Oh I forgot to mention we only have one grocery store in town. I could stop at others in the town where I work, but that is a long drive (> 1hr) with cold stuff in a hot climate.

Soups are cheap. I make my own artisan bread that comes to $ 0.23 a loaf, is really easy to make and delicious. I buy chicken tights, take to bone and skin out, use that to make chicken stock and the meat is used like a filee for another dish. So basically I get two meals out of the same piece of chicken.
I also make my own yogurt, so the price comes to the same I pay for the milk.
As for an hour drive, you can use a cooler to store the stuff.

Take advantage of any "loss leaders" that your store offers. Those would be the items they put on sale (typically on the first page of their weekly ads) to get you in the door. For example, one of the stores in my area is offering whole chickens for 88 cents/pound. I might buy two of those - cook one now, and freeze the other. This same store is offering name brand pasta for 88 cents/box, assorted pork chops for $1.48 pound, and a 5lb bag of potatoes for $1.98. I plan meals according to what's on sale. I refuse to buy (for example) chicken breasts for $4.99/lb when I know that the following week they will probably be $1.99/lb. Buy the bigger packages of meat (they're less expensive), split the amount into smaller portions and freeze. The freezer is your friend - LOL.

Also, consider planning more meatless meals; there are a lot of great recipes using various types of legumes/beans. They're healthier than meat, and less expensive.

Re: the store near your work. Check their ads anyway (most stores have them online now), and if there are any great deals, put a cooler in your trunk with some ice packs, and stop by on your way home from work.

We've been living on one income since our kids were born, and for a family of five, I spend about $500/month on groceries. My kids know that I don't buy cookies, cereal, ice cream, etc. unless it's on sale (and hopefully have a coupon too). I also don't buy those cute individual bags of snacks for kids' lunches. I buy a big bag/package of whatever, and put them in smaller bags. I don't buy juice boxes; my kids take reusable bottles of water to school. Also, consider trying store brand items. Sometimes they're cheaper, even if you have a coupon for a brand name item.

I almost look at shopping as a game. How low can I go - LOL. Oh, one more thing. Always check your receipt before you leave the store. After I pay, and my cart is loaded, I'll pull off to the side, and scan the receipt. Many, many times, I have found errors, and I promptly go to the customer service desk to get my money refunded. One of my stores has a policy where you get the item for free if this happens. One day I got a $10 box of hamburger patties for free!

The more food you make from scratch -- avoiding the prepackaged premade stuff -- the more you will save. As added pluses, it will also taste better and be more healthy without added salt, transfats or molypolybennyhenny.

You might pair up with another family to save on bulk food items, a 50 lb bag of rice can be very intimidating for most single families!

There are some active cooking forums for recipes and making food ahead, and you might find some tips at the Money Saving Tips forum.

Best to you in a tough time,
Lena

Also, call your grocery store and ask them what their best price days are. In most grocery stores it is Sun,Mon & Tues. -but since you have just the one store, ask! The other advice is right on. Much cheaper to make snack foods than to buy them generally, and meatless meals are not only healthy, but cheaper.

Best of luck to you...

I'm sure you already do this, but some don't -- always compare unit prices, and buy the larger sizes when they won't spoil. I also realllly stock up when things are on a great sale.

You'll get through this and be better in the end..I hope your dh finds something soon. I know it's tough.

Start by going down those aisles and skipping the perimeter where most of the expensive premade foods are arranged. Learn to cook what you can and do without what you can. Larger sizes aren't always cheaper so you do have to read the unit prices.
Stock up on loss leaders until the next loss leader sale.
I never buy chicken unless it's on sale at the best price but then I buy a lot.
Get a freezer if you don't already have one.
Forget organic right now...you can deal with that later when your dh is working.

I started making yogurt this year and it is so much better than what i had been buying and a lot cheaper. I love Greek yogurt.

Coupons are great if you need the item but they are usually for name brand things and unless you can get it doubled or tripled combined with a sale, are not usually worth it.

Hi:
My DIL swears by the Grocery Game. They compile for you all the sale items for that week at however many stores you want to pay for. She prints out a list of items each week, takes it to Wally World for price matching, and uses the list as her actual cost. She usually writes down the price of each item ON the item to help the cashier. She says she saves $50-60 each week . for a family of 4. My Wally World asks to see the ads; her's doesn't. Some of the items on the list take coupons, but she has never had them ask for the coupon. You can join free for 30 days or so. I joined, but then cancelled because there's only 2 of us, and I prefer Meijer. Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Grocery Game

Lyfia,

We shop the same way. The only way I've found to save so far is watch for the meat and dairy sales and stock up. You are right, there just aren't any coupons for the type of shopping we do--mostly fresh meats, produce, dairy. Since your meat will be the most expensive, it would be worth it to bring a cooler with you if a store in your work town is having a meat sale. I tried the grocery game but it didn't work for me because the coupons don't cover the fresh veggies, fruit or meat. I did get some dairy coupons, though not enough to justify playing their game.

I know wal mart matches ads but frankly, I cannot imagine the hassle of what that would take at the register.
I would look for the brightest cashier at any rate.
If the stores were far apart that might be worth it but we have most stores within a mile radius (or less) so I can very quickly go to 2 grocery stores, aldis and walmart.

I don't use coupons much anymore. If your store is like the ones around here, the perimeter is all the fresh stuff and it's hard to find coupons for veggies LOL. I envy your milk coupons - we usually buy milk at convenience store b/c grocery stores are $1 or more a gallon higher.

I buy meat in bulk and freeze it, also mix it with veggies and pasta/rice (stir fry, stew, chili, spaghetti sauce) to stretch it. We don't usually sit down to a steak dinner (though sometimes in the summer if I find it on sale) or have a roast. Boneless skinless will cost more in general than bone-in - unless you see it for $1.99/lb. I also shop on the "Crazy Days" each week - local store that generally has higher prices on dry goods (but better quality meat) has Tuesday and Friday deals like LoL cheese usually $5.99/lb for $2.99 and I'll buy a couple lbs, throw one in freezer. Once when I commented on how $$$ ground turkey was ($4.99/lb) the manager marked a few packs $1.99 for me b/c I was in there all the time, small family-run store and they get to know their customers. That store has also taken back packaged "Still good" veggies that I got home and found to be rotted (see below). It pays to be a loyal customer at a small (non-chain) store.

I buy BOGO bread (put in freezer), $1/lb (or less) pasta, look for deals on cereal. In the winter we eat a lot of oatmeal - store brand bought in round canisters unless I can find the flavored packets on clearance (buy those and mix with plain to stretch them at home, bring them with us when we go on vacation and use hotel room coffee maker for hot water - I even did this in the St. Regis when we stayed using points!).

I buy a lot of veggies and such on the "still good" rack - they're packaged so sometimes hard to see a bad spot on the bottom but check carefully for any "leakage" inside the package. I buy meat sometimes too this way (Stop and Shop usually puts $2 off coupons on meat with the sell-by date of today) but you have to be careful. Again, look for day-old baked goods, dented cans (though not dented where you have to put can opener, and never anything rusted or bulging). I also look for "stock up" sales (usually on canned goods).

"Lot" type stores carry paper products, cleaners, dry goods for less than the grocery stores. I like the Del Monte spaghetti sauce in a can I get at Job Lot for $1 better than anything I buy in a jar at the grocery store, even if I have a coupon.

We didn't find it worthwhile to have warehouse club (BJ's) membership once DD was out of diapers. You mileage may vary.

Hope your DH finds something soon! We've been 1-income for almost 5 yrs now. Maybe once I finish the house (2 yrs and counting) and DD is in 1st grade next year I can find something, but still would like it to be "mom's hours" so I can be here when she gets home from school (will get on the bus around 7:30, get home around 4pm).

Now is the perfect time of year to get a new cooler on clearance! We had some that were several years old and I just got a new one from Walmart for $30-$40. It said on the label that it would keep food cold for up to 5 days and it really is that good. It has a retractable handle and wheels, just like a suitcase, so it's easy to roll into the house, too.

Since new coolers are so insulated, you could place several freezer packs inside yours, and even if it sat in the parking lot while you worked all day, it would still be very cold when you shopped and put your cold/frozen stuff in it after work. Good luck to you and your DH, I hope he finds a new job very soon!

