Candi's Tight Budget Ideas

USDA weekly report on Fruit/veg prices

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:42:14 GMT

www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fvwretail.pdf

Where to find Pick-Your-Own-Fruit

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:07:45 GMT

Find local farms where you can pick your own fruit and veg to save money....

www.pickyourown.org/index.htm

Sales Calendar from Consumer Report

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:40:55 GMT

Found out when it is the best time to buy different nonfood items:

www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/shopping/shopping-tips/sales-calendar-7-07/calendar/0707 sales cal.htm

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:58:10 GMT

Price of Meat

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:41:27 GMT

Ever consider if the meat you purchase at your local grocery store is really on sale, or was it overpriced in the first place and dropped just above national averages?? Or have you ever been curious about meat price trends?? This also includes: Eggs and Dairy

The USDA puts out a monthly retail meat price spread on the following website:

www.ers.usda.gov/Data/MeatPriceSpreads/

look under DATA: Retail Prices

If the prices are below the average then you know that you have found a good deal

Print this out and compare the sales prices on the grocery sales ads. And/or take it with you on your next shopping trip.

example:

Albertsons this week has a sale price of $1.79LBS on Ground lean Beef (80% fat free) the national average is $3.45(august2009) that's a $1.66 savings or 48% savings-their ad says that it's a savings of $1.21LB-which would be $2.99LB which is good. But their Boneless Sirloin Steak is on sale for $3.99 and the national average is $5.00 which is a $1.01 savings-20% savings-but on the sales ad it says that their normal cost is $8.99LB-sounds pretty high huh?. So obviously Ground beef is a great choice and well, if you want steak you are saving some-but not alott.

Grocery Shopping

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:30:05 GMT

Tomorrow I will go shopping for groceries. I shop 2 times a month. Kinda surprised-I purchased enough meat for 2 weeks and of course I had a few items already in the freezer with some venison my parents gave me. I just can't believe that I have alott of meat left. These past 2 weeks I cooked 4 chicken breasts and made 2 meals: Brunswick Stew (mom gave me venison BBQ, and she gave me some soup that she canned) so with a few more simple ingred. my meal was complete. Then I took the remainder of the chicken left and made Giblet gravy with the stock, onion, celery flake (as I didn't have celery), boiled eggs, seasonings, cream of chicken and celery soup (1/2 can each) thickened with cornstarch-served over cornbread stove top stuffing-kids loved it. And I also made Spagetti Sauce with mild italian sausage on sale-(I took the casings off)-I froze 1/2 the meat and let this all cook for 3 hours, I mixed it with macaroni noodles and mozzarella cheese-in a casserole dish and baked it. At least a few nights we had left overs for dinner and had some lunch for me and hubby. We had a few non-meat meals this time around.

Boy can we use these savings!

Cream of Soup Mix-

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:10:20 GMT

Cream of Soup Mix

2 cups of dry milk

1 1/4 cup of cornstarch

1/4 cup of chicken or beef bouillon powder

2 T dried onion flakes

1/2 t pepper

1 t thyme (if you want)

1 t basil (if you want)

For condensed soup for casseroles: 1/3 cup mix with 1 1/4 cup water

For soup: 1/3 cup mix with 2 1/2 cups of water

Heat until thickened-you can add mushroom or celery as needed for casseroles or desire

Recipe makes 9 cans of soup. Enjoy the savings!

My Teens' Favorite Casserole

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:52:40 GMT

Tator tot casserole:

Ground beef- you can use 1-2LBS of Beef (I use 1- 1 1/2 pounds) (I purchase when found under $2.00LBS)

1 package of Tator Tots- (store brand, lowest Unit Priced or on sale)

1-2 cans of cream of mushroom or celery soup (store brand, lowest Unit Priced or on sale)

1-2 cups of cheese (store brand, lowest unit priced or on sale)

1 onion

garlic

season for taste

saute onion in nonstick skillet when softened add garlic & ground beef till cooked-drain and add undiluted soup and cheese-spread into your casserole dish and top with tator tots-I cook it according to tator top recipe recommendation temperature. (some cheese can be sprinkled on top).

This recipe is very filling-

Suggestions for better savings in the above recipe:

Use a home made "Cream Soup Mix"