| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Nov 24 2017 : 04:57:56 AM
Waste not - Want not
This morning I'm flash freezing leftover tomato paste from an eggplant dish I made yesterday.
I also used anchovies with capers in the same dish so they're next to the tomato paste on a tray lined with parchment paper for easy clean up.
In my kitchen I am frugal with my time and energy too. I use a lot of parchment and wax paper so I only buy them on sale. Haven't paid full price for either in decades.
How do you keep your frugal kitchen? Share how/what you do with us.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Feb 28 2018 : 07:55:10 AM
Jaime, I am impressed with you spread sheet but my talents lay elsewhere. I do good to keep up with my home-canning inventory. That reminds me tomorrow is the first of the month and it's time for the inventory again.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 28 2018 : 07:25:46 AM
Sabrina - I am ALWAYS happy to talk about spreadsheets! They make me happy! lol
Here is a screen shot of part of my Price Book:
I set up the following columns, but you could put them in whatever order makes the most sense to you:
Item Name - I try to name things consistently each time so that I can sort the spreadsheet by this column and get things grouped together nicely. So all cheese entries start with "Cheese" then a comma and then more description
Size - Amount and unit of measurement, like "12 oz"
Units - Amount without unit of measurement, so in example I just gave I would enter "12" - this let's me do math via a formula
Unit Price - Either Reg Price or Sales Price divided by Unit - if you want to chat about Excel formulas to do this just let me know!
Reg Price - Self Explanatory
Sales Price - Sales Price :) Love those sales!
Date of Sale/Purchase - Date
Store Name - This is nice one so you can sort, compare, contrast between stores
Notes - Misc. info you want to remember
Coupons Used - If you used a coupon you could track it here if you wanted to
I add new rows when I either buy a new item or over time as I buy the same item on sale, the price goes up, etc.
I haven't been as good about updating this spreadsheet recently and need to get back to it! If you want me to email you a copy of the whole spreadsheet just let me know too!
I wish I knew more about animal feed but it sounds like you have some great ideas!
Sara - I play the same game in the checkout lines!!! LOL Then I look at my own items and wonder if the cashier can guess what I'm making! |
| saram |
Posted - Feb 27 2018 : 08:37:03 AM
Animal feed is for sure a big ticket item! If you aren't careful you can way out-spend for your meat over buying at the store, so if savings is the goal its worth it to research.
When I have a hog I like to cook for it. I scope out the bulk section of my local Winco (great store, sorry to all of you who don't have one! My daughter on the East coast laments the absence of Winco out there!) and I choose the cheapest, most nutritional grain or legume and buy a bunch of it. Usually its green split peas at about 50-60 cents per pound. Each day I cook up a big pot of these, throw in all the garden scraps that would have gone on the compost pile, and any other things like old leftovers or rotting fridge items, and serve it up to the pig. They love it! |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Feb 27 2018 : 06:05:08 AM
Sabrina, animal feed is expensive and you have come up with several ways to offset that expense.
When I had my 3 chickens I gave them cornbread. Years ago when I had pygmy goats I gave them a pan of cornbread in the mornings during the winter. Sometimes I made it without eggs.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| YellowRose |
Posted - Feb 27 2018 : 05:55:30 AM
Sara and Jaime I enjoyed reading both of y'all's posts. Standing in line at check out on grocery shopping day I look at what women have in their carts. Seems to me the more soft drinks, chips, cookies, and Hamburger Helper kind of dishes the less fresh vegetables and cook from scratch items in the carts. I'm not against snacks - I have to have my Lays potato chips from time to time but it is a shame more and more people cook less from scratch.
I have little strength in my hands - some days done at all so I roast pumpkins or winter squash whole. After washing and drying I prick several holes in the skin; wrap in foil; put on cookie sheet in 425 oven. After done I cut open and remove seeds and continue with recipe. For me it's easier to scoop out the seeds in a cooked pumpkin than raw.
If I was going to dry a small pumpkin (which I haven't yet) I think I would wrap it in Press n/ Seal and microwave until soft enough that I could easily peel and slice the pumpkin.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| Sobyn |
Posted - Feb 27 2018 : 05:50:02 AM
I'm hoping to get started on my price book, master inventory list, and master meal plan list this week. This has been such a busy beginning of the year!!!
Jamelle, I would love to set up a spreadsheet like you are talking about, I'm not that great with excel but I can do basic things. I have tried doing one before but it got super tedious....but I can see how valuable it would be (and how much more organized than a notebook possibly). I may have to try it, any tips for getting it set up?
