The basics, part one

It's that time of month again. I usually post the basics once a month for anyone new or as a reminder.

I started this blog when it was brought to my attention that people on SNAP were running out of money before they ran out of month. Food "stamps" don't come with directions. LOL.


Groceries on the cheap takes a three pronged approach at getting food on the table, cheap. Planning and organizing, shopping wisely and cooking from scratch. All scary thoughts in so,e people. It is not as intimidating as it sounds.

Planning and organizing.

Start by identifying the sources of protein that your family will eat. These need to be economical sources of protein. In our house that would be

Chicken
Pork
Some cuts of beef
Beans
Rice
Cheese
Eggs


Now, list at least 7, preferably 14 meals that your family will eat that use these ingredients.
Gather the recipes if you need to.

Go over the recipes and list the ingredients you will use to make these dishes. ( the staple items: shelf stable.  )

These will be your staple items. You should have 10-15 items.
In our house that would be
Diced tomatoes
Beans
Refried beans
Some corn
Some green beans
Tuna
Clams
Cheese
Instant mashed potatoes
Pasta
Pasta sauce
Black olives


The basic mantra is "never pay full price" you want to pay about 1/2.
When your staple items are on sale for the rock bottom price, you buy
1) as many as you can afford
2) as many as the store will let you buy or
3) as many as you need to fill I'm your space., whichever comes first

If I use something once a week, I keep 24. If I use something once a month, I keep 6.
Sales run on a 8-12 week cycle. Some people operate on a three month supply. I would prefer not to be on the edge. This won't happen overnight.

The money will happen because you are paying half price for your food.why pay 1.59 for a can of pasta sauce when can get two cans for less than 1.59. That is how you build stock.

There is not a lot of room on snap for expensive snack foods and ready made meals. There are tricks to make cooking as easy as the boxes! LOL. Taste better too.

Keep a notebook or a spread sheet on the computer of the items on your staple list.
Record on each top of page or line

Item and size of package
When purchased where, for what price and if you used a coupon.

Soon you will see a pattern and know hour rock bottom price. I post these periodically, bit that will only work if you live I'm the Seattle area, and my staples Re your staples.

Meat is a different schedule of sales. They usually rotate every week of the month. If you buy the loss leader every week on a rotating basis,you will be saving money and time.

Ie : chicken Grill packs were a dollar pretty much at all the chains a couple of weeks ago. I bought ten pounds of chicken. I de-boned the breasts (4 halves) and cooked the rest of the pack (hindquarters) I'm wTer with onion, carrot and salt and pepper. When the meat was falling off the bone, I let it cool, strained the broth and froze it in ice cube trays, and shredded the rest of the meat and packaged in on meal sizes portions. I have enough tp have chicken two nits a week for the rest of the month.

You can do the same with sausage, hamburger, and pork loin and sirloin roast.

You buy in bulk at the lowest price and cook ot all at once, less work and leas clean up. A win win situTion.

Make meal plans after you get home from the store. I have a formula. Your's might be different factoring what your family ears.

Ours is
2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2 vegetarian
1 fish

I do it after I shop because often something is on unadvertised special, not available, or doesn't look good enough to eat.

Tomorrow: shopping

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Jane





might be different according to your families tastes.

Meals for 28 days

Before I start the basic thing again, I thought I would do four weeks of main dishes on the cheap. you can eat a variety of meals and still stay on a thrifty budget. It's not all about the top ramen!! LOL


My matrix ( outline) for variety and nutrition is

2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2 vegetarian
1 fish

Yours might be different. I am trying to satisfy a meat eater, two semi- vegetarians and I eat about everything. I don't particularly like picky eTers and am trying to introduce the baby to a variety of foods within her mothers guidelines.

Week one

Chicken soup
Chicken breast
Steak
Tuna Caserole
Pizza
Mac and cheese
Beef vegetable soup

Chicken breast
BBQ thighs
Steak
Tacos
Salmon
Eggs
French cheese sandwich

Burritos
Chicken stir fry
Steak
Clam cakes
Meatballs and spaghetti
Sausage and potatoes
Cheese sandwiches, tomato, blue cheese and basil soup



Pork chops
Chicken pot pie
Meat loaf
Meat balls
Pizza
Split pea soup
Shrimp stir fry


Notes

There are some repeats because kids especially love some things. There are some things that do well to feed a split household. ( vegetarian/ meat eaters, )

Chicken is a mainstay. I can almost always find it at least once a month for a buck. I get ground beef for less than three dollars a pound in bulk and make taco meat, meatballs, meat loaf, and beef crumbles.
I got sausage with sales and coupons for 1.33. There is a recipe for pizza crust on an earlier post. Fast and easy.
I have been getting shrimp on sale on five dollar Fridays. Pork chops and pork loin is still about two dollars a pound. Eggs almost always are a bargain.

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Jane

Friday shopping

We went to the doctor, got our flu shots, and went grocery shopping.

ALBERTSONS has a mega sale on. Most of ot didn't have coupons to match it, but still I saved more than 53 percent. I'll get back with the actual amounts.

Total spent 33.28

at QFC, we got flu shots and lettuce and a cucumber for a total of 2.50.

Total 35.78.

Tomato sauce .25 sauce for noodles for the baby or pizza sauce base.
Tuna 1.00
Clams 1.00

Yakisota ? Noodles FREE WITH Coupon

Milk 2.00 gal
Yogurt 2/.25 with coupon
Cheese 3.99
Steak bog2

Cinnamon rolls 1.49

Veggies for stir fry. 1.00

Lettuce for tacos, salad
English cucumbers 1.00

QFC had raspberries 2/3. But there weren't any. The plums on sale were few and far between as well.


I did the math. It was 52 percent.

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Jane

Finally Friday

It's Friday and the end of a very stressful week. Yeah! One of the ways you can lower your food bills is to gussy up regular inexpensive food. It makes dinner special, and Nobody knows that it's cheap foods.

French toasted cheese sandwiches

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onion
Pepper

8 slices white bread
6 slices assorted cheeses

2 eggs
3 t milk

1) cook onions and mushrooms. Drain off any liquid.

2) layer cheese, vegetable mixture, cheese and bread.

3) beat eggs and milk.

4) dip both sides of sandwich n egg mixture.

5) spray skillet with cooking spray. Brown sandwiches on both sides until cheese is melted.


Clams are on sale for a buck this week.

Clam cakes

2 egg whites, beaten
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 T chopped olives
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp w sauce
2 cans clams, drained
1 T butter

In bowl, combine egg whites, 1/3 cup bread crumbs, mustard and w sauce. Stir in clams. Cover and chill 20 minutes. Toss 1 t melted butter with remaining bread crumbs.

Shape clam cakes using about 1/3 cup mixture for each. Coat each on bread crumb mixture. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Notes: one of the most expensive thongs in the store is bread crumbs ounce per ounce. Save the heels of your bread. The leftover baguettes. I dry them by placing them in a cold oven. When they are dry I process them in the food processor. Before I had one, I grated them on a sheet pan outside. ( so that the birds ate the mess. Why pay for someone else's garbage??..

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Jane

The word convenience starts with $.

I just read an article on how we waste 40 percent of our food in the us. Just because something has a sell by and use my date, doesn't mean that you need to use it my that date, it means to is not at it's peak of freshness.

Mid week should be use it up day. Maybe have a leftover night. Incorporate any bits of things that need to be used up in the next couple of dinners. Check pull dates and use oldest things first.

There are some things where it doesn't make real sense not to make it from scratch. Oatmeal is one. It takes seconds more time and energy to make it from scratch. One cup water , 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-1/2 minutes on the microwave. It does help to either ise a larger bowl, or cook it for 1 minute and then cook it for the 1/2 to prevent boil overs.

Pudding , the cooked one, is another one, a little measuring is all.

Another way to look at waste is of you are paying full price at the most costly store in town, you are wasting money.
What else could you do with that money? if you are on a tight budget, convenience is a dirty word!

Sometimes, of you use a good coupon and sale, a cake or brownie mix can be as cheap as scratch.

Many recipes that have been circulating on the Internet call for comvoence or ready made foods and many times you can substitute for scratch without much trouble.

Pasta sauce on sale is cheaper than making it from scratch. You pay dearly many times for the use of a glass jar. Both can be recycled. I can get pasta sauce for as little as .50.

We are working on providing a list of foods for children's packs. The perimeters are set for us. Thos is for children that get free breakfast and lunch at school, but don't have food for the weekend. Beef ravioli that is on separate containers was eight for five dollars. There is about a half cup of product in each container. The kids can make it themselves. But, I could make two whole 9x13 pans for five dollars or less.

on the cheap is set to help people on SNAP. When working on a three hundred dollars a month budget, you need five dollar dinners. With the savings of buying low and eating high and adding any coupons for real food or cheaper than scratch food, it is very doable. you can eat a wide variety of foods that are nutritious and tasty.

I am not going to say that some little elf is going to magically make food appear cooked in your kitchen every night.
It takes some effort and organization. One step at a time, it is doable.

1-2 price shopping can put almost four thousand dollars in your pocket a year, provided you have the full grocery money in the first place. When I was a single parent, it wasn't a matter of saving momey, it was a matter of survival. LOL.


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Jane

Coupon matchups

I already did the ads, but I have coupon matchups.

Tillamook yogurt is FREE at ALBERTSONS with coupons. Ditto brawny paper towels at QFC.

See coupon connections.



Sorry for the short post. Busy day!


Jane

The ads

We also received a Safeway coupon for ten dollars off 50.00 for two weeks.

I don't see a red plum.

TOP

Green beans, beans, tomatoes 15/10
Broccoli .69
Black olives @@ limit 4

ALBERTSONS

Milk 1.99
Apples .88
Cheese 3.99@@
Tillimook yogurt .25 @@ limit 8 $$
Jiffy pizza mix .5
Tuna .75
Tomato sauce .25
Clams 1.00
Tomatoes 1.
Carrots 1.00
Lettuce 1.00

QFC
raspberries 2/3
Broccoli .99
Yoplait 10/5 $$

SAFEWAYS

beef sirloin too 2.49
20 percent ground beef 2.49
Pot roast 2.49
Grapes 1.48
Corn 3/1
Pills bury cake mix .99
Pears .99

5 dollar Fridays

Boston cake
Raspberries 2/5
Cheese 2lbs grated

That's about all.

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Jane

Terrific Tuesday

It's Tuesday. The ads come today on the mail along with the red plum insert. I usually do a blog the night that they come out. That, however doesn't help the people that do not live in the Seattle area. knowing the prices of the staple items that you buy is you best hedge against busting your budget. Find the least fancy stores in the area, it does matter if the stores are clean, but they don't need to have fish tanks and waterfalls! LOL. In a store, space is money and if it doesn't have merchandise in it, then what is in the other space has to be priced higher to make up the profit.

Know your prices. If you don't have access to a good store with decent prices, consider venturing out to a larger town and carpooling with a friend or neighbor. You can find grocery ads on the Internet. ou can request the ads be mailed to you if you find a store in the next town that works for you. Consider shopping every two weeks and make it worth Your while when you do go. Do your homework and go the weeks that there are good buys on your staple items.
Once you have a stock built, you may be able to find fresh produce and dairy and only go once a month if necessary.
We are fortunate to have four chain stores within a five mile radius of our home and a warehouse store. I realize that everyone is not as lucky, but you can work around the obstacles. Is there a chain store close to work, or school, soccer practice? Just keep a cooler in the back of your car. I have had a small car most of my adult life. When I was first married we lived in the country. I had to go into town to shop. I often shopped on the way home from work or on my lunch hour. I was lucky enough to use the fridge at work until the end of day. There are ways around obstacles. I think they call it creative problem solving!

What problems do you face in trying to grocery shop on the cheap? I can only write from the prospective of my own experiences.

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Jane

Monday madness

Yesterday we went to Fred Meyers and Rite Aid. We also cleaned out the fridge and scrubbed the bins. my husband threw a roast in and I made a blueberry buckle. We had roast beef, mashed potatoes and an Italian vegetable medley. Blueberry buckle for desert.

