Eating well on a budget

jbdowns35

Oh yeah, And if anyone has an ALDI grocery store in your area - go there!!! Great products & soooo cheap!! I cut my grocery bill in half!!!

sarahmaryfearnley

One other tip, is buy bulk dry goods... beans legumes, etc... I LOVE hummus and I eat it alot, its nutritious and filling. I buy dry garbanzos and cook them. They taste MUCH better and you get so much more for your money (you may have mentioned this in your post but I don't remember seeing it, that was alot to take in LOL)

This is a great idea. I also love hummus and scoff repeatedly when I see people describing brands they like here in the forums. It IS the easiest thing in the world to make.

I'm a big fan of dried beans. Cooked with the holy trinity, chicken broth and a few slices of cut up bacon - delicious! I have never cooked dried chick peas but will give it a try. Do you put anything in particular in for flavor? I'm not sure it's necessary if you're going to make hummus out of them. Can you freeze hummus? I envision a lot of hummus being made from 2lbs of dried chick peas.

sarahmaryfearnley

My favorite Frugalista tip to add is that I put the tops and bottoms of onions, celery, and carrots, sometimes squash and other veggies, in a ziploc in my freezer instead of throwing them away. When I have a chicken carcass or bones for stock, I use those frozen veggie ends that otherwise would have gone to waste. Also, I never have to worry about having enough onion, carrot & celery when I want to make stock!

This is awesome. I haven't done it because I compost for my plants outside but think I will try it. I was also unsure about how to store the veggie ends until it's time to make the broth. Good to know they can go in my favorite place, the freezer.

sarahmaryfearnley

I spend $100-150 a month on groceries for 2 and I do NOT coupon, it's easy!

I'd love to be an Extreme Couponer but the system just isn't set up like that in Canada. There is no such thing as doubling-up of coupons, no rewards points and coupons cannot be scanned, you have to sit there while the cashier reads the fine print to make sure you picked out the right model/size item.

I’m a working professional so no, I do NOT go around town to all grocery stores to buy their flyer deals. I go to Walmart and get whatever I need matching for cheap especially produce which is easiest to match. Flyers from Asian grocery stores that often have dirt cheap deals like .38 cent lb bananas and 58 cent lb peppers and zucchini.

I originally Canadian and you are correct, coupons do not work the same way up there as they do in the states. However, my mom taught me a lot of these tricks growing up and while she doesn't use coupons she does buy on sale, which is really the same idea. The basement laundry room is her pantry and at any given time there will be 100 rolls of toilet paper, 50lbs of flour and sugar, 25 containers of peanut butter, 40 cases of diet coke (my step father is an addict), among other things next to the huge chest freezer. She also buys the Safeway brand bread when it's on sale, up to 30 loaves at a time and puts them in the freezer.

vanessaclarkgbr

bump to read tomorrow, off to bed. Thanks!

morgawr

Thank you for this - some v. good ideas there

shellbell525

WOW, lots of great idea I would have never thought of! Thank you!

abby459

Awesome tips!! I have been struggling to stay healthy on a budget!

punkrockmama

I've seen the reusable mesh bags on amazon, and at our local organic market, but honestly making them is easy-peasy and SO much cheaper!!!!!!

jskaggs1971

For proteins, try to buy the largest cuts you can and learn to break them down yourself. A whole chicken costs about the same (or even less) than a pair of boneless, skinless breasts. If you learn to break down a chicken properly, you can do it in about two minutes, and you have all of the cuts to work with. Ditto for cuts of pork: Buy a whole loin or a half loin and break it down. Ditto for beef: Buy a half loin and break it down yourself to save big on the costs.

Also, I find that if I buy the "living" lettuce (yes, the pricey stuff in the individual plastic packages), I actually end up paying less for it, because it doesn't go bad and slimy before I can eat it all.

JamesonsMommy

So glad you mentioned coupons I save at least 80-100% on ALL my cleaning, laundry, Health and beauty and paper products.. This allows more for the fresh and organic fruits, meats and veggies I also find i save a lot on my very spoiled kitty Looks like we have alot of the same tips and tricks

LOVE the pet coupons! Our cat and the dogs are well cared for however, they are particular about their brands and I often find coupons for other brands. I've been making use of them as best I can afford and taking the stuff to our local animal shelter. I know Meaw Mix and Kibbles 'n Bits are not most nutritional brands out there but I figure the starving cats and dogs will not mind, at all.

My poor duggie has expensive tastes..lol If there is a good coupon in the paper i will buy extras. I'll been starting a "treat" pile for the shelter i got my sweet kitty from

missjelika

:drinker: :flowerforyou:
bump

KendaVSG

OP thank you for taking the time to post this! Great ideas EVERYONE! I don't really do coupons. I don't get the paper and my operating system is not compatible with the coupon websites and the crap they want you to download. I will have to find a way to get coupons for my doggies food and stuff. THAT would save tons of money! I already cook everything homemade - the only "processed" stuff we have is canned beans and frozen fruits and veggies, and various whole wheat pastas. I've been buying bulk for a long time, but I never thought to get the garbanzo beans from bulk for my hummus! lol

Another tip is to invest in a Costco membership (you could split it with a friend or family member - my mil and I are on the membership.) I've found the meat and produce to be of very good quality and MUCH cheaper to buy than getting it from the grocery stores. It SEEMS like you spend more, but you'll get a whole lot more too since you're buying it in larger quantities. I get the pork loin and cut my own pork chops and roasts. I buy a package of 5 beef steaks and repackage them, allowing one steak per meal - they are big enough that two people can share one. You can use Costco whether you are cooking for just one or two people, or a whole family of 4 or 5. Plus the frozen veggies and fruits end up being cheaper and better too!

jrditt

i really wish I had a bigger freezer but I am going to adopt some of this stuff! Thanks!

sarahmaryfearnley

I don't really do coupons. I don't get the paper and my operating system is not compatible with the coupon websites and the crap they want you to download.

As stated, I am totally not extreme about couponing. We don't get the paper either and it's only the Sunday paper that has the coupons in it. I really only collect the SmartSource inserts and discovered that our local paper delivers a Sunday Saver (with the SmartSource in it) to everyone for free. On the Monday and Tuesday dog walks, I pick as many as I can carry. I figure by then, I'm really doing a neighborhood service.

In regards to the online coupons, I have never had much luck with these. They are generally the same as the SmartSource or if they are different and seem awesome, they will not scan and the stores will not accept them. I have occasionally printed from the Valpack website. You do not need to install anything and they have always scanned for me. I do not install additional junk on the computer either.

FitasBarbie

Bump! Thanks

jecka31

Thanks for the tips!!

waylonthornton

Dude, BUMP! This is some killer advice! Thanks!

sarahmaryfearnley

I relearned an important tip about freezing in glass containers. Liquids expand. Remeber to leave a 1-2 inches at the top to allow for that. Looks like I ruined 4 of my new quart size jars last time I made broth. I'm going to blame it on it being my birthday the day I did that and there was definately wine, all day.

FrankWorsley

Thanks!!! bump