$1,000 a month on groceries! HELP!! - Page 3

[GinaRae]

A word about avacados. That's what we eat.. and that's what everyone eats here. We eat tons of mexican inspired dishes and avacados are great for SO many things! We eat them in sandwiches, salads, dips/spreads, alone as a snack, when I was pregnant, mashed up for our babies... It's like how some people buy win or beer even when on a budget I guess?? We don't buy wine and beer, we buy avacadoes!!

Crayola, I am in the market for those recipes, yes! The easier, the better and I know DH will agree to purchasing a stand mixer as soon as possible if we can find the funds.

Originally Posted by crayolaab

You can buy large canns of peaches and pears and then dish them up into the tupperware containers - do it once at the start of the week and it takes 5 minutes and the investment in the containers is minimal.

GREAT idea. I just have space issues with my little apartment sized fridge that freezes things in the back Wonder if we can find a better apartment sized one??? We can't get a big one because of the cabinets here... nice house but the place is teeny and the cabinets do not allow a standard sized fridge!

Originally Posted by crayolaab

The small bags (Fresh Express, etc) style salads are expensive. The Large containers ( I forget the brand we have at our safeway but I am sure you have something similar) are a much better value...

Yes! We buy Fresh Express types. I will look for a bigger one.. haven't seen them before but they could be there!

Originally Posted by savithny

* Grape jelly jar $3.54
That seems really high, although I dont' know the size. Store brands are my friend - I get a big jar of store-brand triple-fruit spread for 1.99 --- less, on sale.

just a regular size of Welch's. I got 4 jars on a huge sale for 2 for $3 the other day. Wahoo!

Also, Savithny, I think the difference for the two of us is region. you can see those prices if you go to www.safeway.com and plus in my zip code 94558 for the deliver at home - browse the store option. I really am not buying gourmet cottage cheese here! Just regular Lucerne and regular margarine.

Originally Posted by savithny

Wow.... gulp is right. Admittedly, we do live in the Land of Apples, and can buy a stunning variety of locally grown ones.

I miss NY apples! I have never tasted such awful apples as moving to Cali.

Originally Posted by savithny

The other thing to reduce costs is to reduce the expensive proteins.

Eggs I must stay away from as the baby is sensitive to them. But they're a great price! It's about the only cheap thing I can get. I will work more eggs into the meals as I can. I have a HUGE ick factor with eating eggs, but *sigh* guess I will have to deal with that.

Any good recipes for an egg based meal for the kids?

Cheese in our house is HUGE and I am cracking down on that. We can eat almost a whole bag of $6.99 cheese a day! It's a big bag!

[GinaRae]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

Mama, with all those kids and a baby...wow, you're doing great. I can't grow my own wheat and grind it then bake it into bread, or anything similar. I do spend a lot more on food than I have to, but I remember that there are costs for NOT paying for some convenience foods, whether they be time costs, sanity costs or health costs (because for instance, I might not be able to eat salad every day if I have to wash/dry/chop my own lettuce). You have to decide for yourself whether you are able to make other sacrifices for more convenient foods.

Thanks You're loverly for reminding me. Sometimes I feel just lazy but I know it's not that --- like the fact that my 12 year old is rocking the baby for me for 45 minutes because he's hungry but whatever I ate has given him a terrible tummy and he gets hysterical if I hold him when he's hungry but can't eat, so I am waiting this out before trying again but it's most likely a done night for productivity.

Originally Posted by Chula

Have you tried a grocery outlet store? I put zip code 94558 into the search here - http://www.groceryoutlets.com/storefinder.aspx and there is one within 15 miles of your zip.

I have never heard of it but very willing to try. It may have the same types of prices though since it is the Napa Valley after all. But it's definitely worth trying. I can usually get to Fairfield in 25 minutes during a lower traffic time if the day. So if it's worth the gas and has better prices, it should help.

THANKS!

[GinaRae]

Originally Posted by Ammaarah

Our Costco has large bagged avocados with 5 avocadoes each for something like $6.99.

Does your deli turkey go on sale sometimes?

$7.99 IS the sale price
The last time I got avacados at Costco they were grody, but we've gotten decent ones there before I think. We just rarely go to Costco because of the drive and what little we need to buy from there.

[polyhymnia]

Here are my recipes for Pita bread and Naan. They are so worth it! Loads tastier than the TJ's naan (we lived in London for a couple of years, home of fabulous curry & naan, and I really miss it here! It's so expensive!)!! You can make them both by hand which I did for 2 years but now I have a mixer and that does make it easier. I have also started making dinner rolls using a quick-rise method that are really yummy and take <50 minutes minutes start to finish (15 minutes to rise twice, then 12 minutes to bake) and next I am going to start making regular-rise breads too.

This is the naan - it's a little more fiddly than the pita but really, really good
http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2007/04/naan.html

Here is the pita bread - it's long, but it's really simple. I just have never re-written it to look simpler! I always amaze my guests with my homemade pita bread But, I can't count the number of times I've tried to buy it at the store only they are out of it, or it is $5 for 4 rounds, so I learned to make it. But beware - it really is only ~3-4 minutes to bake, and don't open the oven until the first 3 minutes are up!

These are far easier to make than you might think. First, the ingredient list:

2 cups warm water
3 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. honey
3 cups bread flour
2 cups wheat flour (I used graham)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. onion powder

Put the warm water into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the yeast, sugar, and honey. Let stand for 10 minutes until very foamy.

Meanwhile, sift together the bread flour & wheat flour with the salt & onion powder. When yeast mixture is ready, add 2 cups of the flour mixture and mix with paddle attachment until smooth. Gradually mix in the rest of the flour. Once it's all incorporated, beat for 3 minutes on medium speed, then switch to a dough hook (or turn out onto a board to do it by hand.)

Add up to another cup of bread flour, a tiny bit at a time, mixing with the dough hook, until the dough cleans the side of the bowl. Knead for another 5 minutes, then turn dough onto a board.

Roll dough into a ball. Cut into eight pieces and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 500°F and dust a baking sheet with cornmeal. (I don't recommend a baking stone for this; you want it as hot as possible.

Dust your work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a nice round. They should look something like this:

Place rounds on baking sheet and put in oven on the lowest rack possible. Shut the door and do not open for three minutes, no matter what! If you peek, they won't "poof." You can check after 3 minutes, then continue baking to desired color is reached (the darker, the crispier; if you like your pitas softer, bake them for less time, obviously.) Cool on racks. Fill with your favorite goodies & enjoy!

[polyhymnia]

Also I totally agree that I'm amazed at what you do with your four kids!! I use many of the same shortcuts that you do and I don't have any kids, and I struggle with eliminating them. I just spent $180 at the grocery store yesterday (a MAJOR stock up, but it still stung a bit!!) so I definitely know what you mean.

Food prices have risen dramatically in my area in the last year and it's so frustrating to buy the same things I was buying for $60-70 last year, and pay $90-100 for them!

[mamameg]

I live sort of near you (I'm in Sonoma) and I wonder if you ever come over this way to Sonoma. Sonoma Market has some good specials on meats and all their chicken is "natural" and they also run really good specials on Rocky Jr organic chickens, sometimes as low as $1.29 for a whole chicken, whole or cut up. Watch their website for specials. http://www.sonoma-glenellenmkt.com/ With the price of gas, I don't know I would make a special trip for it, but if you ever come over this way, stop in at Sonoma Market.

Also, a tip for lettuce. Buy regular head lettuce ($1) instead of the bags. The trick to making it work for your family (especially kids) is right away when you get home and are putting away groceries, wash the whole head of lettuce. Romaine can even be cut up into the desired size you like if you are going to use it within a few days. It's basically bagged lettuce, ready to use, but you spend a third as much and it takes about 2 min to wash the lettuce yourself.

[lucky_mia]

I was spending similar to you until a few months ago. This forum has really helped me make some changes. The $5.99/pound sticks out for me. About every 6 weeks I am finding chicken breasts on sale for about $1.79 so I stock up. Costco has chicken breasts in individual packages around here (Boston area) for $2.79. You can also get the big box of packets of Quaker Oats oatmeal. I'm not sure the price. I recently got a bunch of boxes of the packets on sale with coupons. I pretty much gave up regularly buying deli meats because it was getting so expensive.

Keep reading here and you will learn tons! Good luck!

[mamameg]

Oh and about cheese, stop buying the pre-shredded. I bet your family would eat less cheese if you all had to grate or slice it yourself. Having a pre-shredded is an invitation to grab a huge handful, which is more than you really need.

[GinaRae]

Originally Posted by mamameg

I live sort of near you (I'm in Sonoma) and...if you ever come over this way, stop in at Sonoma Market.

We don't go to Sonoma often.. maybe pass through on the way to Petaluma every 6-12 months...is that right? Maybe. Cannot remember the area very well yet. But I will check it out if we're ever in the area!

Originally Posted by ReikiMommy07

I made my own breakfast (usually oatmeal and toast and/or fruit, and juice or water) when I was 5.

I could be trusted to do that too! But let me tell you, tonight was a gamble asking my DS2 to take the pizza out of the oven. He's like the nutty professor.... scary putting heat and kitchen utensils in his hands! But they're learning! Also being boys they're super messy (like daddy!) and sometimes it's worse than trying to do it myself.

Crayola, Good ideas in this post. Thanks!

Originally Posted by normajean

Freezer jam is really easy to make...
What about sliced apples instead of the fruit cups in lunches?

I will think about freezer jam if we get another freezer. Otherwise, no room.

We do apples in lunches, but they get sick of them, so it's just something that stores easily and long-term that's quick to pop into a lunch box as needed.

Originally Posted by crayolaab

For your DP, what about turkey salad or chicken salad, instead of deli meat?

We do that too. He gets tired of it after a while so we switch. But he also gets sick of mayo. I think I will just chunk up our own breasts as that is at least a little cheaper and then he can put mayo if he wants.

Thanks for the sample meal plan

[GinaRae]

Originally Posted by mamameg

Oh and about cheese, stop buying the pre-shredded. I bet your family would eat less cheese if you all had to grate or slice it yourself. Having a pre-shredded is an invitation to grab a huge handful, which is more than you really need.

That makes a LOT of sense. It would help. I just bought three bags on sale today but after they're gone we'll switch. We eat WAY too much cheese!

[polyhymnia]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

Crayola, Good ideas in this post. Thanks!

We do apples in lunches, but they get sick of them, so it's just something that stores easily and long-term that's quick to pop into a lunch box as needed.

We do that too. He gets tired of it after a while so we switch. But he also gets sick of mayo. I think I will just chunk up our own breasts as that is at least a little cheaper and then he can put mayo if he wants.

Thanks for the sample meal plan

That's why DP likes apples too. Plus he's convinced itkeeps him "regular". So I do buy him the apples. Apples keep well in a cool, dark place for longer term storage. It's funny cause here in WA we grow lots of apples but unless you go to the farms they are just not that good at the regular grocery stores. I take bananas. Reasonably easy to pack, lasts a week, tasty, etc. And small containers of canned fruit (peaches, pears are my favorites) or applesauce.

For my chicken salad I like to use plain or greek yogurt instead of mayo, it gives a nice little tang and is healthier too. I'll add some curry spices or some dried cranberries ( bought on sale - bags were BOGO recently at my store) too for a nice extra something.

Good luck - it is really frustrating to realize how much you are spending on FOOD.

[mrmansmama]

Foster Farms chicken breasts were $5.99 a pound (want me to take a photo? I will!!) and believe it or not, the Safeway O organics brand were $8.99 a pound!!! The cheaper stuff that's about $2.50 a pound has the extra stuff put in it like sodium, chicken broth, etc..

Those were the three I had to choose from for plain chicken breasts unless I wanted frozen.

No pics necessary..I believe you! I just had no idea that costs were that different in other parts of the country. I can get boneless chicken breast on sale for 1.99 a pound. Would the groceries on amazon be cheaper for you than local prices?

[KariM]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

Making our own grape jelly is a nightmare. Between trying to buy the equipment and supplies, where to store the stuff in this teeny place, the ick factor, etc.. No way. Wish store bought jelly was better for the kids, but ick.

Grape jelly is so easy to make!!!

I'm not sure what the ick factor is that you're discussing, but have you tried a recipe like this one?

http://www.recipezaar.com/118985

It calls for grape juice, sugar, and pectin. We make jelly without sugar and use the no sugar needed pectin.

Basically all you need is some jelly canning jars and a boiling pot of water for equipment (assuming you have a bowl, ladle, and spoon already).

[mrmansmama]

One more bread idea...you can make any yeast bread faster by making a batter instead of a dough. You do this by reducing the flour by 1/4. That way, you just have to mix up the ingredients and pour it into a pan. You can let it rise 30 min or so and pop in the oven (you can cook right away too if your in a hurry). No kneading.

[Throkmorton]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

I am all for eating in season but wondering how you all get balanced diets if you only eat fruit in the summer and greens in the winter (or whatever). Right now there are oranges on all the neighbor's trees but I still pay $0.71 an orange in season!

Are you friendly with any of your neighbors? Could you make a deal where your boys go pick the fruit (under mom's watchful eye, of course) in exchange for some of it? That's what I do for apples and pears in the fall.

Generally, even the $5.99/lb chicken is cheaper than deli meats pound for pound. I sympathize with the $$ chicken. It's like that here too, though I shaved about 30% off my grocery bill by shopping ANYWHERE but Safeway. Seriously, $7/lb for peppers! We buy whole turkeys (a bone-on turkey breast is good too) roast it and slice it. Tendons and veins squick me out, but just carving a breast is pretty vein-free.

