Saturday, May 21, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Money saving tips
How much are you spending for meals per person? There are so many money saving tips to help you cut your costs.
1) Oatmeal can be cooked so many different ways. You can add fruit, bake it, top it with syrup or sugar. It's an inexpensive and filling meal.
2) Divide food items in to specific portions before freezing them .. that way you will know right off the bat how many meals you'll be able to squeeze in.
3) Coupons, coupons and more coupons. Remember though; using coupons for products you wouldn't normally use is not saving money. Some stores double and triple coupons but other stores just give face value. Either way, you're saving money.
4) Shop your sales ads. You can stick with one store or shop all your local places. If you shop at numerous locations though be sure that the gas you use won't be eating your savings.
5) Don't buy processed foods. Making things from scratch costs much less in most cases (example: bread costs, at the very least .79 cents per loaf if store bought but if you make it from scratch it will cost .15 cents)
6) Buying in larger quantities actually saves money. A lot of the time you pay high costs for packaging and buying in bulk uses less packaging. If you need to freeze large amounts, you can break them down in to smaller amounts and use baggies or freezer containers. You can also cook in large quantities, break up in to family size portions and freeze (or can) individual meal sizes.
7) Cut portion sizes. That alone can offer HUGE savings. Following portion sizes on packaging or recipes not only saves you money, it also helps control weight issues. Restaurants and homes as well usually serve distorted portion sizes.
I'm sure I've missed some tips. Can you think of any?
1) Oatmeal can be cooked so many different ways. You can add fruit, bake it, top it with syrup or sugar. It's an inexpensive and filling meal.
2) Divide food items in to specific portions before freezing them .. that way you will know right off the bat how many meals you'll be able to squeeze in.
3) Coupons, coupons and more coupons. Remember though; using coupons for products you wouldn't normally use is not saving money. Some stores double and triple coupons but other stores just give face value. Either way, you're saving money.
4) Shop your sales ads. You can stick with one store or shop all your local places. If you shop at numerous locations though be sure that the gas you use won't be eating your savings.
5) Don't buy processed foods. Making things from scratch costs much less in most cases (example: bread costs, at the very least .79 cents per loaf if store bought but if you make it from scratch it will cost .15 cents)
6) Buying in larger quantities actually saves money. A lot of the time you pay high costs for packaging and buying in bulk uses less packaging. If you need to freeze large amounts, you can break them down in to smaller amounts and use baggies or freezer containers. You can also cook in large quantities, break up in to family size portions and freeze (or can) individual meal sizes.
7) Cut portion sizes. That alone can offer HUGE savings. Following portion sizes on packaging or recipes not only saves you money, it also helps control weight issues. Restaurants and homes as well usually serve distorted portion sizes.
I'm sure I've missed some tips. Can you think of any?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Eggs, turkey bacon & cheese english muffin sandwiches
Breakfast for dinner? Yes and honestly, it hit the spot!!! At times we whip the eggs with Miracle Whip instead of milk ... but tonight we didn't use either. It was just straight egg. We also didn't use any butter this time around. We've gotten in to a habit of savoring the natural flavors of the food we eat. One of the best things about it ... McDonald's would have cost .24 cents more per person ... so we ate a delicious meal, saved money AND there was no need for me to explain why our McDonald's doesn't have a play-land LOL
Slice cheese - .99
Eggs - $2.49
English Muffins - $1.69
Turkey Bacon - 2.49
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Total cost of meal = $7.66
Total cost per person - .76 cents
Dig in!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Pepper Steak Stroganoff
A yummy pasta dish ... and old idea with a new taste. Before I go on to the ingredients and recipe, I should say that we got an amazing deal on the pepper steaks. If you're interested please leave a comment letting me know & I'll post the information about the steaks.
Elbow Noodles - $2.29 (3 lbs)
4.5 oz. Pepper Steak - $2.00 x 2 = $4.00
1 Cream of Mushroom Soup - $1.68
8 oz. Sour Cream -.60
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Total for meal - $8.57
Price per person, per meal = .86 cents
Cook noodles & drain
Add cooked pepper steak (besides pepper, meat was seasoned with garlic and season salt)
Add cream of mushroom can
Add sour cream
Mix everything together for a great meal!
Dig in!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Ram-un-ito
Probably one of the cheapest meals we make at our house, but definitely not one that will appeal to everyone. It sounds gross and maybe even looks gross but really, it's tasty!!! I was pregnant with our 2nd child when we first heard about this dish. I gagged. My husband, some how talked me in to trying it ... and I was immediately hooked. We've served to our family ever since LOL Humor me ... just try it once.
6 packs Ramen noodles (any flavor) @ .12 each = .72 cents
2 cans Starkist Tuna in water = .63 per can = $1.26
Miracle Whip - 1/2 - 12 oz. squeeze container $1.30
10 Tortillas - $2.61
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Total per meal cost = $5.89
Total per person, per meal = .59 cents
Boil Ramen noodles & add seasoning packets, drain all liquid once cooked
Add tuna & Miracle Whip. Stir together.
Serve on heated tortilla, wrap like burrito
Dig in!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Turkey Pasta Salad
(Before posting I wanted to apologize for not blogging last night. We had left over hamburg soup)
This is a really inexpensive dish. We've had it for lunch and for dinner. It's good any time!
Elbow Noodles - $2.29 for 3 lbs.
Peas - .79 cents per can x 2 = $1.58
Turkey Breast - $4.53
Miracle Whip - $50
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(Makes 2 meals)
Total = $8.90 per batch = $4.90 per meal
--------------------------------------------
Total PER PERSON = .49 CENTS PER MEAL
Remember when you are totaling your costs, to include your drink and anything else you add to the meal. We don't always use peas. Some times we use broccoli.
Dig in!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Hamburg Soup & Biscuits
This is another favorite in our home. It's easy to make, very filling, can be made in large quantities and left overs can be frozen for other meals. We make this in very large batches ... that usually give us 3 meals total. (Please remember that I serve at least 10 people every night ... including 5 adults (my husband, myself and 3 "adult" children).
Ground beef - 2.49 per lb = 14.72
Veg-All - 1.19 per can = 3.57
Diced/Stewed Tomatoes - 1.19 per can = 3.57
Can Corn - .79 per can = 2.37
Diced Potatoes - 1.06 per can = 3.18
Garlic - 1 clove, diced - .13
Onion - .08
_________________________________________
Total = $27.62 for HUGE batch (4 meals)
Total per meal = 6.91
Per person cost = .69
ADDING
(Biscuits, from any old home made recipe) = .60 per meal
= $7.51 per meal ... = .75 cents PER PERSON
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(I want to point out that if when we harvest all these items from our garden, this meal will cost us (roughly) ... $15.00 per batch .. breaking down to $3.75 per meal ... breaking down to .37 cents per person. I brought the cost up because we'd only be paying for the ground beef & beef stock or bouillon cubes.
I am always trying to find ways to cut costs ... and knowing that our garden will eliminate so much of the prices just excites me!!! I know we won't be in a position to grow a year's worth of food for our family this year ... but next year it's on!!! Each of us will take the responsibility of a few different produce items.
Dig in!
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