Posted on 05/01/2008 5:21:12 AM PDT by randita
Grocery costs are going through the roof. Do you have any suggestions for trimming the skyrocketing grocery bills?
We don't buy much in the way of pre-packaged or prepared food items and we do eat a lot of dried beans. Don't eat out much either. Still my weekly grocery bill is about 25% higher than I'd like.
Let the suggestions roll...
I haven’t gotten my mind around the difference, if any, of flooding the world with dollars and flooding the U.S. with dollars. I mean, the dollars would still exist one way or the other, right? What difference does it make with regard to inflation if I spend my hard-earned money on Heineken over Budweiser?
Yes I LOVE the grocery game. I’ve been subscribing for the past year and for our family of four I only spend about $50/week and I have a nice stockpile of meats in the freezer, canned goods, etc. It has certainly helped our budget during this time!!
So you support the Mumbler/Bumbler's Aid to Africa program?
You cannot understand that spending the tiny amount on a wasteful program vs. a program that keeps food cheap, will cost taxpayers?
That $30 billion still comes out of the taxpayer's pocket.
What's that fancy Latin term:
Qui bono?
Find a day old bread store outlet. Cheap.
You’re right. I forgot. It was good ground beef, too
Powdered milk. With four kids, the price of fresh milk was killing us. It’s not as bad as it used to be; once it’s chilled it tastes like normal skim milk, and you can get 8-13 gallons worth for $10.
Cut out red meat, use ground turkey instead.
Call your local church, homeschool group or hippie store and see who has a veggie co-op or gleaners group.
Two or three times a week, plan small dinners. Nachos, or hot dogs, anything cheap and simple. We make onigiri at least twice a week. They are small balls of calrose rice, pressed around a bit of tuna fish and wrapped with nori. My kids love them, they’re super cheap and filling.
Tortilla chips are easy to make at home, just brush a corn tortilla in oil, cut it into four pieces and bake it till it’s crispy. Cheaper and SO MUCH TASTIER than the bagged kind.
Make your own pizza crusts! I have a recipe for a no-rise, 20 minute pizza crust that is fantastic, I can post it if you’d like.
Convert your front yard into a garden. You don’t have to give up play-space in the backyard. Right now I have sugar snap peas, sunflowers, pumpkins and herbs growing.
I plant 1 zucchini & 1 squash plant, even at that I have left overs for neighbors and fellow workers. Want some come harvest time? :-)
Angel Food ministry is great but you must be wary of what they give. Alot of the foods are high in fat and salt.
Buy your veggies from a local farmer's market.
I buy a week's worth of groceries at a time. It saves me money and wasted food.
One more thing;
When we bought our appliances, we didn’t buy a fridge with a freezer on top.
Kenmore sells a fridge that’s about six feet tall with no freezer, no ice maker, nothing but space. I can pack more fresh veggies into that thing, and still have room for bread, tortillas, & leftovers. I think it cost about $200. Then we bought a large chest freezer, which we fill to the very top every month. the freezer was about $300. Put together, it’s about the same as a large fridge/freezer combo and gives us twice the room.
I can’t reccomend this sytem enough, it prevents waste and allows you to really stock up on good deals.
Also, you can get an ice shaver for about $20 at Target. Get one of those, and your kids may never ask for soda again. :-) Juice, koolaid, tea...everything’s better when it’s made into a snow cone.
BFL
The treats I get are made in Mexico - is that OK?
But seriously, I agreed with your points.....except this, "we have to out Commie the Commies, to save Democracy", one.
What food security will that Thirty Billion Dollars bring us?
Please explain how cutting checks to farmers who live off Central Park adds to our food security.
You cannot understand that spending the tiny amount on a wasteful program vs. a program that keeps food cheap, will cost taxpayers?
That $30 billion still comes out of the taxpayer's pocket.
Not sure I understand your point. Because the government wastes money on a program you don't like, we can't complain about another program that wastes money that we don't like?
Maybe it'd make sense if you translate it into Latin?
Great suggestion about going to Aldi first and about the soap, etc. Thanks! I need to see if they have the wine you suggested - I’m in NC.
The $30 billion in so-called farm aid ensures a plentiful supply of food.
Ya, It does distort the free market. No question, .gov is a bull in a China Shop when it attempts to ensure a outcome that they want.
Really wish there was a better way.
But we've never seen a American hungry child, you know with the distended belly?
Unless of course, Momma selling off the food stamps and welfare for dope - or keeping a boy friend happy.
Sadly, this nation has hardened our hearts, I mean who doesn't want to slap Sally Struthers and tell her those starvation problems come about due to tribal warfare, corruption, no rule of law ... ya da dah?
Do you tell me; why has food and fuel cost for Americans risen so much lately?
We wouldn't have a plentiful supply of food without these programs? Not all crops are covered. Are we experiencing a shortage of those? We should subsidize every crop, just in case.
Ya, It does distort the free market.
Glad you understand that.
But we've never seen a American hungry child, you know with the distended belly?
All because we cut some checks to farmers?
Sadly, this nation has hardened our hearts,
I heard some people don't want to help Africans with AIDS.
Do you tell me; why has food and fuel cost for Americans risen so much lately?
It might have something to do with supply and demand. And government distortions of the free market (hint).
Many moons ago, I used to play C&R at a isolated resident post, 30 miles from back up.
One of the richest LA car dealers had a little spread there, grew a little alfalfa. He loved to get a snootful of whiskey (Jamesons or Bushmills - I forget which, it was a long time ago) and drive around loaded in his little ORV, no problem, he stayed on his own 3 or 4 square miles that he owned.
He told me he lost about $50,000 a year on his ranch, no problem, he liked the freedom.
Kind of a clue that the alfalfa - which is nothing but water - via Edsion and the sun - courtesy of Our Divine Creator - wasn't really viable on the free market, hence he was subsidizing some milk cow somewhere.
If you understand the free market, then you know somewhere, someone was drinking milk at less than it's true cost of production?
But our gov't does allow for farm losses on Schedule "A"?
Make a pound of hamburger into four patties. Sear them in a frying pan but don't worry about cooking them through, that comes later. Remove the patties, reduce heat and sweat some onions until they start to caramelize. Add a cup of wine (red or white) a cup of beef broth, crushed garlic and whatever herbs you think prudent. I'd use basil and oregano, but mostly because I'll have fresh just outside my door. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove the patties. Boil until the liquid is reduced to one cup. Thicken with two tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with a quarter cup of water. Serve it either with mashed potatoes the way Mrs Mag likes it or on whole wheat toast in my preferred manner.
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