I freeze leftover veggies in containers and use it next month. My husband ‘won’t eat leftovers within a week!’ So no leftover meals at my house. But I thaw out the leftovers and use it in a few weeks. He hasn’t figured this out yet. He doesn’t cook and Doesn’t realize this was from the previous month. We are married 54 years. I didn’t train him right! My error. Advice to younger couples: you both need to be involved in cooking and grocery shopping! Pat in Colorado
Also here’s a tip, the ziploc bags we used to put stuff in, just wash them and let them dry and reuse them. Saves you tons of money and better for the environment.
I have raised 3 children and I so agree with your idea of giving you children less …. More love less stuff. I have a friend who started young with Christmases for her children ….her rule was only four gifts per child… Something to wear… Some thing you need… Something you want and something to read. And that is it. Wish someone would’ve told me when my children were younger. The kids think about the four things and give great ideas
I really appreciate all the grocery and food stretching tips! I too like Melissa and Donna use a starch to stretch our food budget. Now when I make meat loaf (turkey loaf) I drain and mash up 1 can of black beans, add the usual diced onion and peppers, diced mushrooms and mix that in with the ground turkey. Then I add in the usual breadcrumbs or oatmeal and spices. This turns 1 lb of ground meat into 2 meat loaves and meatballs. Until I mentioned it, no one realized it was 50 % veggie loaf.
That's exactly what I do. I also add beans to my meatloaf but I really like to add different types of lentils. I add lentils to my Bolognese sauce or to my meatballs and nobody ever realised. In addition, I add finely chopped vegetables. My children never liked vegetables but they never complained and supposedly, I make the best Bolognese sauce and meatballs in the world :-D
Here's my best tip for saving money on food: find out if your area has a gleaning program your local food pantry. Our group connects with farmers to glean after the harvesting machines; each gleaned can keep up to 1/2 of what they harvest as long as it's for then or their family, the rest goes to the non-profit food pantry.. We'll glean anything from a backyard apple tree to large field crops. I can or freeze my share and enjoy the harvest all year.
@@greeneyedredhead61 We go in after the harvest machines to pick whatever is left because it was too small, too large, or just missed. We also pick if farmers have too much or too little to send for processing. We often do old fruit trees from people's yard. Basically we glean or harvest any food that would otherwise go to waste.
1) I retired early so my available cash each month is low once bills are paid. Fetch really helps. 2) I also purchase clearance items when shopping as well as sale items. Other than that, I usually make a list and stick to it. 3) Having prepped before I retired allows me to have smaller shopping hauls now. 4) If I do not have something to make a meal I substitute
I did my digital coupons before I went to our Krogers today found a $2.00 coupon off any produce if I spent $10.00 Bingo Manager Mark down reduced salad kits bought 2 for $2.24 one was Terriaki with cabbage chopped, sliced carrots, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower. I saved the dressing packet to Marinade pork for another meal, steam the raw veges will be a meal 👌
I use a marker/sharpie to write expiry dates on the FRONT of CANS so I can easily see when they are about to expire. In January 2022 I made sure that my easily accessible cans expire in 2022 and use those. If I've purchased other items ON SALE "in cans" set to expire in 2023-2025 I keep them in my extended pantry. So in January 2023 the items from my extended pantry will go into my handy pantry. Rotate, rotate, rotate.
3/14/22...I circle 🔵 expiration/Best BY date #1) on BOTTOM of can/box... #2) on FRONT of can/box... #3) on TOP of can/box.... THAT WAY I can 👀 DATE no matter where I put my items....@ bottom of caninet/stacked on other items/@ top of other items in cabinet/box/bin. I ALWAYS mark my cans/boxes as soon as I bring them inside my house... ALWAYS! Then I can put away my items when I have time...+ I can put items/rotate items when I have more time to go thru/add to prep area.
If you don’t mind eating the same meals for most of the week, batch cook stew or soup once a week. Freeze the leftovers in containers and pull out when you need lunch or dinner. I do this and I’ll roast vegetables. I change the roast veg during the week which gives me enough variety. Saves time and money. Re: foil. Usually my foil is relatively clean after cooking. I wash, rinse, re-use that foil 3-4 times before discarding. Saves alot of money!
I use the inside wax bags from cereal ,bread bags, cake mix wax bags,chip bags and ect. for food storage of leftovers. Also recycling plastic or glass containers for storage of food , like empty cottage cheese containers,instead of buying boxes of zip lock bags my mom did this years ago, still works.
@@kimstuart5506 I love that idea. I've tried to use a dog food bag before but our waste management people tagged it because apparently they won't take it unless it's in a garbage bag.😞
I go to Walmart and get the reduced French bread , usually when they mark it down to 60 cents, dry some out for croutons and bread crumbs as well as French bread 🍕 🍕 and French toast! I love your videos!
U can ask them to slice the bread. Then sprinkle a little water over the bread and put in the oven for a few mins(usually put a piece of foil over it ) tada fresh French bread
Yesssssss to "damaged goods". I recently went grocery shopping with my daughter. We both bought the same brand of coffee in a metal can. I paid $4.50 because my "yellow sticker" can was dented. My daughter paid $6.99 for her un-dented can.
When I lived in Texas, Kroger gave a 10% discount on days when the Cowboys played if you wore a Jersey. I got a used one at a garage sale and made sure to wear it those sixteen weeks of the year.
I made my own baby food as well. I had a small table top grinder that ran on batteries ( 1994) and would literally puree at the table with veg and fruit etc. I just pulled the food our pre seasoning for my son. I don't know if you can still find those little grinders but it was so awsome.
Yes reduce how much you eat is the best tip!! The best way to do this is to make sure you have a meal with a carb, protein, fiber, greens and fat. It will keep you full for at least 4 hours.
I grocery shop once a month. It's just my husband and I. I'm from the Caribbean so my Dad has a garden, I have a small herb garden & my in-laws raise chickens. I am blessed to get some fresh produce& chicken for free.
I made my partner a german choc birthday cake but it was a little dry. So, based on your channel's teachings, I had the idea to make a peanut butter pie and used the german choc cake to make the crust by simply crumbling the cake up and adding vegan butter and bake. It was incredible and my partner's fav.
We use a visa credit card and we pay it off every month. We get checks several times a year to Costco. It pays us back for our membership and usually around $1200/year we use those checks to restock our home. Last time we used it to buy new mattresses and box springs for our home. We love it.
Our two grocery stores both do a customer appreciation day on the first Tuesday of every month and everything is 15% off. That's on top of sale prices. This is when I buy things I need that I don't see on sale very often like all our spices. It's really exciting when there's a really good sale on something and then you get the extra 15% off. This is when I really stock up. One of the stores gives air miles or cash miles. I recently switched to only getting cash so now every $125 spent I can redeem $10 off my purchase. Sometimes on weekends if you spend $125 you get a $10 gift card. I like to save those gift cards and either use them on stocking up on sales or I give them to people in need.
Sooooo proud to have got a mention in this video, thank you so much, Hope & Larry. How lovely that all of us Under The Median-fans can partake in pooling money-saving suggestions. Thanks for existing, you two. ❤️
Even if you live alone, label, name and date cooked food is prepared. Like meat eaters make many dishes from one meat purchase. We preprep beans and lentils and freeze them. We don't have to cook beans and lentils for every meal. Sometimes you want stew, curry or stir fry. Beans and lentils are ready to be used. I love the team. You 2 are a perfect team. Thank you for sharing the information. Most of all, thank you for sharing yourselves with us. God bless.
