Sharing the methods to our madness

So I just picked up a book at Costco. It is my favorite resource on Food Storage thus far. I got home... read the book... then found out she has a blog. Check it out HERE!! The name of the book is "I can't believe it's Food Storage" Cheesy... I know.

If you notice, I've listed a bunch of more websites and resources in the lists on the right. If you've got a minute, they are worth snooping around.

FYI- I let my Deals to Meals subscription expire. I could only go three months without it! I can't believe the difference it makes, just less work for me. I know we all have our own methods, but I would love to hear how people make their shopping lists. Weekly? Monthly? I mean before you go to the store, what do you do?

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My method... I'll just put it all out there!

I budget $100 a week... that includes cleaners, socks, household items, kids needs... everything. I get it in cash (that way I can't overspend... when it's gone it's gone)
I start with the Grocery Guru for my weekly meal planning. I mix in my own standard meals... spaghetti, mac n' cheese... things my kids want to eat, and things to try and rotate our storage.
I have a separate Food Storage budget... it ranges around $300 a month. (I can usually carry over some from the weekly budget... depends on the week.) I know that sounds crazy, but I've been trying to build up my supply of things like laundry and dish washing detergent. Batteries, light bulbs... and cough/cold medicines and pain reliever. It adds up so fast!
The Macey's case lot sale is a separate things too. We spend around $200-$300.

Hopefully that's not too "out there". I really have no idea what other families spend on food, I'm sure it varies quite a bit. I could be high... I could be low... I really don't know. Of course there are those shopping trips that turn into an embarrassing and expensive load of non-essentials, holiday crap, and other fluff. But I try to do my best. (Don't we all?)
My sister is an amazing example to me of frugality. She is really good at "only getting what she needs". I, on the other hand, will admit to a problem with spending. I have gotten better every year, but my shopping trips are sometimes more emotionally driven than they should be.
Giving up my cards and moving to a 'cash only' method has worked wonders. I had to be the one to give up the cards though, if it had be suggested by my husband I would have never done it! When I put the groceries on a card, I don't realize how much I'm spending week-to-week.
I would love to hear what other people do, or how they make it work. I think we can all help each other and give ideas. No judging!

Loves!

Freeze Dried and Powdered Items

I know that Thrifty Thursday wouldn't be until tomorrow... but I was at Wal-Mart in SS last night and saw that some of the freeze-dried food cans were on sale. (#10 cans) Unfortunately not all of them are... but some. They are up to $2.12 off, per can. The only other time I've seen this stuff on sale is at Macey's case lot sale.
I got the apple slices and butter. Did you know you can buy and use butter like that? and they have margarine too!
I know I'll use the apples... apple crisp :) But I'm curious to know what other people use the fruits and vegetables in? I would love some recipes to incorporate these types of things. I have really been hesitant of storing dried fruits and veggies... I'm just not sure how we would use them.
I'm a fan of powdered eggs, and they're pretty easy to rotate, you add them to any baking recipe that calls for eggs. (they're less messy too!) You can also get just egg whites.
So if you need to store butter, eggs (I don't think the eggs are on sale), honey, fruits and veggies, and soups. Check out the Food Storage isle! (oddly located in the back by the painting and automotive stuff... strange!) A little of this stuff goes a really long way... it takes me six months to use my can of eggs.

Happy Gathering, (and fall break)
Sherian

Loadable Coupons

Do you know about loadable coupons??? They are pretty awesome. What you do is go to http://shortcuts.com and/or http://cellfire.com and register your preffered shopping cards for the grocery stores then pick the coupons to load. What I love about this is that you don't have to use ink to print and you can use manufacturer coupons right on top of these so alot of times you have double the amount taken off. It hasn't taken off the coupon every single time but if I had pursued it with shortcuts by sending them a copy of my receipt then I think they would have fixed it. The times that it did work were pretty cool, like the time I had a $2/1 coupon for huggies and I also had a loadable for $2/1. I got $4 off a small pack of diapers. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions about it.

Awesome Deals

I found a new blog that has the best deals. It is called www.myfrugaladventures.blogspot.com and she updates all day long. I still love love love www.savvyshopperdeals.com for my groceries and I look at www.beingfrugalisfabulous.com daily too. I am now pretty much addicted to coupons and deals. I never could have imagined getting this into it but it is exciting to me, shows you how boring my life is I guess. I am not a huge fan of printable coupons because of all the ink they suck up but I do print them sometimes, usually if they are $1 or more. I figure if I was allowed to print dollar bills I am sure I would right? I will try to do better at letting you all know where I find deals. We recently had to move our food storage to a bigger room so I guess these deals I am getting are paying off. Have fun and share your deals here too.

It's what we make of it!

So things have been quiet around here... for all I know I'm the only one reading and posting anymore! (Except for maybe Sally... "hi Sally!")

I wanted to give a shout out to everyone who may follow this blog.... if anyone follows. Don't get me wrong, I know better than anyone how crazy and hectic life gets. Maybe we are all just caught up in the school year, maybe we are having personal or family drama, maybe... well... maybe we just don't have the time or energy to think about food storage and coupon clipping right now.
Regardless, I wanted to challenge everyone to post or contribute in any way over the next week or two. Even something as small as a comment like... "I agree" or maybe "Thanks for the info". I think that a little encouragement can go a long way.
EVERYONE has something to share! I don't want anyone to be afraid of contributing. Or ask a question! When the blog first started, people asked questions on how to store things like flour and brown sugar. I learned a lot and got great ideas! There are no wrong ways to gather food storage or shop for food. And it doesn't even have to be food!
(I like to have all my Christmas shopping done by Halloween, and there are great deals to be had before the mad rush of the holiday shopping begins... I could always share that! But if you are my friend/neighbor... could you forget the bargain and low price of your gift when I bring it over? thanks!)
I know people have been canning... share your bottling triumphs! Inspire us with your achievements! How about some recipes using food storage? (Thanks Mel for yours!) As the days get colder, my potato pearls, rice, noodles and even wheat look more and more appealing! I actually think about making bread from October through March!
(Speaking of bread... my bread maker died :( Does anyone have a type/brand they recommend?)
So I guess I'm saying... BRING IT! Don't be shy. This blog is what we make of it. I can contribute regularly, but nobody wants to hear from me that often... I promise.

In taking on my own challenge, I will commit to what I'll call 'Thrifty Thursday's' Meaning each Thursday I will post something... anything... on my weekly food storage/money saving experiences. And since it's almost midnight... I'm counting my Co-op info for this week. The meat this month is meat I already buy and I know I can easily incorporate into my recipes. I'm excited to see what fruits and vegetables I get. (See what I mean... that was easy!)

Happy Gathering!

Sherian

(PS- If you would like to contribute and have not received an invite, please leave your email address. If you want me to post it for you... send it to gatheringgrub at hotmail dot com.)

Co-op this month

I know it's late notice... but food co-op deadline is tomorrow. The meat this month is:

1lb. lean ground beef
1lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
2lbs. pork loin roast (center cut)
4 (4 oz) cubed steaks

Awesome meat this month! You still get your fruits, veggies, bread, and lentils. For $23... hard to beat that!
You can register and order online {HERE}

Sherian

Case Lot Sales

So, there are a bunch of case lot sales going on right now. Some of you all ready might know about this site. But, a friend of mine shared this link with me, and I thought you all might enjoy too.
Basically she has organized each item into stores/prices so you can figure out where you can get the best deal.
http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com
Happy Case Lotting!