Stretch your food budget tribe - Page 5

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

Imitation crab meat (really pollock fish) and smoked salmon make good substitutions for sushi grade fish and taste really really good.

Be careful with imitation crab. Depending on the brand, some of them are full of crap, some of them even have HFCS in them.

Originally Posted by HappyLamb

I have a question for those who bake their own bread:

how do you slice it?

Practice, practice, practice.

It's important to have a sharp knife, serrated, that is long... generally speaking a bread knife will be at least 10 inches long. Don't try to slice bread when it is the slightest bit warm. Put the loaf on its side so you don't crush it, and let the knife do the cutting. Then determine what is a "good" thickness... is that the width of a finger? a pinkie? fingers are the easiest measuring tool, but you can even use a ruler if you need to. Measure off the width you need and slice, really paying attention to keep the knife moving straight down. After a while, you won't need the measuring tool and won't need to pay that much attention anymore.

Originally Posted by wife&mommy

I guess I'm saying if it doesn't have meat we have to have a lot more of what it still seems to cost about the same as say using ground beef or chicken when it's on sale to fill him up. We still do have veggie meals, as I think its healthier not to have meat at every meal, but I just don't find it cheaper.

You're not alone there. Especially because we can't have soy or grain, our choices are limited. Two things to think about though... if you're removing meat, you need to be sure to add in plenty of fat. Fat triggers satiety. Also, when I stopped putting the dish of food in front of my DH, he started eating less. I plate our food in the kitchen and leave the leftovers in there. Then if he wants it he can go get it, but I've found that only maybe once a week does he want more.

[crunchy_mama]

lurking around.... Currently trying to stop the massive outlay of cash that has happened lately. I have actually just enlarged the garden-more than doubling it- so as I have raise beds(it is impossible in my ground not to) it cost a little bit of cash. I am hoping that this year I will be able to put quite a bit of things up though. I have about 25 broccoli plants a dozen tomato and various other things.

Like Cristeen we don't do grains, so that makes it a challenge to cut the meal a whole lot, I also don't do meat substitutes either, or dairy. That really leaves meat, fat and veggies.

I am working on:
-buying more things in bulk
-having dh shop- on a full belly- with a list- if we all go it seems to cost more
-using the discount stores for the convenience food dh likes- I can also find healthfood items there a lot
-making sure I use up what I have and not letting things go to waste

[phathui5]

I joined one of our local CSAs today. I talked to our neighbor who did it last year and she said they got a ton of vegetables. I got on the waiting list for another local one that does more fruit and am going to try that one next year (possibly both, if this one goes well).

[threekstrio]

I checked out Frontier and it seems way expensive. Is there something that I'm missing?? : )

I love the idea of "eating out" by going to the supermarket. We are going to start doing that on Sunday afternoons.

I wanted to ask this too! I was checking into a CSA near us and it would require driving about 30 minutes one way once a week in order to go pick things up. I'd like to join but hardly see it as convenient and with the gas the way it is. Well you know...

[akwifeandmomma]

I'm sure this might all be repeat, but I'm just thinking out loud about changes we've made lately:

-- I'm making all of our breads, buns, pizza crust, tortillas, baked goods.

-- We're doing breakfast for dinner once (or more) a week. Either some kind of egg dish, pancakes and fruit, egg burritos, etc. We're also doing other meatless meals at least 2x/week, one is usually meatless pasta, the other bean based. When we do have a meal with meat, I try to cut down where I can, and I buy meat in bulk at Costco.

-- Breakfasts are always fruit along with oatmeal, toast, steel cut oats, pancakes, or eggs... no cold cereal or other prepackaged items.

-- Weekday lunches are more frequently finger food plates: a couple slices of cheese, a slice or two each of an apple, orange, or banana, cut carrots, celery, or avocado. Applesauce, a few yogurt raisins, a slice of homemade bread with a smear of PB or cream cheese, butter or honey.
Maybe a few nuts or seeds, a bit of leftover this or that. I'm much more mindful about not wasting food, and using up what we have. Plus, my kids eat better when they have lots of choices! And this way, I slice one or two pieces of fruit or veggies and we all snack on it, versus giving each child his or her own apple, kwim? ... (and in my case, I usually would wind up tossing the rest! )

-- I was meal planning and shopping once every two weeks. Now I shop once a week and meal plan according to what's on sale, particularly with produce.

I only spent $64 on groceries this week, even buying mostly organic!

[Smokering]

We need to cut back too. We were pretty good with our food budget for awhile, but DD's birth kind of threw things into a shambles, and now we seem to be running out to the supermarket far too often.

We also need to get out of 'treat mode'. My late-pregnancy cravings and discomfort meant that we were buying a lot of chocolate milk, ice creams etc to console us, and it's a hard habit to break. Right now we both feel deprived if we run out of chocolate or want ginger beer but can't afford it, and that's not a good mental or financial attitude to have--none too healthy, either!

Soooo, I went grocery shopping yesterday, and we're going to try not to spend any more for the next two weeks. I'll try to coax the last green beans from the garden, and we can eat up the last two harvested pumpkins. I even might be brave enough to try the silverbeet! Then we'll eat the last of the frozen meals I made for postpartum, and *then*--last, I imagine!--we'll go through our cupboards and eat all the weird grains and bulghur and stuff that we don't really like. Luckily we have plenty of onions; I wish we had some canned tomatoes, but I guess this'll force me to be creative. (Am I the only one who tends to put a can of tomatoes in everything?).

[katiedidbug]

Ooh, yeah, breakfast for dinner. I try to do this once a week, too. Homemade pancakes are sooo cheap.

[BananaBreadGirl]

Originally Posted by katiedidbug

Ooh, yeah, breakfast for dinner. I try to do this once a week, too. Homemade pancakes are sooo cheap.

I love breakfast for supper (pancakes, french toast, cornbread, eggs on toast), but my dh (ha, that's the first time I've used that abbreviation and it still seems strange to me) is very reluctant about it. Without meat (protein coming from eggs, etc.) he thinks it is just not hearty enough or something, and breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon are greasy/unhealthy and make him feel sick. Right now we compromise and do it just every once in a while. Is there anything I can serve with breakfast to make it seem...less breakfasty? Hmm, maybe I should try hashbrowns.

[akwifeandmomma]

Originally Posted by BananaBreadGirl

I love breakfast for supper (pancakes, french toast, cornbread, eggs on toast), but my dh (ha, that's the first time I've used that abbreviation and it still seems strange to me) is very reluctant about it. Without meat (protein coming from eggs, etc.) he thinks it is just not hearty enough or something, and breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon are greasy/unhealthy and make him feel sick. Right now we compromise and do it just every once in a while. Is there anything I can serve with breakfast to make it seem...less breakfasty? Hmm, maybe I should try hashbrowns.

Veggie Quiche/Frittata - lots of veggies give a sense of "meatyness"
Breakfast casseroles - potatoes, veggie sausage, cheese, eggs, salsa
Omelets - what veggies does he like? Fill 'em up!

We do smoothies all the time, too, they're very filling.

[Amys1st]

home made pizza and make your own dough is a huge food stretcher. We do it weekly. The cost of cheese in bulk that I shred and freeze is the cost of one take out pizza.

[b&c'smama]

Getting inspired here! When it was lunch time today, actually went to the fridge to see what leftovers we had that could be eaten instead of making something new.

I know that might be an obvious thing to do, but it is a good first step for me!

[annethcz]

I have been trying to cut down on our grocery bill lately also. I'll do really well for awhile, and then start to feel deprived and make bad decisions. I have managed to shave a couple hundred dollars off our monthly grocery budget, but I never do quite as well as I hope to.

I've always meal planned for dinners, and I've continued to do that. A new thing I've been trying for the last month or two is to actually pack a lunch for everyone ahead of time. Three of my kids are in school, so I pack their lunch to take to school. When I pack my own lunch and DD2's lunch (even if we're staying home all day), I feel so prepared and the day seems to flow better. Packing my lunch ahead of time also helps me to eat healthier- if I wait until I'm hungry I usually make not-so-great food choices.

Originally Posted by BananaBreadGirl

I love breakfast for supper (pancakes, french toast, cornbread, eggs on toast), but my dh (ha, that's the first time I've used that abbreviation and it still seems strange to me) is very reluctant about it. Without meat (protein coming from eggs, etc.) he thinks it is just not hearty enough or something, and breakfast meats such as sausage and bacon are greasy/unhealthy and make him feel sick. Right now we compromise and do it just every once in a while. Is there anything I can serve with breakfast to make it seem...less breakfasty? Hmm, maybe I should try hashbrowns.

Have you tried turkey bacon? I've found that I like it best when I use it in another recipe (ie I make egg & turkey bacon on english muffin sandwiches). But my kids really enjoy it plain. Cooking it in the microwave will make it nice and crispy. Turkey bacon is much lower in calories and isn't greasy like regular bacon. Do look at the label, though- some brands contain MSG.

[crunchy_mama]

I made it to the discount store yesterday and to Aldis. My new plan is to try and just shop 2x a month to cut down on impluse buying. So, I spent $150, however I got a boatload of food, 4 cases of canned goods (beans, green beans and tomatoes)- lots of cereal for dh, snacks for our upcoming vacation and 20lbs of strawberries to freeze for the coming year.

Staying away from the regular grocery store really helps a ton. Plus we are able to get a few treats as well. I found serveral gluten free/dairy free items- crackers and cookies which will make a nice snack for me- I hate the terribly high retail price $4+ here so I don't ever buy anything- however at the discount store they were .60 a piece.

[frog]

Question: What's the benefit of participating in a Frontier co-op here v. ordering directly on my own?

Suggestion: turtle makes fabulous sushi, including a roll she made up--it's sweet potato, cream cheese, and crunchy fried onions. Yum.

[MaddieMay]

Originally Posted by frog

Question: What's the benefit of participating in a Frontier co-op here v. ordering directly on my own?

Suggestion: turtle makes fabulous sushi, including a roll she made up--it's sweet potato, cream cheese, and crunchy fried onions. Yum.

The only benefit is that you don't need a $250 minimum order.

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by frog

Question: What's the benefit of participating in a Frontier co-op here v. ordering directly on my own?

I have done both and several of the particpants have posted on this thread.
The difference- I buy several bulk items from frontier. I buy loose tea, seventh generation detergent, cleaning stuff, dishwasher powder, and paper towels. Plus I buy a few packages of sposies to have on hand since I cloth but need sposies occasionally. This stuff is all $$ to ship to partipants. I also buy beauty products, spices, and so many other things.

My own order every 2 mos or so is right under the $250. But I know several mamas here who order but order around $30-$100 worth of stuff sometimes combining a family order to do so. They dont have a local person doing this for them so they jump on mine. This helps me fulfill the min and help them out as well.

IF you want to purchase the big stuff, get an account and have a few people order as well and you will hit the $250. Otherwise, jump on one of the ones on this board and buy a few things here and there.

I offer it up to the mamas here because I partipate in so many other coops so I need to keep that spirit alive by hosting my own coops. Otherwise it will loose the coop feel. HTH!!

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by Amys1st

home made pizza and make your own dough is a huge food stretcher. We do it weekly. The cost of cheese in bulk that I shred and freeze is the cost of one take out pizza.

I've made what I call "use up what's left" pizza twice these past couple weeks. Both times it was before grocery day, and almost everything was eaten up. Made my own dough and scrounged around. The first pizza was a quarter jar of pasta sauce, all the left-over ham, & a can of pineapples that I forgot about.

This week I used up the half package of sausages, a few leftover asparagus', a quarter of our mushrooms and the rest of a can of olives that were sitting in the fridge.

Both pizza's were delish! And it was so fun to figure out what pizza to make with what was left. I think this will be a weekly thing.

Ami

[Audra]

Wanted to subscribe...
There is a lot of great info here. I need lots of help with the grocery bill. I don't really buy convience foods & make most things from scratch. But it's still so stressful going to the store. It's hard with DD allergies too.

[Carlyn]

Originally Posted by HappyLamb

I have a question for those who bake their own bread:

how do you slice it?

I always try to bake my own bread for sandwiches, but I always end up frustrated: I always get slices that are too thick to be useful for sandwiches or toast. any suggestions?

A good bread knife! I find it makes a huge difference.

[Smokering]

Ooh, post 100. I get excited by small things these days...

DH and I are doing OK with the whole not-buying-food thing. I wish we had canned tomatoes, more potatoes and butter, but we can still do a few meals before we absolutely have to buy veggies. Tonight was hotpot with leftover lamb. Tomorrow I'll do a beef curry, using up our last few tablespoons of tomato paste and the random can of coconut milk. Hmm, I won't be able to do that yellow rice with the peas in it, we're out of peas! Oh well. The night after *that* we'll have a kind of weird tuna casserole (with no peas, no butter for the white sauce--maybe I can sub coconut oil?--and no pasta), and then we'll need to start eating frozen meals. We have more of those than I realised, though, luckily! And oddly enough, we have way more frozen meat than usual--a farmer from church gave us some--so we can have casseroles and things. Next week at some point we'll *have* to buy veggies--we currently have one carrot, four onions, two potatoes, a huge pumpkin and some frozen sweetcorn. And as many beans as our dwarf bean plants can give us before they die of cold.

This is kinda fun.