Part 2: shopping

Every month I write the same blog; every month  I write off the top of my head.  Please feel free to read back blogs, some are better than others.

We have talked about identifying the foods that we use often to cook our meals and finding the RBP for them.  Basically, we might buy six cans of pasta sauce this week, because we don't have to buy the pasta that we bought last week.  The difference is that instead of paying 2.19 for pasta, we have paid fifty cents.  You actually have a stock of food, and have paid less than you paid before.m

I would be remiss if I didn't address the issue of not buying boxes and premades .  When you buy ready made and mixes, you are paying for someone else's labor and feeding your family a bunch of chemicals they don't need to eat.  If you are on a very limited budget, you just can't afford it.  There are ways to cook just as fast from scratch.  There Re a few things that are cheaper to buy in a can or box than to make  from scratch, especially of you match a sale with a coupon.

Let's talk about prepping for your shopping trip.  When buying 1/2 price groceries, you are spending more time shopping, and less time cooking.  You get paid for shopping.  When you figure your savings over going to the nearest store and buying food, sometimes the savings divided by the amount of extra time is like earning 75.00 an hour.  LOL.

Prepping.
When you get the ads , take a piece of computer paper and divide it into quarters.  Top each section with the name of a store.  Now go through the ads and write down anything on your stock list that is a RBP.  Write down any produce and dairy that is a good price.  Look for the meat item that is the lowest price that is on your list.  Every week, the stores pick a meat that is their featured  item and give it a RBP.  If you pick one a week, buy enough to cover that meat for a month and rotate the meats, you virtually buy your meat at the lowest price, portion control it for no waste, and cook once, eat many times.

Let me rephrase that to make more sense.  When I plan meals, I use a outline or matrix.

2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish
Your matrix may be different. This one os what works for us.
One week, if whole chicken is a buck or less a pound, I will buy enough for us to have 2 chicken Meals a week for two weeks.  I usually cut up a chicken into  2 breast portions. dark meat, and soup.
I usually buy ham cubes or a pork loin roast.  You can slice off pork chops from the pork loin and freeze.  We can still get it for 1.79 sometimes.  When good ground beef is under three dollars a pound, I get it and marathon cook crumbles, taco meat, and meatballs enough for the 8 beef meals.  We used to have roast and roast beef a jus sandwiches before beef took a double hike.
Bulk cooking is a way to cook once, divide the meat into meal sized portions with no waste and clean up once.  The meat takes the most time to cook, so precooked meat means that your mealtime os less hectic.

After you have your list of things that are on sale , cross off anything that is more expensive elsewhere, and anything you don't need .  Now pick the TWO best stores.  Check the coupon matching sites on your area for coupons.  I buy ONE paper a week for a buck at the dollar store.  I save the coupon inserts in a binder clip by month.  Coupons.com is a good web site to get printable coupons.  There are a lot of premades to weed through, but you can still find coupons for dairy and other necessities.

Plan your trip, bring the ads, your list, your coupons.  Plan your trip to maximize gas.  Of the stores are far apart, break it down to two trips that tag along with other errands.  Maybe one store is near your mother that you visit with every week, the gym, the doctor??? Whatever works.  If you have no big grocery stores on your town. Consider  arranging a carpool with neighbors or family and go once a month, or twice a month.

You don't have to buy your food just at the chain stores.  You so have to avoid the specialty big bucks stores.  If you are on a rock bottom thrifty budget, sorry, there os no room for ready mades unless they are cheaper than scratch, and there is no room for special fancy stores.  You are paying for that fancy store every time   you walk onto it.  LOL.

There are alternative stores to the chain stores.  Warehouse stores like Costco and Winco sell so,e things cheaper.  Over stock s gores like grocery outlet and big lots sell select merchandise cheaper.
The bakery outlet is cheaper on some things unless you happen onto a real sale.  We go every six to eight weeks.  Sometimes  the drug stores have food a lot cheaper.

The biggest thing to remember is to know your prices.  My mother used to have the expression,
Some people could have a bargain get up and bite them in the butt and they wouldn't see it!

It's all about knowing the best prices and. Uh ing on moderation, just enough to last you until the next sale.  It won't happen overnight.  It happens one can at a time.

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Next time cooking

Jane

The basics, part one.

Groceries on the cheap takes a three pronged approach at putting food on the table at 1/2 price of retail.

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.  Now, snap has been  cut five percent.  Add the fact that meat pretty much has gone up 30 percent, it is harder to make both ends meet.   I actually found that many people not on snap read my blog.  Some people either want or need to economize on food, some like a way to get out of the kitchen faster, or be more efficient, and some just like trying new recipes.

Groceries on the cheap takes a three pronged approach at cheap grocery shopping.

• Planning and organizing
• Savy shopping 
• Cooking from scratch

Like about anything we do, it's always less stressful of we have a plan.  If you hate to grocery shop, it's  probably because you are short on money, you are bringing two toddlers with you, or you are a indecisive personality.  Break down the problems,and  life will be less stressful.  

• Planning your trip and maximizing your snap money will make you have food left over at the end of the month.  
• Leaving the kids at home is a good move.  Of you don't have anyone at home to take care of them,  try to leave them with family, or trade babysitting with a friend.  
• Having a list, and having guidelines of what to buy, takes the decision making part out of the grocery store, and into the home where you are comfortable and the "rules" make the process easy.  

Everything starts with a plan.  This is only time consuming at first,  some of it is  done once and then you are set.  Some of ot you probably have already done unconsciously.  

• List the inexpensive sources of protein that your family will eat.  
• List the main dishes that use these ingredients. 
• List the food items that you use on a weekly basis to cook these foods.  no boxes or bags of stuff here.  Just scratch food.  ( your stock list) 

For example:  our family likes chicken, pork, some beef, cheese, rice, beans and refried beans and some fish and shellfish.  

We have tacos and burritos often.  Chicken dishes , Mac and cheese, pork roast, sloppy joes, soups .....

Our stock list is beans, refried beans, diced tomatoes, tuna, pasta sauce, pasta, green beans and corn, cheese, some chili and cream of mushroom soup.  

After you have assessed the shelf ready items that you use on a regular basis, you need to track these items for a while and fond the rock bottom price for them on your area.  A rock bottom price is the lowest price you can find.  Stores operate on a 8-12 week cycle.  Maybe beans will be less than .69 once every three months.  Maybe once every four or five months , they will be .50.  You want to assess how often you use them, and how many you need to last you until they go on sale again.  The object is to never pay that nasty f word.  ( full price) .  If we use something once a week, I keep 24.  If I use it once a month, I keep 6.  Things like catsup, mustard, mayo etc, I keep one ahead.  When I open my back up, I start looking for a sale.  Thos is a out buying low and eating when the price is high.  It's stocking, not hoarding.  It's more about being prepared and being self sufficient.  If you have a stock of food and are sick, you don't have to go to the store.  

Not paying full price on your key purchases is the trick to stretching your food dollar.  

Having a personal cookbook of dishes you cook for dinner is good,  7 is nice, 14 is better.  

Planning a weeks worth of meals ahead is a good tool to stay out of the drive  through or off the phone ordering pizza.   You don't have to get real specific, the main dish is fine.  You can deviate from the plan, just have a plan.  

Next time| : Savy shopping

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Jane 

Happy thanksgiving

 Happy T hanks giving.  !  Back Tommorrow for the basics !  

Wicked Wednesday/ recipe addition

It's Wednesday.  I have no ads yet.  I am not sure there are any ads today.

I found a crock pot recipe for chicken thighs.

Mix together

1.5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1T orange zest
Pepper

Brown 2 lbs skinned chicken thighs  in oil. 5 minutes per side.
Place in crockpot.

Add 1/2 onion chopped in skillet and sauté until limp.
Add salt and pepper and 2 t flour.  Stir.
Pour in broth mixture and bring to a boil.

Pour over meat on crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve over polenta or rice.
Garnish with blue cheese

That's all for today.

I think that it is interesting that there is a lot of pizza buys in the ads lately.  I think because we are prepping thanksgiving for days and dinner still has to happen.  LOL.  It os a lot easier of we can delegate   dinner to several people/ families and minimize the stress at the last minute.

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Jane

Is it turkey day yet!?!!!

I can't believe the hype about Christmas spending.  Stores are open on thanksgiving and they are already advertising Black Friday.  I, for one, don't think we need to gloss over thanksgiving.  I couldn't even find a thanksgiving sticker anywhere.  It's all Christmas.

I have already got my store books done this morning, and I am about to undertake making a turkey.
We are going out to family for Thanksgiving, but I like leftovers!   The best part of thanksgiving.  At eight dollars for turkey, we can eat a long time.

Yesterday,  I made snowman soup packets for my daughters class at school. They are a packet sorta like a matchbox that I embossed with snowflakes with a poem.  I filled a bag to go in it with candy cane, hot chocolate packet, and marshmallows.  I also had the pleasure?!??? Of going to the physical therapist.  LOL.  

I digress

Sweet Potato  and apple dish

Olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 cup rice, raw

1 cup water
2/3 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup cubed Granny Smith apple

1/4 cup frozen peas
2 t raisins
Salt and pepper

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add the rice and toast lightly.  Add water and sweet potato and bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until sweet potato is tender.  Add apple , peas and raisens.  Continue cooking about three or four minutes.

Serves two.

Notes, Costco sometimes has sweet potato already cubed.  I made sweet potato soup one time.  Peeling and curbing sweet potato or squash is a royal pain!  

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Jane

Let's try FM and rite aid again.

After my husband went and got the real newspaper , here are the rote ado and Fred Meyers ads

Rite aid.  Score!    Toothpaste, Colgate 3.50 with a 3.00 up reward.  .50 coupon in Sundays paper!  Limit 2......

Colgate toothbrush 2.99 less coupon .50. Less up reward, makes .50.  Great stocking stuffer!

Oatmeal cups 2/3, 3.00 up reward.  FREE.  Backpacks?.......

That's about it.

Fred Meyers

Celery .38
5 lbs clementines 4.88 ( when we went Sunday to 185th, they were soggy soft,  )
Cranberry sauce 1.00
Pumpkin 2/3$$
Black olives .99@@
Sweet potatoes .79
Tillamook ice cream, 2/5@@$$
Butter  1.79@@
Country bread 3/4@@

That's about all.

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Jane

Answer to Susan

I can't seem to make the reply button work in the comment section.  This info is probably good for others too.

Susan, 

My sister was married to a type 1, and she could probably answer you better. But,here goes...

I went to diabetes school and it was probably the smartest thing I have done.  I would recommend it to anyone that is diabetic and their mates if they cook for them.  Insurance paid for it.  

First, find out from the doc or nutritionist, how many carbs he should be eating.  Get a carb book.  I got one from school, but they are on paperback everywhere.  It is better to eat your carbs with protein.  It slows the time stiff gets into your bloodstream.  That bag of potato chips is the worst snack you can have, both for your pocketbook and your A1C.  Learn to read boxes.  Lots of hidden sugar and salt.  I avoid lots of per packaged, but check the carbs on the side of the carton. Subtract the dietary fiber and any sugar alcohol.  What's left is your carbs.  There are really good Russell stover chocolates out there that are free of carbs.  You, however, just don't want to eat more than two at a time even though they say that three is a serving!    There are ways to trick yourself into believing you have had a good treat.  I use a little sugar free syrup in my one cup of coffee in the morning.  The second cup is black.  I am supposed to drink four, but I haven't got that far yet.  I had reduced myself to one, but other health issues suggest four is better for me.  

Some vegetables are high on carbs too.  Lettuce, celery, cucumbers, cabbage are really low.  Most of this   you probably already know from weight watchers.  

