Help reducing grocery bill?

[Shiloh Acres]

Some good ideas here. I do know most of my usual suggestions would probably not suit you well, but from reading your posts I thought of a few things.

I miss the Cali stores, btw. Are you near a Winco? Ours had a wonderful bulk section I've never seen the rival of. Lots of good ingredients, spices, TONS of stuff I love to buy at good prices. I am not sure it's ALL good prices, so double check if you go, but they are worth visiting. Good variety of produce too, and some good sales on meats and cheeses.

I really miss Trader Joe's. Their prices were often really pretty reasonable and the quality good.

You use a lot of chicken stock/broth and DH won't eat chicken? I'm not sure if you're up for it, but if you feed a good quality dog food, it can be cheaper to make from chicken and other people foods. I'm not talking about a raw diet, since the dog gets the bones in that case, but cooked, and you get to use the carcass. That could save you money on dogwood AND broth. And probably better and safer for your dog as well. For a long while I fed my cats that way. You can make big batches and freeze it, especially if it is a small dog.

Regarding DH's love for pasta and diabetes, I know you said the wheat didn't spike his blood sugar and this also isn't about saving money since the cost is likely quite higher, but I just wondered if you'd ever tried brown rice pasta? I found it surprisingly delicious and satisfying. I can't afford it anymore, LOL, but I think Tinkyada was the best brand and used to be affordable at Henry's if you have one. They also have AMAZING sales on fresh blueberries, btw, and organic grass-fed meats. Check them out if you are near one and haven't. (OK so I did get a money-saving bit for you in that paragraph!)

Also, as far as DS liking pizzas, I have gotten ingredients (shredded cheeses, pepperoni or Canadian bacon, or cooking other meats, etc.) and used to get the cheap $4 takeout pizza as a treat and add extra stuff to make it good. You can add toppings and just put it in the oven for a little while till the cheese melts. I sometimes do that now (or I did it at least once LOL) when decent-enough frozen pizzas are on sale. I might be wrong -- I see Tony's on sale for $1 often -- but I just don't think it's "good enough". I got DiGiorno or Tombstone for a little over $2 instead.

But when you are ready to try making your own dough, it saves even more. I do a no-rise pizza dough that is super-easy. It might seem awkward the first couple of times but it quickly becomes no big deal. Making your own bread can be easy too. You can always use a breadmaker if you have one for the mixing and rising. I really like the ease and convenience of the method in "Making Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" (or a title just about like that) that I know has a lot of posts on here. I just have to get more variety in mine.

Hope something here helps. I was in some similar situations as you when I was in Cali.

 

[tortoise]

I'm not sure if you're up for it, but if you feed a good quality dog food, it can be cheaper to make from chicken and other people foods. I'm not talking about a raw diet, since the dog gets the bones in that case, but cooked, and you get to use the carcass. That could save you money on dogwood AND broth. And probably better and safer for your dog as well.

A cooked food diet without bone (calcium) is seriously harmful for dogs. Feeding cooked bones is potentially fatal. If you want to make dog food - go for it. But go all out if you want your dog(s) to live healthy long lives. Dogs are not just little people, their digestive tracts are fundamentally different. At a minimum, you would need to calculate how much calcium supplement is needed per pound of meat that you feed.

 

[tortoise]

I really like the ease and convenience of the method in "Making Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" (or a title just about like that)

I got that book for Christmas! Can't wait to try it out!

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I'm not sure if you're up for it, but if you feed a good quality dog food, it can be cheaper to make from chicken and other people foods. I'm not talking about a raw diet, since the dog gets the bones in that case, but cooked, and you get to use the carcass. That could save you money on dogwood AND broth. And probably better and safer for your dog as well.

A cooked food diet without bone (calcium) is seriously harmful for dogs. Feeding cooked bones is potentially fatal. If you want to make dog food - go for it. But go all out if you want your dog(s) to live healthy long lives. Dogs are not just little people, their digestive tracts are fundamentally different. At a minimum, you would need to calculate how much calcium supplement is needed per pound of meat that you feed.

Good point Tortoise. I did it for a short while for my dog, but longer term for my cats. I DID include vitamin, mineral, amino acid, etc supplements to the cooked meat, veggies, etc. You can get in big trouble with cats on that point too. I had cats with very delicate systems and couldn't even afford Friskies in the big bag at Wal-Mart but did NOT want to feed them that junk (IMO). Buying turkey at 15 cents a pound was WAY cheaper, and I got Solid Gold and human-grade supplements at cost, so I fed them MUCH better at MUCH more cheaply. Thank you, I should have mentioned it, but I wasn't sure the OP was at all interested in cooking for her dog. I'd be challenged to prepare my dog's meals in qty and have to store them, since he eats 2 big meals a day --- 100+ pound puppy. That would take a lot of freezer space.

 

[ORChick]

We need lots of milk so I have to shop weekly.

Lori, do you have freezer room for milk? We are a family of onlly two, so a gallon of milk is way too much for us, but I will buy 2 or 3 gallons at a time, and freeze them. Some gallon jugs have dimples on the sides - you can just put those straight in the freezer, and the dimples will bulge out with expansion. Lacking dimples, just pour off enough to leave expansion room. Milk jugs are flimsy though, and sometimes spring a leak (no problem - just let them thaw in a bowl), and are too much for us, so I bought some better containers, 1/2 gallons, and transfer the milk into them. They will thaw over a couple of days in the 'fridge, or leave them on the counter (on a plate, they drip condensation!) until mostly thawed, and then refrigerate; shake before using. I've been doing this for years, and its a great way to keep milk on hand.

 

[AnnaRaven]

I really like the ease and convenience of the method in "Making Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" (or a title just about like that)

I got that book for Christmas! Can't wait to try it out!

That reminds me - I need to start a batch of no-knead bread . DH actually likes my homemade bread but I've gotta figure out how to make it with wholewheat flour instead of the unbleached flour I usually use. He doesn't like sourdough though.

I used to bake all of the family's bread when I was with my ex. Even worked for a while at an organic bread bakery. I was the "loaf girl" - the one who shaped the loaves and actually baked them. Eventually my shoulders/neck couldn't handle it though after a car accident. Likewise, my wrists aren't up to kneading bread these days - but with the no-knead bread recipe, I can make bread in 5 minutes of prep.

One trick to getting a good crust on bread - cook it in a heavy dutch oven with the top on. The top retains the steam that the bread lets off. Just open it up for the last 10 minutes of cooking to let the top brown (if necessary: mine often gets sufficiently browned without.)

 

[AnnaRaven]

Some good ideas here. I do know most of my usual suggestions would probably not suit you well, but from reading your posts I thought of a few things.

I miss the Cali stores, btw. Are you near a Winco? Ours had a wonderful bulk section I've never seen the rival of. Lots of good ingredients, spices, TONS of stuff I love to buy at good prices. I am not sure it's ALL good prices, so double check if you go, but they are worth visiting. Good variety of produce too, and some good sales on meats and cheeses.

I really miss Trader Joe's. Their prices were often really pretty reasonable and the quality good.

You use a lot of chicken stock/broth and DH won't eat chicken? I'm not sure if you're up for it, but if you feed a good quality dog food, it can be cheaper to make from chicken and other people foods. I'm not talking about a raw diet, since the dog gets the bones in that case, but cooked, and you get to use the carcass. That could save you money on dogwood AND broth. And probably better and safer for your dog as well. For a long while I fed my cats that way. You can make big batches and freeze it, especially if it is a small dog.
<snip>
Hope something here helps. I was in some similar situations as you when I was in Cali.

Well, thanks. I'm not gonna cook chicken just for the dog... OTOH, I asked DH last night, and he said he's okay with chicken if it's boiled to death (so all the flavor goes into the stock) then properly disguised (so it doesn't taste like chicken ) in a cacciatore sauce. It's funny - he doesn't like chicken and he doesn't like tomatoes but if you combine them in chicken cacciatore, he likes it. (Sometimes, I feel like taking Wifezilla's advice and beat him with a chicken carcass.)

So I guess I can make stock occasionally and just use the meat for tacos and cacciatore. (And to feed the chickens. )

 

[tortoise]

ewww.... boiled chicken. It like "sticks" and "squeaks" if you chew it. Cube boiled chicken (or roast rabbit) and fry up in bacon grease, THEN add to your recipe! Yum!

 

[AnnaRaven]

ewww.... boiled chicken. It like "sticks" and "squeaks" if you chew it. Cube boiled chicken (or roast rabbit) and fry up in bacon grease, THEN add to your recipe! Yum!

Ooooh - pork-flavored chicken. THAT sounds good. DH might even like that.

 

[dipence71]

Okay, I'm going through this too. I have just switched to GF and am now restocking my pantry with items that won't make me ill.

I tried only going to the store once or twice a month and I just can't do it.

I now am making a dinner list with recipes and buying what I need for that week's dinners. I find that if you have a weeks worth of recipes then you don't find yourself buying whatever. Take a list and stick to it.

I don't have a lot of storage space pantry wise so buying in bulk is not something I usually do unless I really find a good deal. I don't use coupons but did just sign up for a coupon service for celiacs that I just found and we'll see what happens with that.

I stick to buying fresh food mostly. Our biggest expenses right now are milk,cheese, yogurt, fruit, and veggies. I will definitely be excited when we can put in a garden and start milking our goats. We just planted 7 fruit trees and 11 berry bushes to help with that cost.

I buy most of my bulk items frozen. Big packs of frozen veggies cause we prefer the texture of frozen to canned foods.

I try to cook some stuff in big batches and freeze it for later....like meat. If I'm gonna be cooking a lb of hamburger anyway then why not cook 2lbs and freeze the extra frozen lb for a quick meal later in the week. Same with chicken. If I'm cooking a whole chicken then I will usually eat 1/2 of the chicken for dinner and pick the rest and freeze it for later in the week for other recipes or chicken salad, whatever. I made a 23lb turkey for xmas and I have 2lbs of pulled meat that I froze for pot pie.

I find that a lot of times we tend to go out to eat when I'm too tired to cook and it ends up costing us $20-$50 each time. That is HUGE. When I think of how many meals I could have cooked at home for $50 it makes me cringe.

Try the meal list and shop according to the list. It really does help when you know exactly what meals you are going to prepare for the week.

Celiac coupons???? where where!!!!