Food storage can be a marvelous asset when money is short, especially if the money that is available needs to be spent on other things. When a shortfall in your budget keeps your grocery list short, a healthy food stockpile in your home rounds out the meal plan nicely. Hardships are much easier to bear knowing that food will continue to be on the table.
Sharon at Casaubon's Book has recently started an online course on beginning food storage. The article "Eating out of your pantry" details what would be stored for a three month supply for 4 people, and is a great place to start. So far, I've been purchasing an extra can or box of a few things on my grocery list as a haphazard beginning food stockpile, but Sharon gives me an idea of quantities to shoot for, additional foods I should be stockpiling and suggesting recipes for those foods.
This weekend we cleaned out half of our garage, throwing out some useless junk that's been cluttering up our lives. We used the extra room to set up some metal shelves that will be the basis for our bulk food storage. Our small stockpile is being kept in our pantry, but with this extra room we can store bulky items like buckets of grains and beans. This keeps our pantry from becoming too cluttered to use effectively.
I plan on visiting our neighborhood food coop to see what they have available and if larger quantities can be ordered. Sharon plans on posting weekly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I encourage you to check it out.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Grocery List - Part 2
So if I have all the items off my $10 Grocery List in my pantry or refrigerator, what would I buy withy $10? Instead of doing another $10 list, I'll just list a few things, in order of preference, that might make the cut.
Milk - 1/2 gal $2.24 - Milk didn't make my original list because it cut out too many other things at the price and milk by itself isn't going to fill our tummies. Also, I didn't figure a week's worth of calcium deprivation would affect us too much. But having it would expand our options to include more breads, gravies, and a variety of cooked foods. I also tend to have a box of dry milk in my pantry to use in cooking but we wouldn't drink it unless straights were dire.
Tuna - 52 cents a 6 oz. can - Great source of protein in a cheap package. Strangely enough, I was looking at some of the larger cans (12 oz) and wondered if they'd be a better deal -- they weren't ($1.12). Always check unit pricing to make sure you're getting a good deal.
Veggies - 50 cents - I noticed cans of green beans and frozen packages of broccoli at the store for 50 cents each. If I had some extra room in the budget, I'd definitely add more veggies to the basic menu.
Fruit - varies approx $1.00 - either bananas at 44 cents/pound or canned pineapple at 99 cents/can, I'd add fruit for the sweetness and the variety of baked goods that could be made.
Hamburger - $2.08/pound - This price fluctuates on a weekly basis it seems, but that's about average for my area (this is not the leanest hamburger). There is also something called 'skillet mix' sold in chubs like hamburger for $1.38/pound, but I would not recommend it after reading the ingredient list. ICK!
Yeast - 89 cents for 3 pack - I normally buy yeast in bulk at Costco, but if I were out and times were tight, this would provide us with good, healthy bread at cheaper than grocery store prices.
Pasta - varies - Don't forget to check out other areas in the store when buying staples such as pasta. I noticed pasta in the pasta aisle averaged 6 cents per ounce while pasta being sold in the ethnic section averaged 4 cents per ounce. It might be worth it to do a taste comparison if your family eats a lot of pasta.
Bacon - $2.50/pound - I'd like to add bacon to my menu for flavoring bean dishes, adding it to gravies, and rounding out a breakfast of eggs.
Almost everything in today's list and my original list keeps well, with the exception of fresh fruits and veggies. I like to keep a list of my basic ingredients I cook with and when something on that list goes on sale, I stock up. This is also where a price book comes in handy, to keep track of when a sale price is an exceptionally good deal, or merely an average one.
What's in your pantry or must have list that would be good to stockpile?
Milk - 1/2 gal $2.24 - Milk didn't make my original list because it cut out too many other things at the price and milk by itself isn't going to fill our tummies. Also, I didn't figure a week's worth of calcium deprivation would affect us too much. But having it would expand our options to include more breads, gravies, and a variety of cooked foods. I also tend to have a box of dry milk in my pantry to use in cooking but we wouldn't drink it unless straights were dire.
