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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 7:41:44 AM
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charity7
Posts: 183
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anyone shop at Aldis?? Right now our little Amish bulk food store has great produce--we froze a bushel of peaches yesterday in small serving size pkg.--ready to grab for lunch--canning also helps streach the budget--stocking up in summer makes winter better!!
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 9:04:59 AM
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Wild-Rose
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From: Upstate NY
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quote:
peaches yesterday in small serving size pkg.-
I do this too. Peaches and before that the strawberries and black berries. Also greens (Swiss chard) and other veggies can be frozen after just a bit of cooking. The fruit is handy for adding to ice cream or oatmeal or pancake batter.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 10:33:07 AM
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BeachLover99
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Has anyone ever tried to freeze milk? I have heard of people doing this, but have never tried it myself. My main question: after it's thawed out, is it all watered down?
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"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 11:34:25 AM
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Mrs.X
Posts: 2954
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From: Newberg, OR
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BeachLover, if you freeze milk, you have to do it in a small container. If you do it in a gallon, the cream floats to the top after thawing, so you get yummy milk at first then really watered down stuff at the bottom. If you can figure out a way to freeze a gallon and thaw it all at once and then mix it well, that would work.
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-Stina
From Sweet Grass to the Packin' House
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. -Proverbs 15:1
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 11:40:57 AM
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BeachLover99
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Hi, Mrs. X! Thank you for your post. That is kind of what I thought. I don't know that I would do this, but it's good information to have. Milk is pretty pricey - but when it goes "on sale", I might get bold and try it.
Thanks again!
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"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 6:18:27 PM
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charity7
Posts: 183
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freezing milk is fine just take out a cup or so for expansion then when it thaws shake well before using---
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Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible!
check out www.chesca.org/becker and PLEASE sign the guestbook
God is Good All The Time!!
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 6:32:19 PM
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BeachLover99
Posts: 628
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charity7:
Good stuff! Thank you!
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"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 6:56:05 PM
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daughter_of_faith
Posts: 1265
Joined: 1/10/2008
From: Great Plains, Kansas
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I've never had good luck freezing milk. It always ended up sour if I took some out....or the cream floated up & left the bottom watery & yucky.
Cheese freezes really well though! 
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 7:17:09 PM
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BeachLover99
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Okay...my last question: does it matter if it's skim, 1%, 2%, or whole? Does one freeze better than the others?
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"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 7:30:49 PM
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danas_mom
Posts: 554
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You do have to pour about a cup of the milk out before freezing, as Charity pointed out, and make sure to shake it really, really well after it's completely thawed because it will separate. Otherwise it freezes fine.
For milk, I do what someone mentioned quite a while ago (can't remember if it was WOF, or someone else) and buy whole milk, then mix it half and half with reconstituted powdered milk. Tastes great (and we're milk snobs) and it gives us two gallons for just a little over the price of one. A big box of powdered milk costs me $12 and is enough to make up several gallons. I've also started buying milk at Walgreens most of the time, where it is regularly on sale for $3.69/gallon, vs. around $4.50/gallon in the grocery store.
I check the boards for my stores several times a day at www.hotcouponworld.com to see what deals people are finding. I have been earning at least $30 a month in rebates at Walgreens alone since finding the boards there. Doesn't sound like much $$, but it usually means free HBA and cleaning supplies each month, plus a couple dollars "money maker" on each one if I have a coupon for it. I have my HBA stockpile built back up now to where we have enough shampoo, shaving gel, toothpaste, bar soap, etc for at least two - three years and I got it all for pennies on the dollar, if not free.
When a good coupon comes out that I know will mean free/cheap products that we use once it goes on sale, I check the trading boards at HCW or on ebay and get as many of that coupon as I will reasonably use before they expire. I also watch the early sales ads and order coupons accordingly when I see a good deal. Most sales either come around every six weeks, or they are seasonal sales (like soup in the fall/winter, baking goods around Thanksgiving and Christmas, grilling foods in the summer, etc) so I pay attention to the sales and coupon cycle, and stockpile enough to last us until the next sale. The ultimate goal would be to only have to buy fresh produce or other things that you can't reasonably store for a long time on a week to week basis because you have everything else stocked up. I don't usually hit that goal  but I don't do too bad.
If you shop at a store that has a loyalty card, be sure that your name and address is on file there (unless you are opposed to it for privacy reasons). I get really good coupons in the mail from Kroger on a regular basis - at least a couple of themed booklets each month, plus a quarterly flyer that will have coupons like $10/$100 grocery order, $2/$10 frozen foods, etc. These coupons can be used before any manufacturer's coupons that I have, so the savings really add up on those trips. Plus I get at least one Entertainment Book each year if they have Kroger coupons in them. They will have one $5/$75 coupon for each month in it, plus an extra $5 coupon good at any time that year. The book costs around $30 shipped when it first comes out, plus I get 1,000 mypoints for ordering through mypoints.com (I earn mypoints all year and redeem them for Christmas gifts). That equals $65 in Kroger savings, and roughly $7 worth of mypoints.
If I think of anything else I'll come back and add it.