I started making my own yogurt too, and you do NOT need to buy any yogurt maker. I just heat my oven to the lowest temp (175) and when my milk and starter are ready, I wrap the bowl in a towel and put it in the oven, and turn OFF the oven. Do not open the door until the yogurt is ready. Works every time.

Saved $30-50 dollars not buying a yogurt maker. A half gallon of milk makes me enough yogurt for 2 weeks. And no more plastic containers. Delicious!!

I don't use a yogurt maker either but I use a small cooler filled with 120 degree water- lots of different ways to do it but I agree no yogurt maker is ever needed.
I have been buying milk at aldi's for 1.50 a gallon and making a gallon at a time then draining it for Greek yogurt.

One thing that helps us a lot with taking advantage of sales/finds etc. is having a dedicated freezer in the garage. We didn't have one before we moved here but on a whim we bought one from our neighbors when they moved out of state and now we *love* it. We couldn't do our cat food the way we do without it, because we make so much at one time it couldn't be stored in the little freezer over the fridge.

Do you have a dedicated non self-defrosting freezer? I find the front swing ones much easier to work with than the big top-open ones. And they're always coming up for sale on craigslist or somewhere so you can get it used, say if someone's moving or getting a bigger freezer, etc. addition to being able to stock up on frozen items such as vegetables, and on meat sales, the bread I buy from the store goes in there, sometimes half a dozen loaves at a time if they're on sale.

And to punamystike: would you possibly share one or two of your favorite artisan bread recipes that come in at that price per loaf? I'd love to have a yardstick to measure other recipes by. We're just about to teach ourselves how to make challah (dd's favorite bread) and we might as well try other breads too...

And one more thought back to lyfia: don't look down your nose at nickel-and-diming! *Someone's* going to get the money, might as well be you all rather than the utility company or whoever else, right? :)

Flyleft, here is a link to the recipe and how to make it. If something is not clear, please ask away and I will explain and make adjustments to the blog as well.
In fact I am trying to get my son to start making the bread in college. So last week I sent him back to school with the bucket of dough, so he only need to bake it. Will find out this weekend if this approach was successful LOL
I also do not have yogurt maker, once I have it ready to develop, I have in glass container with plastic top on my stove on the warming plate on LOW for 7 hours and every time it has come out perfect (I also make half a gallon at the time)

Here is a link that might be useful: My 5 minute artisan bread

Use slow cooking methods to tenderize cheap tough meats. You can use a dutch oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker for similar results.

I like the idea of using the cooler. If there is a Randall's or Tom Thumb near your office, check out their meat clearance (or what I call "whoops we butchered too much"). I've gotten some wonderful prices on meats that are one day from expiry and are perfectly good.

Good luck on becoming a 2-income family again soon!!

Lots of nice tips here, they will help a lot of us.

Is there an ALDI Food store in the city you work at?
If you spend 120 at a regular store you can easily pay 70 or less at Aldi.

Try to get seasonal produce, they are usually cheaper.

This is a time to get creative. You could cut the use of meats to half: Prepare some pasta and top it with meat sauce (like bolognese) or chicken sauce, this is just an example.

Good luck to your hubby finding a job.
Remember: God will provide. It never fails.

Also check your cupboards, using up whatever you already have. You might be surprised at what you find on hand that you bought but never used. Freezers can be the same way. Soups and stews made from leftovers or inexpensive finds can be very yummy and satisfying meals, especially with a bit of bread to soak up the juices.

My grandmother was the Queen of Frugal, having lived through the Great Depression. She would not throw one leftover bean out. Would break an egg over anything! to make a meal.

lyfia,

I haven't read but your OP but having 'been there, done that' I can offer some suggestions and hope they are not repeats of earlier posts....my apologies if they are.

When my hubby was 'downsized' without even a hint that cutting employees was brewing, we first went into shock, then panic, then it because almost a game...... a challenge for us to see how low we could get our weekly shopping list/electric bill/gas bill, etc.

A lot of folks who only swear by 'the best' shampoos and conditioners will gasp at what I am about to tell ya.

We have five kids....4 were teens at the time. And until they were able to get their own part-time jobs to buy there own special brands (read: Expensive), they had to use whatever was on sale at the time that I brought into the house.

