Enjoyed this, I don't live anywhere near stores like this, but I already use all of these tips. I am gluten free and vegan. Everybody says, it must be expensive. I was frugal before (everybody always called me a jew) and still am. I eat really good. I dodn't go to grocery store every day or every other day, and don't buy more than what I can use without it going bad.
Okay, I think its so cool that a lot of Christian youtubers are getting together and collaborating. I am a big fan of Sounds Like Reign, Living on A Dime, and James and Lea D. God bless you all!
I love seeing smart women teaching others how to survive frugally. For quite sometime, we as a society have lost the knowledge of basics. It’s so awesome to see these fundamentals being taught again. I just want to ask that you ladies incorporate other items in your budget as well...or, better still educate others on ways to get around that. For me personally, my totally budget for the week is $50...max. That includes food (I eat a plant based diet due to health reasons, but on the very cheap), dog food and toiletries. My food itself is $30 or less, the remainder is for dog food ($15-which could be cheaper if needed), toilet paper (cheapest I can get) and paper towels (which lasts me months). I do not waste ANYTHING. If I can find second uses for things I do. There are tips that could be used to cut down on usage, which will always save you money in the long run. For example: I do not use plastic wrap. The dollar store has plastic disposable shower caps that are clear. This works great and can be used more than once on plates and big bowls. Only smaller items would I use plastic wrap, but prefer containers. Second I do not use paper towels to clean, or wipe up messes. I use a rag or sponge. That helps stretch out paper towels. I do not use paper napkins, I use cloth. You can find fabric anywhere, including Walmart. Or recycle old clothes, and make your own. Once you are done, throw them in the wash. Those are just a couple things I do.
I have found that I can get the feeling of having meat without cooking any. I save the fat from beef or pork, sometimes chicken. I will dice up potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. and will put a spoonful of fat into the mixture when I am cooking it. I will add just a little water if needed. The beef or pork flavor gets all through the meal, and it tastes great. This works very well with leftover bacon fat or sausage fat. I also use real butter for the same purpose. Sometimes, like last night, I took three spoonfuls of canned corned beef and tossed it in with brussels sprouts and potatoes for a version of corned beef and cabbage. We don't need big chunks of meat to get the flavor.
Hey Tawra! It was great to work on this collab with you. Here's the direct link to our video again - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-79iPGuXQM8A.html Hope folks will hop over and enjoy our music!
I'm a vegan, making the switch from meat to veggies has saved us money, my veggies are a mixed of frozen & fresh, we are in California so we normally spend about $40-60 once a week for 2 ppl. That includes all our meals each day, my husband eats 3 meals a day, I eat 2 plus s few snacks. When I did eat meat, I only ate chicken, turkey & fish, I would buy the cheapest chicken and boil it debone it, put it into our food processor & make ground meat, I would use that for meatloaf, spaghetti or anything else that needed ground meat.
Great suggestions! It's not only what you buy, but what you cook that's the key to saving money. I spend $30 a month per person and cook everything from scratch. I do mean everything. I just made catsup yesterday from a 10 cent can of organic tomato paste we bought at a discount/warehouse store. I served it with baked veggie crisps and veggie patties. Dinner tonight was split pea soup made with veggie broth that I made from veggie scraps I save in the freezer, along with cornbread, and small amount of salmon salad. I buy Alaska wild-caught salmon in a can at Aldi for $1.95 a can and make the "salad" without mayo--just some olive oil and apple cider vinegar. It helps to have a garden, grow herbs indoors, know how to extend vegetables by growing carrot greens from the tops (as a for instance), and even do a bit of wild edible foraging if you know your area. I might put $10 towards veggies I can't grow each month, and $20 towards bulk items which lowers the overall costs.
I spend $15 a week on my family of 3 . I don't do discount stores but my father and husband hunt so that's where most our meet comes from and it's free I love fishing so we also get fish I doubt ground beef that I can coupon for $.50 a pound I make everything from scratch literally everything even yoghurt butter etc. I also grow corn, okra, cucumber, watermelon and all the herbs I use besides salt and pepper . I recently started growing potatoes and onions as well I'd like to bring my grocery budget down more but I like to buy my eggs and milk from farmers so it's already at $6 a week for those 2 items . I don't make my own laundry detergent cause I can typically coupon gain or tide down to $1 for 20 pods or $1.50 for the gallon jugs which I stock up on . I also don't make toothpaste I do coupon this cause my husband will not use crest I didn't pay for the last 3 toothpaste bottles with coupons .... I suggest making time for coupons even if only for toiletry items . We don't sacrifice quality for price it's well worth it.
