kids lunch bag menu image
Mom to Bel
Just looking for some advice on some good cheap meals to make. My husband and I are pretty tight on money lately, and i have two little kids to feed as well. every time i go to the store and buy fo od, i always end up spending way more than i expect. I'm kinda and impulse shopper, when it comes to food. lol. anyway, i'm making a list of only essential foods and ingredients i need. trying to make decent meals for as cheap as possible. and meat is so expensive. any tips. thanks.
Answer
I used to make a menu, then figure out exactly what I needed for the ingredients, then made a list, and then went to the grocery. I don't need to do that anymore, likely the recipe is in my head, so all I do these days is write down meat loaf, and I know what to buy and have on hand for it.
I include snacks, and especially at this time of the year, I make sure emergency foods are on the list, or already here in the house. And everything I want and need goes onto that list. And yes, I budget a couple bucks extra to take care of forgetfulness. I will bet you all that I get home next week without the Comet cleanser that I need.
We got freezing ice last eve, and we are not going anywhere today, trust me. I have adequate food in the house, I have meat loaf and mashed potatoes leftover for lunch.
And I budget for one treat that was not on the list, in case I find a bargain or a sale that I did not know about. A treat does not have to be something sugar laden, it could be a pound of hamburger and some house brand taco chips for a layered mexican casserole I make.
One way is to not put your groceries on a credit or debit card, to use only cash. and when the cash runs out, no more Ding dongs or chocolate covered donuts. You know how much to take out of the bank after you make your list.
Another way is to take time to look at the ads from all the stores, and buy what is on sale. Buy only items that are on sale, and plan your menu right from the sale ads.
When something you use a lot is on sale, buy more than one. Especially canned goods, since they keep for a long time.
Shop at the discount stores as much as possible, some things stay cheaper than at the regular stores. But watch! Rivers gets a huge sack of generic O cereal for > $3, even the discount grocery could not touch that price. And before Xmas I got cream cheese for $,88, and sour cream and onion dip for that price, too.
And Walmart had hot dogs for $.88 last time I was there.
Some tips. Eliminate soda pop from the menu. Empty calories. Eliminate juice form the menu. Whole fruits are healthier, and full of fiber, and juice does not fill us up as well as whole fruit does.
Forget the high priced snacks and treats . The name brand donuts are how much on sale? Yikes, go get some out of the store's donuts out of the case for way cheaper. And even cheaper? Skip the donuts, and go home and make french toast from your getting stale loaf of bread.
You paid what for a cake from the bakery? Go get some brownie mix on sale, and make a batch of brownies. Even if you frost them, still way cheaper than a bought cake. Save treats like that for BDs and holidays.
Cut chickens up yourself. It is not hard to do, and it saves big bucks when the butcher does not cut it up. Cook from scratch whenever possible, and do not ever buy any kind of pasta in the frozen food aisle, you can make a barrel full of spagetti for what one pkg of frozen pasta costs.
And when temptation strikes, when those Zingers just look so good, I keep walking. And I save my treat for last, and go make a special trip to get it, since it is often ice cream.
Go to a recipe site like allrecipes, and go through the recipes. Look for one you might like, that looks cheap to make.
And use loss leader items like bananas a lot, make banana quick bread, save some to make french toast with, cut nannars up on cereal, or serve nannars and sugar and milk as part of breakfast. . Stores keep prices on certain items cheap so you will come back. Things like generic bread, or those big bags of cereal like Rivers found[this is my fifth one, and it takes weeks for me to eat the whole bag]. Think up uses, look for recipes to utilize the cheap prices.
$.33 bread? Make garlic bread, french toast, toast some hot sandwiches, Mom made stewed tomatoes with torn bread in them. Now is the time to make meat balls with milk bread in them for the freezer, or make bread pudding or stuffing. ,
I used to make a menu, then figure out exactly what I needed for the ingredients, then made a list, and then went to the grocery. I don't need to do that anymore, likely the recipe is in my head, so all I do these days is write down meat loaf, and I know what to buy and have on hand for it.
I include snacks, and especially at this time of the year, I make sure emergency foods are on the list, or already here in the house. And everything I want and need goes onto that list. And yes, I budget a couple bucks extra to take care of forgetfulness. I will bet you all that I get home next week without the Comet cleanser that I need.
We got freezing ice last eve, and we are not going anywhere today, trust me. I have adequate food in the house, I have meat loaf and mashed potatoes leftover for lunch.
And I budget for one treat that was not on the list, in case I find a bargain or a sale that I did not know about. A treat does not have to be something sugar laden, it could be a pound of hamburger and some house brand taco chips for a layered mexican casserole I make.
One way is to not put your groceries on a credit or debit card, to use only cash. and when the cash runs out, no more Ding dongs or chocolate covered donuts. You know how much to take out of the bank after you make your list.
Another way is to take time to look at the ads from all the stores, and buy what is on sale. Buy only items that are on sale, and plan your menu right from the sale ads.
When something you use a lot is on sale, buy more than one. Especially canned goods, since they keep for a long time.
Shop at the discount stores as much as possible, some things stay cheaper than at the regular stores. But watch! Rivers gets a huge sack of generic O cereal for > $3, even the discount grocery could not touch that price. And before Xmas I got cream cheese for $,88, and sour cream and onion dip for that price, too.
And Walmart had hot dogs for $.88 last time I was there.
Some tips. Eliminate soda pop from the menu. Empty calories. Eliminate juice form the menu. Whole fruits are healthier, and full of fiber, and juice does not fill us up as well as whole fruit does.
Forget the high priced snacks and treats . The name brand donuts are how much on sale? Yikes, go get some out of the store's donuts out of the case for way cheaper. And even cheaper? Skip the donuts, and go home and make french toast from your getting stale loaf of bread.
You paid what for a cake from the bakery? Go get some brownie mix on sale, and make a batch of brownies. Even if you frost them, still way cheaper than a bought cake. Save treats like that for BDs and holidays.
Cut chickens up yourself. It is not hard to do, and it saves big bucks when the butcher does not cut it up. Cook from scratch whenever possible, and do not ever buy any kind of pasta in the frozen food aisle, you can make a barrel full of spagetti for what one pkg of frozen pasta costs.
And when temptation strikes, when those Zingers just look so good, I keep walking. And I save my treat for last, and go make a special trip to get it, since it is often ice cream.
Go to a recipe site like allrecipes, and go through the recipes. Look for one you might like, that looks cheap to make.
And use loss leader items like bananas a lot, make banana quick bread, save some to make french toast with, cut nannars up on cereal, or serve nannars and sugar and milk as part of breakfast. . Stores keep prices on certain items cheap so you will come back. Things like generic bread, or those big bags of cereal like Rivers found[this is my fifth one, and it takes weeks for me to eat the whole bag]. Think up uses, look for recipes to utilize the cheap prices.
$.33 bread? Make garlic bread, french toast, toast some hot sandwiches, Mom made stewed tomatoes with torn bread in them. Now is the time to make meat balls with milk bread in them for the freezer, or make bread pudding or stuffing. ,
Is it ok to leave leave turkey sandwich out for 5 hours?
*Rose*
Packing lunch. Turkey sandwich with cheese on bread with no condiments & sealed in zip lock bag. Packaged in a paper bag, packed at 8:30, eaten at 12:30. Is the meat ok enough to eat?
Answer
Yes of course ..if your turkey is not several days old and had been kept refrigerated it will be fine and you certainly can add condiments if if you like, pickles too! Mothers and housewives have been fixing brown bag lunches for children and husbands for many, many years also farm wives fix lunches for their husbands to take to the fields so they do not have to travel back home again. that is how is was when I went to school and also when my kids where in grammar school there was no hot lunch program until they went to high school if they did not like what was on the school menu they took a bagged lunch I also packed lunches for my husband and my son every day to take to work for many years No one ever got sick and we are all very healthy but my kids did get sick a couple of times from the high school hot lunches The key is to make sure all your food is not stale or old .and well wrapped .. Edit~ don't forget contruction workers,carpenters,coal miners, brick and concrete masons and millions of others who work in the outdoor elements and take a steel lunch box and thermos to work everyday
Yes of course ..if your turkey is not several days old and had been kept refrigerated it will be fine and you certainly can add condiments if if you like, pickles too! Mothers and housewives have been fixing brown bag lunches for children and husbands for many, many years also farm wives fix lunches for their husbands to take to the fields so they do not have to travel back home again. that is how is was when I went to school and also when my kids where in grammar school there was no hot lunch program until they went to high school if they did not like what was on the school menu they took a bagged lunch I also packed lunches for my husband and my son every day to take to work for many years No one ever got sick and we are all very healthy but my kids did get sick a couple of times from the high school hot lunches The key is to make sure all your food is not stale or old .and well wrapped .. Edit~ don't forget contruction workers,carpenters,coal miners, brick and concrete masons and millions of others who work in the outdoor elements and take a steel lunch box and thermos to work everyday
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title Post: How To Spend Less At The Grocery Store, and make cheaper meals?
Rating: 97% based on 9832 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
Rating: 97% based on 9832 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment