Fletcher is Growing up Fast!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Cheap Meals and More
In an effort to be more economical, I am trying to be more frugal at the Grocery Store. We had gotten in the habit of buying and eating convenience meals, which are expensive, as well as doing a lot of take out (also expensive). So I want to know what all of you buy, cook, and eat, for cheap. Also, what other ways do you save money?
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wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week because the new grocery sales come out. i peruse the sales circulars and then decide what i can make based on what is on sale. i cook 1-2 days a week and eat leftovers the rest of the time. fortunately for me turkey sandwiches are still one of my favorite meals!!!!!!
Its surprising how much money you can save with coupons - and a lot of stores (around here at least)have double coupon days. Clipping coupons is probably something you can even do with Fletcher - especially if you do a little presorting of coupon pages. You cut from the pages where you want coupons, Fletcher from the other pages. Coupon clipping is also something you can do while watching TV, talking on the phone, or even waiting in the doctors office.
It takes longer, but the coupon selection can be a joint venture. There are almost always pictures that can be identified, sorted by color, type of item - food (broken down further by fruit, vegetable, snack, etc.)- cleaning (household, body).
The biggest problems with coupons are 1] remembering to actually use them; 2] finding a good way to keep them sorted (by type, expiration date, whatever) 3] selecting the correct variety/size of the product and most of all - 4] NOT BUYING SOMETHING JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A COUPON.
I don't use one as often as I used to, but crock Pots/slow roasters can be a good way to save money and cooking time (or rather, the time you actually spend at the stove). You can use less expensive cuts of meat because the slow cooking gives them a chance to tenderize. The veggies can be cooked with the meat, so that saves another pot from washing.
There are also a lot of recipies for using dried beans/peas with the crockpot - Less expensive than using the canned ones and you don't have to stay home while they are cooking.
'Real' rice is also a lot less expensive than boxed instant/quick rices. A rice cooker makes it easier than on the stovetop. I believe the directions that came with my rice cooker said not to use butter or margarine, but I use both. The liner pan is a little discolored, but other than that, no problem. There are lots of different types of rice so if you don't like the grains stuck together and using less water doesn't work for you, you can probably find a variety that you like.
For reducing the number of times when I find its dinner time & there's nothing in the house, I keep a number of staples on hand:
In the freezer -
1] Bags of both Veggies and Fruit (actually can be more nutricious than bought fresh because they are frozen within 2-4 hours of being picked)
2] Meat in quickly defrosted portions (seasoned, cooked, ground beef/turkey for tacos, sloppy Joes', etc. and hot dogs are good choices for kids).
On the shelf -
1] Boxes of Mac & Cheese and/or other noodles
2] Cans of creamy condenced soup (heated with the noodles makes a casserole of sorts - especially if you add sliced hotdogs)
3] Jar of salsa
4] Crackers.
These items, all with a pretty long shelf/freezer life will make several complete, balanced meals.
Along with peanut butter & jelly, regular popping corn, some cheese (which can be frozen to keep it fresh longer)you can really feast.
Didn't mean to run on like this - but as you know, once I get started, I can be hard to stop.
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