Hi all,

Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.

One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
than beef.

Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.

Thoughts?
Carol

--

On 6/22/2011 5:37 PM, cshenk wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol
>
One thing I've done for years is to buy the store brand of canned
whatever, usually they will stock canned goods with a prominent label,
"No Salt Added." Since I try to avoid oversalted foods that is what I
buy. Where the major brands cost in the seventy to ninety cent range,
the store brands usually start at forty-nine cents per can and up. Even
those prices in store brands haven't risen and the cans are still the
same size whereas the major brands are down sized and over priced.

Reasonably priced meat can still be found. I frequent the "used meat"
bin at the local Kroger. Stuff going off the "best by" date on the next
day is marked down 20 to 50 percent dependent upon the cut. A couple of
months ago I bought several large ribeye steaks that had tags indicating
that the regular price was over eighty bucks. I spent forty-seven bucks
for them. One steak feeds the wife and I a meal so it works well.

I had been buying bison meat from Kroger, packaged by Maverick Ranch in
Colorado. A few months back it was cheaper than store brand chuck, at
about $5.99 a lb. Two weeks ago I found it for $7.99 and last week it
was $9.99. I think that probably reflects the transportation cost what
with diesel and gasoline going up a lot.

I occasionally find seven-bone chuck steaks, four to five lb ones, on
sale in bulk. I buy them cheap and then repackage in vacuum bags for
later use. When some of our large family comes to visit we have a big
pot roast with lots of veggies, home made bread, and some sort of
dessert from fruit we've canned ourselves. Feed eight or ten people a
good meal for a reasonable price.

You have to shop smart. Wife drinks canned fruit juice, used to buy one
specific brand, name slips me at the moment. Nowadays we buy the twelve
ounce cans of Jumex, various fruit juices including some we never heard
of before we started buying that brand. Get them two for 89 cents routinely.

Of course we're both retired now so we have the leisure to shop wisely.
A friend hops from store to store buying stuff listed in the weekly
grocery flyers. He spends more on gasoline than I would do but seems
happy with it. I shop the one store and know where everything is and go
straight to whichever aisle my computerized list tells me to go. I don't
shop Walmart, they change the blasted aisles every other week to
encourage impulse shopping. Don't shop Sam's anymore because we don't
need bulk groceries just for the two of us. We do use coupons whenever
we can find some for the things we use, don't use them for things we
ordinarily don't buy. I don't buy Sam's or Walmart meat because, due to
labeling laws, the ingredients include "WATER."

The best part is we have a small vegetable garden, about 17 X 25 feet,
plus several dwarf fruit trees. Unfortunately we've been in a deep
drought for about two years and our city now rations water. Fortunately
we've gotten over an inch of water in the last three days, that helps.

On Jun 22, 6:37*pm, "cshenk" > wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. *I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. *Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. *Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. *Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> * * Carol
>
> --




I got coffee today - 2 lb. 4 oz. bag was 3 bucks off regular price,
plus I had a coupon. No more silly 12 ouncers for me.

cshenk wrote:

> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.

I only compare beef prices to beef, pork to pork, etc. If I want beef,
why would I compare its price to pork??

We tend to pay whatever it costs when we want particular cuts for family
meals. For example, we do a lot of flank steaks when we can get all the
kids together, and I get good meat in larger quantities at Sam's Club.
If I see a sale price, I'd scarf it up and freeze extra.

I get excellent deals on really nice lamb loin or rib chops by paying
attention to the "used meat" shelves. So few people eat lamb around here
that they're always having to mark it down and we swoop in and buy all
we can find then. Obviously we have to have the resources to buy
whenever it comes up, but in the long run we end up saving money this way.

"cshenk" > wrote in
:

> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene
> has changed a bit in both produce and items we may be finding.
> I'd be interested in what items the rest of you are using now
> that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a
> good sign for our economy in the USA but the cost is now
> radically higher than pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh
> seafood is generally cheaper now than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while
> store brands and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar
> addition to major brands seems to be increasing while store
> brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol

75% of the time I buy items that are on sale and that I have a
coupon for. (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.) Day old
bread, marked down meat that is at the expiration date or a bit
later. And by the store brands for staples like flour, sugar, salt
etc. Right now, one of the local grocery stores has White Rain
shampoo only sale for 69 cents! Chicken tenders and boneless
chicken breasts for $1.88 # are on sale this week at Albertsons.

If I am lazy... I'll take all the ads to WalMart and have them
price match. And WalMart ususally has GREAT sales on chips and BBQ
items around the 4th of July.

>
> The best part is we have a small vegetable garden, about 17 X 25 feet,
> plus several dwarf fruit trees. Unfortunately we've been in a deep
> drought for about two years and our city now rations water. Fortunately
> we've gotten over an inch of water in the last three days, that helps.

Here in the San Gabriel Valley, in SoCal, a new player came into town
about four years ago. This is the Fresh & Easy chain, owned by Tesco
the big British retail company. I usually get to the local store
(about 1/4 mile away) either at around 11:00 AM or a bit later after
the staff has pulled all of the stuff that will be out of code within
the next two days. Excellent buys on the majority of stuff that I
eat/ Lots of produce packed in "3 fers" @ .98 cents per package,
apples, onions, pears, etc. I like to get the small salads that
usually retail for $3.99/ea for about $2.75 that are about one day
out; the bread that I prefer is the ciabatta loaves, regularly priced
at $3.99, go for $2.89/ea, etc. The markdowns include the meat &
chicken items also. Dairy is fair-traded in California to 15% of
retail price, but that's a good deal.

Since Azusa is a university town, (Azusa Pacific University and Citrus
Community College) both across the street from the geezer park where I
live, there are lots of students shopping along with the geezers, and
everyone is looking for the best deals. Two doors down is the $.99
cent store that I sometimes shop at for the dried noodle soup
packages.

Harriet & critters in Azusa

On Jun 22, 4:56*pm, Kalmia > wrote:
--
>
> I got coffee today - 2 lb. 4 oz. bag was 3 bucks off regular price,
> plus I had a coupon. *No more silly 12 ouncers for me.

I saw several of the "new cans of coffee" at 10.5 oz, I believe. The
12 oz can has gone the way of the 16 oz can.

Harriet & critters in Azusa.

"sandi" > wrote in message
...
> "cshenk" > wrote in
> :
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene
>> has changed a bit in both produce and items we may be finding.
>> I'd be interested in what items the rest of you are using now
>> that you enjoy.
>>
>> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a
>> good sign for our economy in the USA but the cost is now
>> radically higher than pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh
>> seafood is generally cheaper now than beef.
>>
>> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while
>> store brands and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar
>> addition to major brands seems to be increasing while store
>> brands overall seem stable.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> Carol
>
> 75% of the time I buy items that are on sale and that I have a
> coupon for. (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.) Day old
> bread, marked down meat that is at the expiration date or a bit
> later. And by the store brands for staples like flour, sugar, salt
> etc. Right now, one of the local grocery stores has White Rain
> shampoo only sale for 69 cents! Chicken tenders and boneless
> chicken breasts for $1.88 # are on sale this week at Albertsons.
>
> If I am lazy... I'll take all the ads to WalMart and have them
> price match. And WalMart ususally has GREAT sales on chips and BBQ
> items around the 4th of July.

We've been really surprised since we retired at how much our cost of living
dropped since we don't do so much eating out. Grabbing a sausage biscuit
and OJ on the way to work and for lunch, even a soup/salad sort of quick
meal really added up to a lot of money. Just a few at a time, I've checked
out store brands. Some have been real duds but some are happy winners.
Blackberry preserves, cereal (really) and lots of items are just so much
cheaper as well as superior to a name brand. The worst test was just plain
old wieners for hot dogs. Store brand? Waaah, yuck and phooey. The gators
wouldn't even eat them. There are 8,500 alligators here in our county (more
or less and probably more) and we do not offend them. Polly

"cshenk" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol

We're back to using coupons and trying to combine them with sales. There
aren't a lot of coupons we can use given our food allergies and the fact
that we don't buy much prepared food. But we use what we can.

We have cut back on the variety of what we eat, especially with produce. I
buy greens, onions of all kinds, sometimes potatoes, baby carrots, sliced
apples, tomatoes, and once in a while something else. I get the apples and
carrots at Costco.

We are eating less meat. I actually have a good coupon for money off of any
pork product but aside from bacon, I don't eat pork and daughter doesn't
much care for it any more. She used to like pork chops but no longer. If
it's still good when my husband is home I will buy something for him. He
eats it.

We do eat beef but rarely and mostly ground beef.

Daughter likes chicken but mostly I don't. When I fix it for her I usually
just eat peanut butter or beans.

I have discovered Winco Foods. I can save a ton there! I wouldn't say that
they have the highest cuts of meat, particularly beef. They do have some
chicken that looks good.

Mainly we buy stuff like rice, canned goods, produce, cheese, lunch meats
and some gluten free items. Also has the cheapest price on beverages.

It is in another city so we mostly go there once every two weeks. I try to
buy enough to last the two weeks. On alternate weeks, we get what we need
at Costco.

I do shop at some other stores around here which means sometimes going every
other day to some store. QFC sent me coupons for money off and free items.
I got free eggs, yogurt, chips and whatever the other item was now escapes
me. Whatever it was, I got it. Albertsons puts out doubler coupons every
few weeks. You get three in Sunday's paper and they have to be used by
Tues.

I now take the paper to get the coupons. I get whatever coupons I might use
from my dad who does not use them. I have also bought some from Ebay.

I have asked for a chest freezer for my birthday next week. Currently we
have a side by side and the freezer portion doesn't hold much or large
items. I will be able to use more coupons once I get that.

On Jun 22, 3:37*pm, "cshenk" > wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. *I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. *Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. *Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.

Here fresh fish costs more than Filet mignon. (Not counting swai,
basa, or tilapia). Shrimp is dirt cheap though.

>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. *

House tuna comes in a 5 oz can.

On Jun 22, 6:37*pm, "cshenk" > wrote:

> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. *Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. *Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. *Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.


I love giving opinions. On this subject my opinion is that food is
relatively cheap compared to the cost of other things. So far at
least. I suppose it's all relative. If some person is accustomed to
eating 12 ounces of filet mignon every day and the price suddenly
soars, that might be a major incident in his life. On the other hand,
if that same guy is out in the desert with enough water to last two
weeks and no more, but he also has no food - at that time lizard mean
could take on an appeal he never knew existed. I do not concern
myself with the cost of food. I am an animal. If it comes down to
cannibalism, I am ready to eat. But so is everyone else. That will
be true capitalism, when people work not for pay but for food - when
the day comes when all other animals have already been killed off and
all that is left are humans.

TJ

On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:32:05 -0700 (PDT), "critters & me in azusa, ca"
> wrote:

> Two doors down is the $.99
> cent store that I sometimes shop at for the dried noodle soup
> packages.

I hope you get more than one for $1.99!

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:56:10 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

> I got coffee today - 2 lb. 4 oz. bag was 3 bucks off regular price,
> plus I had a coupon. No more silly 12 ouncers for me.

YAY! You should know by 10AM if you like that coffee or not.
Hopefully you got what you paid for (and more).

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Jun 22, 4:21*pm, George Shirley > wrote:

> One thing I've done for years is to buy the store brand of canned
> whatever, usually they will stock canned goods with a prominent label,
> "No Salt Added."

We buy practically zero canned foods other than tomatoes for sauce.
Black beans if we're going to make burritos or something. Evaporated
milk for quiche.

> Reasonably priced meat can still be found. I frequent the "used meat"
> bin at the local Kroger. Stuff going off the "best by" date on the next
> day is marked down 20 to 50 percent dependent upon the cut.

This is good but pickings are slim. I bought some beef shanks the
other day, roasted them, and made beef stock in the slow cooker. And a
rump roast to cook rare and slice/marinate into Italian beef.

> I had been buying bison meat from Kroger, packaged by Maverick Ranch in
> Colorado. A few months back it was cheaper than store brand chuck, at
> about $5.99 a lb.

If store brand chuck isn't less than $4 a pound there is something
wrong with America. No idea where to get bison by me though. Even lamb
is scarce nowadays. Lamb stew meat sells for the price of top sirloin
beef.

> Two weeks ago I found it for $7.99 and last week it
> was $9.99. I think that probably reflects the transportation cost what
> with diesel and gasoline going up a lot.

Every meat was considerably cheaper in February/March than today -- I
just cleaned out the stack of reading material on my side of the bed.

>
> I occasionally find seven-bone chuck steaks, four to five lb ones, on
> sale in bulk. I buy them cheap and then repackage in vacuum bags for
> later use. When some of our large family comes to visit we have a big
> pot roast with lots of veggies, home made bread, and some sort of
> dessert from fruit we've canned ourselves. Feed eight or ten people a
> good meal for a reasonable price.

I grind chuck roast into hamburger meat because I have no faith in
what they put in it.


> Of course we're both retired now so we have the leisure to shop wisely.
> A friend hops from store to store buying stuff listed in the weekly
> grocery flyers. He spends more on gasoline than I would do but seems
> happy with it. I shop the one store and know where everything is and go
> straight to whichever aisle my computerized list tells me to go.

There are four supermarkets in a half-mile strip by me, including
Trader Joe's and Whole P. (which carries the bread I like). I get the
sale flyers and circle the things I want. I cherry pick what I want.
Bing bing bing. My wife shops one of the farmers markets on Sunday.

One of our weekend destinations is close to an Asian store with dirt
cheap, medium to good quality produce. There we'll get a stir-fry
vegetable, bean sprouts (good for the liver) and a Vietnamese baguette
for sub sandwiches. The bread keeps well in the freezer if we're not
going to eat it right away. I used to get cheap chicken legs at a
different Asian supermarket, but my wife thought they smelled too
gamey. So I avoid the meat section.

> I don't
> shop Walmart, they change the blasted aisles every other week to
> encourage impulse shopping.

I checked out the closest Walmart supercenter but there was nothing
special there.

On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:35:02 -0700 (PDT), "critters & me in azusa, ca"
> wrote:

> I saw several of the "new cans of coffee" at 10.5 oz, I believe. The
> 12 oz can has gone the way of the 16 oz can.

Time to raise the price of a pound or lower the can to 8 oz.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 23 Jun 2011 01:22:35 GMT, sandi > wrote:

> (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.)

Lucky you! I can't remember the last time I saw a double coupon...
maybe it was back in the days when we got green stamps with gas.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:52:43 -0500, "Polly Esther"
> wrote:

> We've been really surprised since we retired at how much our cost of living
> dropped since we don't do so much eating out.

Oh, man.... I wish that was the case for me. I have to concentrate on
lowering my cost of living now because my income is less.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

sf > wrote:

>On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:52:43 -0500, "Polly Esther"

>> We've been really surprised since we retired at how much our cost of living
>> dropped since we don't do so much eating out.
>
>Oh, man.... I wish that was the case for me. I have to concentrate on
>lowering my cost of living now because my income is less.

I'm not retired, but I alternate between working at home and working
at a jobsite. When working on site I really have to proactively
concentrate to not eat a lot of meals out. But I've been getting
much better about it (yeah, bad consumer, feeding the recession
by under-spending).

Steve

"cshenk" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.

Carol, I doubt I know a thing about economising that you don't already know.
The only thing I can think of that applies to both of us is using less of
the condiments and seasonings that are not usual to where we are, but that's
often how to use something cheap, isn't it?

I am cooking with much less flesh and using yogurt to make up proteins by
having just yogurt for my lightest meal. I would use grains and beans if
there were not only me, but I hate eating the same dishes over and over so
much that I know they'd go to waste if I made them, and it isn't practical
to cook 1/2 cup servings of either.

Summer allows the possibility of big salads with small amounts of cooked
fish, poultry, cheese, etc. and seems like just the thing to eat many times.

"Polly Esther" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> "sandi" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "cshenk" > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene
>>> has changed a bit in both produce and items we may be finding.
>>> I'd be interested in what items the rest of you are using now
>>> that you enjoy.
>>>
(snippage)

>>> Thoughts?
>>> Carol
>>
>> 75% of the time I buy items that are on sale and that I have a
>> coupon for. (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.) Day old
>> bread, marked down meat that is at the expiration date or a bit
>> later. And by the store brands for staples like flour, sugar, salt
>> etc.
(more snippage)

> We've been really surprised since we retired at how much our cost of
> living dropped since we don't do so much eating out. Grabbing a sausage
> biscuit and OJ on the way to work and for lunch, even a soup/salad sort of
> quick meal really added up to a lot of money.
>
It always amazed me (when I worked) how much money people spent grabbing a
fast food lunch. They'd pay close to $10 a day for some crappy food (think
a burger, fries and a cola drink) five days a week. Then they'd bitch about
not having any spending money. Meanwhile I'd be enjoying nice tender chuck
roast, mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans. Or spaghetti. Or
sauteed chicken with rice. Real food I saved a bundle cooking at home
and taking leftovers for lunch.

> Just a few at a time, I've checked out store brands. Some have been real
> duds but some are happy winners.

Store brands - it depends on what you're buying. Things like canned goods
are all the same. They come from the same processing plant and just slap a
different lable on them. I buy store-brand frozen veggies all the time when
buying I'm buying veggies that aren't in season. I can't tell any
difference between (for example) store brand broccoli florets and Green
Giant... except for the price. I use coupons whenever possible. I check
the weekly sales fliers (which often come out on Thursday and prices run
through the weekend). Sales fliers are available online for lots of grocery
stores. Also look for "grocery" items at odd places. I got a dozen eggs
yesterday at Walgreen's (which is a drug store for those who don't have them
in the area) with a coupon for 99 cents. The last time I bought eggs
(anywhere) they were almost $2 a dozen.

Jill

On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:22:52 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> wrote:

> We buy practically zero canned foods other than tomatoes for sauce.
> Black beans if we're going to make burritos or something. Evaporated
> milk for quiche.

You use evaporated milk for quiche? Do you use a regular recipe and
substitute evaporated milk or do you have a special one? I only use
evaporated milk for pumpkin pie. I've never had the nerve to use it
for anything else because I'm afraid it might give whatever I'm making
a funny taste.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Thu, 23 Jun 2011 05:35:18 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> sf > wrote:
>
> >On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:52:43 -0500, "Polly Esther"
>
> >> We've been really surprised since we retired at how much our cost of living
> >> dropped since we don't do so much eating out.
> >
> >Oh, man.... I wish that was the case for me. I have to concentrate on
> >lowering my cost of living now because my income is less.
>
> I'm not retired, but I alternate between working at home and working
> at a jobsite. When working on site I really have to proactively
> concentrate to not eat a lot of meals out. But I've been getting
> much better about it (yeah, bad consumer, feeding the recession
> by under-spending).
>
Steve, I will personally verify that you are not feeding the
recession! LOL


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On 23 Jun 2011 01:22:35 GMT, sandi > wrote:
>
>> (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.)
>
> Lucky you! I can't remember the last time I saw a double coupon...
> maybe it was back in the days when we got green stamps with gas.
>
> --
>
It's been at least 15 years since I saw double coupons at the grocery store.
I haven't seen "green stamps" since the 1980's. I used to paste stamps in
booklets and go to a special store to buy things with them. I seem to
recall buying a toaster oven and a hedge trimmer with stamps. But the
stamps came out with the grocery receipt. I don't ever remember getting
stamps when buying gasoline. Different coasts, I suppose

Jill

On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:05:34 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> wrote:

> Shrimp is dirt cheap though.

Where do you shop?

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

sf > wrote in
:

> On 23 Jun 2011 01:22:35 GMT, sandi >
> wrote:
>
>> (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.)
>
> Lucky you! I can't remember the last time I saw a double
> coupon... maybe it was back in the days when we got green
> stamps with gas.

I have 3 major stores very near, Safeway, King Soopers (same as
Kroger/Frys/City Market) and Albertson. Safeway and King Soopers
have had double coupons years here! Albertsons does it about once
every few months for a week. Yes, I am lucky. I look at my
receipt and between the on sale items plus my double coupons... I
pay very little. Thank the gods because it is horribly hard to
stretch a five dollar bill very far these days.

"critters & me in azusa, ca" > wrote in

..com:

>
>>
>> The best part is we have a small vegetable garden, about 17 X
>> 25 feet, plus several dwarf fruit trees. Unfortunately we've
>> been in a deep drought for about two years and our city now
>> rations water. Fortunately we've gotten over an inch of water
>> in the last three days, that helps.
>
> Here in the San Gabriel Valley, in SoCal, a new player came
> into town about four years ago. This is the Fresh & Easy
> chain, owned by Tesco the big British retail company. I
> usually get to the local store (about 1/4 mile away) either at
> around 11:00 AM or a bit later after the staff has pulled all
> of the stuff that will be out of code within the next two
> days. Excellent buys on the majority of stuff that I eat/
> Lots of produce packed in "3 fers" @ .98 cents per package,
> apples, onions, pears, etc. I like to get the small salads
> that usually retail for $3.99/ea for about $2.75 that are
> about one day out; the bread that I prefer is the ciabatta
> loaves, regularly priced at $3.99, go for $2.89/ea, etc. The
> markdowns include the meat & chicken items also. Dairy is
> fair-traded in California to 15% of retail price, but that's a
> good deal.
>
> Since Azusa is a university town, (Azusa Pacific University
> and Citrus Community College) both across the street from the
> geezer park where I live, there are lots of students shopping
> along with the geezers, and everyone is looking for the best
> deals. Two doors down is the $.99 cent store that I sometimes
> shop at for the dried noodle soup packages.
>
> Harriet & critters in Azusa

You are living the high life. :-)
I could never afford any bread for $2.89, or salads for $2.75.
I bought a head of lettuce at Sunflower Market for 59 cents last
week. That will last me all week with the 99 cents a pound
tomatoes and the 6 for a dollar cucumbers I bought then. Ramen
noodle about 16 cents a package here.

"cshenk" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol
>

I cruise the meat department of our local Sobey's. They often have 50
percent off stickers on some of their meats. I check the sell by date and
rarely buy chicken that way, but sometimes, if it looks good will do that.
Lately, actually the last couple of years, rib steaks, new york steaks and
t-bones often go on sale for 499 or 599 a lb. I divide the t bones into the
ny strip and filet. The bones get roasted for beef stock.....Sharon in
Canada

we shop the sale ads, even here where we have little storage, look at all
ads and buy best offers, also better packaging for meat we do buy has become
more important, costcos chicken is vaak paked already portioned so little
/no additions for storing... in the case of the cosctco legs five per pkg,
at 99 cents per lb...

i eat almost exclusively ff miricle whip when not on sale its over four
dllars a 432 oz container, when on sale, as cheap as 1.69 for same
container.

dh shops produce everywhere he goes in, and also used by meat bin, and now
that wally and kroger have clearance bread there as well.

breads are fine, meats take some more care to get a good buy without ick.

as a part of saving on food it is most important to us to do as much
shopping at home before w e even leave the house, almost evry grocery has on
line ads, if you shop those, pick what you like/is a good buy and print,
then you compare the ads, sometimes the same item will be on three different
ads at three different prices, mark off what you don't want. then plan a
route that uses the least gas.

Lee
"cshenk" > wrote in message
...
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol
>
> --
>

one way we save is to really look at those buy this and get that sales, last
week at meijer it was buy five items from this list and get another dollar
off at the register, limit two deals, so we went carefully through the list,
selected ten items, all of which were already on offer, got the extra dollar
off at the registtter, and because we had bought two of some on that list,
dh got three store dollars to use on next rip. Lee
"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
On Jun 22, 6:37 pm, "cshenk" > wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol
>
> --




I got coffee today - 2 lb. 4 oz. bag was 3 bucks off regular price,
plus I had a coupon. No more silly 12 ouncers for me.

the only resession i am concerned with is the one at my house... save where
you can so you can spend where you want...

you know luxuries like utilities, medications, and the occasional box of
crackers? Lee
"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> sf > wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:52:43 -0500, "Polly Esther"
>
>>> We've been really surprised since we retired at how much our cost of
>>> living
>>> dropped since we don't do so much eating out.
>>
>>Oh, man.... I wish that was the case for me. I have to concentrate on
>>lowering my cost of living now because my income is less.
>
> I'm not retired, but I alternate between working at home and working
> at a jobsite. When working on site I really have to proactively
> concentrate to not eat a lot of meals out. But I've been getting
> much better about it (yeah, bad consumer, feeding the recession
> by under-spending).
>
> Steve

if you get a chest freezer, make sure you get one with the movable bins,
from what you have posted, and my lifetime expierence with chest freezers,
not having the double row bin system is not good... if you get that and keep
a running list of what you have in there and when you bought it, you will
love the savings, you could have alreay gotten that pork for your dh and it
would be in there just waiting, Lee


"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "cshenk" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
>> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
>> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>>
>> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
>> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
>> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
>> than beef.
>>
>> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
>> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
>> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> Carol
>
> We're back to using coupons and trying to combine them with sales. There
> aren't a lot of coupons we can use given our food allergies and the fact
> that we don't buy much prepared food. But we use what we can.
>
> We have cut back on the variety of what we eat, especially with produce.
> I buy greens, onions of all kinds, sometimes potatoes, baby carrots,
> sliced apples, tomatoes, and once in a while something else. I get the
> apples and carrots at Costco.
>
> We are eating less meat. I actually have a good coupon for money off of
> any pork product but aside from bacon, I don't eat pork and daughter
> doesn't much care for it any more. She used to like pork chops but no
> longer. If it's still good when my husband is home I will buy something
> for him. He eats it.
>
> We do eat beef but rarely and mostly ground beef.
>
> Daughter likes chicken but mostly I don't. When I fix it for her I
> usually just eat peanut butter or beans.
>
> I have discovered Winco Foods. I can save a ton there! I wouldn't say
> that they have the highest cuts of meat, particularly beef. They do have
> some chicken that looks good.
>
> Mainly we buy stuff like rice, canned goods, produce, cheese, lunch meats
> and some gluten free items. Also has the cheapest price on beverages.
>
> It is in another city so we mostly go there once every two weeks. I try
> to buy enough to last the two weeks. On alternate weeks, we get what we
> need at Costco.
>
> I do shop at some other stores around here which means sometimes going
> every other day to some store. QFC sent me coupons for money off and free
> items. I got free eggs, yogurt, chips and whatever the other item was now
> escapes me. Whatever it was, I got it. Albertsons puts out doubler
> coupons every few weeks. You get three in Sunday's paper and they have to
> be used by Tues.
>
> I now take the paper to get the coupons. I get whatever coupons I might
> use from my dad who does not use them. I have also bought some from Ebay.
>
> I have asked for a chest freezer for my birthday next week. Currently we
> have a side by side and the freezer portion doesn't hold much or large
> items. I will be able to use more coupons once I get that.
>

if you have the space, making up rice and beans, and portioning and freezing
works great, Lee
"Giusi" > wrote in message
...
>
> "cshenk" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
>> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
>> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> Carol, I doubt I know a thing about economising that you don't already
> know. The only thing I can think of that applies to both of us is using
> less of the condiments and seasonings that are not usual to where we are,
> but that's often how to use something cheap, isn't it?
>
> I am cooking with much less flesh and using yogurt to make up proteins by
> having just yogurt for my lightest meal. I would use grains and beans if
> there were not only me, but I hate eating the same dishes over and over so
> much that I know they'd go to waste if I made them, and it isn't practical
> to cook 1/2 cup servings of either.
>
> Summer allows the possibility of big salads with small amounts of cooked
> fish, poultry, cheese, etc. and seems like just the thing to eat many
> times.
>

cshenk wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has changed
> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>
> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
> than beef.
>
> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>
> Thoughts?
> Carol
>


I only buy meat when it's on sale and I try to keep a good bit of meat
in the freezer, plus I eat a lot of vegetarian meals.

I buy most of my groceries at Aldi. They are a lot cheaper than
Walmart. Meat is usually from the little independent supermarket a
mile from my house -- but again, only the sale items. (They used to
have a "used meat bin" like where George shops, but they got rid of it :-(

Usually if I need a beef fix, I just goto Wendy's and order a deluxe
cheeseburger off the Value Menu.

A 3 pound bag of fresh broccoli florets only costs about $5 from Sam's
Club (I think they used to be $4) and lasts me about a week. By then
I'm sick of broccoli for a while.

In the winter I bake my own sourdough bread using bread flour from
Sam's (couple of dollars for 25 pounds) I need to try baking a loaf
in the electric roaster out in the garage; then I could bake in the
summer without heating the house...

Typical lunch at work is a cup of coffee and a banana, or a 29¢ frozen
burrito with lots of bottled hot sauce, or a pouch of tuna.

