Hooray for a sale! I’m happy to be able to do some stocking up this month. I’ve had a chance to organize what we have and really evaluate what we need, which is quite a lot.
Consequently, I’ll be spending a lot more this month than usual ($500) but many items I buy will last us for many months.
I have already gone to Winco, Target, and Sam’s Club, and I’ll make my online purchase this week as well. Then I won’t head back to the store until the last week of the month for a second trip to Winco. Staying out of the store reduces the temptation to buy things that aren’t on the list, and I’ll have more time at home to get things accomplished.
Winco: ($82.39)
potatoes (20 pounds)
onions (50 pounds)
Great Northern beans
brown sugar (only because I forgot to buy it at Sam’s Club; it is 6 cents more per ounce at Winco; I bought 6.28 pounds)
tomatoes
spreadable margarine (2)
milk (3 gallons)
eggs
sour cream (10)
parmesan cheese (I plan on making and freezing a simple pesto with cheese, olive oil, and basil from the garden. I bought 5 containers of the shelf-stable store brand for this.)
La Victoria salsa (2)
corn tortillas
pumpkin
I’ll go back the last week of the month for the following: (approx. $44)
Halloween Candy (their lowest-priced bulk candy, on sale the last week of the month, always ends up being lower than I can get on anything else even with a sale and a coupon. I’ll buy extra of a few kinds to use for Christmas stockings.)
milk
potatoes (30 pounds)
apples
Sam’s Club: ($159.57)
POM toilet paper (3 boxes)
ketchup (1 114 oz. container)
vegetable oil (2 3-quart bottles)
vinegar (2-gallon package)
tomato sauce (3 #10 cans)
flour tortillas
mozzarella cheese (10 pounds)
lettuce
1 box (of 4 boxes) of gallon-sized Ziploc freezer bags
1 box (of 4 boxes) of quart-sized Ziploc freezer bags
pumpkin
Target: ( $166.93, and I got a $20 gift card and a $5 gift card to use next month. If you don’t get the ads-and I don’t–you can download the Target app, click the barcode symbol at the bottom, and there are two coupons for gift cards that come up. One is a $25 gift card when you spend $100 on baby items, and the second is a $5 gift card when you spend $20 on beauty items. Both are good through Saturday the 7th.)
Salon Graphix Unscented hairspray (4)
borax (4 boxes)
bleach (the store brand)
Neutrogena acne toner
Up and Up diapers ( I bought 5 boxes of size 4 diapers, which should last me 6 months.)
San Fransisco Herb Company: ($47.47 including shipping)
red raspberry leaves
lemon verbena
poppy seeds
cocoa powder
The garden is producing lots of basil, some oregano, a bit of chard, and I still have a few lingering pears that we are slowly harvesting. There isn’t much ripe now, but I hope that come December we’ll have quite a bit to harvest. The weather is cooling a bit and the tomato plants have started to flower again. I’m planting my fall garden this month.
What are you stocking up on this month?
Canadian readers, please share your Thanksgiving deals!
Glad to see you able to spend a bit to stock up on things! It’s always a relief to get a few more items in the house.
Due to the PFD (Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend) coming in this week combined with some holiday pay on the husband’s part and paying every penny I could onto dental bills, I will have just enough money left from PFD’s to get some things stocked up…mainly peanut free things for my son and things, but I am hoping to get some fresh produce and MAYBE even some cheese besides cheddar for some variety. It would be nice. But necessities and kids come first.
My list for the month can be found here…
http://makedohomemaker.blogspot.com/2017/10/shopping-goals-october-2017.html
V. glad to hear that you are able to stock up on items, despite having a lower income year. This is where your preparation skills and frugal ways combine to help you for the future!
As for myself, I want to stock up on the following:
– cans of veggie such as corn were on sale for 77 cents recently, so I bought some of those (different stores had them on sale for different and higher prices for the same week’s sale, so I’m glad I always looked through all the flyers online before writing my shopping list for the week)
– I need to buy beets if they go on sale again, as when they were on sale two weeks ago, they sold out very quickly. I want to make and can pickled beets.
– I’m also looking for good deals on pears and apples, as I want to can more pears, more pear sauce, pear butter, applesauce, and apple butter. I also want to make an apple crisp or three. (http://approachingfood.com/harvest-apple-crumble/) One for me and the DH, and then one for our respective workplaces. Or maybe 4, if I make one to take to Thanksgiving dinner with my family.
– I also need to buy some lettuce for salads, as lettuce has yet to grow for me, although one of my repeated plantings of Swiss chard is finally doing well enough that I may just be able to get a large pot of swiss chard and preserved lemon soup (one of my favourite soups) out of it. If I think there will be a frost before they are finished growing, I’ll just strip my nasturtium and sweet potato plants for their leaves, and add that in to the swiss chard soup. It’s all nutritious greens, after all!
– I might have to buy a carton or two of lactose-free milk for cereal and/or baking this month, but I have enough milk to make yoghurt towards the end of the month once I finish up my current batch.
– I’ve got broccoli in the fridge and freezer, enough to make another huge pot of broccoli cheddar soup, or even two pots, really, so I don’t need to buy a lot of veggies, especially as the DH bought some bok choy on sale for a few days ago. (Plus, I have some frozen mixed veggies in the freezer). If I find any sale that are super-good, especially on veggies, fruits, or baking supplies, I will be snapping those up. I saw a sale last week for a 98cents pumpkin so I grabbed that, and will use it as decoration until I process some of it to eat as squash, process some of it as pumpkin filling to be used in pumpkin cinnamon buns, pies, etc. and use the insides as seeds and also for pumpkin gut bread. Now THAT is a great deal on a vegetable!
– I also need a few spice bottle refills from the local bulk store, but I need to double-check which spices those are. I’ll also pick up some beans (different types) while I’m there, but I’ll try to wait until a $3 off $10 coupon is available.
I do expect super good deals this week, but the flyers only come out on the Wednesday for the Thursday or Sat start to the week, so I’ll check later in the day and hope to get back to post here with some deals.
I feel for you having to buy potatoes and onions. Here in Idaho those are free or almost free. We can glean the corners of all potato fields. I usually glean 100 pounds and when those run out and I have used all my own potatoes I buy. But we can get 10 lb’s here for.99. Then onions are picked up free on the side of the road from the onion trucks. Red, yellow and white. I dehydrate a huge amount of these for soups and cooking. Rarely do we buy onions. We also get free garbanzos, split peas, and lentils from the farmers once a year. So I stock up then. I don’t know how many times I have helped people out of my food storage. My kids would come shopping at my house while they were in school. I have spent many years where our bills were far more than our take home and that was before groceries. The grocery budget was the only way I could save any money.
Great list for the month! This month I have my usual budget of $200-$250 for the month, but like you we have done a bigger than normal shop too. My normal/average spend is $50 per week. However, I spent $77 last week, stocking up on some much needed items. Today I went to the farmer’s market and spent $14.65 on 5 pounds of strawberries, 10 bunches of bok choy, brown onion, cucumber, pumpkin, 2 broccoli and a huge cauliflower.
This month I am making lots of vegetarian stir-fry, egg based meals/boiled egg as a side, using up meats in the freezer that have been in there for a long while (chicken mince, veal mince, sausages, bacon), making natural yoghurt & fruit based popsicles for the children, making quinoa salad (beans, tomatoes, cucumber, raw carrot, red onion, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, capsicum/peppers) for lots of lunches, making banana muffins (no chocolate chips, I will buy more next month), making biscuits (flour, butter, sugar), making basil pesto (for pasta) & hummus (to go with morning tea foods), taco’s and chicken burgers with the chicken mince (this will yield 3 nights of dinners), making spaghetti with the veal mince and using my tomatoes harvested from my garden for the bolognese sauce (I will
have enough to freeze the sauce for another meal and the remainder will give us 3 nights of dinners), making a creamy pasta with bacon (2 nights of dinners).
This is a good month and we are also going camping so I have started thinking about what food to take and what the most efficient/effective meals will be while we are there. I am thinking of taking an already cooked dish with us for the 1st nights dinner, so we just re-heat and serve. Then there will also be lots of BBQ’s (meat and salads), fresh fruit, oats, hummus, gnocchi for dinner on another evening, cut up and ready to eat (all raw) cucumber, capsicum/peppers and carrot. Of course there will be a few treats for the children.
The Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend coming up. There have been lots of holiday sales, most of which I haven’t bothered with. We are now well stocked in the freezer with lots of different produce, as I have bought and processed quite a bit over the summer and into September. The 1 item I did buy on sale was Pillsbury Crescent rolls (10 cans), which I will use for meal options (piggies in a blanket or ham and cheese crescent rolls) over the next few months. Cheese has been on sale, but nothing spectacular, so I haven’t done a huge stock up on it. We bought 2 turkey breasts for the freezer, as they were on sale. Those will be used for Thanksgiving and Easter. We already have 1 large turkey in the freezer to use for Christmas.
This month we will make a trip to pick up the flowers from my grandparents graves and stop at the orchard stand for a bushel or two of “C” grade apples. Those will be processed into home canned applesauce, plus apple pies and apple crisp for the freezer, as well as some for fresh eating. We sometimes pick up a pumpkin for Halloween at the same time (depending on when in the month we go). I am watching for a sale on boneless, skinless chicken breasts at Costco, to restock our freezer a bit more as well as make up some chicken souvlaki for the freezer. I may also buy some ground beef and experiment with making some convenient foods with my new pressure canner. Other than that, I will watch the sales and see what great deals come up that are worthy of stocking my pantry with. I’ll keep an eye out for baking supplies and maybe some personal hygiene/paper products to stock up on, but we are OK with those at the moment. That’s about it for us this month!
I stocked up on 10 lbs of butter last week as it was bogo (unheard of here).
I will need to stock on jarred garlic, mayo, ginger, and vanilla this month. I’ll get more butter if I can get it at a decent price.
I continue to clear the freezer for a deer (Hopefully, I’m lucky next weekend).
Otherwise my major stocking will come next month, with the after Halloween candy sales and several turkeys.
I do have a few questions. How do you manage/ use the huge cans of tomato sauce once opened?
What do you use the red raspberry leaves for? Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents.
Brandy, I’m so glad to see you have some cash to do some stocking up.
I’ve been grateful the last few months, which have been pretty lean, to be able to use my pantry and freezer items. This month I had a little more income, and was at a point where I needed to buy a grocery order. Only some basics so far, really, no stocking up:
Oatmeal, eggs, potatoes, pasta sauce, dry cat food, cat litter, toilet paper, meat (ground beef, bacon and a thick slice of ham), milk, coffee.
I am out of white sugar and oil and butter and vanilla, so there’s not any baking going on. There are still lots of frozen berries and brown sugar to go on the oatmeal and berries for desserts or snacks, though, and the cleaning products are still in good supply. I also still have lots of fresh cabbage and beets, and enough pasta and rice to go to the end of the month. A coworker gave me tomatoes from her garden and has promised me zucchini and spaghetti squash.
At the end of the month, I’ll be able to stock up on potatoes and winter squash and start to get some food items for Christmas baking and meals.
For Canadian Thanksgiving, there have been specials on turkey at 98 cents a lb (80 cents US) and hams for $10 ($8 U.S.) (about $2.50 a lb.), but I’m happy with the nice slice of ham I got, and garlic mashed potatoes to go with it, and berries with icing sugar sprinkled on top.
If I am making spaghetti sauce, I turn the whole can into sauce. With 10 of us who like heavy sauce on our pasta, I can use the whole thing over 2 pounds of pasta and have some leftovers for the next day (not enough for everyone though). If I’m making sauce (the same sauce recipe) for pizza, I put the rest in freezer bags and freeze it. If I’m making enchilada sauce or steak sauce (steak sauce recipe also on my site) then I will either put the rest in the fridge in a glass container for another recipe that week or freeze it (but I usually just use it that week). For instance, I’ll make a quadruple batch of steak sauce (which is awesome on black bean burgers, for example) and use the rest of the can for enchiladas. Sometimes I’ll use the remainder in the can in a soup.
Red raspberry leaves are high in iron, so they’re good for anemia. They’re also good to strengthen the uterus and are wonderful instead of ibuprofen (and in my opinion, even more effective) for menstrual cramps. It’s great for backaches as well. You make a tea with them. I find I can make two cups with a tea ball; the second is only slighter weaker but still good, and I don’t mind it cold, either, so if you live in a hot climate, drinking it cold is always an option. My eldest has noted that if she drinks it a week before her cycle, the added iron reduces her fatigue as well.
Yay for stocking up!
I did a lot of stocking up last month.
This month I’m on the lookout for a sale on potatoes, and I’ll buy a pumpkin or two to bake, puree and have in the freezer to eat throughout the year and use in baking. I’m going to the local herb store today to replenish some spices, and to Target to buy supplies for making laundry detergent. I’ve had good luck lately finding good deals in the marked-down meat section at the grocery store, so I will continue to check there for any really good deals, but I mostly plan to stay out of stores. November is usually another good stock-up month for me and I want to save money to use then.
Two things I can think of right away are butter and cocoa powder. I used the last of the cocoa powder yesterday to make lower-carb brownies. That came from the grocery store and was a generic brand. I am looking for something with deeper flavor this time, maybe the Hershey’s Dark cocoa powder, though I think it’s just the regular kind at Sam’s Club so I’m not sure where or what I’ll end up finding. But I am off to check out the price at San Fran Herb, but shipping will likely kill the deal for me. The butter is getting too close to being out for my comfort. I think I have 2lbs in the freezer left. A chain convenience store is still in their grand opening so I will stop in there, hopefully in the next several days, and get maybe 10lbs (if they’ll let me) at $2 per lb.
Wow, I would love to get free potatoes, onion, garbanzos, split peas and lentils!!! That is so awesome! Potatoes are kind of expensive here. a 10 lb bag usually goes for about $4.99, maybe $3.99, depending on the time of year.
Brandy – is the cocoa powder from that company the best price you’ve found per pound? I need to buy quite a bit and usually I’ve found it to be best priced at Walmart (Nestle brand) or at our King Soopers (Kroger) (store brand – but I’m not sure they carry it anymore!). Thanks!
Brandy,
What do you feed your teenagers for snacks throughout the day? I don’t see snack foods on your purchases? My 3 teenage sons don’t put the fork down all day and all night. I can’t keep anything in the house for more than a few days max. There is no such things as left overs, they will get up at midnight and finish it off, and I make plenty of food.
I don’t buy snack foods. That is a huge budget killer and is rarely a healthy choice.
We do not eat all throughout the day. We have three meals and one afternoon snack. You can see some of the things I make on my 4 1/2 months of menus, under the cook tab.
I would suggest larger portions at meals, particularly of proteins, which will stave off hunger. Try an afternoon snack of hummus or a bean dip, with homemade whole wheat pita bread (also has protein and real whole wheat is very filling) and vegetables (Carrots are inexpensive and celery should go on sale soon). I know a woman who does this every afternoon for her children; they eat lots of vegetables that way each day.
Make sure that breakfast has protein; try eggs and potatoes (potatoes have 3 grams of protein per average russet and eggs have 6). Or have oatmeal with almonds. Cold cereal will always leave them hungry, so if you’re serving that, I would change for a cooked breakfast. Bean burritos for lunch or dinner are filling, full of protein, and inexpensive. Make sure that you have a good amount of fiber in each meal as well to help them feel full.
Thank You for sharing these list. It really helps to see how you budget. Here are a few frugal accomplishments this past week.
. Had some leftover pie crust I needed to use so made
Butter tarts. Pretty and inexpensive.
. Stocking up for winter with grass fed beef $1.98 lb sale
Potatoes $2.00 20 lbs. …herbs from garden..large bag of flour Costco.
. Found a nice chair at rummage sale. My husband will fix a few things on it. Nice for room.
. Use greenery n berries from outside for decor
. Organizing what I have provided needs I had.
Brandy
If you have a Kroger or Harris Teeter near you then you can get eggs for .67 per dozen up to four for you and four for your husband and if any of the children have id then they can buy four as well.
I always take a casserole, or other pre-cooked meal for the first night of camping. It works really well for me because then I don’t have to cook from scratch after driving there, and setting up. Or, we do hot dogs over the fire. Either works. Have fun! We haven’t gone for a while, now, because we have had to attend to things around here, such as the canning and work, but are looking forward to taking the camper out again when we can. Because my husband is back at work, we have to look for a school break, and plan for rain, as it is getting to be that time of year. We still have fun when we winter camp–it’s just different.
Melissa,
When all of mine where teens I would make large pots of soup , also mini muffins and lots of popcorn . These items are cheap so the midnight meal was soup and muffins. I would buy freezer pops the kind where you can get like 200 per pkg and make lots of popcorn they new that the above items were all they were allowed after we had dinner together unless they purchased other items with the money that they had made from jobs. They always ate the soup and muffins.
Ah…the quest for butter. I’m still looking for a good deal, and have been for quite a while now. I’m going to have to bite the bullet and pay $3/box for a few to get me through until the holiday sales, which hopefully will include butter!
Melissa,
Also if you don’t have time to make soup from scratch try bear creek soups and just add . If you don’t find time to make muffins from scratch try discounted cake mixes but make mini muffins and they go farther.
Popcorn (50 pounds is under $24 at Sam’s Club) and also baked potatoes make filling, inexpensive snacks. Just cook an oven full of potatoes or have them microwave them.
We have Smith’s, which is a Kroger affiliate. I didn’t get the ads yesterday but just looked and they do have a sale here, but it’s $0.99 a dozen. That’s as low as they go here. Thanks for sharing!
I really would need to recompare, actually! I know they require a minimum $30 order, and it’s a dutch process cocoa; I like the taste better than Hershey’s, which is what I can get locally. I’ve never seen Nestle cocoa powder for sale. So for now I am just going to order a pound with my other items.
Elizabeth, where in Canada are you? You’re not in Toronto, by any chance? Because I kind of overstocked on sugar and other items and would be happy to give you a bag of baking supplies.
Brandy…
It’s so interesting to read your monthly shopping list, as I am just now trying to incorporate the stocking up method.
Since there is no meat listed, is that already in your freezer? I have read your menus, but it would be very interesting to see a week’s menus and point out the stockpile items and how long ago (roughly) you purchased them. Also, do you plan your meals a week in advance? Any advice is very appreciated. Love your blog!
I’m going to try to stay out of the store as much as possible.
I am buying about 25# of apples for .50/# next weekend (farmer group buy and an amazing deal for our area)
I will need additional fresh produce as well. I may be making a trip to winco as they seem to have the best produce prices in our area
Butter is never a good price here… I buy margarine for $1.00…sigh
Well, here is the big news: After 6-8 months of eating down the freezer and pantry, I will be able to move what is left in the freezer to the freezer on top of our fridge at the vacation home. We are living there until June, when our new house is finished. The exception is a whole turkey, which I will roast for Thanksgiving and will move later. I shouldn’t be so happy about having to buy meat again, but I’m thrilled to empty out the freezer. I will probably have enough meat to last 3-4 more weeks (there are only 3 of us and we are not big meat-eaters). The pantry is already a hard-tack show, as the loggers used to say. Nothing much left there, either, and none of it interesting.
I can’t say what I will be buying in future weeks, but these are the specials I’ll be picking up today or tomorrow at Super One: grapes, .98; Progresso clam chowder, .99; turkey pastrami, $3.98; deli turkey breast, $3.98; butternut squash, .68 lb.; Big Buy bacon, 2/$4. The deli meats are something I rarely buy, but $4 lb. is my price point and my dinners won’t leave much for lunches the next day. Ditto the clam chowder. Big Buy is what my dad would have called “scrappy bacon”; I can usually pull out enough slices for a meal and dice the rest for cooking. Milk is under $2 gallon here and I will buy a gallon, as well as eggs. I have been topping up like this for $30-$40 a week for a couple of months now, and we eat well.
Yes, I have some meat in the freezer. I don’t remember when I bought all of it but you could find it by looking back at my shopping plans. I don’t eat meat every day.
I don’t plan my meals a week in advance. I found that didn’t work for me. I plan based on what I have on hand and how much time. I can plan something for dinner and it has to get changed because of how the day goes.
This week we’ve had some black bean enchiladas, oatmeal, omelets, homemade pizza, homemade macaroni and cheese with peas on the side, and potato pancakes.
I’m going to cook some white beans in the crockpot today (it’s too windy to use the solar oven). That will be for tomorrow. I still need to figure out stuff for today. We’ll have a soup for dinner with black beans and corn bread. I haven’t decided on lunch
Glad that you are able to stock up at some good prices Brandy.
This week I picked up butter for 2.88/lb which is as cheap as it gets here. Like all the other Canadian commenters, I will be watching flyers this week for sale prices on: butter (again), eggs, frozen vegetables, maybe Stove Top stuffing. It was. 77/box at Walmart last week but I couldn’t get any.
I am almost out of diapers as well.
We are very tight for money for the next two months (my mat leave is ending) so I will be focusing on using up our well stocked freezer and pantry.
I agree, Cindy. I buy butter as a sale price @ $3/brick. I use mostly margarine for every day use, and butter for special occasions and special baked goods only.
I know this may be a silly question, but what do you do with ‘red raspberry leaves’
Thanks for the answer
Roxie, see my response to Barbara. I answered there.
I paid $4.99 for a five pound bag of white potatoes last weekend in metro Atlanta. Such a regional difference in price!
Melissa you must have either my kids (6) or grandkids (22) because they all eat all day and night. I even had one kids leave a note of the frig”Mom, I ate the last of the beef and noodles and mashed potatoes when I got off work.Love you” I wondered which kid it was because a note wasn’t something they did. Older daughter looked at the handwriting and told me it was her girlfriend that stopped by after I went to bed because her dad was late getting off work to pick her up from work so she had the manager take her to our house(She had a key because she lived there basically for 2 yr prior) and he picked her up about an hour late. Popcorn, cakes without frostings, brownies, fresh fruit in season was our common snacks.
I forgot , I used to also make bean and cheese (very little cheese ) burritos and freeze them for the kids when they snacked. Also a slice of homemade bread with butter and cinn sugar or just sugar if I was out of cinn. was common. All my kids worked from the time they were 10 outside the home at manual jobs like lawn mowing with push mower, dog walker, newspaper delivery, snow removal, leaf raking, etc.
Elizabeth, this recipe for BANNOCK might help you out, since you bought some bacon:
*3 cup flour
*1tsp salt
*2tbsp baking powder
*1/4 cup butter/margarine melted, bacon grease or beef drippings
*1 1/2 cup water
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Pour measured liquids over flour mixture with a fork to make a ball. Turn onto working surface and knead gently about 10 times. Pat into flat circle 3/4″ to 1″ thick. Cook in greased fry pan (can use bacon grease) over medium heat, allowing 15 min each side (use 2 lifters to flip), OR bake on greased baking sheet @ 350C for 25-30min. Serve hot with butter or desired topping.
NOTE: You can divide the dough into smaller balls if desired, but may need to adjust cooking times. I have had bannock with dried fruit mixed in as well, which is very tasty. Bannock is a very simple bread, similar in taste to tea biscuits.
Also, if you are close to Peterborough, I’d be happy to supply you with some food items from my pantry as well. I assure you I am very well stocked and can happily spare some!
We pay $3.99 for a 5 # bag, and I do BOGO as often as possible. Sometimes my DD and I will share if we both need them at once. 10# is a lot for 2 people to eat before they sprout.
Sam’s Club flour prices are up already. I bought 2,
25# bags last week which rang up at $7.13 each even though the sign on the shelf was less than $7. Normally I would have brought it to their attention, but since I was walking on a sore foot, I wasn’t in the mood to argue. It is SLOWLY getting better but is swollen enough that I can barely get a shoe on it. I suspect a little ballet exercise we did at yoga class is responsible for making it sore–the other foot is just a little sore but the right one is very sore. Had a substitute teacher, so we did some different exercises–surest way to get muscle soreness!
October buy… I have my complete need to stock list but we highlighted what we felt we had to have and then AFTER we have that we will choose what else to get depending on time and money. 8 weeks and 1 day to retirement and no income for 4-8 wks.
Sam’s Club (? means sometimes they have it and sometimes they don’t…depends on which club we go to)
POM toilet paper at least 2
large bottle of olive oil
25 lbs of flour
50 lbs of sugar
?dark brown sugar?
facial tissue
4 boxes of the clear frying oil (35 lbs each) … used to deep fry turkeys at Tday and Christmas dinner and then be my oil supply for until next year. Used oil is given to a friend that uses it to heat his garage. He does metal work and in return of us giving him the oil he will fix things for us for materials only.
Printer paper
?Aleve?
?Bayer back and body ?
?? non stick foil, reg foil, long foil, press and seal wrap, toothpicks??
rice wine vinegar
soy sauce
M&M
Reece peices
cashews
almonds slice, slivered and whole
pecans
walnuts
pinenuts.
Vanilla beans
vanilla bean paste
cream of tartar
cream cheese
butter
peanut butter
Krogers/Walmart/Dollar General/Aldi’s
Anything not got at Sam’s
kraut in a jar.
dried beef in a jar (has to be stored in pantry)
cranberry whole berry sauce (12 at least if not 24)
Horseradish cream sauce
My only needs for the month are fresh beets and butternut squash. I like to freeze some of each at harvest time as they are much more expensive later. ($3.50 for 3 beets??) The squash is $11 a half bushel, which will last me all winter. Beets have not been priced yet as the stand near us doesn’t have them in quantity, and I’d want an 8 qt basket at least. Will check the fresh produce market next time I go past it. I planted some beets in my fall garden–according to the packet they should be ready now but they are not. I will cover them if necessary in the next month if the nights are too cold, and I will put more Miracle Gro on them also. It always takes all summer to grow 60 day beets here but I didn’t plant in May or June because it was too wet. They are growing well but I don’t see many making beets yet!
I will pick up any bargains I see throughout the month but have no particular needs except as noted. Usually Sept-Dec are good sales in this area but have seen nothing great lately. Would like beef on sale especially but it isn’t! Choc chips (Nestle’s) are $1.88 with coupon this week (limit 1) but I promised those to my DD as I have several packages in the freezer already. She needs them. Scotties tissues (250 ct) on sale this week at 3/$5. That is 60 some cents per 100 and my best price. I will buy 3 or 6 depending on what else i see to spend on. 3# bags of apples are BOGO–I will buy even though I bought a bag last week at 99 cents/lb. We use a lot of apples.
That is amazing on your price idaho for onions and potatoes. Do you have a garden there as well? My husband and I are thinking of retiring there in 4 years. My son and grandchildren lives in CDA and we currently live in Puget Sound area in Wa.
I have a small garden in our small backyard and wondered if on can have a good garden in Idaho as well. Do you happen to know? Thank you for posting. ~ Patty from the NW
That is terrible and potatoes are such a staple in our diet.
Good Afternoon Brandy,
So happy for you to be able to spend more for stocking up on supplies. This is such a blessing for you and the family. I have learned from you the savings when I buy in bulk and spending less on our meals. Last week I saved money from our garden harvest and was thankful to make minestrone soup ( about $1.50 and stir fry veggies/rice and salad for about $.50 each meal ) Now that I am retired from nursing, your frugal teaching has been such a blessing in so many ways.
This month we are spending more as well for storage. We are preparing for the Winter Season here where it gets cold and rainy for days and days. With my arthritis, I try not to venture out too much (other than a couple of bible women’s study’s/week) and try to stay at home to keep my joints warm. With starting some sewing and knitting projects this will help and I do not like to grocery shop much during the rainy winter months. The cold and wet just affects my joints terribly.
I usually buy in bulk about 3 times a year at about $250.00 for my husband and me. ~ which also gives extra food for when family come to visit for dinners. October I plan to spend about $350.00 for most bulk foods to last about 6 months. Items such as canned tomatoes , sauce, beans, corn, frozen vegetables ( which ususally lasts us about 3 months) , TP tortillas ( I freeze in 12/pkg ) freezer bags, cheeses, olive oil, vinegar. I then buy meats on sale in bulk at local stores and freeze in portions to try and last 6 months. This week I purchased organic fed chuck roast at 2.99/lb ( normally 5.99/lb) and I bought 4 very large roasts. Today I will section them for stew meats and pot roasts. For the two of us, we should have enough for 6 months at a couple of beef meals/month. I will buy whole chickens and chicken breasts and ground turkey when they go on sale. I do have to buy lettuce every other week for now. In November I will buy and store several turkeys, potatoes, acorn squash, cranberries, canned pumpkin which I learned from you 🙂 . I did this last year with success in stretching our meals from holiday sales for about 9 months. Then my monthly budget will be $80.00/month for the 2 of us to replenish needs. My high cost months from last year have been October, November and April for storage needs.
My tiny garden is still producing some veggies such as squash, tomatoes, green onions, green beans and lots of kale. I am thankful. I have planted seeds for turnips, chard, more green beans , beets and lettuce to see if they will grown for late Fall harvest~ it is my first time at trying this. I do have a baby hubbard squash and several flowers so I am excited and the bees are still here in my garden 🙂
We enjoyed a weekend getaway camping on the Oregon Coast. The cost was minimal. We stayed at a KOA campground even though its was just the 2 of us and our children are grown. I love the family environment at KOA’s. At the campground, ee enjoyed a game of miniature golf and a movie night, and we even played a game of pool ~ all for free. The next day we drove to Cannon beach ( so beautiful) and had a nice walk around the pretty shops and on the beach to see the ocean. We brought our sweet little rescue dog Tino with us for the weekend. I picked up some beautiful yarn at a store there for $5.00 called ” Queensland Collection ULURU color UL-17. Beautiful multicolor. 1 skein will make a shawl to remember this fun trip. It’s been many years since I have knitted ~ hope I can do it 🙂 I have knitting instruction books here and a good friend that will help me if I need her. On our last day ( 3rd day) on our way home we stopped in Astoria and climbed the Astoria Column Tower ( 164 steps) The view was amazing from the top. We had a wonderful weekend and spent very little as I brought food from home for our meals to cook on our camp stove.
The weather here has been great! We had some rain last week, and this week lows in the 40’s and highs from 60-70 with sun for this week. This has been a very good year fot the sun here in the NW. We usually have so many overcast and drizzly days during the year. We will take advantage of the nice weather this weekend and finish clean up in our yard then attend a fun afternoon at a local Farm on Saturday. Our friend has bees and has fresh honey which I will buy. She also makes candles and soap as well. This is about it~
Have a very blessed week
Patty from the NW
Like a dog with a bone, I am still after butter at a $2/lb price. I’m not finding it right now. I think I will go to Costco and buy the 4-pack for around $11.50 (last time I checked), and keep looking. When a holiday price finally comes around, I will buy a lot.
