Food Storage on $5 a week

[punkin]

morelcabin,

I wasn't dissn' your list either, I just wanted to know where you were shoppin"

I know sometimes I can get Hamburger Helper (or chicken or tuna) for a $1 a box. It's not the best for you, but hey, in a pinch.

 

[keljonma]

Wow. Was that from the 1970's? Since when could you get 10 lbs of powdered milk for $5? I checked Amazon.com and a 4.4 lb box of powdered milk is $20!

You are RIGHT! Those prices are very outdated. But I would say you may be able to find better prices than what you listed if you shop around more. Keep a journal of food prices in stores and shops near you and on the internet. Check out bulk food, Amish and Mennonite shops if they are available to you. See if there is a local food co-op you can join. (Our church has one and membership is $20 year.) Sometimes you can even get a deal at your local drug store. For personal reasons, I don't shop Wal-Mart or Sam's Club. I haven't purchased any food items from Amazon because I haven't found anything I couldn't get locally for less money. My main criteria is no food sourced from China.

Here are some prices I found locally......

We recently spent $13 for the same size box (4.4#) of non-fat dry milk at our local grocery. It was $15 at KMart.

And 50 lbs of wheat? I can't imagine getting that for $5... Am I reading this list right? I couldn't find a place online to buy plain wheat, but a 50 lb bag of wheat flour is almost $30.

We can get wheat flour for 55 cents/#, spelt flour is 70 cents/# and bulgar wheat is $1.40/#. All at the local bulk and Amish stores. 50#/organic oats is 30 cents/# from our food co-op.

At Sams Club (online) a 25 lb bag of sugar is $12 something.

I recently spent $22.50 for 50# of sugar at the local Amish store, which is 45 cents/#.

A 12 pk of 6oz cans of tuna is $28, so $18.64 for 8 cans. (amazon)

The local drug store recently had chicken of the sea or starkist (I can't remember which) tuna for 2 x 6 oz cans for $1.50 (75 cents/can). There was a limit of 6, but it wasn't a coupon, so you just had to keep going back into the store to purchase more.

Yeast is $5 for ONE pound.

$2.80 for 1# at the Amish store here.

a 12 pk of 10oz cans of tomato soup is $7 something (sams) so that might work.

This sounds like a good deal at around 59 cents/can. The best price I have found here is 70 cents/can at our local grocery.

Here is the Tomato Soup we can and eat.
Cream of Tomato Soup Mix
3 cup dried tomato slices
1/2 cup dried milk powder
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Powder tomato slices in a blender or with a pestle. Add remaining ingredients. Store in a plastic bag, glass jar, or any tightly sealed container.

Recipe to attach to jar: TO USE: add to 1 1/2 quarts boiling water and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon butter or margarine after cooking, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

And if I found a good sale, I could probably get 10 or 15 boxes of generic mac & cheese for $5

But even counting on the cheap weeks to make up for it, I don't think there's any way $260 would buy all of that food.

Cassandra (I think I will make up my own list of things to stock up on for $5 a week)

Also, check your local Army/Navy store or sporting goods stores for some clearance dehydrated camping foods or make your own. You wouldn't want to live on them, but might help in a pinch.

 

[MorelCabin]

Keljonma...I am definitely going to try that tomato soup recipe! Thanks!

 

[Cassandra]

Oh, I don't shop at sams or amazon, either. I was just looking for food prices. I do shop at walmart. I live in a pretty rural area and the grocery stores besides walmart are all chains like Sunflower or Piggly Wiggly and the prices for this small town convenience is just crazy! I want to do my part for local business, but I can't pay fifty percent more for a bag of sugar. Just not happening.

We don't have any of those cools stores like many bigger cities that are an hour or two away. And I'm not driving that far. An Amish store? Wow, that would be cool! The only health/natural food source we have is GNC (absurd prices.)

Even our Farmer's Markets are not supplied mainly by local farmers. There are some things I have found (corn meal, honey, jelly, frozen peas/beans) that have been produced pretty close (an hour or two away.) Nothing they have is cheaper. It is more expensive, but I will buy it anyway if it is comparable. But the fruit and veggies they sell is probably the same stuff Piggly Wiggly sells.

I do supplement my walmart groceries from the little bit that I can get locally in season--from roadside stands (also not cheaper), friends & family, and my local swap groups.