Tuna - 52 cents a 6 oz. can - Great source of protein in a cheap package. Strangely enough, I was looking at some of the larger cans (12 oz) and wondered if they'd be a better deal -- they weren't ($1.12). Always check unit pricing to make sure you're getting a good deal.
Veggies - 50 cents - I noticed cans of green beans and frozen packages of broccoli at the store for 50 cents each. If I had some extra room in the budget, I'd definitely add more veggies to the basic menu.
Fruit - varies approx $1.00 - either bananas at 44 cents/pound or canned pineapple at 99 cents/can, I'd add fruit for the sweetness and the variety of baked goods that could be made.
Hamburger - $2.08/pound - This price fluctuates on a weekly basis it seems, but that's about average for my area (this is not the leanest hamburger). There is also something called 'skillet mix' sold in chubs like hamburger for $1.38/pound, but I would not recommend it after reading the ingredient list. ICK!
Yeast - 89 cents for 3 pack - I normally buy yeast in bulk at Costco, but if I were out and times were tight, this would provide us with good, healthy bread at cheaper than grocery store prices.
Pasta - varies - Don't forget to check out other areas in the store when buying staples such as pasta. I noticed pasta in the pasta aisle averaged 6 cents per ounce while pasta being sold in the ethnic section averaged 4 cents per ounce. It might be worth it to do a taste comparison if your family eats a lot of pasta.
Bacon - $2.50/pound - I'd like to add bacon to my menu for flavoring bean dishes, adding it to gravies, and rounding out a breakfast of eggs.
Almost everything in today's list and my original list keeps well, with the exception of fresh fruits and veggies. I like to keep a list of my basic ingredients I cook with and when something on that list goes on sale, I stock up. This is also where a price book comes in handy, to keep track of when a sale price is an exceptionally good deal, or merely an average one.
What's in your pantry or must have list that would be good to stockpile?
Monday, February 25, 2008
$10 Grocery List
With food and gas prices on the rise, we're all feeling a greater pinch in our pocketbooks. And as the economy gets deeper into the recession, the possibilities of layoffs and long-term unemployment are becoming more real. This is the perfect time for us to practice our survival skills.
Recently, I came across this thread on the MommySavers Forums which asked the question:
So what would you buy? While I was at the store for my regular shopping list, I decided to write down a few prices of the most likely candidates to see what sort of shopping list I could come up with for $10. It doesn't have very many items on it, and the menu it would create would be monotonous over the course of a week, but no one would starve.
It gets easier when one considers stockpiling. Most of the things on the list are currently in my fridge and pantry, and a not unsubstantial cache of frozen meat and veggies as well. I chose to create the list as if I had nothing in the pantry but the basic seasonings, so if someone was in dire straights but didn't know what they could buy for such a small sum, they could use this list as a starting place.
Recently, I came across this thread on the MommySavers Forums which asked the question:
If you were down to your last $10 and had to buy groceries to get you through the week, what would you buy? Could you do it?It was interesting to see how many responders stated simply "Nope. Couldn't do it." "We'd starve." "We couldn't even by milk with $10." while others rose to the challenge and thought about what they would buy. The key to survival is knowing that if you had to do it, giving up is not an option.
So what would you buy? While I was at the store for my regular shopping list, I decided to write down a few prices of the most likely candidates to see what sort of shopping list I could come up with for $10. It doesn't have very many items on it, and the menu it would create would be monotonous over the course of a week, but no one would starve.
- carrots - 67 cents a pound - $1.00
- bouillon cubes - 67 cents
- tomato sauce - 25 cents per 8 oz can (2) - $.50
- rice - 1 lb bag - 95 cents
- beans - 20 oz bag - $1.00
- oatmeal - 20 oz box - $1.20
- eggs - 1 dozen - $1.69
- flour - 5 lb. bag - $1.58
- margarine - 60 cents
- baking powder - 79 cents
- TOTAL - $9.98
It gets easier when one considers stockpiling. Most of the things on the list are currently in my fridge and pantry, and a not unsubstantial cache of frozen meat and veggies as well. I chose to create the list as if I had nothing in the pantry but the basic seasonings, so if someone was in dire straights but didn't know what they could buy for such a small sum, they could use this list as a starting place.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
All's Well That Ends Well
Yesterday I had a small scare, with the potential of becoming a much bigger scare. When I was gathering up my things to go to work yesterday morning, I couldn’t find my purse. At first, when I was looking in the living room, the bedroom, anywhere I could think of that I might have put it down, I didn’t panic much. Maybe I’d left it in the car, either in the trunk with my gym bag or in the backseat.