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I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. ~ 2 Samuel 24:24
Spirit of Ashes Creations
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 8:40:47 PM
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BeachLover99
Posts: 628
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danas_mom:
Wow! That is neat information. I have a LOT to learn, no doubt.
I don't want to insult anyone, and I won't say where we live now, but the grocery stores here just stink! I miss MY KROGER! I know it sounds silly, but how does that song lyric go? "You don't know what you have until it's gone." There is one about 45 miles from here, but with today's gas prices, it's much more cost effective to stay closer to home.
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"I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 10:03:55 PM
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Mrs.X
Posts: 2954
Joined: 7/7/2005
From: Newberg, OR
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BeachLover, we are in the same situation. My favorite grocery store is 15 miles away, so I can only go there once a month and stock up and freeze everything that can be frozen.
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-Stina
From Sweet Grass to the Packin' House
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. -Proverbs 15:1
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 10:15:50 PM
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Georgia-Peach
Posts: 1876
Joined: 6/2/2005
From: Georgia on my mind
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quote:
I miss MY KROGER!
I would too if I moved to somewhere that was without one. I absolutely love shopping at Kroger! They have great sales, send me coupons in the mail, and I get money off at the gas pumps. Growing up in FL I had never heard of a Kroger until I moved up here with my hubby, now I am a huge fan.
quote:
Cheese freezes really well though!
Do you keep it in it's original packaging? Do you just stick in the fridge when you are ready to use it?
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Chelle
A Mother holds her child's hand for a moment, but holds their heart forever.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 10:36:10 PM
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Mrs.X
Posts: 2954
Joined: 7/7/2005
From: Newberg, OR
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Oh, BeachLover, if you do freeze some milk, don't be alarmed that the milk turns yellow when frozen. It turns white again when you thaw it.
_____________________________
-Stina
From Sweet Grass to the Packin' House
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. -Proverbs 15:1
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/10/2008 11:51:02 PM
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danas_mom
Posts: 554
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quote:
ORIGINAL: BeachLover99
I miss MY KROGER! I know it sounds silly, but how does that song lyric go? "You don't know what you have until it's gone." There is one about 45 miles from here, but with today's gas prices, it's much more cost effective to stay closer to home.[/color]
Heh. Now I have Cinderella in my head, thanks.
My Kroger IS 45 miles from home (we live out in the boonies) so I have to go prepared. I do my grocery shopping on Friday - hitting Kroger, Walgreens (more than one location if I have to, to get all the deals), and Walmart. The Kroger sales ads here go from Wed - Tues, so if there's a *really* good deal after coupon that week I'll run back in on Sunday after church and get another batch. (They only double up to 8 of identical coupons.) Sometimes I send hubby to the store also, he passes several of them on his way to work. But I have to give him very detailed lists with acceptable substitute scenarios, so it's easier to just find a way to go myself.
_____________________________
I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. ~ 2 Samuel 24:24
Spirit of Ashes Creations
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/11/2008 12:18:54 PM
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Mrs.Wifey
Posts: 5088
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: The Gorgeous plains of Colorado
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quote:
Cheese freezes really well though!
Only certain kinds though, a frozen block of cheddar will NOT be good when it thaws.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/11/2008 12:34:46 PM
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zoebob
Posts: 8772
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From: land of limbo
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Cheddar cheese doesn't need to be frozen though. As long as you keep it air tight it will just get sharper but won't go bad.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/11/2008 10:23:16 PM
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daughter_of_faith
Posts: 1265
Joined: 1/10/2008
From: Great Plains, Kansas
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Usually we freeze the grated cheese. We've also frozen the sliced processed cheese before.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/13/2008 6:09:33 PM
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barbhuff
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I live in Amish country, so we have a lot of farmer markets, side road stands, and things like that. I've found that if you head out out towards the end of their business hours, you get great deals. Just yesterday, I got green peppers for .10/piece, 4 cucumbers for a dollar, and 21 ears of corn for $5 because the farmer was thirsty and ready to close shop and go home.
With a large family, I use all of the area groceries for the best deals. I tend to buy canned goods and cleaning products at WalMart because they are the cheapest. I'll pick up the sale stuff, frozen foods, and sale produce at Giant Eagle. They give .20/gallon for every $50 spent, so spending $1 for a can of Campbells soup there instead of .95 at WalMart works out when we're filling up our gas tank for free every couple months. A local chain runs a meat special they call Pick 5 where everything in the section is 5 packages for $19.95, and about every three months, they run a 5 for $16.95 special. I usually save $7-11 on the 5 packages. I also get fryer chickens at WalMart for around $4.
I like to freeze fresh fruit-- did 12 quarts of peaches yesterday. I've actually told my husband that I'd like a second deep freeze-- a stand-up this time-- for fruits and veggies.
I've also stopped buying snacks. We make everything. I haven't gone all completely-from-scratch yet, but I do find that a .48 bag of blueberry muffin mix will make plenty of afternoon goodies for 5 kids. My youngest two usually help me make cookies, cakes, brownies, muffins, and so on which gives them some math and science time with Mom while the older three are in school.
