happens. Being prepared is a good thing.    It isn’t had to do when you buy your food at a RBP.   

We have stuck to a four dollar a day budget and have a stock with that amount of money.   It can be done and it doesn’t take a lot of time and not that much effort after you get organized.   

Grocery Outlet Haul ; THURSDAY

Had to go....we were out of nuts ...LOL

Total food  15.49

Total slip 41.4
Savings 46.05

This is unusual for us to buy this much extra stuff.  Nuts were on a big sale and we stocked because they are a special buy with a holiday theme.   Buying holiday or seasonal things past their season that far still in pull date is a good way to get good food cheap.   Fractions of what they cost if they are a flavor that is the current season.

Coffee. 5.99
Tomato sauce .50 can
Nuts 2.99

Fruit snacks .50

Pumpkin bar mix .50

Tri colour tortellini 1.50

2 lbs strawberries 3.99



Bacon 1.48 12 ounces.   This is dated like now.   We took it home and I cut it with a pizza cutter and rendered it down while I put the food away.   I intend to freeze it and use it for flarvoring in dishes.

White chocolate yogurt:  Yoplait . 3/1.00

Safeways Haul 

I bought a bunch.   Next week I am going to be recovering from surgery, so no haul is planned. 

Total before discounts was 80.00 , then the discounts started posting.  I’d remarked to the clerk that 

this was like extreme couponing without the coupons.   LOL. End result minus charity jpurchases and drinks was 33.73 

Organic maple syrup 3.99

Kraft sliced cheese (4) 7.96 

Sour cream .99

Frozen veggies (3) 3.00

Yoplait yogurt (10) 3.80

Bread .98

Turkey Breast Lunch meat 2.99

Grapes 4.22

Raspberries and blueberries 5.00

Chain store ads

Fred Meyers has to be on line.   I haven’t figured out how to get paper unless I go to the store.   Its five miles, thats not happening.  LOL

QFC has gone to a one sheet of paper ad.   Its 4 pages of mostly organic and booze.   I don’t buy booze.

Strawberries 2 lb 2.99
7 percent hamburger 3.99
Organic grapes 1.99
Milk .99
Lean cuisine entree 1.88
Multi colored peppers....88
Cucumbers .88


Buy 5, save 5
Goldfish .99
Cheese 32 ounces 4.99
Tide or. Paper towels. 4.99

Alberways

Signature farms chicken breast 1.77
Lean 7 percent beef 3.77

🥑  or tomatoes .77
Berries 2/5
Grapes 1.99

Bread .98@@
Yoplait .38@@
Pasta .69

NOTE NOT A BARGAIN
Cheese is a 7 ounce package and it is on sale for 1.99 on fab 4.  That means you are paying over four dollars a pound for cheese.   My RBP is 2.00 and 2.50 a lb is the top of my buy price.


FRED MEYERS

Tri tip roast 3.88
Foster Farms chicken breast 1.99
Peaches .99
2 bs berries 3.99

Buy 5, save 5

Dryers 2.49
GM cereal 1.49$$
Classico 1.99
Goldfish .99
Hebrew national 2.99
Cheese 4.99

SATURDAY DIGITAL COUPON CAN HAVE 5
BACON 2.99

Really....

Fact:  we eat on less than four dollars a day.   Four dollars a day is some  magic number for the lowest price you are supposed to get buy with.  We didn’t start out with that number in mind.   I have always been economical, but I set out to teach people without a lot of money how to stretch what they have.   I kept adding ideas and trying new things until IT happened.   I was writing a class on cutting  your grocery bill in half and did some math.   I surprised  myself.

We eat on less than four dollars a day.   Our BMI is within healthy perimeters.   We have food in the house before payday.   We don’t eat tahini topped broiled eggplant for dinner.   We have eaten on four dollars a day budget for almost a year and a half.   We have grown a stock on that, so actually we eat on less.  Now, caviat time, we do not include any drinks beyond coffee and tea and snacks in our food budget.   Extra drinks and snacks can be eliminated in hard times and they aren't a necessary part of a good balanced diet.   If you have a separate budget, you are well aware of the cost of your garbage eating.   LOL  We don’t feed a 17 yo linebacker.

I am thirty or so dollars over for the year.  But, I bought bulk meat.   I suspect that by the end of the month, we will be back on track and have meat in the freezer.  

The key concepts are :

• Simplify your grocery list.   Identify the foods you use on a regular basis to cook your meals.  We all have  a list of ten or so meals we prep on a regular basis.   List seven to  ten that use inexpensive sources of protein.  Inexpensive sources here are average two dollars a pound.,   Yes, there is good food for two dollars a pound average.    Find the lowest possible price for those foods.   The average family has 10-15 foods they buy on a regular basis.   NEVER pay full price.   Buy enough bulk - usually 4-6 weeks worth of that food— and wait for another sale.   
• Meal plan .   The old adage : make  a plan, or plan to fail works here.   Doesn’t have to be fancy, just jot down a list of main dishes.   
• Buy fruits and veggies that are a dollar or less in season.    Buy dairy on sale.  Most dairy has a two week to four week life.   Buy a months worth of eggs and other dairy when its on sale with a coupon if possible.   
• Efficient scratch cook. Avoid most ‘boxes’ .  
• Buy things in bulk when they make sense.   When you buy something that has a enormous shelf life and you buy it in bulk, you don't have to buy it again.  You’re done.   Soda, salt come to mind.   I bought a five pound bag of salt.   I’m done.   I have enough for the rest of my life, my daughters life and probably well into my granddaughters life......LOL.  Flour, rice and oatmeal are our go to’s.   They are cheap and they save a lot of money. 
• Try new things.   It helps to mix things up.   
• The key is to know how much of something you use on a regular basis and do not over buy.  No food is going to do your family any good if you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.  

 Simplify, never pay full price, always have food in the house.

How did she do that? TUESDAY

Vegetable Bean Soup ...another miracle worker.....six quarts of soup feeds a family well.   Its low in carbs and with a loaf of bread serves six.

Peasant Bread takes then minutes total hands on time and that is split between two days.   In the time it takes you to pick up the mail and hang up your coat, you can have a batch of bread dough waiting on the counter developing .

The soup:

Sauté 2 celery ribs and 2 large carrots, cut in small slices.   Add olive oil and some. Italian herbs.
Add to the slow cooker or the insta pot that you program on slow cook.   We use the leaves as well as the ends of the celery.   I save the ends for vegetable stock.   You can grow more celery from the stub end of the celery bunch.   It’s a good lesson for children.   They have fun watching it get bigger every day and changing the water.

Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes .   A full quart of any stock you choose.   I keep chicken, tomato, vegetable and beef boullion on hand for those days when I dont have scratch.   In bulk, the cost of he teaspoon you put in a cup of water is minimal.   Beef is the exception, Better than boullion is m9or expensive but we don't use it often.

2 cans of beans....not necessarily the same.   Beans are .50 at Winco lately.   IF you make beans in the insta pot, they cost less than 02 a 1/2 cup serving.   The four cups you use for this recipe cost .16.   Beans would be cheaper if you bought bags in bulk, but unless you have a dry large family, they would not be used up fast enough.

Cost:
Celery and carrots :  .45
Beans .16
Tomatoes @ .39 can equals .78
Stock.
Total 1.39

You can add pasta or orzo to the pot if you want to stretch it.   I have been getting Barilla pasta for a dollar....either at the regular stores or at the DT.