Monday madness

Another week, another month gone.  I usually talk about the basics at the first of the month, but did it early.  Check previous post for the basics. Its   beautiful in the pacific NW.  We had 88 degrees yesterday and they are predicting  90 today.  I have had to rethink my menus, last year it rained all the time.  Instead of tomato soup and toasted cheese, my husband toasted cheese sandwiches on the deck and I fixed an array of fruits and veggies.  A case of adapting to circumstances.  make a plan--even of you alter it, have a plan.

If starting this concept is overwhelming and you see obstacles, break it down in small steps.  A motivational speaker once called it the Swiss cheese treatment.  Punching holes in a project until it is done.

• Write down your typical meal plan  for a week.  
• Break it down as to ingredients you would buy to make it
• Now cross off anything that is a perishable and leave the non- perishables
• If there are mixes or ready mades on your list, break down  the ingredients.  
• Now you should start to get a picture of your staple items.
• Think of other things you family likes to eat for dinner and add them to the list.  

If you like spaghetti and meatballs, you need spaghetti, meatballs, and sauce.  Put on your list spaghetti and pasta sauce.  It is cheaper to buy hunts sauce than it is to make it from scratch.  it comes in a lot of varieties even with chunky vegetables.  I would add a hard cheese to the mix.  Parmesan, or Romano or......

I think you get the gist.

Now,  start pricing your staple items.  You are going to look for your target price or the rock bottom price.  Track your prices of your staple list.  A staple is a product that you use weekly or at least bi weekly that is a non perishable.  You are going to stock a 3-6 month supply.  That is because grocery stores work on a 8-12 week sale cycle.  You never want to pay full price for a staple item.  You want the lowest possible price on the non staples too, but perishables are harder to control.  The best you can do is buy the lowest price on season.  

Rotate  your stock and replenish your stock when the target price comes up again.  

Like the stock market , you want to buy low, and sell (eat) high.  that doubles the impact of your food dollar.  If you can pair a sale price with a coupon, even better.   there aren't many coupons for real food.  

Some target prices for the Seattle metropolitan area 

Pasta sauce .78

Pasta. .38-.49. Less than .88

Refried beans .80

Canned corn .33-.50-.67

Canned beans .67

Instant mashed potatoes .80 or less

Diced tomatoes .48-.67

Tomato paste. .40

Note.   Pasta is the one thing that you can find coupons for .  Check coupons.com. For printable ones.  You can have two per computer.  Our state does not double coupons, but you can get good buys if you watch.  My best bet for tomatoes is big lots when they are having a 20 percent sale.  .  Refried beans were cheaper at grocery outlet last time I bought any.  Pasta sauce is cheapest at ALBERTSONS on sale or at Winco.  The cheapest corn I found was green giant at big lots.  No, you are not going to five stores a week.  That is the object of stockpiling.  You buy it low a thing or a couple of things a week until you are at the point of only buying a bulk purchase of rock bottom priced meat and anything rock bottom priced on your staple list that you need to replenish, and your perishable fruits and veggies in season.  

Pick the two chain stores that have the lowest prices.  Hit the warehouse stores when you can --we hit them about every four to six weeks.  And the alternative stores we hit whenever we are in the area on other errands.  after visiting the warehouse and alternative stores, you get a really good feel for their specialties   and what they have that you buy.on a regular basis.  

Once you get set up, you will find you spend no more time shopping than you do now and the savings are remarkable-- well worth the effort.  if you are retired or not working full time, you are making a profitable use of your time.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.  

Jane