-Bob

On Jun 23, 1:31*am, sf > wrote:
> On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:22:52 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
>
> > wrote:
> > We buy practically zero canned foods other than tomatoes for sauce.
> > Black beans if we're going to make burritos or something. Evaporated
> > milk for quiche.
>
> You use evaporated milk for quiche? *Do you use a regular recipe and
> substitute evaporated milk or do you have a special one? *I only use
> evaporated milk for pumpkin pie. *I've never had the nerve to use it
> for anything else because I'm afraid it might give whatever I'm making
> a funny taste.
>
> --
>
> Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

Not sweetened condensed milk, fat-free evaporated milk - I use it all
the time in my quiche recipe, which was published in Family Circle (I
think) and calls for evaporated milk. I've changed it a bit over the
years. There's no real taste to it when it's in quiche. You'd have
to be told it had evap. milk.

Here's my recipe:

Cheesy Bacon Quiche (makes 2)

2 9-inch unbaked pastry shells (serve one now;
freeze one)
1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled into bits
1/2 C. chopped onion, divided
1/2 C. chopped green pepper, divided
3 C. shredded cheese, to taste (I use a combination of
Monterey Jack, Colby and Cheddar)
4 - 5 eggs, depending on size. I use Jumbo, and still use 5, for the
deep dish pie shells
2 T. flour
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
3 C. light cream or evaporated milk (I use fat-free)

Heat oven to 425 deg. F., and bake pastry shells for 6 minutes.
Remove and reduce temperature to 350 deg. F. Beat eggs thoroughly and
add in the flour, parsley, salt, powder and pepper. Slowly beat in
the milk. Divide bacon, onion and green pepper into the two partially-
baked pie shells. Put shredded cheese on top of other ingredients.
Carefully pour the liquid mixture into the pie shells over the other
ingredients. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until knife inserted in center
comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving; if freezing
one, allow it to cool completely.

N.

walmart habitually as 16 oz bags of broccoli for a dollar or less, if you
want the steamer bag then 12 oz, and in this area, aldi is like everywhere
else, some good prices, higher on others... they are also on line for
comparing, Lee
"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> cshenk wrote:
>> Hi all, Been a bit since we have had a thread on this and the scene has
>> changed
>> a bit in both produce and items we may be finding. I'd be interested
>> in what items the rest of you are using now that you enjoy.
>>
>> One item almost out of our purchases is beef. Thats not a good sign
>> for our economy in the USA but the cost is now radically higher than
>> pork, often $2 a lb or more. Fresh seafood is generally cheaper now
>> than beef.
>>
>> Major brands are reducing sizes in small increments while store brands
>> and 'off brands' are not. Salt and sugar addition to major brands
>> seems to be increasing while store brands overall seem stable.
>>
>> Thoughts?
>> Carol
>>
>
>
> I only buy meat when it's on sale and I try to keep a good bit of meat in
> the freezer, plus I eat a lot of vegetarian meals.
>
> I buy most of my groceries at Aldi. They are a lot cheaper than Walmart.
> Meat is usually from the little independent supermarket a mile from my
> house -- but again, only the sale items. (They used to have a "used meat
> bin" like where George shops, but they got rid of it :-(
>
> Usually if I need a beef fix, I just goto Wendy's and order a deluxe
> cheeseburger off the Value Menu.
>
> A 3 pound bag of fresh broccoli florets only costs about $5 from Sam's
> Club (I think they used to be $4) and lasts me about a week. By then I'm
> sick of broccoli for a while.
>
> In the winter I bake my own sourdough bread using bread flour from Sam's
> (couple of dollars for 25 pounds) I need to try baking a loaf in the
> electric roaster out in the garage; then I could bake in the summer
> without heating the house...
>
> Typical lunch at work is a cup of coffee and a banana, or a 29¢ frozen
> burrito with lots of bottled hot sauce, or a pouch of tuna.
>
> -Bob

Storrmmee wrote:
> walmart habitually as 16 oz bags of broccoli for a dollar or less, if you
> want the steamer bag then 12 oz, and in this area, aldi is like everywhere
> else, some good prices, higher on others... they are also on line for
> comparing, Lee


AFAIK, those are frozen bags, and they are mostly stems (and I like
broccoli stems as long as the tough ones are peeled.) The bags at
Sam's are fresh florets, and I generally eat at least half of them raw
-- I slice them up pretty thinly and mix with a little lettuce and
onion for a hearty salad.

I agree that frozen fruits and vegetables are often a better deal than
fresh; even canned tomatoes and peaches are often better than fresh.

-Bob

you can get flurettes for that price at walmart, but i didn't realise you
meant fresh... sorry, if you eat it raw, its a very good price, my
predjuice, i rarely eat raw broccoli, Lee


"zxcvbob" > wrote in message
...
> Storrmmee wrote:
>> walmart habitually as 16 oz bags of broccoli for a dollar or less, if you
>> want the steamer bag then 12 oz, and in this area, aldi is like
>> everywhere else, some good prices, higher on others... they are also on
>> line for comparing, Lee
>
>
> AFAIK, those are frozen bags, and they are mostly stems (and I like
> broccoli stems as long as the tough ones are peeled.) The bags at Sam's
> are fresh florets, and I generally eat at least half of them raw -- I
> slice them up pretty thinly and mix with a little lettuce and onion for a
> hearty salad.
>
> I agree that frozen fruits and vegetables are often a better deal than
> fresh; even canned tomatoes and peaches are often better than fresh.
>
> -Bob

On Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:05:05 -0700 (PDT), Nancy2
> wrote:

> On Jun 23, 1:31*am, sf > wrote:
> > On Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:22:52 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888
> >
> > > wrote:
> > > We buy practically zero canned foods other than tomatoes for sauce.
> > > Black beans if we're going to make burritos or something. Evaporated
> > > milk for quiche.
> >
> > You use evaporated milk for quiche? *Do you use a regular recipe and
> > substitute evaporated milk or do you have a special one? *I only use
> > evaporated milk for pumpkin pie. *I've never had the nerve to use it
> > for anything else because I'm afraid it might give whatever I'm making
> > a funny taste.
> >
>
> Not sweetened condensed milk, fat-free evaporated milk - I use it all
> the time in my quiche recipe, which was published in Family Circle (I
> think) and calls for evaporated milk. I've changed it a bit over the
> years.

I hadn't mixed up one with the other, but I always think evaporated
milk must taste like the can and my rationalization of pumpkin pie
made with it is that the spices cover up the tinny taste. I must have
tasted it when I was a kid and got that impression, because although I
use it - I never taste it before the item is cooked... probably
because if I did and didn't like it, I wouldn't touch whatever it is I
made.

> There's no real taste to it when it's in quiche. You'd have
> to be told it had evap. milk.

Thanks for that observation. I always have a can of it on hand, but
am not very creative with how to use it. Maybe I'll branch out. Do
you find it's a good substitute for cream?
>
> Here's my recipe:

Thanks!
>
> Cheesy Bacon Quiche (makes 2)
>
> 2 9-inch unbaked pastry shells (serve one now;
> freeze one)
> 1 lb. bacon, fried and crumbled into bits
> 1/2 C. chopped onion, divided
> 1/2 C. chopped green pepper, divided
> 3 C. shredded cheese, to taste (I use a combination of
> Monterey Jack, Colby and Cheddar)
> 4 - 5 eggs, depending on size. I use Jumbo, and still use 5, for the
> deep dish pie shells
> 2 T. flour
> 2 tsp. parsley flakes
> 1 tsp. seasoned salt
> 1/2 tsp. pepper
> 2 tsp. garlic powder
> 3 C. light cream or evaporated milk (I use fat-free)
>
> Heat oven to 425 deg. F., and bake pastry shells for 6 minutes.
> Remove and reduce temperature to 350 deg. F. Beat eggs thoroughly and
> add in the flour, parsley, salt, powder and pepper. Slowly beat in
> the milk. Divide bacon, onion and green pepper into the two partially-
> baked pie shells. Put shredded cheese on top of other ingredients.
> Carefully pour the liquid mixture into the pie shells over the other
> ingredients. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until knife inserted in center
> comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving; if freezing
> one, allow it to cool completely.
>
> N.


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 23 Jun 2011 11:18:22 GMT, sandi > wrote:

> sf > wrote in
> :
>
> > On 23 Jun 2011 01:22:35 GMT, sandi >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> (Lots of double coupon stores in my area.)
> >
> > Lucky you! I can't remember the last time I saw a double
> > coupon... maybe it was back in the days when we got green
> > stamps with gas.
>
> I have 3 major stores very near, Safeway, King Soopers (same as
> Kroger/Frys/City Market) and Albertson. Safeway and King Soopers
> have had double coupons years here! Albertsons does it about once
> every few months for a week. Yes, I am lucky. I look at my
> receipt and between the on sale items plus my double coupons... I
> pay very little. Thank the gods because it is horribly hard to
> stretch a five dollar bill very far these days.

It's interesting that you can find any coupons of use. Mine are for
major brands that despite money off (which is ridiculously little,
considering how much it costs) I would still be saving money if I
bought the store brand version instead. The rest are for products
that aren't even on the store shelf yet.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

In article >,
zxcvbob > wrote:

> In the winter I bake my own sourdough bread using bread flour from
> Sam's (couple of dollars for 25 pounds) I need to try baking a loaf
> in the electric roaster out in the garage; then I could bake in the
> summer without heating the house...

I have bread dough rising now and welcome the warmth the oven will
provide in about 75 minutes. It's 61 degrees outside. :-)
--
Barb,
Creamed Cornbread, June 13, 2011; http://web.me.com/barbschaller