Everywhere you go you see it: parents snapping endless pictures of posing, fake-smiling children.
"Stand by your sister!"
"Put your hands down!"
"Stop crying!"
"Can we get this over with?!"
"Just one more!"
"Look over here!"
And on it goes.
Every tourist attraction, childhood vacation, day trip, field trip, or even quick little excursion to a park is filled with never ending snapshots of unruly children. And now with the omnipresence of smartphones there is always a camera to be had.
I probably used to be that mom. Always dreaming of snapping the perfect photo -- one that would be worthy of a beautiful frame and hanging on the wall in the perfect place forever. One that visitors would admire and insist that a professional had caught at precisely the right moment.
But one day something struck me. I realized that I was viewing my children's happiest days through the viewfinder of a camera. Always seeing their laughter and antics through a tiny square instead of in the panoramic view of reality. Not only was I not getting any pictures worth framing, I was also not remembering any of our most memorable times together.
I got rid of the camera. I stopped asking them to pose on the playground, in front of the sign marking our trips, with the stranger who was there to pose with tourists, with the pretty flowers they didn't care about. Those weren't the things we needed to remember. We needed to remember how we smiled, how the flowers smelled, the way the wind felt as we ran through the park, the sounds echoing through the historic landmarks we explored together.
I don't need drives filled with unmarked photos. I don't even need albums full of carefully scrapbooked pictures. I will take the actual memories in my head over those things any day.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Being a mom
Why do so many moms feel inadequate? Why isn't being a mom enough for them? Why do they need "extra credit" for being who God has called them to be?
I don't crave attention. I don't need congratulations for doing my "mom job" each day. I get up, I get the kids ready, I send them off to school. Sometimes I plop back down on the couch, sometimes I even go back to bed for a few hours! And sometimes I have to be responsible and actually accomplish stuff. I don't expect a high five when I get laundry done; I don't expect a bonus check when the dishes are all clean at the same time. It's part of my job.
God has called moms and wives to be keepers of the home. You can argue all you want that "things have changed" and that you "need to work" or whatever you want to say. Bottom line is this: if you are married and your husband works, you can find a way to stay home with your children. Cancel the cable, get over having brand new car every two years, stop convincing yourself that you "deserve" a vacation every few months. Your children need you. These are the most important years of their lives, and probably yours.
Satan wants us to be selfish. And indeed, it is in our nature from birth. Our nation does plenty to instill the "entitlement" doctrine in us, too. Everyone feel that they "deserve" stuff, that they have "earned" something. We cannot truly be at peace with ourselves and who we are until we are content with who we are and what we have. God has put you exactly where you are for a reason. BE CONTENT WITH THAT REASON, but also be still ... and listen to his voice and where it may take you. And I can assure you that it is not telling you to buy a brand new car or tv just because you are sick of yours, and I'm betting that a $10,000, 2-week vacation to Europe (all on the credit card) probably isn't what his voice is telling you to do either.
Moms, take heart. Our job can be frustrating. But until you embrace each day for what it is you will never learn to be content with where God has placed you. No one said the job was easy but then I don't know why you would have expected that in the first place.
Don't let your heart be tricked by Satan. Don't let your soul be uneasy and unsettled. Find your peace in what God has planned for you, and take heart in the fact that he has a purpose for your life. He has placed you exactly where you are most needed right now.
I don't crave attention. I don't need congratulations for doing my "mom job" each day. I get up, I get the kids ready, I send them off to school. Sometimes I plop back down on the couch, sometimes I even go back to bed for a few hours! And sometimes I have to be responsible and actually accomplish stuff. I don't expect a high five when I get laundry done; I don't expect a bonus check when the dishes are all clean at the same time. It's part of my job.
God has called moms and wives to be keepers of the home. You can argue all you want that "things have changed" and that you "need to work" or whatever you want to say. Bottom line is this: if you are married and your husband works, you can find a way to stay home with your children. Cancel the cable, get over having brand new car every two years, stop convincing yourself that you "deserve" a vacation every few months. Your children need you. These are the most important years of their lives, and probably yours.
Satan wants us to be selfish. And indeed, it is in our nature from birth. Our nation does plenty to instill the "entitlement" doctrine in us, too. Everyone feel that they "deserve" stuff, that they have "earned" something. We cannot truly be at peace with ourselves and who we are until we are content with who we are and what we have. God has put you exactly where you are for a reason. BE CONTENT WITH THAT REASON, but also be still ... and listen to his voice and where it may take you. And I can assure you that it is not telling you to buy a brand new car or tv just because you are sick of yours, and I'm betting that a $10,000, 2-week vacation to Europe (all on the credit card) probably isn't what his voice is telling you to do either.
Moms, take heart. Our job can be frustrating. But until you embrace each day for what it is you will never learn to be content with where God has placed you. No one said the job was easy but then I don't know why you would have expected that in the first place.
Don't let your heart be tricked by Satan. Don't let your soul be uneasy and unsettled. Find your peace in what God has planned for you, and take heart in the fact that he has a purpose for your life. He has placed you exactly where you are most needed right now.
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5
Friday, May 13, 2011
How to Spend Less on Groceries
NOTE: This is not a fad "experiment", nor is it a game that I am playing. This is our reality. This is how I shop every week, not just when I feel like it.
It came to my attention earlier this year that many, many, MANY people are spending WAAAAY too much money on groceries. It seems that the average family of 4 spends at least $800/month on food, whether it be grocery store or eating out. EIGHT HUNDRED a month!! EVERY month!! When I was "gathering" this information, I was absolutely astonished that so many people so could be so very bad at maintaining a reasonable food budget! Now of course there are MANY families which spend far less than that, some by choice and some not. But I have learned that most families' spending is, indeed, out of control. Now just for a reference point, my family is on the lower end of the food-budget spectrum. There are 5 people in my family and we, on average, spend about $200-250/month on groceries. No, I'm not kidding.
Now there are excuses aplenty for why people can validate spending more: my teenage boys eat so much, or we are too busy to cook at home, or I don't have time to be picky at the store, etc. I still believe that excuses are mostly just that: excuses. Please understand that I don't think I am doing anything amazing. I am not a psychotic coupon-clipper, I don't drive across town to save 20 cents on a gallon of milk, and I don't even always buy generic over name-brands. But someone who is determined to save money on groceries can easily learn to cut hundreds of dollars every month. Perhaps I have some valuable tips to offer, and perhaps I am just consistently "lucky" in the sales I find. Either way, I save a ton of money (as compared to most other families) and below you can see the helpful information I have to offer.
I don't think I have all the answers, and maybe our requirements for a satisfying meal are different than yours. I would just like to offer come tips as to how you might be able to cut down your grocery budget (I use that word loosely; I have NEVER done an actual "budget") to save money, live smarter, and have more money for things that aren't eventually flushed down the toilet. :D
1. Study the sales flyers. The first thing I do each week is scan the grocery store flyers for sales (my stores are Aldi, Pick n' Save, and Festival). When I see something on sale that we normally use, I write it on the list. This doesn't mean I have a distinct plan for using it; it just means that given the meals we normally eat, these specific ingredients are things that I know we will use at some point. Most "non-perishables" have a shelf life of at least 2 years; why not get it now when food prices are just going to get higher in the future? Buying primarily things that are on sale is crucial to saving money overall. This policy takes a while to get "into" as you will have to slowly stock up on things that are on sale for future use. In the meantime you will find yourself buying things that aren't on sale as you need them now, and that is inevitable until you get into your "groove". Also, seeing an item on sale will usually bring to mind a certain recipe that I may have forgotten about. If I am lucky I will have the rest of the ingredients already in the pantry so I won't be tempted to buy things that are not on sale. (I do want to point out that some things just never seem to be on sale. I confess that if I run out patience I will buy something that I need or even just WANT without the little "sale" sticker in front of it. More on this below.)
