September 2015 Frugal Chatter Thread

[Frugalbigmama]

Well I'm a little late prepping dinner for tomorrow night but I'm doing it now. Changed the menu too. I have pork chops thawing in sink ( from roasts I bought but cut into chops). Will put in crockpot in the morning. Making basmati rice now on stove. Will put in fridge and will just heat up when ready for dinner tomorrow. Now to figure out veggie. Thinking I will put carrots in crock pot. Finally downloaded Pinterest ( well my youngest did it for me lol). I see how people can spend hours on there. Lots of fantastic ideas for meal prep. Love it!

[Frugalbigmama]

Meat- I just stock up when on sale. We hadn't had steak in awhile but this summer nice cuts were on for $5.99lb so we bought it. Have about 3 nights worth of steak in freezer so will ration it. The way we look at it it is way cheaper then eating out so we buy it. Using PC points to redeem really helps with groceries.

[coupon girl]

-well "ashlyn" is coming to our house -daughter-in-law is so sick and on meds -she asked us last night -we will have her from 9.10 til 1.00 p.m then hubby will take her home to her mommy's for a nap that way my daughter-in-law only will have her from 3.30 til 6.15 when my son walks in
-I am sending low acid apple juice to her house ,lemon ginger tea ,motts un sweetened applesauce -see it pays to have a bit of a stockpile at times -lol
-trying to hang laundry out now before she gets here -cause she is a ball of energy

[lovelikewinter3]

We do still buy ground beef, the club packs only when they're on sale, but that's because the wife hates the taste and texture of all other types of ground meat. We also eat a lot of chicken and pork, from buying it on sale or in bulk at Costco (the BLSL thighs at Costco are always a reasonable price, and provide 5 meals for 22$). Other than that, we buy frozen meats periodically to supplement (and also to be a quick and easy meal when we're both pooched at the end of the day) and those go on decent sales frequently enough to get us by. We are both really missing steak though, and moose steak just isn't the same as a nice rare beef steak... One day!

[Frugalbigmama]

Happy Hump day! Another meeting after work today! Ahhh. But dinner is cooking in the crockpot so that helps. Teen works again tonight so have to pick him up this evening after 9pm. Won't get much done tonight (honestly I will be happy to put away the clean laundry)

[Natalka]

Happy Autumn!



Extra Foods has 10 lbs veg on 2/$6, so today we'll get one each of beets and onions, two of potatoes.

Nice crisp fall day today - I'll be putting chicken soup on to cook right away.
Watching the Pope in Washington on livestream.

[lizzie bargain]

Nancy-like everyone else I have been finding meat expensive. I look for sales and try to buy it marked down when possible. Pork loins have been $2 a lb here and I cut up for pork chops, use for roasts and pulled pork. I don't buy the ground pork/beef mixture. Still buy occasional steak and hamburger if on sale or marked down. I look for whole chickens on sale or BLSL breasts too which are usually stretched in a stirfry, homemade chicken fingers etc. I tend to cook meat most nights but we could easily cut back and we don't eat huge portions. We also eat fish if I can find a reasonable price. We could certainly eat more things like veg lasagna and veg chili, hummus etc which would be cheaper and healthier. Occsionally we will have something like quiche or homemade mac and cheese for dinner. Another favourite at our house is homemade pizza with just a bit of ham, cheese and veggies.

[Frugalbigmama]

I haven't and don't plan on buying the pork/beef mixture either. I can buy ground pork for $1.99LB so not trusting paying $3.99 for the mixture.

[sweet sparrow]

I still haven't even opened the book. Hoping after this week, just been way too busy. I don't really care, if my parents have a store, so they just use the air freshener there. Why waste things if people can actually use it? In some ways I get the whole don't stockpile things, but at the same time - if something is a good price and I use it lots, I am going to buy extra. That is just how I work! Guess I just need to get reading!

She did say that if you can find someone else who can use it, that would be much better than just throwing items away. I think she's against clutter of any kind, so if you have a stockpile room, it would be better served as space your family can use. (Remember those families on Extreme Couponing who used the double car garage as a stockpile room while their cars rusted in the driveway outside?)

I have problems with some of the parts in the book. I can't really see getting rid of all my toilet paper, and my "stockpile room" is a roughed in bathroom in the basement. Unless we put a bathroom in the basement (why, when there is a bathroom at the top of the stairs), it's not really useable. No real estate lost there, and I do buy for my parents (seniors) and my brother and sister (deals not always available or accessible). It usually means I stock a little more than I would normally, but it helps them out and I like doing it.

Decluttering is a gradual thing. The first declutter is like the first stage, but you might do a declutter every year (and the task gets easier and easier). Stay excited, this will be fun! I haven't read the full book yet either.... I'll stop spoiling it for you.

I need sone help!
Dh wore his best white dress shirt under his red uniform over the weekend. The sweat marks under the arms is pink because the colour ran. This shirt is the special non-wrinkle type. Needless to say, I didn't know what he had packed to wear. Any suggestions on how best to get the pink out without damaging the dress shirt?

@Angela273 : Soak the shirt in water (can be warm but not hot) for at least an hour (or longer). Get some non-deodorant, non-moisturizing soap, like plain Ivory or laundry soap and scrub gently. Rinse, and see if it comes out. If not, try a stain remover and work it into the stain before putting it in the next wash. Don't put it in the dryer before checking that it's out. Only line/air dry before trying something else.

I wish I knew. I have a red top that bleeds colour

@Crochetlady : Hand wash only.

Inquiring minds want to know!!!

With the rising cost of groceries in particular meat, how have your purchases changed?
do you do without a certain kind of meat (beef, pork, chicken etc)
have you switched your cooking to use cheaper cuts or replace ground beef with ground pork, purchasing 1/2 pork 1/2 beef blends?
what meat do you think is the cheapest (just curious)

Our purchases haven't really changed but we've never bought veal or filet mignon. We've always purchased relatively inexpensive cuts of meat. I would eat less red meat, but it is the best way of getting iron in LO and I also have an iron deficiency. If not for my beef intake, I would be on iron pills which makes me very nauseous.

For us, the cheapest meat is ground pork which we can usually find at the Asian grocery stores for $1.79/lb or less. Unfortunately, LO doesn't like it. Our alternative is basa fish fillets which LO devours! It's $1.99/400 g or cooked, deveined shrimp for $1.99/package. I just feel horrible guilt for the fishermen in the parts of the world where it comes from, where people have been known to have been kidnapped from their families into slavery to fish. I've only just read about it in the summer when it was in the Toronto Star.

Warning: tissues may be needed if you see the video link. Parents will probably need more tissues.
http://globalnews.ca/news/2090083/22...le-to-go-home/

[SassyAshley]

When it comes to meat we buy whatever is on sale, as mentioned certain cuts just never seem to go on sale, these cuts we buy from Costco. Is the Costco price as good as the old sale prices, no but still better then buying from grocery stores plus I find the cuts far superior.

We have cut back on the amount of meat we use to make dishes. All our ground beef is now packaged 1/2 lb instead of 1 lb, if making a dish with chicken in it we use 1 breast instead of 2. We mix in a lot more veggies to still make the meal filling, I love to supplement with portabellos which we buy from Costco you get 5 for $4 something. I find even just adding one to a dish stretches it, as well Mom does not notice the lack of meat which can always be a fight.

Honestly as far we have been able to make it work so no complaints although I will say any and all grocery surplus funds now go into meat shopping.

[sweet sparrow]

Sorry for the depressing link in my last post. I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but the state of the world gets to me sometimes.

To lighten the day a bit, I can offer someone a free kids movie pass from Energizer. The code is valid until September 30, 2015, so as long as you enter it before then, you should be able to print your free pass. If there's anyone who would like it, please send me a PM before midnight today and I'll get DH or LO to draw a name at random.

@SassyAshley: I think buying meat from Costco is still a good deal if it means you don't have to pay the full regular price somewhere else. And, as you say, the cuts are nicer.

[Frugalbigmama]

Went for a drive at lunch then went to GT. Darn- Forgot to grab what I went in there for!! (peanuts for Christmas!) But did finally find myself a wireless bra that I like!

[Frugalbigmama]

Extra Lean Ground Beef is on for $3.98 LB at RCSS starting Friday. At least it is the "extra lean" for that price. I will be buying some for sure and making meatballs, taco meat, meat for nachos and pasta sauce.

[jasperandchar]

@coupon girl hope your dil feels better soon, they are lucky to have you

[jasperandchar]

Does anyone have and regularly use a pressure cooker for cooking meat?

What else do you use it for, I have seen where people put there canning jars in there, any tips, etc ARE welcome!!!

thoughts, pros, cons, likes and dislikes - thinking it might be something I might be interested in purchasing with my birthday $