
Since my funds lately have been limited, like really limited, and everyone else is going through the same, I thought I'd share some tips on how to pinch the ol' pennies. Keep in mind although I've always liked to save a buck, I'm still in the learning process of really stretching our dollars.
BTW, I did get some shifts for the winter-Thursday afternoon, maybe Friday day, night or afternoon and then again maybe not, and Saturday. Yeah, I could have taken the whole winter off, but a couple of shifts are better than nothing. I just couldn't say no to the work, at least I'll have a little paycheck coming. I think if my pay is that drastically limited, especially if we have a few snow days and no work, I can apply for low wages, I'm not sure how it works, but many of the other workers do that when they cut out of shifts. I'll have to find out.
Back to the money tips:
At the supermarket:
1)The damaged goods section: I've found lots of goodies there, dented cans of tomatoes, veggies, salsa, beans, soup for around 45¢. I'll stock up on those because I can always use them. Sometimes they'll have boxes of cereal for $1. You do have to check the ones in the aisle, sometimes it's really not a big discount.
2)The cold cut ends section: You can get a nice package of sliced turkey or ham for $1 something. Sometimes pieces of cooked chicken, legs, breasts, etc. A lot of the time it's not all sliced, there are thick ends in there which I chop up and throw into salads for lunches. They also sell cheese ends, which you can cut up and put on crackers. I'm thinking of getting a package of ham and making pea soup with it this week.
3)Manager's Specials: things like potato salad, pasta salad and meat go on a manager's special (right before the expiry date) go for cheap. I check out those, too. We've been cutting out a lot of meat, and it's hard enough to find one with a few days left on it so I'll be skipping that this week. You buy a package of hamburger and tomorrow is the last day. Sheesh, I can't let it sit in the fridge while I think about what to do with it for a few days? We have eaten meat, chicken and milk past the date and lived. I smell and visually inspect everything questionable.
Don't forget the day old bakery section!
At home:
4)Eat everything in the house We didn't do our weekly food shopping last week, the $$ went toward the bills and we ate whatever is around here. I feel like I've lost a few pounds :) Good God, I've been starving all week! Ok, not really, but I'm PMSing so that was probably the culprit. Unfortunately I could live off my own fat for a few months, so no starvation worries here.
Here's how it went down:
Monday:broiled chicken (from last week) pasta, can of green beans, a can of beets
Tuesday: I made baked beans from scratch which we had with some rice and beans my MIL gave us
Wednesday: veggie burgers from our freezer with baked beans
Thursday:I made some tortellini, pasta, frozen veggies and pasta sauce, plus a small piece of fish each from our freezer.
Friday night I had to work so I made up 3 cans of tuna for Hubby and me. He snuck a slice of pizza and I got the buffalo chicken fingers @ work for $4. Ok, we messed that one up.
Saturday night I did a double, he ate at his mother's, had some tuna and I ate at work. I didn't have anything to make a lunch with.
Tonight I opened 2 cans of chili and plumped it up with a can of corn and some leftover baked beans, the leftovers are Hubby's lunch for tomorrow. It was good, a little sweet but good and filling.
We got through the week without food shopping, by hook or by crook. Ok, SIL got her monthly jackpot of food stamps, hubby took her shopping (he usually takes her, she doesn't drive) and she paid him with a loaf of bread, 2 peppers, a carton of juice, bananas and tomatoes. You know gas isn't cheap, she lives arond 5 miles from here and is always borrowing money so I don't feel bad about getting a few things from her. I actually got on the phone ad thanked her because we really needed the bread. BTW, she gets $500 something in food stamps for the month, but that's a whole 'nother post.
5)Planning the Menu: I have the most trouble with this, and often Hubby wants something else that I planned. I shouldn't complain, he's been good this week (except friday) and eaten what I put in front of him.
This week I'm planning on some ramen noodles with frozen veggies and fake eggs-I am NOT putting in the spice packet, we can't have the salt. More beans, brown rice, pea soup, a chicken soup, veggie burgers, tuna, shit, I don't know. It's all written down already somewhere. Hubby likes having different things and this stuff is different. And on the cheap. I'm trying to keep it all under $50.
Also, I've noticed we tend to buy more than we need, so I'm trying to change that by not buying as much and eating it all before it goes bad.
***********************************************************************************
I'm also planning on pulling my bread machine out of the cellar. I used to make a lot of bread with it, it's easy peasy! This time around I want to go for a whole wheat type of flour instead of the white crap.
Enough for now, I'm off until Thursday! I do have 2 doctor appointments this week so I can't whoop it up until tomorrow night, I have to paint up some ornaments and make some soap, weeeeeee! I'm measuring out the soap stuff tonight, makes it easy to have everything ready.
Photo from Pleasant Family Shopping blog.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)


