Posted on 02/12/2012 6:38:59 AM PST by PJ-Comix
Sadly coupons aren’t always available.
I spent 87 dollars on gas this last fill up and 52 dollars on a sack of dogfood, 30 pack of beer, a 20 lb sack of ice and a packet of lunch meat.
I have been bitching about the spike in the “Chef Boyardee index” for years.
Non-99%ers don't have to eat to survive? Cool! Are they Wraith?
I have purchased name brands with still good *best by* dates at Family Dollar. We also buy a lot of basic canned goods at Aldi’s and our only complaints have been about the mixed vegetables for not having much variety in them. Otherwise, the quality is the same as any name brand and we have had no hint of reformulations of out of date food. Any producer/processor doing that is going to risk a huge fine or loss of their business if anyone blows the whistle on them.
The produce at Aldi’s is excellant and way cheaper than even the best-priced local store. I don’t buy their meat, but make an exception for their corned beef, which is routinely 1/3 less than anywhere else.
However: I once purchased a Dollar Store brand of dish detergent, a half gallon for the price of a quart of Ajax. It was so watered down that we went though it really fast. So, no more. However, the big bottle had a removable lid, so now, when my dish detergent is down to the last few inches, I empty it into the big bottle. I manage to keep an extra quart or so around by doing that.
As for coupons: our local stores have cracked down on these, according to the signs posted everywhere. I also find that the coupons are for named brands or items I never buy and do not want or need. In store specials are one of the best buys we usually find. These aren’t advertised, so you have to be in the store to get them. Difficult when we only shop once a month or every 6 weeks.
Sam’s still has 42 ounces of coffee at $15 for whole beans and butter, 4 pounds for $8. You can’t beat them for pasta and rice, either. And we will buy whatever is the best price there on whole muscle meats and portion it ourselves. A Food Saver vacuum device is a great way to preserve anything that can be frozen. I will cook some things in quantity and freeze them in meal-sized portions, which is better than any convenience food I have tried. We grow our own salad produce and dehydrate anything that is in season and can be preserved that way. There is only the 2 of us and while food is much higher than even a year ago, it is still affordable. We see so many folks using their state debit card, that I am amazed the DUmmies are complaining. Out here, a couple can get $350 in food stamps/month.
PJ, I am awed by your dedication to FREE. MEGO when I begin to attempt your various strategies.
I have purchased name brands with still good *best by* dates at Family Dollar. We also buy a lot of basic canned goods at Aldi’s and our only complaints have been about the mixed vegetables for not having much variety in them. Otherwise, the quality is the same as any name brand and we have had no hint of reformulations of out of date food. Any producer/processor doing that is going to risk a huge fine or loss of their business if anyone blows the whistle on them.
The produce at Aldi’s is excellant and way cheaper than even the best-priced local store. I don’t buy their meat, but make an exception for their corned beef, which is routinely 1/3 less than anywhere else.
However: I once purchased a Dollar Store brand of dish detergent, a half gallon for the price of a quart of Ajax. It was so watered down that we went though it really fast. So, no more. However, the big bottle had a removable lid, so now, when my dish detergent is down to the last few inches, I empty it into the big bottle. I manage to keep an extra quart or so around by doing that.
As for coupons: our local stores have cracked down on these, according to the signs posted everywhere. I also find that the coupons are for named brands or items I never buy and do not want or need. In store specials are one of the best buys we usually find. These aren’t advertised, so you have to be in the store to get them. Difficult when we only shop once a month or every 6 weeks.
Sam’s still has 42 ounces of coffee at $15 for whole beans and butter, 4 pounds for $8. You can’t beat them for pasta and rice, either. And we will buy whatever is the best price there on whole muscle meats and portion it ourselves. A Food Saver vacuum device is a great way to preserve anything that can be frozen. I will cook some things in quantity and freeze them in meal-sized portions, which is better than any convenience food I have tried. We grow our own salad produce and dehydrate anything that is in season and can be preserved that way. There is only the 2 of us and while food is much higher than even a year ago, it is still affordable. We see so many folks using their state debit card, that I am amazed the DUmmies are complaining. Out here, a couple can get $350 in food stamps/month.
PJ, I am awed by your dedication to FREE. MEGO when I begin to attempt your various strategies.
Not into NASCAR at all, so it’s not worth the buck to me, but when the full book hits Amazon, I hope you deliver more shameless plugs and I’ll get that.
I’m a big fan of Aldi’s vegetables and canned goods as well. Budget prices, but really fine quality. I don’t do their meat by and large, but I will occasionally raid the frozen food section.
I kinda like the “Two Buck Chuck” wines I’ve bought there, as well.
I do my best to buy on sale/in bulk and I’ve worn out three pairs of scissors clipping coupons. I gotta say, though, it’s getting tougher with some things. There was an article posted on FR a couple weeks back claiming beef prices have jumped 23% in the last 12 months, and I absolutely believe it. I’m seeing pot roast cuts starting a $5 a pound in my area. Being a bachelor, I can certainly afford that, because a 2 pound roast will feed my skinny butt for 3 days, if not longer. I know folks with big families, though, that would really feel the pinch at those prices.
You must be using Snow Leopard (10.6.7) or later to get to the Apple App Store. Once you have signed up for a free account (usually your email address) go to the free section and go to the Kindle app and download it.
Mel
LOL! I was just at Walgreens and they had a coupon in their flyer for 2 jars of Jif for just $5.00. I guess the DUmmies are too clueless to just check the store flyers for coupons.
We have pretty well stopped buying beef.
We get some ground beef and I’ll add in tofu. Back in the seventies, they actually sold ground beef enriched with soy. We liked it, it was very lean. Once people could afford pure beef again, it went away.
Well, well, well, if we aren’t in the seventies all over again. Except now it’s me, a lb of ground beef and a package of firm tofu in the food processor. Add some egg, Parmesan cheese or breadcrumbs, the mixture makes great meatballs or meatloaf.
Jif is actually a spread, w/sugar and hydrogenated oil. I think the large jar is 2#. In it’s favor, it has a longer shelf life than pure peanut butter.
We can buy 1# jars of natural peanut butter, no additives, at Walmart for under $4. So, for the same cost-per-ounce, the DUmmie could have purchased something better. We stocked up before the prices rose and have a year’s supply. If the peanut crop has a couple of good years, there could be a glut and the price will go back down.
You have a good point, though: the in-store flyers/specials are usually good deals. All the stores we shop have them at the entrance and at the shelf.
I have served the $3 Winking Owl wine to folks who were impressed and even more so with the price.
Aldi’s frozen fruit is quite good, too. Every once in a while they will have closeout supplies of something exotic, like smoked almonds, lump crab meat, balsamic vinegar. We have missed their $4 12oz bags of coffee. I still have some stashed, but it gets rotated.
Family Dollar will also sometimes have closeouts of gourmet items.
We eat quite well, IMO, and it does get tiring to do the rounds of various shops for whatever they have that is best and best price, but we do mostly the outside aisles, except for Sam’s, so it isn’t that much walking. Glad I don’t have to do a major shopping every week, though. I can see where it is difficult these days to shop for a large family.
**** “Problem now is, if you remove ethanol from the equation, corn prices and the farm economy will collapse”****
BS
If they end the subsidies prior to planting ... no problem ... if they end it after planting the Crop Insurance Industry takes a big hit ... IF Farmers have the Insurance and didn’t read the Tea Leaves ...
Artificially Inflated Prices are a huge Gamble... as big as the Weather ... Farmers / Ranchers are Gamblers, they know the odds
JMHO
TT
Kindle article? Are you writing a Kindle article?
News to me! Could I have a link?
heh heh
Grocery prices too high? No problem! Obama can just nationalize the grocery store chains, just like his buddy, Hugo Chavez, would do.
(Is a /sarc tag REALLY necessary here?)
Hey DUmmies,
You know all that “free” stuff you want? Well, this is how it is paid for. As the great Dr. Sowell would say, Stage 1 thinkers are always surprised at the outcomes of their policies.
You are all fools.
BTW, I just published a NEW Kindle article partly so I can practice formatting. It mostly seemed to work this time. I have to wait a few hours until the article goes live but it is about the best UNKNOWN actor in Hollywood. I’ll give you a hint: Exeter.
US Farm Report (RTD Network) reports that there will be many more fields planted in corn this year. At harvest time, the supply of corn should be up dramatically, lowering the price.
Ron Paul is just as much a moron in foreign policy as Urkel but he would be infinitely preferable to him because his economic and financial policies are saner. I would definitely vote for Paul over the Fraud.
Does anyone know if Urkel ever even took an economics class? Why don’t we know about such things? Why don’t we ever hear from his classmates? Who is this guy, really?
If that is the Charles Shaw wine that Trader Joe carries I have to say I had a bottle of the merlot last week and it is so bad I am only going to use it for cooking. I’ll happily pay the four bucks for a nice Italian import from TJ’s. There was another CS wine which I do not like but can’t remember which one it was but it was bad enough for me to stop buying CS. This last one was given to me. TJ has a really nice selection of wines and it and Aldi are owned by the same corporation so they may have the same wine selection. If they do, try one of the other wines you will see how much better in quality an Italian wine is.
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