You'd be so proud of me lol - I heard our local grocery store had marked down all the holiday hams to .99/lb down from 3.99/lb . We ran in and bought 3! They were 58.00-65.00 hams that we got between 10.00-15.00. And there was a 5.00 off coupon for the one brand. We got the 3 hams and a few more sale items for the cost of one ham originally. My husband was so happy :)
I bought 3 hams for 89 cents a pound. And a 6.5 pound rib roast for $19. and change. Bones frozen for bean soup, potato soup, cream of broccoli soup. Beef and noodles.
Honestly, I've learned so much from your channel on how to reduce grocery costs. You'll be proud to know I bought a beautiful rib roast for $1 using my Kroger digital deal and fetch rewards!! It would not have been attainable without your great advice!! Thank you!!
I bought 40+ 1/2 gallon bottles of juice..mostly orange with a little cranberry blend. Less than $9 total. Called a friend and met her at the food bank. She said they don't get a lot of juice donations. She wasnt bothered by a 1/19/23 best by date because it would be consumed by then. Also left 30 cans of tuna for $15. Even when you are looking for bargains, it helps to think of others. I did keep a couple of orange juice and tuna beyond what the food bank received. 😁😁😁
You have way more than just 1 skill, Christine. Do not underestimate yourself. Yes, you are great at budgeting but you also are able to communicate effectively and genuinely with others; your empathy and caring for your family and others shines brightly; your editing, filming skills have increased. You take on challenges and new skills with a " can do " attitude and encourage others to do the same. You are hardworking, laugh easily and that in turn helps others be more comfortable with themselves. You have the right to be proud of yourself as I am sure Dave, and the kids are.
I'm guessing Christine doesn't realize she's helping another group of us as well...the disabled. Years ago I somehow used to cook like this (majority home-made), work 50+ hrs/wk & was very athletic until several major illnesses hit in a very short period of time. My body couldn't take it. I'm grateful to still be living but "functioning" is not accurate. I'd always maintained the frugality instilled in my upbringing, but w/ the loss of a great salary I'd spent years climbing to, I REALLY had to do serious planning on how to keep my family fed...now included aging parents & short a spouse 🤷♀️...on our DRASTICALLY reduced means. That included PHYSICAL means as well as my body no longer allows the physical preparation of food I did as a healthy individual. Attempts to do so resulted in numerous severe cuts & burns, one landing me a stay in the Burn Unit of our large regional hospital. 🤦♀️ The Instant Pot became my best friend as soon as it entered our house. As did Aldi comingto our small town... took 6 months for me to get there bc I was serving 3 hospital stays for a rare pneumonia & then resulting lung surgery...but if Aldi doesn't have it, I can make do without it bc Walmart is too physically taxing on me to go more than once a month. BUT, Christine has made me consider their pick-up (of course I can't drive, but my teenager can!) I could write a dissertation on what I've learned from this channel that's actually helping me feed my family in this body I'm in right now. I don't know that I can do it with the warming cheerfulness Christine has - that I did lose & don't know it will come back - but in watching her I'm reminded it existed...I forgot! It's so calming & uplifting THIS is the first channel I look for when I open YT. If a new upload isn't out, I just look for something older I haven't seen or re-watch something I have even if I've seen it 5 times. And share them w/ my family. So THANK YOU CHRISTINE!!!!!
I was going through my local supermarket app last night. They want $8.49 for a 42 oz container of Quaker Oats! I felt like I was in some kind of alternate reality. Eggs and oatmeal are supposed to be the cheapest foods on earth and lately they are getting out of control
I just turned 23 and want to devote myself into becoming a millionaire by 30, I already have 80k saved, 65k lump sum following the death of my father and 15k in personal savings. So far ive come across dropshipping, stocks, and real estate as the most popular means of doing so but i was wondering if any of you guys had other suggestions, at this stage im just trying to learn about the most viable ways of achieving success within 10 years
Currently averaging 20k monthly ROI on my stock portfolio being guided by a professional advisor(not RU-vidr). I’m not a millionaire yet but I make a decent return every now and then. The stock market is a life changer if played right
@Dulce de Leche Exactly. Its advisable go with registered representatives. Melanie Wynne Anderson for example offers 1v1 consultation and she is licensed with finra which I think is amazing. I don’t know how many pro like that are there, so I just stick to her. You can look her up online
I have been telling myself for years to do what is necessary: open a brokerage account, buy ETFs or whatever, just play it safe. My last five or six New Year's resolutions have included this. However, I can't force myself to do it, for some reason. I think it's time to admit that I'll never be the smart, thrifty, DIY investor like all millennials are supposed to be.
Check out root of good blog. He retired in his 30s. He is a normal guy. Spent less $30,000 in 2022. That was for a family of five with lots of traveling.
I HATED meal planning until I started picking 7 meals to have during the week. Then I wasn’t stuck with a specific meal on a certain day. I could mix them around depending on our changing schedule throughout the week.
This is how I plan. I also have a small bin and once a week go thru the pantry and look for thingsI want to use up and put I the bin. Then plan meals around those items to get them out of the house.
For reference, I live in Northern Virginia, about an hourish south of DC. I had come back after visiting family in Virginia Beach and Texas and my roommates managed to eat through the stockpile of meat I had in the freezer (I'm fine with it, my rent situation is cheap so I pitch in with food) and so I had a gut feeling and went to Safeway which is usually hit or miss and I was so proud of myself. I told myself not to go past 100$ in total and, specifically, if there are good meat deals to not spend more than $50. I only spent $40 on meat and got 4 steaks, 2 (1lb) packages of ground turkey 93/7, 2 (1lb) packs of bacon, and 2 pork loins! They also had some clearance items for lunches, I got Produce, and because I was under my meat budget, I splurged on chips and guacamole and spent 96$ and saved 71$. I felt like a super hero lol
Started raising chickens 7 years ago. They are less trouble than having a dog as long as you build their coop to defend against raccoons ect. 4 hens have supplied us with more than enough eggs during the longer days of the year (March through October). Up to 4 eggs and as little as 1 egg per day for over 7 months of a year. By mid summer we have several dozen eggs in surplus. Great hobby and better food than you will find at any grocery.
@@JW99736 I buy a single 40lb bag of feed about every 2 months in the cooler months. They free range while I am at work in the warmer months. Yes the feed is more expensive now with inflation and the recession. I have never done an actual cost breakdown per dozen eggs produced. I would expect the investment of the coop building alone not to pay off within 10yrs. There is a sense of food security that money cannot buy though.
Watching this because I finally looked at my spending and found that my wife and I have been spending $2000 groceries and $1000 restaurants a month for the last 2 years. I got a good paying job. Things got paid and had no problem paying the bills. Two years later I realized I barely have any savings lol. Eye opening to know the type of consumers we have become.
One thing I learned (the hard way) to save $$ on groceries was to...keep track of what I already had in house. I used to be surprised at how many "meals" were already in my pantry/fridge/freezer. I do inventories of my kitchen frequently now that grocery prices are OMG. There's only one store in my town and the prices tend to be high on certain items but I shop the sale flyer before I hit the store. Love your tips here!
I love making homemade bread I’m 61 so for 50 yrs I have been making , I started at 11 5 batches At a time. A very hard work out. Lol I make great bread. I cook from scratch. I grew up in the country on a farm 7 kids and two parents a lot of cooking and baking. Cooking and baking are my passions.
Have to share, went to our local Kroger this morning to look for clearance fruits and veg, saw another person doing the same thing. Bought six pounds of ground beef, made two meatloaves and 36 meatballs with it. All going in the freezer for easy meal options. You certainly give many of us the courage to walk in get what we intended and walk out without overbuying!
I am a 24 years old girl, living alone in Hungary and still love your content. I hope you will continue as happy, as ambitious, as ahelpful and as entertaining as last year. Cant wait to binge watch your content over and over again
One thing that I've started to do to keep myself on track when I'm grocery shopping is to keep a running total of the groceries that I put in my cart on the calculator on my phone. It has definitely helped keep me on track with sticking to my budget.
Yes, this helps more than anything I have done! I actually researched and found out that our grocery tax in my area is 8%, and before I check out and as I go I multiply 0.08 by my running total and add it to the total and can predict the total with tax almost to the penny, because not figuring tax was causing me to go over budget by about $10, and I have no wiggle room in my budget.
My family loves when I make "fancy" sandwiches! All I do is take their favorite lunchmeat sandwiches like ham or turkey and cheese and put them in my 10.00 panini press I got from Aldi a couple years a ago. Super inexpensive and quick way to level up dinner!!
Great stuff here….. Thanks for sharing! My tip….. Every meal I make is a 2nd day meal. I make sure I will have enough leftovers to transform it into a 2nd day meal. And I meal plan for it accordingly. Ex. Chili and cornbread night becomes AMAZING taco salad on the 2nd day. Give it a try! Happy and healthy 2023! ❤️🙏
I do this too. Spaghetti sauce becomes sloppy joes. Christine’s nacho-lasagna is great for leftover taco meat and Spanish rice. Add frozen mixed vegetables to Chicken and rice or roast and you can make a pot pie. Several dishes can also turn into soup or goulash.
Love the keep it simple advise. I recently had my fifth baby and have done some more simple meals than we are used to. Soup and grilled cheese and eggs, fruit and pancakes gets everyone fed 😅
I have learned to do my shopping from you and I go on a $400 budget and I now have two freezers full I want to say thank you for putting out good videos and teaching us how to save.
We grow and can much of our own stuff. 2 adults, 1 ravenous teen, 2 standard poodles, 2 cats. $425 a month. That includes everything in Oregon. I always meal plan. I'm still learning from you. Thank you!
Red beans and rice is my current favorite comfort food, plus it's so easy to hide vegetables in there. I often have veggies in my kitchen that are about to go bad because I let them sit too long, so I'll chop them up and freeze them. When It's time for red beans and rice I'll toss them in the pressure cooker with the beans where they basically disintegrate- zucchini, peppers, kale, cauliflower etc.
Keep it simple stupid (kiss) I am 71 yrs old and my mom always did a cooked vegetable plus a green salad. with a protein and starch.. a couple of years ago I cut out either a cooked veg or a green salad...no one even noticed!!! Love your channel..and you!!! God is good and His love endures forever.🙏♥️🍵🍵🍵☃️⛄
I went to Kroger on Tuesday (after New Year's Day). On clearance, I got 2 large London broil roasts for $6 and $8 (two meals each)...and spiral cut ham for $.89 per lb (around $7.75 for an almost $40 ham! Ham one night, then ham salad, then split pea soup or ham/beans and rice...you can freeze the leftover ham and split it up). Don't neglect the clearance racks....artisan bread for less than $1 per loaf...bags of produce for less than $1. Use your senses...if it's bad, trust me, you'll know.
Now that my husband and I have finally got "extras" in the pantry and fridge, grocery shopping isn't so bad anymore. Now instead of running our food out and having to buy all the expensive things at once, now we have wiggle room to go and, mostly, just buy things when on sale. And I've started to really utilize apps for cash back or coupons. It really gives you a sense of relief knowing you won't have to break the bank all the time and I learned most of this stuff from YOU! So thank you for all that you do to help us all!
I am all about giving money saving hacks for groceries! I tend to spend about $300 a month on groceries for my family of three and it’s because I follow these tips and some other ones.
I always cook 1-2 meals a week with leftovers in mind so that I can take them to work and so that my son has something to take to work. Every time I go to Kroger, I look in the clearance section of the meat. If there is any beef that is a decent price for me, I buy it. If there is enough of it, I bring it home and cut it up and pressure can if for later. Any beef that would normally not be the best cut, or a meat that would tend to be tough, is not anymore once it is canned. It all tastes like a tender roast. I opened one of those jars today. I had some leftover mashed potatoes, so I took the beef, put the broth from the jar in the pan and made it like a gravy. I then added the beef back and ate it with the mashed potatoes. So good!
Eating budget friendly meals is definitely something I've started doing recently, and my grocery bills have reflected that. Thank you for the tips Christine!