I was able to work extra in August, enabling me to really stock up in September after I got paid. We did a Costco run and got things like chocolate chips, toilet paper, and more. I went to several stores, getting the best deals and things on sale, such as 99c/4-lb sugars, lots of inexpensive dairy like milk for $2/gallon, 99c cottage cheese, and so on. I stocked up some gluten-free items, using coupons, ranging from $1/off the package/box to a free package of Schar, gf ciabatta buns. I went to Bob’s Red Mill, getting 1-1 flour for much cheaper than around here ($1 lb off) (only a deal because I was in the area–too far to save money from my house on a special trip.) My income is small, since I work part time, but even a couple hundred dollars extra makes a significant difference to us. Since a lot of things ran out–everything from razors to dish soap to vitamins and much, much more—I was delighted to fill things up again.
I was anticipating a very lean month in October, but we are going to be just fine, and not have to dip into savings. (I have an envelope with a small amount of saved money for months like this, as our income varies quite a bit. Many months, I put $ in, even if just a few dollars, and then it’s there when I need it) Property taxes are due in November, so we need a little more for that and there are a couple of those extra bills, such as registering vehicles, to pay. There is even enough for a small Costco trip and $50/week in groceries. Because it took until November last year for the school district to process the fact that my husband gets the extra time each day for riding a bus with a student, we were expecting that he would not get paid for those hours until November, and that is what happened again. So, a smaller paycheck this month, and then we will get a larger paycheck in November, so that’s something nice to look forward to. Then it will even out. What made the difference is the fact that we ended up doing about 15 extra hours this past weekend (we did it together, so that was nice) and so will get a bigger paycheck than anticipated in mid-October. Like I said, even that little bit makes a huge difference to us, hence the small Costco trip added to the $50/week we had first set as a good budget.
I will get garbage bags, butter, parmesan cheese, pan spray for sure, and pistachios and yogurt if the money holds out. That will be determined after we actually pay all the bills including those accounts for taxes, etc.–we will then know exactly what we can afford to spend there as bills vary a bit from month to month. Of course, I can always find any amount of items there that sound good and we would love to eat…..:) A good plan is best, before I go in:) I will just go to the stores around me, such as Winco, Fred Meyers, and Grocery Outlet and get whatever they have on sale (that I am running low on) up to the $50/week. It will probably be milk, maybe eggs, and perhaps produce by the end of the month. It will for sure go for a great deal if I find it on something I like to stock up on (butter comes to mind). When I get to the last of an often-used item, I just write it down on a list–already I have gluten free sweet rice flour on the list–we got into the last bit today.
I will use the bits and pieces from the garden first, but will probably start buying a bit of produce as it’s getting less productive. I will also start really planning the canned and frozen fruits and veggies into the menu plans as the garden disappears. Also, my husband got slightly dented, non-labeled cans of pickled beets and corn and pumpkin for 10-20c/can, depending on the size, and we will start eating them.
I find that being aware is one of the best ways to save money. It’s easy to get busy and just let things drift a bit, and spend more than I wish. Planning it out ahead of time helps stop that bleed. Also, for me, putting it in an envelope and using cash helps me visualize what I’ve spent and what’s left. I often can end up with money left over in those envelopes during months like this where I just stocked up, if I’m diligent. It is work, though, and takes lots of planning. I’m looking forward to not being in the stores so much. I spend less, and it takes less time. Still, it was worth the savings to me to go to multiple locations last month, to get the best deals on what I ran out of. I even remembered to get my Friday Freebies a few times, and set them aside for Christmas (the gum and coffee drink).
Hi all! We have a big college bill to pay the end of the month, which I have set aside so we do not spend it. Then the next payment is in Jan so I’m putting $ away for that – also I’m praying my daughter gets a scholarship she applied for.
So, I’m only buying great price items on things we need. Butter is on sale 2.50, pears .99 lb & grapes .77 lb at Frys so I’ll be buying that in next few days.
Our daughter will be home for fall break this weekend so I have some cvs extra bucks, gift card and coupons for her to get what she needs.
Albertsons is having a good sale on things we need so I’ll go over with my husband since a lot is for him to take to work.
I only need right now brown sugar, decaf coffee and yogurt.
Thank you for answering, Brandy. I can see how those meals could be made from storage. I’m going to try several of those plus your black bean burgers.
That’s a great price on the beef! With my son’s liver problem, he can only have grass fed beef.
Becky, I’m the same way with the butter. I have 4 lbs. left from last year so I have some time to hold out!! We went without roast for 2 yrs. because I was holding out for the $1.99 lb. price. I finally had to give up and switch my price point to $2.99. I found that price at Sprouts a couple of weeks ago and bought 3. I divided those into 4 pcs. each and they’ll last a LONG time. I rarely make a meat-feast roast lol, but use it to dice up in soup, or some small pieces.
My main watch now is for butter, canned vegetable deals, canned beans, pasta, canned tomatoes, & stuff to fill all my empty under-the-bed boxes!! As for regular stuff, we need fresh fruit the most. I saw in today’s ad that Aldi has some good prices on bagged apples, and pears, I think. I l’l buy a few of those.
I’ve also heard from online Australian friends that the flu was bad this year. That was echoed in a newspaper article I read yesterday about flu shots. My husband got his at work and I’ll get mine in the next 2 weeks. I got the flu back in about 1990. I ended up losing part of the hearing in my left ear and ended up with pneumonia. I was off work for 2 wks. & had huge med bills. That was tough as I was on my own. My husband and I both ended up with pneumonia (not from the flu) in January of this year and I’m so grateful I was prepared at home. We had plenty of canned soup and freezer soup, applesauce, bread, & eggs!! That was about all we could handle, but it was easy. When I was alone, I wasn’t prepared at all and boy, did I learn my lesson! So, I now spend Oct. & Nov. stocking up for colds and other respiratory beasties. I buy tissue, saline sprays, cough drops, VapoRub, Throat Coat tea, Nyquil, & stuff like that. I also make sure to have the stuff to make disinfectant sprays and wipes so I can take care of the germs.
My daughter has stomach issues and can’t eat 3 large meals a day. She grazes thru out the day. My son is an active 18 year old and he would eat me out of everything if I allowed. They are allowed fruit and veggies, hummus, and hard boiled eggs any time during the day. If there are muffins or granola bars they usually munch on those also. Otherwise its 3 meals and sometimes a sweet snack.
That’s so funny about your daughter’s friend. My son’s friend walks in the house looking for homemade bread. His mother buys it at the store. THE HORROR!
I got 6 lbs of mozzarella at $1.49 a pound today. Also 4 bags of flour for the same price. I’ll probably get another 50lbs of potatoes when we go apple picking again as well as apples. I also am looking for butter. Down to my last 2 pounds. I saw chicken breasts are on sale next week for $1.69 lb so I will stock up on those. I’m not desperate on anything but getting close with the butter.
I am still on a low to no spend. I asked my MIL to pick up some items for us that we desperately need from Sam’s club and have saved out some money to pay for it. Other than that, we continue to work to catch-up. I absolutely dislike living paycheck to paycheck, but the savings are gone as is the emergency fund. Fortunately, I now have a great job with benefits and we can start to rebuild! I still have a well stocked pantry, and, for that, I am so thankful!
Realizing that being prudent has buffered the effects of this long financial dry spell and series of medical issues, I’m not about to head off spending wildly! Still have medical bills to pay and than some unfortunate student loans, but we have weathered the storm! Every penny counts!
This community is such a blessing! Thanks everyone
Also Canadian and waiting for those Thanksgiving sales. It’s just me but I’m having some friends over on Monday so I’m making Turkey Meat Loaf. I managed to get 3lb of ground turkey on sale (at least by Cdn. standards) plus some pkg. of wings to make soup. I’ve also stocked up on veggies – broccoli, carrots, onions & sweet potatoes were all on at good prices at No Frills this week and I already have cranberry sauce and stovetop stuffing in the pantry. I am waiting for some small, boneless hams to go on sale – if not before Thanksgiving – then after and I’ll try to fit a couple into the freezer. Other than that I won’t be buying any other meat this month as I’m trying to use up all that I have in the freezer before the pre-Christmas restock.
No Frills did have a lb of butter for $2.88 but only the salted variety and I want unsalted for baking so I’ll wait. I’ve got one pound on the go at the moment and another pound in the freezer as back up so not desperate but I like to have a couple of extra lbs. in there as I don’t use margarine. I’m also hoping to get 10 lb bags of onions for $2 soon as I like to freeze or caramelize them for the winter and haven’t seen them that cheap as yet.
I’m always astonished at the US prices you all talk about here!
Melissa, my boys aren’t teenagers yet, but I do teach high school and I see boys going through crazy growth spurts and burning loads of calories in sports. My school starts at 8am and by 9:30 I see boys pulling out their lunches to eat. And then again looking for food at 11. I have a friend who just had her last if 3 boys start his second year at uni. She told me when she had all 3 boys at home working 12hr+ days landscaping, she was spending $1500.00/month on groceries. Now, I think this was probably partly not efficient shopping – but I can see how this could happen. I can only offer a few ideas from observations in over a decade of working with teens – the kids who eat high protein breakfasts were the ones who fared better in the mornings. I’ve had boys who would have their parents buy them chicken Breasts or roast beef – and they would cook it and use it to make various lunches throughout the week. Lunch meat is not filling (no matter how much I love bologna or mock chicken). Fruit, nuts, nut butters, hummus, bean dip -all good snacks. And vegetables or cheese. I agree with Brandy – pre-made snacks are $$$ and often sugary and not filling. Her popcorn recommendation is also great. I have been surprised (sexism, I know) by the number of boys who take a genuine interest in preparing their own food – in particular athletes and those interested in law enforcement /military. Juls burrito idea is also good. Boys eat a lot. And they’re not afraid to ask for food either. I see this all the time. Whenever I have a class with lots of boys I do a food day once every few months. Bagels or pizza or a sandwich bar. It is insane how much this calms them down. Last year a largely male class organized themselves so that a different kid brought Timbits every Tuesday. Good food has a magical calming power over teenage boys. As does nap time but they don’t get that with me 😉
Sorry, one more thing. Oatmeal!! If they have access to hit water or a microwave at school this is a great snack. You can make your own flavoured oatmeal packs. That is the cheapest option, but even the instant packs are quite cheap on sale, although relatively high in sodium.
