Thursday hauls

This month’s weekly total average is 56.24.




Winco

26.23

Grapes 4.06
Blueberries 2.98
Nectarines 2.07
Lettuce .98
Buns 2 1,50
Steak fries 1.06
Salmon 4.98
Pickles 1.98
Milk 1.98
Bacon 2.38

Grocery Outlet
Salsa 1.49


Dollar Tree
Cookies 2–2.00
Pasta Barilla 2-2.00

Total 4.00

Safeways

4 Nalleys chili  .99
2 Coffee 5.99
Taco shells 2-2.00

4 frozen dinners. 1.88 ea
eggs .99

cod fish 1 lb 5.00

cherries 1.77 lb
2 cucumbers -.88ea
total 37.84

Chain store ads

QFC
Tomatoes on the vine.   .99
Milk .99


Buy 5, save 5
Cheese 2 lbs 4.99
Ice cream 2.49


Alberways

Red cherries 1.77
Blueberries 2 lbs 4.99
Cucumbers/  bell peppers .88

Mi8x or match 4 or more
Cheerios 1.69
Old El Paso taco shells .99
Maxwell house coffee 5.99
Nalleys chilli .99
Sliced cheese 1.99






Bread .89@@
Eggs .99@@

How did she do that...

Putting up hamburger. 

Precooking a batch of hamburger is a good way to make dinner easy and it can be done when the kitchen is cool to save time and money in the kitchen. 

Pictured is a meat loaf in a meat loaf pan that has holes in an inner pan to reduce the fat and not cook the meat sitting to re-absorb  the fat. 

Hamburger crumbles can be added to pasta sauce or you can make taco meat. Cook the hamburger until no pink remains.   Drain in a colander with a pan to catch the fat.   Remove the pan and pour boiling water through the meat in the colander.   This can reduce fat by as much as 17 percent.  Bag the meat in portion controlled batches. 

Meat balls can be made in the oven .   Use a portion scoop to make the meatballs consistent in size.  Place on baking rack over a sheet pan.  Fat will drain and you can bake a large batch saving energy and time.   Portion control meatballs in a zip lock bag.   

This cuts a lot of time out of meal prep at dinner time.   Tacos can be from freezer to table in as little as 10 minutes.    

Monday Kitchen Management

Kitchen management is taking an hour out if your bust schedule to save stress during the usually hectic dinner hour,   It saves time and money,

Freezer cooking has its place , especially if the resident cook is going to be gone or life is going to be hectic, but I don’t  do it because I dint have the stamina to work 8 hours on my feet and we don’t have enough freezer space to put  things that don’t need to be frozen in it.   Its a time vs stock issue
We are eating down the freezer now and I have  been only buying fresh produce, dairy, and just what needs to be replenished,

I digress, Kitchen Management :

1. Clean out the refrigerator and dump anything dead.  
2. Scrub the bins and shelves . 
3. Wash and disinfect counters and sinks and drains. 
4. Wash kitchen floor
5. Wax north side cabinets. 
6. Wash vegetables for dinners— potatoes and salad ingredients 
7. Thaw chicken breast 
8. Straighten the pantry. 

Meal Plans for week of 7/16/18

Meal Plans are a tool that saves money and time.   Being organized always makes life easier and reduces stress. 

• Chicken Parm, salad 
• Pizza - a family favorite 
• Minestrone , cheezy rolls 
• Beef enchaladas , lettuce, tomato 
• Beer chilli , bread sticks 
• Tuna cassarole,  peas and carrots 
• Breakfast for Dinner- another favorite, everyone cooks. 

Notes: 

1. Chicken parm is an easy, quick dinner.   Spaghetti remains to be a good price often.   It cooks i. 2 minutes in the insta pot.  Quick release.   Pasta sauce is less expensive than scratch.  Parmesean cheese is real and in a deli type container.   Watching at Winco and FM, you can find it on sale often.   If not parmesean, then a blend or Romano works. 
2. Pizza is a favorite.  A cheese pizza from scratch is a dollar.  Pepperoni is a dollar at the DT and there are 14 pieces in half a package.   Freeze pizza sauce from the DT .  One jar makes 5 pizzas.   Save veggies and meat scraps when appropriate.   Buffalo chicken pizza is an alternataive without tomato.  
3. Minestrone is meatless.   Cheezy rolls are a biscuit dough rolled out jelly roll fashio. And filled with cheese.   
4. Beef enchaladas are made with homemade enchilada sauce. Add lettuce and tomato. 
5. Beer chilli is from one of the DT cookbooks .  Cook beans in the insta pot instead of buying cans saves a lot of money.  Beans, hamburger (already cooked) Taco type seasonings, tomatoes, corn, and peppers and beer. 
6. Tuna casserole made with scratch soup base.  Frozen peas and real carrots. 
7. Breakfast for Dinner is a hit here.  Everyone cooks something.   

Groceries on the cheap takes a different approach to putting food on the table.   Purchasing groceries in bulk and when they are at their RBP saves time, money, and affords a piece of mind that cant be achieved buying your food one meal at a time.   Life happens.   Bleep happens to the best of us.  Being prepared and self sufficient is the gateway to piece of mind.  