My boss makes a Sam's trip every month or so for office supplies. Every once in a while I will send money for a 40# bag of dog food (which I can get for a pretty good price there!) But I have found that their prices are the same as Walmart prices for the most part.

Cassandra

 

[livincheapandlovinlife]

yesterday i got 5 cans of hunts spaghetti sauce for just over 4. nice for better flavor than just tomato sauce, sometimes cans of tuna are 2/$1 which is a great source of protein. bought three jars of pnut butter for under $5, another good source of protein, and then of course a few bags of various dry beans for $5, also good source of protein. Im also going to buy other canned meat items like chicken because a tiny little bit of canned chicken, a can of cream of chicken soup and and some pasta is pretty good eats when you're scrimping. I do it now, and nobody thinks anything of it. Especially when its just the kids and I. Im also buying canned milk, found it 2/$1. There are several other canned meats that although not necessarily good for everyday eating would be good variety with a long shelf life for food storage. Some are more expensive than others, but I think the idea is to do a little at a time, all the time, and then you dont have to eat as if you were the last person on earth eating a slice of bread or a can of beans. For instance, canned clams, for pasta, with oil and seasoning, not a lot of money but seems like fine dining.

 

[keljonma]

yesterday i got 5 cans of hunts spaghetti sauce for just over 4. nice for better flavor than just tomato sauce, sometimes cans of tuna are 2/$1 which is a great source of protein. bought three jars of pnut butter for under $5, another good source of protein, and then of course a few bags of various dry beans for $5, also good source of protein. Im also going to buy other canned meat items like chicken because a tiny little bit of canned chicken, a can of cream of chicken soup and and some pasta is pretty good eats when you're scrimping. I do it now, and nobody thinks anything of it. Especially when its just the kids and I. Im also buying canned milk, found it 2/$1. There are several other canned meats that although not necessarily good for everyday eating would be good variety with a long shelf life for food storage. Some are more expensive than others, but I think the idea is to do a little at a time, all the time, and then you dont have to eat as if you were the last person on earth eating a slice of bread or a can of beans. For instance, canned clams, for pasta, with oil and seasoning, not a lot of money but seems like fine dining.

WELCOME!!!

 

[Cassandra]

Just an aside about the tuna. I believe what we normally buy, what I consider "a can of tuna" is a 3 or 3.5 ounce can. And the ones I got a price for were 6 ounce cans, so not surprising the big difference in price.

Also will add that I would stock up on rice, pasta, and boxed potato flakes. And oatmeal & grits. mmmmm Brown sugar & white sugar.

My family doesn't like a lot of stuff that is easy to store. Hubby doesn't like to eat canned stew or soup. If he heats soup, it's like he hasn't eaten. He considers it an appetizer only and says he is still starving.

Canned chili, I wouldn't mind, but we never eat it. We use canned chili for hot dogs. If we are eating chili for dinner, it's home made.

I can usually get cans of pasta sauce for $1. (Which I love, but tomato products give John heart burn.)

Chicken & beef boullion cubes.

Jars of pickles and olives, which could be used to make pasta salad or potato salad.

Cassandra

 

[keljonma]

......I live in a pretty rural area and the grocery stores besides walmart are all chains like Sunflower or Piggly Wiggly and the prices for this small town convenience is just crazy! I want to do my part for local business, but I can't pay fifty percent more for a bag of sugar. Just not happening.
We don't have any of those cools stores like many bigger cities that are an hour or two away. And I'm not driving that far. An Amish store? Wow, that would be cool! The only health/natural food source we have is GNC (absurd prices.)
Even our Farmer's Markets are not supplied mainly by local farmers. There are some things I have found (corn meal, honey, jelly, frozen peas/beans) that have been produced pretty close (an hour or two away.) Nothing they have is cheaper. It is more expensive, but I will buy it anyway if it is comparable. But the fruit and veggies they sell is probably the same stuff Piggly Wiggly sells.
I do supplement my walmart groceries from the little bit that I can get locally in season--from roadside stands (also not cheaper), friends & family, and my local swap groups.
My boss makes a Sam's trip every month or so for office supplies. Every once in a while I will send money for a 40# bag of dog food (which I can get for a pretty good price there!) But I have found that their prices are the same as Walmart prices for the most part.

Cassandra

I know what you mean about rural... There is a Wal-Mart near the mall, (20 miles from us) we just don't shop there.

We do have two "local" grocery stores (within 10 miles), the bulk store is 20 miles in one direction and the Amish store 15 in another. Our local farmers market (within 10 miles also) operates one day a week and runs from the beginning of June until the end of October. Luckily, all of the vendors are from the county. The vendors include the local CSA and some Amish family farms and for the most part all have reasonable prices. I've noticed that most of the people that use the farmer market are the ones that live in the town where it is set up. The natural/health food store is not part of a chain either and is about 20 miles away. Their prices on some items are excellent and others out of this world. For instance, I can get wax ear cones or Bragg's ACV for less money at the Amish store than at the natural health store. Because all these places are so far apart and in different directions, it takes real good planning to get to all of them without spending a fortune on gasoline, which would outweigh shopping the various stores.

I do love the Amish store, which sells furniture, bulk foods, canning supplies, St. Bernard puppies and various meat rabbit breeds. The owners are always helpful and very friendly. They have some of the best prices around for canning supplies and bulk items. Most of the time, their prices are even better than the bulk store. The advantage to the bulk store is that you can place the order online, they will pull it and you can pick it up later in the day.

One of the disadvantages of rural living is that everybody has chickens or ducks, so selling eggs is difficult. We were selling ours for $3/doz in another county, but I quit that job, and am now considered lucky to sell eggs for $2.25/doz to a select group of customers. We are surrounded by farms and there is a large Amish population. Almost everyone locally sells eggs here for $1 to $1.50 dozen, with the duck eggs being more expensive.

We have a Family Dollar Store within 10 miles of us, but it seems quite a bit of their canned food comes from outside the US, so I shop very carefully there.

Neither of the local groceries here are chain stores. One is just your normal grocery with in-store bakery, deli and butcher. They recently started the shopping for fuel card like Giant Eagle or Randalls has. This store has one great feature which is 5 for $19.99 in the meat dept. As an example, you can get 5 packages of Bob Evans or Jimmy Dean sausages (links, patties and rolls) for $19.99. They normally sell for $4 each. So it saves a bit (not a lot) of money. They offer all kinds and cuts of meat, I just used the sausage as an example. Probably a better example (for saving money) would be the NY strip steaks or 3 pound pot roasts. They also have brown bag days, when you can fill a brown grocery bag with meat and pay a set price for it. Since we don't eat much meat, I haven't paid much attention to this....

In the other grocery, you can get everything you can get in the first grocery. I saw pasta (unknown brand) was $1 for a 10 oz bag here today. Plus you can get other things you might need - including space heaters, hunting gear, ammo, bows & arrows, and camping and fishing equipment. For some reason, bananas are always only 49 cents/# here even though the other store in town has been selling them for 70 cents/# for the last 6 months. The fishing lures are in aisle 5 above the frozen veg and ice cream; and up the stairs at the end of aisle 5, you can purchase your hunting or fishing license. Need a new tackle box? Check aisle 12 above the bread. We moved back to NE Ohio after 15 years living northwest of Houston, so this is a REALLY BIG change from HEB, Randall's and Kroger's.


It certainly sounds like livincheapandlovinlife has found a source for inexpensive canned goods.......

I saw at the local drug store today that Chicken of the Sea salmon 16 oz can is $1.99 each and the same brand tuna is 65 cents a can for 6 oz. We don't eat it, but find it is great for treats for the chickens and dog.

I think we are averaging closer to $15 a week for storage, but that is for dh and I, 20 chickens and our Great Pyr, Titan. I tried to figure in what I've canned too, if I purchased the ingredient instead of growing it on the farm. Although I admit, I am finding that a bit overwhelming to consider....


edited for spelling

 

[keljonma]

Keljonma...I am definitely going to try that tomato soup recipe! Thanks!

Your welcome! We got a dehydrator for $2 at the last community trash and treasure sale, so this year we used it to dry the tomatoes. I use my blender to pulverize them.

I found a mix of dried plum and slicing tomatoes is good for this soup. We put it in canning jars and put it in food baskets for the holidays.

 

[keljonma]

.....I know sometimes I can get Hamburger Helper (or chicken or tuna) for a $1 a box. It's not the best for you, but hey, in a pinch.

Almost Hamburger Helper

2 cups nonfat dry milk
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup beef bouillon powder
2 Tablespoons onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons dried parsley
1 Tablespoon garlic powder

Mix the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

Use mix as a base for dinners.