One area that I really need to figure out how to cut the cost is animal feed. We spend a small fortune on chicken and dog feed and now we have a rabbit. I think there was another thread on that so I won't go into it too much but I'm looking into fermenting some feed and making fodder to hopefully stretch that budget some. For the dogs, when we get a hog or portion of a cow butchered I am going to ask for all of the extras the most people don't want to eat (bones, heart, liver, tongue, etc) for the dogs. I throw it in the freezer and give it to them a little at a time. My neighbor also gives them deer bones, he has a friend who hunts and shares the meat and extras with him and he then shares the extras with our dogs (and occasionally the meat with us as well). I'm hoping to get my husband hunting eventually but he doesn't have the right gun and is afraid the expense of getting started will offset the savings-which it might at least in the first year.
Sabrina Farmgirl Sister #3275
February 2016 Farmgirl of the Month
http://kidscrunchandchrist.com
*Journal Through The Bible*The Life Giving Home Study*Homemaker's Bookclub*
|
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 27 2018 : 05:16:41 AM
Great points, Sara!!! So many people are just wired for quick and easy these days! I'm not above quick and easy from time to time - it has it's place - but I feel that the learning curve of doing things like making applesauce or roasting a pumpkin is really the biggest hurdle. The idea of it can be intimidating but once you do it, it revels itself to be not such a big deal at all. Further it becomes possible to use your experiences over time to shave time off any of these processes - whether it's a kitchen tool used or the timing of the process - doing one piece one day and the rest another, etc.
People ask me all the time, how do you have time to do all that you do? I work full time but still cook and bake and craft and garden and can, etc. I struggle with how to answer them because I don't want to sound preachy :) But I just find the time. I like to stay busy. I enjoy sitting down at the end of the evening to watch TV for a while, but that is the very end of my day. Prior to that I'm on the move!
I love learning new frugal things, trying new things - it's also nice how frugal almost always equals environmentally friendly - makes me feel nice! |
| saram |
Posted - Feb 26 2018 : 10:51:12 AM
I'm standing over a sink of over-ripe apples today. I've had it on my list to bring them out of my "root cellar" for a long time. As I feared, they were mostly lost, but I picked out the best and now I'm carving out the good parts and thinking about frugal kitchens....
If I had a hog right now I would have turned them into pork meat. Instead I am tossing most into a pot for applesauce to go with our dinner, and the firmest ones went into a pair of apple-praline quick breads, a recipe I tried last week and loved. The alpacas will enjoy the peels and rotten parts.
It brought up a memory of a recent conversation I had with a young mother. I had offered her some of my pumpkins to take home. She was baffled by what to do with a pumpkin, so I explained that you just bake them and scoop out the flesh to make yummy things for your family. She replied, "That sounds like a lot of work." I was taken aback, and I politely broke it down and explained that it really wasn't, but I stopped there. It's funny how what is work for one person is pure joy and satisfaction for another. My mother taught me the joy of gardening, baking, canning and caring for a family by example, not by words. I think you can really only pass it on by joyfully living it, rather than trying to preach it.
Just a thought. I guess most people would have thrown out all these mushy apples and saved themselves the work. |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Feb 15 2018 : 11:21:06 AM
I made Tex-Mex rice today. I put a can of stewed tomatoes through a sieve to use in the rice. The leavings I have in my dehydrator to use in soups/stews/chili. Haven't decided if I will leave it as is or grind into powder in the blender.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| YellowRose |
Posted - Feb 13 2018 : 05:06:57 AM
Michelle, I don't make Annie's food but I do supplement dry food with chicken livers, hearts, and gizzards. She also likes cooked kale and other greens, any kind of soup, raw carrots, cooked veg, and leftover meat. And can't forget spaghetti with or without meat.
In one of my Tasha Tudor's books she talks about what she feeds her dogs - goat meat and veg soup. She raised goats for milk and meat.
Annie is a animal shelter rescue so I'm not positive what breed she is - closest the vet and I have come up with is German Shepard - Rhodesian Ridgeback Hound mix. Last time she was weighed - 60lbs - so she is thriving.
I have a lg bag of dry dog food she will have to eat up before I think about making all her food but I am interested in collecting recipes and ideas now.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| windypines |
Posted - Feb 13 2018 : 03:25:29 AM
lots of great ideas here. a thought- on the chest freezer thread, maryjane said she makes her dog food. That might be a good subject to get started.
Farming in WI
Michele |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Feb 12 2018 : 11:10:01 AM
Jaime and Sara great tips.
I've order dog food and treats on-line and will keep track on whether I save money. I know I will be saving my time and energy.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Feb 12 2018 : 10:52:36 AM
quote:
Originally posted by JojoNH
Also, the best. . . and I mean the best advice I can give you is this. Have a list of what you purchase, the actual size in ounces, pounds, grams, and the price you typically pay for it. This is extremely helpful once you begin looking. Something can look like a great deal until you do the math on it. (buying a four pack at regular price vs a 6 pack on sale. The thought is the 6 pack is the deal, however, looking at the size and then factoring the price you will soon discover the 4 pack was the better deal)
Joanna #566
JojoNH
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/joannavaughan
http://www.GiftsandHomeDecorUS.com
http://www.RusticMountainPrimitives.com
http://www.eastwooddesignsinnh.com
I totally agree with this approach! I learned about it years ago and it was called finding or being aware of the "unit price". When you look closely at the tags on the store shelves at the grocery store, you can find it on there even - or you can do the math yourself to find cost per item, per ounce, etc.
I've kept a Excel spreadsheet for years that has some basic formulas plugged in so I can easily compare unit cost between stores.
Sales cycles are trickier but after keeping the spreadsheet for years I can see patterns.
I input data into my spreadsheet off of my grocery receipts mainly, but also just use the sales flyers sometimes even if I didn't buy that particular item. That way I keep track of what I can expect to pay for say butter, or cream cheese, around certain holidays.
I'm sure the same principals apply when shopping online as well!
Sara - Great idea on the scrubbie! I always feel bad getting rid of those bags! |
| saram |
Posted - Feb 12 2018 : 09:55:52 AM
I just tried a frugal tip I got from a friend. I cut up a mesh onion bag and tied it into balls to form scrubbies for dishwashing, much like the one I like to buy at the grocery store. It works pretty well! |
| YellowRose |
Posted - Jan 17 2018 : 06:39:30 AM
Good discussion on couponing which I do little of these days. I buy on sale and use discounts my store loads to my card every month for being a good shopper. Example: This week store brand 4lb sugar on sale for 2 bags for $4 and I have their discount for 75 cents off one.
Occasionally I get a $1 coupon in a pkg of dog food or 50-75 cents coupon glued to the top of a lid or box top.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Jan 17 2018 : 06:25:33 AM
Tiana - Yes, coupons are hit and miss these days for sure! I use them for non-food more than I do food. Toothpaste, deodorants, shampoo, conditioner, body wash. I get these at a fraction of the cost by waiting for a good sale + coupon deal and then stocking up.
I still use coupons for things like black olives, green chiles, Newman's Own salad dressing, and just those random times there is actually a coupon available for something we can use.
One nice thing about Meijer is that they will have store coupons - either ones that print out at register or via their Mperks program online that offer X amount of $ off if you buy a certain amount in a category like produce or baking supplies. Those are nice!
Our Sams is not closing thank goodness but one in a nearby town is. Just remembered that I also have taken to buying Helmann's Mayo at Sams - two big jars for a good price! |
| HodgeLodge |
Posted - Jan 12 2018 : 1:01:31 PM
Jaime, I have found that there are not a lot of coupons out there for people who don't buy processed foods. I love Aldi prices on vegetables and things too. Not so fond of their milk. Taste kinda weird to me. I did hear on the news that Sam's Club is closing 63 stores. We do buy their coffee and such.
Tiana ~ Farmgirl #4817
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."~ Marcus Tullius Cicero |
| AuntJamelle |
Posted - Jan 12 2018 : 10:35:19 AM
Good thoughts on shopping at different places and even online for the best deals!
I am a big Aldi shopper and get a lot of our groceries there. I buy bread from a local brand name's bakery outlet at a fraction of the cost. I just freeze the extra loaves. It's very easy to pull out just the slices we need and thaw for a few seconds on defrost in the microwave - or even pop them into the toaster still frozen.
Meat is something I either buy on sale or even better when it gets marked down. I just freeze what we can't use right away. The main way I buy meat though is from a butcher shop in a neighboring town. There is a significant cost savings for buying 10lbs of something at a time so we make a big trip 2-3 times a year and load the freezers.
We also have a Sam's Club membership - dog food, shredded cheese, vinegar, chocolate chips, cooking oils, nuts, coffee, etc. all some of the things I regularly buy there because I can get a better deal. For example they have a huge tub of Feta crumbled for $8 where I would pay at least $4 for a tiny little tub a the normal grocery store. I also can't beat them for laundry detergent, fabric softener and bleach. One jug of their Ecos laundry detergent lasts us 6 months! Which I know because I write the date I open it on the jug with a shapie :)
I've not bought food online much at all. I did one Amazon Pantry purchase with coupons and some sort of deal where there was free shipping - but the prices just seem really high + you normally have an extra shipping charge.
For canning supplies I use Big Lots, Rural King, Menards and Walmart for the best prices. Garage sales are a great place to find jars too!
I don't use a LOT of coupons anymore but I do use Meijer store rewards program and always check their Mperks to see if there are coupons for what I am buying anyway. Usually can find at least one. I also check a blog that posts their deals every week called Meijer Madness and frequently find good deals that way - where store sales are combined with coupons you can print or Mperks coupons that are available.
Almost every grocery store has a blog out there somewhere that you can find where someone is doing the work for you - finding the deals and you can just skim through the list and pick the ones you want to do. You never know what you can find! |
| saram |
Posted - Jan 11 2018 : 08:29:24 AM
Sabrina, I like to order seeds from Territorial Seed Company. They are in Oregon, small private business (ie not owned by the huge monopoly controlling a large majority of our seed supply) and they offer organic as well as not organic seeds. Their prices are a bit higher than picking up a pack of Burpee seeds from the hardware store, but well worth supporting them, in my opinion. TerritorialSeed.com |
| Sobyn |
Posted - Jan 04 2018 : 10:02:08 AM
I definitely shop local when I can, still feeling out the local options around here though since we have only been here just over a year. It seems the box stores have mostly taken over though. Thanks for the notebook tip Joanna, I'll definitely keep those notes as well!
Sabrina Farmgirl Sister #3275
February 2016 Farmgirl of the Month
http://kidscrunchandchrist.com
*Journal Through The Bible*The Life Giving Home Study*Homemaker's Bookclub*
|
| HodgeLodge |
Posted - Jan 04 2018 : 08:58:56 AM
Shopping online is good for some things, but we still try to shop local so that the business's in our area will stay open. Sometimes not so frugal though. I love rareseeds.com. I believe the owner may be a farmgirl. I do like to support them. So... I try to be frugal, but also try to support our community too.
Farmgirl #4817-The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~Hanna Rion
|
| YellowRose |
Posted - Jan 04 2018 : 07:15:00 AM
Sabrina here are the on-line plant and seed companies I mainly order from and like their products and customer service.
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/herbsordermethod.htm - live plants
https://www.botanicalinterests.com/ - heirloom seeds
https://www.rareseeds.com/ - Baker’s Heirloom Seeds
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| JojoNH |
Posted - Jan 04 2018 : 06:55:41 AM
Sabrina, a quick tip that will help you save lots of time and keep an accurate notebook. Write the date you open up something like condiments. When the jar is empty make a note in your notebook the two dates. After doing this for awhile, you will see certain things you use more by season. This will help you better plan your purchasing.
For example, mustard. We tend to use more in the winter season then the summer. So, when mustard is on sale to kick off barbecue season, we stock up for the year then. A great savings, a stocked pantry and a once a year purchase.
The same works for things like paper towels and toilet paper. write the date you opened the package then when you take out the last roll, make the note in your notebook. It's easier once these things have been figured out, since our routines and uses tend to stay the same year to year. (unless you have new members added to your family or older children move out onto their own)
Hope this helps!
Joanna #566
JojoNH
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/joannavaughan
http://www.GiftsandHomeDecorUS.com
http://www.RusticMountainPrimitives.com
http://www.eastwooddesignsinnh.com
|
| YellowRose |
Posted - Jan 04 2018 : 06:55:05 AM
Sabrina, I try to only order from Ball when they have sales. They have sizes I can't find locally. Did one comparison pricing with Amazon and Amazon was much higher. I also like the convenience of having my order delivered to my door. I don't have to handle a case of jars in and out of my car and into the house. At 75 years and dealing with MS fatigue I find I am as frugal with my energy and strength as I am with my pocketbook. Here's Ball's website http://www.freshpreserving.com/jars/
I have one dog to feed and she eats Rachel Ray's Delish. I supplement the dry food with cooked chicken livers, gizzards, and hearts. All are inexpensive sources of meat. She also loves veg soup. She gets the meat off of bones I use to make broth. One batch of chicken broth will feed Annie for a week.
It's her rawhide treats that are so expensive because I only buy American rawhide for her to chew on. I don't eat food from China so I don't give it to her. At two years of age she is still chewing. I count Annie's expenses in with groceries because I buy it at the grocery store. And it goes to getting 500 points I can redeem for 5% off bill or 10 cents a gal off at their gas pump.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth.
|
| Sobyn |
Posted - Jan 04 2018 : 06:23:10 AM
Ordering canning supplies directly from ball....is that cheaper???? I'll def keep that in mind!
I would like to know where people order seeds for their gardens, I'm starting to look but not sure what companies are committed to heirloom seeds....
I would love to find a cheaper source of dog food and chicken feed. We feed both high quality food (poor cats get cheap cat food) and the cost is pretty high! Those aren't really kitchen things but somewhat related I guess.
Sabrina Farmgirl Sister #3275
February 2016 Farmgirl of the Month
http://kidscrunchandchrist.com
*Journal Through The Bible*The Life Giving Home Study*Homemaker's Bookclub*
|