Studies have shown that people that have to worry about where there next meal is coming from have a lower life expectancy .   Stress is not good for anyone,especially not children.   

You can eat well on four dollars a day.   We didn't set out to do that, it just happened.  I challenged myself to find every trick I could to lower food costs while maintaining a balanced diet .   It became a game.  Groceries are the most expensive thing in most peoples discretionary budget.   If one’s budget is tight, it is the most logical place to learn to economize .  

This blog is free from advertising.   I don't make money from this, I just want to help people.   Bee. There, done that.  I’m sharing.  Please share.   You never know who or when you might be helping someone.   

Dollar stores cook books

There are a few things...that we usually get at the dollar tree.   There are some name brand items that are just plain cheap and are the same quality as you can get other places for more money.

Cookbooks purchased at the Dollar Tree. 

All have really good recipes in them and use name brand ingredients.   Of course, you can always substitute scratch for the name brand ingredients or purchase the items on sale.   Scratch eliminates 

ingredients that you cant pronounce.  

It is always nice to get a different perspective on meals.   We all tend to get in a rut.   Something new is a pleasant change.   These cookbooks have many recipes that can be made efficiently and economically.   

And, who can turn down chocolate....did somebody say chocolate!

Classic baked apples 

Tomato topping for bruschetta

Pulled pork with cola bbq sauce 

Chicken tortilla soup 

Mama’s beer chili 

 Heavenly Harvest Pork Roast 

Boneless Pork Roast with garlic 

From the Crock Pot slow cooker recipes 

Beef Taco Skillet 

Pork chops Florentine 

Beef and Broccoli 

Cheddar penne with sausage and peppers 

Mexican pizza 

25 minute chicken and noodles 

Country chicken casserole 

Chili land rice 

From Campbell’s great for cooking 

Simply. Special brownies 

English toffee bars 

Chocolate and peanut butter fudge cheesecake 

Nutty toffee coffee cake 

Fudge brownie pie 

Easy chocoberry cream desert

Deep dark mousse 

From Hershey’s cocoa 

Well worth a buck.   

Thursday Grocery Haul

First:
Per week expenditures
2107 55.06
1QQ 18 —51.98
2Q 18 —52.40
July 52.57

This’s includes a bulk chicken purchase , bulk pork purchase and prorated beef.

Total below 33.13


Dollar Tree
Kosher spears
Sliced pineapple
Craisens

3.00

Grocery Outlet
Pacific Tomato soup 1.99. (3.49 at FM)
Stuffing mix .99
Cheese , shredded with bacon 1 lb 2.98

Total 5.98


Fred Meyers

Tortilla chips 1.99
Taco shells 1.00
Bananas .96
Gala apples 2.09
Blue cheese 4.99
Total 12.03

Total 21.01

Wednesday,, 7/11

Mission tortilla chips .99
Tillamook ice cream 2.99
Lettuce  .99
Bananas .45


Fred Meyers

Tomatoes 1.22
Pasta 1.00

Cherries 4.48

Concept: Chicken Breast

FM has split chicken breast for .88 a pound.   Chicken breasts here can cost as much as 8.00 a pound.
Foster farms is local chicken here.

Split chicken breast is the breast with the ribs attached.

Its not hard to get your moneys worth and its a good stock up price.

• Work on a sheet pan to contain chicken cooties .   LOL 
• Cut the rib section off of the breast.   Place the rib section in a zip lock bag. 
• Place the breast in a quart bag.  Uses tongs.  We use dollar store bags for this because then we put the quart bags in a zip lock gallon bag to label and freeze. 
• Before you go to bed, place the rib sections in the slow cooker, add water up to within an inch of the top of the pot. And add some vegetable trimmings and herbs of choice.   Set to Low. 
• In the morning.  Drain the stock into a pan through a colander and place in glass jars or deli containers up to an inch or so from the top .  Chill and freeze. 
• Pick the meat off the bones and place in freezer bag. 

Chain store ads; the best of them.....

QFC - we didn’t get the ad this week....my husband went down and got one from the store.  It was on his way to the beach. 

Strawberries 2 lbs 1.99

Raspberries, blackberries 3.99 - 12 ounces 

Cherries 1.99

Buy 5 save 5 

Tillamook ice cream 2.99

Kelloggs cereal 1.79 - should be coupons

Daves killer bread 2.99

NOT A BARGAIN.  Ground beef 5.99 lb 

ALBERWAYS 

Broccolli .99 lb 

Grapes 1.99

Salsa 24 oz 1.79@@

Tillamook ice cream 2.99@@

@@ means there is an in ad coupon or you can use a digital coupon.

FRED MEYERS 

MOST OF THIS IS SPECIALTY SALES; 

BOGOS 

FRANZ BREAD 

FROZEN FRUIT OUTSHINE 

SMOKED CHICKEN SAUSAGE 

TURKEY BURGERS 

4 days only:  W, TH, F.S

Pork ribs .99

Broccolli 99

Tomatoes on the vine .99

Eggs .99

Cherries 1.99

Ground turkey 2,99

FF CHICKEN:  SPLIT CHICKEN BREAST, THIGHS, LEGS, WHOLE FRYERS .88

Digital Coupons, Friday and Saturday Only, up to 5 quanity 

Ice craeam .99

Shrimp 4.77

Buy 5, save 5 

Kelloggs cereal 1.79

Cheese 4.99 

How did she do that?