If I have leftover bread or extra bread I stick it in the freezer and just toast it when I need it! I also keep my bread in the fridge when I first buy it... It makes the bread stay longer. You can't keep it forever but it'll be way longer than if you leave it on the counter!
Does any of you have a stock-up section of your budget? What I mean is to save a certain amount for when you see an excellent deal on the products you typically purchase and stock up right there and then! Sometimes a deal pops up suddenly, and if we have an extra amount in our budget, we can buy those items right away before the deals disappear.
I appreciate you ladies giving a lesson on being Thankful! It is so important!! I was raised in a third world country so i know first hand about doing without so being Thankful is a priority to me!!
Everyone has their own systems. I do stock up with items I will use before things will go bad. If pasta is 50cents, I'll buy 50 boxes because I know I will use it and that's a rock bottom price. I haven't found a cheap place to get meats so I can't go as low as $30 a week. Many weeks I just eat out of the pantry and freezer because there are no good sales.
I love this series. Thank you for this video. 3 great ladies who know how to cook for their family and stay healthy and frugal! I look for sales and stock up. Chicken is super cheap here lately so I buy extra. I found 3 lbs of Gr. Chuck for $3.00! And I have a garden with tomatoes and peppers so I don't buy them. I have a bunch frozen too for sauces or whatever. Thanks for the video!
My oldest daughter got a food borne illness (botulism) from the sushi samples at our local grocery store. She was sick for 5-7 days with severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Poor thing. Never again will I eat refrigeration needed samples again. Be very careful with expired foods if you are eating them. I loved the suggestions. TFS!!
I like to put my left over veggies in the freezer and then when I have enough saved I will make veggie soup. Or I just thaw them out and eat them for lunch. I have a lot of food allergies so I have to eat organic and one ingredient items.
Here's a Hearty Meal and it's really cheap etc. Homemade Chicken Noodle Strudels (these are like noodles but not so much work) A LARGE TABLESPOON A Teaspoon (spray or oil both the TBS & the tsp. well ) Huge Stock Pot Frying pan 1/2 stick of Imperial Margarine or other brand Fill with cold water 1/3 full White Flour (this is hard to measure because everyone uses flour different and if you use more eggs you'll need more Baking soda (just a little more) and a little more flour too) etc. (more on this later) 4-6 eggs 1 heaping teaspoon of Baking POWDER (not baking soda) 1/4 tsp salt (you can omit this) Chicken Base (I buy this at Gordon Food Service in a jar. looks like yellow paste. 2 cups cooked Chick cut into small pcs. 2 carrots cut really thin 1 medium onion chopped fine (if the kids can't see it they'll eat it. 1-2 stalk of Celery chopped fine (you can put the celery/onion and carrots in a food processor and make them really tiny pieces.) ********************************************************************* After putting the veggies in the food processer, melt the butter in the frying pan and add the processed veggies. allow them to cook, adding a little water (to cover the veggies). Cook on medium heat, adding a little more water as the water evaporated, when veggies are done : Add to the large Stock Pot Add the cooked chicken to the Stock Pot. Fill the pot with water, enough to cover the veggies and chicken, bring to a FULL boil.....let boil for 30-40 minutes, adding water so that the veggies continue to cook. ************************************************************************************************* In a small bowl combine the salt and the baking powder, stir well In a large bowl : Crack all 4-6 eggs (use more if feeding more people) using a wisk or a fork.....stir eggs well. Add the salt/Baking powder to the eggs, beat well Star adding a cup of flour...stirring well. continue to add flour until the mixture looks like a dry paste.(egg paste) ****************************************************************************************** Add more water to the Stock pot.....so that you have 3-4 inches from the water to the top of the pot. Add 1-2 TABLESPOONS of the Chicken Base. Continue to add a small amount of the base, until it takes like chicken broth to you (everyone has different tastes with this) Allow the water and the veggies/chicken to come to a FULL ROLLING BOIL ********************************************************************************************** Taking the Tablespoon, dip in into the egg paste mixture, and drop it slowly into the boiling broth. continue to do this,UNTIL all the egg paste is in the boiling broth by tablespoonful. (sometimes it helps to use the teaspoon to "slide" the egg paste into the boiling water). After putting all the "strudels" into the pot Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes SERVE by ladling into bowls ************************************************************************************************ Serve with : Salad & homemade bread or muffins of your choice (I serve bran muffins) Jello & Cookies for Dessert.