I bake myself.  Flour has a little more than 10 carbs per cup.  It's easier to figure carbs.  

The best thing to do is to go together to diabetic school.  You only have one life and taking care of your diabetes can mean you have a more comfortable life.  

Thanks for stopping by and commenting .

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Jane 

Bogus post : dollar tree sold me the wrong newspaper. None of these are true!

Hands down, Fred Meyer has the best prices on Thanksgiving food around, especially of you didn't wait until the last minute to buy your staples.

Turkey is free if you spend 150.00.  It is better than the if you spend at other stores because Gred Meyer has more than food and you can also get a head start on Christmas or get the other things that you may be missing! like a roasting pan etc.  bakeware is buy one! get one 1/2.

Apples are .98
Canned veggies are 2/1.00@@
Triscuits are 3/5@@@
Truffles 2/5
Cranberries 2/4
Berries 2/5
Ice cream 2/4@@
M And ms 2/5@@$$
Coffee 5.99
Potatoes(boxed) 1.00$$
Yams 2/3@@
Pumpkin 2/4@@$$
Cranberry sauce 1.00

@@ means in ad coupon
$$ means there is a manufacturers coupon also check coupon connections.

Rite Aid



Colgate toothpaste .99 net after up reward and there is a dollar coupon .  I love FREE, it's even better if they pay you a penny to take it out of the store!
Zantac 8.99 less 5.00 coupon in the Sunday paper. ( if you don't get the Sunday paper it's a buck at the dollar store all week and you will still be momey ahead!

Be sure to check coupon commectioms.  Remember a bargain isn't a bargain if it's something you don't use.!   I only take stiff even of ot is free unless I can ise ot or know someone that can.  I don't need 24 tubes of free toothpaste, but the women's shelter or food bank can use it.  It is an easy, inexpensive way to help someone.

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Jane

Suddenly Saturday,

My sister reminded me that Betty Crocker has a series to sign up for e mails that are for 25 days of Christmas cookies.  Christmas cookies don't get eaten on thos family, so I'm not buying into it.  Other families, I suspect would enjoy them.

No bake chocolate cookies.

1 cup chocolate chips
5 T butter
14 Large marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups Quaker Oat meal
2/3 cup  any combination nuts, raisins, craisens, any dried fruit.

1) melt butter, chocolate and marshmallows in a pan.  When completely melted, remove from heat and add vanilla.  Stir on remaining ingredients.
2) drop by rounded tablespoons onto waxed paper.
3) refrigerate 2-3 hours

From favorite brand name recipes

My daughter makes a cranberry bar akin to the bars at Starbucks.  It's a lot of layers and time consuming, but really yummy!

We have been  eating pumpkin pie a lot.  With eggs, pumpkin and the fact that there is only one crust it is pretty healthy.

we went grocery shopping yesterday.  I'm not quote done and still have to get the things for thanksgiving a little closer to thanksgiving.  But, I saved half.  I am still under budget and I got a cart full of real food.

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Jane

Thanksgiving

I have been thinking about sides for Thanksgiving.  Betty Crocker sent me some really good recipes for an alternative to the green bean casserole and mashed potatoes in the crockpot.  Also corn pudding and I found some salads that sounded good until they got to the cool whip.  I don't think that whip cream would hold up for a substitute, so I think I'll pass.  Has anybody used sour cream sweetened instead?   There was also a recipe for a muffin that used the leftover cranberry sauce.  I thought that was very clever.

I can't seem to find the links, but you can google on the Betty Crocker web site.  I have some of the recipes, but can't publish them.

There is usually not a lot of bargains during the holidays.  They know you are going to buy certain things anyway, so they don't have  to mark them down .   I found the best buys at Fred Meyers a few weeks ago.  If you waited until the last minute, you are pretty much paying full price. Turkey's remain the same price. There are coupons for a total of eight dollars off a butterball, but butterballs are more expensive in the first place-  almost double the mean price of a regular turkey ( .69).

