Comments on: Feeding a Family on $50 per Week: Part 1

By: Acme Markets: 2/20 to 2/26/09

Acme Markets: 2/20 to 2/26/09 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:12:02 +0000

[...] My store is having another Customer Appreciation sale! Check your flyers to see if you have similar prices (we may be having the good sales because one the stores they are closing is just a few miles away). There aren’t a whole lot of amazing deals (unlike last week), but them selling freezers is kind of interesting (and it’s a good deal). If you still aren’t convinced that a freezer can save you a ton of money, check out this post and this post! [...]

By: lori

lori — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:03:34 +0000

thanks for your insite. as far as storing cans and glass jars – forget anyplace with extreme temp changes, it ruins your food. extra space under beds or even the sofa that you can pull out in sweater bins. with a little organization it works. just a thought

By: MaineMom

MaineMom — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:18:51 +0000

thank you so much for this site! Being “Loyal” has cost me a lot and I’m done with that! I went to Save A Lot yesterday and was amazed at the prices! I am now a loyal follower to YOU- not the grocery store chains!!

By: Feeding a Family on $50 Per Week: Part 5

Feeding a Family on $50 Per Week: Part 5 — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:25:59 +0000

[...] to this series? Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part [...]

By: Yoda5’s Encounter with a Pit Bull « Leebenvic’s Weblog

Yoda5’s Encounter with a Pit Bull « Leebenvic’s Weblog — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:29:34 +0000

[...] neighbor from Lemoore, CA days Julie H, who now lives in Maine, shared this link on Facebook, Feeding a family on $50 a week, I was thinking, we’re going to be needing that after finding out that Poptart11 will need braces [...]

By: Cora

Cora — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:03:58 +0000

Try the Angel Food Ministries that are sponsored by many churches. You pay $30 to get misc. food such as pasta, meat, milk and canned goods worth up to $65. These products are not 2nd hand. There are additional meat and fresh produce boxes you can buy. This program has no criteria. You just pay when you order from an order form. Try it!!

By: Monroe on a Budget » MomsNeedToKnow: Feed a family on $50 a week

Monroe on a Budget » MomsNeedToKnow: Feed a family on $50 a week — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:30:23 +0000

[...] Part 1 discusses using a freezer and pantry so you can stock up on good prices. Now, a note from the budget blogger: I have a pantry shelf in my basement, but not a freezer. We’ve suffered through multiple power outages in my neighborhood the past year including one that lasted nearly 48 hours. I will not get a freezer until I get a generator. So I stock up on dry goods. [...]

By: Shirly

Shirly — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:15:49 +0000

yes you can freeze fresh veggies. What I do with bell peppers & onions is dice them up, lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then once frozen, put them in quart sized freezer bags, label & date them then toss in the freezer. I do the same with onions. fresh green beans I do the same way. With fruit like apples, I make a big pot of applesauce and put it in the quart sized freezer bags, label & date them then toss in the freezer. I also just slice them up toss with some lemon juice and bag them up for the freezer so that I can make fresh apple pies and such all year long. hope this helps some.

By: Prudent Homemaker

Prudent Homemaker — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:24:41 +0000

You don’t just want to store food in the garage. It needs to be kept at 45-70 degrees for a long shelf life. That said, you can still build an insulated room in your garage and install a window a/c unit if you live in a mild climate where it doesn’t freeze. My “pantry” is just that, as I live in a warm desert climate.

If you live somewhere with some land, in even a colder climate, a root cellar might be something for you to consider, or a root cellar in the basement.

By: Penny

Penny — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:19:47 +0000

Thanks! I have accumulated quite a stockpile.

http://tupelodeals.blogspot.com

By: Saver Queen

Saver Queen — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 01:14:38 +0000

Thanks Mindi! Wow, $10 is not bad – totally worth it when you consider the big savings from your efficient shopping.

By: Going Green

Going Green — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:28:20 +0000

Awesome post and lots of great comments in the comments. Great series! Thanks

By: Feeding a Family on $50 per Week: Part 3

Feeding a Family on $50 per Week: Part 3 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:55:35 +0000

[...] you new to this series? Don’t forget to read Part 1 and Part [...]

By: Mindi

Mindi — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:38:05 +0000

Hi Saver!

Thanks for the update!
Our freezer is about 5 years old and when we bought it we bought the most energy-efficient one within our budget. It’s been a while, but I think our electric bill went up by about $10 per month.

But then we bought a High Efficiency washing machine the next month and our water bill went down by about the same amount…so it all evened out

By: Saver Queen

Saver Queen — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:16:42 +0000

UPDATE – I just heard from someone who told me that while the old chest freezers are big energy drains, the new ones are so energy efficient that you won’t even notice the difference. In fact, a friend of ours buys his beef by the side!

For all of you looking on craigslist, make sure you still buy one that is new and energy-efficient! Otherwise you will more than pay for the initial savings from buying an older, cheaper model.

By: Saver Queen

Saver Queen — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:13:26 +0000

If you’re thinking of buying a deep freezer, just make sure that the added energy cost is in your budget so you aren’t surprised when you’re hit with a bigger energy bill!

Mindi, how much do you think your freezer costs you a month, in energy, to give everyone an idea of this expected cost?

Thanks!

By: Mindi

Mindi — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:04:41 +0000

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions (especially with the freezer stuff)!

Nikki: I have a FoodSaver (that I just HAD to have when they were new and “hot”), but I haven’t pulled it out for quite some time. I had a problem with the canisters cracking after extended use (and I wasn’t treating them roughly…I think just the process of sucking air out of them wore them down) and I am out of bags.

I want to get one of those Ziploc sealers (or is it Hefty?), but I just haven’t got around to it….

By: Mindi

Mindi — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:23 +0000

Hi Joy!

Of course you are welcome to link back!

For future reference, you usually don’t need to ask any blogger if you want to link to their posts. We LOVE the Linky Love!

Of course, copying & pasting to your site is another story….(not that I think you would….just mentioning it in case anyone else was wondering)

By: Joy@Frugal Menu Mamas

Joy@Frugal Menu Mamas — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:50:08 +0000

May I mention your series and link back to it on my site?

By: Matt Keegan

Matt Keegan — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:54:47 +0000

Since we started to shop at Aldi’s for some of our food last year, we’ve reduced our food bill by 25%. We also rejoined BJs and are going with store brands more than ever before.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:28:43 +0000

For people wondering how to store bell peppers and other foods without freezing or canning. Have you tried to dehydrate them? Many fruits and veggies dehydrate well. I have done this to all kinds of peppers, squashes, beans, and even fruit & meats… though I have a store it away book for beginners to help me through the ones that you have to do more than cut/dice for them to turn out ok. But it was well worth the effort & money saved!

By: Feeding a Family on $50 per Week: part 2

Feeding a Family on $50 per Week: part 2 — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:41:41 +0000

[...] Click here to read the first post in this series. [...]

By: The Best of Rite Aid Deals 1/25-1/31 | Common Sense With Money

The Best of Rite Aid Deals 1/25-1/31 | Common Sense With Money — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:46:53 +0000

[...] daily updates via email. Thank you for visiting!Nice deals at Rite Aid this week. According to Moms need to Know you [...]

By: Pierre-Étienne Vachon

Pierre-Étienne Vachon — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:21:52 +0000

Another good way to start is to get back to the basics in your cooking. How to make bread, stocks, etc. Its a win win situation it costs a fraction of the price and is always better tasting.

If you want to discuss more foodstuff I personnally invite you to join our network http://www.amortlamalbouffe.org.

Cheers

By: Katrine

Katrine — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:18:07 +0000

Watch Craig’s List for freezers. You can find some great deals.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:46:38 +0000

One last thing:

It is WELL worth the investment if you can afford to buy a machine that vacuum seals plastic baggies. It may seem like a waste of money to buy the machine and all the baggies. In the long run, though, it will save you many freezer burned meats and veggies, and we all know that can add up to quite a bit of $$$!

By: Nikki

Nikki — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:44:00 +0000

Suzy-

My grandmother has been freezing breads and cheeses for years! When I was a kid, I used to hate when she’d pull out the frozen bread because I always thought it was going to be soggy and stale, but grandma’s eat that kind of stuff, right? Well, I’ve eaten PLENTY of those frozen breads without knowing it a bit! All you have to do is let it thaw out mostly in the fridge, then put it in a breadbox or a drawer close to the floor until it’s back to room temp. You’d never know the difference!

Same for the cheese. Just let it thaw in the fridge!

By: Tanya Zafino

Tanya Zafino — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 07:22:04 +0000

I have small kitchen and all the stockpiled stuff gets piled on top of the cabinets really nice so i can see it all. once the kids get older i can take thier toy shelfs and turn into pantry shelf maybe. also i have my hall closet nicely organized like a store shelf so i can see all my HBA items.

By: Juanita

Juanita — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:38:35 +0000

I buy green peppers at the local produce stands/farmer’s markets in the summer, then chop them up into about 1/2 cup portions and freeze them in the baby bottle liners/meant for freezing breast milk. I then put these into larger gallon size freezer bags to keep them all together. The green peppers work great, I just add them to foods, I am baking, or soups or sauces. However, I don’t use the frozen green peppers as I would a fresh one such as in a salad. I also slice the tops off on some, remove the seeds and membranes, and freeze them whole. These are perfect to use for stuffed green peppers in the winter months when peppers are so expensive.

By: Darla

Darla — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:03:59 +0000

Susy, we freeze onions – 2-3 bags at a time. Chop them all up, lay them on a cookie sheet til they are part or all the way frozen, then put them in baggies and lay flat.

I can tomatoes.

Green peppers don’t do so well frozen, at least I can’t figure out how to make them work.