It wasn’t there. I started to mentally retrace my steps and came to the conclusion I’d left it at the gym the day before. I knew I’d had it on my way to the kids club to pick up our daughter, but couldn’t account for it after that. So I called. No one had turned it in, no one had seen it.
I still wasn’t entirely panicked, as the kids club workers hadn’t arrived yet. Surely one of them had seen my purse and put it somewhere safe. The desk worker assured me they’d call if it turned up. By lunchtime, no call. After work I tried again and spoke with one of the ladies in the kids club. Still no luck.
So last night, after a trip to the grocery store and dinner, I knew I needed to go over and either look for myself, or decide someone had absconded with it and take the necessary precautions of changing account numbers and ordering new cards, license, etc.
Luckily, it was found in the kids club, hanging on a hook where the workers usually hang their own bags. Apparently one of the ladies had seen it and put it there for safekeeping, thinking I’d be back to the gym last night to work out, but she wasn’t there when I’d called in earlier in the day. Nothing was missing and everything is accounted for, so I breathed a big sigh of relief.
This could have turned into a huge stolen identity disaster, but it didn’t. It did remind me that I carry way too much personal information in my purse that I shouldn’t be carrying on a daily basis. It also reminded me I need to check my credit report on a regular basis to make sure someone hasn’t gotten my personal information in another way and is out there partying it up on my dime. I’ve been meaning to do that anyway, but this is just the kick in the pants to go ahead and get it done.
It wasn’t there. I started to mentally retrace my steps and came to the conclusion I’d left it at the gym the day before. I knew I’d had it on my way to the kids club to pick up our daughter, but couldn’t account for it after that. So I called. No one had turned it in, no one had seen it.
I still wasn’t entirely panicked, as the kids club workers hadn’t arrived yet. Surely one of them had seen my purse and put it somewhere safe. The desk worker assured me they’d call if it turned up. By lunchtime, no call. After work I tried again and spoke with one of the ladies in the kids club. Still no luck.
So last night, after a trip to the grocery store and dinner, I knew I needed to go over and either look for myself, or decide someone had absconded with it and take the necessary precautions of changing account numbers and ordering new cards, license, etc.
Luckily, it was found in the kids club, hanging on a hook where the workers usually hang their own bags. Apparently one of the ladies had seen it and put it there for safekeeping, thinking I’d be back to the gym last night to work out, but she wasn’t there when I’d called in earlier in the day. Nothing was missing and everything is accounted for, so I breathed a big sigh of relief.
This could have turned into a huge stolen identity disaster, but it didn’t. It did remind me that I carry way too much personal information in my purse that I shouldn’t be carrying on a daily basis. It also reminded me I need to check my credit report on a regular basis to make sure someone hasn’t gotten my personal information in another way and is out there partying it up on my dime. I’ve been meaning to do that anyway, but this is just the kick in the pants to go ahead and get it done.
Friday, February 1, 2008
January Review
Aahhhh… the dawn of a new month. But how did January wrap up? Better than could be expected, I guess. The last two weeks of the month were filled with family illness, so the blog was getting a little dusty (sorry ‘bout that) and the checkbook wasn’t getting balanced as it should. Since I’m still in the startup phase of my financial health program, I haven’t got all my habits in place yet.
But all in all, we didn’t do half bad. Even without the diligent pouring over the books we kept the thought in our mind that we were cutting back on our spending. Some of our cash accounts (eating out and personal money in particular) went over our budgets but we trimmed enough from other areas that we ended the month on a positive note.
The only black mark was that our savings budget was rerouted to other areas mid-month, so we didn’t save at all this month. But we also didn’t use credit, so I feel it really evened out. Now that everyone’s on their way to wellness, February should be much easier.
