2024. Frugal Things in September

 September was the month of frugal grocery shopping at Amish salvage/ scratch and dent stores. Here are some of the deals we found:

Cake mixes.    80 cents.         I use them to make biscotti 

Sugar.    $1.50 for 4#.         I bought all 16 pounds they had

Vegetable oil.    $5.50 for a gallon.         The best price I have found for awhile 

Coffee.  $2.99.  For Starbucks and Peet’s.          We bought 27 pounds to last the year 

Green beans.    25 cents a can.       A great deal!

Pears, peaches, mandarins,   pineapple        90 cents a can.  Up from last year but still good 

Whole cranberry sauce.    10 cents a can.       I will make cranberry-horseradish sauce for meat with it 

Bamboo shoots and baby corn for 55 cents a can         For stir fry 

Wax beans, carrots, beets for    60 cents a can

Cooking spray for $1.19 a can

Poppy seed dressing for 50 cents          Great with regular cabbage and carrot salad 

Coleman’s mustard powder, a pound     For 10 cents        I want to try making specialty mustard 

Pasta for  69 cents a pound, a great deal and we use a lot

Mashed potato flakes  for $1.50 for 26 ozs.     I use them to make refrigerator dough for rolls.

Minced clams for 99 cents a can      To make chowder and clam sauce for pasta 

Apricots for 69 cents a can       Lovely to cook with pork or chicken 

Tropical fruit and applesauce  99 cents for 23 ozs

Spaghetti sauce for 89 cents, including two Rao jars !!!   Great for a quick meal 

Salsa   59 cents a jar         We eat a lot of Mexican 

Teriyaki sauce and soy sauce for 50 cents a bottle       We also eat a lot of Asian food

Blanched, slivered and sliced almonds   50 cents a two ounce bag.        Yum! 

Quick breads, pumpkin and cranberry for 59 cents a box         Great for the holidays 

Taco shells    10 cents a box      Great for tacos and taco salad 

Sun dried tomatoes   20 cents a jar   Couldn’t resist 

Cocktail Sauce for 50 cents a bottle       Great with Lenten shrimp specials 

Greek black olives   99 cents a jar!     Unfortunately they only had one jar 

Chopped dates for 79 cents for 8 ozs        All set for holiday baking 

Lime juice   For $1       Great to use all year

Garbanzo beans in a #10 can for $2.99       A useful ingredient in Italian and Indian cuisine 

 Oatmeal for 99 cents        Good for granola and no bake cookies

Green chilies at 20 cents a can for Mexican food 

Spinach for 40 cents for Italian soups 

Corn Chex for 1.80 and cheerios for $1.60   To make Chex mix

Maple pecan and cranberry almond cereal for 25 cents a box       A great snack

Corn tortillas (30)  for 35 cents       Enchiladas. Tostada, chips

Pinto beans and split peas, dry  for 80 cents a pound     Soup for the winter 

Minute tapioca for 80 cents for a great and nutritious dessert 

Soba noodles for $1

Cumin seeds, 7 oz  for $1        Great for Mexican 

Fried onions for 50 cents        A great topping for casseroles 

Brownie mix for 90  cents      I like box brownies better than from scratch which are too cakey

2024. Buying and Eating: October 1-15

 Allocation:  $403

Cushion:    $640.77

What We Ate:  hummus, falafel, flat bread, roasted tomatoes and yogurt;    Chicken pot pie, sour cream biscuits, apple sauce;     Tuna noodle casserole, peas, yogurt;     Chicken stroganoff, rice, sautéed cabbage and carrots, clementines;     Welsh rarebit on toast, tomatoes, applesauce ;      Chicken stroganoff with rice,  sautéed pineapple, veggie;     Stacked vegetarian enchiladas, tomato, yogurt;     Potato tartiflette, pineapple, mixed vegetables, biscuits;     Pad Thai noodles with pork, fried green tomatoes, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, Chinese onion pancake, rice with cinnamon and sugar (2);     Crustless quiche, potatoes, tomato bread salad ;   Sandwiches, panzenalla salad ;     Vegetarian tiki masala with rice, tomato salad, homemade flatbread (2);   Cheeseburger casserole, chickpea salad, cheese bread, mixed vegetables 

