lisag8070

buying bulk from Costco works great as long as you have enough space in your freezer (or an extra one in your garage) and you remember to pull the meat out the night before..

but your right, buying separate indgredients does add up..and I have to admit it really gets my goat, I have all these cookbooks that I love using but now I check the ingredients list and if its not in my cupboard then it doesn't get made till the following week when I make my supermarket run..to walmart or target..

I now also make DD's lunch as they've raised their prices here as well, last year it was only $1.20 for lunch and they had a great and healthy selection to choose from, now the price has gone up to $1.90 and its all crap junk on the menu, like pizza, chicken nuggets and taco's..

Millicent_ByStander

1. Cancelled DirectTV now receiving free local channels via aerial
2. Got rid of land line phone
(Both of above we were considering doing anyway )
3. Not eating out so much

Also, postponing booking summer vacation for a couple of months....just in case

clarissageo

[QUOTE=ChocolateBabz;7270739] I try to plan meals out for at least 3 weeks when I go shopping - We've cut the kids back from having sandwiches and hot dogs etc on a lunchtime to having either mac & cheese ($3.99 for 5 boxes = 5 lunches) or just pot noodles (the cheap ones at 28c each)..... Its far from ideal but when they were eating at least 2 hot dogs each, and a pack of hot dogs at $2.50 was only covering us for one lunch, and that was before the rolls at $1.78, it soon saves a few $...... plus, when they are playing out they just want *something* in their tummies, they don't care as long as they are filled.

We've started shopping just smarter really - instead of paying $9 for 4 fresh chicken breasts, we'll pay $6.99 for a bag of frozen ones and get 6 in a bag - they taste exactly the same, and most of the time they are bigger as well, so instead of ending up with each of us having two, and forking out $18, one is enough, then I do a big pile of Mashed potato with it (Russets are $2.78 for a 10lb bag at our Walmart, and I use half a bag for 5 of us) with some stuffing and some corn and peas.

For other meals we'll get the stuff that I consider Junk food - Banquet Chicken breast patties are not too bad, and we'll have those in a roll with some fries, or we'll get the little pot pies that are 68c each and do the mash again with some corn - at least once a week we'll have grilled cheese with tomato soup, and we'll also throw some $1.08 pizza's in on one day. A tube of ground beef at $7 will see us through two meals of spaghetti along with a supersize tub of prego and the cheapest spaghetti I can find on the shelves.

Normally by the end of the first 3 weeks things are starting to run low, and that's when I 'throw' things together to clear down the freezer and get rid of the odds and sods that are left.

We've never had a time where the kids have complained about being hungry. They've said that they miss steak (spoilt brats!) and I hate the fact that they are not getting at least two fresh veg a day, but they all understand that things are tight right now, and we still have treats like cookies and biscuits on a weekend.

One thing that I do, that everyone who comes to our house comments on, is I have a dry wipe board stuck on my fridge, with days of the week written on it - each day I write down what we are having to eat that night, so there is normally at least 2-3 weeks of meals written up. It saves me just going to the freezer and cooking whatever I come across first, and has helped me stick to my budget. I also write on my calender what day we went shopping, and how much the bill was - that way I can see it right in front of me how long the food has lasted. Right now we're on week 4 and we'll need to go shopping on Friday, but at a push we could manage through to Monday of next week if needed.

Mallory

So many people dropping cable channels, Dish TV, not going to restaurants, dropping land lines or cells. Think of the millions of other people doing that - and think of the restaurants going bankrupt, wait staff/chefs unemployed, cable TV and phone peeps laid off. It's all bad for the economy. Unless you are laid off, it's better for the economy to keep on spending as you were. It helps others keep their jobs. Go on a cruise, and help people like Cindy stay in a job. Doom and gloom is bad.

meauxna

The steak thing is one thing I just can't interfere with around here (tho he is finally slowing down on his own). DH has a red meat problem, IMO, but it's his gut for now. He has been perfectly happy cruising the bargain section of the meat counter for the stuff they mark down because the sell date is coming up. He splits them out into 'portions' (ginormous) and freezes them. He's super picky about freshness, so if it works for him, maybe others?

We still have a laugh over the $15 piece of halibut from the fancy store.. he *was* going to eat it in one go til he saw the receipt & guilt made him split it up!

Have to say; I'm finding this thread fascinating.

Agree.
And contact me if you are having trouble finding a $300 handbag that is worth your time; I'll hook you up.

cindyabs

We only ever buy meat marked down, otherwise..........

It's the pet stuff that pumps up our bill-treats for Geordie Pup the Wonder Pup, and the neighbor's dogs.

Reading Clarissa's posts make me think of a book I bough some years ago, The Tightwad Gazette and now since the library book sales last fall, I have the sequel. There are people out there with good sized families that DO make it work.

Ray

Bar-B-Q'd Armadillo


1 armadillo
~ bacon grease
~ 1 cup butter
~ 1/2 cup ketchup
~ 1/2 cup grated onion
~ 2 tbsp mustard
~ tabasco to taste
OR
use your favorite BBQ sauce


In a sauce pan, combine the butter, ketchup, onion, mustard and tabasco. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Stir occasionally.

Rub bacon grease into the armadillo.

Grill over a hot fire for 5 minutes.

Reduce the fire by half.

Baste the meat with the sauce until done. Armadillo is cooked like pork.

Serve and Enjoy!

tomarense

Tomorrow!!! Because if I waken up dead, I won't have to worry.

lisag8070

oh I understand completely, but when you take a 30% paycut, what else is the best thing to do...

Mallory

Somehow, I just can't picture Clarissa serving up barbequed Armadillo!

Mallory

yeah, that's bad. I really meant if you aren't affected moneywise. We were in a nice restaurant the other day, and you could feel the gloom in the air with wait staff having nothing to do. It really brought it home to me how we all depend on each other for support in bad times.

lisag8070

oh trust me if we weren't affected money wise I would consider it an honor to help prop up the economy..

Giantaxe

I don't consider it doom and gloom to reign in spending that is marginal anyway, particularly if you think there is a significant prospect of diminished income or unemployment down the road. The brutal reality is that in the US there is very little social safety net for the unemployed, and planning for such an eventuality makes an awful lot of sense. So my take is not to stop spending, but to take a long hard look at monthly outgoings (I dropped cable channels I really never watched anyway and probably shouldhave cancelled a while ago), spend within one's budget (particularly for eating out), and spend out of current income rather than on a credit card.

Kaffy Mintcake

The biggest thing we're probably doing, is consciously focusing on building our emergency fund. You know, the one that's supposed to last 3 to 6 months if your income drops out?

We do enjoy our wine and picked up a lot of "two buck chuck" which really costs $3.33 a bottle at our local Trader Joe's.

Beyond that, we probably haven't changed too much, but we were already paying off credit cards every month, etc. If the $h*t hits the fan (possible) we'll cut further.

What stinks is that the deals out there are fantastic for those who aren't worried about their job security.

tamms_1965

I've learned through years of cooking that you can often "wing it" when it comes to recipes (except for baked goods). I love to cook but don't like too many ingredients on work nights so I manage to whip up a lot of things with staples plus fresh meat and veggies. I've learned to like and cook seaonal veggies because they do not cost as much and they taste better. I make a lot of grilled foods to simplify also. If I do not have fresh meat I get it out of the freezer the night before and put it in the fridge. If I forget, I make something with mince or have a meatless dish.