"Mom! There is nothing to eat, only ingredients."

My son, the Mad Scientist, is known for scavenging in the pantry and saying those exact words. If I had a nickel for every time I heard that phrase, I could buy a lot more groceries!
Our budget is having a rough week. We had some unexpected car repairs that ate into our budget. Both cars have needed work over the past two weeks and wiped out our "emergency fund". Thank goodness we had some money set aside, but we are going to have to tighten our belts for the next few weeks to get by with no wiggle room.
That means it is time for Mom - that's me - to get creative and use what we have in our pantry and freezers.

I will post our menu plan as well as some recipes over the next few days.

Would you like to join me and plan a menu for your family?

Saturday Fun

My husband works on the weekends, so for our family, it is usually just another day.
On tap for today - I need to clean out my pantries, refrigerators and freezers. Yes those are all plurals!
I have a small kitchen, but my husband and FIL installed some extra cabinets for me after we had been here a few months. So, I have 4 cabinets that I use to store non-perishables. I have 2 refrigerators with small freezers and a stand alone freezer.
I usually keep a tight inventory of what we have on hand - so that I can plan menus easily. It also helps when I shop to know that I already have extra mayo in the pantry so we really don't need anymore!
I know that this is a riveting blog post - sorry! I need to start blogging again on a regular basis!
I'll let you all know how I do!

Grocery Shopping Part 2

I am trying to share some of the things I do to save money at the grocery store.
I've already talked about how I inventory my pantry, refrigerators and freezers. I talked a little about how I plan my menus and make my list. I want to revisit that whole list thing!
I have found that most people fall into one of three categories when it comes to their shopping:
1. They make a list of loss leaders and plan their menus around what is on sale that week.
2. They create a pantry stockpile and plan their menus on what they have on hand and just pick up the items they need to fill in the blanks.
3. They don't do any of the above and just go to the store and throw random stuff in the cart and hope they can do something with it!

I shop with a combination of all of these!!! Well maybe not #3!

The first thing I do is review my stockpile. Thanks to my MIL and my ability to squirrel away food, our pantry stays pretty stocked. If I am low on anything or out of something, I start my list. This also works for toiletry items and cleaning products!
Then I make my menus based on what we have and what sounds good! I also take into consideration what is happening during the week. On Girl Scout nights, for instance, I try to do a crock pot meal or casserole I can make ahead so that dinner is the last thing I need to worry about as I am running out the door! Anything that I need to complete a meal on the menu gets added to the list.
Then I review the ads. I do the bulk of my shopping at Wal-mart. Since they do not publish an ad, I have to keep an idea of what the prices are. I had a price book started, but my computer ate it, so I am re-creating it. I know a lot of people have bad feeling about Wal-mart, so if you don't shop there, find a store in your area that offers the lowest prices on the items you buy most often.
I go through the other stores ads online. Most large grocery chains have their ads available online and you can even sign up to receive them before anyone else! Some also have a handy feature where you can create your list as you are going through the ad. I do this for all the stores in my area and print out the lists I create.
Since Wal-mart is the cheapest place I shop (and the furthest away from my house, I start there. I take all my lists with me. When I come across an item I know is on sale elsewhere, I compare the sale price to the Wal-mart price. If it is lower at Wal-mart, I buy it there and cross it off my list. Most of the time, I can get 95% of my list at Wal-mart cheaper than by going to three different stores and buying all the loss leaders.
When I am done at Wal-mart, if there are still a # of items on my list at another store, I head over there and pick them up. Since the other stores are on my way home from Wal-mart, I am not using any additional gas!
The most important thing to remember is to stick to your list! Yes, there are times when you come across a great deal and you will need to deviate, but more on that later!