Traditionally, we always eat leftovers several days after thanksgiving.  Probably because we cooked a day and need to rest and there is food left over.  There are a lot of leftover recipes on the same Betty Crocker web sites.

Coupon matchups are making QFC a store of choice.  My next pick would be top.

Free milk when you buy four  General Mills.
Pillsbury pie dough is on their list, and there are coupons for it.
Also cereal and fiber one bars.  I can always find coupons for them.

Betty Crocker potatoes and a buck, and there are coupons for them too.  You can add leftover turkey and a salad and vegetable and have a weeknight meal.

Broccoli is .99 a pound

I guess that's all

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Jane

The ads , coupons

ALBERTSONS

Potatoes 10/.97
Coffee 5.99@@
Butter 1,99@@
Milk 2.69

QFC

Turkey .59
Butterball 1.89
Broccoli .99
Raspberries, blackberries BOGO nets 2.00 ea
Cheese 4.99
Celery .69
Ice cream 2/5

TOP

TURKEY.
FREE WITH 150.00 purchase
.49 with 100.00
.69 with 50.00

Cranberries 2/4
Veggies 2/1 @@
Olives 1.00
Butterball 1.29
Cheese 3.99@
Butter 1.77@
Eggs .97@@

SAFEWAYS
Bitterball 1.29
Spend  150.00 free
Spend 100.00. .49
Spend 50.00 .69

Grapes 1.99
11 inch pie 5.99

5.00 Friday
Raspberries 2/5
Bc cake .99@@$$
Pumpkin 1.49@@$$
Sweet potatoes .99
Coffee 6.99

Note @@ means there is a in ad coupon.  $$ means that there is manufacturer coupons , see coupon connections website on line.

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Jane

Wicked Wednesday

We still have no ads.  This would normally be the day that I do the ads.  This month they all seem to have a thanksgiving theme and are not really conducive of stocking.  That being said.  Now is the time for you to stock pumpkin of you are a pumpkin eater.  ( no pun intended LOL).

My guess is they next month will be the same.  That's why stocking when prices are low makes sense.,  The trick is to stock in moderation, just enough to last you until the next sale. this won't happen overnight.  It will take a while.  you are building one can or jar at a time.  I am not advocating buying a years worth of food on one shopping trip unless of course, you live where you get to the store once a year!    This isn't about hoarding. Mints about keeping enough of an item you use on a weekly basis to last you until it goes on sale at the RBP again.

I am still getting some things at times at the RBP or lower lately like refried beans, pasta sauce, and vegetables.

Last night was taco Tuesday.  I dissected one as covertly as I could.  There was one T of taco meat, at least a cup of lettuce, and a tablespoon maybe of grated cheese on three tacos with a garnish of about three tomato cubes.  In their defense, they were all you can eat for five bucks.  I think the guys use ot for a contest, how many can you eat!   They certainly don't have to worry about too much fat or cholesterol!  


 We had chicken, potatoes, and mixed vegetables one night last week and chicken,stuffing,and green beans another night.  Both what I would consider a decent dinner that was balanced.  My goal is to feed a family decent, well balanced meals, on a very thrifty budget.

Batch cooking meat is beneficial because it saves time, makes meal time easy when you need it to be, and allows you to portion control and not waste food.  Whether you have a bog family or are cooking for one or two you can break down bulk priced food into meal sized portions.

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Jane

Ads later when I get them.

MIA

I know, I have been MIA for a couple of days.  I finally got some medical attention for my headaches, bit now have another "headache. ". Seems planned parenthood, yet again, put the wrong fax number on their medical release forms.  I can't tell you how happy I was, even with my happy pills, to get seven phone calls with the obligatory s q u e e ch between five and six o'clock this  morning.
Seems none knows how to make them go away or nobody cares.  How many ways can you spell frustration.

I digress

On to food!  Glorious Food!  

