Where do you save $$$

[luvs]

eggs! they're low in $$ & so versatile. meatloaf & pastas, marinara being quite economical- a few bulk portobellos impart a meat-type of texture!

 

[joesfolk]

I just really need to tell someone about the great deal I got today. My dh just won't understand. I have been craving cream of wheat for a while now so I was going to buy some. There was a sale cart there ( at the store) that had stuff 50% off. On the cart was a bunch of boxes of Spongebob Squarepants Instant Cream of Wheat. Now Normally I would never buy this product but since I was going to buy Cream of Wheat anyway I picked it up. It was normally $4.29. But at the discount it was only $2.15. Well I decided to go and check the regular shelf to see if plain Cream of Wheat was any cheaper. When I found the shelf there was a pad of coupons for $2.00 off any variety, which included the Spongebob stuff. So I grabbed 4 coupons and got 4 boxes of the stuff for 15 cents per box. I may go back tomorrow and get more! Now I am not a big couponer but this just fell into my lap. I mean I got $17.00 worth of product for 60 cents. Made my whole day. Dh just does not realize how much money I save us.

 

[taxlady]

I just really need to tell someone about the great deal I got today. My dh just won't understand. I have been craving cream of wheat for a while now so I was going to buy some. There was a sale cart there ( at the store) that had stuff 50% off. On the cart was a bunch of boxes of Spongebob Squarepants Instant Cream of Wheat. Now Normally I would never buy this product but since I was going to buy Cream of Wheat anyway I picked it up. It was normally $4.29. But at the discount it was only $2.15. Well I decided to go and check the regular shelf to see if plain Cream of Wheat was any cheaper. When I found the shelf there was a pad of coupons for $2.00 off any variety, which included the Spongebob stuff. So I grabbed 4 coupons and got 4 boxes of the stuff for 15 cents per box. I may go back tomorrow and get more! Now I am not a big couponer but this just fell into my lap. I mean I got $17.00 worth of product for 60 cents. Made my whole day. Dh just does not realize how much money I save us.

w00t!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I just really need to tell someone about the great deal I got today. My dh just won't understand. I have been craving cream of wheat for a while now so I was going to buy some. There was a sale cart there ( at the store) that had stuff 50% off. On the cart was a bunch of boxes of Spongebob Squarepants Instant Cream of Wheat. Now Normally I would never buy this product but since I was going to buy Cream of Wheat anyway I picked it up. It was normally $4.29. But at the discount it was only $2.15. Well I decided to go and check the regular shelf to see if plain Cream of Wheat was any cheaper. When I found the shelf there was a pad of coupons for $2.00 off any variety, which included the Spongebob stuff. So I grabbed 4 coupons and got 4 boxes of the stuff for 15 cents per box. I may go back tomorrow and get more! Now I am not a big couponer but this just fell into my lap. I mean I got $17.00 worth of product for 60 cents. Made my whole day. Dh just does not realize how much money I save us.

Fantastic Coup! Love it when things go right!

 

[DaveSoMD]

I just really need to tell someone about the great deal I got today. My dh just won't understand. I have been craving cream of wheat for a while now so I was going to buy some. There was a sale cart there ( at the store) that had stuff 50% off. On the cart was a bunch of boxes of Spongebob Squarepants Instant Cream of Wheat. Now Normally I would never buy this product but since I was going to buy Cream of Wheat anyway I picked it up. It was normally $4.29. But at the discount it was only $2.15. Well I decided to go and check the regular shelf to see if plain Cream of Wheat was any cheaper. When I found the shelf there was a pad of coupons for $2.00 off any variety, which included the Spongebob stuff. So I grabbed 4 coupons and got 4 boxes of the stuff for 15 cents per box. I may go back tomorrow and get more! Now I am not a big couponer but this just fell into my lap. I mean I got $17.00 worth of product for 60 cents. Made my whole day. Dh just does not realize how much money I save us.

That was a great deal! I had a coupon coup last week. There was a sale on Progresso Soups - $1 a can and I had 3 coupons that were save $1 on 4 so I got them at 75 cents a can.

 

[CWS4322]

Bread

According to this morning's Canada A.M., the folks in France eat (buy) 23 MILLION baquettes/day. One of the ways I save money is to make my own bread. I use a breadmachine. I am on my third one. The last two I picked up at the Goodwill for $5/each. I have one I keep at my house (which is currently rented out because there is a mortgage) and one at the "farm" (where I live--no mortgage--renting out the house during these economic hard times took away a substantial financial burden each month and, the tax breaks re: upkeep, maintenance, and taxes are substantial as well--although I like the house better than the farm, it made sense).

I use the breadmachine to make the dough for pitas, bagels, rolls, and bread. My DH figured out it cost about $1/day to make bread (including the cost for the electricty to run it and the oven if I bake the bread in the oven). Although the cost of wheat has gone up (we have a hard time finding 25# bags of whole wheat flour now), it still is a way to cut down on costs. I dry the leftover bread and pass it through my foodprocessor to make crumbs or I make croutons.

K.

 

[CookLikeJulia]

For me to save more $$$, I buy in market where there are low prices and I bought it in a bulk probably for one week or two weeks foods. We always do this and there is no problem regarding budget.

 

[blissful]

CWS-great savings on breads! Crumbs for meatloaves, fish patties, breading and more.

We found pork loin bone in for 99c/lb.
20 lb minimum
Cut the ribs off the loin, roasted the ribs for some yumminess and now I'm making soup with some of the roasted ribs (w/beans carrots celery and onion).
6 roasts in the freezer, enough for 5 or 6 servings each roast.
Total of 9 meals for $20 (just the meat portion). Not a bad deal in this area.

 

[Love2cook11]

I use coupons a lot. I typically only have processed foods when they are free after coupons. I try to make everything else from scratch when possible. Ie With a $3.50-$4 10lb bag of potatoes, I save money by making my own potato chips, hashbrowns, french fries etc.

I used to shop organic...just go into Whole Foods and get groceries and IMO it's a rip off. The stores are generally taking advantage of what's becoming more and more popular and price gouging. What is equally important to me is that my food is LOCAL. So my milk, meat, fruits, and veggies are all locally grown and produced and I purchase them from a small mom and pops grocery store. I know where they come from and the practices of the farmers that produce and process them. Not CERTIFIED organic but not feedlot meat, not full of chemicals (they simply can't afford them), and no veggies are grown from genetically modified seeds. And none of the mystery solution in chicken "to preserve flavor". Things like cereal, salad dressing (assuming not making my own), pb&j, condiments I do buy organic but with coupons they are usually free or at least 50% off.

For meats I always ask what day of the week meats are marked down for quick sale and that's typically the only time I buy meat. Another benefit of the small grocery store is a REAL butcher. If chuck roast is on sale I don't hesitate to ask him to grind some up or to cut a super cheap marked down ribeye roast into steaks and wrap up for me. This saves me time and money from having to repackage when I get home too.

Cooking, I try to get the most out of everything. If I make a whole chicken or turkey breast, Day 1 (and maybe a lunch the next day) is a piece of chicken, Day 2 are quesadillas or pot pie (which uses a lot less meat), Day 3 and maybe another lunch is chicken soup, and cook the bones for stock. The goal is to get 5 meals per person (2 of us).

With coupons, for 2 adults, our grocery bill is usually around $150 a month, mostly because the small grocery store is more expensive. If I shopped at a big box, I think it'd be around $100.

I just got the go ahead to start a garden on some land behind me but I've heard of nasty bugs getting into neighbor's yards so I'm still researching. Would love to grow some peppers, green beans and maybe a few other cost cutting goodies and get into canning. OH and passion fruit because I had them on a trip and can't find any on the east coast near me

 

[cmarchibald]

Buying locally is more important than buying strictly organic, love2cook, I think you're right on target.

I'm way late to this discussion but....

Where do we save $$$? That's why we moved to the Philippines.

 

[CWS4322]

I cut the electricity bill by not running the dryer (clothes hang to dry in front of the woodstove). I also only wash clothes with cold water and have the hot water tank on a timer. We're swapping the H2O tank for a smaller one. DH is making a stainless steel boiler to add to the wood stove (he can make/design ANYTHING). Between the two of us, we don't use as much hot water as the tank holds...and with rising electricity costs in Ontario, this seemed like one thing we could control. Also don't use the dishwasher. We're not on time-of-day usage rates at the farm, yet, but that's coming.

It used to be, I would decide what I wanted to make, make my grocery list, and get what I needed. Now I hop on the Internet, browse my cookbooks, hop on this forum and see what I can make with what I've got or what is on special. For example, I got ricotta and philly cheese at 1/2 price this week...still trying to figure out what to do with the philly...(those mushroom caps were very nice stuffed with cream cheese and bacon). Supposedly philly doesn't freeze well BUT you can make cream cheese frosting (omitting the sugar--add that when you thaw it) and freeze that. Might be one of the things I'll do. Supposedly ricotta does freeze. I only use it for lasagna and other such things.

I'm looking forward to garden season...the leeks have sprouted, as has the celery...waiting for the peppers to germinate. I look at leeks in the store and say "ha! I have leeks from the garden still in the freezer!"

 

[Janet H]

Oatmeal in 25 lb bag from healthfood store $13.00. QUaker for the supermart would cost about $50.00
Bottled water - none. Tap water is free.
Herbs - home grown - practically free

 

[justplainbill]

Making sandwiches from home cooked meats instead of salt laden cold cuts.

 

[Josie1945]

Making sandwiches from home cooked meats instead of salt laden cold cuts.

This is what I do also. I cook turkey breast, ham, and roast beef. I also make my own corned beef and Pastrami. I let meat get cold and then slice it with my meat slicer. Saves money, and I know what is in it.

Josie

 

[justplainbill]

It would be nice, Josie, if you would tell us how you make your Pastrami.

 

[Josie1945]

It would be nice, Josie, if you would tell us how you make your Pastrami.

This is the recipe I use to make corned beef. After it is corned I rub it with Coarse black pepper and any other seasoning I want and smoke it untill tender,I usally smoke it for about 6 hours. Then I usually steam it or pressure cook it for 15 to 30 minutes if it isn't tender.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f53/corned-venison-brining-using-foodsaver-68100.html

Josie

 

[AngelaZBJ]

I find that buying our favorite meat when they are on sale and store them in the freezer not only saves us a lot of money, but also allow us to enjoy what we like without having to pay the full price.
and also, I find that buying only the vegetables we need for the week, this way the vegetables don't go bad if we don't eat them within the week.
We love fruits and smoothies, so i buy the fruits in bulk when they are on sale and freeze them in the freezer, even the bananas, so that whenever we want a smoothies, we can just take the fruits out of the freezer, and don't even need the ice.
We live in an apartment, so we receive all kinds of flyers every week, this allow me to compare the prices between different grocery stores, and go to different store to buy different things we need and also on sale.

 

[StuartCooks]

I do this a variety of ways.
I try to stay away from pre-prepared foods, I make most of what I can when I have the time. It doesn't always work (like..I don't make my own cheeses when I eat them).

Though another way is by reducing the amount of dairy I consume and I don't eat meat at all.

 

[expatgirl]

such great ideas......`i remember when my husband and `i were first married a hundred years ago and he had killed a deer right before we married........we ate deer meat for a full year..........you had to be inventive........to this day `i can not look at venison without visual disturbanaces.....at least they're far more options out there..........

 

[StuartCooks]

such great ideas......`i remember when my husband and `i were first married a hundred years ago and he had killed a deer right before we married........we ate deer meat for a full year..........you had to be inventive........to this day `i can not look at venison without visual disturbanaces.....at least they're far more options out there..........

Wow :O

Texas native in Kazakhstan? what a change. Why'd you move there?