Notes on shopping and recap

I have been reading every article, book, and cookbook on economy food since the 70's.
Some of them are Just a rehash of what I already knew, and some were downright comical.
Like who gets chicken parts for .28 cents a pound and just what part of the chicken is it? Lol

Some are really cheap, but not what I would consider good nutrition. I have tried to compile notes and observations that were middle of the road; not over the top health conscious, but not cheap hotdogs, 28 cent a pound chicken and hamburger once in a while.

That being said, here is an overview of my philosophy and some notes.

My mantra is never pay full price. I try for half at the checkouts. Being retired, I have more time than money, but if you aren't retired, the children can do some of the prep work and learn something in the process. The old native American adage, give a man a fish and he eats for one day ; teach a man to fish and he eats forever ( paraphrased) makes a lot of sense.


Stock anything that you use a lot of when it is the cheapest price. Stock as much as you will use until it goes on sale again, or as much as you will use before the expiration date. If I use the item once a week and it is rarely on sale, I will buy 24 of them so I have enough for 6 months. If I only use the item once a month, I might buy 4 - 6 . Keep a small spiral notebook and log the items that you use a lot, the size of the item, and where you got it for what price. Sometimes you will begin to see
pattern.

Periodically during the week , take a quick overview of your perishables and use them or preserve them before they go bad. ( eat, freeze, dry ?)

Go to more than one store, research before you go, and plan your trips for gas conservation. Once a month to six weeks, go to the stores that are farther away from home and stock up . My list of stores would be WinCo, Costco, grocery outlet.
Certain things are consistently cheaper at these stores.

Plan meals and work in a few almost no effort meals for the days that you know are going to challenging.

Try to cook everything from scratch. Ready made food has preservatives and you usually pay dearly for someone else's labor. Some things aren't worth making from scratchmayonnaise and refried beans come to mind. Sometimes instant mashed potatoes are cheaper than homemade. Non fat dry milk is more expensive than low fat liquid milk.


Now to nitty gritty


Tomatoes are really seasonal. We get tomatoes year round,but the quality and price make them better in the spring and summer. Ck the price between cherry and larger tomatoes. Do the math, usually the larger ones are cheaper. Also, roma tomatoes are more flesh and less seeds.

Field greens ( designer lettuce) or whatever you call it, is cheaper usually at Costco.
If the lettuce is cheaper than 1.33 a head, it is cheaper than buying the 3.99 box at Costco. There are storage solutions on the market that keep veggies fresher longer, they are more than worth the investment.

When round or sirloin roasts are 2 for; consider making stew meat and grinding your own
Hamburger. The fat content is more controlled, and you know what is in it. If you don't have a grinding attachment on your mixer, you can get grinders that our grandmothers used at almost every antique store, or find them at garage sales. Ask, someone might have one they haven't put out for sale. Sterilize it and go for it. Make sure it has all it's parts. You should have several grinding disks. They are usually well under ten bucks and will pay for themselves in A short period of time.

Don't but snack foods out of your regular budget for food. If they are separate you can rapidly see just how much they cost and how healthy alternatives are better.

Coupons are sometimes a good thing, but if it is for something you wouldn't ordinarily buy anyway, they are not a bargain. Rarely do I see coupons for something that is what I consider real food. Ask yourself, is there a cheaper alternative. Store brands come from the same assembly line that the brand names do. They just cost more. All those ads on tv cost money and it gets added to the price of the product.



That's all I can squeeze into this time.
Thanks for stopping by

Jane