No free potatoes in northern Idaho, Patty and others. We don’t grow them here. Northern Idaho grows wheat, peas and lentils and timber. I don’t know of any gleaning opportunities. Most of the potatoes we get up north are from the Columbia Basin in Washington! (It is much closer). But somebody has them on sale every month or so 10 lb. for .99.
Margaret and Rhonda,
Thank you both so much for your kind offers. I’m all the way in Northern Alberta, so we’re only close in spirit!
The bacon turned out to be quite lean, so I am working around not having any oil or fat to work with for the next couple of weeks. I can make Brandy’s French bread recipe and could use applesauce instead of oil in baking, but I think I will work with what I already have. I do enjoy all the food that’s in my house, and have some variety, so I’m not feeling deprived. It is especially easy when I know the budget will be improving and I’ll be able to have other favorites soon.
Have a very happy Thanksgiving, both of you.
This month’s shopping list is fairly similar to last month’s because I didn’t really do a whole lot of shopping in September. For restock I’m going to need more steel cut oats. SO has discovered he likes these blended in his smoothies so I’ll be looking to get about 10lb. I’m going to be on the hunt for some sales on onions, preferably vidalia. If I can find good sized ones I’ll get as many as I can fit in my pantry. I usually caramelize about 5lbs twice a month to keep in the fridge for various recipes so I’d like a good supply on hand.
Aldi had Kerrigold butter at a really good price a few weeks ago when I was there. If it’s still there when I go again I’ll probably buy around 10 packs. I don’t use this for my daily baking but it is my go to for puff pastry and croissants. I’ll stock up in preparation for the holidays. I need to stock up on pasta sauces. I buy the Wegmans brand of pomodoro sauce and Arrabiata sauce. I’ll be on the look out for shredded parmasan cheese as well.
My grocery shopping this month likely won’t include much for the freezer. I have a laughably small fridge/freezer and my space is maxed out. Instead I’m focusing on pantry stable items this month. I’m going to attempt to use up what is in the freezer right now and see what I can do to maximize that space moving forward. Much of my freezer real estate is dominated by the ice maker and the large ice bucket. I’m contemplating removing the bucket and turning off the ice maker to regain space. SO and the children will holler but to be honest; I’d really prefer they all stay out of the freezer all together anyway so this will probably be a win/win for me.
Still trying to eat mostly out of the freezer and cupboard; I cannot believe how much food we had accumulated. I do buy milk and apples each week, for the husband. But this week the heavens are raining down unbelievable food blessings so I spent a bit more: Yesterday, when I saw the produce manager to ask if I could get a break if I bought a case of apples, he said yes and then asked if I made banana bread. I said I did and he brought out a case of dying bananas that were too far gone to sell but perfect for banana bread and smoothies. He had to charge me something, he said, so marked the case at $1.00! I shared the case with two friends. He also marked down the case of apples by $5. I was thrilled, to say the least. Then, as I was leaving, I noticed they were marking down butter that was getting close to the sell-by date (I didn’t even know there was such a thing for butter), and I got 20 pounds of butter for $2 per pound. Finally, stopped by Sams with a friend who was driving me home from a meeting but needed to stop for groceries. I didn’t intend to buy anything but at the end of one lane they had large containers of brand name mayo marked down to 3 jars for 91 cents! I bought 12 jars; I’m trading 3 jars to a friend for chicken eggs and the other 9 will take us a year to eat, if not longer. She offered to trade eggs for mayo again in a month, after she builds her stock of eggs back up, so I will probably take her up on that. She gives me a dozen eggs per jar, and eggs are not cheap in Alaska, so I am getting a good deal.
Growing teenagers who play sports or work hard are often bottomless pits, even without growth spurts! Different people have different metabolisms and I think some of it depends on what a body gets used to. We have never done the three meals-two snack routine (which is how I grew up), so my kids are used to small snacks whenever they feel hungry. Three of my five (two boys, one girl) are very active and they eat pretty much non-stop because they burn so many calories. If they go too long without eating, they get grouchy/hangry. One of my other girls get hangry and starts to feel lightheaded/nauseous if she goes to long without eating. Neither option is a pleasant experience for any of us, so we roll with the system we have.
I have started making a crockpot full of chili just for snacks. Sometimes it is vegetarian, but often I use 1/2 pound of ground beef or turkey. I will also cook a pound of pasta and leave it in the fridge, again, just for snacks. I also keep extra tortillas on hand and they toast those with cheese or make cheese tortilla pizzas. None of them prefers a lot of cheese ($), so it works well for us. I buy yogurt in quart containers and they eat it with granola and bananas or other fruit. This winter, we’ll have home-canned applesauce made from gleaned apples available, too. Another thing I buy is peanuts in the shell. They take time to open, so they don’t eat nearly as many as they would if they were pre-shelled, but seemed satisfied with the option. They air pop their own popcorn, too.
My approach to budgeting allows me to keep a significant food budget while cutting every other budget category to save money. There are months when the grocery budget takes a hit, but not in ways that the kids will notice.
Yes I thoroughly agree here in Australia we don’t get good prices on butter either. Here it is $4.85 for a 500g block and I am seriously looking for the gold leaf and plating on it but haven’t found any so far 🙂 .
I have worked out that buying grocery gift cards through our vehicle roadside assist club gives us 5% off the face value of the cards so that is at least some small savings which do add up over the year.
I grocery shop nearly every week for the fresh items that supplement the pantry. We have a second refrigerator now, but I still haven’t worked out a good routine for shopping. I plan to cut money from my weekly shopping so that I can continue helping our acquaintances from St. Martin that lost most everything to Irma. I altered my menu plan to make that possible.
I need to purchase a few things for our annual potluck Halloween party, including (store brand) paper bowls for 75 people and candy for the favor bags. I think I have everything else.
I’m down to three rolls of paper towels, so I’m looking for a sale on those. I have $2 ECBs from CVS that I will likely use, as CVS seems to have the sales on the brand I use. A six-pack should last us until the end of next year.
Organic butter dropped from $6.59 per pound to $4.99, so I will buy five.
We’re picking 1/2 bushel of late-season apples at the orchard Friday. These varieties store well at least until early December, sometimes longer. I also want to stop at another orchard to buy $10 of my favorite apple variety that is rarely sold in stores. I’ll buy those with my birthday money, rather than from the regular grocery budget.
Our Amazon Subscribe & Save items arrive tomorrow ($62.85) and I just placed a wholesale order from Frontier Co-Op with friends ($15.59 for spices and $25.65 on hygiene items). I spent $40 on diapers.
Hello Brandy and everyone 🙂 .
I am so glad you are able to restock your pantry this month Brandy and it is in the budget for you doing so.
We are working on stocking 12 months of everything at the moment and we pick certain items needed and keep stocking until we reach the 12 month level and then move onto a different item to stock. Currently we are working on all purpose flour, bottled water and sugar and we just work that into our budget as the funds become available. Medical we will be working on Panadol for DH’s back injuries and also iron tablets for myself out of our medical budget and we only shop once every 6 weeks and work on picking up any specials that we see as well each shopping trip.
Here are the other things we will be buying this month –
– tinned apples.
– tinned diced tomatoes.
– tinned mangoes.
– tinned lychees ?, hopefully the shops should have them in shortly.
– tinned apple pie filling.
– tinned champignons.
– smoked oysters.
– cheese.
– eggs.
– sour cream.
– thickened cream.
– powdered milk.
– cocoa powder.
– almonds.
– sultanas.
– fresh oranges or mandarins on special.
– macadamia nuts.
– freezer bags.
– dishwashing liquid.
– ammonia.
– methylated spirits.
Have a great month ahead everyone and I hope you all find some of the things you are wanting to stock up on on special :).
Hello, I noticed that you have acne toner on your Target list and just wanted to share a home remedy that has worked extremely successfully for my daughter… After many years of trial-and-error and dermatology appointments. Apple cider vinegar one part, mix with 2 to 3 Parts water, apply to skin and leave on about 10 minutes then rinse. Do this about 3 times a day. It worked amazingly well! My daughter just mixed up a batch in a bottle, shake it then use.
$3 is a go to price for me on butter! This week it was $2.50 (super excited), thus the 10#. Butter is usually $5 a lb for regular and $6 for organic.
Since I will be travelling this year for both Christmas and Thanksgiving, I won’t be doing much baking, so this might last me through Easter.
We do not use margarine at all here as we try to eat unprocessed food (allergies and sensitivities), but in past years when my budget was more pinched, I certainly did.
I am not sure how much more stocking up I will do this month, and next month, other than what I bought at the start of the month. I just got the tax bill on my mom’s house and I really want to pay that off as soon as possible. I also have a child’s birthday this month (Oct), several family birthdays in November, December, and January…soooo. I do not know. I am out of several things but not anything I would consider to be “major” I will buy a turkey for Thanksgiving, when the time gets closer, but I am cutting down on some of the more expensive side dishes I usually do. I have set a budget of $25 for Thanksgiving…we shall see if I am able to stick to it…lol. I will stock up on potatoes when I get a good deal, and sour cream. Hopefully I will find a turkey, as Thanksgiving draws near, for under 99 cents a lb. I am fairly confident I can do that, or at least very close….maybe even under that price because I have seen turkeys at 69 cents a lb before. I am trying to look at the big picture through January, since this is such an expensive time for the year for me. I am going to check Dollar Tree for several of the items I may use, and if I find them there, then the more traditionally expensive dishes will make their way back onto the table. We have a set list of dishes for Thanksgiving that we have used for the past 25 yrs.
In Idaho, this is a plentiful time of year. I pulled all of my carrots from my garden last week as the temperatures have dropped rapidly her. I washed and cut the ends off of them and store them in Ziploc baggies in my extra refrigerator. They will potentially last in there through December. I doubt they will last that long because my kids love to snack on them. I live in a farming community. My brother raises famous Idaho Potatoes so I will be getting between 50-100 pounds of those free. I will store them in my cold storage room. They will last until about February. I pulled my onion out of my garden. They are drying in my garden. I will also keep them in my cold storage room for several months. My neighbor had extra butternut squash she gave me, so we will be making butternut squash soup this weekend and freeze the leftovers. We have a couple of neighbors who have apple orchards. They let me come and pick apples. My sister and I canned applesauce with them last weekend. I also plan on making fruit leather with some of the applesauce and I will dehydrate some apples. If we round up enough, we will press the apples and make apple cider. I will take the nicest apples and store them in my extra fridge as apple prices have been a little higher lately than usually. To say that we are blessed here during harvest time would be an understatement.
I am doing the opposite of stocking up right now, as we’ve had several large expenses and the budget is quite tight for a while. I’m trying not to touch my savings unless I just have to do so.
When I finally get to do so, I will start looking at holiday supplies, like sugar and chocolate chips, as well as staples like salt, butter, honey, and some more meat, as we are getting low on some of it. I bought a lot of herbal tea last time I purchased, so I won’t need that, but my husband could use some coffee soon. Frozen veggies need to be re-stocked, but I still have a good stash of rolled oatmeal, and wheat berries to make flour. I keep a bag of organic white flour on hand for delicate things like cakes, but soft white winter wheat ground in my mill works for a surprising number of baked items. I have cornmeal and grits on hand, too, so we aren’t in bad shape, really. I recently purchased spices in bulk, and replenished my vanilla bean bottle for vanilla extract. I will be getting a farm-raised fresh turkey for Thanksgiving, splitting the cost with another family member, and will be on the lookout for a good ham for Christmas. I’m still trying to decide if it is worth it to pay for a Costco membership. Someone told me they might/are dropping the membership requirement, but I haven’t checked to see if that’s true. Does anyone know?
Sorry, I meant to add, how do you folks who buy huge bags of potatoes and onions keep them? It’s all I can do to keep them from sprouting and molding before I go through five or ten pounds, even in the refrigerator. I live in a hot, humid area, so I may not be able to keep a large bag, but I’d like to hear ideas from those who can keep them, in case the ideas could work for me.
thanks for the recipe. My daughter just texted me while on her break and asked for a bread recipe without yeast as she’s out of bread and yeast. Blessings
I feel for you PJGT..been there and done that to the point the kids even though they had their own families was helping with keeping food on the table and heat in the home. Until I started reading this blog and all of the comments I worried we would end back up there with retirement.
Blessed Be
potatoes store best in 45-60° with humidity at 85- 95 percent. Your potatoes might not be cured enough ( if the skins are thin this is part of the issue, if so store them so they are NOT touching for about 2 wks). They NEED dark, but not wet area and air flow so don’t store in a huge pile. I use milk crates and wood crates for this , netting or paper bags with holes in it works good also. Do not store directly on floor especially concrete/brick. Keep sprouts broke off. If you get potatoes at the beginning of the growing season they will sprout sooner than those harvested at the end of the season.
onions DO NOT STORE with potatoes with long term storage. DO NOT REFRIGERATE as they will become soft and do not keep in plastic bags or they sprout. I keep my onions at 32-40° with low humidity in panty hose that I cut in half . I tie a knot between each onion to keep them separate (just like apples one will rot the rest) and hang them in a cool dark place. Last year was a closet in an unheated room / Dad put his in the attic/friend keeps theirs in unheated garage hanging over their car LOL, that I put a fan to prop the door open a bit and circulate the air. BUT FIRST check what type of onion you are buying as they have to be long term storage type not regular type. A sweet onion won’t last as long either though I have stored sweet onions for a couple months.
I do a weekly check of my potatoes and onions.If something is getting soft or sprouting a lot I cook them or dehydrate them asap.
Hope this helps.
I live in South Central Alabama so it gets very hot and humid here also, although not anything like south Florida. I take them out of the bag and separate them so they are not touching, and put them on a sheet or old towel under the bed in the coolest room in my small house, as far away from the kitchen heat as possible. I usually only buy 5 or 10 lbs, because they do tend to sprout. I am usually ok if I do this November through February. I do not buy in the summer/early fall much because they will go bad very quickly in our heat and humidity.
Smiths has 10# bags for $2.00 right now. At least in Albuquerque, New Mexico!!
Here in Michigan in the fall, the gas stations sell big bags of corn, beets, apples and carrots as deer feed. Last year, the carrots, while large, looked so incredibly fresh that I thought about buying a bag as an inexpensive carrot supply for the year. I wonder if they are safe for humans to eat after being washed, peeled and cooked.
Curious to see how you guys manage to keep your potatoes to last a long time without them either being eating by critters or sprouting or just rotting? Any words of wisdom? I am in Texas so the garage does not get cold until January it seems.
Stephanie,
I buy Kerrigold butter at Aldi too, but the last two packages got moldy in the refrigerator. I have never, never had butter go moldy! Have you had any trouble with it? I usually stock up when Aldi has it on special but am reluctant to get it again.
Thanks to several of you for the trip down memory lane about teenage boys and their ability to consume massive amounts of food! Just 2 retirees in our house now so I only stock up to a limited amount as emergency supplies. This month though I am stocking up for our car “bug out bag” and bought 5 year shelf life water and food bars plus there will be more first aid supplies to add.
Wow, on the potato, onion etc. prices! We’re high on everything being as we’re in the middle of nowhere. (U.P. Of Michigan.) We can’t get a decent newspaper , either. (I’ve been known to drive over two hours for one.)
Our Aldi’s had butter at $1.89/pound a couple weeks ago. I bought 10 cartons. It was back to $2.99/pound last night.
Thank you for the support. That means more to me than anything frugalwise…though it is good to keep on the frugal straight and narrow!
Holly, I believe they are the same carrots sold for humans — maybe larger ones. I have eaten the ones sold to feed horses, no problem!
That’s too bad it was only salted butter at your No Frills, Margie. They had both at my location. It is on sale for $2.99 at Metro this week. Funny you mention onions, because I have a huge bag I am planning to caramelize this weekend. 🙂
Have you checked in the bulk section at WinCo for cocoa powder? I know prices can vary greatly for groceries, but our WinCo (Utah) has had cocoa powder for around $2.50/lb.
Grateful that we are no longer worried about husband losing job. It is going to hold out! My car became dangerous to drive and would have cost over 2000 dollars to fix the current issues with more problems likely to arise and the need of tires. It was becoming a money pit. So, we traded it in for a new Car. I was expecting that. But my husband wanted me in something safe. Sweet man.
We are still in our apartment and working on building our house on his off days. Taxes are coming due by Dec. And we have to buy tags for the car. So my plans this month are to watch sales very carefully and only buy what is necessary. Plus we have a new car payment and his repair bill on his truck. Lots of bills, but we are being careful.
I was in the hospital twice this past month. So I know bills will be coming in for this also.
Feeling blessed with lots of peppers,tomatoes and basil. I need to process what we won’t eat in the next few days. We also have aronia berries to pick.
Maple Syrup….
I skipped in to the store for one item and walked past the tiniest end cap near the back stockroom entrance. Just for giggles, I looked it over. There were several quart bottles of 100% maple syrup. I couldn’t get it to scan at the price check station, so I took it up to the register. I figured I’d pick up a couple if there was a markdown as they are usually $10-12 each.
She said, “$2″
Me…”$2 off?”
She…”No, $2 for the bottle.”
I walked over, got a cart and cleaned the shelf. 12 bottles with an expiration date in 2019. $2 each.
Now I like my maple syrup….mostly I use it to make granola, but that’s a lot of maple syrup. I gifted a few bottles to folks and got the best dumbstruck grin and thank you.
I relayed my find to one of those gals and that she should look at the similar stores near her. I knew she wouldn’t …so I did check and found no more in three other stores.
But I did nab some boxes of pudding for 39 cents (I think they changed the package), neon frosting with sprinkles 59 cents (I’ll give those to the neighbor with kids), and tuna packs normally $2.89 for $1.59. Toothpaste for 59 cents (and the same stores in the area were full price?).
I think it was a very good week!
Where are you getting grass fed for that price? I can’t even get conventional beef for less than $4.50 lb! Grass fed is $10lb easy – even straight from the rancher.
Take the receipt bac’ to Aldi’s. Take the butter, if you kept it. You can’t call them but they do have an email address where you can contact them. I was charged for an extra box of something. I wrote that it may be months before I could return it and they said it was no problem. It’s worth a try especially on butter!
mdoe , I would’ve bought them all, too! Syrup lasts a long time. Good score!
How wonderful that you got to stock up this month! I love the feeling that we’re set for food. No panic when bills come due because I know we’ll have decent meals.
Since my Summer job is always about six months long, I keep a running list of things I want stocked for when the job ends. These past two weeks, i’ve Stocked up on chocolate chips (1.77 bag), dark cocoa from WallyWorld, it never goes on sale here, deodorants from the Target coupon special, soy milk from Dollar Tree, butter @ 3.00 lb (yikes!) vinegar bought with a Summer rain check for 1.99 gal., a couple of sunflower oils that never go on sale, large boxes of baking soda for cleaning and moleskin.
We should be getting a call about our half pig that we ordered. This is the first time we’ve done this since we moved here. We used to buy pork this way years ago when we had kids at home. My husband will be eating a lot of pork!
A new Aldi’s is opening next Thursday! I am so excited for this! It’s over an hour away but closer than the one that’s over two hours away. I have no idea what i’ll Buy. But, I plan on being one of the first through the door! We’re low on ground beef, so I will probably get some of their 85/15 in the rolls. I’ll check out their butter of course, coconut oil, maybe some soups for when my husband wants something quick. (Freezer soup is not in the ‘quick’ category for him.) I’ll check their chicken prices while i’m There, too. I always overspend when I see an Aldi’s so i’m Really going to try not to do that this time!
Thanks for the info on PMS, I’ll share this with my daughter. Anyone know what helps with menopause symptoms naturally? Thanks in advance.
Cindy, I don’t know where you are located in the South, but Kroger has #5 russets for 99 cents this week.
Check Kroger this week. Russets are 99 cents for 5 pounds. I’m in Perry, but I’m pretty sure we have to same ad.
We’re the 3rd largest area for potato production but that is still only about 1/4 of what Idaho produces. We can get potatoes 100 lbs for about 10.00 this time of year…gas stations, roadside stands. Same wAy I buy onions and cranberries. I usually buy 2 bags of potatoes and they last us into February. Cranberries I buy 5 pounds. I wash them and put them into quart freezer bags. I always wash and dry the cranberries first. I have seen on the bags in the store that they tell you just freeze the bag as is, but I would never do that. We grow both red and yellow onions so I usually only buy a 50 pound bag of those. As the sales come along for the big 3 potato selling times (Thanksgiving, Christmas and St Patrick) I buy to keep the root cellar stock up to where I want it.
I need salt, Rumford baking powder (have to get that at the natural food store as the grocer does not carry) , unbleached flour, wild rice, tomato paste in a tube ( I don’t use much tomato paste so I prefer to buy it this way)
mixed unsalted nuts (farm store has best price for these),2 corn chex, 2 rice chex and 4 wheat chex to make chex mix. Christmas MMs, Ohs cereal, Cheeze its, Golden Graham cereal, unsalted peanuts to make another snack mix. Also pretzels for both mixes. Corn syrup 2 small or one big. Golden raisins. These are holiday items and may buy this month or next depending on coupons and the sales. For
Tortilla chips. Milk skim and 2%. Cottage cheese, veggie hot dogs, brats ( I buy a package every time they are on sale and then wrap in freezer paper. Baby corn…we’ve had stir fry 3 times recently and used up what I had. Farm eggs 3 dozen. Butter…I know my store of butter is down to about 12 pounds and I usually like 30. Since our grocer sold out it is seldom on sale. Will need to visit the cheese factory as could use more Swiss, mozzarella, extra sharp and regular Cheddar. Will watch for other crackers on sale to go with cheese and sausage etc for holiday snacks. Have 2 turkeys on order from an aunt that raises them, one for Thanksgiving and one for New Years Day. Need to pick up 6 rolls of summer sausage from a cousin who makes it. Have the first 3, the second 3 will be venison so those will come later.
I haven’t seen any coupons for Halloween candy yet. My husband likes to keep the snacksize candy bars out in his office. I also need butterscotch chips and chocolate chips and chow mein noodles.
mdoe, maple syrup does not expire, not the real 100% kind in a glass bottle. You could probably put it down in your basement pantry and keep it for 100 years as long as it is sealed and unopened. There is just an expiry date on it as there has to be. As long as it is glass bottle. My husband’s family makes and sells maple syrup.
Mary Ellen,
Thanks for the heads up! I only bought two packs last month and I stuck them straight into the freezer. When I get home from work I’m going to pull them out and peek under the wrapper. If they’re moldy I’ll probably contact Aldi (or maybe even the Kerrygold customer service) to report the defective product.
Jo, everything Juls just stated above is correct. We have a root cellar in our house so that is where we keep our potatoes, squash, pumpkins, carrots, cabbage etc. We built this root cellar when we moved in using a plan from Mother Earth News, I think it was. Our old house had a natural root cellar in it. The onions we hang outside the cellar from the eaves in nylons and mesh bags. I tie off between the onions with a string so I can reuse the nylons. Yes, do not store onions with potatoes. Also like she said, pick off sprouts. That is a real thing…we used to get sent into the root cellar to do that as children. We buy unwashed potatoes and lay them out to cure on tables for a couple weeks, same as squash, onions and pumpkins. Then just brush the dirt off. Of course if you see any with imperfections use those first.
Holly, they would be just fine. They are probably seconds and might have some imperfections.
Stephanie,
They were moldy when I first opened them. I put the pack in my regular snap-lock butter dish and then in the butter section of the fridge. I took a week or so for mold to appear. I’ve gotten Kerrigold butter for years and never had this happen. I’ve decided that until I use up what’s stocked in the freezer, I’ll just cut off what I need and not thaw the whole block.
My frugal accomplishments:
-Making homemade artisan rosemary bread that would cost us about $5.50/loaf at the grocery store for 45cents.
-Packing lunches for all three kids each day for the weak.(Lunch at our schools are now $3.75/per kid per day. I can make them lunch for less than .50cents/day for each kids).
-Packing lunch for my husband.
-Cooking all dinners for us this week.
-Remembering a classic British coat, that appears to be in style(Thank you Youtube), that I have kept for 25 years. It was very expensive 25 years ago, very well made, looks great and even my kids think it looks nice.
-Again thank you Youtube, bought some good quality cutting shears and cut my own hair this week. Broke even with just one hair cut. Now I am cutting/dying my own hair, cutting hubs and my sons hair. Will be cutting my daughters hair too…I figure all combined with the going rate for those services we will be saving $210/month.
I purchase potatoes and onions at my restaurant supply store. Right now the potatoes are 50#’s for $8.59 and onions are about the same price. Now that it is cold, I will buy one of each and they last nicely in my cold garage.
Brandy,
do you ever cook and put a meal in the freezer for later?
That is a great price. Just an FYI – if it is pure maple syrup it can also be frozen so you don’t need to worry about the expiry date.
I just walked out into a garage that smelled like death. My big stand-up freezer has gone down and everything, including 20 pounds of butter bought on sale, is gone. Meat, frozen veggies…..I could go on and on. It’s all gone. So I will be looking at sales for a lot come the holidays.
I would like to add some variety to our meat supply. I am thinking:
25 lbs pork loin
25 lbs ground turkey
walnuts
coconut oil, olive oil, and canola oil
lg pack of bacon
I am honestly about as stocked as I could possibly be and am at a loss as to what to buy with our assistance this month. My chest freezer won’t hold much more and I am cautious over my refrigerator. My warning beep has disappeared on it’s own. I am thinking I may buy some coffee for my son as a Christmas present. That is a luxury item that I do not normally buy. Meanwhile , I am so grateful to have restocked my stockpile.I am positive we can easily eat off of this for two more years. We have not shopped much since I replenished it in June of 2016 and we used our goods prior to that for almost 5 years. My great grandmother always said to be a good squirrel and put away for the winter.
Dear Denise, I am so sorry for your loss. This is my worse nightmare. I hope by some small chance your insurance will cover it. I pay a dollar or two more each month on my homeowners for this very reason. I wish there was some way to help. I am in Atlanta ?
What a heartbreak! I’m so sorry. That is the reason that I push every freezer door with my hand, out of habit, everytime I am anywhere near them. I’ve had them left open before, mostly by a child who didn’t mean to, but it still melted…… At our old house, I went out to the garage where they were, and pushed them every night before bed. I was able to catch the problem several times doing that.
It sounds like yours broke. If it smelled so bad, you probably didn’t save anything. We had that happen when we moved–one of ours that was in my mother-in-law’s garage died after we put it in there while we were between houses, and we lost a lot of meat and berries. The meat hurt.
What about more fruit? Say, bananas and apples? Perhaps you can get lettuce and tomatoes and enjoy some salads with what is in your pantry.
Oh, Denise, I am so sorry!
We can easily eat 40 to 50 pounds in a week. But Juls explained it real well above in her reply.
I plan on dehydrating at least 25 pounds of onions.
So excited! My first book is available on amazon now! It is called “I Like You Sooo Much That I Love You”. It is the first book in A Mother’s Love series. I wrote it with my son who inspired it! It has taken a while to get in out on kindle. We hope to have a print version available soon!
Hubby’s job is holding out. We have been eating at home and will continue to do so this month. We have a lot of bills coming in. I was in the hospital twice this month. But I am feeling better and very excited about my first book!
Thanks 🙂 I’m not sure I would have enough to make a $30 order, but I will look around their site via your link. I bought a big container of the Dutch Process at Costco – we have a local company called Rodelle that started with vanilla extract, but has moved on to offer other spices and spice-type items. I don’t mind having both on hand, but I believe some recipes that call for baking powder or baking soda (can’t remember which!) need the natural cocoa for the right chemical reaction to take place for rising… If I remember correctly anyways. It doesn’t work with the Dutch Process I don’t think – and I don’t remember anything more than that sadly! The Nestle is in a little square yellow container, they have both it, and the Hershey’s which is in that brown container, at our Walmarts here in Northern Colorado. King Soopers (Kroger) used to be in a round paper can (I don’t know what else to call that kind of container!) but I don’t think they offer that store brand one anymore.
You could stockpile lots of non-perishibles that you don’t normally have (or maybe you do have but you could get more) such as a case of olives, canned salmon, chocolate chips and/or dipping chocolate for Christmas baking, crackers, Chex cereal and pretzels for Chex mix, etc. Then, you could make holiday treats to give away for presents, or give people a Dollar Store basket or gift bag with goodies in the basket or bag–some baked goods and some cans of special things like clams or whatever you think is special. Years ago, before she died, my Grandma liked nothing better than a nice selection of canned seafood for Christmas. It was a huge luxury to her, and she was at the point of life where she didn’t need more non-consumable items for her tiny mobile home. Coffee is a great idea for gifts. You could do the ingredients for a recipe, and include the recipe. You could add an embroidered dish towel or home-made potholder, or what ever you like to make or can buy at a low price somewhere and end up with really nice gifts, using the resources that you have.
I also agree with Brandy about the fresh fruit and vegetables. There have been many times when I’ve passed up grapes, for instance, because they are so much money per pound. You could get some fruit that is normally over your price point for yourself and your daughter, and keep her, and yourself healthier this winter. Maybe oranges? Apples? Those both store well.
You could also buy 1 or 2 items to just warm up in the oven like tator tots or fish sticks. While you probably don’t want to eat that way all the time, I seem to remember that you have had some accidents and I would assume you would have a time now and then where you don’t feel very well. A couple of convenience foods might help you during those times. There might even be healthier options than what I have mentioned available. They might taste like cardboard, so might not be a bargain in any case, but it might be worth a try.
I’ve bought them numerous times and canned them. They were perfectly fine! They are just are not perfect to slide in the little bags at the store.
I bought a #10 can of tomato sauce so I can make my own taco and enchilada sauces. Is it safe to water bath can my sauces with the store bought tomato sauce as the base. Could I do myo spaghetti sauce too? I’m trying to cut down on sugar in my food.
Lillianna you are so sweet. We are okay. Just disappointed. Everything in there was purchased on sale and most often with a coupon on top of that. I just cringed when I tossed out my garden stuff and my butter stash. Who would have thought thirty years ago that I would value butter 🙂
I have been online and trouble-shot the freezer. It sounds as if it the evaporator condenser fan. I have replaced one in my refrigerator/freezer before. I am learning to research things on my own and replacing it myself if it is not too detailed. I saved my refrigerator as I am not willing anymore to put $200+ dollars in a service call. The fridge evaporator fan was about $40. This one for the freezer is $45 and it is supposed to be here this week. We will journey on. Fortunately this freezer held my “deals”. Things that has been bought in bulk and purchased with coupons. It did have some garden produce in it and that stung to toss. However, my freezer that holds all my meat is fine. That would have been a huge loss. Now to stock up on seasonal turkeys and hams.