I am shocked at how much your produce costs. Kind of funny, considering the amount of produce we buy that is Californian here. In my vegetable delivery box this week, our in-season California produce is: Kiwis, Satsumas, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, parsley and cucumbers. The BC-produced (so good storage food, we have tons of snow) are carrots, parsnips, apples, pears and potatoes.
I don't understand why my romaine lettuce, grown in California, is 88c here, compared to what you pay.

Cut yourself some slack on the convenience foods right now. Heck, I bought DS Lucky Charms this week because he promised to make breakfast for him and his sister, allowing me an extra 1/2 hour of sleep w/the baby. And he does. DD prefers Raisin Bran, as it turns out.

[lmonter]

How does everyone go without things like asparagus, tomatoes, apples and raspberries if you buy only in season???? We buy strawberries only in season, but the rest of it we eat all the time.
Well, for us, once we got spoiled on homegrown tomatoes, the store ones taste like mealy mush. No flavor, nothing. When your taste buds change and adjust to the seasons (we're lots better than we were 2 years ago, but I still buy a few apples this time of year), it's not that big a deal. Your body will get used to the natural routine of eating so many fresh and yummy things during the summer, then hunkering down and eating the hearty root-type veggies - the things folks would keep in their root cellar to feed themselves over the winter years ago (potatoes, onions, carrots, etc.). Plus part of my trick with the apples-in-season was making a boatload of homemade applesauce at the time. Not an option if you don't have the time to can or storage for it, but it's important to me (I can't stand store-bought applesauce, blech). But we also probably have more of a winter than you do - so hunkering down in the house for days at a time when hubby doesn't have to work is pretty normal. Well, and I refuse to pay more than $2/lb for asparagus - it's only that price in season. No way am I spending $4-$7/lb on asparagus right now.


The cheese thing... We hated grating cheddar ourselves when we used to do it. I don't have freezer nor refrigerator space. Due to the cabinets that we cannot rip out (we rent) the only fridge that fits is an apartment sized fridge. UGH!!
We hated grating cheese when we used a regular upright grater. Now we just grate whatever cheddar we need at the moment. It's the Romano that I grate all at once (and like I said, I use a hand-crank rotary deal, there's no way I could do hard Romano by hand, I'd go insane). And between dinner and kids and everything, it really does take me an evening.


Making our own grape jelly is a nightmare. Between trying to buy the equipment and supplies, where to store the stuff in this teeny place, the ick factor, etc.. No way. Wish store bought jelly was better for the kids, but ick.
Hmmm... I think the only supplies you'd need are maybe a jelly bag, some kind of MacGuyver kind of rig-up (I'd think tying up the jelly bag and hanging it on top of a juice pitcher with chopsticks would work - let gravity do the work for you). Then you cook/warm up the juice, add your pectin and sugar till they boil, set out for a day to gel up, and freeze. I use Pomona Pectin, which doesn't require the huge amount of sugar that things like Sure-Jell do (PP has a different gelling agent - calcium - rather than sugar). I used jelly bags for some other random stuff this fall, and just washed them so I could reuse them. They're down in the pantry waiting for me come jam time again. ETA: The freezer jam I've done I just use those little plastic Ball jars that are 8oz each, so they don't take up too much room in the little freezer in the laundry room. Ice cream and whole chickens take up more room.


Your $0.68 head of lettuce... was it iceburg? I won't buy iceburg. No nutrition so why eat it when we can buy baby spinach and other salad materials that give us better nutrition?
I haven't touched iceburg in over 4 years when I learned for the first time it was just colored water. Only green or red leaf for us, whichever looks better (i.e. not wilty/slimey, etc.). I actually need to head to the store again tomorrow to buy more lettuce. If you want to get technical, the heads of lettuce they've got at the store right now for $.68 look like Tango lettuce - which I'm planning to grow this summer.


Depending on your place, maybe look into getting a little 4-cubic foot freezer? Hubby and I had one in our old apartment, but that was also pre-kids. It was in the dining room next to an old, small wardrobe of my mom's that we used as a "pantry." It's about the size of a washing machine. Right now, I currently only have the freezer in my side-by-side in the kitchen, and the 4-cubic-foot one down in the laundry room. We're looking for one that's 17ish cubic feet, but I'm in no rush yet. Anyway, the small one's been a good freezer and because it's not too big, I can't do the extreme hoarding thing my grandmothers did (they each had like 4 extra full-size freezers in their mudrooms and garages).


Any good recipes for an egg based meal for the kids?
Frittatas? (if I spelled that right) Kind of a cross between a pizza/omelet/quiche with lots of goodies in it.


