Store Brands: Are They Worth Buying?

Should you buy store brands?  How do they compare?  There is one way to find out!

$50 Grocery Budget for 2 People: Potlucks and Making Jelly

This is the latest video in our "$50 Grocery Budget for 2 People" series.

$50 Grocery Budget for 2 People: Company (Part 2)

This video is the second half of our "$50 Grocery Budget for 2 People" on having company.

$50 Grocery Challenge for 2 People: Use Less or Use Less Expensive Ingr...

Here we go again!  Another week of eating for $25 Per Person or $50 for Two People.  We also share ideas on how to save money by using less or using less expensive ingredients.  

$50 Grocery Budget for 2: Meatless Meals

In this video, we share our weekly haul of food as well as some ideas on eating meatless meals.

$50 Grocery Challenge for 2 People: Bake Your Own Bread

This is our latest video on feeding two people for $50.  We also talk about a way to save money that I use regularly - baking bread.

$50 Grocery Budget for 2 People: Menu Plan and 2 Other Money Savers

This is our food shopping for this week spending $25 or less per person.  

$25 Grocery Challenge: Combating Shrinkflation by Using Store Brands

This is the latest video sharing our grocery shopping for the past week.  We aim to spend $25 per person or $50 for two people.  

Eat for $10 This Week: Where and When to Shop

 

When working on a tight budget, it is important to make every penny count.  Grocery stores charge different prices for the same exact item.  So, where do I go shopping?  There are several factors in making this decision and it is different for everyone.  

There isn't one store that is best for everyone.  

Consider the following when making your choice:

If you are buying food just for yourself, you may want to consider going to the store fewer times per month.  Also, make sure that if you go to multiple stores, that it is worth the money you spend in gas as well as your time.  

Depending on where you live, what you want and what is available in your area, you can determine which store is best for you.

12 Healthy and Cheap Foods for Those on a Tight Budget

 Eating well on a tight budget can be tricky.  In this video, we share 12 different healthy foods that are also good for your budget.

$3 Per Day Grocery Challenge: Don't Waste Food

 Buy what you eat and eat what you buy.  

If you waste food, then you waste money.  The average household of four people wastes enough food to feed one person for a year.  That is basically wasting 25 percent or one fourth of your food each week.  

You can reduce food waste by Using up the food you buy and by not purchasing more than you can use.  

When I am on a tight budget, I find I don’t have a lot of trouble using up the food that is purchased.  I don’t have a lot of food waste, because we really try to be vigilant about eating what we have.  

Most of us don’t intentionally buy more food than we can use.  There may be a night that you planned on making a meal, but something comes up and you don’t get around to doing it.  Those ingredients sit in the fridge waiting until you have the time to use them.  There are occasional times where I have planned to use strawberries, green peppers or cilantro later in the week and they didn’t last as long as I hoped.  By trial and error, I have figured out how to use the food I buy in the best way possible.  I have learned that sometimes I need to freeze things that will spoil before I can use them.  I have also learned that I need to change my menu around sometimes and make the meals that use the ingredients that will spoil sooner.  When making meals, sometimes you have leftover food that you don’t eat that night.  We freeze any leftovers that we won’t be able to use in the next day or two. Later, We will pull out the frozen leftovers to use on busy nights or take them for lunch.  I try to rotate food in my pantry and check my freezer and dates on cans every three months.  If I can’t use something before it expires, I donate to the food bank or to someone else who can.   

Here are a few other ways to reduce food waste:

It is fun to try new recipes, but they don’t always turn out as well as you would like.  Find a way to make them palatable enough to eat, like drenching them in your favorite sauce for example, and don’t make that recipe again.  

If you have milk or buttermilk that is getting close to its ‘use by’ date, and taste sour, use it in pancakes or muffins. 

If you have peppers, onions, or other veggies that you can’t use in time before they spoil, cut them up and freeze them to put in meals later.  

If I have oranges or grapefruits that are on their last leg, juice them.  

Freeze extra milk or juice if it looks like there is more than you can reasonably use.

If you buy a whole chicken, save the carcass and make your own chicken broth.  It is healthier and saves money as well.  You can use it for soup or freeze it in 1 or 2 cup portions to use in the future.

Freezing is a great option to avoid overeating or wasting food.  

Manufacturers have caught on to this and are selling bagged salad made from broccoli or cauliflower stems, etc.  They make money and waste less food.  

One of the best things you can do is to clean out your refrigerator before going grocery shopping each week.  See what is left over from the previous week and use it in meals for the coming week.  Remember, Buy what you eat, and eat what you buy.   If you waste food, you also waste money.  

$3 Per Day Grocery Budget: Make Your Own Snacks

 

This is our newest video in the $3 Per Day Grocery Budget Series.  In this video, we explore the benefits of making your own snacks.  

For those who prefer just to read a post, the main points will be highlighted below:

Why Should We Make Our Own Snacks?  

Cost:  Most snacks are cheaper to make than to buy.  Homemade crackers, popcorn or chips are very inexpensive to make.  

Convenience:  You can make your own snacks whenever you want.  No need to go to the store in the evening if you are craving a certain snack.  Freeze some and have them readily available when the munchies hit you.