At a farmers market in WA I would ask apple vendors for the 'B' grade apples. They were ones that were not matching the 'A' grade requirements for color consistency, or it's just structurally misshapen. Nothing wrong with them, and if you just slice them up for kids, or use them chopped up for oatmeal, pies, and the like the shape doesn't matter!
I do buy some groceries from our Shoppers Drug Mart here in Canada as their prices for eggs, milk and sometimes other stuff is cheaper than regular stores. Also get points on every purchase which can be redeemed for anything in the store. Great tips shared from others. I started recently buying stuff when on sale instead of grocery shopping every 2 weeks and then I can get a bit of stock up items that way too. 💕
Between the 'buy one/get one free' deals at the grocery stores and my local Grocery Outlet, my prices have stayed relatively stable. I also haven't eaten meat for 40+ years, and that is probably the biggest savings of all.
Regrow what you can, im currently regrowing celery, potatoes, onions& garlic. I have a very small back yard. I use grow bags with pitting soil, works for me!
I used the Flashfood app tonight due to hearing it in this video. I spent about $15 on meat when the retail price would have been about $35. Also, it took some searching and I did find a dented can/overstock/dated grocery store. There I paid $64 for 51 items, when the retail price would normally be just short of $200! Those items were all name-brand too, even some specialty brands you only see at stores like Whole Foods. Thanks for the tips and helpful videos!
An excellent video as usual, Thank you both! A few tips for those wanting to switch over to a fortnightly/monthly food shop - 1) Keep a running list of foods you need to stock up on. You'll want to have a surplus so make a note of anything regularly used that you have less than 2 of. 2: Prioritise your list as Hope says with MUST BUY & Less Urgent categories. You can code these easily on your list by using stars, bullet points, shorthand, etc. 3: Before shopping, look through your fridge freezer and your cupboards to see what you really have. Have a good idea in mind of foods your family regularly buys and meals you gravitate towards. This will all really help with making lists and keeping costs LOW. 4: Plan to buy an easy to heat and serve meal for your shopping day like frozen pizza, you'll be SO grateful you did after shopping, putting the food away correctly, adjusting the budget, scanning receipts into an app, tidying up and so on. Bonus points for using Leftovers on those days instead of buying a convenience food!! 5: Make a through check of Supermarket apps, cashback apps and websites BEFORE MAKING YOUR MASTER LIST. This is best done the day before you plan to shop. Know what's on sale, what you'll have a coupon on cashback for, know who had the best prices and check out what's on for special buys/super 6 that week. 6: Make it clear WHERE you are going and plan a route. This is most important if you are also clumping errands together to save money, fuel, time or for another reason like childcare, working around a disability, etc. Know what you're planning to buy from what shop and adjust your list when you're out as needed (e.g. a planned purchase wasn't available in the one shop, add it to another shop's list). Know which shop is your last (we typically make a Hard Discounter *Lidl in our case* the last stop) so that food not found elsewhere can be purchased here relatively inexpensively. We create our list and make Shop Names our sub-headings, with individual, prioritised items underneath. 7: Before you go, set a budget so you don't come back both tired and frustrated at breaking the bank! We breakdown our budget by week and multiply it by how many weeks are in that month. That is the overall budget but we will seek to save as much money as possible while still buying quality items we need. Shopping once a month cuts down on waste both financial and physical. We buy fewer treats, we rely on the work of our hands to make meals out of affordable base ingredients and we manage our food budget as effectively as possible. If something runs out, you make do! Substitutions are numerous and excellent information is found online to fill a gap in a pinch! We work around Aspergers (my sweet Husband) and a limiting Physical Disability (that's me!) that makes monthly shopping MUCH more manageable for us! The fewest number of times that my Husband has to lug me and my wheelchair out of the car is THE BEST reason, in my opinion, to shop monthly! Praying this helps and Blesses someone who might be hoping to give it a go xx
Best by and use by are two entirely different things. Best by indicates that the food may not be at peak quality beyond the date, but use by is more like an expiration date. The FDA website and local extension office websites have all the info you need.
MY husband is the 2nd generation working for Kroger. Employee discounts are 10% for Kroger produce and 15% for Kroger brand paper and non-food items. This discount applies to marked down items as well as items on sale or coupon items. If you need a part-time job, this is it.
🇸🇪🇸🇪Good morning from Sweden;🇸🇪 I just want to make a small comparison about costs in our two countries.. Starting with gas... Like in Alaska, you have to pay $4.68 for a gallon of regular gas. That price was the normal price in Sweden 3-4 years ago... Today after this awful crisis 🇺🇦 going on, we have to pay $8.36 Per gallon. Before the crises we payed $6,46 per gallon regular... So as I mentioned earlier, everything is realive!🤗 And a small glass of mustard you mentioned Larry, have costed $1,2- $1,5 for years.(Food tax 6% included) But I have stopped complaining because if that is the price I have to pay for my democratic freedom then it's a price I would gladly pay!..💖🤗👍🏻🙂🇸🇪 And we all need to do as the people on the Island Okinawa, Japan... (One of the blue zones on the planet). The people there are the oldest and healthiest people in the world... And they follow a tradition called "Hara hachi bu".. wich means that they stop eating when they feel around 80% full in the stomach!🤗🤗👍🏻👍🏻💖💖🙂🙂
My storage is rather limited for canned goods, what came to mind is repurposing an old VCR tape container drawer with roll out shelves (two) for the canned goods. It's deep enough for soups & vegetable cans with room for small items. I can either store the ones that l use often or items that l use occasionally. No more cans stacking on top of each other.
Great ideas and splendid videos! Being alone now, retired and always going shopping on a bike, I go grocery shopping several times a week. I have a list with me, and as I go to the grocery shops often, I can easily change plans if I find a good bargain. This happens all the time. I have an eye on several shops during the week, and rarely have to pay full price for anything. However, I never go down on quality! Recently, I began shopping only what I can have in my hands. This way, I don't buy too much, and I avoid bacteria and virus on cart handles. Of course, I sometimes find a great bargain and buy a lot of the items, and then my hands aren't enough! I mostly shop cash, and see it as a challenge to get by to the end of the month with a certain amount - even if it is rarely quite the case. Still, it keeps me from overspending. Apart from that, I have a lot of opportunities to collect mushrooms and walnuts nearby, and even apples in autumn. Greetings from a frugal woman in Denmark.
We moved recently and are 30 min. from the major grocery stores. I decided to check the smaller locally owned grocery stores for prices. I found one that had great prices (tho limited chouces). Supporting our neighbors & saving gas! Sometimes the chain stores aren't cheaper.
Barley is a good filler, too. When you use a store loyalty card and then don't shop there for a while, they'll normally send you really good coupons to try to get you to come back. I was in the hospital for 2 months once. The store where I usually shopped sent me a $10 off my next purchase coupon! I used to challenge myself to see how long I could wait before going to the grocery store. My record was 7 weeks...but it was a big mistake...because an ice storm came that made it impossible to go out. Food delivery trucks couldn't even get to grocery stores. It lasted a long time! Your welcome st my house for dinner any time!!! I think the Bri you mentioned is the same Bri who comments on the channel Centsible Living. She's an absolutely WONDERFUL person! Just want you to know!
My stores charge for bags but will give me boxes for my groceries. I reuse the boxes until the go out to the garden as mulch. I try to buy staples in bulk form as this also reduces excessive packaging. We PAY for all this packaging and then throw it away! Ridiculous and wasteful! and we pay again to dispose of it. I reuse glass jars and boxes, net bags, paper bags. Thanks everyone for great tips!
I decided to change my food budget to run the 23rd to the 23rd instead of the first of the month to the end, like most people do a budget. I am not sure why, but I'm saving money since I started that. I think it's because the ads are designed to tempt people to spend more money on the first week of the month. Also, I shop for holidays gradually starting about a month or two before the holiday. I buy block cheese and crackers in November for New Year's Eve. That allows me to spread out the cost and I shop for items when they are losing leaders.
I get my pay at the end of each month, and it is easier for me to pay my utilities and other payments so I don't have to think for a month. I grocery shop the same way. Never thought about whether it save me money but it does keep me from messing up my budgeted food account. Next time I am checking how much I am saving. Thanks for sharing.
My family is vegan as well and I recently made meatless meatballs by combining a package of meatless beef crumbles, brown lentils and vital wheat gluten, and of course all of your typical meatball seasonings. My husband loved them!
That’s a excellent idea. I am vegan as well. The Flash Food App is great for folks like us. Huge boxes of fruit and veg. I am picking up a box with organic lemons and Apples tomorrow. And if you like to juice it’s not so painful $ wise. They are only $5 a box. 🙂
I know this video is about groceries but recently I made a score on spring water at a non grocery store. Kohl's Department Store sends coupons galore and if you know how to work the sales and clearance combined with those coupons you can really make out. They send me two different emails of incentives to come in a 5 and 10 dollar cash coupon for the store so I go there don't really see anything I couldn't live without but wanted to use these 15 dollars worth of vouchers. So up by checkout I load my cart with 15 bottles of spring water which with the vouchers/coupons were 100 percent free (I even had 15 cents to spare).
I have done the same thing for waffle makers. I had two (an extra one for when we had company). One just broke after maybe 8 years so i still have one. I wlso bought several other small appliances through the years for wedding gifts.
I do the base meal plan too. For example I will make a big batch of spaghetti sauce with a pound of ground beef and from that I will have 1 if course spaghetti dinner, 2 make chili 3 chili cheese baked potatoes 4 chili dogs 5 chili mac 6 tamale pie with cornbread topping.
There still are no rain checks allowed here. I have been finding groceries ringing up at the register higher than the price listed on the shelf. I take pictures now of the shelf of items I think might be questioned. Honestly over the last 3 weeks I've had to do this 7 times. 3 days ago it was garbage bags ringing up higher and the store clerk initially did not want to honor the price. But I had the picture on my phone of the shelf tag. Customers will have to be diligent in watching the cost scanned at the register. The difference a week ago on one trip was $20 to my favor....that's alot! It was over several items but that could add up quickly in a month's time.
At Walmart they are bad about that. I use their app and scan everything and if it’s higher I make them change the price and give it to me at the lower price.
Wal-mart has changed a lot of things about how they operate, which was a change for the worse My husband has worked there for almost 40 years and this is the first time that he literally cannot figure out how to get everything done with his team. Plus its hard to get help anyway. I think the scanning issue is a result. Sometimes the things he tells me, you could not imagine such a huge corporation having such policies. They seem to go against, instead of for, operating smoothly and successfully.
Use less condiment when you use them. Or you can try a stronger flavored mustard and just use less. You can make your own dressings and save them in your fridge. Put a small amount of ketchup on your plate and add more if you really need it, rather than scraping pennies into the garbage. Use overly dry French or Italian bread by slicing to 1/4", basting with olive oil, sprinkling some garlic seasoning, baking until browned on the edges, then freezing them and grab out what you want with your soup, pasta, etc.
I was in Walmart yesterday and used the Walmart app to scan a TV my dad was thinking about buying. The sticker price was on clearance for $748. It scanned at $600. The store clerk said that was only the online price so he nicely asked his manager if my Dad could get it for $600 and he allowed it no problem. My Dad was thrilled. He really needed a bigger TV cause his eyesight has really been going downhill and he's usually stuck at home. It's amazing what you can find in the store that scans at a lower price that hasn't even been marked down yet.
In regards to the comment about not over eating, my husband and I fill our plates and then I put the food away so we do not just automatically go for seconds unnecessarily.
And with the money I've been saving from these chips I have been purchasing I bonds that give you 9.1% return if you cash it into early you do lose 3 months of Interest earnings go online to learn how to buy the I Bond
I live in NC. I shop once a month now because my nearest Aldi is in VA, about 45 minutes away. So I go shopping once a month & shop all my stores. It is working out for me & my family. I am cash based & use Fetch as my app of choice. I love your channel & have learned a bunch of tips on shopping. Thanks!!
Family Dollar also has $5 off a purchase of $25 or more on Saturdays - just like Dollar General. All the Dollar General store brand Clover Valley items I've tried have been very good quality. The stores also have a $1 aisle and claim on their website to have 2000+ items for a dollar or less. Using their online grocery listing, I found 30+ items I wanted for only $1. So that beats the $1.23 Tree now.
Shop once a month for a big haul (usually at the end of the month when crowds are sparse). Then the rest of the month it is just an occasional quick pick up of a few items when I happen to be out running other errands.
Sounds crazy but a good bit of foraging helps us get through (provided you know what you’re doing and do your research). We have foraged plums, peaches, apples, blackberries and other berries in spring/summer, but also nettles, dandelions, sorrel, mallow, cleavers, fennel, wild mushrooms (again know what you’re doing) and rose hips. Dry them for all year round use!
Wow! I was really surprised when Larry said that a glass of mustard costs normally 55 cents at Aldi. Here in Spain I buy at Aldi's and at Lidl and in both stores the price for mustard is around 1,29 € which is approx. 1,42 USD. It's unbelievable that there is such a huge price difference. Unfortunately it is getting really hard to safe money/spend less here. Thanks for your always interesting videos. You both are really an amazing couple!
We plan our meals A LOT watching budget meal videos and combining with sales. I am telling you all these recipes are delicious!!!!! And we even have leftovers sometimes!!! We used to go out a lot, but at this point if we want to eat from a specific restaurant, we look for a copycat recipe from that restaurant. Thank you for all this tips!!!!
I make my own bone broth out of chicken bones&veg trimmings in my large crock pot. After broth has been made I freeze this bone broth in ice cube trays. When frozen place in zip loc type bag. Making soup or casseroles sauce,use bone broth ice cubes instead!
Here's a simple saver that I just did, so thought I'd bring it to the comment section. IF you buy canned frozen juice like orange or lemonade, instead of following the directions and adding 4 cans of water ADD 6. Personally it's way too sweet for me with only 4 cans of water so I always add more anyways, but it makes more juice too!
Cauliflower head $5.00, ( frozen worked just as good, cheaper) campbell soups $2.00 a can, ( lesser known brand just as good) Bags of flour/sugar are now 4 lbs not 5 lbs. I now keep a receipt to compare a lot of my prices. Even some of these "sales" Bogos are sometimes not a sale. I sometimes buy "sale" items and then leave. Making stews, soups, casseroles help stretch ,pastas and rice can help stretch. Years ago groups got together bought items in bulk then divided items up. It helped for singles or just two people who could not buy in bulk. Dollar Store and Big Lots are still better yet some of their items are getting higher..For those who like packaged meals, I check what is in then go home and make it, fresher better tasting. I no longer buy stew meat, buy a whole piece of chuck, 4-6 lb. cut up some for roast, some for stew, beef with noodles/veggies all out of one piece of meat. For what I paid I ended up with 3 different meals. I thank you for all your tips.
Tip invest in a decent bento box for kids and adult lunches, trips to the park, family outing and road trips. You won’t find yourself stopping to eat at places and saving money you also don’t have to have a lot of single containers to wash and use less ziploc bags. I give each of my nieces and nephews a high quality bento box when they start kindergarten.
In summer, when fruits and veggies come in season, I buy as much as I think I will need for the year bring it home, clean it, chop it, freeze it on cookie sheets in a single layer, then freeze in increments I will use. I buy local strawberries, raspberries, onions, green peppers and apples. It saves me a ton of $$.
Thank you for mentioning my suggestions. You have created a true community here! I was raised by frugal parents and grandparents and have never lived any other way but I always learn something from others. Thank you for providing this forum so we can all continue to learn. :)
So far done everything y'all said also if u can't afford coffee filters u can use paper towels and one good put together stuffing,cream of chicken,and any veggies I prefer broccoli or green beans but u can use what ever floats ur boat😂
I also make my grocery list according to the shops layout! 😀 I also would like to see a video about best by dates etc., but also your opinion about how much longer some of the foods can be stored. I am interested in canned foods, oils, nuts and dried fruit, the opinions vary a lot about those
I would taste then Before eating them TBH. I opened a canned food once I cannot recall if it was close to the expiration date or 2 days past it and it tasted Nasty! So if not sure, do a Taste test please.
Oatmeal! My secret ingredient. I buy huge boxes and use it in every way possible. Homemade bread, granola, cookies, super breakfast oatmeal, meatloaf extender etc. It is rib sticking and I occasionally prefer a big bowl of oatmeal, fruit and yogurt for a light supper.
1/2 banana and 1 cup of oatmeal mixed together spoon it onto a well-greased Teflon pan very important to have both of those components and bake for 10 minutes or a little bit less at 350° for some very tasty cookies
Save your citrus peels after you juice your fruit. Then you can stuff it in jars ( I use old spaghetti jars) cover with alcohol or vinegar. Cover loosely let ferment three weeks and strain through a steamer. Voila you have citrus vinegar and alcohol to use in cleaning. Just label and dilute 50/50 with water. The only liquid soap I purchase is Dawn add a few drops to the diluted alcohol mix to clean floors
I go to farmer's markets right when they are closing. The farmers don't want to have to pack up and take their produce back home and they will give me a great price to take it off their hands. Sometimes, I can get bruised green peppers or other produce that is not perfect free.
I’ve got one I haven’t heard anyone else use, I buy bulk ramen, and then use it in pasta dishes instead of buying noodles. Nobody ever even notices the difference but I can get 8-10 packages of ramen for a dollar compared to one package of spaghetti for 1.50 where I’m at. Usually 4-6 packages will be the same amount of noodles. Then I use the flavor packets to cook rice and it ends up pretty tasty with some vegetables or an egg in it to mix it up.
Please do a video on Best Buy/Expiration dates. We are building our own pantry at this time and would be great knowing how long an item can last. Much love from NH🥰
The only store in my area that does flashfood is Meijer. So when I pick it up I also go shopping. If it isn't on sale,coupon or clearance it doesn't see inside of my cart! I hit the jackpot at end of summer. I got a really nice tailgate propane grill originally $129.99 for wait for it....$12.99. Wonderful prep item.
On the BB dates, it was always my understanding that the BB date really meant you may start to lose some nutrients, but the food was still good. If a can is bulging or leaking, don't use it. Otherwise open it, smell it and see how it looks. If all ok, it's likely fine. And repackaging things like rice or pasta into used glass jars, vacuum sealing or even freezer bags will help it last long past the BB date.
I use Ferch it is so easy. I also use my credit card and pay off monthly. In fact. Chase Freedom has extra point categories on groceries this quarter. I just got a raincheck last week at Smith's/ Kroger. I sometimes shop the last day of a sale to purposely try to get a raincheck. This way I can buy that product when I need it for the sale price. They don't usually expire. I also ask for the max allowed on the raincheck and when I have the extra money. I will buy let's say 10 lb of meat, take it home and portion & freeze. Getting the best price is great, but you definitely have to clean & store your items immediately or you risk losing money if the items go bad. I do use a vacuum sealer, dehydrator and my freezer. It takes work, but keeping an inventory is a must. Love this community and Kate Kaden's K squad!
I live in Idaho and we use Azure Standards for bulk items. They are out of Oregon but they deliver to multiple states about once a month for pick up at a specific location.
I use Ibotta and Fetch rewards. You can use both on the same receipt and I have often gotten free food from Ibotta. I am also vegan and have gotten meat items that I have donated to local charity or to friends.
I have washed them in warm soapy waterbin my washing machine with a med-large load of towels, I hang them drynon hooks & doorknobs! They come out very clean, you might want to turn them inside out.
Our new grand baby is fourteen months now moma nursed him and slowly put him on table food, he eats about everything we eat now w/o sugar or seasoning, he has a mouth full of teeth and enjoys his food
I freeze leftover veggies in containers and use it next month. My husband ‘won’t eat leftovers within a week!’ So no leftover meals at my house. But I thaw out the leftovers and use it in a few weeks.
He hasn’t figured this out yet. He doesn’t cook and Doesn’t realize this was from the previous month.
We are married 54 years. I didn’t train him right! My error. Advice to younger couples: you both need to be involved in cooking and grocery shopping!
Pat in Colorado
Also here’s a tip, the ziploc bags we used to put stuff in, just wash them and let them dry and reuse them. Saves you tons of money and better for the environment.
I haven't bought plastic bags for years! I clean and reuse the ones that show up on my groceries (despite my best efforts at avoiding them!😕)
Do this all the time!
not exactly "tons of money" but small steps do add up...
@@janetstonerook4552 is rfrtrrrrrrrrrrrfrrfrfrrrrrrrrrrrrrrffffrrrffffrfrrrrrfrrfr
I wash me ziplocks, but nothing that could brained raw meat. Just saying.
I have raised 3 children and I so agree with your idea of giving you children less …. More love less stuff. I have a friend who started young with Christmases for her children ….her rule was only four gifts per child… Something to wear… Some thing you need… Something you want and something to read. And that is it. Wish someone would’ve told me when my children were younger. The kids think about the four things and give great ideas
I really appreciate all the grocery and food stretching tips! I too like Melissa and Donna use a starch to stretch our food budget. Now when I make meat loaf (turkey loaf) I drain and mash up 1 can of black beans, add the usual diced onion and peppers, diced mushrooms and mix that in with the ground turkey. Then I add in the usual breadcrumbs or oatmeal and spices. This turns 1 lb of ground meat into 2 meat loaves and meatballs. Until I mentioned it, no one realized it was 50 % veggie loaf.
My friends love the beans so much that they asked me to leave some of the beans whole. I also use the bean puree to make a sauce or gravey.
That's exactly what I do. I also add beans to my meatloaf but I really like to add different types of lentils.
I add lentils to my Bolognese sauce or to my meatballs and nobody ever realised. In addition, I add finely chopped vegetables. My children never liked vegetables but they never complained and supposedly, I make the best Bolognese sauce and meatballs in the world :-D
This sounds really good. Have to try it. Thanks😋
Here's my best tip for saving money on food: find out if your area has a gleaning program your local food pantry. Our group connects with farmers to glean after the harvesting machines; each gleaned can keep up to 1/2 of what they harvest as long as it's for then or their family, the rest goes to the non-profit food pantry.. We'll glean anything from a backyard apple tree to large field crops. I can or freeze my share and enjoy the harvest all year.
This is amazing! I have never heard of this around here, but I love the idea.
I love the idea of gleaning
What is gleaning?
@@greeneyedredhead61 We go in after the harvest machines to pick whatever is left because it was too small, too large, or just missed. We also pick if farmers have too much or too little to send for processing. We often do old fruit trees from people's yard. Basically we glean or harvest any food that would otherwise go to waste.
1) I retired early so my available cash each month is low once bills are paid. Fetch really helps.
2) I also purchase clearance items when shopping as well as sale items. Other than that, I usually make a list and stick to it.
3) Having prepped before I retired allows me to have smaller shopping hauls now.
4) If I do not have something to make a meal I substitute
I did my digital coupons before I went to our Krogers today found a $2.00 coupon off any produce if I spent $10.00 Bingo Manager Mark down reduced salad kits bought 2 for $2.24 one was Terriaki with cabbage chopped, sliced carrots, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower. I saved the dressing packet to Marinade pork for another meal, steam the raw veges will be a meal 👌
That sounds amazing for chop suey too
I shop once every four weeks for a large shop and then every Monday I go in JUST for fresh produce. Has saved me lots!
I use a marker/sharpie to write expiry dates on the FRONT of CANS so I can easily see when they are about to expire. In January 2022 I made sure that my easily accessible cans expire in 2022 and use those. If I've purchased other items ON SALE "in cans" set to expire in 2023-2025 I keep them in my extended pantry. So in January 2023 the items from my extended pantry will go into my handy pantry. Rotate, rotate, rotate.
3/14/22...I circle 🔵 expiration/Best BY date #1) on BOTTOM of can/box...
#2) on FRONT of can/box...
#3) on TOP of can/box....
THAT WAY I can 👀 DATE no matter where I put my items....@ bottom of caninet/stacked on other items/@ top of
other items in cabinet/box/bin.
I ALWAYS mark my cans/boxes as soon as I bring them inside my house...
ALWAYS! Then I can put away my items when I have time...+ I can put items/rotate items when I have more time to go thru/add to prep area.
@@eileeneclark9011 Me also, been doing it this way for years, learned that trick from my mother.
Most can goods last way past the exp date
If you don’t mind eating the same meals for most of the week, batch cook stew or soup once a week. Freeze the leftovers in containers and pull out when you need lunch or dinner.
I do this and I’ll roast vegetables. I change the roast veg during the week which gives me enough variety.
Saves time and money.
Re: foil. Usually my foil is relatively clean after cooking. I wash, rinse, re-use that foil 3-4 times before discarding. Saves alot of money!
I use the inside wax bags from cereal ,bread bags, cake mix wax bags,chip bags and ect. for food storage of leftovers. Also recycling plastic or glass containers for storage of food , like empty cottage cheese containers,instead of buying boxes of zip lock bags my mom did this years ago, still works.
Me too. Left over water softener bags...bird seed bags to put trash in as well.
I love this
@@kimstuart5506 I love that idea. I've tried to use a dog food bag before but our waste management people tagged it because apparently they won't take it unless it's in a garbage bag.😞
Remember to label!
@@Lisawhatshersname how pettt....its going into the trash anyways. 😁
I go to Walmart and get the reduced French bread , usually when they mark it down to 60 cents, dry some out for croutons and bread crumbs as well as French bread 🍕 🍕 and French toast! I love your videos!
And French bread pizzas!
U can ask them to slice the bread. Then sprinkle a little water over the bread and put in the oven for a few mins(usually put a piece of foil over it ) tada fresh French bread
I toast it and make garlic bread a few slices at a time.
Make your own garlic bread!👍
French bread,garlic butter and cheese! Cheesy garlic bread wonderful served with spaghetti!
Yesssssss to "damaged goods". I recently went grocery shopping with my daughter. We both bought the same brand of coffee in a metal can. I paid $4.50 because my "yellow sticker" can was dented. My daughter paid $6.99 for her un-dented can.
When I lived in Texas, Kroger gave a 10% discount on days when the Cowboys played if you wore a Jersey. I got a used one at a garage sale and made sure to wear it those sixteen weeks of the year.
I did the same thing (Goodwill Cowboy Jersey) and I'm a PACKERS FAN💚💛💚💯👍😅😂
@@jackireese7387 😆😅😂
I made my own baby food as well. I had a small table top grinder that ran on batteries ( 1994) and would literally puree at the table with veg and fruit etc. I just pulled the food our pre seasoning for my son. I don't know if you can still find those little grinders but it was so awsome.
Yes reduce how much you eat is the best tip!! The best way to do this is to make sure you have a meal with a carb, protein, fiber, greens and fat. It will keep you full for at least 4 hours.
I do intermittent fasting. Some days i only have 2 meals and 1 snack instead of 3 meals and 2 snacks. Its very healthy
Our leftover meal night is called a Beast Feast!!! The kids love it
I grocery shop once a month. It's just my husband and I. I'm from the Caribbean so my Dad has a garden, I have a small herb garden & my in-laws raise chickens. I am blessed to get some fresh produce& chicken for free.
I made my partner a german choc birthday cake but it was a little dry. So, based on your channel's teachings, I had the idea to make a peanut butter pie and used the german choc cake to make the crust by simply crumbling the cake up and adding vegan butter and bake. It was incredible and my partner's fav.
Oh my goodness, what a great idea! Thanks for this tip. Diane in NC
I pour left over coffee into ice cube trays and freeze. I use it for iced coffee !! It's great because your coffee doesn't get watery!!
We use a visa credit card and we pay it off every month. We get checks several times a year to Costco. It pays us back for our membership and usually around $1200/year we use those checks to restock our home. Last time we used it to buy new mattresses and box springs for our home. We love it.
Our two grocery stores both do a customer appreciation day on the first Tuesday of every month and everything is 15% off. That's on top of sale prices. This is when I buy things I need that I don't see on sale very often like all our spices. It's really exciting when there's a really good sale on something and then you get the extra 15% off. This is when I really stock up. One of the stores gives air miles or cash miles. I recently switched to only getting cash so now every $125 spent I can redeem $10 off my purchase. Sometimes on weekends if you spend $125 you get a $10 gift card. I like to save those gift cards and either use them on stocking up on sales or I give them to people in need.
We go to our local grocery stores on Mondays and we get our meats when they reduce them.We save a ton.We also raise some of our veggies
3pounds of ground beef?
Sloppy joes
Taco
Meatloaf
Meat sauce
Burgers
Chili
Stuffed peppers
Stuffed cabbage
Spaghetti and meatballs
Meatball sub
Sooooo proud to have got a mention in this video, thank you so much, Hope & Larry. How lovely that all of us Under The Median-fans can partake in pooling money-saving suggestions. Thanks for existing, you two. ❤️
Yes, , thank you. I think you are changing Americans attitudes to money and food. Two vital necessities of kife.
Even if you live alone, label, name and date cooked food is prepared. Like meat eaters make many dishes from one meat purchase. We preprep beans and lentils and freeze them. We don't have to cook beans and lentils for every meal. Sometimes you want stew, curry or stir fry. Beans and lentils are ready to be used. I love the team. You 2 are a perfect team. Thank you for sharing the information. Most of all, thank you for sharing yourselves with us. God bless.
I hang the clothes inside to dry until I can do it outside! Saves money for food!
At a farmers market in WA I would ask apple vendors for the 'B' grade apples. They were ones that were not matching the 'A' grade requirements for color consistency, or it's just structurally misshapen. Nothing wrong with them, and if you just slice them up for kids, or use them chopped up for oatmeal, pies, and the like the shape doesn't matter!
Fruit with defects is actually more nutritious than perfect fruit
I do buy some groceries from our Shoppers Drug Mart here in Canada as their prices for eggs, milk and sometimes other stuff is cheaper than regular stores. Also get points on every purchase which can be redeemed for anything in the store. Great tips shared from others. I started recently buying stuff when on sale instead of grocery shopping every 2 weeks and then I can get a bit of stock up items that way too. 💕
Most stores in my area haven’t issued rain checks for years it was funny to hear about them again
Agree in 2020 everyone stopped giving them
Our local Independent Grocery will give on sale price, if the item is out & I talk to the manager (2 cases of crushed tomatoes for 50c can last time).
