How We Eat and Shop on a Tight Budget

The past few weeks we have been on an even tighter food budget than ever...due to less income thanks to the snow storms. We have depleted our frozen meat selection and continue to eat mainly fresh or frozen veggies. So, with virtually no money to spend ,what have we been eating?? Not Ramen Noodles as you may be thinking...we have eaten some really yummy and tasty meals!

Breakfast continues to be either oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, or yogurt. I buy the plain Quick Oats and microwave as needed...adding extract or cinnamon or Sprinkles to ad taste and variety. Eggs, I buy in 18 or larger packs...and I microwave in one-cup prep bowls-cup prep bowls...I cut in the bowl and wa-la I have easy scrambled eggs. I sometimes sneak in some baby rice cereal for added nutrition. Pancakes are my most labor intensive meal...I buy the just add water mix from the Wal-store..their brand. I make about 8 pancakes at a time and the girls will eat them all...any leftovers get a layer of peanut butter as a snack later in the day. Of course, I keep yogurt, bought in the large container on hand...sometimes plain, sometimes vanilla, sometimes peach...if its plain I add fruit or flavors depending on what I have on hand.

Lunch is either leftovers, or cheese and deli meat, or yogurt or PBJ. Sometimes grilled cheese. Baby Girl eats lunch while Gator is napping. Gator eats when she gets up. Gator usually has veggies...either ones that I have steamed and frozen at an earlier time...or straight from the frozen veggie bag.

Yes, That is broccoli...and she asks for it...begs for it!!

Supper has been Spinach and Cheese Manicotti, Chili Mac, Beef Fried Rice, Moroccan Stew, Chili, Chicken Cacatorri, Shepherd's Pie, Pronto Pasta and Sausage, Turkey Tetrazzini...wow! Hubby has been happy and full...Baby Girl says during every meal...Mama this supper is dood (good)!

I have been taking inventory of freezer and pantry first. Then I grab a cookbook...I find 4-5 recipes that have most of the items already in my freezer or pantry. Then I list the rest of the items that I need...and I don't look and look and look. I open the cookbook and the first recipe that I have the majority of the items I write down and move on to the next...don't make this step hard. I also place a maker in the cookbook so next week I can easily find the recipe that goes with the ingredients.

I made a large batch of chicken broth a few weeks ago with some chicken I found on sale...so I won't need to buy any for awhile...and we had Chicken Caccatorri with the chicken that night. I bought all the veggies I needed in the freezer section (way cheaper than in individual cans...and seems to be lasting longer) During the spring/summer, I like to buy fresh and freeze for later.

I try to only buy meat that has the markdown due to sell-by date...I freeze large packs of meats into smaller bags when I get home...that way I can pull out what I need as I need it...and this is also why I meal plan with what is in the freezer. It is hard for me to watch the sale fliers...and if I only buy markdown meat...I don't know what they will have before hand.

I only take cash to the store...and lately it has been $20-$30...I keep a running tally of the items in my cart..i.e. I grab milk and put in cart...I mark milk off the list...and I add 4 tally marks to the total tally on the side of my list. (I try to round everything up to account for tax) Once I get the items that we HAVE to have...milk, diapers...then I go to the next most needed items, etc until I hit my total that I have in hand. Then we head to the check out...even if there are items left on the list...this is also why I get the MOST IMPORTANT items first!

It takes me a little more time, because I do tend to zig zag the store. I only go to the items that I need and are on our list. No cruising the aisles....go right to what we need and move on...

So, maybe the recipe calls for pork...but I have beef...I'll swap. Maybe the recipe calls for peas and carrots...I may only have one or the other...I leave one out....I do make those adjustments as the week progresses...but this is what has been working for us.

Today I am working near and Aldi...and we NEED milk...I am going to venture into the store I have been wanting to go to forever to try to save more money...the closet Aldi is 30 miles from our house, so it is not a usual suspect on our errands route. I am all about saving money, but gas is high too...so while I may pay a little more for my milk...I save on the gas...adjustments have to be made!!

How do you save? Meal plan? Budget? Any tips to share?

Yummy Yogurt

My girls eat really well. They love yogurt. All flavors, all kinds. This makes me happy. My kids can eat gallons of the stuff. At about $4 for a "large" container of yogurt, this can get costly.

Last summer I can across a post on one of my favorite blogs about making your own yogurt. I thought, wouldn't that be great??? Then the doubter in me worried about would it really save me any cash, or would it just be another thing that I add to my day with no good things as an outcome??

Well, that was last summer. I have had to compromise on yogurt purchases...some weeks we can, some weeks we can't. Have I mentioned how tight money is in our house??

I came across the yogurt thought again, and I did more searching online...one of my favorite past times...(what did I do before search engines??) And I found a crock pot blog, and there was a yogurt recipe you make in your crock pot...yes, I am listening (reading) and well, at the end of her post she had a breakdown of the savings in her area and her costs!

So, in yet another attempt at saving money, I am going to attempt to make my own yogurt. And I will let you know how it all comes out!!! (Soon I hope)

What have you done to impact your budget/save some cash?

(Another thought was to look into making our own pasta, but really, at about $1 a box, I can't ok the thought to ferment in my mind, yet)