An Update For Friends of Vee
1 year ago
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Stressed about money
I am so stressed about money, especially the price (cost) of groceries. I went over my $100 budget again last night. The tears were almost flowing in Wal Mart. I don't know what to do. Does anybody have any ideas? I feed four people, including two teenagers. We eat very modestly. Nothing fancy. I make my own laundry stuff, noodles, and biscuits. Help. Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks. Kimberly
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6 comments:
Have you read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover...highly recommend it. Also Money Saving Mom has a lot of great tips! She is one my blogroll.
Hi Kim
seeing a comment about Gavin from someone I really know was a nice surprise!
about groceries, you know I have been a frugal shopper all my adult life but with the current economy, this is just about the hardest time I have ever had.
Prices seem to just increase for no reason at all.
I buy most all our meat either on sale at IGA or when it gets marked down at Food Pyramid every morning about 10 a.m. I know you are at work then but I think they mark it down on Sat. and holidays too.
I try to buy almost everything on sale and stock up in reasonable amounts then. And I am not stuck on name brands, most store brands are just fine.
2 of my favorite blogs that have lots of ideas about grocery shopping are http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/
and my friend Terri in GA writes
http://www.xanga.com/pennyannpoundwise
$100 month or $100 week? Will your family drink dry milk? If not, would you cook with it? It saves alot of money. Also,will your family eat hamburger? If so,
1 pound meat, one can cream mushroom soup, one can of water or milk, salt, pepper, cooked egg noodles
burgers and homemade fries (stretch meat with 1-2 soaked bread slices, one egg and some chopped onion)
tacos, of course
shepherd's pie (basically, browned burger meat, one chopped onion, 2 TBSP tomato paste, 1 TBSP worchestshire sauce, a big pinch of dried thyme, about 2 cups water and two beef bouillon cubes or 1 cup water and 1 cup red wine and two beef cubes,salt/pepper to taste. Cook beef, add onion, paste, sauce, thyme, cook two more minutes. Add liquid and beef cubes. Cook until thickened. Pour into 9 inch pan. Top with cooked seasoned mashed potatoes (I use instant -- 6 servings). Top with a little cheddar cheese if you like. Bake 350 for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts (if you use)
chili (we use tomgato juice as the base, hamburger, chili beans, chili powder and add a little broken spaghetti)
Spaghetti with sauce or meatballs
That's just a few ideas (I can give you some ham ideas if you'd like)
you might want to check out the angel food website. it is http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
they have distribution centers all over the country. that might help add more food to your pantry for less $$
Hi Kimberly,
I just came over after seeing you as a new follower on my blog. Nice to "meet" you! I like your blog!
I, too, wondered if your budget is weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly? I tend to be a loss leader shopper-if it's on sale, I stock up and plan around what I already know I have vs. buying a lot of full price items to make particular dishes.
For me, Walmart doesn't usually beat the loss leader prices. Do you have any other grocery store options? Also, I am finding blogs lately that show specials for various stores, listing coupons that make even better deals.
I find myself making more soups and one-dish meals than I used to. I seldom serve whole pieces of chicken breast anymore, for example. Mostly, they are cooked, diced, and added to something. Thankfully, I have a dh who has no problem with this and kids who aren't terribly picky.
I am also making a better effort to use up leftovers, instead of letting them go bad and get thrown out. That was a big problem for me in the past but I am improving.
I hope you find solutions that work well for you. Perhaps the job change will allow you more time to concentrate on this area?
Found you via site meter. You might enjoy visiting Brenda at Coffee Tea Books and Me. She does a lot of posts on frugal living and pantry information. Best wishes! Hang in there!!
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