Between the 'buy one/get one free' deals at the grocery stores and my local Grocery Outlet, my prices have stayed relatively stable. I also haven't eaten meat for 40+ years, and that is probably the biggest savings of all.
Regrow what you can, im currently regrowing celery, potatoes, onions& garlic. I have a very small back yard. I use grow bags with pitting soil, works for me!
Food prices are nuts! Always great tips! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Can’t just wing it at the grocery anymore. Gotta plan!
Yes a video on the expiration dates would be very helpful thank you
I used the Flashfood app tonight due to hearing it in this video. I spent about $15 on meat when the retail price would have been about $35. Also, it took some searching and I did find a dented can/overstock/dated grocery store. There I paid $64 for 51 items, when the retail price would normally be just short of $200! Those items were all name-brand too, even some specialty brands you only see at stores like Whole Foods.
Thanks for the tips and helpful videos!
An excellent video as usual, Thank you both! A few tips for those wanting to switch over to a fortnightly/monthly food shop - 1) Keep a running list of foods you need to stock up on. You'll want to have a surplus so make a note of anything regularly used that you have less than 2 of. 2: Prioritise your list as Hope says with MUST BUY & Less Urgent categories. You can code these easily on your list by using stars, bullet points, shorthand, etc. 3: Before shopping, look through your fridge freezer and your cupboards to see what you really have. Have a good idea in mind of foods your family regularly buys and meals you gravitate towards. This will all really help with making lists and keeping costs LOW. 4: Plan to buy an easy to heat and serve meal for your shopping day like frozen pizza, you'll be SO grateful you did after shopping, putting the food away correctly, adjusting the budget, scanning receipts into an app, tidying up and so on. Bonus points for using Leftovers on those days instead of buying a convenience food!! 5: Make a through check of Supermarket apps, cashback apps and websites BEFORE MAKING YOUR MASTER LIST. This is best done the day before you plan to shop. Know what's on sale, what you'll have a coupon on cashback for, know who had the best prices and check out what's on for special buys/super 6 that week. 6: Make it clear WHERE you are going and plan a route. This is most important if you are also clumping errands together to save money, fuel, time or for another reason like childcare, working around a disability, etc. Know what you're planning to buy from what shop and adjust your list when you're out as needed (e.g. a planned purchase wasn't available in the one shop, add it to another shop's list). Know which shop is your last (we typically make a Hard Discounter *Lidl in our case* the last stop) so that food not found elsewhere can be purchased here relatively inexpensively. We create our list and make Shop Names our sub-headings, with individual, prioritised items underneath. 7: Before you go, set a budget so you don't come back both tired and frustrated at breaking the bank! We breakdown our budget by week and multiply it by how many weeks are in that month. That is the overall budget but we will seek to save as much money as possible while still buying quality items we need. Shopping once a month cuts down on waste both financial and physical. We buy fewer treats, we rely on the work of our hands to make meals out of affordable base ingredients and we manage our food budget as effectively as possible. If something runs out, you make do! Substitutions are numerous and excellent information is found online to fill a gap in a pinch! We work around Aspergers (my sweet Husband) and a limiting Physical Disability (that's me!) that makes monthly shopping MUCH more manageable for us! The fewest number of times that my Husband has to lug me and my wheelchair out of the car is THE BEST reason, in my opinion, to shop monthly! Praying this helps and Blesses someone who might be hoping to give it a go xx
Thank you friend.. have a blessed day
@@melissavazquez2953 You too my Dear! May God Bless and keep you today and everyday xx
♥️
I would love a video on the “Best
by” date information.
Me too!
Me three
Me four!😃😃😃😃
Best by and use by are two entirely different things. Best by indicates that the food may not be at peak quality beyond the date, but use by is more like an expiration date. The FDA website and local extension office websites have all the info you need.
MY husband is the 2nd generation working for Kroger. Employee discounts are 10% for Kroger produce and 15% for Kroger brand paper and non-food items. This discount applies to marked down items as well as items on sale or coupon items. If you need a part-time job, this is it.
🇸🇪🇸🇪Good morning from Sweden;🇸🇪
I just want to make a small comparison about costs in our two countries..
Starting with gas...
Like in Alaska, you have to pay $4.68 for a gallon of regular gas.
That price was the normal price in Sweden 3-4 years ago...
Today after this awful crisis 🇺🇦 going on, we have to pay $8.36 Per gallon. Before the crises we payed $6,46 per gallon regular... So as I mentioned earlier, everything is realive!🤗
And a small glass of mustard you mentioned Larry, have costed $1,2- $1,5 for years.(Food tax 6% included)
But I have stopped complaining because if that is the price I have to pay for my democratic freedom then it's a price I would gladly pay!..💖🤗👍🏻🙂🇸🇪
And we all need to do as the people on the Island Okinawa, Japan... (One of the blue zones on the planet).
The people there are the oldest and healthiest people in the world...
And they follow a tradition called
"Hara hachi bu".. wich means that they stop eating when they feel around 80% full in the stomach!🤗🤗👍🏻👍🏻💖💖🙂🙂
My storage is rather limited for canned goods, what came to mind is repurposing an old VCR tape container drawer with roll out shelves (two) for the canned goods. It's deep enough for soups & vegetable cans with room for small items. I can either store the ones that l use often or items that l use occasionally. No more cans stacking on top of each other.
Great ideas and splendid videos! Being alone now, retired and always going shopping on a bike, I go grocery shopping several times a week. I have a list with me, and as I go to the grocery shops often, I can easily change plans if I find a good bargain. This happens all the time. I have an eye on several shops during the week, and rarely have to pay full price for anything. However, I never go down on quality! Recently, I began shopping only what I can have in my hands. This way, I don't buy too much, and I avoid bacteria and virus on cart handles. Of course, I sometimes find a great bargain and buy a lot of the items, and then my hands aren't enough!
I mostly shop cash, and see it as a challenge to get by to the end of the month with a certain amount - even if it is rarely quite the case. Still, it keeps me from overspending. Apart from that, I have a lot of opportunities to collect mushrooms and walnuts nearby, and even apples in autumn.
Greetings from a frugal woman in Denmark.
We moved recently and are 30 min. from the major grocery stores. I decided to check the smaller locally owned grocery stores for prices. I found one that had great prices (tho limited chouces). Supporting our neighbors & saving gas! Sometimes the chain stores aren't cheaper.
Barley is a good filler, too.
When you use a store loyalty card and then don't shop there for a while, they'll normally send you really good coupons to try to get you to come back. I was in the hospital for 2 months once. The store where I usually shopped sent me a $10 off my next purchase coupon!
I used to challenge myself to see how long I could wait before going to the grocery store. My record was 7 weeks...but it was a big mistake...because an ice storm came that made it impossible to go out. Food delivery trucks couldn't even get to grocery stores. It lasted a long time!
Your welcome st my house for dinner any time!!!
I think the Bri you mentioned is the same Bri who comments on the channel Centsible Living. She's an absolutely WONDERFUL person! Just want you to know!
My stores charge for bags but will give me boxes for my groceries. I reuse the boxes until the go out to the garden as mulch. I try to buy staples in bulk form as this also reduces excessive packaging. We PAY for all this packaging and then throw it away! Ridiculous and wasteful! and we pay again to dispose of it. I reuse glass jars and boxes, net bags, paper bags. Thanks everyone for great tips!
I decided to change my food budget to run the 23rd to the 23rd instead of the first of the month to the end, like most people do a budget. I am not sure why, but I'm saving money since I started that. I think it's because the ads are designed to tempt people to spend more money on the first week of the month. Also, I shop for holidays gradually starting about a month or two before the holiday. I buy block cheese and crackers in November for New Year's Eve. That allows me to spread out the cost and I shop for items when they are losing leaders.
