Secrets to supermarket savings - Part 3
To give you an idea of how we eat, here's our menu for the week:
Breakfasts:
-Waffles (I make these with all whole-wheat flour) and grapefruit.
-Baked Oatmeal (served over homemade yogurt with fresh fruit, yum!).
-Cereal
-Whole-wheat cinnamon raisin biscuits and fruit.
I just jot down some breakfast ideas when planning the menu and don't assign certain items to certain days. This gives me a flexible plan to work with depending upon what Jesse is hungry for and what his morning schedule is like. I usually make up waffle or pancake batter once a week and we'll use it for a few breakfasts (and sometimes Saturday brunch or for a quick dinner). To save money and eat less processed foods, we only have cereal 1-2 mornings a week at the most. I never pay more than $1.69 (Aldi price) for a box of cereal and usually shoot to get it for a $1 or less. We try to buy cereals with wholegrains, low in sugar, and with no food coloring. Most of our breakfasts cost about $0.25 to $0.50/person.
Lunches:
-Peanut butter (we usually splurge and buy the all-natural healthy kind, though this week I didn't because I didn't have extra $ for it. We can usually get coupons for this and get it for about $1 more than the Aldi peanut butter) and honey sandwiches on whole-wheat bread (either homemade or from Aldi) and grapefruit.
-Mixed green salad with a little cheese and hard-boiled eggs and baked potatoes.
-Leftovers.
-Salad and baked squash (I had all the salad ingredients on hand - I bought way too much the week before since things we on sale. Squash was also on sale the week before).
-Healthy Choice frozen meals (I got these free this week - we rarely do frozen dinners but Healthy Choice are pretty good and you can't beat free!).
Lunches are similar to breakfasts in that I just make sure I have enough things on hand for a little variety and I jot down the ideas and pick from there. Since Jesse takes a lunch with him to work everyday, he usually has sandwiches a few days, leftovers one day, and a salad one day (He likes me sending a big salad to work with him!). I also will usually send him some tortilla chips (we don’t normally eat potato chips, but he likes tortilla chips) and sometimes salsa. Or muffins, if I have some on hand. Every once in a while, I'll send him some cookies, if I have some made. I also often send cucumber slices, grapefruit (we love grapefruit at our house!), apples, or other fruit/veggies we have on hand. He doesn't have a ton of variety in his lunches and that is completely fine with him. He would be perfectly happy with PB and honey every single day but I do try to give him at least some variety!
If we have leftovers from dinners which I can't recycle into another dinner and can't pack in Jesse's lunch, then Kathrynne and I usually eat these for lunch rather than making something else so that we use up the leftovers and don't waste food! Lunches usually cost somewhere around $0.50/person depending upon what we have.
Dinners:
-Homemade pizza with diced chicken and shredded cheese (Super simple and yummy. We use either salsa, spaghetti sauce, or barbecue sauce for the sauce. You can add veggies but we like ours just plain.) and salad.
-Broccoli, chicken, and cheese quiche and salad.
-Whole-wheat waffles and fruit.
-Homemade cream of broccoli soup, homemade whole-wheat toast, salad.
-Chili chicken casserole (Homemade white sauce with green chilies and chicken layered with noodles and cheese - yummy!), whole-wheat bread, salad.
I usually only plan 5-6 dinners since we usually go out on Thursday nights for our date night. Sunday nights we'll just eat something simple like waffles, cereal, etc. We have a covered dish dinner after church every Sunday and I usually either bring a big pan of dessert or else a big pot of something in the crockpot. This week I'm bringing make-ahead cheesy mashed potatoes. Dinners are usually around $1/person. We often have breakfast foods (pancakes, waffles, French toast) one night, a meatless dinner one night (Cream of broccoli soup this week), and an egg-based something or other another night (Quiche this week). We eat a lot more chicken than beef because I can more readily get good chicken for less expensive. We do have steak every few weeks and roasts sometimes when I can get the good kinds (Sterling silver, etc.) very reduced at the store.
We get the majority of our fresh fruits and vegetables at the store, but try to get organic whenever possible. In the Summer, we like to go to the Farmer's Market to get our fruits and veggies - I can usually get them cheaper than the store there. We are planning to start regularly going to a nearby orchard to get our fruits and are looking into starting to buy raw goat's milk locally, as well as raw honey locally. We are working to take small babysteps in the right direction. Our goal is to eventually be able to grow much of our own food and have chickens and a goat. This way we could produce all of our own vegetables, corn, potatoes, eggs, milk, yogurt, butter, etc. We are hoping to be as self-sufficient as possible and are working towards that end. However, we know we won't get there overnight. So, right now, we are eating as good as we can, while saving as much as we can, so that our vision can be realized sooner, hopefully. We'll see what God has in store.
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:54 PM
19 Comments:
question. we too eat very little processed food and shop at our local indoor farmers market for significant savings. but how do you get free toothpaste? i've bought it for $.25 or $.50 before with a coupon that was doubled but how can i get it for free?
How do you get free toilet paper?!?!?!
Well, I guess one difference in our groceries is we do buy some processed foods. I don't really have a problem with buying them. I try to buy lowfat versions of the things I buy. I have 3 small children 2 of which are in school and and are involved in things after school(girl scouts on tuesdays, baseball on Thursdays, piano on Fridays) so I tend to go for convenience sometimes. I guess our bill goes up mostly from buying things that aren't necessary like magazines, extra snacks that really aren't necessary, craft stuff etc. As far as coupons go I have to pay $1.25 for the Sunday paper(the only one with coupons) and there are usually only 1 or 2 coupons that I would use. We don't have any stores around here that double/triple coupons. We only have a SuperCenter Wal-Mart, Foodland that I will shop at. We have a Sav-a-Lot but the only things cheaper in there are cans of creamed soups(25 cents) and a Piggly Wiggly but it is a very dirty store and I only shop there if their deals are a "can't pass this up". I try to buy store brands when possible (my husband won't eat store brands of certain foods) but our bill still seems to run abought $100-140 a week. My children are in school and take snacks and lunches(if they don't like what's on the schools menu). I have a price book that I purchased from the Dollar Stretcher website. I have yet to use it. I plan on starting on that this weekend. That is a great website also. It has a whole section on saving money on groceries. I have also been meaning to go by CVS and get one of there cards. I guess I should do that this weekend too. They usually have very good deals on diapers.
We're going to have to check the local farmers market but so far the local apple orchard is expensive($5+ for the smallest bag with 12 apples). We do shop Aldi and they have potatoes nicely priced though too often with rotten centers. The fruit(lope, kiwi, bananas are some examples) generally is unripe and rots before ripening properly. The burger cooks to a large portion of fat drippings. Broccoli portions sure seem to be getting smaller. Some veggies are nice. One bag of chicken wings surely looks MUCH smaller when cooked(think it is plumped with yeast-derived flavorings) and hardly is enough for our family(our youngest son is almost 5'6" at 13 last month and hubby and oldest son are over 6'). I've made do with a package of pork chops for a meal but they shrink terribly(and I wonder what is really in them and the other meats?). Our closest 2 stores are convenient but extremely expensive. Things were so different where we used to live...smaller borough and more country living versus city. Maybe.
My guys would think they were on a starvation diet with those suggestions(please don't think I'm being critical or trying to discourage you, Crystal, but am reflecting on the way of this family). My dad would never eat PB sandwiches and grapefruit for lunch. Or a quiche. EVER! No casseroles for him, either. Soup and salad rarely would fly for him either for dinner unless we had a large meal for lunch. If I have stew(meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, peas, tomatoes) or veggie soup with burger for the meat and a wide variety of veggies, it would be with buttermilk cornbread and fresh fruit and even that isn't his "style". My boys share a 16" pizza for a snack. Waffles would need eggs, sausage/bacon, potatoes and fruit. For dinner last night, we had BBQ wings, green beans, mashed potatoes, unsweetened applesauce, and a loaf of homemade bread(King Arthur whole wheat flour, raw honey/maple syrup, olive oil, water, yeast, sea salt are the ingredients...think it works out to be close to $2 for a loaf???). "I'm" feeling discouraged here; maybe we have a metabolism problem or something? ;-) Well, okay...for lunch yesterday(hubby wasn't home) I got away with fried cabbage/onions and noodles with sour cream and homemade bread. Did good with that one concerning cost though the boys ended up hungry in short order and made a pizza before dinner. :-) :-) :-)
Okay...we sometimes use baking soda and peroxide instead of toothpaste that includes sweetener or health food store expensive alternatives(dentist of a friend recommendation).
Am I alone in things being sooooo different?
Baked outmeal? do you have the recipe for that? It sounds yummy! Thank you for all the great tips!
Leigh
Anonymous: Toothpaste goes on sale about 4 times per year here for $1. I use $0.50/coupons doubled and get it free. Crest, Colgate, and Aquafresh are usually the brands - with Aquafresh being the one I can get most often.
Catherine - basically the same as above. Though I did get 30 packages once which were on sale for $1.99 and it was double dollar coupons and I had $1 off coupons. However, our store rarely ever does double-dollar any more (it's been like 2 years since they have, ugh!) and so I watch for when they go on sale for $1.
Wendy: If you are not adverse to buying processed foods, you can get loads of those for very inexpensively or free. With patience and practice you'd be amazed!
Joyce: I was raised with a large hard-working family on a semi-"farm" and we could consume more food than you can imagine. My mom is a coupon and bargain queen and taught me everything I know. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to feed nine people. Grow as much food as you can, buy in bulk, find discounts, etc. She was the master at finding the best deals and saving hundreds of dollars on groceries every month.
Obviously how we eat is not going to work for everyone. I'm just trying to give some really practical information for those who are always asking me how we do it. Our menu this week was rather lean - many weeks we have better meals. I didn't plan it to be shared with the world, but it just happened that way! :) Yes, maybe we don't have elaborate many course dinners, but we always have plenty to eat. For us, it's been worth the sacrifices to save the money. Plus, with careful thought and planning, we make a lot fewer sacrifices since we are able to get the foods we like for every inexpensively. It's also a matter of training yourself to be thankful for what you have. Lots of poor people would think we eat quite lavishly.
Good for you getting a goat!
My family had goats and we drank their milk. We were never sick while we were on raw goat milk. We also raised all of our own veggies. We would freeze blueberries and blackberries and whatever we harvested from our garden. It was really cool, now that I think of it. My husband and I hope to move someplace where we can get a goat. The goats I had were very loud before milking time and neighbors don't appreciate it.
I don't know if you know goats, but make sure you get two. They HATE being alone and will cry until somebody either gets them a roommate or you shoot them.
We had Nubian goats. They are a bigger goat, but their milk is excellent (tastes like Jersey milk). Alpine and Saunan ( I think I spelled that right) have a very "goaty" taste to their milk, but I guess it makes good cheese. Nubians,I think, are higher in fat, but am not positive. They are also so cute with floppy ears. We would breed them every year and have kids. It was so much fun. I hope I can give my "kids" the experience I had as a kid. Only thing about goats milk that is negative is that goats milk does not separate. You have to get a milk separator...so you can't make your own butter or whip cream.
Another HUGE downside to getting any milking animal is finding somebody to watch it when you go on trips or vacations. They need to be milked twice a day. Very hard to find a petsitter with goat milking on their resume. Fortunately, we lived in a very agricultural area and we had some neighbors who had goats. We actually got rid of the goats wo that we could have freedom to stay out late and stuff. We always had to be home at 5pm to milk them. That got old.
I hope to start a large vegetable garden next year. I couldn't get to it this year with a new baby. It is hard when you have babies to tend to a large garden properly, but it will be easy when the kids get older and can help.
Planning your future is so much fun!
We also had chickens and turkeys. Boy, it was fun!
Joyce,
You are not alone! We have the same type of meals here. My husband likes to have more than 2 things on his plate. LOL! We have meat at every meal unless we are having a big salad/baked potato meal or breakfast for supper which usually consists of eggs, homemade biscuits, gravy and sometimes hashbrowns.
I did find some great deals on reduced meat at the store on Monday. I got 4 packs of chicken, a big pack of ground chuck and 2 packs of cubded steak all reduced 35-50% off. So I won't be buying any meat this week. I went early in the morning though and usually I shop in the afternoon. I guess I will start shopping early morning from now on to get the best deals on meat.
joyce--your not alone ...feeding, shopping and meal planning for a large family or one with several boys is completely different in my opinion. You don't have metabolism problems!haha!!
I can totally relate to your food issues... salad or grapefruit or potatoes would never go around here for lunch - maybe a snack. As a large family, we use a LOT of food. Working growing boys want and need hearty sustenance--lots of it.
I have been working on a book for homemakers of large families based on my experience as a young mom trying to feed an army--I am hoping to have it out in early OCT....
There are other books on the subject although not written with larger families in mind specifically...one is called Shop, Save and Share by Ellie Kay. She also has a book called 1/2 Price Living due to release in Jan 07.
joyce,
the farmers market saved our budget. through research (books like the maker's diet, www.eatwild.com, www.westonaprice.org) i discovered that in addition to the health risks posed by a lot of the food that we eat - not even talking processed, packaged - talking about meat from the meat dept., dairy, etc., we don't get as filled up from it because of the way they raise the animals. if you buy grass fed dairy (hard to find, buy mine from a local farm and the farmers market) and grass fed meat and poultry - it contains good fats from the omega oils that the animals consume when they eat grasses (as opposed to what they get when they eat too much grain, which is sick). this is why some people will take flax oil or eat nuts because they contain good fats (whick are actually a part of each cell in our body) and they get rid of hunger pains. my longwinded point is that since we eat grass fed meats and dairy, we require less meat because it's more satisfying to the tastebuds and more filling. i also read that because the animals are eating the way God intended, the bacterial balance in their digestive tract will not allow an overgrowth of e-coli in them - which means they are safer meats for us. i can't go back to eating the way we used to because the food tastes so much better now and i eat less. check out those sites for info. also check www.themeatrix.com - very informative. last tip, there is something called liquid gse by a company called nutribiotic and i use this to soak my vegies. it's liquid grapefruit seed extract and if you research it, supposedly it kills e-coli yet it is completely safe and natural. some hospitals use a triple strength concoction of it called citricidal. i've also used it to wipe out colds (only works if you take it at onset of symptoms), my husband used it for ringworm on his neck (he works at a hospital, germy) and i used it to wipe out impetigo on one of my little ones. it did in a few days what prescription oral and topical antibiotics couldn't do in two weeks. i mention this because of the recent spinach scare. sorry to be so long winded.
crystal,
thanks for that info. around what time of the year do the stores usually discount these items - change of season?
Joyce,
I am so worried about how I am going to be able to feed my boys when they are older. They are only 2 and 6 mos (and my husband), but they eat so much now!
My MIL had 8 boys. They were hungry all the time. I sure hope I can keep up with my boys' appetites as they grow. If I have more boys, what will I do? lol!
I had only two sisters. My MIL did a lot of pasta and ground beef. They lived on a salary of only 20,000 dollars. Can you imagine? And they lived in the city (Boston).
I have to have meat at every meal, or my husband will be none too pleased. I would be fine with a salad and roll, but he wants meat (the carnivore).
Thankfully, children grow up gradually, so I will be able to gradually increase the amount of food I prepare. So, I probably shouldn't be too worried. : )
Crystal,
I'm enjoying this series on grocery shopping. Thanks for sharing what you know and have experienced. Our meals are actually very similar to yours for the two of us(husband and I). When we were first married, I kinda worried about only having two or three things on the table, but husband assured me that it was ok as long as we had enough food that he could have seconds. I am very grateful to have a husband who will eat anything I fix, literally. It makes it so much easier to plan meals and budget for it. But it's all in what you get used to and what works for your individual family and situation. I am so glad now that he encouraged me in making simple meals; it saves me so much time, money and stress.
Thanks to everyone that replied to my metabolism post(smiles)! I was raised around farms, tended our garden and putting up veggies, and experienced a leaner diet because of family circumstances(that diet actually contributed to my unwellness journey and surely would have been considered lavish in other countries...we thought we were eating well in comparison to ancestors!) but find city life very different(this is where God transplanted us so we are adjusting...as we discover resources). I am familiar with the WestonPrice way...Mercola, curezone, Hallelujah Acres, Nourishing Traditions, and other resources of that caliber(we were used to having grazed animal products and local chickens and turkey(mmmmmm, wild and domestic turkey cross is delicious!). My dad was a state conservation officer and we used to enjoy wild meats, too. mmmmmm Amish resources weren't far off(and something we want to seek from this geographic location...know there are communities in Indiana and Ohio and Michigan).
And yes, I know about GSE(and tea tree oil, etc.)...and was amazed by ideas presented by Moritz concerning what is in us just waiting to "happen" as a defense mechanism for survival when we ingest improperly balanced diets(and thoughts). I was used to the medicine thought that strep came along and infected me and required drugs(those landed me flat on my back)...have since learned it is a normal pathogen to the body that can find itself imbalanced from varied stressors(including antibiotics...and foods eaten that acidify more than alkalize). Herbs help cleanse and rebalance...as does kimchee/cultured veggies, kombucha, kefir and yogurt(though using pasteurized/dead milk sets a person up for mucus and a host of other issues. Nearing impossible to buy raw and products from raw...heard of the FDA shutting down production of this with Organic Pastures recently(and Clareville?, too? though I think those both might be California based.). Ingesting prebiotics is valuable in addition to probiotics. Sourdough bread is better than just yeasted bread, but haven't done that other than a quicker version.). Getting "musings" lengthy, this is, but am loving the fellowship and ideas here! :-)
We are to be thankful "in" and "for" all things; it's believed all the ladies are being wooed to be so or they wouldn't be here to read and/or share their heart as they do in the desire to better know what God orchestrates for us. Wondered if I was alone there for a brief moment but am grateful to know there are others with similar family need and the Lord's supply. My heart overflows with thanks to Him for putting us all together...whether for a reason, a season, or a life journey.
The best for each of us is to grow where we are planted, to do so while seeking and understanding the Lord's will(and, yes, by our lord's, hubby's, lead). Goals for individuals and families have to be weighed to see if they are the Lord's or our stepping off the path of following Him in our haste. If we find ourselves seeking a good end but find ourselves likely to arrive or even arriving not able to enjoy it because with foresight or hindsight the journey wasn't proper(healthy, peaceful, joyful...what have you), then He will show each of us how to adjust when we are His workmanship and with ears to hear His perfect way and timing. :-)
Crystal, you are so precious to me. :-)
Crystal,
Thanks for all the great tips! It's really hard to utilize many of them in my area because we only have a Super Wal-Mart and they don't double coupons. I enjoyed your menu ideas. I'm always looking to vary our weekly menu.
One idea I wanted to mention for those who are trying to avoid processed meats/foods. In New York, we have the Organic Farming Association of New York. Every year they put out a food guide that lists organic farms by county, including what is grown/raised and contact information. If you were looking for organic beef, you could look it up by code and find a farm in your county. You would have to pay for 1/2 or a full beef, plus butchering fees. Some farms will even deliver. Some of them also allow you to buy shares - for X amount of dollars, you get X amount of produce. I would think that other states have similar organizations. It's a great way to get good, healthy food and put your dollars back into the local economy.
Our family is working to this end, but we need to purchase a chest freezer, which won't be in our budget until next year. New house, new bills! :-)
joyce
good news. they found NO pathogens, not one, at organic pastures. so hopefully they will leave them alone. they also tested the cows' waste and found none. they also discovered that one of the sick children ate spinach and the parent of the other says that she knows that it was a sushi dinner that did her in and not milk.
I was wondering about the baked oatmeal, too. I've tried a couple recipes, but they haven't worked out.
I would love to know what yours is, Crystal :^)
Crystal,
I found your recipe for baked oatmeal in your SCBreakfasts. Should have looked through that before requesting it!
Just one quick comment for Joyce:
My husband and I only have two small boys, and it still seems like we go through a lot of food! (We have company once a week or so though)
If I try to serve soup and a salad and some homemade bread for dinner, mu husband asks "Where's the main course?!" ;)
I need to make at least three things for every meal. We do always have plenty of food, and it may not be expensive items, but the cost does add up. When cheese goes on sale we buy 10-20 pounds, to last until the next sale! :) I make at least 2 large meals every day... if I serve something light for lunch (for example, sandwiches and fruit) I better have a big dinner planned or I will hear complaints ;)
So, like Crystal said (in the next post, I think) you do have to tailor her suggestions to fit your family (and husband's desires!). I would love to just eat soup every day and only spend 15 minutes cooking each day ;) But my husband likes larger/more varied/fancier meals, soooo.... I blog about... cooking! lol :D
I was reading your "blog mail" (as I call it, LOL) that mentioned saving on groceries, and even though it isn't exactly on subject, I wondered if you (or your readers) knew about freecycle.com? Basically it is a free site where people join and then if they have something they don't want, they may post it there instead of throwing the items away. Sometimes food, clothing, furniture....a couple of weeks ago I picked up a box of cake mixes, evaporated milk, and some canned fruit that someone had cleaned out of their pantry (was going to expire soon). So I thought I would mention it. It is especially nice when you can find someone giving out clothing (sometimes in excellent or easily fixable condition) for your family. I am realizing that I am sounding like a blog ad to you, but I thought that you might be able to appreciate this sort of thing like I do. I don't know if it is handled the same way in each area (it is a nationwide thing but it is sectioned into areas) but my local one has a yahoo group page that it links into...so the others are probably similar. Hope you like it if you don't already know :D
Post a Comment
<< Home