Where do you save $$$

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Thanks for the responses all. I've concluded that it's just constant vigilence to keeping track of prices/sales and preventing food waste. I wish we had a house with a yard so we could garden but we are stuck in an apartment. We tried the community garden thing but it was a 20 minute drive on top of a full time job and 3 little ones 4 and under so it didn't work out; I was sad.
 
Hey if you like premium cuts of meats and organic foods there's no dishonor in continuing to indulge yourself. You're already ahead of the curve starting from scratch and buying in bulk.

Sure, saving money is important but it sounds to me that you're not 'wasting money' either. Sometimes that can be just as important...so go ahead snickerdoodle, enjoy life and cook what you and yours are happy with.


 
This thread has been percolating in my head.

I make http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/homemade-quark-german-quark-14449.html and use it instead of cream cheese. When I make it, or stock, or just about anything else that usually uses cheese cloth, I use an old tea towel instead. I boil the tea towel in a pot of water on my stove just prior to using it and after I'm done. I set a timer - I already burned one tea towel o_O
 
Does tea towel = flour sack towel? I have cheesecloth but if I remember right, it was expensive... is that normal? I know my fave dollar store has flour sack towels. I definitely need to try the quark!!
 
I can't stand wasting food, so any leftover soups and stews are portioned off into food safe containers, labelled and dated, and put in the freezer to be used within one month. As my family is big, that can really save some money. I say "use within one month" only because it helps keep the freezer shelves tidy and ship-shape, and ensures any food can be used again and eaten up.
 
Does tea towel = flour sack towel? I have cheesecloth but if I remember right, it was expensive... is that normal? I know my fave dollar store has flour sack towels. I definitely need to try the quark!!

A tea towel is the thing you dry dishes with. If the flour sack towels are cotton or linen or hemp or something else natural, they would work. Wash it a couple of times to get any sizing (starch) and anything else out before the first food use. I would bleach them first if there is any dye used on them. Rinse really well.

I find cheese cloth too expensive and you can't reuse it and it's so loosely woven that stuff gets stuck in it, so you end up throwing away perfectly good quark or yoghurt cheese or whatever.
 
The way that i save money is making sure that i make a list and have my buget when i go to the store and make sure that i dont compromise in either. I feel that when i do not have a list i buy random things and when i do my money is spent more wisely. I think sticking to a budget is important too because you know what items to buy stor brand and those items that you buy name brand. Always look for deals and when something you use often is on sale go ahead and get a few to last for a while.
 
A tea towel is the thing you dry dishes with. If the flour sack towels are cotton or linen or hemp or something else natural, they would work. Wash it a couple of times to get any sizing (starch) and anything else out before the first food use. I would bleach them first if there is any dye used on them. Rinse really well.

I find cheese cloth too expensive and you can't reuse it and it's so loosely woven that stuff gets stuck in it, so you end up throwing away perfectly good quark or yoghurt cheese or whatever.

I forgot to specify that a tea towel is not made of terry cloth
 
One of the things I always buy is the 10# bag of chicken legs. My last purchase was $5.78 at WalMart. When they have them at the Sav-A-Lot it is usually around $4.49.

After putting away my groceries I put the bag of legs in the sink and rinse each one and cut the drumsticks off of the thigh. Using sandwich size zip bags, I put each thigh in a bag and several drumsticks in another until it is full. I immediately stack these in the freezer. This time they were huge, but I still ended up with 7 thighs and 2 bags of drumsticks. For me that's 9 meals with leftovers too.

I also buy Bar-S type smoked sausages. Usually the package is 3# and costs $3.99. It contains 16 nice size sausages and I use them, usually 2 at a time in Chili, Jambalaya, etc. That's 8 meals also with leftovers.

The cheapest ground sausage works fine. All you have to do is add a little poultry seasoning or sage. I find that most recipes.for me, need only 1/3#, like sausage gravy. I get two servings of that, or if I make with stuffing I get a casserole dish of 4 servings total. Both these recipe use 1/2 or a whole onion which helps to stretch the dish.
 
The way that i save money is making sure that i make a list and have my buget when i go to the store and make sure that i dont compromise in either. I feel that when i do not have a list i buy random things and when i do my money is spent more wisely. I think sticking to a budget is important too because you know what items to buy stor brand and those items that you buy name brand. Always look for deals and when something you use often is on sale go ahead and get a few to last for a while.


You are so right. I make my list as I decide what I want to make and what I am about to run out of. Anything and everything that I think of. Then, a couple of days before shopping, I review the list. If it's affordable, fine. If not, then I decide which recipes to hold off on and remove those items from the list. By the time I go shopping, I know I have everything I need and can afford on the list. I rewrite the list to match my path through the store. That way I rarely have to go back for something.

Before I check out, I stop and review it to make sure I got everything. If I missed something I either go back and get it or decide I don't need it.

If I see something I'd like to splurge on I have a good idea of whether or not I can afford it. It's good sometimes to treat yourself if you can.

I get paid by the month, so I shop for the month. Lists work.

It is so satisfying to get home from shopping and know you have everything you need. :chef:

The bad part about going without a list and buying random things is that you get home and nothing goes together without ingredients you didn't buy.
 
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i shop on line at von's for a month at a time. that way i only pay the 7.00 del. charge once. i do much the same as other people here. i do buy family sizes of chicken and fish. portion them out for myself for a meal. can always thaw more if i have company. i usually have at least one full sized meat portions for guests i invited. such as game hens or pork chops. buy most when they are on sale.

i can add or remove product even if i sent order. i scour " buy one get one free" and and check out bargains. i do plan some menu recipes. buy all i need at one time. really had a big order to be delivered this time. stocking up on items for holiday cooking. i have ordered on line for almost four hours. they bring into the house and separate the perishables from staples for me.

when i took cab (don't drive) to shop the bill was 10.00 for the round trip and i had to bring in myself. not so easy at my age.

all in all this is just a wonderful way for me to shop. i buy one serving ( most of the time) of veggies. no waste then. try to have little waste.
 
The biggest challenge with saving money by buying bulk items is storage. To avoid waste, contamination, and spoilage containers are a must. Where would you store 25 pounds of flour at your residence?

.40
In 5 gallon food grade buckets with a lid, < $5.00 at Home Depot. In the fruit cellar in the basement. (I've used bay leaves to keep the moths away, and I hear but have not tried diatomatious earth as a second way to keep bugs away)(ADDED: Also freezing will kill the larvae but I find this difficult with large amounts, trying to fit them in the freezer when it is full.)

Saving money--provide homemade food, less processing = better nutrition, = less salt, = less additives, =less watered down, by making it from unprocessed ingredients (garden produce can be organic, lean meats/fish/poultry). The density in nutrition/calories of homemade homegrown foods is most likely higher than processed foods and the fillers that are used. Hence more nutrition/calories (nutrition=vitamins, minerals, calories=well, you know what those are) than buying premade items.

3 bags of groceries of produce/meat/fish/poultry/fruits/grain/cheeses

> (is greater than--in my humble opinion)

3 bags of groceries of frozen lasagna (that tastes like tomato soup with noodles) canned soups, dehydrated potatoes, chips, processed cheese spread, white bread, ho-ho's/twinkies, chocolate milk, bag of snickers (yum), cocokrispies cereal and instant tea powder. They may even cost the same in $$ upfront not including your health.

I'm not saying I never purchase anything on the second list, just rarely, and it's usually a disappointment to me (DARN, eating snickers, I forgot it wasn't on my healthy diet!). Even canned soups when I get them for free I dilute them with real produce.

I have a little story: I was among 4 women and 5 men at a family gathering a number of years back. We were 'schooled' (scolded) from the elderly heavy woman (not that I haven't gained any weight in past years--but still within good norms), that we should provide fake butter, fake sour cream, bread with wood fiber, any number of sugar substitutes to provide a similar diet to hers especially when she came to visit. Now, I'm a firm believer that eating good nutritious unprocessed food (or at least home processed) in moderation will be better than all of this fake stuff. As I looked at the Thanksgiving pictures I realized I was at least 100 lbs under the weight of anyone elses weight. I'm not sure she should have been the one to provide all the advice for nutrition at that point. She was spending twice as much to get half the nutrition.
Enough of my stories! It just makes me chuckle.

Lastly, to keep track of food prices, just write them down in a little notebook kept with your checkbook, price/lb or price/ounce and location, then you'll know when something is a good deal, a sale price is not always a good deal, nor is a bigger container if it costs more per ounce.
Do you have a story, how do you save money?
 
My goodness, there is a WEALTH of information on this thread!! My newlywed son asked me the other day about how to save money on his WAY out of line food bill. I gave him some pointers, but I'm going to print this out for them. Thank you all so much.

Babe, I'm so glad your online shopping is working out, that's wonderful !!
I was raised in a "mom and pop" grocery store, and when I was a little girl I'd help my daddy with home grocery deliveries. Nobody locked their doors in those days, and if they weren't home, we'd go into to kitchen to put the perishables away for them. Naturally, it was free delivery but it's wonderful that Von's charges only seven dollars for such a wonderful service! I'm so picky about produce, do you have a problem with getting top of the line produce chosen for you?




i shop on line at von's for a month at a time. that way i only pay the 7.00 del. charge once. i do much the same as other people here. i do buy family sizes of chicken and fish. portion them out for myself for a meal. can always thaw more if i have company. i usually have at least one full sized meat portions for guests i invited. such as game hens or pork chops. buy most when they are on sale.

i can add or remove product even if i sent order. i scour " buy one get one free" and and check out bargains. i do plan some menu recipes. buy all i need at one time. really had a big order to be delivered this time. stocking up on items for holiday cooking. i have ordered on line for almost four hours. they bring into the house and separate the perishables from staples for me.

when i took cab (don't drive) to shop the bill was 10.00 for the round trip and i had to bring in myself. not so easy at my age.

all in all this is just a wonderful way for me to shop. i buy one serving ( most of the time) of veggies. no waste then. try to have little waste.
 
My goodness, there is a WEALTH of information on this thread!! My newlywed son asked me the other day about how to save money on his WAY out of line food bill. I gave him some pointers, but I'm going to print this out for them. Thank you all so much.

Babe, I'm so glad your on line shopping is working out, that's wonderful !!
I was raised in a "mom and pop" grocery store, and when I was a little girl I'd help my daddy with home grocery deliveries. Nobody locked their doors in those days, and if they weren't home, we'd go into to kitchen to put the perishables away for them. Naturally, it was free delivery but it's wonderful that Von's charges only seven dollars for such a wonderful service! I'm so picky about produce, do you have a problem with getting top of the line produce chosen for you?


still occasionally have problems with produce that is to big, ie onions, etc. the kids that do the shopping seem to think big is better. not so with most veggies. there is a spot for special instructions and will some times state , "small ones please" don't always remember to do that, though.
 
Lastly, to keep track of food prices, just write them down in a little notebook kept with your checkbook, price/lb or price/ounce and location, then you'll know when something is a good deal, a sale price is not always a good deal, nor is a bigger container if it costs more per ounce.
Do you have a story, how do you save money?

That's a good idea to write prices down. Grocery shopping is such a project anymore. When I go, I have with me: the list, coupons, calculator, WIC vouchers, and now, a notebook to write prices down. I need a new purse to hold all these things. My step mom always said that as you get older your purse gets bigger, boy was she right LOL.

On Saturday, dh made a trip to the grocery store (which is always kind of scary) and he came back with I think 5 bags of groceries that cost $80. He walked in the door and the first thing he said was, "I'm not good at grocery shopping, you are way better at it." Granted, he had bought 2 packages of diapers ($15) and a bottle of Irish cream liquor ($10). But I still was choking on the cost. On the plus side, I was happy to hear him say I was good at grocery shopping because it's something I've really been working hard on.
 
On Saturday, dh made a trip to the grocery store (which is always kind of scary) and he came back with I think 5 bags of groceries that cost $80. He walked in the door and the first thing he said was, "I'm not good at grocery shopping, you are way better at it." Granted, he had bought 2 packages of diapers ($15) and a bottle of Irish cream liquor ($10). But I still was choking on the cost. On the plus side, I was happy to hear him say I was good at grocery shopping because it's something I've really been working hard on.

Ooops...you just got the job for life!:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
...

On Saturday, dh made a trip to the grocery store (which is always kind of scary) and he came back with I think 5 bags of groceries that cost $80. He walked in the door and the first thing he said was, "I'm not good at grocery shopping, you are way better at it." Granted, he had bought 2 packages of diapers ($15) and a bottle of Irish cream liquor ($10). But I still was choking on the cost. On the plus side, I was happy to hear him say I was good at grocery shopping because it's something I've really been working hard on.

Wow, you must have much cheaper groceries where you live than I have here. I would be posting "Woohoo! The hubster got 5 bags of groceries for only $80 and that included booze."
 
Wow, you must have much cheaper groceries where you live than I have here. I would be posting "Woohoo! The hubster got 5 bags of groceries for only $80 and that included booze."

It's all relative I guess :)

Fiona, I don't mind the job if it provides significant savings. One day, when we're independently wealthy he can do all the shopping :LOL:
 

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