Fred Meyer had pumpkin for a buck.  I have coupons for Libby.  I bought just enough to see of ot os any good.  I don't usually buy off brands of pumpkin.  We also got canned veggies that were Kroger.  They tasted fine.  They were fifty cents...more than RBP.  Cranberry sauce was also on sale as well as blackberries2/5.  Granddaughter loves blackberries--go figure.

Betty Crocker has a couple of  emails out for thanksgiving.  Seems you can put pumpkin in just about everything.  I am not so sure about some of them.  I'll try to figure a link.

There is a coupon out there for three dollars off of butterball turkey, and a coupon in the Sunday paper for another five dollars off coupons, like a rebate.  That's 8 dollars off.  You have to buy any combo of fair sides, the potatoes and the crescent dinner rolls both have coupons to match up.  My daughter says that target has butterballs for a buck a pound.  I haven't seen them advertised this week.

Turkey's are free at ALBERTSONS and Fred Meyer with minimum purchases.  Fred Meyers is a hefty amount, but it covers most everything in the store from the paint for the deck to dishes for the thanksgiving table or the kids Christmas toys.  ALBERTSONS is more generous.

My  mother always cooked the same things for thanksgiving dinner.  It is interesting that none of these recipes are liked by my husbands family, so traditions are replaced.  Such is life.

We had
Turkey
Dressing with a lot of sage and celery and onion.
Mashed potatoes, gravy
Green beans with bacon
Creamed onions
Sweet potatoes, mashed, formed into a ball with a marshmallow and dipped in corn flakes and baked off to melt the marshmallows.
lime jello salad with green pepper, cucumbers and pineapple.

Of course, pumpkin Pie

YUM.   memories

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Jane

Repost: retailers 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 more.

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

Fred Meyer ads and coupons.

It's Simday.  Thos week quote a few of the grocery stores have ads on the Sunday paper.

One thing to note.  there are coupons out there, (One is on savings Star) for three dollars off when you buy some sodes.  There are also coupons for some sodes.  In the savings insert this week, there os a mail in rebate for five dollar off coupons for butterball products., T hats eight dollars off your Turkey of you can make all that happen.  I haven't researched the particulars.  I was hoping it would be on couponnconnections.  There is also a coupon for Betty Crocker potatoes, fifty cents on two.  They are at the dollar store.   Nets  .75 each.

Rite Aid has Colgate toothpaste on an up reward, nets .99 unless there is a coupon out there.  My coupon had expired.

Fred Meyers

Turkey

Free  when you spend 150.00
.49 when you spend 100.00
.69 when you spend 50.00
Note that Fred Meyers sells lots of stuff.  There are some exclusions, mostly the normal stuff ( booze etc plus jewelry and fuel.

Apples .98
Butter 1.79@@
Canned veggies 2/1@@
Pumpkin pie 3.99
Butterball turkey 2.19
Cranberry sauce 2.00
Pills bury crescent rolls 1.88$$
Pie crust 2/5$$
Pumpkin 2/4$$@@
Cranberries 2/4
Raspberries, blackberries 2/5
Ice cream 2/4@@

That's about all.

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Jane

Suddenly Saturday: what to do with what you got!

We went shopping Yesterday.  It was a short trip.  I went to the doctor, but the computer messed up my prescription , so I haven't had any relief yet. going to the physical therapist Monday.

 I did no matchups and got what we were out of fresh food wise and 2 chickens because they were .79 a pound.  When stores are gearing up for a holiday, there are not a lot of real food sales.

I don't usually bake a lot for the holidays.  Everyone has made it perfectly clear that they don't want any part of rich deserts.  I don't want food to go to waste.  I do make a "treat " for thanksgiving when I can.

Pilgrim Hats

Chocolate thin wafer cookies
Regular sized Reese's peanut butter cups
Frosting in a bag or put into a zip lock bag with the tip cut off.
Place wafer on a plate.  Place a small dollup of frosting to glue the upside down Reese's to the wafer.
Make a buckle in the center of the side of the hat.  Perpendicular to the plate.

They are really cute.  I found chocolate wafers at SAFEWAYS In the cookie isle.

I digress

What to do with what you have.
I would, obviously pick chicken for my Stock meat for the week.
Don't forget your matrix.   it makes it pretty easy to do meal plans.

Our matrix is

2 beef
2 chicken or pork
2'vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish

Fruit seems to be relatively inexpensive.  Especially apples, pears, and oranges.
Lettuce seems to have taken a hike, maybe fruit salads and fruit and cottage cheese is in order.
Making a fruit and cottage cheese salad is a good boost to protein if your main dish is falling short.
Dairy seems to still be cheapest at Costco.  Milk, however is a buck at Freddie's often and butter is 3/5.

Again, I can't stress enough that knowing your prices is your best defense against paying too much.m
Jimmy Dean  sausage is 3.99 at TOP for a pound.  It is 2.30 a pound at Costco .  Also, don't make your meal plans etched in concrete before you go to the store,  at SAFEWAYS this week, for instance, the pumpkin pies were boxed too soon and were wet.  The grapes were ugly.  You just can't predict what you are going  to find or what the quality is going to be.  no one grocery store is perfect, and no one grocery store has all the best prices.  Shopping more than one store hedges you for the best prices  and chance at the best produce.

On another note, food stamps have been cut 5 percent.  Add that to the thirty percent increase on meat prices on average, that's a big dent on an already short budget.  I really would like to reach more people that need to cut their food bill and still eat well.  I think itmos the right person at the right time kinda thing.

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Jane

Let's try apple cake again.

The last recipe I tried was a little crumbly and needed a little whip cream or ice cream on it.
It came out more like a bar than a cake.

I am sure that the original recipe came from the mid west.

New Apple cake

2 c sugar
2 cups flour
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp salt

2 eggs
1 c oil
1 T vanilla

6-8 apples ( 3-4 cups ) chopped apples
Nuts of desired

Mix wet ingredients, beating eggs.
Mix dry ingredients

Mix dry and wet ingredients together.

Add apples.  Mixture will be stiff.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

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Jane

It's Thursday, the ads

Here are the ads finally.

SAFEWAYS

Cheese 2 lbs/5.99
Chicken .79, limit 4$&@&$$$$$
Pumpkin pie 5.99
Oranges .99
Butterball turkey breast 12.99
Pears.99

Pudding ring 2.49
Grapes 3/5


TOP

Top round roast 2.97
Bottom round  2.97
Pork ribs, chops 1.96
Apples .69
Oranges .77

Baking buy 4 save 2

Cake mix .99$$
Flour 1.99
Pasta 48 ounces 2/4@@

QFC

Chicken .99
Tillamook yogurt 10/4
18 count eggs 1.99
Pears .99


Buy 10. Save 5
Milk 1.29
Butter 1.99
Cream of mushroom, green beans .69$$
Ice cream 2.79

ALBERTSOMS

Spiral ham 1.98
BOGO with 35.00 extra purchase.  Turkey.  I'm confused as to what that means,

Tomatoes 1.00
Ice cream 2.48
Milk 2.19@@
Cream cheese .88@@



Tillamook yogurt 3/1@@$$
Apples 1.00
Carrots 2/1.00
Pears 1.00

That's about all.
Remember to cross off anything that is higher priced. Check coupon connections for coupons. $$$
@@@means an in ad coupon.

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Jane

Wicked Wednesday/ notes and recipe

I yet again saw another article about What not to eat.  this time I think they were a bit more restrictive.  What was left would take a entire months worth of food budget to eat a week.  If everyone got on that band wagon, there wouldn't be enough food for the nation to eat.

Again, the FDA and the USDA have very well qualified scientists that evaluate our food supply.  America  has some of the most rigid standards for our food in the world.  Both foreign and domestic food has to meet the same standards.  My take is that if all this stuff is so bad for us, the federal government would be finding ways to change our standards.

I ran a medical facility for mental patients many years ago.  We had a patient that was sure that Martians had got a hold of our food supply and tainted everything but the milk and sweet potatoes..

Practically speaking, buying Puritan food is not going to work in most households in America.  no one has convinced the USDA and the FDA that we need to eat Puritan food yet, and it is not produced in mass quantities yet.  I am not sure that organic is the best alternative anyway.  I also saw an article on the Internet that showed organic baby food in pouches with larvae in it.

There are ways to eat healthy without spending all your resources on food alone.  That just wouldn't be prudent.

• Eat a variety of foods in moderation.
• Wash veggies and peel them when it makes sense.  
• Defat your meat and eat a reasonable amount.  (3-4 ounce serving. ) 
• Make scratch food and avoid using a lot of foods that are processed with added salt, sugar, and preservatives.  
• Limit the amount of sweets you eat.  When you have sweets, try to have ones that have protein in them too.  
• Buy fruits with antioxidants often.  Blueberries are inexpensive a lot of the year, when they aren't buy frozen.  Blueberry pancakes, etc., 
• Grow what you can.  Remember organic veggies can still have five percent pesticides in them. 

That's my best laypersons approach to healthy eating on a limited budget.  

How do you make that soup!  

Dump in a crockpot 

2 cans diced tomatoes ( hunts peels theirs with steam, not chemicals.  Some more expensive brands do it with chemicals) 

2 cans beans ( any kind, but different.) I used kidney and black, drained and rinsed.  ( reduce sodium) 

1 quart stock ( chicken, vegetable,or  beef) 

2 cups diced veggies, sautéed till crisp tender.  

   I use carrot, celery, red pepper.you can add onion, my hubby doesn't like onion.
1 T Italian seasoning
2 tsp parsley
2 tsp onion powder if you don't add onion.

Stir and cook on low anywhere between 6-12 hours.  I usually make it 8 depending when I leave the house.  

That's about it.  

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

It's Tuesday

It's Tuesday.  I can just about bet that the ads are going to be late today.  Our mail system leaves a lot to be desired here.
FYI

WIC is a women and children assistance program for nutrition for mothers and small children.  ( under 5) It offers breast feeding instruction and nutrition tips too.  There are income guidelines,  an unborn child is counted as a family member.

I started this blog to try to help people on SNAP feed their families good food on a not so good budget.  Best laid plans, it seems I am reaching a lot of other folks.  That's fine, my mission is to help people.  Whether  it is to get out of the kitchen faster, cook more efficiently, or try a new recipe, I hope I am helping people. That being said, I still would like to find a way to reach the people that are running out of money before they run out of month.

Eggs , even at the highest prices, are still a protein that can give you a lot of bang for your buck.  breakfast for dinner works well to stretch the bucks.  Quiche, waffles or pancakes and sausage or bacon.  Remember, you don't have to have a lot of meat if you are having another source of protein too.  In fact, of you are having something like a vegetarian soup with beans,  havin creme brûlée or an egg rich pudding, rich cheesy bread can fill out the meal.  Your main source of orotein doesn't necessarily have to come from the main course.  It doesn't matter how you get the protein into you, just that it gets into you.

Fun desert

Layer
Slice of pound cake that has been toasted . ( butter both sodes and toast on frying pan like a toasted

cheese sandwich)
Plain yogurt
1/2 of an apricot.

Looks like sunny side up egg on toast!  

Pudding from scratch ( not a whole lot more work than cooked kind out of a box)
I like that it takes things I usually have around the kitchen.

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups milk
3 eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1) in saucepan mix together dry ingredients.
2) whisk in milk,mstirring until thickened
3) in small bowl.slightly beat eggs. , add a little of the puddong mixture to them and continue beating.  Add the egg mixture to the pudding mixture and wisk together.  ( this is called tempering)
4) bring to a low boil and cook 2 minutes.
5) remove from hear.  Stir in vanilla.
6) cool 15 minutes,stirring  occasionally.
7) pour into serving dishes.  Cover with plastic wrap  to prevent a skim on top.

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Jane