Comments on: Frugal Living Without Gogurt or Hamburger Helper

By: Jenna Wehrman

Jenna Wehrman — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:39:44 +0000

I think that cloth diapering would be an excellent way to help out your grocery bill. Cloth diapering is great!

By: judy

judy — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 22:19:09 +0000

I have been looking for comments about Aldis food store. I shop there once a week, they have great deals on produce. You must bring your own bags or buy a bag from them. The carts are locked up and you must put a quarter into a slot and then return the cart and the quarter comes out after you chain it up. I just bought their olive oil and I am trying to find out if it is labeled cold or expeller. Has any one bought their Carlini Olive Oil?

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:13:31 +0000

Katy, I liked what you said about not shopping at Fred Meyer because of labor issues. We have them here and I hate them, for many reasons. Also, count me among the many former Whole Foods fans who no longer shop there because of CEO John Mackey speaking out against health care reform. He said people don’t need better health care, they should just eat “whole foods”, not so coincidentally available at his store. Hey, I’m a hippie vegetarian Prius-driving eco-freak who eats quite well, thank you, but I know it can’t cure my lifelong affliction: depression. I need additional treatment for that, and because my husband’s company chooses to not cover mental illness, I continue to suffer, my husband suffers, and my son does, too. That’s the reality of health care in America, and on this issue, I’m voting with my dollars, and my dollars are no longer spent at Whole Foods.

By: Jeanne Grunert

Jeanne Grunert — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:37:04 +0000

I taught myself how to cook from scratch using recipes from Cooking Light and easy cookbooks. My favorite is the Fannie Farmer cookbook (I got it used, paperback, for $5). Plan simple meals: a meat, potato or starch, and a vegetable. The potatoes and vegetables or pasta and vegetables are the easiest to cook.

I made a list of my family’s favorite meals and put it on the fridge. We shop by the sales, picking up only what we can get on sale or with sale+ coupon. I then check the list and make meals with what I have. I plan my meals for the week on Sunday.

Simple to cook, inexpensive meals from scratch – these are a few. I omit the meat (vegetarian) but my husband and elderly father in law eat meat.

Monday: pork chop, baked sweet potato, green beans. Heat oven to 350. Coat pork chops with bread crumbs. Place on rack on baking sheet. Piece sweet potatoes with fork, place in Pyrax bowl. Put pork chops & potatoes in oven, bake for 1 hour. About 10 minutes before they’re set to be done, put the green beans in a microwave bowl with water, microwave high 6 minutes. Serve. That’s an easy meal.

Other easy meals – spaghetti with meat sauce and mushrooms. Just cook the spaghetti (12 minutes). Fry up some lean ground beef (or omit for vegan/vegetarian). Add ground beef and a drained can of mushrooms pieces to sauce, add some oregano and basil, heat and serve together. We get 6 servings for about 50 cents or less per serving if we buy all ingredients on sale.

Many, many more ideas…..just keep things simple. Buy on sale. Make your list of family meals everyone likes. Plan a week in advance.

Good luck!

By: Hydra

Hydra — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:33:00 +0000

I don’t have a preference of one store over the other, but just so you know, Fred Meyer’s ‘grumpy’ employees are also unionized.

By: Cooking From Scratch, What Advice Do You Have?

Cooking From Scratch, What Advice Do You Have? — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:13:52 +0000

[...] a Non-Consumer Advocate reader asked this question in the comments section of my column about Frugal Living Without Gogurt or Hamburger Helper. “Katy, how about some meal ideas for those of us trying to cook from scratch more? I would [...]

By: Alice

Alice — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:34:22 +0000

Katy how about some meal ideas for those of us trying to cook from scratch more? I would love to hear what you make from that list of shopping! Thanks.

By: Jeanine

Jeanine — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:19:35 +0000

Thanks so MUCH for all the tips!

I had no idea some stores did have an electronic coupon deposit. I will look into that this weekend.

In so far as the library, they do subscribe to the out of town paper, but they will not share the coupons. It’s not a bad thing though, because they donate them to the local shelter.

Again, thanks for this tips!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:55:32 +0000

That figures! Our area stores changed to 4 lb bags ages ago (without posting any kind of notice, of course!) but continued selling it at the 5lb price. Producers changing sizes has been an underhanded way of charging more for less.

By: Judy

Judy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:35:25 +0000

Thanks for the Mambo Sprouts connection. I check out their website and signed up for their coupons. Looks like a good site.