2. Consider quantities. If you eat a lot of one particular food item (pasta, soup, etc.) then watch for what you know to be the best price and get 8-10 of them instead of just one. For example, if cream cheese is on sale for 89 cents I will buy, say, 6 of them. I don't use it a lot, but the not-on-sale price is around $1.30. Forty cents will never change the world, but consider this: that is about 30% of the original price! Huge savings! Since cream cheese never really gets bad (as long as it is sealed) I let it sit in the back of the fridge til I need it. I know I will eventually use it, and it bothers me LESS to have it sitting in the fridge than it does to spend full price when I need it and don't have any. It's a small item and it definitely does not ruin my life to have it sitting around. (Besides, if I am concerned about getting it out of the fridge, I will just have to make cheesecake, right?!)
3. Stock up when it's cheap! (Some of this was mentioned above, but I wanted it to be a distinct consideration point as well.) There is a stigma associated with stocking up on food items. Everyone says you are a "hoarder", or other worse things. Now I'm not saying that you should buy 20 bottles of ketchup when it's on sale for $1, but you should consider getting 2-3 of them, depending on your ketchup consumption. Over time you will learn what the cheapest going rate will ever be for ketchup and THAT should be when you "make your move". No one has the right to judge you for having 15 boxes of cereal in your basement or pantry! If you know that your kids eat a box of Cheerios every week, then you could even have 50 down there and still use them up well before their expiration date (usually at least a year).
Things that I commonly buy on sale and "stock up" on:
*pasta
*canned fruit/veggies
*ketchup, BBQ sauce, salad dressing
*macaroni and cheese
*baking goods (chocolate chips, nuts, flour, sugar, etc.)
*jello, pudding (flavors that I use in recipes, especially)
*spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce
*cake/brownie mixes
*inedibles such as toilet paper, etc.
4. Don't buy ready-to-eat items. Everyone knows that ready-to-eat items are a rip-off (or at least everyone SHOULD know this!) But they're just oh-so-convenient, right? Yeah, I guess. But you also never really know when they were made, how they were made, what kind of preservatives are in there, and who has been touching them behind that swinging deli door.
There are basically two kinds of prepared foods: the deli kind that are made in the store, and the packaged kind (like Lunchables, but don't get me started on those!)
The deli kind: Overall, not really horrible foods. But consider the cost of having some lady standing in the back slicing deli meat all day, or making mashed potatoes, or making soup. The stores make out like bandits, and they know that people will flock to these easy meals. Think about the salad bar at your local store. It's like $6/pound to buy lettuce! Yeah you get some fancy little extras and condiments to go along with your salad, but NOTHING that you couldn't buy for cheaper elsewhere in the store. We have recently been into chef-type salads at our house. We have been able to eat huge salads for at least 4-5 meals per week at a cost of less than $1.50 each! The ingredients keep well, are easily transported, and are super-cheap to buy individually.
Prepackaged kind: Scary. If you have a weak constitution then please make sure you are sitting before flipping over that package to read the label. These are the true "mystery foods" in the store. But wait -- we aren't necessarily talking health aspects, are we? Ok, so it might SEEM super cheap to pick up a couple Lunchables for $1.80 each, but if you truly consider what you are buying you will realize that you could make up the same combination for significantly less money. And really, how much energy does it take to slice up some cheese, grab a few crackers, and cut some little circles of deli meat and throw them into a bag? Not to mention that you could cut enough cheese and lunch meat up to last a whole week, if you so please, thus making the whole week SEEM "prepackaged"! People have been brainwashed into believing that convenience foods are "not really that expensive". It is critical to take the time to consider how much that prepackaged item would cost if you would put it together yourself.
5. Don't be a brand shopper. I have no problem admitting that there are certain brands I will stick to until the day I die, but overall I am not a brand shopper. This plays an important role in saving loads of money. I'm sure you've heard by now that stores usually place the most expensive variety of each item at eye-level on the shelves. Makes perfect sense: I'm in a hurry, I grab what's in front of my face. Make sure you have adequate time to scan the items you are shopping for; this is especially important when you are buying things that are not on sale. Yeah, in some cases those "creme sandwich cookies" are not quite as good as Oreos, but you can learn to get over it for the significant price difference between the two. Hunt's or Roundy's ketchup really isn't much different than Heinz. Generic peanut butter is actually BETTER than Skippy, and oh-so-much cheaper too.
Of course, everyone has their own individual tastes, but the key is to TRY a different, less expensive brand. There are certain Sam's Choice items that are absolutely horrific, but then I have also learned that their peanut butter is really very comparable to other, more expensive brands. You too will have to take the plunge every once in a while to learn what items really aren't so horrible as compared to a better-known relative. A few years ago I would have been horrified to buy anything but Dean's ice cream, but now? That Food Club brand is really the same darn thing. Besides, who can tell the difference with loads of chocolate syrup on it anyway? (Oh yeah, and that is another item for which the "Clear Value" brand is really no different than Hershey's.)
6. Bulk isn't always better. Big-box stores and club memberships are all the rage these days. I've had a Costco or Sam's Club membership myself, in fact. (And by the way, Sam's Club is better if you can stand those ghetto Milwaukee stores.) Don't mean to shock you, but RARELY will you get significantly better prices at those warehouse stores. REALLY. Diapers? Not a deal. They are like 1/2 cent cheaper per diaper. Produce? Well, sometimes a better price. Mostly just a bigger container so you THINK you are getting a better price. Huge cans of baked beans? Not cheaper. People have been brainwashed into thinking that if you buy a larger quantity then you will be getting a better price. They like to pretend that they are buying things "factory direct", as though they are the truck picking up the items right from the loading dock. It's kind of a little fantasy that many, many, MANY people like to participate in. Sam's Club has taken a lot of time marketing how much better the prices are at their warehouse-type stores, and have kind of skipped over the fact that all you are really getting is a bigger package. Remember that Sam's Club was originally started for business use; not families. I can't prove it, but I think they just wanted to make people happier by not having to load up 30 separate boxes of Kleenex or 300 individual rolls of toilet, so they shrink-wrapped them together, called it bulk, and suddenly had ordinary citizens trying to climb over the walls to get inside. The cost of having a yearly membership, coupled with the cost of having to DRIVE there (especially given my 40-mile-away location) easily outweigh any type of savings I might get by shopping at Costco. Then why the membership? Sometimes it's fun to go there and walk around.....and, well...... I love the abundance of free samples.
7. Definitely get a freezer. A separate garage or basement freezer is a very important part of saving money on groceries. Almost anything can be frozen, thereby making this a great supportive item for buying multiples of things on sale. If ground beef is super cheap, I will buy the big six-pound pack, divide it into smaller freezer bags, and throw them in the freezer. Frozen bread dough from Schwan's (believe it or not!) is extremely affordable and tastes FABULOUS! Every time he stops by, another package or two goes in the freezer. I am fortunate enough to have a bulk-beef hook-up and half of my freezer is filled with steaks and roasts. Many grocery stores have an area for soon-to-be-expired meats and other "perishables"; I buy up whole cut-up chickens for 50% off and toss them in the freezer, too! A fridge freezer by itself is simply inadequate for any type of economical shopping pattern. Saving money in the grocery store requires that you have a place to put things which are a great deal now, but which can't be eaten within the next few days. So next time you see country-style ribs for 99 cents/pound, get 2 or 3 and store them in the freezer!
8. Aldi is not always cheaper! I listed Aldi as one of the three stores which I go to on a regular basis. LOTS of people shy away from this store as they see it as some sort of off-brand dumping grounds for crappy products that no one else will carry. Well... kinda.... but not really. I have to first admit that I never used to shop at Aldi. There wasn't one where I previously lived, and the savings simply weren't worth the drive to the nearest one. Now that I live just about 2 miles away from one, I am much more inclined to shop there. I do not use it as a primary grocery store (nothing could tear me away from my precious Pick n' Save) but there are certain things I do now buy there on a consistent basis. Their generic cheerios, apple cinnamon cheerios, and honey nut cheerios are quite comparable, especially when combined with milk in a bowl and eaten with a spoon (but isn't that how most people eat cereal?) The generic Chex cereals are also just as good as the real thing. Chili beans and diced tomatoes are another favorite. Canned whipped cream is nearly $2 less at Aldi, and their daily or weekly sales on produce can be astonishly cheap. BUT -- Aldi does still have it's limitations.
Aldi has made a name for themselves by offering lesser-known brands at sometimes significantly-reduced prices. They have done a good job luring in people who are on fixed incomes, as well as those who want to appear frugal or sensible (but who also secretly wish there was a bagger boy to help load their groceries into the back of their expensive SUVs). People have come to expect that shopping at Aldi will provide them with comparable merchandise for less. I disagree. Some things are indeed cheaper there. Canned veggies and fruit are sometimes 1/2 the cost of a "normal" store, and their healthful "Fit & Active" brand has some great items at a fraction of the cost of bigger-hyped health food lines. But remember rule #1 up above? "Always shop the sales"? It is ABSOLUTELY true that you will frequently find sale items at bigger stores for LESS than at Aldi. Once I nearly caved and bought a loaf of bread at Aldi, but then learned that my favorite brand was on sale on Pick n' Save for about the same price! Recently, I was at Aldi picking up a few odds and ends. I needed strawberries but noticed that they were $2.29 at Aldi. Ugh. Not the world's greatest price so I passed them up. Next stop was Pick n' Save where the first thing I saw was strawberries for $1.50. Pretty big price difference, with the "discount" store chalking up a solid LOSS. The produce prices seem to be especially fickle at Aldi and need to be carefully watched to ensure the best price for the same product. Don't automatically assume that the price will be lower at the store with the discount-shopping reputation.
On the flipside of this... for example, if milk is not offered on sale at either Pig or Pick n' Save, I will automatically default to buying it at Aldi. Their constant price of around $2.79 can't beat the sale price of $1.89 at other stores, but is still better much than the others' non-sale price of $3.89. (You also might want to know that some stores are adding generic generics such as the "Clear Value" brand at Pick n' Save. These prices tend to be extremely comparable to Aldi's prices and really are not too bad.)
Another downfall of Aldi is the lack of variety. They have ONE kind of chili beans and ONE kind of applesauce (sugar-added, might I mention). They also have only one or two types of pasta, while a typical store might have TWENTY. If you are looking for enough ingredients to complete an entire meal, I daresay that you will be hard-pressed to find enough variety at Aldi. If you are not a fancy eater then you will be happy as a clam there, however.
Lastly, sometimes quality is jeopardized by buying the off-brands at Aldi. But you have to TRY them to know your opinion of them. Every time I go to Aldi I grab another new item which I have not previously sampled to see if it is comparable to something (more expensive) which I would normally buy at a different store. I recently discovered that their spaghetti sauce is horrendously bland and almost sour-ish. Their chicken breasts are extremely fatty and gristle-y. I have a friend who would prefer to be thrown off a cliff than to eat their refried beans. Their American cheese slices? Wretched. But take the time to sample different, bargain-priced items to see if you can discover something amazing -- for half the price!
My conclusion? If you don't have an Aldi nearby you will not go bankrupt shopping at a local store. The money you "might" save shopping at Aldi could easily by offset by the drive to get there.
9. Coupons? I kinda use them. These new reality shows with bored, surburban housewives racing around store aisles and cheering at the checkouts definitely raise my blood pressure. These people might save tons of money, but they have also made a game out of hoarding things just to see who can get the biggest haul of stuff they don't need and can't possibly use in a timely manner. It drives me INSANE to see people using coupons for things they wouldn't normally buy just because they can save 25 cents -- or maybe even FIFTY on "double daze"!! And that is the trap that coupons provide: they are always for the more-expensive brands, and lure you in with the hope of saving money..... on something you don't even need.....
I do clip some coupons. But only for things I might normally buy anyway. Remember that store brands never circulate coupons. When I am in the store I compare the coupon-price to the cost of the comparable generic or store-brand item. If the coupon-price is not less than the store-brand, bye-bye to the coupon. If the price is the same, I might opt for the name-brand item. Don't fall into the trap of "saving money" by buying something you don't need or wouldn't otherwise buy.
And double-coupon days? I would prefer to stand naked in the middle of a busy street than enter a store filled with crazed coupon freaks with BINS of coupons and CLIPBOARDS of lists. There is NO WAY that an extra 50 cents could lure me to a store on these specified days. I must preserve what sanity I have remaining. I don't care that you were able to get 50 boxes of Rice Krispies for 8 cents each. And unless you are donating the surplus then you should be ashamed of yourself.
10. The "non-essentials" list. Well, I developed this concept during a particularly "lean" financial time. Most people have a running list of things they are out of, etc. Well my running list has been divided into two categories: essentials and non-essentials. The "essentials" list is stuff that we can't do without: milk, eggs, bread, chocolate-covered raisins. Stuff like that. The "non-essentials" list is stuff that you are out of, but which isn't necessarily critical to obtain as soon as possible. This might contain things like ice cream, crackers, macaroni and cheese, pretzels, soda, etc. While the items on the "essentials" list need to be purchased to maintain a healthy and reasonable life, the things on the "non-essentials" list are definitely "extras" and should not be purchased unless they are on sale, or until they need to switch over to the critical list. For example, if tomorrow you are having a birthday party for your daughter and you have been watching and waiting for ice cream to come on sale, I think you better consider switching it over to the "essentials" list for the sake of the ten 5-year-old girls soon to be at your house (plus, having birthday cake without ice cream is just un-American). In this situation, I would head to Aldi and pick up some cheap stuff. No one will know the difference anyway.
11. Learn how to cook. This topic kind of goes along with the above topic of not buying processed or "convenience" foods. It might be just so convenient to buy the stew meat precut into little squares, but remember that you are paying someone to do that cutting for you. If I were a millionaire, I could definitely see paying someone to do that for me. But as an average citizen, I definitely have more time than money and will be cutting my own little squares of meat until further notice. Other traps include many deli items such as potato salad, jellos cubes, anything on a salad bar, and bakery cupcakes. It always kills me when people buy premade cookies too! Agh! I truly do not care if my cookies come with little pumpkins squirted into the middle of them, and definitely do not want them all nicely packaged in a (wasteful) plastic container.
Let's move to the frozen food department. I have been in a bit of a cooking slump lately and have been trying to bail on cooking for a time by getting some frozen stuff than can be thrown into the oven. But every time I walk down the frozen food aisle, I am again reminded of WHY I have learned to cook. Besides being loaded with fat and sodium, there are ALWAYS at least 8-10 "mystery ingredients" listed on the packages. Sodiumdibenzoate, blah, blah, blah. You know what I am talking about. And the prices!! Craziness! I can buy an entire bag of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts for $5. If I would bread, season, and cook these I could have enough chicken nuggets for at least 2 meals. The same item (filled with weird alien ingredients) costs anywhere from $10-15 in the oh-so-nice resealable package! So time and time again I am lured to the frozen foods aisle, only to scoff and toss the packages back onto the shelves. They are simply not affordable!
I am big on casseroles. I like the "one-dish" thing, plus they make great leftovers. (Making a meal which will guarantee leftovers is also a GREAT way to eat economically!) I can make an entire spaghetti-type casserole for about $4 and it lasts for at least 2-3 meals. Heading back to the frozen food section you can find something similar in a nice little (wasteful) tray for about $6-7, which comes in a much smaller size as well.
There is simply no way to argue with preparing your own foods. Of course it takes a little more time at the start, but after learning to prepare larger portions which will be consumed within a few days (or can be frozen for later use!) you will eventually find yourself saving lots of time!