Meal Plan Form including basic food list 

Meal Plans can be done efficiently.  We all are busy with life and meal plans help save time and money.  

The meal plan form was made in an excel spread sheet.   The left side has boxes for the days of the week and the right side has. List of basic foods .  A column for what you have and a column for what you may need to purchase.   A quick glance at the fridge makes a grocery list easy and simple. 

Add the things on sale from the grocery ads that you can use to complete meals.   What rotation meat is on sale?   What do you need to stock that is on sale?   

Using the list, and a matrix of your choosing, you can write a meal plan in a few minutes.  

Our matrix is protein based.  This allows for a variety of meals.  At a four dollar a day per person budget, its no surprise  that we don't eat a lot of steak and lobster.   LOL 

Example: 

Pork loin was on sale for 4 days only at QFC (Kroger ).  We purchased 2.   One was used for pork chops and stew meat, and one for 2 pork roasts.   We made three meals out of the pork roast: Pork Roast ‘Sunday” dinner, pork sliders, and sweet and sour pork.   With a matrix of 1 beef, 1 fish, 3 pork or chicken, and 2 vegetarian, that took care of the 3 pork or chicken.   Add tacos or nachos, pizza, breakfast for dinner, and a pasta with fish and you have a variety of 7 meals.   

Your standard grocery list would include perishables in the dairy and produce departments.  Frozen vegetable are a good bet if they are on sale.   Any fruit on sales rounds out a balanced diet.  

Finding the RBP on almost everything you buy is paramount.   Stick first to the basics that you use on a regular basis.   Bulk purchases make sense if they are versatile and a part of your regular diet.  Flour, oatmeal and rice are examples.   Making best use of what is in season and on sale is a good plan as well.   

The average family has a list of 7-10 entrees  that they eat on a regular basis...tried and true family favorites.   This makes meal planning easy.   

List your favorites in columns based on the protein used.   For 5 dollar dinners or less, the rule of theumb is to make kyour protein average 2.00.  That hasn’t changed here since the 70’s.  The meats, however, have changed.   We no longer can afford a real piece of beef very often.   I always check the markdown bin for bargains.   Here, unlike some stores in the mid west, they are few and far between.  .

Save grocery shopping can make it possible for your family to eat well balanced meals on a four dollar a day budget— even with heavy eaters.   We do it and carry a stock.  Carrying a 4-6 week stock is possible with that budgetary constraints.   

Having a four to six weeks stash is a good thing to enable you to be prepared for emergencies and it makes it possible to buy food when its on sale.   Almost all staple things work on a 4-6 week cycle.   

Setting goals as to how many of each staple item keeps you from over-buying.   If you use 2 cans of diced tomatoes a week, you need 12 cans ahead.   Putting the same can in the same section off the cupboard, lets you look a a glance tho see if you need to replentish when you see a sale.   

Keeping it simple helps save time and money.   Diced tomatoes are very versitile and with the push of the food processer or blender button, you can have tomato sauce.   

Simplify, buy at the RBP, and keep a stock.   Basic concepts for a budget friendly pantry.   

Monday Kitchen Management -notes

You can make a pork roast do double or triple duty, depending on the size of your family.   

• Pork roast, mashed sweet potatoes , green beans with bacon
•  Pork sliders, corn on the cob, salad

•  Sweet and sour pork, rice green beans 

Reminder of this week’s meal plan :

1.  Pork Roast, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans w bacon 
2. Pizza 
3. Pork sliders, corn on the cob, salad 
4. Mac and cheese, peas and carrots : a blast from the past. 
5. Chicken bake, rice 
6. Tacos, Spanish rice 
7. Breakfast for Dinner. 

Notes : 

1. Wash floor 
2. Clean out the refrigerator and dump anything dead.
3. Make note of things that need to be used up soon. 
4. Wash counter tops  and sinks and drains, disinfect. 
5. Wash the carrots for peas and carrots.   Use frozen peas and fresh carrots:  buying whole carrots instead of the ‘baby ‘ ones saves a lot of money.  A farmer years ago realized that he was having a trouble selling the not so perfect carrots.   His solution was to make baby carrots and pay for a  marketing campaign.    The end result was that carrot producers are getting a dollar or more a pound for their carrots when whole carrots are 5 lbs for 2.28.   Double the price .
6. Straighten the pantry.  

The cost on meals for 2 people. Note this is for a reasonable dinner, we aren't feeding a 17 yo linebacker.   Cost would be more for growing childcare or very active adults. 

Pork Roast dinner 1.66-  we had sweet potatoes left over but cost the whole amount out,,  Used 1/3 of a bag of frozen veg.

1. Pizza 1.50. Used scratch pizza with 1/2 package of pepperoni.   
2. Pork sliders: 1.45  Used rolls on sale and corn on the cob on sale for the 4th 
3. Mac and cheese, peas and carrots  1.75 uses cheese from GO with bacon 
4. Chicken baked , rice, carrots - 1.24. Rice is bought in bulk, chicken in bulk was .99 a pound.   4 ounce portions. 
5. Tacos, Spanish rice 2.04
6. Breakfast for dinner :   Eggs, English muffins, yogurt parfaits. 1.91.  Uses yogurt for .38, eggs at .88 a dozen , and English muffins bought for a dollar.   

Total 11.54 for 2 people.   

Its not as much what you buy, but when and where you buy it.   

Admittedly, this if for 2 adults that are not really active.   Portion control is a must.   That being said, the total is sooo low, that even if you have big eaters, you would still be in budget .  

Meal Plans for week of 7/9/18

Meal Plans are a necessary part of Groceries on the Cheap.   They save time and money. Making best use of the bargains you found shopping is a good way to save lots.

• Pork Roast , mashed sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon 
• Pizza
• Pork sliders , salad, corn on the cob 
• Mac and cheese, peas and carrots.  
• Baked chicken with stuffing 
• Tacos or nachos 
• Breakfast for Dinner 

Notes: 

1. Pork Roast is from Pork Loin bought at .99 from qfc. 
2. Pork roast does double duty sliced thin for pork sliders using bbq sauce purchased for .50. 
3. Mac and cheese is from grated cheese with bacon purchased at GO. 
4. Baked chicken with stuffing.  Stuffing purchased in a double box at GO.  Chicken breast was a dollar a pound at Zaycon. 
5. Taco meat already cooked in the freezer.  We purchased taco shells and tortilla chips this week. Taco shells were a dollar and the chips were two.  
6. Breakfast for dinner  is a family time: everyone cooks.   Eggs were .88 this week.   
7. Pizza is a cheap meal that everyone eats.   Pizza crust from scratch is .19 as apposed to 1.50-2.00 to purchase the dough.  Pizza cheese is low fat.   Pizza sauce is from the DT and one jar makes 5 pizzas.   Freeze the sauce in ice cube tray and pop into a zip lock bag.   

Saturday concepts.

Groceries on the cheap works on the concept of not paying full price for groceries.   We want the best quality we can have, but not at what my mother used to call top dollar.

QFC has 1/2 pork loins for .99 a pound with a digital coupon for a limited time.   I got 2.   Or, rather , my husband got two while I was getting my hair cut.

Pork loin can be cut into a stew cubes, pork chops, or roasts.   At a dollar a pound, it makes the highest component of meals cheap.   I also got chicken breasts for a dollar a pound and eggs for .88 a dozen.  That goes a long ways to cut food costs. You can still add a low fat hamburger and average two dollars a pound.   We eat beef once a week.  

Fresh fruits and veggies is also a component of a balanced diet.   If you buy the fruits that are on sale and in season, you can eat well on a low priced budget.  

Starch seems to be inexpensive a lot of the time.   The price of flour has taken a hike and it means youhave to be a bit more creative muting carbs.  We are all trying to cut carbs, but our bodies need some carbs to function.  Its all about balance.  

I was getting Barilla pasta for a dollar at the dollar tree and orowheat bread.  That source has all but dried up.   I will continue. To check, but lately we haven’t seen much.  I did stop at the Franz bread outlet and get some bread at a discount.  Wednesday is discount seniors and military day.   Since my husband is both, we took advantage of the discount.   Any discounts that you can find is a good thing.  Also, any free products that seem to be happening not only at Fred Meyers and QFC, but now sometimes at safeways.   Please dont take things just because they are free.  But, consider taking anything that they are offering that can be appropriate for the food bank or a friend.   I always take the cat treats for my grand cat.   We dont eat cold cereal , but it is more than approptiate for the food bank.  

This blog is about eating well for less and saving time in the kitchen.   This is especially appropriate during the summer months when kitchens can be hot for a lot of us, budget challenged or not.  

Ideas for food groups

Protein
Eggs, beans, cheese, pork loin, hamburger, chicken breast

Fruits annd veggies
Carrots
Celery
Lettuce
Radishes
Cucumbers
Tomato
Apple
Bananas
Nectarines
Strawberries
Blues

Starches
Bread, whole wheat
Pasta
Rice, in bulk
Stuffing
Potatoes

Recipe Friday

This blog is supposed to be about efficiently.   Its about buying your food in the most efficient manner in order to reduce your food costs.   Its also about cooking  efficiently to maximize your time in the kitchen.   “ I want to spend my entire day in the kitchen”. Said no one ever.!

Making mixes ahead of time saves time when life can be more hectic.  

A batch of 12 muffins costs five dollars at the store.   The cost of baking them at home is .94. and thats a gourmet recipe, not a basic one.   Silicone baking cups were 5.00 on amazon.   Considering a small package of paper liners cost a dollar even at the dollar store, it doesn’t take long to recoup your money and you arent adding to the landfill.   However, the paper is degradable and the silicone isn’t.

Mix : Makes 4 batches
8 cups flour
3 cups sugar
3T baking powder
2 t salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg

Mix and store in air tight container in a cool place.

To make muffins

Mix wet ingredients together:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter.  
Note:  do this in exact order, you dont want to cook the egg.

Measure 2-3/4 cups of the mix .  Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients.   Do not overmix or your muffins will be tough.  

Fill muffin cups ( greased, or lined with silicone or paper liners 3/4 full.

Bake at 400 degrees 18-21 minutes or until top springs back when touched or cake tester comes out clean.

Additional mix ins options

1/2 cup shredded apples and 1/2 cup cheese

Chocolate chips and 2 tsp instant coffee powder

3/4 cup shredded carrots.. 1/3 cup raisins


Muffins are a good breakfast or afternoon pick me up .


Find the recipe on line .

Thursday : hauls

Winco Haul

Salmon 1 lb 4.98

Large salad 2.68

Bananas .66

Corn .96

Roma tomatoes .91

Cherry tomatoes 2.28

Bacon (3) 1.98-5.94

2 strawberries 2.96

Total 21.25

Thursday 7/5/18

Safeways
Coffee 5.99
Eggs, 2 doz 1.76


Winco 7/5

Corn .20 - 1.00


Strawberries 3.36

Salmon 4.98
Blueberries 2.98
Nectarines 2.04

Total 14.24

QFC

2 butter
1 pork loin
Total 11.66

Total for 2 weeks is 54.90

Weekly store ads—chains

QFC
DIGITAL COUPON GOOD THURSDAY THRU SUNDAY
YOU CAN PURCHASE UP TO 5 OF EACH ITEM

DORITOS 1.99
BUTTER 1.99
PORK HALF LOIN .99

——-strawberries 2.49.


ALBERWAYS

90/10 GROUND SIROIN 3.77

FOURTH OF JULY ONLY
CORN 5/1

JUST FOR YOU
COUPONS- DIGITAL

CHEESE LIMIT 1 -3.99

ENGLISH MUFFINS .99
EGGS .88


APPARENTLY, FRED MEYERS WEEKLY AD ONLINE WAS CANCELLED FOR LACK OF INTEREST.

How did she do that: Suddenly Salad

Suddenly Salad is a box from Betty Crocker.   It is 1.00 a box at the Dollar Tree and at Winco this week. There is also coupons for it at coupons.com . The coupons are for 1.00 off four.   That makes them .75. 

Directions call for oil and water mixed into a dressing packet.   The salads come in various flarours.  We use olive oil because it is more healthy.   

Then  add chopped, seeded tomatoes, sliced black olives, chopped red or other peppers.  

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions.  

Note:  You can also cook it in the insta pot.  2 minutes with a quart of water for a full pound box of pasta.  You will need to adjust accordingly.  You also need to de pressurize manually almost immediately when it is done.   The water will be almost gone ,so putting too much water or letting the pot to stand will result in ‘mushy’ pasta.   

Drain Pasta and add dressing.   Chill. 

Concept: Making a recipe less expensive.

It is a misconception that just because one doesn’t have all the ingredients for a recipe that the recipes is off limits.   Many recipes come from the home economists that work for a food company.   Naturallly , their object is to sell their products.   That doesn’t mean that you can’t substitute scratch for something in a can or box and not sacrifice flavor.

1. Chicken boullion (low sodium ) can be substituted for a box or can of chicken broth.  Better yet, you can freeze chicken broth that is home made .  
2. Parmesean cheese can be substituted with any hard cheese.   Buy whatever is cheapest.   Sometimes a blend of Romano and parmesean is cheaper.   Buy fresh, in a deli type tub or a wedge.  Don’t buy the stuff in the green box.  It has wood pulp in it and the taste is a whole lot different. 
3. You can buy biscuit mix at costco pretty cheap, but you can also make it without preservatives and hydroginated oils.  
4. Shallots can be substituted with green onion tops ( cut off the tops and plant the bulb part and get more for your money. Or use chives . 
5. Taco seasoning is a lot less expensive than the envelopes and you control the heat. 
6. Instead of whip cream, you can use a little less milk. 
7. Canned beans can always be substituted for cooked dry beans for a fraction of the cost....like as much as a dollar a can.
8. Diced tomatoes can be substituted for any recipe that calls for tomatoes.   Buying one kind of canned tomatoes saves a lot of aggravation.  Simplify canned goods to make life easier. 
9. Homemade enchalada sauce is a lot cheaper than canned.   Canned sauce tends to be expensive.   Green sauce for enchaladas is easy.  
10. Almost everything you can make that calls for cheese can be made with mozzarella, Mexican blend, or parmesean.   Again, simplify.

Monday Kitchen Management

Kitchen Management is a tool that saves time and money.  Taking a little time ahead of the week, saves a lot of time when the hectic dinner hour is here.  

• Wash kitchen floor 
• Clean out refrigerator and dump anything dead.
• Take a quick inventory of thing that need to be used up soon.   
• Cook chicken for chicken enchaladas 
• Wash apples and potatoes, veggies 
• Make a green salad and fix it in a ‘Tupperware” 
• Wash kitchen cabinets.  
• Put the fan filter through the dishwasher. 
• Clean kitchen counters and disinfect countertops and sinks and drains. 
• Bake something.

Meal Plans -Week of 7/2/18

Meal Plans are a necessary part of cutting your food bill.   Make a plan, or plan to fail.   Having a plan saves time and money and planning a couple of easy meals helps to stave off the take out demons.

• Chicken enchaladas - scratch sauce 
• Pizza- homemade 
• 4th of July: Hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, veggie platter
• Pork chops, apple/cranberry bread dressing, green beans 
• Baked chicken, diced potatoes, and green beans. ( facebook) 
• Salmon, baked potato, salad 
• Breakfast for dinner 

Notes : 

Planning meals around what’s on sale or free and stocking when things are cheap is a good way to stretch your dollar..   

1. Sauce for enchaladas is made from a “ white” sauce substituting chicken stock for the milk.   When done, add mild diced chillies (1/2 can) and sour cream to correct consistency.  
2. Homemade pizza crust costs .19.   Mozzarella cheese is made with low fat milk and i got it for a dollar for 8 ounces.  Pizza sauce is a dollar at the DT and you can get five pizzas out of a jar.  Freeze the sauce in ice cube tray and 2 cubes equals one pizza topping.   You can dump the ‘cubes’ into a quart zip lock.   We keep one part of the freezer door for pizza toppings and Sauce. 
3. Hamburgers and Hot dogs for the 4th- hot dogs ( Hebrew National or Nathans) were 1.99 at QFC on Friday.  The buns were 49 at Alberways.   There are coupons for Suddenly Salad on coupons.com right now and they are a dollar at the DT and I believe Winco.   
4. Pork chops were cut from a pork loin purchased for 1.00 a pound.   Make your own dressing or buy it for a dollar.   Add chopped apple and dried cranberries.  Brown the pork chops on both sides in a little olive oil, place on top of the dressing and bake it off until the chops are done and the dressing is heated through... 
5. There was a recipe on Facebook for chicken bake.   Grease a baking pan,  visually divide the pan and place cooked, diced chicken, new potatoes in a small dice, and green beans, in separate  sections.   Drizzle with vinegrette.   Bake off until potatoes are tender.   
6. Salmon, baked potatoes and salad is pretty self explanatory.   The salmon is frozen at winco and comes in portion controlled pieces that are individually wrapped.   We like peppercorn.
7. Breakfast for Dinner is a mainstay here.  The whole family cooks.  We got bacon at winco for 2.00 ..  ( 12 ounces ). Eggs were .79 last week.  Bread is inexpensive to make and biscuits are cheap to make too.   Children love to roll dough and cut with ‘cookie’ cutters.  

The Basics

Groceries on the cheap takes a different process of buying and cooking your food..   The net result is that you can feed your family well on four dollars a day each.   Four dollars is the proverbial amount of money that some say SNAP is based on.

Besides eating on four dollars a day, we also grew a pantry on that budget.   One of thee premises of groceries on the cheap is to have a basic stock on hand for emergencies.   Studies have shown that when people have to worry about where the next meal is coming from, they reduce their life expectancy.

This methodology is based on principles.   The more you incorporate them into your routine, the more money you will save.

1. The biggest:   NEVER pay full price.   Find the RBP on the things that you use on a regular basis. When you find an item that you use a lot of at a lowest possible price, buy as many as you will need until they go on sale again or as many as you need to fill in your specified amount of stock.   Keeping a four to six week supply of non perishables is a good benchmark.   
2. Plan your meals and portion control.   Portion control is a dirty word for many people, but your doctor will tell you that it is really important for your health.   The other word is balance.   Eating a well balanced diet has always been a good idea.   
3. Buy things at their lowest possible price in bulk quantities when it makes sense.   We buy oatmeal, rice and flour.   Oatmeal when purchased a Costco in bulk costs . 085 cents a serving. A serving of regular oats equals 4 servings of the envelopes of instant oatmeal, nutrition wise.   Flour is a real bargain when you use it to efficiently make bread and bakery items.   The savings are remarkable.   A loaf of artisan bread can cost upwards of 2.50.  The actual cost is a quarter to make peasant bread and takes about ten minutes hands on time.   
4. Efficient scratch cooking.   Another time and money saving concept.    Besides, you aren’t eating things you can’t pronounce.  Or soap!    Yes, there is soap in some foods your children want to eat. 
5. Plan your meals.   The best way to avoid temptation is to take it away.   If you have meals planned and prepped, life is easy even if you are tired. 
6. Use any trick that comes your way to cut food costs.   Waste not, want not—use up bits of things leftover and salvage a little of something before you make a dish.   Pulling a little sausage away from a tube of sausage you are using for breakfast just means you can use some of it for a pizza another night.   Ibotta, coupons, discount food stores, all help in making you get more for your buck.  

Why?

This blog is about a different way of buying your groceries.   A lot of people have a lifestyle that buys just what they want when they want it.   And, if it works for them, that’s all that matters.  

Some people, however, have time or budget constraints.   Give it because they are saving for that iconic trip to Disneyland or because they have fallen on harder times and need to stretch their money.
Others, have a full plate and need to be more efficient in the kitchen.   I have heard more than one retired person say they wondered how they worked, they are so busy.   Many of us have been through working all day and then coming home to dinner,dishes, laundry, and kids that need help with baths, etc.  

This blog is based on helping people save time and money on the biggest discretionary budget item .

Knowledge is funny, you never know when it will become useful.  As an accounting major, I never understood why I needed to know what happens when you produce lesions on the upper hyperthalamous of a rat.   Knowing how to fix food when you have limited resources may come in more handy.  

I remember a Fourth of July when we went with the boat to a Hidden Harbor at what seems to be in the middle of nowhere.   My husband got the flu.   We couldn't get home and there was a small deli and no grocery stores for miles.   It wouldn’t have mattered how much money we had, what we had was what we were going to eat.   I managed to stretch the food in the six square foot pantry and bar refrigerator for a week.   Life happens , and the more educated we are, the better we survive.


I don’t take money, I am here to help people that may need to get our of a jam— time or money wise.
I can’t  do that  if I can’t  reach people.   Please share.  You never know who you might help..   Its good give people food when they need it....we do that, but it’s also good to help them help themselves.   Knowledge is power.   Pass it on.  

How did she do that?

This is one of those...not quite a five dollar dinner.   I have not counted spices or anything that cost less than a dime.   

Salmon cakes 

Seasoned rice from homemade mix 

Green beans (frozen) 

Green beans were purchased for a dollar a bag.  They are frequently a dollar a bag at Winco and Safeways.   I used a third of a bag for 2 people. 

Rice costs 2 cents a serving.   Rice mix is made from chicken or vegetable dry bouillon, parsley I dried from the garden, and spices.   

Salmon cakes were made from homemade bread crumbs with Parmesan, onion and garlic, a slice of red pepper that was chopped fine., and an egg with a can of salmon from Costco..   

This would be a six dollar dinner for four people.   

One of those days where you can still average five dollars a dinner because some dinners are a lot cheaper than five dollars.   

Thursday Grocery Haul / QFC

QFC had a coupon for 5 percent off of 20.00 basket .

Cherries 3.74

Blueberries 3.49

Pizza 3.99

Kroger cottage cheese 1.99
Kroger sour cream 1.99

Sargento cheese 1.99 less coupon for 1.00 off two
Done twice

5 percent savings (1.31)

Total 19.85

The Franz bread store

Bagels
English Muffins
Doughnuts
9 carb a slice bread is 4/5 or 1.29 each

Bread sticks.....humungus sack. 2.00

Total 8.29
Price does not include the percentage off for hubby being old and a vet.

Total 28.15

Fred Meyer ad

Fred Meyers; done on line, its the best I can do...if you are there I would suggest getting an ad and giving it a quick look.  

90 /10 hamburger 3.77
Shrimp 5.77
I really cream bas 2/5-Klondike -sometimes they have no sugar died
18 oz blues 2.99
Brats 2/7
Frozen beef patties . 2 lbs 7.99
Cheries 1.99
Strawberries 3.99

DIGITAL COUPONS
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ONLY

RITZ .99
NATHANS OR HEBEW NATIONAL FRANKS 1.99
PORK RIBS 1.77

———
DIGITAL ALL WEEK
GM CEEAL 1.49
RAGU 1.29

NOTE:   THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON IF YOU CAN STACK A DIGITAL COUPON AND A PAPER ONE.  

Chain Store Ads

QFC

Tillamook ice cream 2/7
Bush Baked Beans 2/3
Butter 2.99
GM Cereal 1.99 - look for coupons


DIGITAL COUPONS
KROGER SMOKED SAUSAGE 1.99
P. CREAM CHEESE 1.79


ALBERWAYS

Just for You coupons
Sweet BabY Rays BBQ .49
Hot dog or hamburger buns .49
Butter 2.49
Best Foods 2.49
Store brand ice ream 1.99
Blueberries 2.99 - limit one
Johnsonville sausage 2/5
Darigold sour cream -large 1.99


————
Salad including spinach .99
Cherries 1.88
Hormel pepperoni 2/7


Fred Meyers on another blog.   Ive run out of space on the reader feed.

How did she do that?

How did she do that....meals under five dollars.
Four people, one meal, five dollars.

Four dollar a day meals means that you need to keep a dinner for the proverbial family of four—two adults and two school aged children for five dollars.

Using foods on sale and incorporating them into meals is an age old concept.   My mother did it for years.

Buffalo Chicken salad

• Package of mixed salad .99
• 1/2 cucumber .44
• 2 Roma tomatoes  .50
• 1.2 lb chicken, cooked from froze in the insta pot, then pulled with wing sauce tossed.   .49

Total 2.42

That leaves plenty for bread, tortilla chips or bread sticks and a fruit desert. 

I got yogurt for .50 for white chocolate and .38 for fruit yogurt.  Hint:  you can freeze yogurt in its own container.  A good desert with protein and calcium.   

Monday Kitchen Management

Part of the concept of 1/2 price groceries is efficiently cooking.   The idea of spending a bit more time organizing , planning and shopping, and less time cooking a meal is more efficient and cuts food costs.

Working from a meal plan, you can take advantage of anything you have an abundance of and precook or wash all your veggies etc at the same time.  This saves time and money.   You are more likely to scratch cook even when you are tired if your work is half done.

Reminder of meals:

Nacho Pot Pie
Pizza
Sweet Potatoes, shredded chicken
Tomato soup, ham and cheese toasted sandwiches
Slow cooked chicken enchaladas chilli
Salmon, baked potatoes ,

1. Wash kitchen floor 
2. Wash and disinfect countertops and sinks and drains.
3. Clean out refrigerator and dump anything dead.
4. Print recipes from Betty Crocker for Nacho Pot Pie and Chicken enchalada chilli 
5. Cook a batch of chicken breasts 
6. Wash carrots, potatoes , and salad makings 
7. Cook black beans 
8. Straighten pantry. 

Things that helped keep costs down.   Eggs were .79 at Safeways, limit 2.  I purchased two even though we had 1.5 dozen in the house already.   Don’t hesitate if something is versatile enough to stretch your food dollar.   We like hard cooked eggs, even the child and cooking them in the oven makes the job easy.   We always have breakfast for dinner once a week.  Its a family affair. 

We got bread for free this weed—and healthy bread at that.   

Milk was a dollar a gallon.   Pudding is a good way to add protein and calcium to a dinner that might not have a lot of protein.  

Chicken breast was purchased in a case lot for a dollar a pound.  The chicken and pork that I purchased in bulk I incorporated into the regular budget at four dollars a day.   The hamburger was a bit more costly and I have been prorating it at 2 pounds a month.   We tend to eat hamburger once a week.  It was almost impossible to incorporate 100 dollars worth of meat into a months budget.   

Jan-March average weekly spent.   51.98

April -June so far average weekly spent. 48.96

4 dollars a day for 2 people is 56.00

Meal Plans 6/24/18

Meal Plans are a necessary component in a plan to reduce your food costs.

Our meal plans usually are predicated on a matrix that is based on protein sources.   It provides variety and balances cost factors.

•  Nacho Pot Pie (Betty Crocker) 
• Pizza (scratch ) 
• Sweet Potatoes and shredded chicken w wing sauce, salad 
• Tomato soup, ham and cheese toasted sandwiches
• Slow cooked chicken enchiladas soup (Betty Crocker) 
• Baked Salmon, Baked Potato,salad 
• Breakfast for Dinner 

Notes 

1. Use broth from bouillon or scratch broth, scratch taco seasoning, milk instead of cream , cooked and shredded chicken , not deli, and fresh cooked beans. 
2. Pizza is scratch and cost about a dollar for a cheese pizza.  
3. Sweet potatoes were cheapest at winco.-like 1/2 the price  of Alberways.  Shred chicken enough for Nacho Pie. The wing chicken , land the chicken enchilada soup. 
4. Tomato soup is from a 2.00 box bought at GO.  You could also make scratch. 
5. Baked salmon from winco.  
6. Breakfast for dinner is a mainstay for Sunday dinner.  We all cook for a family experience. 

Concept

Like almost everything, concept is key.  Once you get the concept of anything you are trying to do, its the jumping off point for success.

The basic concept of not paying full price for anything that you use on a regular basis is key to saving a lot of money.  People have seen as much as 1.50 price difference between the same item depending on where and when it was purchased.

It isn’t as much what you buy as when and where you buy it.

This necessitates going to two stores a week.   Buying food once a month, while efficient, is not the best for your budget.  Most of the time the word convenience means $$$$.

You can, when you shop with a plan, get in and out of a store in a half hour.   We don’t spend any more time in two stores plus than many people do going to one.   Know your store layout.   It saves going up and Dow every isle looking for something.   If you dont have a reason to go down an isle, don't go there.    Stay away from the paper goods, pet, household goods, and personal heigene isles.
Most of those things are overpriced compared to other stores.   Impulse buys count for 70 percent of a stores profits.   Their profit is your loss.

Go with a plan.   You don’t necessarily need to go to the point where you make a list.   Do your due dillaglence in making a meal plan, noting from the check off sheet what perishables you don’t have, and check the ads to see if there are any rock bottom prices (RBP) on what you use.   Check the ads for your rotation meat.

Rotation meat is a bulk meat you buy that is versatile and averages two dollars a pound.   We can still get FF boneless, skinless, chicken breast for 2.00 a pound.   Whole or half pork loins are between a dollar and 1.69 a pound.  And good hamburger can still be found for under three dollars a pound.
Add beans (Dollar Tree). Cheese (2.00-2.49 a lb ) and eggs.  Eggs need to be at a buy price of under 1.50—closed to a dollar is preferred.

Rotation meat is when you buy a four to six week supply of a bulk protein that is at a low price and rotate the protein you buy per week.  You are buying your protein at the lowest possible price and you are portion controlling the bulk package into meal sized portions.   It saves time and money.

Thats what this blog is about,   Saving time and money.   Our grocery budget is four dollars a day.   We also supplement our grandchild and grow a stock.   Its a good thing to be prepared for emergencies—big or small.   Life happens, and the least amount of stress you put on yourself the better off you are.

The thesis is that if you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more wouldn't be hard to do.

Friday Final

We hit the motherload with specials at safeways.   Taking advantage of specials and freebies:  bread and cranberry juice., is a good way to stretch your food dollar.   Use your imiganation to incorporate them into meals.   A lot of breakfast meals can cost as little as a quarter.

1. Oatmeal , banana, splash of milk 
2. Egg, toast .06
3. Pancakes , fruit 
4. Yogurt, granola

• Toasted cheese sandwich 
• Soup from scratch 
• P b and j 
• BLT’s 
• Bean and rice burritos 

Thursday Safeways Haul

total spent 15.23

Cranberry juice -0
2 kraft sharp cheese slices 3.98
2 dz eggs 1.58
Shredded cheese .99
Shredded cheese .99
2 percent milk .99 gal
2 lbs ground turkey 3,98

Cheries 2.72

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