Unless you have been in a North/South Pole ice cave or on an interplanetary expedition, you must know that we are almost in a recession. The price of fuel and food has gone through the roof in the past year or two. I have no control over the fuel that you use in your vehicle(s) and I have no control what-so-ever over the cost of food, which is indirectly related to the fuel prices, but I can suggest a few things that will help to stretch and lower your weekly/monthly/yearly food bill.
Peruse your local grocery store ads for good buys. Note: just because it’s on the front page of the ad doesn’t mean that it’s a ‘good buy’. Sometimes the better values are on the inside of the flyer. If you don’t get a weekly flyer in the mail or in your newspaper, go online, as most companies will post their ad there in addition to the print copy.
Make a menu for the week along with a grocery list. This will help to keep food costs to what is on the list. Don’t shop on an empty stomach and try to avoid those ‘impulse’ buys!
Don’t drive 10 miles between stores to save 10 cents on an item, as you’ve already blown that savings on the gas that it took you to get there! I try to shop between two stores that are within five miles of my house.
Use the store coupons that are in the ad, sent to you via mail, in the newspaper and available online. Make a note of the stores that “double” the value of the coupon. Note: use coupons for the items that you use on a regular basis, otherwise you will end up with a bunch of stuff that you don’t use! Try to file them under basic ingredients and by expiration date.
Keep a cooler in your car or truck at all times…..you never know when you will run into that ‘great buy’, but don’t know how to get it home without it spoiling.
Sometimes ‘saving’ money on the food bill means ‘spending’ money. Huh/what?? I suggest that you join a warehouse/discount club, similar to Sam’s/Costco/BJ’s etc, where you pay a membership ‘fee’ of any where from $30-50 dollars. I can usually recoup that fee in the first three months by purchasing cat litter, paper towels, toilet paper and plastic trash bags. Buying in bulk will save you hundreds of dollars a year on your food bill, as long as you have the money to buy it, use it and store it. It only makes common sense to me to utilize the savings that I get at these stores.
The next thing I suggest is to buy a vacuum sealing system to keep the foods fresh or frozen for months and in some cases, years. There are many companies that offer these units….Rival, Tilia, Sears, etc and they are available in most department and large discount/warehouse stores. I have also seen these in sporting good stores. There is another new product on the market that is great for leftovers, fresh produce, cheeses and short term storage of meat, fish and poultry. The company is called Fresh Vac Storage Systems and I can’t say enough good things about these canisters. I have kept lettuce and other fresh veggies for up to a month and they were still edible!!! The Fresh Vac canisters are great for quick marinating of meats and vegetable, too, if you are in a hurry. These are now a standard food tool in my kitchen and on the road meat/bbq demonstrations. If you can’t find these locally at Costco, Target, etc, let me know and I’ll point you in the right direction to get some.
A freezer, either upright or chest style, is ideal for storing your extra purchases. These can be found rather inexpensively in your local classified ads or even online at a site similar to ‘Craig’s List’©. The ideal unit is half freezer and half refrigerator.
Although not a necessity, I think every home kitchen needs a meat grinder. Grinding your own Hamburger and Sausage at home not only saves you money, but is very healthy to boot. You can purchase an electric model any where from $49.00 to $300.00 or more, but I suggest the $99.00 grinder available at Northern Tool. It’s a work horse, easy to use and easy to clean.
Not necessarily for saving money, but every kitchen should have a decent and sharp set of knives for cutting and slicing meats or vegetables. A 8-10” Chef knife, a 6” boning knife, a small paring knife and possibly a 10-12” ‘slicer’ knife is all you will need, along with a steel to keep the knives honed.
There are other gadgets, small and large appliances that I could mention (like an extra freezer, refrigerator, meat slicer, and on an on!), but lets leave that for another time and get to the grocery store and start shopping. AND saving money!!!
POULTRY SECTION OF THE MEAT CASE
Almost every grocery store features some type of poultry every week in their ad/flyer and it’s up to you to decide it it’s a good buy for you. Whether it is whole chickens, boneless or bone in chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings leg quarters or a host of other different configurations, you will save money by buying in bulk or “Family Pak” amounts. Chicken Leg Quarters, featured at say .39, .49 or .59 cents a pound are great for large gatherings, barbecue, soup/stews/chicken salads/casseroles, etc. If you split them into thighs and drumsticks, you have just saved yourself about a $1 a pound!
Whole chickens, when they are on sale or even regular price are always a money saver if you cut them yourself at home. For example, I bought a whole chicken the other day for .69 lb at a local store. The original cost for a 3.77 lb bird at that price was $2.60. I cut it up into parts, per the video above, and the total retail value of the various pieces were $6.86!!! That is a heck of a savings for a little knife and clean up work. Wow, $4.26 that I can save or apply to other food purchases. Depending on the size of your family, the cost savings you are looking for and the storage space available, it’s best to purchase more than one chicken at that price.
Turkeys are another great value, especially after a large holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, as most stores want to get rid of the ‘fresh’ turkeys before they spoil and have to throw them out. Cutting up a turkey is similar to a chicken, except that it is bigger. If the turkey is over 12 pounds, I suggest that you utilize another person to help you, as the bones are harder to cut through and of course the turkey is tough to manage. At least there will be some one there to catch it when it jumps out of your grip!!
Next week we will visit the beef and pork sections, as this is where you can save the most money. I will also touch on a few miscellaneous items found though out the store.
Speaking of pork, here is a great recipe for Pork Tenderloins. In the store they can be found for any where from $4.00 a pound up to $6.00, depending on where you shop. However, most warehouse club stores sell them regularly for $2.99 pound!
Kentucky Bourbon Pork Tenderloin
2 lbs pork tenderloin (2 small)
1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar - packed
3 cloves garlic - crushed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh ginger -- minced or 1/4 t dry
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Combine marinade ingredients with a whisk. Marinate overnight. Drain. Cook on grill, medium hot, basting and turning often until done as desired, about 145° internal temperature.