12. Don't sacrifice health for cheapness. Being rather health-conscious myself, I feel the need to throw in a bit about buying healthful food. One item that particularly sticks in my mind is the overwhelming granola bar aisle. I like granola bars. They are a quick way to eat something as you jump in the car, and also make for a great snack during the day. Most people associate the word "granola" with "healthy" and in some cases that is true, but in a lot of other cases it isn't. Take Sunbelt brand granola bars. Super yummy, especially the chocolate chip ones. But these things are NOT, in any way, to be considered healthy. Don't be fooled by something that "sounds" healthy. It will be worth you time to compare nutritional information and start to accumulate data in your brain as to which brands/products are more healthful than others.
I have recently been participating in a weight loss "campaign". I have become nearly paranoid at times about the calories, fat, sodium, and other contents of a certain item. (Tip: do NOT look at Chili's nutritional information if you ever want to feel comfortable eating there again!) But while I don't condone being over-psychotic about these numbers, it has become important to me to find a more healthful alternative to some things I would normally have eaten.
Back to the granola bars. While the Sunbelt ones are just about the cheapest granola bars you can find, they are also NOT healthy. Your eyes may stray over the the "healthy and organic" section of the aisle and the sticker shock may cause you to again reach for the faithful Sunbelt box. Why pay $6 for 5 organic or "natural" granola bars when you can get 10 for $1.30, right?? Isn't that what we are learning here?? Cheap! Off-brand! Well yeah, but let's go back to getting/being/staying healthy. If you have a habit of starting off your day with a granola bar, then I have to say it is imperative to start off with a HEALTHY granola bar. The nutritional value you are compromising in that price difference may just be immeasureable later in life. A sizeable dose of synthetic preservatives first thing in the morning cannot possibly be advantageous in the long run. Substitute an all-natural granola bar and you can feel better about starting your day off a little healthier.
I could probably write a book about healthful eating, so I will leave you to mull this one over. Just remember that while calories, fat, and price are all important, individual ingredients are also important.
13. Organic food. I don't really wanna talk about organic food, but I feel like it's kind of expected at this point. I don't purposely buy organic. The prices are hugely different than non-organic counterparts, and there really hasn't been a lot of evidence that eating organic foods is drastically beneficial. I do have it in the back of my mind that organic must be so much better since it doesn't contain pesticides or whatever, but still can't bring myself to pay $6 for those organic strawberries or $5 for organic milk. There are SO many other ways that people need to first watch how they eat, that organic eating should simply not even on the horizon for many. Let's just put it this way: if the organic lettuce is not significantly different in price than the non-organic stuff, I will get it. I won't spend extra every-time-no-matter-what. It's not cost-effective for us. Again, if I had piles of money laying around the house I might consider an organic diet. For me, I think it's more about quality. If organic milk sucks, I won't buy it just because it says "organic" on it. I will buy the stuff that tastes better. If organic granola bars can be easily confused with cardboard, again -- not gonna get them. But on the other hand, I know that Stoneyfield Non-Fat French Vanilla yogurt is SUPER AWESOME (AND healthy) so on a rare occasion I will get some, just for the pure enjoyment of it. But on the average day? That $7 price tag (for the "big" container) will scare me right back to Dannon. Enough said.
14. Junk food is a waste of money. This probably reflects back to the "non-essentials" list as well. A bag of chips (which I bet I could eat entirely by myself) is sometimes as much as $4-5! (For what? Empty calories and fat thighs!) And a case of soda? Way too expensive. There are many things which I will rarely buy at the store: ice cream, chips, soda, cookies, fancy crackers, etc. These things are simply too expensive for the lack of benefits they provide. Learn to appreciate other foods as snacks: grapes (frozen ones are the best!), strawberries with whipped cream (my fave!), all-fruit smoothies, etc.
Some say that I am depriving my kids of all the yummy things in life. But you know what? This simply makes them appreciate these "non-essentials" so much more when we do have them. For example, we never buy soda. The kids had been particularly good one day this week so I decided to buy a 12-pack of orange soda. Now, this is obviously not a healthy thing to regularly give to the kids. But as a treat? Perfectly ok. Let me tell you, these kids were SUPER PUMPED about being able to have even half a can of orange soda. And I didn't precede the treat with a lecture on why orange soda is bad for them; I simply let them enjoy it. Was the $3.50 I spent on the 12-pack worth it? Absolutely. Would I spend that $3.50 every week? Nope. It's better spent elsewhere. But this 12-pack of soda is also going to last us for about a couple months, so the starting cost becomes significantly diluted over time.
Forming bad habits of junk food eating can be extremely expensive: if someone has to have a soda every day on the way to work, or that frappucino during a break, or even settling in with a bag of chips or bowl of ice cream after putting the kids to bed. These things all add up. Reserve them for special occasions and you will find yourself not only saving tons of money, but also appreciating the yummy stuff even more!
15. Yeah, produce is expensive; get over it. (Maybe this fits better up above somewhere, but I am so tired of renumbering the paragraphs -- which are probably already wrong -- that the produce discussion is going to go here.)
So we are talking about saving money. We have also kind of discussed healthy eating. Produce and saving money don't really go together very well. But produce and healthy eating are definitely best buddies.
Now that my sales-only-shopping has been well-established, I find myself sometimes ONLY buying produce from week to week. I will buy whatever apples are on sale, strawberries, lettuce, oranges, and whatever else suits my fancy. The facts are simple: everyone needs to eat fruits and veggies. You won't always be able to save a ton of money, but with proper sales shopping it is possible to find some great deals. (I also need to take some time here to give a shoutout to Tupperware's FridgeMates. These little contraptions allow you to store produce in the fridge for sometimes up to 3-4 times longer than the expected shelf life. They are definitely an "investment" -- fancy word for expensive -- but they have definitely paid off for me thus far.)
Another good thing to talk about here is farmer's markets. Very whimsical and earthy. Also reduces the overall "carbon footprint" by reducing transportation costs, etc., right? Not always the world's greatest prices, though. This is a tough discussion for me since I am a bit of a tree hugger, but also a cheapskate. I hate paying $5 for a cantaloupe when Aldi has them for 99 cents. Those watermelons look super good, but $11? Really? However, you can sometimes find some GREAT deals at farmer's market, and your local one definitely may merit a little extra attention this summer. Remember that driving 30 miles to a "great" farmer's market totally defeats the purpose!
* * * * *
So this ends my lecture series on how to spend less on groceries. I hope that at least something has been helpful to you. It will take time to develop your own pattern based on sales-only shopping, and to mentally store a running list of what the best sale prices are. Again, I do not claim to know everything about being a great grocery shopper. I do, however, have a lot of experience living on a tight "budget"!
It came to my attention earlier this year that many, many, MANY people are spending WAAAAY too much money on groceries. It seems that the average family of 4 spends at least $800/month on food, whether it be grocery store or eating out. EIGHT HUNDRED a month!! EVERY month!! When I was "gathering" this information, I was absolutely astonished that so many people so could be so very bad at maintaining a reasonable food budget! Now of course there are MANY families which spend far less than that, some by choice and some not. But I have learned that most families' spending is, indeed, out of control. Now just for a reference point, my family is on the lower end of the food-budget spectrum. There are 5 people in my family and we, on average, spend about $200-250/month on groceries. No, I'm not kidding.
Now there are excuses aplenty for why people can validate spending more: my teenage boys eat so much, or we are too busy to cook at home, or I don't have time to be picky at the store, etc. I still believe that excuses are mostly just that: excuses. Please understand that I don't think I am doing anything amazing. I am not a psychotic coupon-clipper, I don't drive across town to save 20 cents on a gallon of milk, and I don't even always buy generic over name-brands. But someone who is determined to save money on groceries can easily learn to cut hundreds of dollars every month. Perhaps I have some valuable tips to offer, and perhaps I am just consistently "lucky" in the sales I find. Either way, I save a ton of money (as compared to most other families) and below you can see the helpful information I have to offer.
