I was in the grocery store yesterday and was talking with a lady in the dairy section about the rising cost of food. She was very upset that her kids were eating her out of house and home. She just was not able to keep up with feeding them with the rising cost of food. Her buggy was loaded down with convenience food items and there were no coupons in sight. I asked her if she minded if we discussed what she was buying. She was very eager for help.
So we talked about cheaper snack items she could be choosing that would be more filling than the pizza bites and the pot pies. We also talked about filling dinners that could be turned into snacks.
I also suggested that she should actively involve everyone in food prep and the problem of rising food cost. I told here there is nothing wrong with making them own up to the cost of feeding them.
The number one cost a lot of time is due to waste; let them know that waste will not be tolerated. I told her not to go cold turkey from the usual items but to gradually cut back buying the prepackaged items.
The following are some suggestions that I gave her:
I could come up with more but we were in the middle of the grocery store.
Thanks everyone!
By Meemaw
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Thank God for what you did for that lady! I have always been a thrifty consumer. I buy meat on sale, and if I don't use it immediately, I put it in the freezer. When it's time, if I don't have a lot of time, I put the meat on the stove in a pot, add water, and cook it that way, then I put the pot in the fridge, and skim all the fat off the next day. Then I make a meal out of it.
I've noticed noodles being expensive in the stores, I have a recipe for homemade noodles. Also, I stay away from all the "prepared foods," I've noticed they don't satisfy my hunger like my own home made foods. And that could be a reason the kids are always hungry.
One time, my neighbors relatives kids came over, and said "We're hungry. Do you have any ice cream or other snack?" I gave them a little snack, then asked them what they'd eaten. They said their mom took them to a fast food restaurant, and fed them. When their mom showed up, I asked her about it, and she was seemingly innocent, and did not understand that taking her kids for a fast food meal was not the way to keep them filled up.
I honestly don't understand all of the fast food meals, because I grew up on basic, home cooked meals. And after eating some fast food meals, I can tell you, that home cooked meals are much more satisfying, and full of more nutrients, than fast food.
While studying, and on my own, I started buying frozen food dinners. After a few days, I needed to eat at least two frozen food dinners, rather than one to satisfy my appetite. I started finding chicken in the store that had a lot of recipes for the oven, and used those instead of the fast foods.
Now that I am older, I much prefer cooking at home to fast foods.
I hope you mentioned fresh veggies, fruits, and nuts for kids to snack on, rather than those other snacks.
So strange. I was at the grocery just this morning and was standing next to a young lady in the meat department. We also had a conversation about the incredibly high cost of meat. We discussed trying to buy store brands and use less expensive cuts of meat and lots of chicken. (actually chicken is way up in price as well but better then beef or even pork).Cooking less expensive meats longer and slower and using lots of vegetables to make a larger meal were some of the things we discussed. Also using more of high carb items like noodles or rice can make hunger return quicker so limit them as much as possible. It is a tough world right now and I wish all of you luck and joy as much as possible.
Buy fresh veggies when on sale and freeze. I buy fresh mini portbello mushrooms pre-sliced and just pop them in the freezer in the package they come in. I bought tons of broccoli when it was $1.00 a pound chopped it all up and put it in gal. bags, no pre cooking needed.
I make large pots of chili we eat it for 2 days and the rest goes in the freezer in single serve containers. same with soup make it once have it many times. any left over veggies go in the freezer so next time I make stir-fry, those veggies can be added, add some pasta to it and stretch it even farther.
If I use something like Bird's Eye garlic chicken meal, if I add a bunch of broccoli or whatever veggies I have in the freezer to make it a bigger meal, then we have it for lunch or dinner the next day.
Make your own stroganoff = brown 2 lbs of hamburger, add a package of mushrooms and some chicken broth, some paprika and just before serving stir in some sour cream, simple, feeds a lot of people. a little salad on the side. I always freeze the leftovers even if I plan on eating it the next day, that way if I change my mind it's all taken care of. Hope that helps.
I have been thinking about holding a workshop on "How to make your SNAP benefits last a whole month." Checking your receipt, knowing WHEN to shop, choosing store brands over named brands, are all good tips. Maybe knowing how to work the corporate game is the most important thing.
One important way to limit the cost of snacks is to put some in a bowl, not eat out of the bag.
I wish we'd get over using the word "cheap" and use "inexpensive" instead. Good, healthful food is like money in the bank! Feed your family well and you will remain well. Cut corners on anything but food and education.
Not all of us can qualify for SNAP but hopefully many can which is such a great program. Although I have mentioned this before that I think it is a very abused program. I witnessed a woman using it ahead of me in line and when exiting the store saw her entering a brand new car. Hmmm!!
You ever think she might have been shopping for someone else? Maybe she is borrowing the car. There are many reasons for what you saw that dont end in a person doing something bad. Sure there are people that dont deserve SNAP but there still are many good people in this world
What great tips you gave her! It was very kind of you to help her.
I worked in a grocery store several years ago, and my husband has since he was 16 (he is a meat department manager), and we both lament how much money people waste buying convenience foods. Many people would sigh and moan about the high cost of groceries while filling their buggies with Lunchables, pre-packaged snack cakes, name brand cookies instead of store brand and those wee-tiny super-expensive frozen dinners made for children. No wonder!
I wish that there was some way to inform folks en masse on how to be a thrifty shopper... too bad not everyone comes here to thrifty fun!
I love the idea of the little pizzas. I'll have to try that tonight.
Great tips! Here's another. I used to give my kids homemade popsicles. They called them Swamp Water Pops. I made lemon-lime koolaid, cutting the sugar in half. I dissolved in this, one container (8 oz) of frozen orange juice, slightly thawed. Stir to blend. Freeze in ice cube trays or popsicle plastic or 2 0z bathroom paper cups. Real yummy and cooling in hot summer and good for you.
Nancy
But why the kool aid? Artificial color, chemicals and even with less sugar it is still a sugary drink. Ice water is so good.
Kool Aid doesnt have added sugar if you buy the correct package.
Your tips are 100% perfect! And now she'll "fix" her family and tell her friends, and your advice will help more people than you'll ever know! Thank you for doing that and sharing it with all of us! Hope I get the same opportunity.
A town near me had classes once that were designed to teach those on food stamps how to stretch their money and I was surprised at the basic common sense things people had to be taught. Everybody could use some tips, not just food stamp users. I was taught to shop around the outside of the store. The inner shelves carry the canned and packaged foods which are not as good and cost more...but they're easier!
I understand that completely. I currently work in a grocery store as a cashier and I see a lot of people just turn their noses up at coupons. These folks also buy a lot of convenience foods since a lot of them do not know how to cook healthy meals. I use coupons every time I shop and my bf is happy at my savings.
Along with using coupons, don't forget store brands. They are often the same quality as national brands and cost MUCH less. My sister used to work for a large packaging manufacturer, they sent name brand packaging and store brand packaging to the same food manufacturers. When an order of canned goods was completed for the national brand, the store brand labels were fed into the same canning machine and production continued. The store cans were filled with the same product, the only thing that changed was the label on the cans. Not all products are handled this way, but many are. Makes you think, doesn't it?!
There is one I will not compromise on a d that is the creamed corn for scalloped corn. The store brands are much funnier and you find yourself chewing parts of cob and the outsides of the corn. Therefore, creamed corn is always brand.
Absolutely. And actually I have read that the store brands are often name brands that are just relabeled. I will never forget that and buy then for everything I can.
I have a friend that worked for the Krusteaz factory that makes pancake mix. He said that they would package the mix in the branded bags and then switch to store packaging, using the exact same mix. I'm sure that this is common for all sorts of packaged foods. It's certainly worth trying out the cheaper products.
If you don't like it, all stores will accept returns, especially if you only use a small portion. This will encourage the stores to upgrade their store brand products over time.
Another great place to save money is by buying bulk products. I especially like to get spices this way as it's easy to get a small amount for a specific recipe. Great for pantry staples like beans, pasta and grains.
Some really great ideas here. Thanx! How do you make granola bars out of oatmeal?
It is one of the items in homemade granola bars. Just look up online for recipes. There are tons. It is a bit complex but well worth the effort to save so much money.
Here are some frugal recipes that have been submitted by ThriftyFun members in the past. Hope one of them will work out for you.
www.thriftyfun.com/
Check your library for old cookbooks, the ones from before convenience foods became popular often have economical recipes and ideas. Also, always check your register receipts, two out of five times there's an error; the dimes and quarters add up and often a store offers an incorrect item for free.
Great ideas about not using expensive prepared snacks. Also the two people who posted about helping folks who are on SNAP and anyone who is willing to listen and may want help. Another site is livingonadime.com. Great ideas about many subjects!
WIC, however, will not allow coupons, crazy right? It could save the government lots of money. My daughter 18 years ago used coupons to make her WIC go further. NO more.
For a few years now we have made the homemade mini pizza's out of leftovers & frozen them for future use. This can be made really simple by using the store brand canned biscuits when they go on sale; roll the biscuits out, add leftover spaghetti sauce, whatever meat you have leftover in the freezer or 'fridge & a little cheese.
Nearly anything I get in the grocery is on sale - especially meats. I always make extra large batches & freeze for 2 or 3 more meals. I chop up celery & bell pepper when they go on sale, freeze on cookie sheets, transfer to Ziploc bags or plastic freezer storage boxes & put back in the freezer & I have these for several months or until the next sale. I also make my own potato chips - cheaper & less salty since I can control the salt. I wait for my favorite flour to go on sale & hit the sale early. I make up my own baking mixes & freeze raw dough balls for hot rolls later.
Same with cookies - fresh baked anytime I want. I dry my own garlic & onion to make powders & I buy the cheaper herbs & spices that are in the cellophane bags & make my own seasoning mixes. I guess you could say I make my own convenience foods. You have to learn this when you're trying to feed 5 children.
Please, please advise folks of the uselessness of those silly "use-by dates" on foods. Manufacturers admit it is a marketing ploy for the grocer to have a sale so more product can be delivered to the store. An article, I believe it was on 60 Minutes, stated that Americans toss billions of good food out due to misunderstanding those dates. A canned food, unless damaged, is good indefinitely. Google the subject.
You can make kids feel guilty for wasting food but please dont ever make them feel guilty for being hungry. They are growing and you brought them into this world to take care of. One pot meals are usually hardy. Beans with carrots onions and chunks of potato cooked in the pot with the beans is a wonderful filling meal.
That is such a good point. It's a fine line between teaching kids about frugality and stressing them out about the family's finances. When money is tight, kids might try to skip meals or eat less to save on the food budget. They imagine they are helping but, in reality, they aren't eating the proper nutrition for their growing bodies. Teenagers especially need a great deal of food.
At this great time of need, I have 4 families in my neighborhood who have lost their jobs to COVID-19. I have always loved to cook. I come from a very large family, and have a large family of my own. I love to cook in bulk. I am a very faithful person. I feel I am put here for a purpose. I live alone and disabled. But, it does not affect my cooking skills! I cook everything from scratch. These kids nowadays, eat out of packaged mixes. Well, now I am daily cooking for 4 families and loving it! It has given me a purpose and with God's help, I will continue! They are so very grateful each day! I am quarantined. I text these families in the morning, tell them what I am cooking, and text them when it is ready. I put everything in foil baking pans and brown paper shopping bags witheir name on it and call them to pick it up outside my door! God is Good! I am here, healthy through all of this and plan on doing God's work. He said; When the people were hungry; I gave them food! God Bless everyone. Stay well, and safe!
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