I get my pay at the end of each month, and it is easier for me to pay my utilities and other payments so I don't have to think for a month. I grocery shop the same way. Never thought about whether it save me money but it does keep me from messing up my budgeted food account. Next time I am checking how much I am saving. Thanks for sharing.
We do this too, from the 20th to the 20th. It works well for us!
We bought Hams on sale around CHRISTMAS for 99 cents a lb and we bought 5 of them
We did baby led weaning. Only table food for our babies. They don’t really need much. Food is for exploring the first year.
My family is vegan as well and I recently made meatless meatballs by combining a package of meatless beef crumbles, brown lentils and vital wheat gluten, and of course all of your typical meatball seasonings. My husband loved them!
That’s a excellent idea. I am vegan as well. The Flash Food App is great for folks like us. Huge boxes of fruit and veg. I am picking up a box with organic lemons and Apples tomorrow. And if you like to juice it’s not so painful $ wise. They are only $5 a box. 🙂
I know this video is about groceries but recently I made a score on spring water at a non grocery store. Kohl's Department Store sends coupons galore and if you know how to work the sales and clearance combined with those coupons you can really make out. They send me two different emails of incentives to come in a 5 and 10 dollar cash coupon for the store so I go there don't really see anything I couldn't live without but wanted to use these 15 dollars worth of vouchers. So up by checkout I load my cart with 15 bottles of spring water which with the vouchers/coupons were 100 percent free (I even had 15 cents to spare).
I have done the same thing for waffle makers. I had two (an extra one for when we had company). One just broke after maybe 8 years so i still have one. I wlso bought several other small appliances through the years for wedding gifts.
Love Flash food! I just recently got six apples, eight tomatoes, a grapefruit and a sumo orange for $2.50. You just can’t beat that!
I just put my first order in
I’m going to pick it up tomorrow!
@@danawood8103 Awesome, I hope you are happy with it!
@@sharongenco3716 I really liked it!
I will definitely do it again!
Yes,Friday's of every week we have fabulous fridge meals!
Thank You Hope and Larry for another great video! 🌺❤🌺
Thank you, Nina!
I do the base meal plan too. For example I will make a big batch of spaghetti sauce with a pound of ground beef and from that I will have 1 if course spaghetti dinner, 2 make chili 3 chili cheese baked potatoes 4 chili dogs 5 chili mac 6 tamale pie with cornbread topping.
There still are no rain checks allowed here.
I have been finding groceries ringing up at the register higher than the price listed on the shelf. I take pictures now of the shelf of items I think might be questioned.
Honestly over the last 3 weeks I've had to do this 7 times.
3 days ago it was garbage bags ringing up higher and the store clerk initially did not want to honor the price. But I had the picture on my phone of the shelf tag.
Customers will have to be diligent in watching the cost scanned at the register.
The difference a week ago on one trip was $20 to my favor....that's alot! It was over several items but that could add up quickly in a month's time.
At Walmart they are bad about that. I use their app and scan everything and if it’s higher I make them change the price and give it to me at the lower price.
I do the same thing. It is definitely happening more frequently. Sad.
Wal-mart has changed a lot of things about how they operate, which was a change for the worse
My husband has worked there for almost 40 years and this is the first time that he literally cannot figure out how to get everything done with his team. Plus its hard to get help anyway. I think the scanning issue is a result. Sometimes the things he tells me, you could not imagine such a huge corporation having such policies. They seem to go against, instead of for, operating smoothly and successfully.
I had the same thing happen. Have to pay attention.
Use less condiment when you use them. Or you can try a stronger flavored mustard and just use less. You can make your own dressings and save them in your fridge. Put a small amount of ketchup on your plate and add more if you really need it, rather than scraping pennies into the garbage. Use overly dry French or Italian bread by slicing to 1/4", basting with olive oil, sprinkling some garlic seasoning, baking until browned on the edges, then freezing them and grab out what you want with your soup, pasta, etc.
I was in Walmart yesterday and used the Walmart app to scan a TV my dad was thinking about buying. The sticker price was on clearance for $748. It scanned at $600. The store clerk said that was only the online price so he nicely asked his manager if my Dad could get it for $600 and he allowed it no problem. My Dad was thrilled. He really needed a bigger TV cause his eyesight has really been going downhill and he's usually stuck at home. It's amazing what you can find in the store that scans at a lower price that hasn't even been marked down yet.
Good thinking!
In regards to the comment about not over eating, my husband and I fill our plates and then I put the food away so we do not just automatically go for seconds unnecessarily.
And with the money I've been saving from these chips I have been purchasing I bonds that give you 9.1% return if you cash it into early you do lose 3 months of Interest earnings go online to learn how to buy the I Bond
I live in NC. I shop once a month now because my nearest Aldi is in VA, about 45 minutes away. So I go shopping once a month & shop all my stores. It is working out for me & my family. I am cash based & use Fetch as my app of choice. I love your channel & have learned a bunch of tips on shopping. Thanks!!
Family Dollar also has $5 off a purchase of $25 or more on Saturdays - just like Dollar General.
All the Dollar General store brand Clover Valley items I've tried have been very good quality. The stores also have a $1 aisle and claim on their website to have 2000+ items for a dollar or less. Using their online grocery listing, I found 30+ items I wanted for only $1. So that beats the $1.23 Tree now.
The dollar tree by me still has some items for a $1. I also love those $5 coupon.
Thanks! This is a good way to get canning supplies $5 less.
Shop once a month for a big haul (usually at the end of the month when crowds are sparse). Then the rest of the month it is just an occasional quick pick up of a few items when I happen to be out running other errands.
Make sure if you have chest deep freezers or upright freezers to ROTATE your food. EaT from your freezers and pantry
Sounds crazy but a good bit of foraging helps us get through (provided you know what you’re doing and do your research). We have foraged plums, peaches, apples, blackberries and other berries in spring/summer, but also nettles, dandelions, sorrel, mallow, cleavers, fennel, wild mushrooms (again know what you’re doing) and rose hips. Dry them for all year round use!
And of course growing a few items doesn’t go amiss!
Hey Hope and Larry, I'd love to see a video about food expiration dates 👍😊
Wow! I was really surprised when Larry said that a glass of mustard costs normally 55 cents at Aldi. Here in Spain I buy at Aldi's and at Lidl and in both stores the price for mustard is around 1,29 € which is approx. 1,42 USD. It's unbelievable that there is such a huge price difference. Unfortunately it is getting really hard to safe money/spend less here.
Thanks for your always interesting videos. You both are really an amazing couple!
S. g Just so you won’t have a false belief about your Aldi’s store. I believe he said he bought the mustard at COSTCO, not Aldi.
We plan our meals A LOT watching budget meal videos and combining with sales. I am telling you all these recipes are delicious!!!!! And we even have leftovers sometimes!!! We used to go out a lot, but at this point if we want to eat from a specific restaurant, we look for a copycat recipe from that restaurant. Thank you for all this tips!!!!
Me, too. I love watching the videos because many are very helpful.
I make my own bone broth out of chicken bones&veg trimmings in my large crock pot. After broth has been made I freeze this bone broth in ice cube trays. When frozen place in zip loc type bag. Making soup or casseroles sauce,use bone broth ice cubes instead!
Here's a simple saver that I just did, so thought I'd bring it to the comment section. IF you buy canned frozen juice like orange or lemonade, instead of following the directions and adding 4 cans of water ADD 6. Personally it's way too sweet for me with only 4 cans of water so I always add more anyways, but it makes more juice too!
