Shopping & Eating on a Budget, Part 2

 In the first part of this series we talked about generally saving money, how combining errands, knowing prices, and shopping smart will save you money. Today part two continues that but focusing on saving on groceries.

Tip #1 is to shop store brands. Most of the time they're the exact same thing, made in the same factory as national brands but much cheaper. You can save a lot of money by buying store brands or other "no name" brands. I'll caveat this by saying that I do find there's a few things that I'll buy the name brand just because I find they taste better. Be discerning on how many national brand items (that cost more) you allow into your shopping cart. I much prefer Cherrios to the store brand and Domino's brown sugar; I know people who swear by Kraft mac & cheese but frankly I like the store brand better. You'll have to figure out which national brands you're going to splurge on; it's really personal preference. Keep in mind that that you can save 50c or more by buying the store brand and that can add up to quite a bit of money.

Tip #2 is about club stores such as BJs, Costco, Sam's Club. I'll caveat this up front by saying that you have to pay a membership fee to join although sometimes, at least with Costco you can get a free day pass. You'll have to figure out if it's worth the cost of membership, will you save more in groceries to offset the cost to join? These are places where you'll really need to know your prices to know if you're going to be saving money. 

A few things to consider when shopping at these kinds of stores

• do you have room to store the multi-pack of toilet paper along with the multi-pack of paper towels? 
• will you be able to finish off the big jug of ketchup or all those chicken nuggets before they go bad? 
• do you actually like broccoli enough that you won't get tired of it before the oversize bag goes bad and do you have space in your refrigerator for it? 

Sometimes that oversize product is worth purchasing, even if it ends up being more expensive than buying it at the grocery store. If it's something you go through a lot of (for us it's cat food) it's worth one trip to buy the bigger package vs several trips to the grocery store to buy several packages to get the same amount because the gas savings will offset the slightly more expensive club purchase. 

A note about prices. When I say "you have to know the price" what I mean is that you have to know the price per pound or per gallon or per ounce. That's the only way you'll be able to compare prices. If you know a gallon of the milk you buy at the grocery store is $2.69 you'll know whether or not you'll be saving money at BJs. If you know ground beef is $4.49/lb that'll help when you hit Costco. One thing you need to be careful about is if you know pasta, for example is usually on sale at the grocery store for less than a dollar a box, make sure you know how big the box is so you can compare when you shop elsewhere. I'll admit it's not easy to keep track of prices but at least having a general idea will help when you hit multiple grocery stores and are looking for the best deal.

Banana Pudding

Gotta say, not one of my favorites but I'll put the recipe here for next time I need to make it since it *is* a favorite of someone in my house. This is easy to make and a delicious dessert. I got the basic recipe from Delish then modified it a bit and it turned out perfect. It's good to have a trifle bowl or a glass bowl of some sort so you can see the layers. The amounts of some of the ingredients depends on the size of your bowl.

Banana Pudding

5 oz package of vanilla pudding

1 c milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

8 oz Cool Whip

1 or 2 bananas, sliced

Vanilla wafers

Whisk together the milk, pudding mix, and condensed milk. Chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes or until set. Mix in about half of the Cool Whip.

 

Cover the bottom of your trifle bowl with vanilla wafers. Top with 1/3 of the pudding, cover with a layer of cookies and a layer of banana slices. Add another layer of pudding, cookies, and bananas and finish with a last layer of pudding. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Top with the rest of the Cool Whip and sprinkle with some crumbled cookies.

You can make it fancy looking by putting the cookies on edge along the outside of the bowl and flat in the middle.

Shopping & Eating on a Budget

With the prices of everything going up again these days - gas, food, paper products - I thought I'd share in a few posts some of the ways to save money at the grocery store and perhaps a few other money saving tips. 

Tip #1 is less about groceries but more about saving gas money while you get your groceries. When you plan your week or day think about what you need to do outside the house and combine trips as much as you can. Don't run out to Target then go back home and go out later to the library and grocery store. Think ahead and try to get to all those places in one outing and plan your trip in a way that makes sense; for me that would mean going to Target first since it's farthest away, stop by the library then the grocery store. If you have multiple errands to run in several different directions see if you can combine them but on different days; one day head one direction to take care of those then later in the week head the other direction. Also try to stop on the way home from work if a store is on the way instead of going home then going back out. 

Tip #2 is about knowing prices. I know some people keep notebooks with pricing of their most often bought items at a few different stores but that's not me. We are fortunate to live in an area with many grocery options - a variety of grocery stores plus Target, WalMart, Sam's, BJs, Costco, in some ways way too many options. Knowing which grocery options are generally less expensive is a good place to start. Next knowing the general pricing of things you buy most often is helpful when you're shopping someplace you don't usually go or say if you're going to Target for something and want to do some grocery shopping, too. I know I can get store brand pasta at my local grocery store for under $1, it tends to be more than that at Aldi & Lidl and national brands are even more at BJs. I know the price of milk and chicken and know the best places to get it, which leads to...