Thank you Ladies :) Tawra, I'm amazed by your energy through all this travelling and filming, you must be getting tired and maybe looking forward to getting home for some down time.
Frozen veggies and fruits are name brands at Dollar Tree. Peppers and onions smell like they came out of your back yard. Jello with fruit is delicious as a desert or snack.
Great talk, love these collaborations. It's easy to eat gluten free frugally when you keep it simple & make your foods homemade. Meat, veggies, fruits, rice, beans, and potatoes. 🙃
I use ecoupons - it takes about 5 minutes, and I shop at one store and watch the sales items to stock up. It's worth it to me but I don't have a firm weekly budget so it all evens out. I like to have my most used items in the freezer. I only shop ever two weeks.
Discount stores are the best way I save on groceries without couponing as well. A lot of things will be close to expiration dates but we just use up the product right away or freeze it as soon as I get it home.
Two of us go through a gallon of milk a week. It's used in yogurt, puddings, cold cereal, breads, etc. Coming from the Dairy State I've never met another family that doesn't drink milk. Nice video ladies. :-)
Love videos like this & just watched the one with the tiny home as well. We moved to IA about a year & a half ago and we have 8 discount stores/salvage stores within an hour drive of us. That's where we go first & a lot of the time I'm not buying expired food! I've never been able to hit the meat days, so not sure what they have but it's all perishable items & really a little of everything. Household, bedding, bath, baby, clothing, furniture, and the list goes on. (That's when I get like 🤯🤑) thanks for all the tips! Trying to skip the discount stores this month & use what I have, and man it's hard to break that cycle.
I wish to God we had a salvage grocery store near us - I think there is only one in the whole state of NJ and it is about 2 hours away. And I have no problem with expired food (except yeast and baking powder).
I buy expired canned food. Since it is processed similarly as you would at home. The expiry date is only a suggestion on canned food and will be viable, unless damaged or bulging, for quite some time.
yeah, but if you are cutting down on carbs, bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, beans, etc. have to count carbs, then it limits what you can eat, & the amount you eat, big servings, more carbs.
You spend 30 dollars a week and I spend $3 dollars on pound of rice and 2 packages of maruchan 6 pack dry noodle soup, cause that's all I have the money for more! Your eating just fine!
I'd spend $30 a week too if I ate out a couple days and my kids could fend for themselves on most days by buying their own food. What about the weeks when you have to spend 3 or 4 times that amount because you've run out of everything? Let's be honest it's $30 a week until you need to spend more.
Canned goods are still good to eat for five years after the date on the can. The expiration dates are for the markets, not the consumers. Look it up online at readers digest.com. They had an article on what can be eaten after the date. If you will look, anything that says Best By can be eaten after the date. Anything that says Sell By will likely not be as good after the date. When my milk starts going, I pour it into the buttermilk and leave it out for a few hours, until it sours. It is great for cooking.
It's a great video - but you need to have the cheaper places available. In Northern Canada everything is expensive because it's all imported. In Iceland it's terribly expensive because everything is imported.
Yep, you ladies are right on point. I now find it difficult to spend more than $35/week. Chicken or pork steaks, not beef. Root veggies, not gourmet veggies. Apples and oranges, not gourmet single foam wrapped fruit. Head lettuce, not bagged chopped salad. Regular dry pasta, not Hamburger Helper. Dry bulk rice, not Rice-a-roni. Dry pintos, not canned beans. Bread outlet, not Whole Foods bread. Sun tea, not soda. Home coffee, not Starbucks. Sunflower kernals, not walnuts. See where I'm going with this? Lemon water, not Gatorade..... I'm in complete agreement w you all. We might have to go grocery shopping together 😀
Breezy's Kitchen how much do you pay for a pound of bananas? At Wal-Mart we usually pay $.56-.59 a pound. If kids are little, give them half a pound. The gal in the middle of this vlog, Tawra Kellum, has a wonderful vlog, living on a dime. Also she and her husband Mike, and her Mom Jill Cooper have the cook/tip book Dining on a Dime. So many great recipes and money saving tips.
I live in north eastern Illinois and what you spend is impossible here. We shop as frugally as possible but if we find ground beef under $3lb we are excited.
great video ladies! I really like all three of your channels. I keep hearing you say discount store what kinda places are they? all we have is Aldi here. and walmart. I'm in Topeka Kansas
Not sure if this will make sense writing this out but in the past I totally shopped different when my family was all home. I had a big food storage and I only shopped very good sales and stocked during those and bought enough to hopefully last a year ( say canned veggies for 29 cents) and then for a year or sometimes more I didn't have to buy veggies and that saved on my budget. Next we will say I found chicken very cheap so I would buy a lot and freeze some and can some so now I'm stocked on chicken for a year. Next might be a sale on rice and beans so I bought a lot and we were set for a few years. After awhile of doing this my grocery bill would go down to very little ( about 25.00 a month ) and there were months I didn't even shop at all. I did make all my bread, raised a garden, had chickens, made homemade snacks, canned meats including deer meat, but I couponed our personal care items and cleaning products by using dg app. I estimate at least a 33% savings or more (depending on the sales with the coupon ) on personal care and cleaning products in savings which added up for things I do buy. I liked the dg app because it only took a few minutes to load coupons instead of using paper coupons which used to take a lot of my time. In hard financial times this food storage has fed us totally for one year and I used my food storage everyday to rotate things out. All my meals were planned around what we had and YES it's better to go into it with a thankful heart. I will say this though if you only have X amount in your budget to spend then yes by all means stay within that budget and try to pickup those rock bottom priced things a few at a time because it does start building up for your food pantry and when a financial crisis hits it's there for you. Now that I'm single it's hard to get the mindset that I don't need as much when I find these sales and I'm learning to scale way back. Where I used to have cases of tuna in my storage I now see 8 cans and my mind tells me I'm getting low because of my past storage but in reality those 8 cans are many meals for just me.
I enjoyed this video. It’s a few years old now. I’m a big ALDI fan and in the past, the meat was not a good price and the quality was not as good. But, in the past year or so, I think the value and the quality of aldi meat has improved.
In the UK it is much more difficult to coupon. I have watched some tv programmes on couponing in the states and I am envious. I think if it was more like that here I would have fun getting into it. I have in the past though got a few free samples from companies and also tested products in a small way. It all helps :)
Great video!!!!! So nice to hear about how real it can be if you just work at it. We are now empty nester's but, we keep our cost down still. Retirement is no bowl of cherry's LOL Hope all of you are having a great day! Mare
I deal with groceries like this I will make a grand meal . Usually includes rice. Cook a huge batch this meal is usually beans but I add so much meat it is more like chili. I have other fast foods from Sam's club freezer section If I can get a meal for less than $2 I'm golden.
Loved this!!! Quick question...Amanda said that she makes french toast but never buys milk...would love to know more about that:) I always use milk for this...we are the same...we don't go through much milk either....xoxo
I can’t do discount meats dairy & breads. There’s something in the meats & dairy that literally make me sick and achey for two days. It has to be clean meats & milks with no nitrates/hormones/etc. the discount breads/crackers/cereals/cookies have lots of soy and we can’t do soy. I could make my own bread but I’m just not there yet.
I just don't buy tour paper. Get that at the gym. When. I go to the gym I get exercise and shower don't have to buy shampoo or body soap . I have all these things if I need them I do my best to use the stuff provided in a service within reason coffee I buy premium artesian water and I blend my own coffee. Always have milk for the coffee so u try to have cereal to use the milk. Sometimes I go to the store come home with very little just didn't see the prices where I want them. I go home eat what I have I have plenty bulk so I will not starve.
We have no issues with our all these meat here actually the quality is pretty doggone good the prices can’t be beat either usually as far as $30 a week for food it’s really super low and I don’t know how you can build a stock pile if you’re only doing $30 a week and you have a family of four or so I don’t see how you could actually do that I’m a prepper and I spent a lot more than that just in my prepping supplies and my household family for right now and there’s no way we could make it on $30 a week it just wouldn’t be able to happen right now
For me, it’s been hit and miss with Aldi’s meat. The chicken and pork are excellent, but the fresh beef and frozen fish haven’t been so great (at least at our store anyway).