The fruit cups are for school lunches. Not sure how to replace peaches and pears in their lunch boxes yet. Suggestions for truly mess proof containers?
If your kiddos can be trusted to bring stuff back home, Lock'n'Lock containers are fabulous. I've seen 'em at Target and Walmart. You can stick soup in 'em, and if they're closed, nothing's coming out. They're plastic, which also means when kids drop 'em on the floor they won't explode.

[mamameg]

Oh, I just remembered! Have you seen these Laptop Lunch Systems? It's a bento style lunch box that includes four compartments for food (plus a little dipping sauce thing), one of which has a lid which would be PERFECT for putting in canned fruit or applesauce instead of using the fruit cups.

My DD has this lunch box and we love it. It really helps break us out of the sandwich, crackers, apple rut of lunch. This might also help with your deli lunch costs. They can just as easily pack cubed chicken, salad, crackers & cheese, carrots & dip, etc. And you no longer using all those expensive plastic bags (at least not so many).

[sagewinna]

http://www.cafarmersmarkets.com/ to find the Farmer's Markets near you.

I'm in the Sac area, and right now I can get Asian pears, citrus, apples, kiwis and a few other fruits there. Mandarin oranges run me $1 a pound if I buy 10 punds. If I buy the bags that have the uglier fruit in them I can get 7-12 punds of fruit for $3!

At Costco I can get a 1 lb box of spring greens, a large package of romaine hearts or a big bag of baby spinach very cheap.

Out of season produce I get frozen.

Prices are pretty high in Napa. All you can do is make little changes and they'll add up.

[mama de dos]

GinaRae,
I just had to pop in and give you a huge and for all you're doing right now!!

Having a new baby around is an enormous stress and if you're cooking anything *at all* for your family, you should be damn proud! When my 3rd baby was born, I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to make any food ever again! And I love to cook! Even something as simple as "real" oatmeal instead of instant seemed hugely difficult. It seems illogical, but when you're there in the midst of it, that small amount of extra effort seemed overwhelming. You will be able to get back to where making realy oatmeal is a totaly no brainer, but with a brand new baby and other kids too, the 'last straw' can be something very small!!

With your baby having food issues and having 3 other hungry boys to feed, and and gluten intolerant husband, and recovering from birth and not sleeping, and......... Sheesh!

I know you need to reduce your food budget (so do I!!!) but right now, if you can, I would cut yourself some serious slack. If avocados are your feel-good, luxury food item, buy them!! If frozen naan makes your life a little easier and yummier right now, indulge!! When your life has settled back down just a bit, you can take a harder look at where/how you can cut back, but now seems like it might be a time to be soft with yourself.

Oh, and I hear you on the 'ick' factor of making jam and all that. While I *know* it's not really all that hard, and it's cheaper and yummier and everything, just the thought of it makes my head spin! It's just not within everyone's reach (reasonably) to do that kind of thing. Same with making bread, freezing tons of stuff, etc. I greatly admire people who can and do those things (and some of my dear friends are whizzes at it) but it's just not something that fits with my way of being in the world, ya know? It's totally worth it to me to buy good quality natural jam at the store and save that cost difference (over homemade) somewhere else in my life. Saving $1 there doesn't make up (to me) for the increase in stress it would be. Does that make any sense at all? (I know I could do it if I had to, everyone used to, etc, but that's not where or how I want to spend my very precious reserves of time or energy)

I just wanted to offer you some support and admiration. You've gotten some great ideas and tips here, but it feels a bit in some places that you're being judged/blamed a bit harshly and that doesn't seem right to me! I know you're asking for help and input, and you're getting it, but I thought you needed some good vibes and support, too. :heart

Hang in there and remember it will get easier as your babe grows and things settle down.

[Usually Curious]

Poor mama, cut yourself some slack.

If you buy a frozen, boneless turkey breast and pop it in a cooking bag w/some salt, pepper and garlic powder then your dh can slice it when it's done and throw away the carcass. You won't have to deal w/bones or veins.

Costco has big boxes of organic greens here for much less than the 6oz bag and it keeps forever(well, at least a week).

Here's a chart for what's in season in northern CA:

http://www.cuesa.org/seasonality/charts/vegetable.php

And I feel your pain re: hungry baby. I have found that if I give my babe a couple of ounces of formula when my milk is 'off' to him and then pump my breasts empty he will eat just fine the next time. While I hate formula, I would rather give him 2oz than have him suffer because of something that I've eaten, ykwim? I keep it in the freezer so it won't go bad and I only have a little can. He is 2.5mos and I've only had to do it 3 times so it's not that bad.