Chicken nuggets can be made by buying chicken breasts on sale, cut them in small pieces, wrap them in flour, fry them in olive oil and freeze for when they are needed. This could save a lot of money for the busy mom of small kids. Better than paying a huge amount for processed ones. Good video as always!
Easy to set a budget if you use cold hard cash in your envelope/pocket. You’ll physically see how much is left after each purchase. My husband came across Dave Ramsey pre Covid and changed our lives. Still get cash from the bank every 2 weeks on payday. Cash for food, gas, and couponing/stock up/bulk buying. Love your channel
That's my favourite tactic too! I used mostly cash last year but kept going over budget when I would impulsively buy a few things using my debit card. This year I'm taking out a fixed amount of cash at the start of each month, debit card stays at home when i go grocery shopping! So far it's making me super aware and thoughtful about what I buy.
OK, not a grocery hack but have to share for all of us on a budget. I'm one of those fossils (though only 37) who still sends greeting cards. Last year these cost me over $120 at Hallmark. Today, I got the majority of these for only $16 at Dollar Tree! The only downside is that I had to go into the store rather than just order online - quite a feat for this introvert, lol.
Love your work! You mentioned surf and turf but as nice as it is to eat fancy, as people reach their more senior years and move into these designer senior care homes which advertise five star Michelin chef cuisine, the residents want shepherd's pie, soup and sandwich, macaroni..... And all of the other down home foods they grew up with! Hurray on your country style rib recipe idea!
Helpful hint for your rice n beans. When beans are done, take out 1/2 cup of cooked beans and mash them. Then put back the 1/2 cup mashed beans in the pot. It will help thicken the bean broth a bit.
January monthly meal plan Jan 1 good and easy beef and gravy, mashed taters ( everything had in house) Jan 2 Sheppard pie ( homemade crust and filling) January 3 leftovers Jan 4th biscuits and gravy Jan 5 leftovers Jan 6 shrimp sheet pan Jan 7th meatloaf dinner Jan 8th goulash Jan 9th Philly cheesecake quesadeias Jan 10th left overs Jan 11th cheesy broccoli soup Jan 12th leftovers Jan 13th tater tot casserole Jan 14th Glazed salmon Jan 15th lasagna Jan 16th chop sues Jan 17th leftovers Jan 18th potatoe soup Jan 19th leftovers Jan 20th ribs sweet taters Jan 21th Italian beef Jan 22nd pot roast Jan 23rd tuna casserole Jan 24th leftovers Jan 25th hamburger beans soup Jan 26th leftovers Jan 27th fish Jan 28th chili Jan 29th pulled pork and coleslaw Jan 30th chicken Alfredo Jan 31 left overs Purchased seafood, dairy,coleslaw mix.
We are an all ingredient home only. We shop the sales and clearances, grow food, preserve food, get eggs from my in-laws chickens (we help feed the chickens with veggie scraps or stale cereal). If you want cookies...great, get up and MAKE them, if you want ice cream...there's the ice cream maker and the ingredients, get up and make it. If you want popcorn...there's the kernels, the oil, a pan and a lid, go make popcorn. You want something to drink? Go get a glass of juice that was made from frozen concentrate, or tea that was made from tea bags, or coffee made in a 12 cup drip maker, or you can get water. You get the idea. We keep a TON of spices onhand to make things taste good too.
We're participating in the pantry/freezer challenge this year. We agreed to only purchase fresh fruit & veg, plus use our stock of canned items. This will help us get our budget down. Looking forward to it.
So helpful! I love that none of these strategies are too time heavy, but can just be integrated into normal grocery shopping. Thank you very much for sharing.
meal planning as well as using what I have on hand to make meals was a game changer for me the lowest I have spent was $89 for groceries one shopping trip buying items I didn't have on hand to make meals. That was for a two week meal plan I took that as a win due to the cost of inflation and the fact that I live in NYC where things are simply high over all
most Kroger stores also have a hidden corner of very discounted - often seasonal - items. Recently I got 30 cans of $1.89 cat food for $.15/can. Lots of bargains (and often lots of junk)!
