If you aren't in the mood to do any cooking...c'mon, everyone gets that way once in a while..}:>....go to Subway and buy a $5 footlong with all the veggies but no oil, vinegar, or other dressing.
Put those on at home.
Half a sub is plenty (for me anyway being on a diet) and the other half goes in the fridge for the next day so a meal is only $2.50 ($2.63 with Sales Tax) so if you want to be lazy for a week 7 x $2.63 = $18.41.
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Or if you REALLY want to be a cheapskate go to Wal-Mart and get one of the Giant $5.98 Super Subs...they don't put any condiments on their subs...no mayo, mustard, etc..
Now we pull it apart...the sub roll is big enough to make Garlic Bread to serve with some pasta AND make at least two Grilled Cheese Sandwiches using the cheese in the Sub. Two meals out of the bread and cheese.
There is usually enough meat to make 5 or six regular size sandwiches using regular bread.
Though I find I can also just cut the sub into 4 smaller subs and eat off of it for 4 days...needing to just have assorted mustards and mayos etc.
Support Group for Day 3: Grocery Shopping
This is one of the areas where frugal living stops making sense to me.
I think the costs of cheap chicken/meat/eggs are too high to justify frugality. The lives of those chickens are miserable, the environmental costs are high and the jobs in the low end meat industry are terrible.
Why support this industry?
I think the costs of cheap chicken/meat/eggs are too high to justify frugality. The lives of those chickens are miserable, the environmental costs are high and the jobs in the low end meat industry are terrible.
Why support this industry?
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LiquidSapphire
- Posts: 510
- Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 6:40 pm
A convenient meal on the first day, and food for several more days
Buy a roasted chicken and a bag of frozen vegetables. Eat what you like from the chicken on day one. Pull the meat off the carcass and refrigerate. Boil the carcass to make soup, remove, take out all the bones, strain, remove fat if you prefer. Add frozen vegetables and chicken meat, making a nice soup that should last at least 3 more meals (for two people). You can stretch it by adding pasta or using the broth to cook with rice for a rice dish.
Buy a roasted chicken and a bag of frozen vegetables. Eat what you like from the chicken on day one. Pull the meat off the carcass and refrigerate. Boil the carcass to make soup, remove, take out all the bones, strain, remove fat if you prefer. Add frozen vegetables and chicken meat, making a nice soup that should last at least 3 more meals (for two people). You can stretch it by adding pasta or using the broth to cook with rice for a rice dish.
@EMJ, I only eat animals that I've raised myself, or have been raised to my standards (100% grass fed and pasture raised for ruminants, chickens and other poultry pastured). Labels like "humane", "cage free", and "free range" are lies. Or, rather, what others consider humane and what I consider humane are rather different.
My advice up thread is aimed towards those people who do still buy their chickens at the grocery- at least when you buy whole birds once they've been discounted, they aren't making as much as a profit.
We don't get meat very often, but when we do, I buy whole birds and cut them up myself because a lot of the cost is in preparation. I can't afford to buy deboned breast meat, but I can buy a whole chicken and do it myself for cheap. Our eggs come from our hens, and right now we're dairy free because I can't find a source that's up to my standards, and I don't want to raise goats again.
My advice up thread is aimed towards those people who do still buy their chickens at the grocery- at least when you buy whole birds once they've been discounted, they aren't making as much as a profit.
We don't get meat very often, but when we do, I buy whole birds and cut them up myself because a lot of the cost is in preparation. I can't afford to buy deboned breast meat, but I can buy a whole chicken and do it myself for cheap. Our eggs come from our hens, and right now we're dairy free because I can't find a source that's up to my standards, and I don't want to raise goats again.
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LiquidSapphire
- Posts: 510
- Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 6:40 pm
This is getting somewhat off topic but this is a topic near and dear to my heart so this is the last thing I will say on why one should try to go vegetarian beyond cost reasons.
Earlier this year I did this search and found a local farm near me that raised their own chickens. I drove out there (15 min from home in the middle of nowhere) to check em out. Now these were free range chickens. They roamed and grazed all day, they had a whole frickin' farm to themselves. Then at night they all went to sleep in the coop.
However, to start their flock every season, they buy several dozen female chicks (what happens to the male chicks? hm?) and then after 3 or so years, when their best egg producing days are behind them, they are sold... to a variety of places. (some of which I am sure are not as humane as these guys).
Also if you google "cage free", I think you'll find these are not exactly humane conditions. Better than a cage? Sure but still crappy.
It is really hard to engage in consuming these products in a way that doesn't either directly or indirectly support inhumane treatment.
Earlier this year I did this search and found a local farm near me that raised their own chickens. I drove out there (15 min from home in the middle of nowhere) to check em out. Now these were free range chickens. They roamed and grazed all day, they had a whole frickin' farm to themselves. Then at night they all went to sleep in the coop.
However, to start their flock every season, they buy several dozen female chicks (what happens to the male chicks? hm?) and then after 3 or so years, when their best egg producing days are behind them, they are sold... to a variety of places. (some of which I am sure are not as humane as these guys).
Also if you google "cage free", I think you'll find these are not exactly humane conditions. Better than a cage? Sure but still crappy.
It is really hard to engage in consuming these products in a way that doesn't either directly or indirectly support inhumane treatment.
I hunt/trap/fish for my protein. Greens and mushrooms grow wild all around me and I try to save them.
Monthly I buy:
Onions in a big bag
Carrots in a big bag
A few sweet potatoes
Garlic
Ginger
1-2 bars organic dark chocolate
(usually under $30)
A few times a year I buy:
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Organic butter
Vinegar
Case of coconut milk
Big thing of curry paste
I find that to be optimal for my health, ethics, and budget.
Being stuck in town with no kitchen is a challenge tho.
Monthly I buy:
Onions in a big bag
Carrots in a big bag
A few sweet potatoes
Garlic
Ginger
1-2 bars organic dark chocolate
(usually under $30)
A few times a year I buy:
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Organic butter
Vinegar
Case of coconut milk
Big thing of curry paste
I find that to be optimal for my health, ethics, and budget.
Being stuck in town with no kitchen is a challenge tho.
One of our favorite cheap snacks are sweet potatoes once we figured out you can cook them in the microwave (poke fork holes, stick in for 5 minutes whole). They're on sale for Thanksgiving this week for 20c/lb and they never seem to go bad. We put some vegan butter on them and eat them skins and all.
Food is definitely my number one expense at $280. I have been slacking on trying to cut that number. We have housemates and very limited fridge/freezer space, so it's not easy to batch cook. We also move around a lot which makes it hard to stockpile. I also feel like good, varied food is one of the things I'm not willing to give up. I have to say, when I go out to eat or buy something I'm craving, I almost always feel like the money was satisfyingly spent. Maybe I just need to learn how to cook a wider variety of meals so I don't get bored with always cooking what's cheapest.
Food is definitely my number one expense at $280. I have been slacking on trying to cut that number. We have housemates and very limited fridge/freezer space, so it's not easy to batch cook. We also move around a lot which makes it hard to stockpile. I also feel like good, varied food is one of the things I'm not willing to give up. I have to say, when I go out to eat or buy something I'm craving, I almost always feel like the money was satisfyingly spent. Maybe I just need to learn how to cook a wider variety of meals so I don't get bored with always cooking what's cheapest.
Fundamentally you want to switch to recipes that make the greatest use of the cheapest materials, and the least use of the expensive ones. Here rice, beans, flour, onions and potatoes are cheapest, so you want to build your diet around those and use everything else sparingly.
I've found plenty of Indian and Mexican recipes that fit this pattern. Examples: daal, chana masala, aloo (potato) curry; refried beans, bean and rice burritos, potato/lentil/bean tacos/enchiladas. Bonus points for making your own chapatis or tortillas in a skillet.