Tip #3, which is time vs money. Sometimes you have to balance saving money with how much extra time (and maybe gas) it will cost you. Is it worth an extra trip someplace to save a bit? Think about the time it will cost you and how much gas it will take and sometimes the savings isn't worth the extra trip.

Taco Chili

Have you ever heard of taco chili? No? Me either. It was a random thought then requested for dinner and since chili was already on the menu for this week I said sure, I'll do a search and we'll give it a try. Yum! I found a recipe, gave it a few tweaks, and here we are. A tasty twist on chili that will definitely be on the menu again.

Taco Chili

serves 6

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

15 oz pinto beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz tomato sauce

10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies

2-2 1/2 Tbsp taco seasoning (or a taco seasoning packet)

3/4 c chicken broth*

toppings: sliced green onions, tortilla strips or chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro

In a large soup pot/Dutch oven brown ground beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up the ground beef as it cooks. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with toppings.

*a note about the chicken broth - add enough to make the chili the consistency you like, 3/4 cup did it for me; more would make it too much like soup and not thick chili.

 

**This can also be made in a crockpot. Brown the beef, onion, and garlic on the stove. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook 4-6 hours on low. 

modified from iowa girl eats

Pizza Sauce

Pizza has pretty much become Friday night dinner, mostly homemade although sometimes I get frozen pizza. Making up the dough is pretty quick and easy, bake, top with sauce, cheese, and any other desired goodies, bake again and done. I have used and really liked both the Classico sauce or Don Pepino sauce. But like many things it's just as easy to make your own, you know what's in it plus some days you just want a white sauce. So here's the two recipes that I use to make my own pizza sauce. 

Tomato Pizza Sauce

makes enough for 2-3 pizzas

 

1 medium onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

26 oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 tsp basil

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. When softened add the crushed tomatoes and seasonings. Let simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste. If it's too thick add a bit of water.

White Pizza Sauce

makes enough for 2 pizzas

 

3 Tbsp butter

2-3 Tbsp flour

1 1/4 c half and half

3/4 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 c parmesan

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)

salt & pepper to taste

In a sauce pan melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and whisk until combined. Slowly whisk in half and half. Next add the basil, garlic, and oregano. Once combined stir in the parmesan and let sit until melted. Salt & pepper to taste. Turn heat to simmer until ready to make your pizzas. 

I use this sauce on spinach pizza - top the crust with sauce, then spinach and sliced mushrooms if desired, top with shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan then bake.

Chicken Avocado Soup

Well this one was a surprise! Bob was the one that found it, said it sounded good and I should make it. I looked at the list of ingredients and was surprised and really wasn't sure he'd like it but it was a BIG hit. It's a quick and easy recipe.

Chicken Avocado Soup

serves 6

 

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts or 3 c shredded rotisserie chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 bunch chopped green onions (roughly 1 1/4 c)

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 14.5 oz cans low sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp ground cumin

salt & pepper

1/3 c chopped cilantro

juice of a lime

3 medium avocados, diced

for serving - tortilla chips, shredded monterey jack cheese, sour cream

 

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. 

 

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper to taste and chicken breasts. If using rotisserie chicken add at the end. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through (10-15 minutes). 

 

Reduce heat, remove chicken from broth and shred; return to soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice (and rotisserie chicken if using).

 

Add avocados to soup just before serving or to individual bowls. Serve with chips, cheese, and sour cream if desired.  

from Cooking Classy

Crispy Sesame Beef

One night we were watching something on Food Network, no idea what now, but they were making crispy beef and it sounded really good. A bit of searching and I came upon this; I'm not sure where it came from now but this is an easy, really good recipe. 

Crispy  Sesame Beef

serves 4

 

1 c peanut or vegetable oil

1 lb sirloin steak, sliced thin

4 Tbsp cornstarch, divided

 

for the sauce: 

1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 c brown sugar

2 Tbsp orange juice

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

1 Tbsp Sriracha, optional

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 green onion, thinly sliced

 

Heat peanut oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

 

In a large bowl, comvine steak and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, tossing to coat and letting the steak absorb the cornstarch. Add remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch before cooking.

 

Working in batches cook steak in oil until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

 

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat combine soy sauce, borwn sugar, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha, and sesame oil until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in steak and gently toss to combine.

 

Serve over rice, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion.