frugal yet healthy meals

[AmyinWI]

Just when I think I have things all figured out, prices go up again and our budget is stretched to the limit!

So how do I feed our every growing family on a tight budget?
I need ideas!!!!

[Michelle]

Amy,

I so understand! In the fall I bought enough grain for the winter, maybe the summer. So I make just about all of our breads and desserts from freshly milled grain.

Last week I bought a yogurt maker as I have started having the girls eat a bread item and yogurt almost every morning for breakfast. I figure the yogurt maker will pay for itself in less than a month.

We also eat a lot of beans, and I am thinking about buying them bulk, I just don't have a place to store them well at the moment. In the meals where we have beans (tacos, nachos, burritos, chili, stew) I cut the meat in 1/2.

And water, I am encouraging the girls and myself to drink more and more water.

Those are the only ways I've found to work for now. I'll be watching for more ideas. :group:

[DD in IL]

We use alot of beans too. I also cut the meat in half...We use alot of rice and pasta too. Honeyville grain has some great storage buckets. They are a little pricey to start off with but they are great. To store my beans I put them in tupperware or rubbermaid.

[MichelleTN]

I store my beans and rice in juice jugs.

Watching this thread closely.

[Diane E.]

here is a tip or two that I sometimes use....

for vegetable broth (which alot of times you can use instead of chicken broth) save those tops and bottoms of celery, onions, carrots and anything else that would nicely flavor a soup and freeze them until you have enough to boil into a nice healthy broth.

My husband makes our own fruit syrup for pancakes........just throw some frozen berries of your choice into a pan and add enough orange juice to cover and boil down. Very healthy and delicious!

HTH! I will be watching this thread also to see what others do!

[PeggySue]

From one of my fav sites:

http://www.menus4moms.com/frugal/index.php

http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm


A few things I've started doing:

1. Go to bread outlet - I can get the good whole wheat breat and english muffins there for about 1/4 the price of grocery store. I buy about 20 items and freeze them to last the month. My last trip, I averaged $1 a loaf - compared to the $4.59 in the store.

2. Have beans at least 1 time a week and soup 1 time - we do this and it helps.

3. Stockpile the stores loss-leaders - I've been saving a ton doing this thanks to the Money Saving Mom website - I read it frequently and she posts and people write in with great tips on little know sales, promos and catalinas from well-known grocery chains - coupled with coupons- even better. Last month alone I got Cherrios for $.08 a box, (reg. $4.59) Nabisco crackers for $.66 a box (reg. $3.99), Attune granola bars $1.25 a box (regular $15 a box), Hormel Natural Turkey $2.29 (reg. $5) - the list could go on - when I find these type deals, I stock up, then you never have to buy the item at a high price again. (I'm not kidding - I think I have 40 boxes of assorted types of Cherrios right now!) I'm getting spoiled, I'm starting to think $2 is too much for a box of cereal when I used to think it was great!

I do have some expenses, b/c I won't compromise on the ingredients for our daily green smoothie (organic) - but we are reaping great benefits. I am also about to place a bulk order for grass-fed beef- but we eat it so rarely, that it will last us a long time.

[Lynna]

Something I just did was move my dry and canned food to a different cupboard. All this food was in a HUGE whole in the wall the the owners called a cupboard and when I opened it up I would say, "we are running out of food." Now, it is in a smaller cupboard so when I open it up I think that we are set and I don't need to go to the store!

When I was moving the food I found 3 or 4 bags half filled with rice or pasta so I combined it into one bag each.

I really like the idea above about saving the ends of celery, carrots and onions to make veggie broth. I am going to use that one!

Lynna

[Anjie in PA]

I hear you, Amy! I'm constantly trying to think of ways to keep the grocery budget in check and still eat well. Here are some additional ideas:

- Do you have any discount grocery stores, outlets, etc. near you? I drive a little extra, but I end up saving alot by shopping in places like this. I go there first and see what they have, then finish up at the regular grocery store.

- Make what you can from scratch. It takes up more time, but it can save you alot of money and is usually way healthier.

- One of our favorites is to eat traditional breakfast foods for other meals. At least once a week we have eggs, pancakes, French toast, or something like that with some fruit for dinner, and my girls often choose to have eggs or oatmeal for lunch. If you do it right, this kind of food is filling, inexpensive, nutritious, and delicious.

- I've spent alot of years buying in bulk, but lately I've reduced my stress a bit by reminding myself that, on this paycheck's alotted grocery money, I only have to feed my family for two weeks. I'm not saying to not buy larger quantities if you come upon a great deal, but changing my thinking on this a bit has helped.

Hope this helps! I'm anxious to read others' responses for some more great ideas.

[AmyinWI]

thanks ladies!!

I almost always make things from scratch.
I have enough grain for bread,etc. to last at least 6 months.
I do make my own yogurt
I love,love,love beans (and most of my kids do) If only dh would eat beans!!!!
We eat venison that dh hunts.
We have chickens,and LOTS of eggs. Maybe I should search around for egg recipes.

I know I have to get in the habit of watching for loss leaders. I used to do that faithfully,and stocked up .
I don't know any outlet stores around here, but I'll have to check around.

Anyone else have an ALDI's store nearby? I'm not crazy about most of their food,as they have lots of processed stuff, but I recently realized the milk is at least 60cents less per gallon than walmart.

keep the ideas coming!

[Cara in WA]

Amy, with your foster kids can you qualify for WIC? We get about ten gallons of milk a month thru them, and that certainly helps. We go through more than that, of course, but every little bit...

Blessings,
Cara

[Wende]

We go through a ton of cheese. I get cheese ends at the deli for $1 a pound and grate them all up. You never know what kind you'll get, but grated and mixed up, it works great in macs and cheese, tacos, toasted cheese sandwiches, etc. The grated cheese also freezes well.

I keep a soup bag going in the freezer. Whenever there is a bit of leftover veggies or gravies from dinner, I pop them into a ziplock in the freezer. When the bag is full it becomes a free meal of soup.

other than that, lots of potatoes, rice and beans.

[Traci in Japan]

this is not a very popular choice, but we shop daily.

check what you have to use up and make a list. buy what you need for that day and the next morning. also buy meat and veges that are on special and then plan the next day around that. no left overs, no waste.

our shop (not supermarket) is only 200metres away. I shop twice a day.

[Kelly in Kentucky]

We go through a ton of cheese. I get cheese ends at the deli for $1 a pound and grate them all up. You never know what kind you'll get, but grated and mixed up, it works great in macs and cheese, tacos, toasted cheese sandwiches, etc. The grated cheese also freezes well.



Do you have to request this from the deli workers or is this displayed in the counter windows? I never knew this was even available. I wonder if Wal-Mart does this.

One way you can make milk stretch is to buy whole milk and combine equal parts with water. You get two gallons of milk for the price of one. It is very much like drinking 2% milk. I have done this for years and my kids are healthy. :)

The biggest saver though is to cut back on waste. Eat the leftovers and try not to cook again until they are gone.

[LillianD]

We eat only white meat, ground turkey is now so much less expensive around here than ground beef. I make a meal of whole wheat spagetti with a meat sauce for about $5 total using the ground turkey!

For snacks we usually buy popping corn and pop it on the stovetop, this has to be the least expensive snack I know of and the kids love it.

I'm looking at my shopping list right now, we use a lot of tortillas (the whole wheat kind though), eggs, and we buy cheese and eggs in bulk. Those along with a stocked pantry of basics makes so many things (homemade pizza, quesadillas, egg and cheese breakfast wraps, etc).

[Kristine In Indiana]

Here's a recipe that uses eggs that I've made and we like: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sausage-Casserole/Detail.aspx?strb=1

I plan on trying this recipe this week because I have a bunch of broken tortilla chips left over from the end of bags:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southwestern-Bake/Detail.aspx

Kristine

[AmyinWI]

Great ideas!

I am wondering about the cheese ends,too. WENDE???? We are not fussy about what kind of cheese either, unless it's limburger!!!:eek:

Cara-We do get WIC for our foster babies,but it only covers formula for the little one,and pediasure for the 18mo.old.


I'm curious about the idea of buying whole milk and adding water to it. Would it then cut down on the calcium ? What about the amount of fat- is there enough fat in the milk for growing kids ? I guess I'll have to research that one further. Even if it's less calcium, maybe that wouldn't matter, we eat lots of yogurt,cottage cheese and broccoli,too. any nutritionists here?

[Kelly in Kentucky]

Great ideas!

Even if it's less calcium, maybe that wouldn't matter, we eat lots of yogurt,cottage cheese and broccoli,too. any nutritionists here?