I've also found interesting recipes by Googling "[culture] beans recipe". Examples: megadarra (rice, lentils, onions, oil pilaf), red beans and rice, Puerto Rican rice and beans.
I've found plenty of Indian and Mexican recipes that fit this pattern. Examples: daal, chana masala, aloo (potato) curry; refried beans, bean and rice burritos, potato/lentil/bean tacos/enchiladas. Bonus points for making your own chapatis or tortillas in a skillet.
I've also found interesting recipes by Googling "[culture] beans recipe". Examples: megadarra (rice, lentils, onions, oil pilaf), red beans and rice, Puerto Rican rice and beans.
Has anyone played around with fasting or intermittent fasting yet in this support group? I've been working on fasting until noon and then the occasional day off of eating for the last three months. Seems to go well. I'll eat a bit more with the two meals and snack of the day, but I save time and effort preparing breakfast, and so far I have definitely saved on fasting days, though I haven't gone through and tracked the actual change in overall grocery spending.
No knead bread works for me!
--5 lbs all-purpose flour from Aldi's ($1.35-$1.53 per 5lbs)
--4 oz Jar RedStar Active Yeast--http://www.amazon.com/Red-Star-Active-Y ... B000GPNQJQ I got mine for $2.50 at Wal-Mart (will last u a long, long, long time).
Each 5lb bag of flour makes 3 each 24oz loaves. For plain jane white bread, Aldi's charges $0.79/loaf for a 20oz loaf--this the cheapest I've found sandwich bread. Even bread store or day old bread comes out to $1/lb.
When I use this recipe, it costs me approximately $0.41-$0.45/l 24oz loaf for plain jane white bread. It's easy to add different flours, herbs, spices, cheeses, fruits to this recipe too.
The trick is to let it rise a long time (in lieu of kneading your brains out). However, this is inconvenient for me frequently. So, I've set my oven on low and done a "quick-rise" a couple of times before baking. Has worked for me several times. If you're on your game (and still have to go to a job), mix ingredients in morning, stash in your oven and let rise when u leave for work, come home and bake bread.
from NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1-1/2-pound loaf.
--5 lbs all-purpose flour from Aldi's ($1.35-$1.53 per 5lbs)
--4 oz Jar RedStar Active Yeast--http://www.amazon.com/Red-Star-Active-Y ... B000GPNQJQ I got mine for $2.50 at Wal-Mart (will last u a long, long, long time).
Each 5lb bag of flour makes 3 each 24oz loaves. For plain jane white bread, Aldi's charges $0.79/loaf for a 20oz loaf--this the cheapest I've found sandwich bread. Even bread store or day old bread comes out to $1/lb.
When I use this recipe, it costs me approximately $0.41-$0.45/l 24oz loaf for plain jane white bread. It's easy to add different flours, herbs, spices, cheeses, fruits to this recipe too.
The trick is to let it rise a long time (in lieu of kneading your brains out). However, this is inconvenient for me frequently. So, I've set my oven on low and done a "quick-rise" a couple of times before baking. Has worked for me several times. If you're on your game (and still have to go to a job), mix ingredients in morning, stash in your oven and let rise when u leave for work, come home and bake bread.
from NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Yield: One 1-1/2-pound loaf.
This website has lots of great, frugal recipes.
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
I've done the tomato paste "marinara"/spaghetti sauce one. It's delicious!
I want to try the pizza crust recipe next!
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
I've done the tomato paste "marinara"/spaghetti sauce one. It's delicious!
I want to try the pizza crust recipe next!
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LiquidSapphire
- Posts: 510
- Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 6:40 pm
I just stumbled upon this thread:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/ ... 57607.html
It states the obvious but somehow, sometimes, it takes hearing something a specific way for me to "get it".
It's about cooking ONE ITEM in large amounts in "muffin tins" and then freezing that one item in small servings. The author likes to do rice, beans, guacamole, etc and then each family member can make their own custom "Chipotle bowl".
I went and bought the rice and beans in bulk but haven't cooked much of it yet... mainly because aside from an asian dinner or two, or chili, I haven't had a reason to cook a LOT of beans and rice. Now I do, and it can be ready to go in 5 min in the microwave.
Maybe an easy way to slowly batch cook some of the ERE recipes that float around here, rather than go crazy one day every few weeks.
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/ ... 57607.html
It states the obvious but somehow, sometimes, it takes hearing something a specific way for me to "get it".
It's about cooking ONE ITEM in large amounts in "muffin tins" and then freezing that one item in small servings. The author likes to do rice, beans, guacamole, etc and then each family member can make their own custom "Chipotle bowl".
I went and bought the rice and beans in bulk but haven't cooked much of it yet... mainly because aside from an asian dinner or two, or chili, I haven't had a reason to cook a LOT of beans and rice. Now I do, and it can be ready to go in 5 min in the microwave.
Maybe an easy way to slowly batch cook some of the ERE recipes that float around here, rather than go crazy one day every few weeks.
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jennypenny
- Posts: 6910
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm
You can use a foodsaver to vacuum seal the serving portions into their specially-made bags. Those can easily be reheated by placing the bags in boiling water. The bags are reusable.
I don't think beans freeze particularly well. Don't make too much the first time until you see how you like them after defrosting.
I don't think beans freeze particularly well. Don't make too much the first time until you see how you like them after defrosting.
Breakfast:
I keep a big carton of oatmeal and powdered milk at work. Mix into a bowl, add some sugar from the coffee station, dowse it with 200 degree water from the special tap (microwave it if you don't have that), and breakfast is served. Maybe 15 to 20 cents.
Lunch is usually a peanut butter sandwich and a few pieces of whatever fruit is on sale that Sunday. $1 to $1.50.
Dinner is the killer as the GF likes to eat out a lot. We alternate paying, but I'd still like to cut back to one or two times a week vs the current 3 or 4. Not healthy and ridiculously overpriced. I don't have any vices/expensive hobbies/debt service/etc eating into my budget, so one or two times wouldn't be that bad, especially when alternating.
I keep a big carton of oatmeal and powdered milk at work. Mix into a bowl, add some sugar from the coffee station, dowse it with 200 degree water from the special tap (microwave it if you don't have that), and breakfast is served. Maybe 15 to 20 cents.
Lunch is usually a peanut butter sandwich and a few pieces of whatever fruit is on sale that Sunday. $1 to $1.50.
Dinner is the killer as the GF likes to eat out a lot. We alternate paying, but I'd still like to cut back to one or two times a week vs the current 3 or 4. Not healthy and ridiculously overpriced. I don't have any vices/expensive hobbies/debt service/etc eating into my budget, so one or two times wouldn't be that bad, especially when alternating.
Well I had a good one today at the market.
Publix had Campbells Chunky Soup on sale BOGO. (its quick to take to work and heat in the nuclear oven and it controls the portions...diet again)
Their regular price is $2.49 so as BOGO they came down to $1.25 a can which is 35 cent a can cheaper than Wally World.
HOWEVER they also had a special of Buy $25 worth of groceries and get $10 off a $50 Dollar BP Gas Card.
So for buying 22 cans of soup ($27.39) I also got 20% off the cost of my gas in the bike for the next 4-5 weeks.
Publix had Campbells Chunky Soup on sale BOGO. (its quick to take to work and heat in the nuclear oven and it controls the portions...diet again)
Their regular price is $2.49 so as BOGO they came down to $1.25 a can which is 35 cent a can cheaper than Wally World.
HOWEVER they also had a special of Buy $25 worth of groceries and get $10 off a $50 Dollar BP Gas Card.
So for buying 22 cans of soup ($27.39) I also got 20% off the cost of my gas in the bike for the next 4-5 weeks.