What We Bought:

Aldi:    Garlic (2), oregano (2), cream cheese    6.11

Giant Eagle:  tombstone sticks  (5)     $2.95

Aldi:  onions (2#), bagels (2), apples (4#), Roma tomatoes (.58#), cucumber, romaine hearts, multi peppers (3)     $16.74

Sam’s:  onions (10#)      8.54

Two week total for groceries:  $34.34

Eating Out

$10.00.      Arby’s lunch

$10.            Lunch with the ladies.         Honey baked ham 

Two week total for eating out:  $20

Two week subtotal:  $54.34

Remaining allocation:  $348.66

YTD    285 days 

Total $2632.57.      $9.24/day.      $4.62/person/day

Grocery.    $1941.68.       $6.81/ day.      $3.40/person/day

Eating Out.   $690.89.      $2.42/day.      $1.21/person/day

2024 Household and Personal Care: September

 Household

12 rolls tp.    $8.29.     Aldi

Door flower hanger   $3     Good Will 

Two custard cups     $0.50      Goodwill 

Silk forsythia      99 cents        Goodwill 

Two custard cups     1.99     Goodwill

Total $13.77 under by $16.33

YTD 

Household    Over by $22.51

Personal Care   Under by $126.57

2024: Buying and Eating : September 16-30

 Remaining allocation:  $165.42

Cushion  $881.70

What We Ate:   Leftover Smorgasbord;   Steak on the grill, baguette , mashed cauliflower, cottage cheese and tomatoes ;     turkey pot pie, spinach salad , baguette;     Grilled smoked sausage, pesto potato salad, garlic and cheese mixed vegetables, cottage cheese and tomato;     Leftover smorgasbord;     Mexican chicken and bean burritos, cottage cheese and baked tomatoes, bananas and milk;     Pepperoni balls with marinara sauce, pan fried gnocchi with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, peas;     Tuna noodle casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, seasoned yoghurt with tomato;     Ham steak on the grill, corn on the cob, butter beans, yogurt;     Indian vegetable curry, curry potatoes, butter beans, yogurt;     Cheeseburger casserole, broccoli, corn on the cob, toasted raisin bread;     Roast beef sandwiches with popcorn and yogurt with tomato;     

Eating Out:   

Sandwiches for lunch while salvage shopping.  $7.50Middlefield cheese co-op

Mike lunch Cleveland     $2.66     Sam’s 

Total Eating Out:  $10.16

What We Bought:

Salvage:     breakfast sausage  (3#), bologna (2#), chicken Italian sausage (2#), ground turkey (6#), pepperoni (2#), breakfast novelties (6), shelf stable milk (2), cake mix (5), specialty crackers, sugar (16#), vegetable oil  (gal), coffee (27#), green beans (9), pears (4), peaches(6), mandarins (4), whole cranberry sauce , pineapple (4), bamboo shoots (3), wax beans (2), carrots (3), cooking spray (3), poppyseed dressing, Coleman’s mustard powder, pasta (7), matzo carvel, mashed potato flakes, peas (4),  minced clams (2), vanilla wafers (2), apricots(2), tropical fruits (3), baby corn (2), spaghetti sauce (3), plum pastry filling, salsa (4), teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, applesauce, blanched almonds (9), pumpkin quick bread (2), matzo ball mix, taco shells (3), sun dried tomatoes (2), cocktail sauce (2), macaroni and cheese (2), stove top (2), Parmesan cheese (2#), Greek black olives, chopped dates (2.5#), tomato basil soup, quinoa and brown rice, self rising flour, lime juice (3), garbanzo beans (#10 can), applesauce (two#10 cans), oatmeal (8#), pop tarts (32), beets (3), green chilies (4), spinach (2), oyster crackers, cranberry quick bread (2), no bake cheesecake, corn Chex, maple pecan crunch cereal, cranberry almond crunch cereal, toasted oats, coconut, corn tortillas (30), rye crisp breads, birds custard mix, pinto beans, split peas, soba noodles, raisins, veggies soup mix, tapioca, cumin seeds (7oz), fried onions (2), flour tortillas (2), honey nut cereal, brownie mix (2), hush puppy mix, falafel mix, banana box of snacks.       $281.75

Middlefield Cheese co-op: deli ham,  Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack and paneer. Total   20 pounds.  $60.55

Refugee owned market:   Large quart bottle of toasted sesame oil     $15.99

Giant Eagle:  fresh mozzarella (5)    $7.45

Sanders:   Bananas (4#), yogurt (8),pepperoni balls, raisin bread, cracked wheat bread     $10.50

Giant Eagle:  digiorno pizza (5)      $19.95

Total Grocery:  $396.10     Our stockpile is now basically restocked for about a year.

YTD     270 days 

Total     $2578.23          $9.55/day          $4.77/person/day       

Grocery     $1907.34          $7.06/day          $3.53/person/day

Eating Out          $670.89          $2.49/ day          $1.25/ person/day

Remaining Cushion     $640.77

2024. From the Tightwad Gazette. Number3

 1.   Do sweat the small stuff.  Why?  They save so little, right?  But remember, there are more small ways to save money in your day to day life than there are big ways.  And, most of these small opportunities will reoccur and reoccur through the day, month, year.  Those individual small savings accumulate into larger savings.

2.   The search for inexpensive breakfasts can save a lot over time.  Here are some we rotate through on a regular basis:  oatmeal, pancakes, muffins, French toast, scones, toast and peanut butter, English muffins, cream of wheat, cinnamon rolls, bagels, raisin bread, cornbread, biscuits, cooked rice with cinnamon and sugar. If you learn to make these rather than buy them, you can feed yourself breakfast for well under a dollar, sometimes for pennies.

3.  If your grocery store has a scale, use it to weigh your produce before you buy it.  If the apples are being sold by the bag, use the scale to help you buy the biggest bag.  If cantaloupe is sold by the piece, buy the biggest you can get for the price set.   Your five pounds of potatoes could be 5.5. Pounds.  You get that half pound for free.  And a baked potato with broccoli and cheese sauce can make a great lunch or quick dinner.  Or, try them topped with chili and cheese.  Inexpensive and easy.

4.  Establish and maintain a well stocked pantry of items you have purchased at rock bottom prices.  And I mean rock bottom.  Shop sales, loss leaders, clearance , bent and dent stores, discount groceries and any other place you can find that will give you a good deal.  Try to never pay full price.  Don’t plan a menu and then shop.  Shopping is done to replenish your stockpile, you should not be buying ingredients for specific meals.  Shop first, menu second.  Determine the menu from what is in your stockpile of good deals.  You will save a fortune.  

5.  Try to eat seasonally.  Tossed salad in the winter is expensive, and basically tasteless.  Build up a repertoire of salads that use cheaper and tastier ingredients.  Carrot salad with raisins, coleslaw, three bean salad, potato salad, Waldorf salad, broccoli salad, etc.  or skip the salad and serve two vegetables.  Nutrition doesn’t have to include a tossed salad.

2024 Household and Personal Care: August

 Household

2025 Planner and Calendar.   $1.50.   Dollar Tree

Toilet Paper for motor home.  $1.25.   Dollar Tree 

Tide laundry detergent (180 loads),   $23.98     Salvage 

Two pillow cases for rv     $2.99   Goodwill 

Monthly Total:  $29.72  under by 28 cents

YTD Total:  over by $38.84

Personal Care 

Hair elastic (20).     $1.25.       Dollar Tree 

Dial soap 6).    $3.58.        Salvage 

Hair cut for Mike   $14.    Great Clips

Monthly Total:  $18.83     Under by $11.17

YTD:  under by $96.57