Cauliflower head $5.00, ( frozen worked just as good, cheaper) campbell soups $2.00 a can, ( lesser known brand just as good) Bags of flour/sugar are now 4 lbs not 5 lbs. I now keep a receipt to compare a lot of my prices. Even some of these "sales" Bogos are sometimes not a sale. I sometimes buy "sale" items and then leave. Making stews, soups, casseroles help stretch ,pastas and rice can help stretch. Years ago groups got together bought items in bulk then divided items up. It helped for singles or just two people who could not buy in bulk. Dollar Store and Big Lots are still better yet some of their items are getting higher..For those who like packaged meals, I check what is in then go home and make it, fresher better tasting. I no longer buy stew meat, buy a whole piece of chuck, 4-6 lb. cut up some for roast, some for stew, beef with noodles/veggies all out of one piece of meat. For what I paid I ended up with 3 different meals. I thank you for all your tips.
Tip invest in a decent bento box for kids and adult lunches, trips to the park, family outing and road trips. You won’t find yourself stopping to eat at places and saving money you also don’t have to have a lot of single containers to wash and use less ziploc bags. I give each of my nieces and nephews a high quality bento box when they start kindergarten.
I use flipp all the time! And it works great where stores price match!
I also agree with using a cooler in the summer for grocery shopping. Keeps all frozen and refrigerated items from spoiling while traveling home!
In summer, when fruits and veggies come in season, I buy as much as I think I will need for the year bring it home, clean it, chop it, freeze it on cookie sheets in a single layer, then freeze in increments I will use. I buy local strawberries, raspberries, onions, green peppers and apples. It saves me a ton of $$.
Great idea!
Thank you for mentioning my suggestions. You have created a true community here! I was raised by frugal parents and grandparents and have never lived any other way but I always learn something from others. Thank you for providing this forum so we can all continue to learn. :)
So far done everything y'all said also if u can't afford coffee filters u can use paper towels and one good put together stuffing,cream of chicken,and any veggies I prefer broccoli or green beans but u can use what ever floats ur boat😂
I also make my grocery list according to the shops layout! 😀 I also would like to see a video about best by dates etc., but also your opinion about how much longer some of the foods can be stored. I am interested in canned foods, oils, nuts and dried fruit, the opinions vary a lot about those
I would taste then Before eating them TBH. I opened a canned food once I cannot recall if it was close to the expiration date or 2 days past it and it tasted Nasty! So if not sure, do a Taste test please.
Yes,vacuum sealers are awesome and protect the food inside in the freezer!
Oatmeal! My secret ingredient. I buy huge boxes and use it in every way possible. Homemade bread, granola, cookies, super breakfast oatmeal, meatloaf extender etc. It is rib sticking and I occasionally prefer a big bowl of oatmeal, fruit and yogurt for a light supper.
1/2 banana and 1 cup of oatmeal mixed together spoon it onto a well-greased Teflon pan very important to have both of those components and bake for 10 minutes or a little bit less at 350° for some very tasty cookies
Save your citrus peels after you juice your fruit. Then you can stuff it in jars ( I use old spaghetti jars) cover with alcohol or vinegar. Cover loosely let ferment three weeks and strain through a steamer. Voila you have citrus vinegar and alcohol to use in cleaning. Just label and dilute 50/50 with water. The only liquid soap I purchase is Dawn add a few drops to the diluted alcohol mix to clean floors
I go to farmer's markets right when they are closing. The farmers don't want to have to pack up and take their produce back home and they will give me a great price to take it off their hands. Sometimes, I can get bruised green peppers or other produce that is not perfect free.
I’ve got one I haven’t heard anyone else use, I buy bulk ramen, and then use it in pasta dishes instead of buying noodles. Nobody ever even notices the difference but I can get 8-10 packages of ramen for a dollar compared to one package of spaghetti for 1.50 where I’m at. Usually 4-6 packages will be the same amount of noodles. Then I use the flavor packets to cook rice and it ends up pretty tasty with some vegetables or an egg in it to mix it up.
Please do a video on Best Buy/Expiration dates. We are building our own pantry at this time and would be great knowing how long an item can last. Much love from NH🥰
I make my own almond milk...and ashamed to say I just now found ways to use the pulp...it's wonderful.
The only store in my area that does flashfood is Meijer. So when I pick it up I also go shopping. If it isn't on sale,coupon or clearance it doesn't see inside of my cart! I hit the jackpot at end of summer. I got a really nice tailgate propane grill originally $129.99 for wait for it....$12.99. Wonderful prep item.
On the BB dates, it was always my understanding that the BB date really meant you may start to lose some nutrients, but the food was still good. If a can is bulging or leaking, don't use it. Otherwise open it, smell it and see how it looks. If all ok, it's likely fine. And repackaging things like rice or pasta into used glass jars, vacuum sealing or even freezer bags will help it last long past the BB date.
I use Ferch it is so easy. I also use my credit card and pay off monthly. In fact. Chase Freedom has extra point categories on groceries this quarter. I just got a raincheck last week at Smith's/ Kroger. I sometimes shop the last day of a sale to purposely try to get a raincheck. This way I can buy that product when I need it for the sale price. They don't usually expire. I also ask for the max allowed on the raincheck and when I have the extra money. I will buy let's say 10 lb of meat, take it home and portion & freeze. Getting the best price is great, but you definitely have to clean & store your items immediately or you risk losing money if the items go bad. I do use a vacuum sealer, dehydrator and my freezer. It takes work, but keeping an inventory is a must. Love this community and Kate Kaden's K squad!
I love Fetch! And I also love your channel. Thank you
I nearly screamed you mentioned my name and suggestion Thank You ! can’t wait to try out some of the new suggestions you mentioned!!
In Sweden you seldom get a free bag in the store. One plastic bag is 1 dollar in the store. I always bring my own shopping basket and bags.
Thanks for sharing your ideas 💡🙏🙏🙏
I use Fetch and love it, besides Ibotta that I have been using for years!!
Rather than covering with a plate, plastic wrap or foil; I bought plastic shower caps specifically for covering foods.
Me, too! :-)
What a great idea. I don't like to use foil because it's so expensive and probably no good for us all.
We use the amazon plastic covers that look like shower caps instead on tinfoil to cover food in frig. Saves buying tinfoil.
@@rg-mi5hh shower caps are less expensive & don’t cost shipping & handling. Can be bought anywhere.
@@pamelagroves2142 I would worry about whether those are food safe - I’m pretty sure they aren’t.
I live in Idaho and we use Azure Standards for bulk items. They are out of Oregon but they deliver to multiple states about once a month for pick up at a specific location.
What’s he minimum amount $ we can order ?
I freeze tomato sauce in ice cube trays too
Good idea.
As always, thanks for the quality content!
I use oats , baking soda and salt blenderized to mix in my scoopable cat litter I save one jug of clumpable litter a month
Thank you for another wonderful and helpful video! I would love to learn more about expiration, best sale by, etc dates.
I use Ibotta and Fetch rewards. You can use both on the same receipt and I have often gotten free food from Ibotta. I am also vegan and have gotten meat items that I have donated to local charity or to friends.
Recycle the ziploc by washing them after use.
I have washed them in warm soapy waterbin my washing machine with a med-large load of towels, I hang them drynon hooks & doorknobs! They come out very clean, you might want to turn them inside out.
Do that also
I get rain checks at Krogers all the time. The food lions in my area have not resumed issuing rain checks. I tried to get a rain check the other day.
Our new grand baby is fourteen months now moma nursed him and slowly put him on table food, he eats about everything we eat now w/o sugar or seasoning, he has a mouth full of teeth and enjoys his food