I’m ready to get back on track and tackle my nemesis, the budget. A little creative figuring this evening and we’ll see how the month is going to shape up.
What were your financial snags or victories in January?
But all in all, we didn’t do half bad. Even without the diligent pouring over the books we kept the thought in our mind that we were cutting back on our spending. Some of our cash accounts (eating out and personal money in particular) went over our budgets but we trimmed enough from other areas that we ended the month on a positive note.
The only black mark was that our savings budget was rerouted to other areas mid-month, so we didn’t save at all this month. But we also didn’t use credit, so I feel it really evened out. Now that everyone’s on their way to wellness, February should be much easier.
I’m ready to get back on track and tackle my nemesis, the budget. A little creative figuring this evening and we’ll see how the month is going to shape up.
What were your financial snags or victories in January?
Thursday, January 17, 2008
CVS Trip 1/14/08
Just thought I'd let you know how I fared on my latest CVS trip... I had to stop by anyway to pick up a prescription, and I noticed they finally had SoyJoy bars in stock.
I've seen people blog about the SoyJoy deal, as CVS usually has these on special every few weeks where they are on sale 4/$4, and generate $4 in ECBs. This is a great deal if you have ECBs that are about the expire, since they generate as many ECBs as they use, so you can rollover your ECBs and get some free product. This is great on those weeks where there aren't too many other deals and you don't want to use your whole ECB stash without generating more. If you can find coupons, it's an even better deal.
(I believe this special is on all month, but not sure where I saw it now) I had two manufacturer's coupons that came out in the 1/6 paper, $3 off 10 bars and 1 bar free, plus a CVS coupon for $2 off $10 purchase. So here's how it worked out:
I get why people like this deal -- but would I like the bars? I tried two of the flavors, and while I wasn't overjoyed, it wasn't that bad. I can definitely stash these in my desk for those afternoons when I get overwhelmed with hunger at 3 pm. I won't be tempted to scarf them all down, but they will keep me from buying a candy bar from the vending machine, which is also good for the budget.
Have you tried a CVS deal yet? What have you had a good experience with?
I've seen people blog about the SoyJoy deal, as CVS usually has these on special every few weeks where they are on sale 4/$4, and generate $4 in ECBs. This is a great deal if you have ECBs that are about the expire, since they generate as many ECBs as they use, so you can rollover your ECBs and get some free product. This is great on those weeks where there aren't too many other deals and you don't want to use your whole ECB stash without generating more. If you can find coupons, it's an even better deal.
(I believe this special is on all month, but not sure where I saw it now) I had two manufacturer's coupons that came out in the 1/6 paper, $3 off 10 bars and 1 bar free, plus a CVS coupon for $2 off $10 purchase. So here's how it worked out:
- 12 SoyJoy bars - $12
- $2 off $10 coupon - minus $2
- 1 free bar - minus $1
- $3 off 10 bars - minus $3
- $3 in ECBs left from last time - minus $3
- total paid out of pocket - $3
- ECBs generated - $12
I get why people like this deal -- but would I like the bars? I tried two of the flavors, and while I wasn't overjoyed, it wasn't that bad. I can definitely stash these in my desk for those afternoons when I get overwhelmed with hunger at 3 pm. I won't be tempted to scarf them all down, but they will keep me from buying a candy bar from the vending machine, which is also good for the budget.
Have you tried a CVS deal yet? What have you had a good experience with?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Finding Bargains at CVS!
There’s no better feeling that being paid to shop! When your purchases are free, or close to it, and you walk away with money off your next purchase, it really helps the bottom line of the budget. What am I talking about? CVS!
Every month, CVS prints out their monthly list of deals that earn customers Extra Care Bucks(ECBs) that are good for their next purchase. Not only are some products free after ECBs, but many offer ECBs on multiple products, so you can purchase the item multiple times and stock up your medicine cabinets absolutely free. Weekly deals come out in mailout flyers or in the Sunday paper and also include ECB deals and discounts.
Even better, combine coupons with these great deals and get paid to shop! Okay, they won’t actually hand over a wad of cash, but you can add on extra merchandise to bring the total to zero and walk out with that stuff free as well. Considering the high price of milk these days, walking out with a free gallon can really make your day.
There are several ways to get the information on what specials CVS is offering for the month or week. One would be to stop by and pick up a copy of their flyers. I’ll usually pick up a copy of the monthly flyer the first time I stop in for the month, just to keep the best deals in front of me, but mostly, I find the offers online.
CVS prints their flyers on their website, or there are also forums dedicated to saving money that will print the monthly and weekly deals for you. Not only do they show you the deals (usually a day or two early) but they’ll also match them with recent coupons to show you how low the prices can be. My favorite is Pinching Your Pennies. There’s a forum category dedicated to deals at CVS and Walgreens in the “Deals about town” section that is fabulous!
Another great resource is Money Saving Mom. Crystal is an avid CVS’er and many weeks will post on how she uses the deals to her best advantage. She usually shows me how to separate the best deals into multiple transactions to minimize out of pocket spending, which is difficult for me.
Although I’m only scratching the surface with my own CVS experiences, I will definitely be exploring this option more as I attempt to get this area of my budget down to its bare minimum. My latest score? Two Cover Girl lipsticks free. A buy 1 get 1 free offer began on Sunday, and I had a coupon for buy 1 get 1 free that expired on the 31st. Combined, I got both lipsticks absolutely free.*
* your mileage may vary on offers similar to this due to differing managers and how they want their cashiers to ring these up. Mine rang up as 1 lipstick for $6.99 and the 2nd free, then the coupon discounted my total ticket $6.99. Some stores say B1G1, but really ring both up at half price ($3.49 in this case) giving you two lipsticks for ½ price of one. Other managers refuse the coupon as invalid with the deal. Try it and see how your store handles it. *
Happy Shopping!
Every month, CVS prints out their monthly list of deals that earn customers Extra Care Bucks(ECBs) that are good for their next purchase. Not only are some products free after ECBs, but many offer ECBs on multiple products, so you can purchase the item multiple times and stock up your medicine cabinets absolutely free. Weekly deals come out in mailout flyers or in the Sunday paper and also include ECB deals and discounts.
Even better, combine coupons with these great deals and get paid to shop! Okay, they won’t actually hand over a wad of cash, but you can add on extra merchandise to bring the total to zero and walk out with that stuff free as well. Considering the high price of milk these days, walking out with a free gallon can really make your day.
There are several ways to get the information on what specials CVS is offering for the month or week. One would be to stop by and pick up a copy of their flyers. I’ll usually pick up a copy of the monthly flyer the first time I stop in for the month, just to keep the best deals in front of me, but mostly, I find the offers online.
CVS prints their flyers on their website, or there are also forums dedicated to saving money that will print the monthly and weekly deals for you. Not only do they show you the deals (usually a day or two early) but they’ll also match them with recent coupons to show you how low the prices can be. My favorite is Pinching Your Pennies. There’s a forum category dedicated to deals at CVS and Walgreens in the “Deals about town” section that is fabulous!
Another great resource is Money Saving Mom. Crystal is an avid CVS’er and many weeks will post on how she uses the deals to her best advantage. She usually shows me how to separate the best deals into multiple transactions to minimize out of pocket spending, which is difficult for me.
Although I’m only scratching the surface with my own CVS experiences, I will definitely be exploring this option more as I attempt to get this area of my budget down to its bare minimum. My latest score? Two Cover Girl lipsticks free. A buy 1 get 1 free offer began on Sunday, and I had a coupon for buy 1 get 1 free that expired on the 31st. Combined, I got both lipsticks absolutely free.*
* your mileage may vary on offers similar to this due to differing managers and how they want their cashiers to ring these up. Mine rang up as 1 lipstick for $6.99 and the 2nd free, then the coupon discounted my total ticket $6.99. Some stores say B1G1, but really ring both up at half price ($3.49 in this case) giving you two lipsticks for ½ price of one. Other managers refuse the coupon as invalid with the deal. Try it and see how your store handles it. *
Happy Shopping!
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