Nothing wrong with many foods with expired sell by dates imo . One can keep a lot of tinned stuff and use years after this date. Same with dried herbs and spices. Some may have faded a little in colour (delay that by always keeping in dark cupboard not out in pretty racks. Yes with some the flavour may deteriorate (weaken) a little as time goes on However if someone is on hard times and can get at a fraction of price and just expired by days etc some storecupboard stuff go for it. It really does depend on what one's circumstances are. These sell by dates in shops are for prime condition and even months after the sell by date one will taste no difference whatsoever as long as the can is in prime condition. See below. Perishables of course are a different story. I won't go past the use by date although even then I have been told a day after is not an issue as shops have to sell with that margin of precaution. I am also fussy about products once open and have to say use within 3 days of opening. If freezable and I can see not going to use something up within that time after opening I will try to either use in cooking to freeze or freeze the item itself. Sometimes it just works out more economical to buy larger quantities/size of items and that is when the freezer comes into its own. One can save a fortune and reduce wastage greatly if using one's freezer wisely. I have used many out of date tinned products that were at the back of my cupboard and I had just forgotten about. Some even a year out of date and no change in flavour and perfectly safe to consume. I guess it depends what food type is within and what one feels comfortable with. I don't tend to buy tinned meat products. I am always wary with meat. I do buy tinned fish products such as tuna and sardines and I personally even though they are probably ok would be more fussy. However I never hold on to those long enough anyway. (I love my tinned sardines and so cheap at Aldi and even if I buy a few they are consumed quickly :) ) Older cans just check condition of cans and if anything suspect such as rust dents any sign of leakage throw away. If any can looks even slightly bloated also throw away. When you open the can look and smell. You will soon know if something is suspect so use commonsense. I am more concerned about dented cans and get annoyed when I go into a shop and have to go through many to get one without a dent. Especially deep dents. I have been told cases of botulism from these are rare and it depends on what type of food is in the can but I don't feel comfortable purchasing those even at greatly reduced price. Definitely avoid those that have a slightly crushed lid look. I have a very fussy friend and have told her if she finds older tins and jars she thinks are too old pass them to me and I will probably make use of most of them. Waste not want not as they say :)
When did it become ok to sell expired food? I live in ny, I’ve never seen that. In the store, they can sell it up to the last day it is about to expire , the usually mark it for very cheap, I use or freeze it right away, but I think it’s not cool to sell expired! I would imagine that food as it starts to get old loses its nutritional value? Not sure. I do shop Aldi’s, I don’t buy meat there either, it’s not good quality.
Lucky you.... My 16 year old daughter still thinks that when I walk into the bathroom it is time to chat. She could be in her room talking to friends.... I swear she comes running when I walk into the bathroom. 😂 😂
My closest Salvage store is a little over 45 mins away. I haven't been able to get down to $30 a week. We average around $50 a week. I use mostly Kroger digitals & rebate apps.
I'm in the city it's not about if I have the skill to grow they charge you mirror amounts for sewer as water. Generally I use one credit of water. With a zero in between. For that 0 I am charged $10 water $10 sewage. My last utility bill including garbage water sewage electricity was $75. I am all electric. This is my regular winter rate. The highest electric bill I have ever gotten was in the summer it was $110. These numbers are very acceptable to me. All told I'm living in a very small space do not feel the least bit cramped. The space that I have is much larger then the sleeper that I used to live in as a truck driver earning money to support my family. Due to a divorce rape I now live this way. The only difference is I'm now on disability whereas I used to earn my money. Unfortunately my ex-wife who said she had to be on her own decided to steal my life savings in excess of $50,000 the only reason I say in excess of $50,000 is because I don't know how much she stole she took my $50,000 and put it in investments.
Wisconsinite here...I've never given my sons milk and never will. The occasional cheese or ice cream happens but they aren't baby cows. They are humans and milk does nothing for us nutritionally. Plenty of calcium in greens
It's nice to know what someone else does to stretch their hard earn money. But I think, I am very thankful for all I have food wise. And you shouldn't say Americans are not thankful enough. In my eyes most people are doing the best they can with what they have.
I really love your collaboration of saving money at the grocery store. I wish I was able to do all that. Well, I know I could if I would just set my mind to it, but it sounds so hard. (I was budgeting $100 a week for a while and we did do pretty well) My husband and I are empty nesters and we spend anywhere from $65 to $250 a WEEK. Now that includes everything - food, cleaning supplies, pet stuff, toiletries, etc. But on average we spend about $125 a week. AND I don't eat meat - but my husband does. and he HAS to have his meats every night (he picks out the meat, I don't, as he is picky). But I buy organic as much as I can and I do cook from scratch as much as I can, despite getting home at 5:00 at night. Its very time consuming, but we know what we are eating, which I like. I just wish I could get the bill down to under $100 a week. I buy a ton of fresh veggies and fruit, and have tried to do the meal planning, but it usually doesn't work out as our meals end up changing for whatever reason. AND we do have a small garden. So I'm not sure why we can't keep our spending down. I don't buy a lot of junk. maybe a bag of chips a week, but no canned foods, no processed foods. However, we don't have any co-ops near us or any discount stores. We have a walmart and we drive 30 to 50 miles to do our shopping. There is an Aldi's within a 30 to 50 mile range, which I do like, but I can't get everything there. Anyway, not to ramble, I do enjoy your discussions and tips on saving at the store. I watched all three and I do hope you make more of them!! Thanks.
kathy p I suspect that your bills are high because your husband eats meat every day (and I suspect it's more than the posted "one serving") and because your buying "organic" (which legally, means nothing. In reality, means much more $.) Both of those things can make a huge impact on weekly and monthly cost. Best way to figure it out is to track those things - amount spent on meat, dairy, fruit, veggies, grains, bathroom supplies, etc. See if there's one area that's so much higher than the rest, or even just different from what you would expect.
Keyisme I like free range meats/poultry which is self explanatory how the animal lives. Organic is the feed given and in many meats and poultry it does make a difference to flavour. However if I am tight on money my priority, when I can afford, is go free range.
The easiest way to save money is have at least one day a week meat free. No need to eat meat everyday and good to give the tummy a rest. I eat much less red meat in particular as I get older I don't miss it and feel better for it. If you are foodies and your hubby is very fussy about and appreciates good quality meat rather than lower your standards of the actual quality of the meat I think better to just miss out the meat one or even 2 days a week (a step too far?) Use some cheaper cuts of meat and casserole. Also cheaper meats such as mutton rather than the more expensive lamb are starting to make a comeback in the UK in popularity. Cheaper cuts of that same good quality organic cow's meat are longer slower cooking but often the flavour for casseroles stews is in my opinion far superior. I don't think people should compromise their personal standards for food though just to reduce their bills if they can afford it. If they want to go organic let them rather than judge them. (I see a lot of judgemental statements made on sites re saving money.) It is all about one's own personal priorities. I myself when money is tight would not buy organic but when it comes to meat I much prefer to go free range when I can with my poultry in particular as I eat more of that than red meat My eggs are definitely free range and no matter how broke I am I would rather spend a few pence more with those and cut back elsewhere. Organic veggies: if your garden is a decent size utilise it more and grow the veggies you use the most Lovely organic freshly pulled carrots yummy. Don't buy fresh herbs from the shop. So much wastage from those packs so if have to buy from a shop, as left yourself short. look for the pot growing herbs that are more and more easy to buy even in local supermarkets. Grow your own and a few pots of most regularly used in small area even for those who do not have much garden are a big saving and they taste better too. Another very easy thing to grow in the garden is salad. If you like a mixed green salad like me which includes some lettuce, spinach and rocket all these are so easy to grow and you can just pick off fresh leaves as and when need. Much better and cheaper than those mixed packets. Just make sure you cover that rocket with some fine netting (the butterflies adore it). I know you said you eat fresh and don't buy canned stuff or packet stuff much but if you do check out store own brands. I used to be very snobbish about brands but when I had financial circumstances change I started to try out store brands more and many are just as good or better. Even some of the economy brands are pretty ok depending on what you are using them for. Not all are to my taste but it is trial and error really however over recent years I have greatly changed my opinion on economy brands. Be open minded and be honest with yourself. If you taste something and you like it stick with that brand even if money is not tight. Better to spend that extra cash on things that you don't like to change. Don't use expensive extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Try rapeseed oil and save that extra virgin for drizzling and lovely salad dressings. Definitely, if you do any deep frying, never use this oil. It is ok for lower heat shallow frying but ordinary olive oil or rapeseed are my preferred for cooking. My biggest pet hate: Don't buy ready grated packets of cheese. This seems to be pretty common practice in the US if I go by the RU-vid videos I have watched. Not all but so many seem to open a packet of ready grated. I really do not get it :) Grate your own it is easy, cheaper and much nicer. If you see deals on bigger packs of cheese or your local cheese counter is doing a deal buy more than you need and freeze (cheddar keeps well in the freezer and you can grate easily for cooking). Butter also freezes well. If I freeze butter I cut in to smaller quantities and take out as and when I need. You can even freeze milk so if really want to save the pennies buy a big cheaper bottle than you would use and freeze some in smaller containers. Milk when defrosted does separate a little but just stir with a spoon. I wouldnt personally use to drink as not the same texture but fine for cooking. For adding to cooking can just add frozen and can even put some in your ice cube tray to pop in to your dish. There are so many ways one can reduce their food bill without compromising on their standards of quality. Just an example is if you don't like the really cheap economy marmalades and jam and want your same good quality (or even better) go to your local organic fruit market if have one at the end of the day. Many sell off so much left over fruit for a fraction of the price as they wont sell the next day. (great to freeze and add direct to smoothies). If you are hands on buy a glut of oranges and attempt your own marmalade. It is easy to make and can be really cheap. Same goes for various jams. I think you call it jelly in US :) Yes these things take time but weigh up against no compromise on quality and taste. Also you might find it fun. At that same market if they are selling off cheap organic veggies buy them up and make soup to freeze. I am a big homemade soup fan. A great way also to use up leftover veg that is past its best. Everyone though imo should I think reduce their wastage so look at areas where you are wasting food and throwing stuff out and see if there you can cut back by utilising your freezer more. Tiny savings do mount up, eg eggs. If you use part of an egg eg yolk only or white only in a recipe get into the habit of freezing the part you don't use immediately (ice cube tray time again). Don't throw it away as so many do or leave it in the fridge saying will use later as so many don't and then it gets thrown out congealed and dried out a few days later :) Most people I know when are more aware and reduce their wastage are amazed how much money they save and it also makes one feel good no matter how rich or poor one is. :)
Unless you grow your own food buying fresh can be a lost cause as some of the vegetables take a few days to hit our shelves and are already going off, I preferred frozen and can as the are process with in hours of being pick
I'm totally different if I know the price of a certain commodity in this given case let's just say it's can good corn. Let's say I use said commodity at a certain regular basis. And if the price warrants it I'll get a year supply or more. I am saving on the whole not the month. I am not knocking you but if you ask me it's ghetto put a number out there and meet that number and ignore the fact of the whole. When I'm shopping for groceries I'm seeking the lowest price per ounce per pound. if you go ahead and make that grande meal out of that particular item that you happen to get at a damn good price you can't lose have sandwiches on hand for those Scooby snacks have your regular junk food that if you're into. Don't deny yourself except that you like whatever it is that you like my case it's bacon sweet snacks and chips with dip and jalapeno. I don't seek out dip with jalapeno I buy them separate I take the dip that I get with true sour cream add the amount of jalapeno that I like an other peppers.
I really need to know how you all do this. We just moved from Illinois back to my home state and I am finding it very rough to make ends meet, especially when I am making less than half of what I did in Illinois. HELP!!!
What a great combo of ladies! You have my subscribe all three of you! I agree with your Aldi opinion. I LOVE shopping at Aldi but I don't care for their meat. Lunchmeat and cheeses are good but I'm not a fan of the meat, nor their cereals (they don't taste the 'right' to us and you don't get much. I just don't find them a good deal) I usual buy my meat at Price Rite (another great discount store in my area) and/or Walmart.
Aldi is all prepackaged meat. That's why. Same as Walmart. Aldi is a little bit better than Walmart though. I will buy it occasionally. I wish I didn't have to buy so much milk. I go through 3, 4 or 5 gallons a week.
The gal who spends $30 a week on groceries looks so young. My jaw dropped when she said she had a 20 year old son. She could pass for 25 years old. Is the gal on the right,--the one with the grey dress and blue scarf--wearing her outfit for a religious reason? Before I started the video I thought she was Amish but after the video started I could see she wasn't. (Plus, an Amish woman would never be on a video because of her beliefs.)
...Tiny Notes from Home is the site...pretty fun and they sing soooo well and have quite the following for good reason. I just found them a couple weeks ago- easy to fall in love with this sincere and godly family. Highly recommend.
