Posts: 17,300
2/24/13 8:12 P

One of the things I've been doing is cooking from scratch instead of using packaged foods...I've found a lot of recipes for "mixes" on Pinterest...things like taco seasoning are really inexpensive to make yourself and you know exactly what's in it.

current weight: 274.0

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Posts: 12,865
1/21/13 11:45 P

I was told that the big Asian Market chain called T & T here in Canada, has all kinds of produce at very reasonable prices, often way less than the other chains......

I have not had a chance to check it out. Too cold here to venture outdoors unless I absolutely have to.....

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1/21/13 11:34 A

I signed up for the Safeway coupon program when I went shopping the total was less than what I would have spent at Walmart!! Yahoo

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Posts: 39
1/12/13 12:40 P

My local grocery store sells fruits and some veggies that are looking a little peeked in a bunch for only a dollar. I use the bananas to make bread, the apples for the birds, and sometimes the oranges are still good enough to out right eat.

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12/27/12 6:59 A

I love Publix BOGO's and, I love the $50 gas card for $40 when you buy $50 of groceries.

current weight: 142.0

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130

Posts: 323
12/26/12 1:19 P

I love the pesto tips. Kroger had a huge package of fresh basil reasonably priced, and we've been using it in lots of dishes (really enjoying fresh herbs again since re-joining SP). But inevitably there's still some left over. My hubby got me an $80 food processor for Christmas for FREE....he works at a hospital kitchen and gets the food service reward points from their stock. Now I know what to do with that tasty basil! :-)

I have a couple grocery tips. For regular grocery stores, like Kroger....pay attention to the time when they mark down foods with "Manager's Special" clearance stickers. I get most of my organic produce this way, esp. baby spinach or similar greens which are a staple in my cooking now. Our Kroger usually marks things down on the weekend, usu. Saturday. There's a 50% off shelf of fruit, too...but usually I don't find many good deals. Fruit looks like it's been run over with a grocery cart too many times (tread marks and all!)

Since I'm trying to eat more natural and organic foods, I do go to natural/health food stores sometimes. I try to avoid the convenience packages (like organic macaroni and cheese) but head straight for the bulk section. I get great deals on flour, rice, beans, and delicious and flavorful spices and loose-leaf teas. They also have pour-your-own local raw honey, and we saved about $5.00 vs. buying pre-bottled jar of honey. The teas are soooo much better tasting than the little bags of tea at the reg. groceries (even the "natural" kinds like Celestial seasoning). Since giving up soda, I enjoy herbal tea w/ raw honey.

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Posts: 1,133
12/25/12 2:57 P

My local grocery store will sell dented items at a discount. It would be worth it to see what your store does with items that are damaged in transit

SparkPoints: (74,342)
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10/28/12 5:57 A

coupons in addition to a BOGO item at Publix is a great find!

current weight: 142.0

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Posts: 7,019
10/21/12 10:35 A

i always use coupons.

current weight: 148.8

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Posts: 12,865
10/17/12 2:25 A

I use only Coconut oil, or a little bit of grapeseed oil

I do not like the taste of Olive oil so NEVER use that, and I refuse to use corn oil or anything that could be made from GMO's........

Edited by: LITTLEWIND53 at: 10/21/2012 (11:10)

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SparkPoints: (74,342)
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10/16/12 6:22 A

I love squash.... sliced, put in a skillet with a sliced onion. Spray with 4 or 5 sprays of oil. Season with pepper, and garlic, Cover and cook on medium or low heat until squash is cooked soft. Also, a little cajun seasoning adds a different but great flavor.

current weight: 142.0

195 178.75 162.5 146.25

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Posts: 2,009
10/2/12 10:39 A

I found a small container of coconut oil in the back of the cupboard!! Working on using that up now.... that was an expensive experiment!! I like the taste but will stick with olive or veggie oil from now on....

Posts: 2,009
9/19/12 10:20 A

We had a successful antelope hunt - processed the meat ourselves - going to try some new recipes and see how we do now.

Posts: 12,865
9/12/12 3:36 P

I hate the taste of olives, so mixing basil with olive oil is a no-go for me. I have sliced the basil very fine and put in a container in the fridge. Used within a month and was still very good. I have never used pesto sauce, but what would any type of oil (other than olive) work to make it.