Choice/Creativity:  Snacks can be as easy as cutting some vegetables or fruit to eat.  You can choose the veggies you want.  You can choose what spices you want when you make your own snacks.  You can put nuts in or not, use milk chocolate chips or butterscotch chips.  

Health:  Avoid the artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives that we can’t even pronounce.  When you make your own treats and snacks, you know exactly what is in them.  Homemade snacks are healthier.  Store snacks are food products rather than food.  

Taste:  The quality of ingredients and the taste is better when you make your own snacks.  Making your own popcorn on the stove is so much better for you than the microwave popcorn they sell in the store.  

Control:  By making your own snacks, you control exactly what is in them.  

It may take time for you to learn to make snacks that taste great, but keep trying.  You can do it!  

$3 Per Day Grocery Budget: Name Brand vs. Store Brand

 Enjoy our newest video in the $3 Per Day Grocery Budget, Name Brand vs. Store Brand.  Is it worth it to buy store brands?  Watch and see what you think.

We have done some different comparisons on our blog.  Check them out if you are interested.  It sure is fun to try the comparisons and see what your family thinks.  

$3 Per Day Grocery Budget: Proper Portions

 

Here is our latest video in the $3 Per Day Grocery Budget Series.  Eating proper portions is good for our health and our wealth.  It is something that is pretty easy to do, and you will feel better!

Here are some ideas to help with portion control:

1.  Order a smaller size.

2.  Plate meals ahead with proper portions.

3.  Don't put serving dishes on the table.

4.  Buy a portion control plate.

5.  Put veggies on half your plate, meat/beans on on fourth, and grains on the other fourth.

6.  If you are full, don't eat any more.

7.  Use smaller plates.

8.  Use the hand method for proper portion sizes.

9.  Eat a salad or healthy soup before your entree.

10.  Drink water BEFORE your meal.

11.  Order less when you go out to eat.

12.  Divide your meal in half when going out to eat, and put one of the halves immediately into a to go box before you eat.  

13.  Split a meal.

14.  Portion snacks ahead of time into single use bags.

15.  Finish all vegetables before eating other things.

16.  Measure your food until you are familiar with proper portion sizes.

By eating the proper amount, you will save money and improve your health.  

Timing: Buying Things When They Are On Sale

 As I just finished a different post about timing, it reminded me of some of the sales at Safeway/Albertson's this week.  It isn't even Halloween, and they are starting some sales on baking items.  There are plenty of other websites that share information on sales, so I have tried to stay away from that on our blog, but it really makes a difference when you buy things on sale when you are on a strict budget.  I decided to take the things that are on sale and show the difference between paying for them at regular price and paying the sale price.  There are limits, which some complain about, but it is still worth it to buy them even if you can't buy as many as you want.  

Signature Brown Sugar:  Regular Price $2.69, Sale Price 69 cents (limit 2)

$2.00 difference for each one or $4.00 difference total

Crisco Oil:  Regular Price $4.29, Sale Price $1.49 (limit 4)

$2.80 difference for each one or $11.20 difference total

Signature 5 pound flour:  Regular Price $2.29, Sale Price 99 cents (limit 2)

$1.30 difference for each one or $2.60 difference total

Nestle Chocolate Chips:  Regular Price $3.99, Sale Price 99 cents  (limit 4)

$3.00 difference for each one or $12.00 difference total

Lucerne Butter:  Regular Price $3.29, Sale Price $1.99

$1.30 difference each or $2.60 difference total

Even if there are limits, most of these things are staples and you might as well get them for $17.24 instead of $49.64  or a savings of $32.40 which is a 65% savings.  So, it really does pay to shop sales, even though there are limits imposed.

Other items I also got offers for:

Free butter

50 percent of any Potato or Tortilla chips

50 percent off any Pasta

Some of these are better deals than others, but most of the things above are things that most people buy.  Yes, chips may not be a staple, but at that price it is worth buying for a treat!  

$3 Per Day Grocery Budget: Buy and Eat Seasonally

 Here is our newest video with another way to save money on your food budget:  Buying and Eating Seasonally.  Hope you enjoy it!

Free Fruit!

 I have talked in the past about free fruit as one way to save money on your grocery bill.  I recently came across a website called Falling Fruit.  They have a map of places in your area where you can go to get free fruit.  People who have trees that have fruit they want to share with others will post where the fruit is.  Check it out and give it a try.  Try making applesauce or jelly or just eat it fresh.  What a great opportunity!  

$3 Per Day Grocery Budget: How to Cut the Cost of a Recipe

This is our latest video sharing 10 ways to cut the cost of a recipe.

$3 Per Day Grocery Series: Use Less

This video in our series shares ideas on how to save money on groceries through using less expensive ingredients, reducing the amount you make and educing the amount you use. You can have your cake and eat it too; you just need to be creative in doing it on a tight budget.

$3 Per Day Grocery Budget: How to Save Money Using a Crockpot

 

This is our latest video in the $3 Per Day Grocery Budget series.  There are many ways to save money on groceries.  One way is to use a crockpot.  You can use cheaper ingredients and make great meals!