I started watching for markdowns after watching one of your videos. I saved like more than $20 on each of the times on things that I needed to buy anyway. I always just bought sale items and didn't consider the mark downs. Thanks for the great tips.
You have helped me a lot to work on getting healthier and it's easier with videos like this that also give great advise on setting a budget, not having to have 5 course meals. I definitely have been implementing the KISS ( Keep it Simple Stupid)! Thank you for being an encourager!
My kids love toast with beans on top. And also toast with creamed chopped beef or creamed peas. Super simple. Cheap and they think it’s amazing. I love simple meals.
just curious -where are you from? ive noticed that some people have beans with breakfast but ive always assumed it was a british/european thing-im in the U.S....are they like canned pork and beans or cooked dried beans? i think id like to try making it but not sure how its actually done.....God Bless!
I came up with a list of favorite meals. I combine this with the weekly sales to make meal planning faster. I do throw in some new recipes from cookbooks or websites, but the default list makes it easier.
Many years ago when I shopped on the drive home from work,I realized that the market marked down the best. Cuts of beef for grilling on Tuesday afternoons after a rainy summer weekend. The beautiful cuts they had expected to sell the previous Friday were discounted like fresh flowers on February15th. Home to the freezer went some very nice steaks.
I saw that you do this too, but in case others haven’t seen it, Kroger’s markdowns/Reduced To Clear sections are a must-see for any foods you might need that day. Just this week I bought a jar of basil pesto that was set to expire in a week-husband and I had that whole jar gone in 2 days! I also bought 2 marked-down 1/2G of milk for $1.50/G (cheaper than if I had gotten a single 1G), and they don’t even expire until Feb 6. We’ll have it downed well before then!
My kroger always has clearane meats, veggies, and fruits. Usually best deals are in the morning, but I noticed recently they mark down a lot about an hour before closing. And it helps to just be polite and ask, sometimes the employee in meat will come out and mark an item lower for you. Ours has started offering more coupons and deals when you choose delivery (blue truck). Every little bit helps!
Love all these tips! Some of them I have already been incorporating it without really realizing it. You put everything into perspective and focus on simplicity. I’m not a meal planner in the slightest sense but this new year I’m going to TRY to stick to a meal plan for at least a few days at a time. Thanks for keeping it real.
Growing up, our family of 6 would have ‘restaurant night ‘ on Friday nights. There was always left overs from Mon-Thur but not enough for 6 people. We thought it was fun, especially if we’d had something we really liked. Nothing went to waste
We purchase mark down priced meats, breads, fruits and veggies and canned goods all the time. I agree. They are all freezable but since we only have a small refrigerator freezer, we can’t do much but if we’re willing to be flexible, it’s good
I love meal planning and meal prep. I don't typically keep things on hand besides what's pantry shelf stable. So meats are expensive so I buy one type of meat a week. I'll make several different types of recipes that have a lot of the same ingredients, but taste vastly different. Like if I buy ground beef, I'll buy 5-10 pounds which not only gets recipes for the current week lunch and dinner, but i can then make a few freezer meals too. Then the next week I'll do the same thing but with chicken. Then pork...then week 4 comes around and i have freezer meals to sprinkle in for meal variety. And by week 5 i start the process over again. I'll also use a lot of dry beans and lentils to bulk things up. I do use rice sometimes, but I'm diabetic so I also try to meal plans lean more towards lower carb.
I almost always treats from central market when I lived in Texas. I’d set aside $20 dollars or so out my grocery budget and go in for their freebies. It would be like a jar of bougie pasta sauce but free pasta, free Parmesan cheese and a free baguette. They were all over the store every week. I would get asked how afford them-simple-I stick to the plan and get out! 😉
Love your videos! ❤ easy and simple tips 🤩. Here in Mexico 🇲🇽 rice and beans 🫘 are staple in any home. If i make one day soup beans, the day after that i can make fried beans with those same beans for breakfast and eat them with eggs 🍳 and salsa or chilaquiles 🤤❤️, or used them for dinner with quesadillas, for an example.
Markdowns don't happen a lot where I am. Sometimes the odd food item will go clearance at target, walmart, Hyvee, but only select items and not usually grocery staples, just the odd candy or snack or holiday themed food.
Thank you for sharing, it’s always encouraging and motivating to hear to give these advice. I can attest that the advice is also works here in Norway. One of the most expensive stores now have a $1 and $2 sale. I love mini/baby corn in tin/can and normal price is $2,5 and now it’s $1. When I have a thing for it I use one a day, but I NEVER buy it at full price. They also have some good deal on other things, and are cheaper then the less expensive store on things like potatoes. A cheap store has 2 weeks of 30% of all produce. The potatoes are still more expensive then at the expensive store with the $1 sale, so you need to know your prices. I will buy a lot the last day of the sale to keep me stocked for some for up to some weeks. 🤑 Thanks again, Johanne, Norway 🇳🇴
I’m envious of those of you who have more than 1 grocery store. In my part of Florida, we literally have Publix on every corner with a Wal-Mart, Aldo and Winn Dixie. That’s it. It sucks!
I've been watching you for a while and my job is actually in about 100 different grocery stores. I shop all sales, clearance, and take advantage of coupons. I've been told to do shorts showing off coupons I get like for example Suave Body washes, 1.89 each and there was a sale for 5 dollars off instant 3 suave items. 3 body washes was 5.67, minus 5 bucks is 67 cents plus tax for 3 full size body washes! I stocked up on a bunch for my family and everyone loved it in their Christmas stocking. Thanks for all your tips!
I’ll add two more simple tips 😁 1. Make what you KNOW your family likes to eat (to avoid food waste and disappointment to you when they snuff your dinner 🤷♀️) 2. If your family doesn’t ever eat the leftovers in the fridge, only make enough for that meal.
The leftovers in the fridge is an important tip. I end up getting stuck eating all the leftovers so now I just make enough for the meal and possibly one other serving. I don't mind cooking more if the food gets eaten. But if we're making something like baked ziti, we will double the recipe and freeze a portion of it to eat later in the month.
BEST TIPS! I try new recipes, everybody (kids) hate it, hubby stuck eating the leftovers, cause I don't like leftovers unless I LOVE a meal. So your tips are the BEST! I need to follow them!
@@M00nflowers I also like trying out new recipes but I scale it back. That's when I usually have more sides that I know the family will eat and homemade bread.
I agree with the only make enough. There are certain things that just don't reheat well so I am learning to be mindful of only making what will get eaten at that one meal.
On #2, you can also immediately freeze leftovers and have a convenience meal another day without the same stress to hurry up and eat it before it goes bad.
Here in Canada, eggs have hit $3.50 or more per dozen. It’s definitely cheaper to raise hens. $20 of feed gives us 15 doz eggs from 6 hens. (Per month) We let our kids sell about half to the neighbours for a little spending cash.
I grew up eating a five item course on a plate since I can remember and now since , I have my niece and nephew I went back to that since I don't eat that much myself. Teens eat a lot! So now,I have to regroup on food. Thanks for your video. I'm stepping out my box.😁
I wish our Kroger marked down as low as your store does. We decided in June of 2022 to really exclusively shop the mark downs across the store to super stock our freezer. We use the perishables to meal plan for that week and use the reduced meat to keep it stocked up. It’s made meal planning fun.
we were at the store today and sadly no markdowns on things we were looking for- we have been binge watching a lot of your videos and will be shopping and sticking to our budget this year!!! thank u for all of the videos!!!! sending love and light
I am a fan of your Backwards Meal Planning! It saves time and money to shop your pantry, freezer and refrigerator first! (If I can only stop my Mother from buying olives and Worcestershire sauce every time we shop!) 😊
At 41 with 5 kids, the youngest being 4 months old, I finally found a meal planning/grocery budgeting method that works for me! Here’s what I do, In case it might help someone else: Every Sunday I take a quick look in my fridge and freezer for what meat I have and scan my pantry to see vaguely what’s there (if I have lots of pasta or somehow ended up with two bags of potatoes, etc. I don’t spend too much time on this step, just a quick scan) Then I sit down, pull up a note on my phone and start brainstorming some suppers based on what I have first and then some extra ideas if need be. I try to come up with ideas that need the least amount of extra stuff purchased. But not always. I then look at what I’ve decided on for the week (usually 5 suppers, one night is leftovers/make do; and one night is pizza night), and I make a list of extra ingredients I need (also at this time I think for the week what the kids will need for breakfast/lunch, and if we need any other essentials like milk, bread etc and I note those down) Then I pull up the Walmart grocery app and start adding my list to my cart. I check anything on sale that’s good and might add that for the future as well and I order for grocery pick up. Prices on certain things at Walmart aren’t the best, and using the app means I miss out on checking out their discount bakery rack or discount meat etc BUT it allows me to keep within the budget I set for myself because I can easily see my running total and I don’t make impulse in-store purchases. Once a week my husband stops in at our discount grocery store and checks for good meat/dairy sales to stock up on. We try to stock up on meat in this way as that’s the least affordable thing at Walmart (here in Canada anyways) To keep track of my budget, I created a separate account in my online banking called “grocery” and every week I transfer my grocery budget money from my savings to that “account”. When I place my grocery order, I transfer that amount back to my main account (because my grocery order gets charged to my credit card) Sounds a bit confusing maybe but it takes very little time and it lets me have an easy visual. I don’t count any meat stock up as coming from my budget, it makes it too confusing for me. Some weeks I haven’t used my whole budget and some weeks I need to spend more. But more or less it keeps me on track and it works for me as grocery shopping with a baby is no fun! Thanks Christine for the great ideas! (Oh also, I keep those meal idea notes from each week on my phone as a reference for when i run out of ideas)
I just made bread today. 4 ingredients in my Dutch oven. OMG! I didn't realize how easy it was and so good. I think it will become a staple for me. I'm doing a pantry challenge Jan and Feb.
You have so many talents & share them effectively & in a way that makes a person WANT to try it. I have nothing in common with you in that I am single with no kids but I LOVE your videos because of your energy, your excitement & passion in all you do & you have an amazing social presence. Thank you for all you do! I've watched at least 250 of your videos just didn't comment on most but they are all great! Have a great day & New Year!
I failed to make dry beans years back and have been scared to try again. But made some a couple days ago and had a great black bean soup. Probably half the cost of canned and better because I don't much like the goo it comes in so I always rinse it off
Good for you that you tried again. I bet it was the beans fault you failed. If you get beans that are too old ( so easy to do because we don't eat a ton of beans in the us).
Wow give me the surf. When it is gulf shrimp season you bet my freezer has shrimp to last 6 months. Our WinCo has the best buys and sales on pork. But yesterday hamburger was $1.97 pound. Plus the bulk items are the best. Bob's Red Mill flour and mixes at bulk prices. Out of this world. Jasmine rice $1.19 a pound. All kind of bulk spices I purchased 15 bay leaves for .68 cents. The jar of McCormick's was $4.97 about 15 leaves. Collard and mustard greens .98 cents a large bunch. So good. Keeping my eyes open Christine.
Here in Australia we call it "soft drink" and I'm a Coke girl(have cut down massively). My husband gets a free ham from work each year at Christmas, so we eat ham for a week and then I use the bone to make Pea and Ham soup in my slow cooker. Been watching you for about a year now and your tips have been very useful. This year I'm going to try to track my food spending like you did last year and see how low I can keep it. Thank you for all your advice and consistent positive attitude.
we love to cook from scratch in our house of 4. my youngest (19) loves to cook and makes homemade meals all the time.. we make bread too.. we make pizza dough, spagetti sauce and much more.. i always have the ingredients on hand and we can whip up dinner in no time.. i also have lots of beans, i get them from the dollar tree.. we love to make a pot soup beans on a cold day or home made potato soup..yummm.. my freezer is always stocked with meat and in the summer I have fresh veggies from my garden. my grocery bill is about $300 per month which is good savings...i also buy marked down products and i have kids doing the same when we go to the grocery. we found yogurt for $.07 each.. of course i threw them in the cart..lol.. son likes to make chicken dishes and found pre cut chicken tenders (raw) for $2 and 3 uncut chicken breasts for $3 ,, i got butter during christmas time for my baking for $.50 for 4 quarters...crazy I know :o)
Christine!!! Please make a video of your quinoa salad recipe!! I got 6 pounds of quinoa and I’ve never made it before so I’m not sure what to do with it!! I remember you made a video of your salad a long time ago but I can’t find the video 😢 Ps. You’re the best! 😊
These ideas have saved me so much money. I meal plan on Wednesday when the grocery ads start and we eat what's on sale. To save money quickly, plan some $4 dinners - eggs and toast (no bacon or sausage) or spaghetti with sauce (no added meat or garlic bread) or beans and cornbread (skip the ham) or tuna salad sandwiches and cucumber slices. But I still can't skip the Diet Coke!
I can't believe how much money I've saved since dentist said "NO fizzy drinks, NONE" because the carbonation can mess up and loosen composite fillings....
Yes, the Kroger owned stores have great markdowns. I also believe in meal prepping. Knowing what I am going to eat each day helps a lot. I only each out when I am meeting a group of friends twice a month. Preparing at home is not only more economical, it is more healthy also.
New viewer here from Small-town Six! I apologize that this might be long. But, after watching a more recent video with precious Grandma, I thought of a video suggestion. A grocery/meal planning video with Grandma. Depending on your audience. After feeding a family for 20 years, I find it impossible to cook for 2. And when I work my 12 hour shifts, it's straight to bed. So when I do cook, it's make freezer meals night. Or take a day to cook several items. Then mix & match into freezer meals. Might also be good for busy mom's with leftovers, too. Idk. Definitely eliminates waste. I love you! ❤️
I just subscribed, God bless you for this channel. I am going to have to file bankruptcy tomorrow because of medical bills, and I can stick to a budget, but I end up having to cut out true essentials because of grocery costs. I am going to be watching every single one of your videos. Thank you so much.
We do month by month. I check the flyers, take 6 base protein and then I make 4 recipes per base protein, now I have dinners for a whole month and 7:th day is our comfort food, so that is taco, pizza and we have soda ones a week if we remember. Left over is lunch the next day.
Rather than a Daily Meal plan, I make an available meals list. This way I can choose what I'm in the mood for. I also plan leftover makeover meals. Extra pasta meat sauce becomes sloppy joe sandwich.
My meal planning is simple. When I make something I think about how I can reuse it in another meal. I always shop my fridge and pantry first. Once a week we have buffet night, all the smaller left overs.
Happy new year to you and your family. I'm looking forward to enjoying your videos again in 2023. I always shop according to sales, and it makes a huge difference.
Another great video, Christine! I love your tips on how to save 💰💰💰. FYI: the reason, as I understand it, that eggs are so expensive right now is because there has been an outbreak of bird flu.
Yes, that is the primary reason. Even hatcheries were losing hundreds of chicks last spring because of standard protocol after a single positive chick. ☹️ Those chicks would have been laying by this past fall and would likely be laying through the winter (since first-time layers often continue laying through their first winter if cared for well).
@@RTCPhotoWork I've found that adding some Jersey Giants to our coop has given us eggs most days this winter and I live in central NY near Lake Ontario and boy do we get cold weather and a lot of snow. This is our first year having fresh eggs in the winter and Jersey Giants are very gentle birds too so it's a win-win!
I pounced Kroger deals this week. I got 5 gallons of water, 4 jars pasta sauce, 5 packages of knot sides, a 6 pack of danimals, 1/2 gallon of ice cream, reddi whip (birthday this weekend), 4 pounds of sugar for $34.77
We have gone from a family of five down to two. Meal planning isn't high on my list as I am retired and she is on the road 4-5 days per week. Always have stuff [leftovers] in the fridge, including home made pizza dough [it's better with a fridge rise], Love your practical approach and your sense of humor, Oh yeah, the instant pot is your friend [check the rings regularly].