Safeway here has been having a one day sale, so if there is something that I use, I will shop then, and there is also a "first Tuesday of the Month" that a couple of stores have. Safeway offers 10 percent if the total order is over $35.00. Another store has 15 percent off if over $50.00, so if you buy something from the flyers, you could save a lot... I do most of my shopping on those days. And if I run out of something, I just do without until the discount Tuesday rolls around again OR the item comes on sale..

I do not eat tofu as I do not eat soy products.

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Posts: 45
9/12/12 2:27 P

I'm definately going to try that basil trick! Thanks

Edited by: LENNAN at: 9/12/2012 (14:28)

Body Fat %: 168.2

168.2 132.15 96.1 60.05

24

SparkPoints: (8,718)
Fitness Minutes: (3,086)
Posts: 436
9/8/12 12:38 A

I can get a pound of extra firm tofu for a dollar or so, which sure beats the best price for ground meat ($3/lb) and it's very low in fat. I just use my food processor to grate it and use it in place of ground meat, which is $3/lb (chicken, on sale) or $2.50/lb (ground beef, probably not lean, on sale)

So that's my favourite frugal/health switch - it works VERY well in chili, spaghetti, and likely in anything that has a lot of spices/herbs to flavour it.

Posts: 2,009
8/30/12 11:15 A

I have been using the online Safeway coupons. It works so well - even prints out my grocery list for me. Then when I go to the store I have my list (with pictures if I choose) and the coupons are activated automatically. WORKS GREAT!!

Posts: 15
7/21/12 8:50 A

DH (who is a chef) taught me this trick with the basil.

Put it in the food processor with olive oil. Blend away and add more olive oil as needed - you want it to be a paste like texture when done. It will keep in the fridge (or freezer) for a long time.

It's sort of like a pesto but without the pine nuts (which are expensive!). You could add garlic if you want to when you're mashing it up.

I use it as a spread on panini's or add it to spaghetti sauce when making that.

Posts: 4,805
5/11/12 7:35 P

I grate a carrot into Spag Bol wich bulks it up plus counters some of the acid in the tomato sauce.

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Posts: 33
5/5/12 6:39 P

Thank you for your thrifty food suggestions. I look forward to using many of them soon.

I might also add that when buying lentils to mix with ground meat, the bigger brown or green ones have a more "meaty" texture. I tried the little red lentils, and when they were cooked they flaked away into nothing.

I tried this mixture on my meat and potatoes Brit husband, and he was none the wiser. Am I bad (LOL)? I have also put lower fat milk bags into the higher fat bag without telling him. I might tell him, someday!

Posts: 30
3/2/12 5:43 P

I subscribe to a site called www.thegrocerygame.com
It's costs10.00 every 3 months & I save on average 50-60 a week. It's all about stockpiling items when they are at there lowest price.
If you are interested I can refer you for a free 30 day trial if you sign up after that I get credit. Message me with your email & send you the reference.

Pounds lost: 0.0

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Posts: 1,316
2/28/12 12:36 P

After showing DH how expensive the produce is up here....trucking fresh stuff up here to the middle of Maine makes our stuff cost more...he finally agree to put in a garden. While we kept it relatively small, I was still busy almost every day picking and cleaning and freezing veggies. This year, the garden will be bigger and we'll do more of some things, less of others. We've been able to save a lot.

We have two freezers and while I do buy our meats at the meat market and watch for sales so we save as much as we can there, we'll be buying a side of beef from his brother and putting that in one of the freezers. I can usually buy chicken breasts at one store at a reasonable price.

I like to buy some items in bulk at other places where I know the prices will be less than buying in smaller quantities, like for my flour and other ingredients for bread, since I make that every week. That's a huge savings over buying it.

I make my own chicken stock, buy simply saving the broth left over from boiling chicken for sandwiches or other meals. I stick it in the freezer and pull it out when I need it for something else.

We've cut way down on our food bill and while it will seem to cost a lot when I do my bulk shopping and the trip to the meat market, I don't shop often and when I do go, it's usually just for milk, butter, bananas, things like that. I'm usually stocked up on everything else. We're lucky that we have plenty of space for storing things.

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Posts: 4,075
2/14/12 5:51 P

I watch the sales papers from a couple different stores I like to get my fresh produce, so I can save money and get exactly what I want for my recipes. Both stores have a buggy setting close to the fresh produce and they also have banans with a bruse , and salad greens, for 1/2 price

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2/6/12 12:57 P

I find usually colored peppers are always a good item
to buy from the reduced rack..check it out, Nan

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Posts: 27
1/6/12 11:17 A

buy off your grocery store's reduced produce rack (if they don't have one ask the produce manager what they do with produce they pull off the shelves and see if you can buy it). I can get really good deals on produce, even organic, that aren't really bad-just may need a spot cut off, etc.

Buy frozen produce in off growing season months, instead of paying premium for fresh produce that's been carted in from different states. Also, frozen is going to be a better choice because it's frozen soon after it's picked. Unlike fresh that's brought it from thousands of miles away and sits in trucks for days.

current weight: 150.6

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1/2/12 3:39 P

Find the Fresh produce price then check on the frozen or canned version and compare - we must learn to balance, nutrition, convenience and cost - include the waste in fresh when comparing with frozen/canned. Grocery shopping is such a challenge to keep it gluten free for me, looking at low carb and bad teeth means poor chewing so must be grated, cooked or juiced..hard work doing it all frugally.

Pounds lost: 9.4

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Posts: 46
1/2/12 3:41 A

I make a batch of low cal mashed potatoes then put them into muffin pans with plastic wrap covering, then in the freezer till they set up, remove put in freezer ziploc bags. This saves potatoes going rotten with only a family of two, keep peels on and get more vit. and fiber. I do this with stuffing also so we can have choices of what we want for sides. 1/2 c sides and 4 oz meat (depends on what kind to how much, say less for pork).

current weight: 339.0

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Posts: 4,463
12/25/11 8:34 P

The Grocerie stores in our litttle town close for Christmas!!! No Sunday shopping!!

Pounds lost: 9.4

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Posts: 589
11/4/11 3:51 P

I've started watching for coupons and sale ads to buy staples---flour, sugar etc--now is the time they go on sale. Stock up for the year. You may have to put your flour in the freezer to prevent mites, but worth it for the $$$$ you will save.

Take a close look at what goes on sale for holiday cooking and see what you use year around. It's a great time to stock up for the year and save money doing it.

Posts: 491
10/29/11 12:42 P

Check your grocery store out, the days after they get their trucks. I bought a grocery store bag full of ripe (not over ripe) bananas! Peel them, slice them and pop them in the freezer. I add them to all my cakes and muffins, inplace of the fat.

Pounds lost: 34.4

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Posts: 215
10/11/11 7:40 P

Got some pretty nice ideas for meals I can freeze for myself from reading some of these responses, and they sound wallet friendly.

I tend to bleach everything that is a hard surface. One part bleach and 9 parts water in a bottle per room. Saves me time on cleaning when I do it nightly.

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10/4/11 11:32 A

I saw a great idea this morning, more of a frugalist thing than a way to save on groceries, but this link -- madeleineg.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Use-Ros
emary-In-Your-Cooking -- suggested using the rosemary stems, that you'd normally throw out, as skewers for roasting meat or potatoes. Same flavoring, though they're not quite the same strength as an actual skewer, so you'd probably have to poke a hole through your food in order to thread it, but I thought that was a really neat idea, and I'm definitely going to try it!

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9/26/11 5:56 P

With the price of meat like it is, we end up eating vegetarian-style dinners probably half the week, and it's a huge savings. Some examples:

- Tofu is usually about half the price of ground beef, where I live. We find it works best for us in Asian dishes.

- Mexican-seasoned beans and rice are one of our favorite meals, even when we're NOT dieting!

- Also, a good recipe we just tried last night was the Garden Vegetable Frittata that auto-shows on some SparkPeople meal plans as a selection -- it was delicious, and very reasonable, since the protein source was eggs.

- In meals where I do use ground beef or ground fowl, I substitute half of it with cooked lentils, which are crazy-cheap (especially in bulk bins), and nobody can ever tell the difference. More protein, for about an 80% discount off the price of the meat. Helps stretch the meat where I can, even in things like burgers, but best for recipes with multi-component structures like casseroles.

- We love quiche, and a crustless spinach-and-mushroom quiche paired with a salad and a piece of fruit is simple elegance on a budget.

====================

My frugal breakfast tip: mix 1/4 to 1/3 c. cinnamon applesauce (naturally sweetened works best) into your hot cereals such as oatmeal. Moistens it so you can do without milk/butter, sweetens it so you can do without the sugar, and seasons it so you can do without the spices -- plus, it's a fruit, so it counts as that and is much cheaper than all four of those things combined.