I don't think I have all the answers, and maybe our requirements for a satisfying meal are different than yours. I would just like to offer come tips as to how you might be able to cut down your grocery budget (I use that word loosely; I have NEVER done an actual "budget") to save money, live smarter, and have more money for things that aren't eventually flushed down the toilet. :D
1. Study the sales flyers. The first thing I do each week is scan the grocery store flyers for sales (my stores are Aldi, Pick n' Save, and Festival). When I see something on sale that we normally use, I write it on the list. This doesn't mean I have a distinct plan for using it; it just means that given the meals we normally eat, these specific ingredients are things that I know we will use at some point. Most "non-perishables" have a shelf life of at least 2 years; why not get it now when food prices are just going to get higher in the future? Buying primarily things that are on sale is crucial to saving money overall. This policy takes a while to get "into" as you will have to slowly stock up on things that are on sale for future use. In the meantime you will find yourself buying things that aren't on sale as you need them now, and that is inevitable until you get into your "groove". Also, seeing an item on sale will usually bring to mind a certain recipe that I may have forgotten about. If I am lucky I will have the rest of the ingredients already in the pantry so I won't be tempted to buy things that are not on sale. (I do want to point out that some things just never seem to be on sale. I confess that if I run out patience I will buy something that I need or even just WANT without the little "sale" sticker in front of it. More on this below.)
2. Consider quantities. If you eat a lot of one particular food item (pasta, soup, etc.) then watch for what you know to be the best price and get 8-10 of them instead of just one. For example, if cream cheese is on sale for 89 cents I will buy, say, 6 of them. I don't use it a lot, but the not-on-sale price is around $1.30. Forty cents will never change the world, but consider this: that is about 30% of the original price! Huge savings! Since cream cheese never really gets bad (as long as it is sealed) I let it sit in the back of the fridge til I need it. I know I will eventually use it, and it bothers me LESS to have it sitting in the fridge than it does to spend full price when I need it and don't have any. It's a small item and it definitely does not ruin my life to have it sitting around. (Besides, if I am concerned about getting it out of the fridge, I will just have to make cheesecake, right?!)
3. Stock up when it's cheap! (Some of this was mentioned above, but I wanted it to be a distinct consideration point as well.) There is a stigma associated with stocking up on food items. Everyone says you are a "hoarder", or other worse things. Now I'm not saying that you should buy 20 bottles of ketchup when it's on sale for $1, but you should consider getting 2-3 of them, depending on your ketchup consumption. Over time you will learn what the cheapest going rate will ever be for ketchup and THAT should be when you "make your move". No one has the right to judge you for having 15 boxes of cereal in your basement or pantry! If you know that your kids eat a box of Cheerios every week, then you could even have 50 down there and still use them up well before their expiration date (usually at least a year).
Things that I commonly buy on sale and "stock up" on:
*pasta
*canned fruit/veggies
*ketchup, BBQ sauce, salad dressing
*macaroni and cheese
*baking goods (chocolate chips, nuts, flour, sugar, etc.)
*jello, pudding (flavors that I use in recipes, especially)
*spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce
*cake/brownie mixes
*inedibles such as toilet paper, etc.
4. Don't buy ready-to-eat items. Everyone knows that ready-to-eat items are a rip-off (or at least everyone SHOULD know this!) But they're just oh-so-convenient, right? Yeah, I guess. But you also never really know when they were made, how they were made, what kind of preservatives are in there, and who has been touching them behind that swinging deli door.
There are basically two kinds of prepared foods: the deli kind that are made in the store, and the packaged kind (like Lunchables, but don't get me started on those!)
The deli kind: Overall, not really horrible foods. But consider the cost of having some lady standing in the back slicing deli meat all day, or making mashed potatoes, or making soup. The stores make out like bandits, and they know that people will flock to these easy meals. Think about the salad bar at your local store. It's like $6/pound to buy lettuce! Yeah you get some fancy little extras and condiments to go along with your salad, but NOTHING that you couldn't buy for cheaper elsewhere in the store. We have recently been into chef-type salads at our house. We have been able to eat huge salads for at least 4-5 meals per week at a cost of less than $1.50 each! The ingredients keep well, are easily transported, and are super-cheap to buy individually.
Prepackaged kind: Scary. If you have a weak constitution then please make sure you are sitting before flipping over that package to read the label. These are the true "mystery foods" in the store. But wait -- we aren't necessarily talking health aspects, are we? Ok, so it might SEEM super cheap to pick up a couple Lunchables for $1.80 each, but if you truly consider what you are buying you will realize that you could make up the same combination for significantly less money. And really, how much energy does it take to slice up some cheese, grab a few crackers, and cut some little circles of deli meat and throw them into a bag? Not to mention that you could cut enough cheese and lunch meat up to last a whole week, if you so please, thus making the whole week SEEM "prepackaged"! People have been brainwashed into believing that convenience foods are "not really that expensive". It is critical to take the time to consider how much that prepackaged item would cost if you would put it together yourself.
5. Don't be a brand shopper. I have no problem admitting that there are certain brands I will stick to until the day I die, but overall I am not a brand shopper. This plays an important role in saving loads of money. I'm sure you've heard by now that stores usually place the most expensive variety of each item at eye-level on the shelves. Makes perfect sense: I'm in a hurry, I grab what's in front of my face. Make sure you have adequate time to scan the items you are shopping for; this is especially important when you are buying things that are not on sale. Yeah, in some cases those "creme sandwich cookies" are not quite as good as Oreos, but you can learn to get over it for the significant price difference between the two. Hunt's or Roundy's ketchup really isn't much different than Heinz. Generic peanut butter is actually BETTER than Skippy, and oh-so-much cheaper too.
Of course, everyone has their own individual tastes, but the key is to TRY a different, less expensive brand. There are certain Sam's Choice items that are absolutely horrific, but then I have also learned that their peanut butter is really very comparable to other, more expensive brands. You too will have to take the plunge every once in a while to learn what items really aren't so horrible as compared to a better-known relative. A few years ago I would have been horrified to buy anything but Dean's ice cream, but now? That Food Club brand is really the same darn thing. Besides, who can tell the difference with loads of chocolate syrup on it anyway? (Oh yeah, and that is another item for which the "Clear Value" brand is really no different than Hershey's.)
6. Bulk isn't always better. Big-box stores and club memberships are all the rage these days. I've had a Costco or Sam's Club membership myself, in fact. (And by the way, Sam's Club is better if you can stand those ghetto Milwaukee stores.) Don't mean to shock you, but RARELY will you get significantly better prices at those warehouse stores. REALLY. Diapers? Not a deal. They are like 1/2 cent cheaper per diaper. Produce? Well, sometimes a better price. Mostly just a bigger container so you THINK you are getting a better price. Huge cans of baked beans? Not cheaper. People have been brainwashed into thinking that if you buy a larger quantity then you will be getting a better price. They like to pretend that they are buying things "factory direct", as though they are the truck picking up the items right from the loading dock. It's kind of a little fantasy that many, many, MANY people like to participate in. Sam's Club has taken a lot of time marketing how much better the prices are at their warehouse-type stores, and have kind of skipped over the fact that all you are really getting is a bigger package. Remember that Sam's Club was originally started for business use; not families. I can't prove it, but I think they just wanted to make people happier by not having to load up 30 separate boxes of Kleenex or 300 individual rolls of toilet, so they shrink-wrapped them together, called it bulk, and suddenly had ordinary citizens trying to climb over the walls to get inside. The cost of having a yearly membership, coupled with the cost of having to DRIVE there (especially given my 40-mile-away location) easily outweigh any type of savings I might get by shopping at Costco. Then why the membership? Sometimes it's fun to go there and walk around.....and, well...... I love the abundance of free samples.
7. Definitely get a freezer. A separate garage or basement freezer is a very important part of saving money on groceries. Almost anything can be frozen, thereby making this a great supportive item for buying multiples of things on sale. If ground beef is super cheap, I will buy the big six-pound pack, divide it into smaller freezer bags, and throw them in the freezer. Frozen bread dough from Schwan's (believe it or not!) is extremely affordable and tastes FABULOUS! Every time he stops by, another package or two goes in the freezer. I am fortunate enough to have a bulk-beef hook-up and half of my freezer is filled with steaks and roasts. Many grocery stores have an area for soon-to-be-expired meats and other "perishables"; I buy up whole cut-up chickens for 50% off and toss them in the freezer, too! A fridge freezer by itself is simply inadequate for any type of economical shopping pattern. Saving money in the grocery store requires that you have a place to put things which are a great deal now, but which can't be eaten within the next few days. So next time you see country-style ribs for 99 cents/pound, get 2 or 3 and store them in the freezer!
8. Aldi is not always cheaper! I listed Aldi as one of the three stores which I go to on a regular basis. LOTS of people shy away from this store as they see it as some sort of off-brand dumping grounds for crappy products that no one else will carry. Well... kinda.... but not really. I have to first admit that I never used to shop at Aldi. There wasn't one where I previously lived, and the savings simply weren't worth the drive to the nearest one. Now that I live just about 2 miles away from one, I am much more inclined to shop there. I do not use it as a primary grocery store (nothing could tear me away from my precious Pick n' Save) but there are certain things I do now buy there on a consistent basis. Their generic cheerios, apple cinnamon cheerios, and honey nut cheerios are quite comparable, especially when combined with milk in a bowl and eaten with a spoon (but isn't that how most people eat cereal?) The generic Chex cereals are also just as good as the real thing. Chili beans and diced tomatoes are another favorite. Canned whipped cream is nearly $2 less at Aldi, and their daily or weekly sales on produce can be astonishly cheap. BUT -- Aldi does still have it's limitations.
Aldi has made a name for themselves by offering lesser-known brands at sometimes significantly-reduced prices. They have done a good job luring in people who are on fixed incomes, as well as those who want to appear frugal or sensible (but who also secretly wish there was a bagger boy to help load their groceries into the back of their expensive SUVs). People have come to expect that shopping at Aldi will provide them with comparable merchandise for less. I disagree. Some things are indeed cheaper there. Canned veggies and fruit are sometimes 1/2 the cost of a "normal" store, and their healthful "Fit & Active" brand has some great items at a fraction of the cost of bigger-hyped health food lines. But remember rule #1 up above? "Always shop the sales"? It is ABSOLUTELY true that you will frequently find sale items at bigger stores for LESS than at Aldi. Once I nearly caved and bought a loaf of bread at Aldi, but then learned that my favorite brand was on sale on Pick n' Save for about the same price! Recently, I was at Aldi picking up a few odds and ends. I needed strawberries but noticed that they were $2.29 at Aldi. Ugh. Not the world's greatest price so I passed them up. Next stop was Pick n' Save where the first thing I saw was strawberries for $1.50. Pretty big price difference, with the "discount" store chalking up a solid LOSS. The produce prices seem to be especially fickle at Aldi and need to be carefully watched to ensure the best price for the same product. Don't automatically assume that the price will be lower at the store with the discount-shopping reputation.
On the flipside of this... for example, if milk is not offered on sale at either Pig or Pick n' Save, I will automatically default to buying it at Aldi. Their constant price of around $2.79 can't beat the sale price of $1.89 at other stores, but is still better much than the others' non-sale price of $3.89. (You also might want to know that some stores are adding generic generics such as the "Clear Value" brand at Pick n' Save. These prices tend to be extremely comparable to Aldi's prices and really are not too bad.)
Another downfall of Aldi is the lack of variety. They have ONE kind of chili beans and ONE kind of applesauce (sugar-added, might I mention). They also have only one or two types of pasta, while a typical store might have TWENTY. If you are looking for enough ingredients to complete an entire meal, I daresay that you will be hard-pressed to find enough variety at Aldi. If you are not a fancy eater then you will be happy as a clam there, however.
Lastly, sometimes quality is jeopardized by buying the off-brands at Aldi. But you have to TRY them to know your opinion of them. Every time I go to Aldi I grab another new item which I have not previously sampled to see if it is comparable to something (more expensive) which I would normally buy at a different store. I recently discovered that their spaghetti sauce is horrendously bland and almost sour-ish. Their chicken breasts are extremely fatty and gristle-y. I have a friend who would prefer to be thrown off a cliff than to eat their refried beans. Their American cheese slices? Wretched. But take the time to sample different, bargain-priced items to see if you can discover something amazing -- for half the price!
My conclusion? If you don't have an Aldi nearby you will not go bankrupt shopping at a local store. The money you "might" save shopping at Aldi could easily by offset by the drive to get there.
9. Coupons? I kinda use them. These new reality shows with bored, surburban housewives racing around store aisles and cheering at the checkouts definitely raise my blood pressure. These people might save tons of money, but they have also made a game out of hoarding things just to see who can get the biggest haul of stuff they don't need and can't possibly use in a timely manner. It drives me INSANE to see people using coupons for things they wouldn't normally buy just because they can save 25 cents -- or maybe even FIFTY on "double daze"!! And that is the trap that coupons provide: they are always for the more-expensive brands, and lure you in with the hope of saving money..... on something you don't even need.....
I do clip some coupons. But only for things I might normally buy anyway. Remember that store brands never circulate coupons. When I am in the store I compare the coupon-price to the cost of the comparable generic or store-brand item. If the coupon-price is not less than the store-brand, bye-bye to the coupon. If the price is the same, I might opt for the name-brand item. Don't fall into the trap of "saving money" by buying something you don't need or wouldn't otherwise buy.
And double-coupon days? I would prefer to stand naked in the middle of a busy street than enter a store filled with crazed coupon freaks with BINS of coupons and CLIPBOARDS of lists. There is NO WAY that an extra 50 cents could lure me to a store on these specified days. I must preserve what sanity I have remaining. I don't care that you were able to get 50 boxes of Rice Krispies for 8 cents each. And unless you are donating the surplus then you should be ashamed of yourself.
10. The "non-essentials" list. Well, I developed this concept during a particularly "lean" financial time. Most people have a running list of things they are out of, etc. Well my running list has been divided into two categories: essentials and non-essentials. The "essentials" list is stuff that we can't do without: milk, eggs, bread, chocolate-covered raisins. Stuff like that. The "non-essentials" list is stuff that you are out of, but which isn't necessarily critical to obtain as soon as possible. This might contain things like ice cream, crackers, macaroni and cheese, pretzels, soda, etc. While the items on the "essentials" list need to be purchased to maintain a healthy and reasonable life, the things on the "non-essentials" list are definitely "extras" and should not be purchased unless they are on sale, or until they need to switch over to the critical list. For example, if tomorrow you are having a birthday party for your daughter and you have been watching and waiting for ice cream to come on sale, I think you better consider switching it over to the "essentials" list for the sake of the ten 5-year-old girls soon to be at your house (plus, having birthday cake without ice cream is just un-American). In this situation, I would head to Aldi and pick up some cheap stuff. No one will know the difference anyway.
11. Learn how to cook. This topic kind of goes along with the above topic of not buying processed or "convenience" foods. It might be just so convenient to buy the stew meat precut into little squares, but remember that you are paying someone to do that cutting for you. If I were a millionaire, I could definitely see paying someone to do that for me. But as an average citizen, I definitely have more time than money and will be cutting my own little squares of meat until further notice. Other traps include many deli items such as potato salad, jellos cubes, anything on a salad bar, and bakery cupcakes. It always kills me when people buy premade cookies too! Agh! I truly do not care if my cookies come with little pumpkins squirted into the middle of them, and definitely do not want them all nicely packaged in a (wasteful) plastic container.
Let's move to the frozen food department. I have been in a bit of a cooking slump lately and have been trying to bail on cooking for a time by getting some frozen stuff than can be thrown into the oven. But every time I walk down the frozen food aisle, I am again reminded of WHY I have learned to cook. Besides being loaded with fat and sodium, there are ALWAYS at least 8-10 "mystery ingredients" listed on the packages. Sodiumdibenzoate, blah, blah, blah. You know what I am talking about. And the prices!! Craziness! I can buy an entire bag of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts for $5. If I would bread, season, and cook these I could have enough chicken nuggets for at least 2 meals. The same item (filled with weird alien ingredients) costs anywhere from $10-15 in the oh-so-nice resealable package! So time and time again I am lured to the frozen foods aisle, only to scoff and toss the packages back onto the shelves. They are simply not affordable!
I am big on casseroles. I like the "one-dish" thing, plus they make great leftovers. (Making a meal which will guarantee leftovers is also a GREAT way to eat economically!) I can make an entire spaghetti-type casserole for about $4 and it lasts for at least 2-3 meals. Heading back to the frozen food section you can find something similar in a nice little (wasteful) tray for about $6-7, which comes in a much smaller size as well.
There is simply no way to argue with preparing your own foods. Of course it takes a little more time at the start, but after learning to prepare larger portions which will be consumed within a few days (or can be frozen for later use!) you will eventually find yourself saving lots of time!
12. Don't sacrifice health for cheapness. Being rather health-conscious myself, I feel the need to throw in a bit about buying healthful food. One item that particularly sticks in my mind is the overwhelming granola bar aisle. I like granola bars. They are a quick way to eat something as you jump in the car, and also make for a great snack during the day. Most people associate the word "granola" with "healthy" and in some cases that is true, but in a lot of other cases it isn't. Take Sunbelt brand granola bars. Super yummy, especially the chocolate chip ones. But these things are NOT, in any way, to be considered healthy. Don't be fooled by something that "sounds" healthy. It will be worth you time to compare nutritional information and start to accumulate data in your brain as to which brands/products are more healthful than others.
I have recently been participating in a weight loss "campaign". I have become nearly paranoid at times about the calories, fat, sodium, and other contents of a certain item. (Tip: do NOT look at Chili's nutritional information if you ever want to feel comfortable eating there again!) But while I don't condone being over-psychotic about these numbers, it has become important to me to find a more healthful alternative to some things I would normally have eaten.
Back to the granola bars. While the Sunbelt ones are just about the cheapest granola bars you can find, they are also NOT healthy. Your eyes may stray over the the "healthy and organic" section of the aisle and the sticker shock may cause you to again reach for the faithful Sunbelt box. Why pay $6 for 5 organic or "natural" granola bars when you can get 10 for $1.30, right?? Isn't that what we are learning here?? Cheap! Off-brand! Well yeah, but let's go back to getting/being/staying healthy. If you have a habit of starting off your day with a granola bar, then I have to say it is imperative to start off with a HEALTHY granola bar. The nutritional value you are compromising in that price difference may just be immeasureable later in life. A sizeable dose of synthetic preservatives first thing in the morning cannot possibly be advantageous in the long run. Substitute an all-natural granola bar and you can feel better about starting your day off a little healthier.
I could probably write a book about healthful eating, so I will leave you to mull this one over. Just remember that while calories, fat, and price are all important, individual ingredients are also important.
13. Organic food. I don't really wanna talk about organic food, but I feel like it's kind of expected at this point. I don't purposely buy organic. The prices are hugely different than non-organic counterparts, and there really hasn't been a lot of evidence that eating organic foods is drastically beneficial. I do have it in the back of my mind that organic must be so much better since it doesn't contain pesticides or whatever, but still can't bring myself to pay $6 for those organic strawberries or $5 for organic milk. There are SO many other ways that people need to first watch how they eat, that organic eating should simply not even on the horizon for many. Let's just put it this way: if the organic lettuce is not significantly different in price than the non-organic stuff, I will get it. I won't spend extra every-time-no-matter-what. It's not cost-effective for us. Again, if I had piles of money laying around the house I might consider an organic diet. For me, I think it's more about quality. If organic milk sucks, I won't buy it just because it says "organic" on it. I will buy the stuff that tastes better. If organic granola bars can be easily confused with cardboard, again -- not gonna get them. But on the other hand, I know that Stoneyfield Non-Fat French Vanilla yogurt is SUPER AWESOME (AND healthy) so on a rare occasion I will get some, just for the pure enjoyment of it. But on the average day? That $7 price tag (for the "big" container) will scare me right back to Dannon. Enough said.
14. Junk food is a waste of money. This probably reflects back to the "non-essentials" list as well. A bag of chips (which I bet I could eat entirely by myself) is sometimes as much as $4-5! (For what? Empty calories and fat thighs!) And a case of soda? Way too expensive. There are many things which I will rarely buy at the store: ice cream, chips, soda, cookies, fancy crackers, etc. These things are simply too expensive for the lack of benefits they provide. Learn to appreciate other foods as snacks: grapes (frozen ones are the best!), strawberries with whipped cream (my fave!), all-fruit smoothies, etc.
Some say that I am depriving my kids of all the yummy things in life. But you know what? This simply makes them appreciate these "non-essentials" so much more when we do have them. For example, we never buy soda. The kids had been particularly good one day this week so I decided to buy a 12-pack of orange soda. Now, this is obviously not a healthy thing to regularly give to the kids. But as a treat? Perfectly ok. Let me tell you, these kids were SUPER PUMPED about being able to have even half a can of orange soda. And I didn't precede the treat with a lecture on why orange soda is bad for them; I simply let them enjoy it. Was the $3.50 I spent on the 12-pack worth it? Absolutely. Would I spend that $3.50 every week? Nope. It's better spent elsewhere. But this 12-pack of soda is also going to last us for about a couple months, so the starting cost becomes significantly diluted over time.
Forming bad habits of junk food eating can be extremely expensive: if someone has to have a soda every day on the way to work, or that frappucino during a break, or even settling in with a bag of chips or bowl of ice cream after putting the kids to bed. These things all add up. Reserve them for special occasions and you will find yourself not only saving tons of money, but also appreciating the yummy stuff even more!
15. Yeah, produce is expensive; get over it. (Maybe this fits better up above somewhere, but I am so tired of renumbering the paragraphs -- which are probably already wrong -- that the produce discussion is going to go here.)
So we are talking about saving money. We have also kind of discussed healthy eating. Produce and saving money don't really go together very well. But produce and healthy eating are definitely best buddies.
Now that my sales-only-shopping has been well-established, I find myself sometimes ONLY buying produce from week to week. I will buy whatever apples are on sale, strawberries, lettuce, oranges, and whatever else suits my fancy. The facts are simple: everyone needs to eat fruits and veggies. You won't always be able to save a ton of money, but with proper sales shopping it is possible to find some great deals. (I also need to take some time here to give a shoutout to Tupperware's FridgeMates. These little contraptions allow you to store produce in the fridge for sometimes up to 3-4 times longer than the expected shelf life. They are definitely an "investment" -- fancy word for expensive -- but they have definitely paid off for me thus far.)
Another good thing to talk about here is farmer's markets. Very whimsical and earthy. Also reduces the overall "carbon footprint" by reducing transportation costs, etc., right? Not always the world's greatest prices, though. This is a tough discussion for me since I am a bit of a tree hugger, but also a cheapskate. I hate paying $5 for a cantaloupe when Aldi has them for 99 cents. Those watermelons look super good, but $11? Really? However, you can sometimes find some GREAT deals at farmer's market, and your local one definitely may merit a little extra attention this summer. Remember that driving 30 miles to a "great" farmer's market totally defeats the purpose!
* * * * *
So this ends my lecture series on how to spend less on groceries. I hope that at least something has been helpful to you. It will take time to develop your own pattern based on sales-only shopping, and to mentally store a running list of what the best sale prices are. Again, I do not claim to know everything about being a great grocery shopper. I do, however, have a lot of experience living on a tight "budget"!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Recipe Of The Week
Chicken in Potato Baskets
4 1/2 c. thawed hash browns
6 T. butter, melted
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
Combine all of the above and press into six greased custard cups. (I have been using an 8x8 square pan.)
1/2 c. chopped onion (I use 1/4 c.)
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 t. chicken bouillon granules
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. dried basil
2 c. milk
3 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
In saucepan, saute onion in butter. Add flour, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and basil. Stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and peas. Spoon into prepared crusts.
Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
4 1/2 c. thawed hash browns
6 T. butter, melted
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
Combine all of the above and press into six greased custard cups. (I have been using an 8x8 square pan.)
1/2 c. chopped onion (I use 1/4 c.)
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 t. chicken bouillon granules
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. dried basil
2 c. milk
3 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
In saucepan, saute onion in butter. Add flour, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and basil. Stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and peas. Spoon into prepared crusts.
Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
What Year Is This? 1910?
Hate my fridge. Spews ice fragments all over when you use the dispenser.
After months of complaining about this I finally wrote a nastygram to Whirlpool. They said I needed to call a "local service provider" and have them come check it out. No suggestions as to who the "local service provider" might be.
Bitter-Neumann. So I call them.
I get the old guy who always sits behind that little counter on the far side of the appliance floor.
"Birr-nuen..."
"Hello?"
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I have a question about getting my fridge serviced."
Who knew I wouldn't be transferred to the "appropriate department" first? "And what is your question?"
"The ice maker spews ice chunks all over when dispensing. I actually think its just bad design, but the Whirlpool people wanted me to call and have it looked at." I feel like I am telling him about a rash I have.
"Ok. When did you buy it?"
"In January or February of this year."
Now here's where it gets ugly.
"What's the name it would be under?"
"Mollie M------......"
"Can you spell that?"
I do so.
"Now what's the first name?"
"Mollie."
"Would it be under your husband's name?"
Let's have a little aside here. First of all, I never said I was married. Second of all, is it so unlikely that I -- a GIRL -- bought my own fridge that he has to CLARIFY the name, as though I am too dumb to know what the phrase "name it would be under" means?
"It's in MY name, like I said."
"Oh you did, huh..... Well what was that again?"
"Mollie. *I* bought the fridge."
"Oh here it is. It's under 'Mollie'."
No way.
I remember some time ago a friend of mine getting a bill from her clinic in her HUSBAND'S name. HER insurance. HER appointment. HIS name. I was pretty sure that was annoying, but thought perhaps there was some sort of connection with his name somewhere in their system so I was willing to give the clinic the benefit of the doubt.
But a retail store? Do single women not need fridges? Or do they just need to hire a MAN to buy it for them?
I am, in NO WAY, a feminazi. But I am bothered by this because it is 2010, and if women can be president and fly to the moon, I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be so unexpected that they would be buying a fridge.
I'm better now.
After months of complaining about this I finally wrote a nastygram to Whirlpool. They said I needed to call a "local service provider" and have them come check it out. No suggestions as to who the "local service provider" might be.
Bitter-Neumann. So I call them.
I get the old guy who always sits behind that little counter on the far side of the appliance floor.
"Birr-nuen..."
"Hello?"
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I have a question about getting my fridge serviced."
Who knew I wouldn't be transferred to the "appropriate department" first? "And what is your question?"
"The ice maker spews ice chunks all over when dispensing. I actually think its just bad design, but the Whirlpool people wanted me to call and have it looked at." I feel like I am telling him about a rash I have.
"Ok. When did you buy it?"
"In January or February of this year."
Now here's where it gets ugly.
"What's the name it would be under?"
"Mollie M------......"
"Can you spell that?"
I do so.
"Now what's the first name?"
"Mollie."
"Would it be under your husband's name?"
Let's have a little aside here. First of all, I never said I was married. Second of all, is it so unlikely that I -- a GIRL -- bought my own fridge that he has to CLARIFY the name, as though I am too dumb to know what the phrase "name it would be under" means?
"It's in MY name, like I said."
"Oh you did, huh..... Well what was that again?"
"Mollie. *I* bought the fridge."
"Oh here it is. It's under 'Mollie'."
No way.
I remember some time ago a friend of mine getting a bill from her clinic in her HUSBAND'S name. HER insurance. HER appointment. HIS name. I was pretty sure that was annoying, but thought perhaps there was some sort of connection with his name somewhere in their system so I was willing to give the clinic the benefit of the doubt.
But a retail store? Do single women not need fridges? Or do they just need to hire a MAN to buy it for them?
I am, in NO WAY, a feminazi. But I am bothered by this because it is 2010, and if women can be president and fly to the moon, I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be so unexpected that they would be buying a fridge.
I'm better now.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
More theology from Sarah
Adam got his 6-month shots yesterday. The Band-Aids left on his legs have been bothering Sarah G. a little bit. She got to thinking about this today...
"Did Benjamin get shots when he was a baby?"
"Yep. You did too."
"WHOA!!! I did???"
"Yep."
"Did you get shots when you were a baby?"
"Yep."
"Who took care of you when you were a baby after you got shots?"
"Who do you think did?"
"God?"
"Yep. Him too."
"Does God take care of all the little kids?"
"Yep."
"But how does God make breakfast for all the kids when he's in heaven??"
Theology gone awry.
"Did Benjamin get shots when he was a baby?"
"Yep. You did too."
"Yep."
"Did you get shots when you were a baby?"
"Yep."
"Who took care of you when you were a baby after you got shots?"
"Who do you think did?"
"God?"
"Yep. Him too."
"Does God take care of all the little kids?"
"Yep."
"But how does God make breakfast for all the kids when he's in heaven??"
Theology gone awry.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Grocery Bags
So, there is supposedly this nationwide push to end the usage of plastic bags in grocery stores, etc. (Before I get too far, I have to wonder what on EARTH people are going to use to line their little garbage cans if this happens! Heaven help us all!) I'm pretty sure that anyone who is still breathing on their own has heard about this.
I guess that means that the checkers I always get are being mechanically ventilated.
Today I went to Wal-Mart (my favorite place to blog about). I got: 2-4 packs of the weird Dew flavors, a box of rice cereal, four tiny jars of baby food, a Windex-type spray bottle, a gallon can of paint, and a bag of marshmallows.
She used three bags, and that doesn't include the paint.
One contained the spray bottle.
One contained the marshmallows, baby food, and rice cereal.
One contained the eight cans of soda.
The paint can was placed on top of the triangular spinny thing.
So as Steve was paying, I calmly circled the bagging thingy and placed everything into one bag. And it wasn't even heavy. Saved two bags. Only got one look from the checker-chick.
While we're on the topic, why do they bag things that have their own handle: gallons of milk, half-gallons of milk, pails of ice cream; or things that take up one bag on their own and would have to be carried individually anyway: watermelon, kids play balls, a large boxed lamp.
Any ideas, people?? Am I the only one who things the bagging thing is becoming excessive, especially in light of the nationwide hype with reusable bags?
By the way, the reason I was using plastic grocery bags in the first places is because I forgot my reusable ones at home. I'm killing trees, I tell ya, killing trees.
I guess that means that the checkers I always get are being mechanically ventilated.
Today I went to Wal-Mart (my favorite place to blog about). I got: 2-4 packs of the weird Dew flavors, a box of rice cereal, four tiny jars of baby food, a Windex-type spray bottle, a gallon can of paint, and a bag of marshmallows.
She used three bags, and that doesn't include the paint.
One contained the spray bottle.
One contained the marshmallows, baby food, and rice cereal.
One contained the eight cans of soda.
The paint can was placed on top of the triangular spinny thing.
So as Steve was paying, I calmly circled the bagging thingy and placed everything into one bag. And it wasn't even heavy. Saved two bags. Only got one look from the checker-chick.
While we're on the topic, why do they bag things that have their own handle: gallons of milk, half-gallons of milk, pails of ice cream; or things that take up one bag on their own and would have to be carried individually anyway: watermelon, kids play balls, a large boxed lamp.
Any ideas, people?? Am I the only one who things the bagging thing is becoming excessive, especially in light of the nationwide hype with reusable bags?
By the way, the reason I was using plastic grocery bags in the first places is because I forgot my reusable ones at home. I'm killing trees, I tell ya, killing trees.
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