Rite aid had coffee for 5.99 with up rewards, trick or treat candy ( M and Ms just jumped on the cart! ) and Mac and cheese in individual packets was 2.00 for six servings. My granddaughter takes her lunch and her teacher has specific requirements. I never fed my kids Mac and cheese from a box! LOL. How times change! Fred Meyers had butter, cheese, milk, pasta was .88. There was coupons, but I didn't find them. I'm still under my budget.

Tonight I have a meeting, so we will have roast beef a jus sandwiches. Stairstepping.

We had a thunder storm last evening. I was cooking the dinner. I was hoping the power wouldn't go out. It did for a split second, just long enough to have to reprogram the oven. Thankful that the stove didnt have to be reprogrammed because my son is in Arizona and he's the only one that knows how. We only had one choice in stoves. There is only one available in the US. It speaks three languages and has whistle and bells to program. The first time I tried I managed to get it to lock out Sundays and speak French. Getting it reprogrammed when I don't know French was a challenge!!! Key in son. He is a wizz.

Watching for good buys on things you really need everywhere you go, is me way to stretch your budget. There are many stores that carry food. Often the stores that only carry a few things have the best prices. They buy overstocks and special buys. We have big lots and grocery outlet. The dollar store has some. No one store has the best buys on everything. The last time I was at Winco, the prices had taken a big jump. I still found some bargains.

We have QFC ( Kroger ) ALBERTSONS, SAFEWAYS, and TOP. We are fortunate to have all of them within five miles of the house and Costco too.

I am not going to run all over town to shop. I pick two stores and buy the best of the two stores. Lately, we have been going to rite aid and Fred Meyers. Their ads come out on Sundays. We can do the run in the next town . Both stores are close together. Rote Aid has the best buy on beer. I don't drink, but my husband does. I only go to Fred Meyers if there are several good buys on what we need. I try to keep fresh fruit and veggies in the house as long as I can into the winter. Me like acorn squash.m my mother always baked it in the oven with butter and brown sugar. My husbands mom added cinnamon. I pre bake the acorn squash in the microwave. Poke it with a fork a couple of places first. It makes it easier to cut if you soften it up a couple of minutes in the microwave. I can remember my mom taking the squash down to dads workbench and putting it on the vice to cut it. LOL. oh, the joys of having a microwave.

Sometimes I pan roast root veggies in the oven...any of the root veggies works. Radishes, carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, leeks, onions. Just put them on a baking pan with sides. Drizzle them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes I add rosemary or thyme. Roast at 375 or 400 until they are tender. . Radishes take of a whole different taste.

Stir frying brocolli, cauliflower, and matchstick asparagus works too. I got a bag of peppers at the dollar store a week or so ago. I plan to stir fry them with some shredded chicken. A little soy,a little rice!


Guess I'm out of time, have to go into the studio and get some work done.


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Jane

Fred Meyer ads

I am going to attempt to post the buys at Fred Meyers. I am doing it on line because We havent got the paper yet.

Foster farms chicken .96
Peaches and pears .88
Cheese 3.99@@
Tilamook yogurt is really cheap with your coupon. (Printable)

Corn .30
Strawberries, 2.00 a pound
Other berries 2.00 for 6 ounces

Milk .99
Butter 1.67@@

Barilla pasta is .88 $$ see couponconnections. Nets .38******£

That's about all I found on line. I will post after I go to the store. The weather is turning here; it's about time to start the winter cooking. LOL. We have gone from 90 to 60 something in the site of a week.


Ritenaid has trick or great candy with coupons at coupon connections for cheap.

That's about all.

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Jane

Saturday notes on hunger

Its Saturday. I finally got to watch the special on childhood hunger that was on the food channel. I think that it is well and good to donate to food banks etc. A group I belong to has adopted a school ( via a church program) to make sure kids have breakfast and lunch the two days that they don't go to school.

That being said, there are a lot of people that are getting food stamps. Just getting food stamps is not enough. food stamps are bare bones money. Most of the information out there in TV land has unrealistic budget meals in the scope of a thrifty budget via the USDA. All the organic push is a joke on that budget unless you are fortunate to grow/ produce your own. That's not all bad ! In my opinion, we need to teach people on food stamps how to shop to maximize their SNAP. And, if you have never cooked from scratch, they need to learn how. They don't teach home ec in schools anymore. It went by the wayside along with cursive writing.

There are books and television shows on PBS that show you how to cook from scratch. A few basics are enough to get you by, but you do have to learn them.

There is, however, no lessons on how to shop. The native Americans have an expression, I will paraphrase because I don't think I have ever heard it for real. " Give a person a fish, he eats for a day; teach a person to fish, he eats for his life!

Giving people care packages is the right thing to do. No one should go hungry in this country. We help all kinds of other countries and charity begins at home. But, we can't give people food forever, people need the skills to shop wisely and cook what they buy that is in their budget perimeters. We have all had to do this, some more affluent than others.

This is why I started this blog. I am glad that other people are enjoying it as well,and taking from it what they can use in their lifestyles. I am not a nutritionist, nor have I had any form of home economics training with the exception of some cooking and sewing classes. I have just been in a position of being part of the working poor and having to make it. I read everything I could get my hands on for years. I still read everything that I see that can help me. Even the budget cooking shows on TV, while unrealistic for a low income budget, can teach you some things. many times you can make the meal for your budget if you have shopped wisely.

My plan has worked for years. It is sustainable and doable for most people. I just have to reach the people that need it.

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Jane

Coupon matchups for this week

I just downloaded my recipes from betty crocker and my coupons from coupons.com

ALBERTSONS has chicken noodle and tomato soup for .50 limit 8. There is a coupon, you can print two, for .40 off of three. That means that for the first six you buy, you are paying 2.20 for all six. Or about .36 for soup that is a buck elsewhere on sale. 64 percent savings.

There is a dollar off three hunts snack pudding packs.....attention school title one backpack suppliers!
I am still checking if the dollar store carries it. You can only buy two of any one item and use a coupon for them.

Yoplait is 10/5". Coupon for .40 on six. You don't have to buy 10 to get the discounted price. 2.60 for six net price.

Nature valley is 1.69. (Bars) coupon is .50 on two. Or .50 on one soft baked oatmeal. I have tried the soft baked oatmeal ones...yummy and granddaughter will confer!

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Jane

Friday Focus

It's Friday. I'm exhausted after working two double shifts., I'm getting too old for this stuff. But, we went on vacation, and others need to go too. We trained a new gal so things should get better; and she is younger. LOL

We will go,shopping today, but not for much. We don't need much and I am working on averaging for our big summer months of good buys. ALBERTSONS has chicken noodle soup for .50 a can limit 8. We like chicken noodle soup for lunch sometimes in the winter. I'll have to make room in the pantry. We start making soups more in the fall and winter, so it should be paring down soon. QFC has mega deals that have coupon matchups. I don't need any of these, but if you do, it is a good time to stock up. I usually can score close to 70 percent off. There is snack crackers and the holidays are coming, Cheerios, and bars. September is coupon month,so there are unusually high coupons out there, dollar wise. They are first come, First served, so get them early.

using coupons that match up with sales can be a great budget booster. I don't buy a lot of the ready made stuff,because it can be a great budget breaker. I do buy a few things that are hard or too time consuming to make.
Just like other times in life, you have to pick your battles. A lot of things are easy to make and take minimal non passive cooking time. Those are the things that I cook from scratch. I usually do the math I'd I am in doubt. I buy crackers and I buy protein rich breakfast bars. I am diabetic and it is a good way to be able to measure my carbs and protein for a balanced fast breakfast or snack. Imonlynbuy them when I can get a good deal with coupons and sales. That's called coupon matching. When you have a store sale or coupon and a manufacturers coupon, you can double dip. It's a real money saver.

Things I buy ready made.