I think the best advice I ever got was getting creative with meats. I might get a smaller turkey, roast it with the fixings for one meal, make open-face turkey and mashed potato sandwiches the next night, and then a casserole with noodles and all the leftovers finish it off. Sometimes, I'll just freeze the casserole and eat it weeks later.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/13/2008 11:18:34 PM
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paulsbride
Posts: 1877
Joined: 5/19/2005
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From reading this I think I shop a lot like danas_mom.
I stockpile, do CVS and Walgreens, follow coupon/deal sites, freeze foods, etc.
This month I challenged myself to "live out of our pantry" - I have spent about $16 in just over two weeks on groceries, and that was just fresh fruit, salad and baking soda. It has made for some creative new dishes - like onion ring and steak pizza. I had a small amount of steak left over from something else, so used it - SO yummy with the onion rings!
We bought a second freezer a while back, which I truly believe is essential to maximize on deals, which helps save money. I blogged about it HERE.
When I do go grocery shopping I have a set amount of money to use throughout the month. I take it out in cash at the beginning of each month, and that is all I am allowed to use. I like having a monthly budget as opposed to a weekly budget since I stock pile.
For example - Kraft shredded cheese was recently 2 lbs for $3. That's $1.50/lb!! I bought somewhere in the 14lb range - and wish I'd gotten more! It freezes perfectly well and thaws quickly. If I only had a weekly amount of money with me I wouldn't of had enough money to buy all that cheese.
But I have to make the allotted monthly amount work, no matter how good the deals are - no going over the monthly budget!
Coupons are amazing. I totally don't get the people that say store brand stuff is cheaper, and use that as an excuse not to coupon. A few weeks ago one of the coupon inserts had a coupon for free Sarah Lee Bread. Totally free. No strings attached. I had 15 copies of that insert, so ended up with 15 loaves of bread for free. Target once had their Fusion razor gift packs marked down to $4. I had 6 coupons and there were 6 sets. I got them all free.
Kotex pads often has $1 off coupons - the liners are $1 at Walmart, making them free.
Lining up store weekly sales or clearance items with coupon inserts can equal some free or cheap items.
I recently re-did my coupon book. THIS is how it's organized. It goes everywhere with me.
CVS and Walgreens are amazing. Absolutely amazing. I too have enough bath and beauty supplies to last a couple of years easily. I also have toilet paper, medicine, paper towels, etc. CVS tracks your spending and savings. I have spent somewhere in the $30 range and saved somewhere in the $1700 range. (Not that you'd spend $1,700 if you bought those items at a cheaper place like Walmart! But still.) I have 46 packages of diapers that I spent .11 cents per pack on. The drugstores are gold mines for savings.
I keep a list of 'rock bottom' prices for items, so I know when to stock up and when to just buy what I need.
I stay away from the center aisles of the grocery store, only looking at the items I know I need - except in the areas that the manager runs "manager deals." Those items can be a steal! So I do always check for those.
Another simple money saving trick is to just stay home - or at least out of the stores. It's amazing to me how when I am out "just browsing" I always find something I must have. But if I were sitting at home I wouldn't even know I was missing out on it! In the past month or two I've started going out to stores only when I absolutely needed to, not out of boredom or for something fun to do. I have had to change my perspective - shopping CANNOT be entertainment for me, it's too expensive!
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<--- 25 weeks
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/14/2008 7:10:58 AM
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cherish405
Posts: 32422
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: The Land Down Under
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We try to buy in bulk when we can.
If you buy bulk meat, you can break them up into smaller portions that you will use per meal, or cook a bigger quantity and freeze it for a day when you don't feel like cooking.
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/16/2008 6:43:59 PM
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sisrev
Posts: 886
Joined: 8/7/2006
From: The South, ya'll
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I have been couponing a lot lately. When I worked outside the home, I didn't really have a lot of time to mess with coupons. I'd clip a few every now & then, and then forget to use them till they were expired. Now I'm hoping for better success by printing coupons from the internet, and also looking at the sales papers on-line for the stores I frequent. Today I noticed that one store had Hamburger Helper & Easy Mac on sale, plus I had coupons for both of these items, so I was able to get extra savings on top of the sale. We don't use Hamburger Helper a lot, but it's nice to have some on hand for a quickie meal on church nights or when I just don't feel like making a big meal. I try to be sure that the coupons are for something I know we'd use, or for something that I'd like to try but may not want to pay full price for. I also look to be sure that the store brand isn't cheaper than the name brand less the coupon--sometimes that is the case, especially when the store brand is on sale, too. I may be using more in paper & printer ink than I'm saving, but so far, it looks successful!
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RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings - 9/16/2008 7:03:01 PM
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Mrs.Wifey
Posts: 5088
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: The Gorgeous plains of Colorado
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I think it really depends on the sorts of products you use, as to how much you can save with coupons. We don't save much unless it's on baby items because we just don't buy much that you get coupons for(meat, veggies, fruits, organic/ no HFCS bread). I should try the Walgreen's stuff, but even then we use almost all natural bath/body products.
Ah well.
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