It’s always hard deciding how much to keep on hand without going overboard…….remembering that if it goes stale or spoils it it may not be as cheap as you think……..thanks for the tips

Working on food preservation skills is also something that helps. All those tomatoes from the summer I couldn’t eat? Canned them. Made salsa etc. Grapes=juice. Freeze rhubarb. Freeze zucchini. Pickles. All that takes a lot of work and there’s a learning curve of course but it’s a skill our grandparents relied on to get thru tough times and I think it’s sad that that stuff has skipped a generation in many cases. Us millennial and gen-z people would be smart to look into how to do some of these things for ourselves

It isn't a "perfect" book, but I found "Cook Once, Eat All Week" very helpful in meal planning/ batch cooking. It really helped me in managing bulk cooking in a way that didn't feel like we were eating the same thing day in and day out.

You can go broke, saving money. I read that but don’t remember who said it but it helped me tremendously!!!!

I buy a quarter steer every year from a local small farm. It works out to 110-165 lbs of beef, depending on the original size of the steer. Total cost, including the butcher’s fee to cut & wrap the meat per your request (sizes of roasts, thickness of steaks, etc), is about $5.25 - $5.50 per pound. These days, that’s a good price even for ground beef when you consider this is grass-fed organic meat! And you can’t beat that price for a quality roast or sirloin steaks. Knowing my purchase is putting better nutrition on my family’s plates, plus supporting the family of a local farmer, is priceless. If I had more than 3 people in my family, I’d get a half or even a whole steer. But a quarter is plenty for us, and it doesn’t even take up half of the space in our chest freezer. And best of all, it’s the best-tasting beef I’ve ever had!

Absolutely. When I lived in a very small one bedroom apartment I would store excess non-perishable food under my bed in a rolling storage bin. It allowed me to have a lot more flexibility in my grocery shopping.

I tried to do cereal for breakfast when we first started homeschooling. My children were off the walls & absolutely nuts. Now, every morning is a real deal hot meal. But we're gluten & dairy free, so it gets complicated. Buying 1/2 cow every 6 months saves us tons of money.

As a way to use food before it expires, before I put it in the pantry, I use a sharpie to write the expiration on the front of the can/box/package, where it's easily visible. Then you can see at a glance if something needs to be used right away.

I grew up in a 1 income household as a kid. Soup at least once a week (called kitchen sink soup - everything left in the fridge went into this soup - within reason 😋) Lots of beans, rice, potatoes, casseroles, soups, stews,... with small portions of meat. I still as a senior with only two of us in the house - make things stretch for the budget. Clearance bins for meats (so that I can afford steak dinner for us 1-2 times a month), double up on store sales with digital coupons, stock up (with in reason) on our favorite can & dry goods, and actually not over buying items so that we can use them up before they expire.

I agree the importance of budget! Early last year I went through our spending on just food alone. We were shocked at the 1500 a month I found and obviously decided to track better and stick mostly with grocery pickup. (Having realized the power impulse buying had on us, going into the store) Happy to report most months are half that cost now!!!

With food storage, stock only what you like and will eat. Also rotate stock so the oldest is at the front of your shelves. I keep things that need to be eaten very soon in a separate bin. One in the fridge, freezer and storage. You will save a lot of $$$ by not wasting food.

A great tip for ground beef bought in bulk or even just a large quantity: When you bring it home, cook all of it, then drain it (but do NOT rinse it with water). Let it sit until completely cool and then portion out the amount you need per meal, put it into freezer bags, and freeze it. I flatten the bags out when I get the air out of them, which makes the thawing faster. This makes cooking things with it really quick. You can have tacos, spaghetti, etc. in so much less time if you do not have to cook the meat, especially if it is frozen raw. We have done this for years. Remember not to rinse it in water, that will cause freezer burn. We never, ever freeze raw ground beef. Also, you can precook hamburgers and do the same way, putting wax paper between each one in the bag. You can have a fully cooked hamburger in less than a minute.

Condiments at Costco vs a discount store is an incredible difference. The discount stores can be 1/4 of the price or less. Definitely watch prices carefully.

I think some of the best times to shop are at the end of seasons, holidays, game days/events, clearance arwa, couponing, and store discount days like 5 dollar fridays

A way you can still get your kids the squeezy yogurts is to freeze them.Hide them in the freezer.Thats what I did and it worked! Yogurt is such a great way of getting protein in kids that I wasnt giving that up.

Meal planning is so important for your budget and for your work load. I often start with the meat/protein item in the meal, what is on sale at my local grocery store PLUS what do I have in my pantry/freezer? That protein is probably the most expensive part of the meal so plan around that. I am a newish subscriber, your videos are so helpful.

AI is controversial but let me tell you, I made a comprehensive list of my pantry and freezer then I asked Chat GPT to give me a months worth of food based on what I had on the list and then some desert/baked goods ideas, then a shopping list and in less than 15 minutes I had a meal plan that only required me to buy 5-10 things beyond our fresh foods. Meal planning was always something I put off because it just took me forever to do but this made it simple and all I have to do is keep up my inventory.

I’m in the senior/elderly category but thanks to inflation & huge rent increases in the past 2 years, I’ve had to go back to part-time work and budget, budget, budget. When I started seeing how bad things were getting, I realized my food budget was the only place I could possibly cut expenses. I made it a game. How low can I go?!? I live in a small apartment but I’m fortunate to have a garage and keep a small freezer in the garage (3.5-4 CU but perfect for one person). I keep it stocked to the brim. I make lots of soups/stews/chilis and freeze portions. I’m also lucky in that I truly love all sorts of beans -pintos, lentils, red beans and rice, peas and rice. I rarely eat “just” meat (except for my every 2-3 week splurge on a small steak). Rather, a pound of ground beef is used in spaghetti sauce, casserole, or soup. An 8 oz piece of sirloin makes 4 servings of sukiyaki with other veggies. And yes! As a single person, I shop Costco almost exclusively. Rarely shop elsewhere other than a good sale. (Bought a 7 lb pork butt on sale for $0.99/lb this AM. Will cook in crockpot, freeze portions, use for tacos, enchiladas, pork soups, etc). As you mentioned, Costco is great for long shelf-life items. But also, they recently had frozen chicken nuggets on sale for $5.99. I broke them down into 6/freezer bags, ended up with about 14 bags. About $0.50 per meal for meat. I know this is long, but let me add one more example…Costco sells frozen Chicken Voila! Google recipe. So easy, MUCH cheaper, and much healthier to make at home. Taste better, too.! I ALWAYS keep an inventory of items in freezer and on shelves to include expiration dates. Easy to forget about things. I’m gluten-free and limit carbs so I make all sweet treats - chia seed pudding, rice pudding, tapioca (my latest addiction!), etc. Bottom line, my grocery bill (food items only) is $140-$150/month and some months, I get as low as $125. I’m stocked for 5-6 months except for perishables, have a very varied diet, and eat MUCH better than I have in years past. And yes, I definitely meal plan from my freezer and shelves. One more thing…except for Kirkland potato chips, I absolutely never eat “junk” food, no cola drinks - water or iced tea only, coffee in AM, no “bars” of any type (full of who knows what). If I want something like that I make it. Thank you for sharing. I also love sharing my ideas with others. Especially seniors. We’re all in this together.

My tip - get all the catalogues with the special offers, also online & various apps for your phone

Wow- I am super grateful for the tip of buying food in season! I am now “aware” and will plan meals accordingly 😊 so I don’t have to pay more 😅

Great tips! In addition to the "shop seasonal" tip, I stock up on turkeys and baking goods in November. Butter is one food item I buy in Nov. and freeze for future use.

Your segment on making breakfast in bulk makes so much sense. I am going to take this tip to heart right away. Such a helpful video.

People forget these systems help beat inflation, we weren't effected by inflation for a year because of our food storage. To me it's safer buying long term food storage than having money you can't spend if things go wrong.

Loved this thanks Angie!

Awesome information. Thank you!

Love the videos. Always great to rethink grocery and prepping strategy. Making on the calendar every 6 months to do a thorough check of everything in the food supply is helpful. Make sure you have everything you need, that nothing had spoiled, become infested or expired and make a note of anything that you can keep an eye out for specials to top up.

I always include a recipe that has rice and beans every week!

I live in Europe. I always start to check sales and plan our meals after that so I use those ingredients that will be cheaper. (And I also stuck up those items that we eat regularly.)

I buy foods that can stretch over a few meals, such as pasta, lentils, beans and prepare meals with those. also, keep a working pantry and “shop your pantry” prior to going to the store.

If depression is coming? Before needs to buy less expensive items. Great your information .Good Wishes for Good Natures .

Love Azure Standard!

I love shopping the clearance areas in my grocery store. If I’m lucky, I’ll find meat, milk, bread, and cheese for 1/2 off. The “damaged goods” area is usually a dud at my store though-if there’s a tin of coffee with a huge dent in it, and it’s only like $1 cheaper, I’ll just buy my regular coffee.😅

You always worked hard

We had to get real with our budget heading into retirement 🤔 I had a pretty good idea of the budget, thanks to my mom teaching me good budget habits 👍 Thanks for sharing and a good reminder when sometimes we forget👍❤️🤗

What a great idea to make sandwiches in bulk and freeze them. We have quite a small freezer, so we have to be very conscious with what we put in there, but having some pre-made meals instead of just random frozen legumes sounds very wise :) I will certainly check out your video on healthy breakfasts.

Enjoyed.

This was awesome. I knew most of these but really only implemented a few since its just my husband and I now and kids are grown, however, there's no reason not to do them, even on a smaller scale. Who doesn't love to save!! I've gotten my money out of my vacuum sealer that's for sure! Works great for individual portioned items and when I buy my meat in larger quantities.

Oatmeal for breakfast 3to 4 x a week was what my mother raised 5 kids on. Super healthy and super good

Good tips

Please do a video on water glassing eggs

Great ideas! Would you consider doing an updated snack video?🙂

Love your tips! Got some great suggestions here ❤️ Did I miss your posting of the make-ahead breakfast sandwiches? I would love to know that little recipe!

Can you link that video please, Angela

Due to my diabetic family, we can’t do all the pasta, rice, oatmeal, flour, potatoes (you know, meal fillers). It makes it pretty difficult to stock a food pantry.

I’m curious what your process is to use the items in storage and how you rotate foods. Maybe it’s less of an issue with so many people. With just 2 of us, I have a hard time using all of some items in six months. I’m working on identifying things I need to use up and creating meal plans around them. That has been the best help.

I make ready made Lasagne for the evenings where time isn't on My side

I make soooo many zucchini and corn recipes in summer, soups in autumn, and definitely feel I keep things seasonal. I just got that app, but then saw you had a promotional offer code referral that I did not use. I am sorry!!

How to eat clean, healthy food that is not processed?

This may be a hard request. A long time ago you posted a recipe. I think it was a chicken crackpot recipe and it had cream cheese and ranch seasoning. I thought I printed it but can't find it. Can you possibly give me that link? Thanks!!!!!!

Where did you get that beautiful sweater?? ❤

How about for the people who have no extra money for anything? Never mind getting a food stock pile accumulated. The working poor. They struggle pay check to pay check. It's a good chunk of people in North America. Food bank usage is at an all-time high. It's a different world from 3 years ago.

I find budgeting for groceries the most difficult budget to stay on top of because you don’t know how much everything is costing until you get to the checkout line. Grocery pickup isn’t really a thing here. Any tips?

Curious how you include your less frequent purchases say like your azure order or im my case Sam's (things you buy in bulk meant to last for a bit before you buy more)

Is Rocket money safe to put your bank account on?

Can you link the make ahead breakfast sandwich video please? I don't see it

I shop organic only and I spend 140 a week for one person. Maybe I could spend worse but if I buy an vitamin supplement one week that can be 30 dollars alone. I use to spend 80 dollars but as you know prices have gone up.

Foster parenting: Rewarding & exhausting!

I eat only organic. It’s 140 a week for one person. It use to be 80 dollars. I could probably go lower. But I buy what I want. I don’t want to eat the toxins in our non organic foods. And of course the GMO’s I don’t want either. If I ate regular foods with the toxins etc… I could shop at ALDI ….because ALDI does have cheap prices but for me I would rather spend more money on organic. Also, I do know Aldi has some ORGANIC products but only about 9 products and no variety so that’s a no. I also grow some things. It’s a whole lot healthier than store bought .

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

sorry i respect for you trying... but the things you add seem normal to me... buy things on sail even if your family dont like it... being aware of items in the season.. its normal to me.... we are trying to find how we can survive healthy.. no idea how america thinks but europe knows these things..

Was very interested in listening to your tips, but video is way to long.

Love to see you in Salt Lake City!! 🩷💙🩷💙 with a mocktail of pf course 😂 such a fun show!