With my husband not working I am really trying to budget. Its not that Atkins is any more expensive its about the same actually since I use Aldi now to get produce (which is way better than walmart regardless), eggs, cheese, most meat (i have discovered frozen chicken breasts/thighs are cheaper at walmart though), paper products and whatever else I can. I spend about 50 bucks there then I go to Walmart for the rest. I use coupons when I can and if I see meat on sale elsewhere I will make the trip there. I just still seem to keep spending over a $100 a week and its just me and my husband (and 3 animals who i hate downgrading their food but i'm looking into it). That just seems insane to me.
Any tips or suggestions? I know I should probably go to the board about savings but the first few weeks I was here i was on there and said that I liked to use coupon mom and i didnt put a link or anything and its free so there is no way i could make money from that but all my posts got deleted. :P So i haven't been back to that board since. lol
When I find sales I load the boat! Especially on frozen veggies like broccoli and cauliflower and lower carb veggie mixes. I'm fortunate to have a Costco within 25 miles and I buy a lot of my fresh produce there - lettuce, peppers, onions and berries. We have a freezer full of venison and that cuts costs a lot. Eggs are on the dinner menu at least twice a week. But I think some of the biggest savings come from portion control. Since going low carb, we just don't have the appetite that we used to - a fairly modest first helping and no second helpings. I used to cook (and eat) like a ranch hand but now we're satisfied with much, much less.
Yeah, this is a tough one. Double whammy of the stress -- I give you credit for stickin' with it in tough times!
I was just going to say that buying meat and eggs in bulk at a Costo's or Sam's Club or the like could help keep the cost down. And frozen veggies or, gosh, even canned if they're really cheap, instead of fresh when you can ... If you buy inexpensive cuts of meat you may be able to make them most tender and stretch them by making some stews or soups in the CrockPot.
I highly recommend the book "The Complete Tightwad Gazette," and frugality websites online (I just googled words like "frugal," "cheapskate," "saving money..." Most of the tips won't apply to you, but you'll start thinking of your own ways too.
Geez, I have so many great tips (most of them are already "over there" in the Shoestring Meals forum though).
We do a lot of shopping in places people normally wouldn't think of. Basically being open to good deals is the best tool. Know a stock-up sale when you see one.
Health food stores - usually expensive except for bulk prices on teas, spices, sprouting seeds, and nut butters are often priced better than the grocery stores. Sprouting seeds especially, even broccoli sprouting seeds (crazy expensive at almost $2 an ounce) are still economical if you compare them to the cost of salad sprouts in the store. Sprouting salad mixes (the best buy, often at less than 50 cents an ounce) are even better. Sprouts are so super easy to grow, that they make a wonderful alternative to almost any leafy green. I even use broccoli sprouts in place of broccoli in salads and stir fries.
Sproutpeople.org not only sells sprouts but also give easy directions on sprouting.
Ethnic groceries - Asian groceries, like health food stores can be more expensive for some things, but you can save a lot especially if you're able to buy in bulk. You can buy gourmet soy sauces for the price of Kikomanns. Bags of beansprouts for the same price as in the grocery store, but in bags three times the size that last longer because they're locally grown. You can also find "exotic" ingredients at much better prices, because they're asian staples. For example, in our local chain grocery a pomello is priced at $4 each, whereas in the local asian groceries you could buy a bag of 6 or more for $5 a bag. 16 ounce cans of mushrooms (in many different varieties) for $1 about a dollar can (about half the price of button mushroom pieces in the regular grocery). All sorts of gourmet oils and vinegars and sauces and broth cubes....
Dollar Stores. The Dollar Tree is my favorite chain (everything in the store is $1. Except some canned goods are 2 or 3 for $1. Last month they had Chicken of the Sea Salmon in foil pouches (very good. I wish I'd bought more. I bought 6 packets). We also bought canned chicken and ham in a brand we didn't recognize - but it was really good.
Overstock stores - Stores like Big Lots. We've got some awesome deals.