This is the way I view it. If you are eating a well balanced diet, you should be getting plenty of calcium from other sources. There is nothing good about fat, so that reduction would be a plus.

ETA: After thinking about this some more, smaller children still need to drink whole milk. I buy whole milk for my youngest only. The other children drink the "2%."

[AmyinWI]

This is the way I view it. If you are eating a well balanced diet, you should be getting plenty of calcium from other sources. There is nothing good about fat, so that reduction would be a plus.

ETA: After thinking about this some more, smaller children still need to drink whole milk. I buy whole milk for my youngest only. The other children drink the "2%."


my 18mo old drinks pediasure and whole milk. Anyone know- does a 8yr old (nearly 9) need whole or 2%milk??

[Kelly in Kentucky]

my 18mo old drinks pediasure and whole milk. Anyone know- does a 8yr old (nearly 9) need whole or 2%milk??

Real quick... this is what I came up with:

www.pediatrics.about.com/od/milk/i/05_milk_2.htm

www.parents.berkeley.edu/advice/eating/wholevslow.html

This last link is from the University of California at Berkeley.

[JenniferSylvie]

Does making your own yogurt actually save money? I have a yogurt maker, but by the time you get the cultures, powdered milk and regular milk do you really save?

[Kristine In Indiana]

Does making your own yogurt actually save money? I have a yogurt maker, but by the time you get the cultures, powdered milk and regular milk do you really save?

For me it does. I reuse my cultures, only buying it the first time or if no one eats it for a long time and it goes bad (rarely happens, but it has) A gallon of milk is about $3.86 right now. I make two quarts at a time and the other ingredients are minimal cost. I can't buy two quarts yogurt for half the cost of a gallon of milk. 1 quart of good quality yogurt is over $3.00 here. Anyway, yes I do think it saves money.

Kristine

[Jess in FL]

Rice. I add rice to tons of stuff-soups, chicken, beans-it fills you up more and is cheap. I also make my own broths and buy the meat in bulk and then plan several meals around it-cook and freeze method. This helps. Also, breakfast for dinner sometime. Homemade pancackes and waffles are about the cheapest dinner can get other than spag. with homemade sauce and no meat.

[MicheleNJ]

I second going Money Saving Mom's site. www.moneysavingmom.com
I have been using her site for over 2 months now and learned how to shop at CVS and use their extra care bucks program (ECB). Because of all the savings I am getting at CVS, I can funnel that money I was spending into my grocery budget. We have literally stopped shopping at Walmart. We don't have a Super Walmart here, just regular Walmart, but we were there every two weeks or so. I went over our expenses last year and we spent around $2500 just in Walmart! I have only been in there twice in two months and that was to buy pet food and socks for dh. I was there last night to return an item and picked up two packages of soap and I paid nothing for them. The soap was 97 cents each and I had $1 coupons.
Everything we used to buy in Walmart, cleaners, paper products, health and beauty, pain relievers, cold & cough etc. I now get at CVS for free by rolling my ECB's each week. It is a challenge to see what I can save and how little I have to pay. This is helping our grocery budget tremendously! I am able to buy healthier food for our family.
I also shop at Aldi grocery. I don't buy any processed food, I bake and cook just about everything from scratch.

[Lisa in Ft. Worth, T]

Does making your own yogurt actually save money? I have a yogurt maker, but by the time you get the cultures, powdered milk and regular milk do you really save?

I hope I'm not repeating anyone (haven't read anyone else's responses) but you should not have to keep buying cultures. Buy them once and then save some from the yogurt you made and freeze it. I always make one batch of yogurt for putting in ice cube trays so that when I need cultures to make my yogurt - I just defrost a frozen cube and I'm ready to go. Also, powdered milk shouldn't be needed to make the yogurt either.

[JenniferSylvie]

"I hope I'm not repeating anyone (haven't read anyone else's responses) but you should not have to keep buying cultures. Buy them once and then save some from the yogurt you made and freeze it. I always make one batch of yogurt for putting in ice cube trays so that when I need cultures to make my yogurt - I just defrost a frozen cube and I'm ready to go. Also, powdered milk shouldn't be needed to make the yogurt either"

Ok, I guess I need a yogurt recipe then. The only one I have tried came with the yogurt maker, tasted great, but so expensive I only made it once.:unsure: