Frugal Food Shopping and Recipes

[AugustineFan]

I am a father and husband to a great 2 1/2 year old daughter and wife. I am also the one that does all the grocery shopping and the majority of the cooking. I have noticed that we waste a lot of food, and it seems that the grocery bill is always climbing. I am looking for advice on recipes or how you stretch the food budget to make yummy and healthy meals for your family. I want to start to save more money, and also I need some new frugal and tasty recipes. Thanks in advance and God Bless.

 

[ZxM]

one of the easiest things to do is try to incorporate leftovers into new meals.

e.g. the whole chicken you roasted for dinner last night can be reused in chicken salad / tetrazinni / soup / pot pie etc. (if you make pan gravy that can be used in a pot pie or for biscuits in the morning)

pork roast can be made into soup

leftover vegetables if they’ve just been steamed can be collected in a container in the freezer and when you have enough of a variety, make a pot pie or vegetable stew.

also, im finding i need to get a freezer, when you see good deals on meat. stock up. i spent 50 bucks the other weeks and have enough for probably 2 1/2 months. during the summer get those good deals on fresh veggies and blanch and freeze them for later.

ive found in my family too, although it took awhile, but you can eventually judge what everyone is going to eat and scale down accordingly. like i have a family of four but know to only make enough for three because my daughter wont eat them. that cut down on those prtions sitting in the fridge waiting to be tossed.

 

[jakasaki]

I am a father and husband to a great 2 1/2 year old daughter and wife. I am also the one that does all the grocery shopping and the majority of the cooking. I have noticed that we waste a lot of food, and it seems that the grocery bill is always climbing. I am looking for advice on recipes or how you stretch the food budget to make yummy and healthy meals for your family. I want to start to save more money, and also I need some new frugal and tasty recipes. Thanks in advance and God Bless.

Can you give me some ideas/examples how the food is wasted.

 

[JRKH]

I am a great believer in what I call - “mulligan soup”. That is a soup (or stew) made from whatever leftovers there are.

I’ve also heard of people keeping a container in their freezer that collects even small amounts of leftover veggies bits of meat etc.

I always check the section of our grocery where they have the “manager’s specials” - that is, meats that are near their “sell by” date and the prices reduced for quick sale. There is nothing wrong with the meat and it freezes just fine. These can be used to make great meals, as well as soups and stews.

Don’t be afraid of the “store brands” or the “value brands”, especially for things like frozen veggies and taters and such. These are often very good and quite a bit less expensive.

Try to cook in larger quantities if you have freezer space. It’s nice to be able to just go to the fridge and grab some really good meal that you prepared ahead of time yourself.

Hope some of this helps.

peace
James

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I am a father and husband to a great 2 1/2 year old daughter and wife. I am also the one that does all the grocery shopping and the majority of the cooking. I have noticed that we waste a lot of food, and it seems that the grocery bill is always climbing. I am looking for advice on recipes or how you stretch the food budget to make yummy and healthy meals for your family. I want to start to save more money, and also I need some new frugal and tasty recipes. Thanks in advance and God Bless.

This is not exactly a recipe but a method.

ALL leftovers (that we don’t eat the next day for lunch, which is our usual way) go into a large freezer container and into the freezer.

When it’s full, thaw it or not, pop it in a crock-pot, add frozen or fresh vegetables, and a can of cream of this-o-r-that-soup. Or a can of stewed tomatoes. Or a can of beans. Or all of the above, plus seasonings of your choice. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 7-9. Everyone knows the drill, right?

It always comes out good, leftovers freeze well, and you serve it over rice or noodles with a salad. There you are.

Hope this helps!

PS: lol, JRKH beat me to it!

 

[AugustineFan]

Can you give me some ideas/examples how the food is wasted.

It seems that I buy meat or other items and they don’t get used, and then are spoiled. I tend to buy things and say “oh I will use this” and then don’t have a recipe for it, or my wife does not want it. We also are having a very hard time with our toddler, as she hates to eat meat, and is a very fussy eater.

 

[Gordon_Sims]

Plan your weekly menu in advance and only buy what you need for the week. I have a spreadsheet divided by day/meal, then with a miscellaneous section for cleaning supplies, etc. We save at least 30-40% when using the list. Also, don’t go shopping on an empty stomach. I’m also a big proponent of store brands and manager’s specials. I’ve gotten some great deals on the manager’s rack.

Sam’s Club and other stores like it can help save money if you do your research but a lot of their prices aren’t as good as going with store brands, sales and coupons. Some stores offer better deals with their discount cards (e-coupons, etc.) so check out their websites and take advantage of what you can. Also, some higher-end stores may have good bargains. We buy a handful of items from Trader Joe’s because they have the best prices on those particular items.