Kwik Trip (it's a gas station convenience store). A surprising place to buy staples. They sell milk and juice in bags (and they give the pitcher free) for a little more than $1 for a half gallon of milk, and I think about $1.50 for orange juice. Apples, pears oranges, bananas, butter, and onions (and potatoes but I don't really buy those often, because we are lower-carbing) are cheaper than in the grocery stores. The apple varieties are pretty posh for a gas station (Fuji and Ambrosia are my favorites, though they also sell the Red and Gold Delicious and Granny Smith).
About once a month, we buy the local Sunday paper from the Dollar Tree on a Monday (it's half price), and look through the grocery ads, to see if there are any sales good enough to make a special trip for.
If we see a good buy, we stock up. We bought a small chest freezer from Christmas gift money one year, and it really helped us save a lot more. Before that though we crammed our little fridge's freezer plum full.
I brown Dry tvp (soy protein) with ground meat (usually beef, but even pork or choriza, whatever i can get on sale) with onion and other seasonings and then freeze it in a ziploc bag and moosh around while it's freezing so it freezes in crumbles. I've posted recipes (over you know where).
We go to small cheesemakers for cheese. Of course if you don't live in a cheese-making region this doesn't help much. We have a small cheesemaker about 15 minutes from our home and another about half an hour away. We go to the local shop about once a month, and the further shop (with far more varieties) about once every three months. We pay about 30% of the price of grocery store cheese.
A local meatshop. Some stuff is more expensive, but you can buy cuts of meat you can't find in the grocery stores or is more expensive in grocery stores, such as organ meats and soup bones. We buy end bacon here (which is cheaper even than the end bacon at Walmart). This is gourmet bacon that's really expensive, but is less t han $2.50 a pound because it's all irregular pieces.
We buy family packs of meat and break it down at home.
We shop farmers markets in the spring and summer.
I make my own jerky a couple times a year (check Freecycle - google to see if there's a freecycle group in your area - online groups where you can request or offer items to give away. Craig's list is also great for trading, and thrift stores) for dehyrdators - although you can also make jerky without a dehydrator. Between Youtube and google, you can learn how (I have a Nesco dehydrator that I love, and was gifted a long time ago).
Hubby and I also want to learn to make yogurt and cheese, so I've been on the lookout for a yogurt maker, but I learned that a woman at my TOPS group made yogurt and cheese without any special equipment when she was younger. She didn't remember how, but within a few minutes on youtube I found several good videos.
Sam's Club - we no longer have a membership, but you don't need a membership for the pharmacy (we save tons and tons there), but when we do want to buy items there, we go with a family member who does have a card, and we pay for gas, or treat them to dinner. The organic baby spring greens are an excellent buy (about $4 for a pound of greens, I think), and we buy chicken thighs there alot.
We buy pork roasts on sale and cut them into chops ourselves. Or pork steaks. Pork steaks are often much cheaper than chops or ribs, but they can be cooked just like steaks and ribs.
There are so many ways, and it seems (at first) to take a lot of your time, but you find ways to cut that too. For example, we go to a lot of stores during the month, but we know exactly what we're buying at each store (usually, though we keep our eyes open for surprises), so it doesn't take much longer than if we only shopped one place.
Oh Kaplods! I've wanted to do spouts at home forever and always study the spout sections in all the gardening catalogs but just haven't pulled the trigger on a purchase. What method do you use? The hemp/linen bag? The stacked sprouting trays? The strainer lids on mason jars? Please! I need your expert advice!
Thanks for all the tips. I think our main problem is portions. My hubby likes to eat over half of a meal that is meant to feed 6-8. I eat more than I should too but I'm trying to cut down of course.
I was thinking of joining our Sam's club but I'm not sure how much better pricing I can get than using Aldi and Walmart.
As for ads we used to get the weekend paper but I stopped that to save some money. Everyone in our town gets this paper called the Penny Saver in their mail weekly on Wednesdays and ads are sometimes in there but its for sales that started on Sunday or earlier in the week. For instance I just found out last night 85% lean ground beef is on sale for 1.99 a lb and 48 cent butter at our local grocery store but the sale started Monday! So I dont know if any will be left but I am going to try and stop by the store today and see. I try to use Coupon Mom who reads all the ads and cross references sales and coupons and you can browse by store or by items. But I dont do it as often as I should. Also for my work lunches i am doing leftovers or a spinach salad and I haven't done the math but I am pretty sure that's cheaper than a lean cuisine or soup or even sandwich I used to have.
kaplods - thanks for all the tips! We really need an extra freezer. Our freezer is always full! I definitely need to plan better. I'm just so stressed and tired all the time i just want to get shopping done asap. I am not a female who enjoys shopping. But i know those are just excuses. I just hope my husband gets better soon so he can help with something.
I am also planning my own garden this summer. I did tomatoes and herbs last summer and they turned out great! I was so proud. So I think I am going to expand this year.
Hi!
I understand your situation on many levels.
I recommend the Sam's membership. I have one not even 5 minutes from my house and utilize this.
Now as far as hubby and his need for bigger prtions, is he on Atkins too? If not, he should be, as this will help you in your quest to spend less. I monitor not only my carbs, but calories and portions as well. It will do no good to lose lots of weight if you still need large portons to fill full.
I buy the 36 ct of eggs at Sam's. The price has been fluctuating for sometime now but they can go as low as $3.58 for the two 18ct. cartons. I also buy the 72 piece Hormel precooked bacon for $9.78. I also can get three celery bunches for less than $3.00. They have other veggies, but you just really have to price compare against what you pay at ALDI. I manage a dept. at a Tom Thumb grocery and use them as fill in with sale items. I know the produce at ALDI is pretty resonable right now. I buy the gallon size of mayonaise from Sams and make my own ranch dressing for salads and dipping veggies. Hamburger meat is good to precook patties ahead of time and have in the freezer as well as the chicken you're buying frozen. One cheap snack that I have pretty much on hand all the time is deviled eggs.
Have you ever thought about maybe splitting your meat portions into two? You could still cook the same amount if you need to but visually it would trick your mind into believing you're eating more (2 pieces rather than one) than just one serving. Serve salad before all meals to help fill that hubby of yours up .
I wish you and your husband well in this endeavor.
Judy
Last edited by islandchick1; 02-19-2011 at 09:28 AM.
islandchick-Hubby is currently not on Atkins but he was and lost 130 lbs on it. He is off for a bit since he's been sick but he's hoping to jump back on soon. I've started making Atkins dinners and he's been eating them with me. He used to be over 400 lbs so he eats a lot of food even when he's low carbing. We start every dinner with a salad. I buy the romaine heads and we split a head of romaine lettuce each top top with a bit of cheese, bacon bits, whatever seasonal stuff we have and ranch. Then dinner is a meat and veggie. I've been using genaw's recipes and trying to at least save one portion so I have something for my lunch the next day, but we should save more than that. These recipes are supposed to feed 6+servings and I usually eat 2 and he eats 3 and then one is for my lunch. When we have something like chicken breasts we will have 2 each I take the two smallest and he takes the two biggest. Maybe things will go down once we are both on plan pretty good but I remember him eating a lot last year even when he was in full on Atkins mode. I can't wait to grill out that is the absolute best way to cook meat.
The only reservation I have about joining Sam's club is not having room in the fridge or freezer for the large quantities.
Oh Kaplods! I've wanted to do spouts at home forever and always study the spout sections in all the gardening catalogs but just haven't pulled the trigger on a purchase. What method do you use? The hemp/linen bag? The stacked sprouting trays? The strainer lids on mason jars? Please! I need your expert advice!
I've only ever used the strainer/jar method. My first sprouts i made in just a mason jar with a rubber band and a piece of cheesecloth (but the cheesecloth does become a bit of a mess, so you end up throwing it away if not every sprouting, every second or third). I switched to plain muslin which worked better and was washable.
Eventually I ended up buying a jar/screened lid combination from a health food store for about $5 (more than 10 years ago. I've seen similar jars recently for 6 to $10. I think it's a 2quart jar). You can also buy just the lid to fit standard wide mouth mason jars.
Most rinsing instructions call for rinsing twice a day. In Illinois, I always rinsed twice a day (though I lived in an area in which molds grow easily). Here in Wisconsin, I usually rinse just once a day and my sprouts have always come out fine (I've never had a single moldy batch in Wisconsin. In Illinois, I did have a couple. You can smell it right away. If the sprouts smell good and green, they're fine. If they smell sour or moldy you have an issue. As I understand it, sour won't hurt you, but it is a sign of fermentation beginning, and you don't really want that unless you're aiming for that intentionally).
I've even forgotten a whole day and the sprouts came out fine. They really are virtually fool-proof (which is why I love them so).
I've wanted to try the bag and felt sprouting, but I haven't yet. The stackable trays don't look that appealing to me, because it would make more sprouts than we currently eat, and I've not found a good way to preserve sprouts. They can be frozen in soup, and they possibly could be dehydrated, but they're best fresh, so the jar makes plenty for us. I do have an extra jar that I sometimes use (it's just a gallon pickle jar), but since i don't have a second lid, I use a piece of clean cloth and a rubber band. It doesn't have to be cheesecloth, but gauzy open-weaves work best (otherwise it seems to take forever to drain, even though it's probably less than a half minutes difference).
Atkins or not I spend $325 a week for a family of 5 and our oldest is only 8 and our 7 year old bearly eats. So I am no help here. Food in CA is very expensive. I have found that even though I'm buying more meat I am not spending more since I do not buy any junk.
I was thinking of joining our Sam's club but I'm not sure how much better pricing I can get than using Aldi and Walmart.
It really depends what you buy. We saved a lot on bulk meats and on veggies, like the organic baby spinach and baby spring green mix. It was only $4 for a pound box, whereas similar salad mixes were selling for $4 for a tiny bag.
We decided to give ours up, but SIL has a membership so we occasionally go shopping with her when she goes. You can often get 1-day passes for Sam's club at the service desk at Sam's Clubs and Walmart.
Also, you can get your membership refunded if you decide you don't like it (I don't know if they prorate the refund or not. I've heard that they do, but I've also heard that they refund the entire price even if you've used it for several months).
Quote:
Originally Posted by ElizabethG
kaplods - thanks for all the tips! We really need an extra freezer. Our freezer is always full! I definitely need to plan better. I'm just so stressed and tired all the time i just want to get shopping done asap. I am not a female who enjoys shopping. But i know those are just excuses. I just hope my husband gets better soon so he can help with something.
It's tough when there's stress and illness in the household. Hubby and I are both on disability, and winter is roughest on both of us. Hubby's issues are more consistent than mine (he feels moderately crappy all year round. I feel excruciatingly crappy in the winter, and not-all-that crappy in the summer).
In general, I have the worse function problems, so I'm often of very little help to hubby. What makes it worse is that I often want to do what I probably shouldn't (like cook. I love cooking, but I often don't have the stamina to finish a dish) and end up leaving an even bigger mess for him to clean up than if I'd let him do it alone.
Shopping too. I want to go, but if I do and I've misjudged my energy level, I get worn out and we have to take me home and hubby has to finish the shopping later.
Right now, my issues are worse than hubby's so he is in the caretaker role most often, but Hubby's issues are degenerative, mine (at least in theory) can go into remission. Eventually I will eventually have to be the primary caretaker. If I'm not up to it, I guess we'll both end up in an assisted living situation.
It's why we're both trying so hard to lose weight. In hubby's case, it won't reverse his issues (he inherited the joint disease from his thin mother, and she was on her fourth hip replacement before she was 62), but weight loss could slow the progression. For me, weight loss and diet could maybe get me into remission. So we're hoping to "tag-team" - slow his issues and reverse mine, so that when he needs care, I'll be able to provide it.
It's not an ideal situation, but it's definitely more urgent motivation than fitting into the perfect pair of jeans.
I bow down to you! When money gets tight I go right back to eating Ramen.
I eat a lot of hamburgers. I'll grill a bunch one night, so I have left overs for lunch the next day. Also keeps me from grabbing something higher in carbs when I get hungry.
Atkins on a budget ideas?
