[Houdcat]

I am so frustrated with the prices of food. I go to Walmart now for most of my staples, but I have been told the produce and meat aren't good.

Any good ideas out there for keeping cost down??

We need to get this topic going again!!

Cheryle

[busdrivin_mom]

We stopped shopping for meat at WM and other local grocers over a year ago. To us the meats tasted like they were junk. When you read the label you see that there is a lot of sodium added. More water, more weight, more cost.
We go to a butcher shop once every 6 weeks or so. Granted, we spend an average of $130, but we trust the meat. He has a discounted frozen section. It's the first stop I make when I walk in. I still keep a look out for chicken on sale and stock up when I find it.
For produce I can what is available during the summer. I don't buy more than I know we'll use, like more than one head of lettuce.
If you have access to a farmers market you'll always do better on price. Buy more and freeze. I need to read up on spag squash and see if it freezes well. My local market had them a dollar...just a dollar and they are huge.
just a few of the things we do. Hope more SSers chime in.
Beth

[Dingie_Dinah]

Oh wow Beth, SS for a buck? good deal and YES it does freeze very well. I still have some in my freezer from 2 years ago. check out this thread....

http://stellastyle.com/community2/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10961

and about the meat, I agree. Walmart meats are horrible. but when I had young kids at home and was working all the time, i didn't feel like I could afford better meats. Now that I've moved, I have a locally owned grocery store a block from my house and they have the best meats. I shop their sales. this week it's chicken breasts for $1.88 a pound so i'll buy several packages. Eggs are on sale at Save-a-Lot for a dollar a dozen, so i'll stock up there too. I have always tried to shop the ads and plan accordingly. but the price of groceries is getting ridiculous. I tried to follow in Rachel Stella's footsteps and do some container gardening, and I really suck at it. but goofball that I am, I'll do it all over again next summer.
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Dingie Dinah
Stella Style since 5/2003

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Love to Share,
Health to Spare,
And Friends Who Care

"Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin and Healthy Feels"

'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

[rickyg]

Dinah,

I am so glad to see you back. You and David are my inspiration and for the longest time I didn't see any posts from the two of you. You don't realize what a help you are.

As far as food prices go, I triple shop between three stores. Luckily they are all close to each other. By up sales and stock the freezer. I also use coupons like crazy, especially when they are on sale.

Good luck Cheryl on your hunt. I hope we see some more bargains as gas prices drop.

Rick

[wiccanmalenurse]

Also I use Save A Lot stores, hate Walmart meats (pretty much Walmart period) and I do find that when I cook chicken, I freeze the stock and use it for chicken broth. I buy mark down veggies and cut them up and freeze them. Like y'all, I watch for on sale chicken, I use a lot of eggs which I don't buy due to the chickens I own and also the savings have been good for me at Dollar General and big lots also Ollies have great deals. Tuna is great as are meat loafs and spaghetti sauce. It gets harder to save everyday with the prices going up like they are but every litttle bit helps. Y'all take care and eat well,
David
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Praise loudly, blame softly and treat each person you meet as a brother or sister!
"Stella Styler for "Life"!"

[missymagoo12]

i use save alot store for meats- i go to meijer store when they have good sales- i go to walmart but mostly save alot and aldies some times. when i get chicken - i get chicken leg quarters and cook them and them pick the meat and put in bagies to freeze . i save the broth to freeze and use later on. i am right now trying to find a good butcher and buy meats there. good luck on your search. sue
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[Emmey56]

My husband and I used to be able to buy our meat pretty much any where and it was good but then we moved to a certain Ohio and now we have buy all of our meat at Walmart. I was really leery at first but we tried Kroger and Meijer and their meat was weird tasting (also there is not a butcher shop in town), but we looked into it and Walmart actually has really strict regulations because they are such a big corporation and their meat tastes great! We do have to freeze or cook the meat right away because it doesn't last long in the fridge. Their produce is also really good, you just have to be smart about it and not get anything that looks bruised. Also they have a great variety of produce, I can usually find things there that I can't find anywhere else.

[crazywoman]

Welcome to the site, and our Stella Style family Emily!!!


I'm sure you will like it here. Lots of good tips, info, recipes, and support.

Be sure to check out the recipe section. Wonderin about something, check out the search.
It's under Forum on the bar above. Also check out the help from the toolbar, and there is a Help forum also. You'll find a lot of answers there. Because of spam & bad posts being able attack this section, it has been closed to new posts, but it is still there to browse, glean answers from. (No spam there now.) Most problems have been addressed there. There is a sticky of FAQs in the General forum. It has links to lots of as the name says Most Frequently Asked Questions about Stella Style WOL!!!. For that matter be sure to check out all the stickies when you have a question. Good chance it may have been answered in the FAQ's or other stickies.

Check out the home page:
Getting Started
Grocery Shopping
Recipes
Success Stories


Lots of good info there.

Thanks for your input! I too buy most of my meat either at WalMart or Sam's. Actually mostly at Sam's.
All WalMarts (& Sam's) are not created equal. (nor is any other chain store I know of for that matter) Here our produce is not so great, and way too high priced for what we get. But I'm far from any "local" produce, and it has to be shipped a long ways. That adds to the price, as well as freshness quality (even in today's modern transit). But the other stores aren't any better in that respect! And WalMart is usually still better priced on most of that.

Again, welcome! Hope you stick around and join in!

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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003

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My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely.

[sc_wahm]

Hi, all.

We've made a few changes in our grocery budget in the past few months and noticed that when we have one main shopping trip a month, we save. We have Sams Club and Costco cards (share accounts with family members and split the cost) and pick up some meat there. Hubs loves burgers and meatloaf, so we stay stocked up on ground beef. Of all places, Trader Joe's has the best regular price on it ($2.69/lb) and no pink slime! For produce we visit farm stands and pull what we can from the garden (before squirrels and rabbits take it out). Otherwise, we stick to the basics and go from there. Eggs, chicken, beef, cheese, produce, and butter are always on the list. We mix and match menus and change up flavors with the type of seasonings used when cooking.

HTH,
Sherrie
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Sleep is overrated..but oh man do I miss it!

[Laurakemp]

I'm new, so just jumping in here...

I don't know if this will be helpful, we live in Oklahoma and have friends that own a ranch with grass-fed beef. We order 1/4 a cow every fall and share with 3 other families. Here, it works out to about $1.98 a lb. and lasts our family of four for about a year. My husband actually works on the ranch occasionally during the year to build up a tab, for the cow. You may look around your area for local ranchers, the best thing is they are grass fed so they have the same omega-3 fatty oils as fish--which I detest.

Also, have you tried Aldi? Bring a quarter for the cart, bag your own groceries, major savings! Their bacon-wrapped Filet Mignon is $1.89 ea. and delicious. Finally, we do a garden every summer. I have been dishwasher canning for weeks, and freezing bushels (I get these from a local farm) of green beans and corn and potatoes (for hubby and kids). Just finished low carb pickle relish, I have even found a low-carb cucumber salad that freezes. If it doesn't come out mushy, we may actually have fresh cucumber salad from a real garden this winter.
I am also trying to make a 7week meal plan, with grocery lists, for when I go back to work this fall. They say that can save tons.

Just some ideas, with the heat this summer and corn down the drain, prices are just going to go even more sky high! sigh...

[George_Stella]

Wow! Now that's "low carb" livin'!!!! Great advice and great going!
George
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[crazywoman]

Laura, please let us know how that frozen cucumber salad turns out!
Welcome! (see official welcome on OMG! post)
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003

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My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely.

[Laurakemp]

Will do!