Peanut butter
Crackers
Refried beans ( I saw a recipe for refried beans that was simple,but I can't remember where! )
Instant mashed potatoes
Cake mix
Chicken noodle soup
Tomato soup in a box
Cheerios

I don't buy any of them unless they are on a good sale or I have a good sale and a coupon.
We don't use a lot of peanut butter, cake mix or cheerios. I just started buying cheerios when granddaughter came.
On a good sale, these things are cheaper than making them from scratch.
When in doubt, do the math. If you are going to make a couple of bucks an hour, it's probably not worth your time to make something from scratch. But, my daughter and I have done the math a few times , and we have "made " 200 dollars
an hour before -- now that's well worth our time. Another consideration is whether or not scratch is a lot more healthy or has a lot more food value in it. As is the case with hamburger meal boxes. The new ultimate boxes have more food value, but they are more expensive too. I haven't done the math, but suspect that you are still better off with scratch. Figure out what different sauces have in them and keep them in a book. That's about all you are buying when you buy a mix-- either a pasta salad or a hamburger dinner. It's usually simple ingredients. Many state with a white sauce. It's a really simple thing to master if you haven't already. I know they stopped teaching home EC in schools. It's a pity that home ec and handwriting has gone by the way side, in my opinion. I digress...

there are some skillet sauces on SALE at ALBERTSONS for 1.49. Really? That is more than the meat that you put them on in some cases. Sauces are not that hard, and many times they are a few cheap ingredients. If you haven't already read my piece on hamburger meal boxes, please do it is a real eye opener. Before you buy a mix or meal box, read the label including the nutrition facts and ingredients. Ingredients have to be listed in order of volume. Of something has cheese in it, it should also have cholesterol. Cholesterol is a dirty word in some households, but lets be realistic. I never knew a cheese I didn't like, and I never saw a cheese that didnt have cholesterol. LOL.

Almost anything you need to know you can google on the Internet!
It has saved my many a time or given me peace of mind.

granddaughter had a visit from the Fire department at school yesterday. Someone smelled gas, so the kids were evacuated. She came home saying fireman come. Fireman come! I guess they were impressed with the red trucks. Turns out it was some paint fumes from down the street.

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Jane

Chicken, glorious Chicken

What to do with what you got.

Chicken continues to be a bargain at a buck a pound. There are chicken recipes every where you turn. To so a bland tasting meat that takes on different flavors well which makes it a very versatile meat.

I had found a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Pizza. basically it is made with ranch dressing for a base, blue cheese crumbles, chicken cubes or bite sized pieces tossed with a little melted butter an hot pepper sauce. Mgarnishnwith red pepper chopped, mushrooms, or black olives.

chicken pot pie
Roast Chicken Sunday Dinner
BBQd thighs and legs

chicken Cesar salad ,
Chicken chop salad

Never buy a chicken that is less than three pounds.
I roast it off , rubbing olive oil on the skin and stuffing it with anything I have hanging around, Apple, inion, lemon, orange. If I am feeling ambitious, I put fresh herbs under the skin.

I use a chicken breast for one meal. Save one for another and separate the dark meat for a third meal and bag them for the freezer. The bones go into a bag for stock.

When I bought grill packs, I deboned the breasts, saved the bones for stock. I zit the rest of the hindquarters in a
Pot with water and veggies and simmered them off. When they were a little cool, I strained the broth and froze it, and shredded the rest of the meat. That gave me boneless, skinless chicken breasts for a dollar a pound-- sweet!

I have only covered the tip of the iceberg, the Betty Crocker web site has a lot more. It is a good source for ideas.

What chicken ideas do you have? There is a comment section below!

I had double shifts yesterday and today. We had BBQd beef sandwiches and leftover pasta salad. My boss brought us vine ripe tomatoes from her garden-- best tomatoes I have ever eaten.

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Jane

Grocers dirty little secrets!

As I have said before, the retailers have spent considerable money to research our habits and find ways to get us to spend more money.

Advertising multiples, when you can only by one item is one trick they use. Because something is 3/1.00 doesn't mean that you have to buy three.

The longer you spend in a store, the more money you will spend. That's why some retailers change things aroumd frequently. Costco is notorious for it. If you have the mind set that you are on the clock and want to get the most bang for your buck, you'll spend less time. It's a game. I want to save as much as I can in the least amount of time.

Impulse buying is the retailers profit. They figure that 70 percent of what we buy is impulse. Often it is the most expensive things in the store that you don't really need. We want the retailers to prosper but they can do it on someone else's dime who can afford it.

Create your own path through the store, if you don't need anything in an isle, don't go there. The true necessities are on the outside perimeter of the store.

Sometimes, what is truly on sale isn't the featured items up front.

Exercise the hands off rule. Studies say that if you touch it, you are most likely going to buy it.

It's a well known trick that if prices have to increase, the manufacturers will reduce the size of the package instead of outwardly increasing the price.

Know your prices, the bulk isle isn t always the cheapest price.

Keep in mind that foods are sold other places other than grocery stores. Many time you can find overstocks at the dollar store, big lots, Bartells and almost anywhere. Keep your eye open, and know your prices.

Pick your grocery store based on the prices, not how friendly the clerks are or how fancy the store is, or how uncrowded it is. think about it, there is a reason why the store is crowded. Either they have just forecasted that dreaded S word, or it's because they have the best prices. You go to the grocery store to purchase your food.

Stores charge manufacturers slotting fees. Basically they charge rent for the eye level shelves. You can just bet they are going to pass on the cost. Look UP and DOWN for the best buys.

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Jane

Life is like a big pasta salad

Yesterday, I made a big pasta salad to take to a happy hour picnic. Reflecting on my life, I think that life is like a big pasta salad. The pasta is the base. Our moral values, or its what we are made of. The veggies and stuff that we throw into it is the life experiences that get thrown at us. We can process them so that we wind up with a gourmet delight, or not. The dressing so how we pull it together. How we find a positive, out of a negative situation.

Back in the days when we went without a 10 inch black and white tv with rabbit ears, I would have never dreamed I would have a thirty something flat screen with hundreds of channels. We listened to old time radio. Now, I listen to old time radio because I want to and enjoy it. I can listen and still work in my studio or fold clothes .

When I studied everything I could get my hands on to learn to stretch a buck, I learned valuable life's lessons. Life's lessons I am trying to teach others. Making a positive out of what could have been a negative. My mother always said that no one ever gets through life without paying their dues. What you do with the experience is the key to a " flop or a gourmet salad."

So, I write this blog to help those people who, by their own volition want to stretch a buck or because someone is in a position to Have to stretch their food dollar, can make informed decisions and eat better for less.
My way of turning a negative into a positive.

The little feedback I get is telling me that people take different things from this blog. Some like to try a new recipe, some like a way to get out of the kitchen faster, or streamline the hectic dinner hour. Some just like to laugh at my terrible keyboard skills on the I pad! LOL. Whatever the reason, thanks for stopping by, and I hope you are sharing so that I can reach more people. They can take what they want from it. I do not get paid for doing this, I am doing it to try to help people eat better for less. Better, cheaper, faster,


Again, thanks for stopping by


Jane

The ads sept 11th

Top

London broil BOGO nets 2.75
Cheese 4.99@ limit 1

ALBERTSONS

Campbell soups 2/1.00 limit 8
Grapes 1.28
Yoplait 10/5 $$$
BOGO meat, no prices


Dryers 2/7 *****

SAFEWAYS

Corn 3/1

Dryers 2.88***

5 dollar Friday
2 strawberries
Cream cake


QFC

Peaches .99
Romas .99

Buy 5 /5 mega

Cheerios 1.50$$
Dreyers 2.49 $$
Nature valley 1.69$$$
Oscar Mayer lunch meat 2.49
Sirloin tip 2.99
Whole chickens .99
Butter 2.00


Notes:
Dryers ice cream is 2.00 with a printable coupon at rite aid'and up rewards.
Rite aid also has Russell stovers sugar free candy for a buck a bag with up rewards.
They also had sox for .25 each. Adult , the kind you wear with sneakers, colorful.
And Kleenex tissues for .88, 100 count


@ means an in ad coupon
$$ means there are coupons either printable or in an insert, see coupon connections.com.

Chicken is a buck at QFC!


Thanks for stopping by

Please share

Jane

Terrific Tuesday

It's Tuesday in case you were confused! LOl. Sometimes, I get confused if I don't have any special thing to so in a day. The days run together when you are retired. Sometimes, I think I work harder than I did before I was retired.
I sure don't miss driving to Everett everyday. LOL

Last night we had leftovers. I made baked potatoes and peas for our meatloaf. An old fashioned dinner if I ever had one!

It still feels like summer here, we are having unusually warm September. We are going to a BBQ tonight.

Granny's macaroni salad.

1 cup medium sized macaroni, cook, drain

2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red or yellow pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pickles
1/4 cup chopped black olives
1 hard cooked egg, chopped
1/4 cup thawed frozen peas.



Dressing
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T milk
1T pickle juice
2 parsley
Salt and pepper.

Mix dressing, macaroni and rest of ingredients. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.


I just got a new coupon list in my in box. I haven't looked at all of it yet, I tend to wait until I get the real computer so I can print too, it's more efficient. I did find a dollar off three pudding cup packages. Some of us are gathering food for take home packs for needy children. I think the dollar store carries it. That would make 12 for 2.00.

We stopped at grocery outlet yesterday because I needed some supplies and went to Lynnwood.
They had shredded cheese. It is a little pricy at 2 dollars for 8 ounces, but there was blue cheese crumbles and several varieties of specialty cheeses. Red and yellow peppers were .50. There was five pounds of chorizo sausage crumbles for 6.99. It is already cooked and drained so that would be a good price. I passed on it.
Like any store, not everything is a bargain. You really need to know the lowest prices on the things you buy regularly.

I want to pay 2.50 a pound for cheese. I have been finding it occasionally, and have a stock on hand. I got shredded motts for 2.19 or so at Costco. I have plenty of cheddar bricks. I can always put a brick through the food processor and add a little cornstarch to it. ( natural anti caking agent). The grated cheese at grocery outlet makes really good four cheese Mac and cheese. We also like blue cheese in tomato soup with basil. I got a fresh basil plant for 3.34 cents and have been eating off of it all summer. If you add to,atoes from the garden and basil and motts with a balsamic dressing , it is really good. It's almost time to start eating cheeseburger macaroni from scratch again. My granddaughter has been eating cheese quesidas all summer.

Thanks for stopping by

Please,share and join.

Jane

Monday madness, and a new post

It's Monday. Back to school for the little one, I have to still get the rest of my big order out, so it's stuck in the studio working.

Last night we had meat loaf, squash and salad.

I was looking at some retro cookbooks. We certain,y ate a lot more fat and sugar than we do now. Many recipes are really good. We just need to alter them to make them a bit more healthy. in other words, we don't need to deprive ourselves of the foods we like, we just need moderation and to make so,e adjustments to our recipes.

Many recipes call for,shortening. I think they have taken the saturated fat out of shortening. I still try to steer clear of it.

Grocery Outlet is a good source for cheese. They have a wide variety of cheeses and So,e of them are inexpensive as cheeses go. Cheese is still a good source of protein. Especially if we avoid fried foods and and fatty meats.
The harder the cheese,the better it is for you.

Three Cheese Fettuccine

1-1/2 cups broccoli
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced
1T olive oil

4 green onions, sliced
1 tsp minced garlic
2T flour

Oregano, salt, pepper

3-1/2 cups plus 1T milk

1/2 cup shredded Gouda
1/2'cup shredded Swiss
1/4'cup parm
12 punches of fettuccine or linguine , cooked and drained. Keep warm.

1) cook broccoli and carrots with a little water until crisp tender and drain.

2) in a large skillet, sauté garlic and green onions on oil. Stir in flour and spices. Cook 1 minute , then add milk and stir until white sauce has thickened. Add cheese a little at a time. Add vegetables to the cheese sauce.




Note : you could add cooked chicken to this. Serve with a tossed salad and breadsticks.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share and join.

Jane


Ps. I had to go to the next town for supplies. Stopped at grocery outlet. 4 pack of fruit was 1.49; 5 pounds od cooked sausage was 7.99.,peppers were .50.

Rite,aid coupon extremes.

We went to Rite aid. I did not go to Fred Meyers. I got a tremendous amount of things for 15.00 at Rite Aid with coupons and specials and up rewards. I got 2 ice creams for 2.00 a piece. I got sugar free Russell stoves chocolate for a buck. I got sox 4 pair for a buck. I got the baby's treats for two dollars off. And I got Kleenex for .88 a box. Basically, I got half off.

Thanks for stopping by


Please,share

Jane