Buying in bulk isn’t always the best deal. Even if it gets you a better per unit price, if it’s not something you’re going to use in a reasonably quick amount of time you could run into problems with space and spoilage. That being said, if it’s something you use a lot, don’t have to worry about spoilage and it gets you the best bargain, go for the bulk. We buy 20 lb. bags of rice and olive oil by the gallon. I’ve also noticed that a lot of stores have adjusted their prices so that the larger sizes are no longer the best bargain. I picked something up the other night (can’t recall what at the moment). We needed a good amount of it so the 128 oz (or whatever) jar would have been best but the unit price on it was like 3.4 cents per ounce. The smallest size had a unit price of like 2.8 cents per ounce, which I had to explain to my wife when I brought home 11 small jars instead of one big one.

As far as recipes go, try looking up recipes on websites that will let you adjust the recipe by number of servings. We have five kids so the 4 serving recipes are too small and the 8 serving recipes lead to too much waste. If I can adjust a recipe to give me exact amounts instead of just doubling or guessing at a recipe we tend to end up with just the right amount, or really close to it.

 

[JRKH]

It seems that I buy meat or other items and they don’t get used, and then are spoiled.

This is a matter of “rotation” and keeping track of what you have on hand. My wife and I use to keep a running “list” of what we had on hand - I even went so far as to put in on the computer so I could print it out and take it to the store…But you don’t need to do this.
Also - plan your menus in advance. Go to your fridge/freezer and pantry and plan your meals based on what you have, and then pick up anything that you might need to either complete the recipe, or to replace what you are already planning to use.

I tend to buy things and say “oh I will use this” and then don’t have a recipe for it, or my wife does not want it.

Well - this is a problem of impulse buying and perhaps not knowing what your wife likes…Some of the advice above can help with this. If it is something your wife doesn’t want…Well you might be able to “hide it” in a soup or stew…But mostly, try to learn what she likes and go from there.

We also are having a very hard time with our toddler, as she hates to eat meat, and is a very fussy eater.

Who DOESN"T have trouble with a 2 1/2 year old. You can’t and should not plan meals around a fussy eater. Make good wholesome meals. If she doesn’t eat, well then she doesn’t eat…But no snacks later in the evening etc. Meals are for eating and not for ignoring in favor of snacks later…

Now - That said, you CAN sneak good foods into her by maybe slipping raw, cut up veggies in front of her while she is watching cartoons in the morning or early afternoon…

Mostly about all you can do with the little one is to keep her on a schedule of meals - put it in front of her and encourage her to eat. Eventually she will get hungry and she will learn to eat at least some of what is in front of her.

Peace
James

 

[AugustineFan]

Plan your weekly menu in advance and only buy what you need for the week. I have a spreadsheet divided by day/meal, then with a miscellaneous section for cleaning supplies, etc. We save at least 30-40% when using the list. Also, don’t go shopping on an empty stomach. I’m also a big proponent of store brands and manager’s specials. I’ve gotten some great deals on the manager’s rack.

Sam’s Club and other stores like it can help save money if you do your research but a lot of their prices aren’t as good as going with store brands, sales and coupons. Some stores offer better deals with their discount cards (e-coupons, etc.) so check out their websites and take advantage of what you can. Also, some higher-end stores may have good bargains. We buy a handful of items from Trader Joe’s because they have the best prices on those particular items.

Buying in bulk isn’t always the best deal. Even if it gets you a better per unit price, if it’s not something you’re going to use in a reasonably quick amount of time you could run into problems with space and spoilage. That being said, if it’s something you use a lot, don’t have to worry about spoilage and it gets you the best bargain, go for the bulk. We buy 20 lb. bags of rice and olive oil by the gallon. I’ve also noticed that a lot of stores have adjusted their prices so that the larger sizes are no longer the best bargain. I picked something up the other night (can’t recall what at the moment). We needed a good amount of it so the 128 oz (or whatever) jar would have been best but the unit price on it was like 3.4 cents per ounce. The smallest size had a unit price of like 2.8 cents per ounce, which I had to explain to my wife when I brought home 11 small jars instead of one big one.

As far as recipes go, try looking up recipes on websites that will let you adjust the recipe by number of servings. We have five kids so the 4 serving recipes are too small and the 8 serving recipes lead to too much waste. If I can adjust a recipe to give me exact amounts instead of just doubling or guessing at a recipe we tend to end up with just the right amount, or really close to it.

I do a lot of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. What makes cooking tough is my wife hates veggies unless it is a potato, and my toddler basically hates everything.

 

[jakasaki]

It seems that I buy meat or other items and they don’t get used, and then are spoiled. I tend to buy things and say “oh I will use this” and then don’t have a recipe for it, or my wife does not want it. We also are having a very hard time with our toddler, as she hates to eat meat, and is a very fussy eater.

OK - gotcha -

You should utilize the internet and search for recipes. Also, you can sit down with your wife and prepare a weekly meal plan.

For example.

Monday, you’ll have spaghetti - or your favorite pasta - with meatballs & maybe a green salad. This way you’ll know to buy the chop meat, sauce & pasta and some salad greens.

Tuesday you’ll have chicken breast with mashed potatoes with your favorite veggie, maybe broccoli or asparagus or zucchini.

Wednesday can be leftover meatball sub sandwiches. Buy the hoagie bread, put hot meatballs in there, top it off with some sauce & mozzarella cheese and broil for a few moments until the cheese is hot & bubbly.

Thursday can be ceasar salad with the left over chicken breast. Make some tomato or chicken noodle soup to go with this meal.

Friday can be shrimp scampi with rice & veggie or salad.

Saturday you can do a hot dog night with potato chips and toppings for hot dogs.

Saturday is a good day for beef stew. One pot meal is always awesome.

All of these recipes are searchable on the net.

Now, in the next post, I will break down the purchase of the meat so it does not spoil on you.

 

[jakasaki]

Now, I’ll break down the meat purchase.

Buy the family pack of chop meat. This will be for your meatballs & your future burger night.

Have some plastic wrap ready.

Take 1/2 of the family pack of chop meat & make individual burgers. Place one burger in the plastic wrap and wrap it. Do this process until you have enough burgers for burger night.

Place the burgers in the freezer. The night before you wish to have your burger night, take them out of the freezer and put them in a bowl and then in the fridge. By the next day they will be defrosted.

Take the other 1/2 of the chop meat. Put in a bowl. Season with salt & pepper, 1 teaspoon of oregano, 2 tablespoons of grated cheese, about 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of water. Some garlic & onion powder as well.

Mix well until all is combined. Roll the meatballs into the size you desire, perhaps gold size. Place them in a baking pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Let them completely cool. Take as many meatballs you’ll like for you Monday supper, place them in a pan with some sauce and cook for 30 minutes. Serve them with pasta.

Now, take the other meatballs which are still in the baking sheet & freeze them for a future meatball supper, or place them in the fridge the Wednesday meatball hoagie night.

I think you get the idea of what I’m trying to show you here. The freezer can be your best friend. Just take the meat out the night before.

Also, you can do this process with chicken breast as well. It’s best to buy family packs, take out 2 or 4 pieces which you will use immediately & freeze the rest.

I hope I was helpful.

 

[jakasaki]

I do a lot of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. What makes cooking tough is my wife hates veggies unless it is a potato, and my toddler basically hates everything.

Does your toddler like chicken fingers or nuggets…?

 

[JRKH]

I do a lot of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. What makes cooking tough is my wife hates veggies unless it is a potato, and my toddler basically hates everything.

You and your wife need to sit down and talk about some of these things.
In particular, it will be difficult to get your toddler to eat veggies if, “mommie doesn’t have to”. So it might be necessary, for a time, that your wife needs to make this sacrifice (eating veggies) for the benefit of your daughter. This is just part of being the grown up.

Of course you can do a lot with veggies to “hide” them in good sauces, served with gravy etc so that they slide down more easily and she certainly doesn’t have to eat a lot of them…
In our house the rule was - you need to eat a little of everything…

Peace
James

 

[LemonAndLime]

Eat vegetarian a few times a week.

Since I stopped eating meat and meat products my food bill has roughly halved. So by cutting out on the amount of meat you buy you’ll make a huge saving, as well as eating healthy meals and being able to get plenty of fruit and vegetables into your family’s diet.

Here in the UK, if you go to supermarkets just before closing you can get perishable food stuffs at greatly reduced prices, as they try to sell them quickly rather than throw them away (which cost the businesses money). This is the best time to buy meat for a meal, as they will last for 24 hours.

 

[AugustineFan]

Does your toddler like chicken fingers or nuggets…?

She will only eat the chicken fries, because the look like french fries. She really hates to eat meat, not sure why.

 

[JRKH]

She will only eat the chicken fries, because the look like french fries. She really hates to eat meat, not sure why.

Every child goes through these kinds of stages…Not always with the same sorts of foods, but with one thing or another…
A child of this age may be craving things more sweet than most meats and are generally easier to chew. Does she like applesauce?

Peace
James

 

[anp1215]

There’s a good old thread on this I will try to find for you.

 

[AugustineFan]

Every child goes through these kinds of stages…Not always with the same sorts of foods, but with one thing or another…
A child of this age may be craving things more sweet than most meats and are generally easier to chew. Does she like applesauce?

Peace
James

Here is an example of what she loves: Yogurt, cheese, crackers, fresh fruit. Spaghetti with red sauce (no meat), Pizza, crumpets, and organic cereal bars, waffles.

 

[jakasaki]

She will only eat the chicken fries, because the look like french fries. She really hates to eat meat, not sure why.

Silly me… I have no idea what chicken fries are, but I’ll guess they are chicken breast strips & that’s why they look like french fries.

Have you tried Pastina cooked with a touch of butter for you little one. And if you have, did she like it…?

Let me know cause I have a toddler recipe for this and it’s got hidden carrots in it.

 

[jakasaki]

Here is an example of what she loves: Yogurt, cheese, crackers, fresh fruit. Spaghetti with red sauce (no meat), Pizza, crumpets, and organic cereal bars, waffles.

OK, this is a good start.

Reading the above, have you tried grilled cheese with tomato soup…?

How about boiling carrots, then mush them up until they are puree and incorporate them into our pasta sauce. This way she gets a veggie which she cannot see.