Lillianna use those funds. If you show a trend that you are not using them, there is a possibility they could take them away. Buy that coffee your son loves. That would be a wonderful Christmas gift. Buy canned vegetables and put them away. Most have a shelf life of around 2 years. Jarred pasta sauces also have a long shelf life. Peanut butter has a shelf life of around a year. I wish you well.
Thank you for sharing. I rarely buy this toner (and it’s actually for me; for the two teenagers, who have a different skin type than I do I buy a $3.99 container of the Target brand of 10% benzoyl peroxide) so it will last me a long time. I only need to use it occasionally, so it will last me a few years. Good to know about the vinegar. Can you use any apple cider vinegar or is only the raw unfiltered kind?
I don’t think they are dropping it. It’s $100 last I heard. Sam’s Club is $45. I would go in and compare prices to what items you normally buy, write them all down, and see if it is worth it to you to pay the membership. You can go in, walk to the membership area, and then not go to the desk but just walk around and write down prices.
So glad your husband won’t be losing his job! Especially now tha you have hospital bills, which are always thousands more than you ever imagine.
I don’t. If I want to make a recipe for my family, it is already huge (making pancakes mean quadrupling the recipe, for instance). So it’s a lot to do another meal for the family. I do try to plan for leftovers whenever possible. Usually, that means an extra-large pot of soup. We have leftovers quite often. When we baked potatoes earlier this week, we baked 20 pounds at once in order to have leftovers for another meal. My freezers have garden produce and meat.
I totally forgot to check when I was there! But I will check again when I go back at the end of the month. I only bought 1 package online so I may end up buying it from Winco in the future.
Meredith, I’m not an affiliate for them, just so you know. I am an Amazon affiliate however. Thanks for worrying that I would get credit; that’s sweet of you.
Thank you for all your support and ideas. I feel like some of my stockpile options are limiting my efforts. My chest freezer is full as well as the one in the kitchen. I would like to can some fruits and meats but that also is not possible at this time. My pantry stockpile is substantial. I have another large metal shelving unit that we are going to add to the pantry. I am being told we will receive benefits for four more months. I am going to buy another chest freezer and stock it with meats. I have made a list of every canned item I can think of and will be adding them to the new shelving unit. In addition to the average canned goods I have luxury items added. Like clams, clam juice, oysters and crabmeat. I will be adding extra baking supplies to do special activities with sugar cookie. Like making marshmallows. This is about 1400.00 for us and is an unbelievable amount of money for me to spend. I will be filing my disability after my next surgery. My check wont be much. There are so many times in my life that I left my job because sugar cookie had severe medical issues. All is well here. I have always been frugal even when times were good. The house and car are payed for and me and sugar cookie will be just fine. I will continue to add to this current stockpile buying the lowest prices available. With the holiday season sales coming soon, I should get some great deals. Sugar cookie will be home from a two month vacation next week. She loves fruit and that is on my list.
If you really run out of ideas, buy some things and donate them to a food pantry. Most people struggle to get through the month with the benefits they are given. Bless others with your good fortune.
I would buy expensive things…high quality steaks, haddock and salmon, raw honey, maple syrup, coconut oil, organic safflower oil, raw almonds, baking chocolate, fresh berries, etc. Coffee might be a treat on your normal budget, but this atypical. Buy things you’ll enjoy!
I’d contact the cooperative extension service near you or Ball canning (via their website) to ask about canning safety. I had a few questions this summer and Ball was extremely responsive and helpful!
Where did you find the newspaper? I was thinking of moving up north someday. But two hours away from a decent newspaper for sale might be a deal breaker.
Tammy, Congratulations! How nice that your son was the impetus for it! That will be a great memory!
This reminds me of when my five oldest were teens. I always kept big containers of cooked pasta with sauces and big containers of beans and rice in the fridge. When the kids came home after school, sports, etc., they (and many times their friends) ate like they had not eaten in days, although I always cooked them a hearty breakfast before school, and packed a good lunch and snack. They all knew they could eat the pasta, beans and rice, and whatever fruit was in a bowl on the table. Nothing fancy, but always apreciated by all, and it fit in my budget. I used to joke that if I didn’t have those items at the ready, “the locusts” would descend upon the kitchen and I’d find nothing but the kitchen cabinet door hinges on the countertop!
Whenever someone mentions red raspberry leaf, I think of pregnancy. 😀 So I am wondering, what other benefits it has.
My biggest goal for this month is to actually stick to my budget, $350 for 5 – two adults and three teens. We are all very snacky. In an attempt to cut costs, I didn’t buy chips for a whole week. I am please to announce that we are all still alive. I did pick up ground beef at $1.49 a pound so there will be lots of meals with that. I’ve been buying up rock bottom priced veggies and freezing them. I am pretty much just shopping the front page of the ads and then stocking up at Sam’s and Aldi. My cousin gave me 5 weeks worth of coupons for Aldi which are buy $30 and get $5 off per week. Her store is closed for remodel and they offered the coupons to offset the inconvenience of going to my store (next town over).
It has been decided that Thanksgiving will be at my house this year so I’ll start to watch for items to set aside. I’ll also continue to bake and meal prep on Sundays in an effort to make the busy weeks easier and keep from buying extras in a pinch.
This is horrible. I am sorry. Is it possible that it is covered under your homeowners?
We just Renewed our lower level card for $60 (up from $55) the executive is now $120( up from $110). We do not have sams club anywhere around here. Even with Costco being at least 60miles away it is worth the trip. Membership price is made up in 1 shopping trip easily. We have 1 grocery ( a thriftway harvest market that is so expensive!) in town a little over 3 miles from us. I am SO jealous of those That have several stores 10 miles or so from your home! Target is a once or twice a year treat and I am like a kid at Disneyland! I guess our trade off to not having all the stores with great deals is living in a town with no stop lights!
I explained in a comment to another reader; I think it’s on the second page of comments now.
I buy #10 cans of tomato sauce as well as corn, green beans, peaches, etc. There are usually only three of us, so I pour the excess into half-gallon Mason jars and put in the fridge. I make spaghetti sauce and also use the tomato sauce for a stew I make, and so we get about three meals from each #10. If you make a menu plan, you can figure out in advance what meals to make in order to use up the refrigerated sauce or veggies before they spoil. The #10 cans are way less expensive than regular 15-16 oz. cans, especially at Costco or Sam’s Club.
I also use the peach juice from canned peaches to make peach jelly as well as the juice from canned corn. I get a lot of use from #10 cans at a better price.
By contrast, I can’t imagine driving 60 miles away! Most of my shopping is done within 1 1/2 miles from home (with a few stores being 2 miles and Sam’s a whopping (haha) 5 miles away. The abundance of stores makes for a lot of competition with prices. I can see why, in areas like yours so far from the store, it makes a lot of sense to order things (like toilet paper) online and have it delivered, rather than spending the time and gas money to go to the store. (BTW, you can shop Target online, but maybe your budget doesn’t want to know that!)
I’m still using up items expiring in 2017 that I set on my counter. Hubby loves eating out on weekends, so that is always a challenge to convince him to eat at home. I’m amazed at how much food we had stocked up. I could go another month without shopping.
We got more free Sweet Sixteen apples and continue to eat these daily. Yum!
Hyvee (Iowa) sent a coupon for 2 free stuffed pork chops in the mail. We picked those up after church.
We went on a free hay ride around town for Halloween with our girls.
October 28 we are going to discount grocery stores ran by the Amish. So I’ve got $70 to spend there. We only go once a year and its 45 minutes there but I buy dented canned beans for 35¢, canned tomatoes 35¢, and all sorts of jarred sauces also. Its a great way to stock up. Our car is usually full. I usually spend over $100. They have boxes of damaged Jiffy mix for 10¢ and other baking mixes. I only buy non-expired goods that just have damaged packaging.
Then for meat, cheese, eggs, dairy, etc. I will be watching Holiday sales.
The Amish also have meat days on Saturdays but I have yet to check if they are low prices.
I have butter at 1.99 stocked in freezer so I won’t need any.
I drive 60 miles to Sam’s and 90 miles to Jungle Jim’s for specialty items. It helps if I know a friend is going down to see her son or if he is coming up as he lives 10 miles from Jungle Jim’s. I just add the cost of wear and tear and gas on the grocery bill to make sure that the trip is worth it.
I also wipe my pumpkins and winter squash down with bleach water (1/2 cup to 2 gal water) and let air dry…takes some time but they keep longer for me if I do that.
Was there a few years ago. Check with your ins agent about coverage. We didn’t get much back after the deductible but it was worth the filing.
That is true Denise as I know my ex son in law just got warned about that by his case worker. He is dying from Kidney failure and has his son by my daughter(she felt he should stay with his dad until He couldn’t take care of him since she knew he was dying). He started stocking canned goods of pasta, beef stew, hash etc that if needed grandson could heat up in microwave when he was having a bad day.
Congrats Tammy. That is wonderful
I do all the time. I add citric acid (you can use lemon juice) as I would with fresh tomatoes. Process pints 35 min and qrts 40 min. Been doing it over 40 yrs.
Thanks, Brandy. Like Tami, the nearest Costco and Sam’s are 50 miles away, but we are in that town once a week anyway, so that really isn’t quite an issue. I need to do just that — look around and note prices and selection, and see if it is worth it for us, with the things that we buy.
Thanks, everyone for the ideas. While I would love to but can’t build a root cellar — the water table is too high and the fire ants would invade it — and don’t have a consistently cool area in the house, even in the winter, I can try spreading my potatoes out and seeing if that helps. When we grow onions, which has to be in the winter, I hang them so that they don’t touch. When I buy bagged onions, I never think to separate them, and now I wonder why I don’t. This should help, thanks! I’ll try under the bed, Cindy, as you do, as well. I have one room that stays shut, because it has a white bedspread and I have cats, and it is a little cooler than the rest of the house during the A/C months.
Hi There,
I live in the Boise area and I have a fantastic garden. The growing season is also very long!