Edited by: SICIANASARI at: 9/26/2011 (18:34)

Posts: 24,879
9/16/11 8:58 A

I tried this inside last year . I had trouble controlling tho moisture and it failed.
some low areas around here had frost the last two nights, but this is unseasonably cold.
I might try to plant some outside.

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9/12/11 1:57 P

Plant seeds even if container pots or in window boxes for lettuce or spinach. In most areas of US it is also a good late fall crop and will last until after the 1st frost. I just noticed that the planters I had my spring lettuce must have dropped seeds and now new plants are forming, I got 2 plants for the price of one.

current weight: 306.0

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9/12/11 1:45 P

BABAKAPUSTA
Have you seen the postings under General Discussion about Stone Soup.


One of our regional chains has two kinds of cold store brand cereal on sale for $1.50 if you purchase 10 large boxes. These are varieties that are appropriate for a diabetic to eat. They also have the high sugar varieties. I think I will go in & buy 10 boxes if they still have them. DH is diabetic and prefers to eat cold cereal over oatmeal, etc.

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Posts: 435
9/7/11 1:46 P

I make Garbage soup.

I take all of my left overs and mix them together. Stew, spaghetti, whatever. I only leave out sauerkraut and chinese. Then I add water, chicken stock or beef stock or tomato something whatever, Add whatever spices you like. You can even throw in some beer or wine. It's strictly a to taste item and it depends on what you cook. Taco's and sloppy joes with ratatoully(sic)

Whatever you call it, it tastes good and costs very little to make. It is never the same twice and you will use up your bones. Throw in potatoes or rice or pasta. Whatever!

Maybe I should change the name to Whatever Soup.

SparkPoints: (133,434)
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9/5/11 1:45 P

If you have room in your freezer take advantage of the corn on sale. Here in NJ we are almost at the end of our season. Nothing tastes as good as fresh corn. Just blanche it and throw in the freezer for use in the winter when all you get is that soggy ears of corn in the freezer section.

Do the same with the Maine broccoli that is on sale now.

current weight: 306.0

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Posts: 43
9/5/11 10:27 A

Combine sale prices with coupons whenever possible for some extra savings.

And I want to add that I always double check my receipt before leaving the store. I not only verify that prices scanned correctly, but I also check to make sure all of my coupons were scanned (before checking out, I add up my "coupon savings" and compare that total with the register receipt total).

Posts: 30
9/5/11 10:07 A

Don't take kids to the grocery store!

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Posts: 253
9/4/11 3:31 A

Take advantage of the harvest; even if you live in a city and don't have a garden, I bet you can find a blackberry bush or apple tree somewhere close to you! I Haven't bought berries in 2 months; I've been having home picked blackberries and elderberries for breakfast!

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Posts: 24,879
8/30/11 6:47 A

That reminds me.
I should make pesto TODAY.

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8/28/11 3:51 P

I've read about saving vegetable skins and bits in the freezer so that I can use them later, but I've never done it. I have saved chicken bones but never thought about saving the skin. I think that by using all of these things I can make myself some very nice broth to save for future recipes. (Once my divorce is final I'll be losing the bottomless stomach and I'll finally be able to store some food and save a bit of money, so these are good ideas for me. Thanks.)

current weight: 216.0

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Posts: 21,124
8/28/11 1:53 P

Don't let your garden of basil go to waste. Whatever you are not using fresh, clean and store in zip lock bags for cooking throughout the winter. You can make batches of pesto and freeze into portions using ice cube trays. When frozen you can put the cubes into zip lock bags as well.

current weight: 306.0

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Posts: 24,879
8/28/11 2:01 A

These are some of my old stand-bys that I have posted other places:
I make homemade broth.
When I clean fresh veggies - I wash than peel or put ends into a clean bowl. Then put them in a ziplock in the freezer. I add anything that is not going to make it to the table..

When I can find whole chicken or bone-in chicken breast for less than a dollar a pound, I either roast it in cook it in the crock pot. Then I save the chicken skin and bones - put it in the crock pot with my frozen veggie scraps. Fill with water and cook on low overnight. Then I strain it. Refrigerate. The next day, I skim off the fat. You can keep in the refrigerator for at least a few days. If you want to keep it longer, you can bring it to a boil for 10 minutes, then return to the refrigerator. Or - you can freeze it.

Posts: 24,879
8/28/11 1:55 A

What are your latest tips?

Edited by: 60SIXTY at: 9/28/2011 (00:44)