Going through shampoo and conditioner, even the cheaper brands on sale, was starting to really add up.

I kept an empty bottle of each.... conditioner and shampoo.
I bought more. I poured almost half of each into the empty bottles and added water to all four bottles.

Shake well. :)
They are still getting their hair very clean and the conditioner still works just as well.

Same with our Downy Liquid Softener for the washer....diluted between two bottles and it works just as well.

Do you stack your TP in the cupboard in the bathroom?
Before stacking your backup TP, put each roll on the floor and step on it.
Flattening the cardboard roll inside the TP (length-wise) a little means that the TP isn't doing the Ziiiiiing off the roll, thus, you use less...especially if there are kids in the house that tend to do the Ziiiiiinging and use way more TP than is necessary.

Remember, there are many, many things you buy on a regular basis that can be diluted a bit without affecting the product or the end result.
Look around your home...I'm sure you'll find other things you can dilute and save yourself a lot of money.

This time might be tough for you and your family but it sure does teach one the value of a dollar and it turned into a great learning tool for my whole family....really gave our teens the tools to prioritize, gave them a whole different perspective, helped them understand what was really important.

I wish you all the best and hope you pop in once in while to let us know how things are going for you.

Blessings to your and your family.

Another tip is to do some meal planning each week. Just one night of "oops, I forgot to think about what to have for dinner" can blow the budget for the week. Even fast food can be expensive. Americans also waste a ton of money letting things turn into slime in the crisper. A weekly check and some advance planning will lead to less waste and less last-minute panic.

I like to cook large quantities of main courses and load them into the freezer. That way, I can just pull out a package of something and reheat it, start up a pot of brown rice and scrounge for something that resembles a vegetable, all in about 15 minutes. It's my own, homemade convenience food.

Last year, when the bottom finally dropped out of the stock market, I bought a 25 lb. bag of brown rice at my local co-op. Truth is, it'll probably take me a long time to go through that much brown rice. But, I was feeling panicky and lugged it home. For us buying in bulk only makes sense for certain items. We do shop at Costco, but only about every 4-6 weeks. Buying more than you can use is never good for the budget or your emotional well-being if you're like me and feel guilty throwing things out.

Hmmmm .. lots of great tips here. Let me see if I can add anything.

I buy all of our fresh veggies and fruit at the local farmers market and produce stores/stands. It's so much less expensive than what the stores want and it's much fresher!

I buy all of our meat at a local meat processing/packing place that has a small retail store attached. Again it's a lot cheaper and fresher, maybe your area has something like this.

I make a good deal of our bread and baked goods, but you could also buy from a bread outlet. Like Merita bread has outlets here.

Plan meals around loss leaders .. Like if a whole chicken is on sale, grab a bunch and freeze. Depending on the size of your family, you can stretch one chicken for three meals.

Meal one : Roast Chicken, potatoes and veggies
Meal Two : Chicken pot pie
Meal Three: Chicken Noodle soup with homemade rolls.

Turkeys will be going on-sale around Thanksgiving, again stock up. Not only will they provide you with quite a few meals and soups, but nice lunch meat for sandwiches.

Plan on at least two - three meals a week being meatless. Make it fun, we do homemade veggie pizzas every Friday. You can have dough and sauce ready to go from scratch in about an hour with rise time. Make up some dough and sauce, let everyone make their own. The combos are endless. Pasta is cheap, versatile and wonderful paired with fresh sauce or sauteed veggies.

Also .. plant your own herbs if possible. Start them from seed, they're cheap to grow. I always keep an herb garden going, outdoors in the summer, indoors in the winter. Fresh herbs go a long way toward making a so, so meal into a fantastic meal.

I wish your family the best of luck, Lyfia! I hope your DH find a new job soon.

Thank you all - great ideas. Never thought about there might be a day when it is cheaper. I always end up going on Saturday as there really isn't time during the week unless I go during lunch at work and in the past cold stuff just haven't worked well with the cooler. Doesn't last as long once I get it home. Might be ok during our cooler months.

We do have a small deep freezer, but it is almost full of milk for my baby. We also have an extra fridge with a top freezer where I put the food I cook on the weekends to grab and go during the week. If I bought a whole chicken and chopped it up it would likely be ok and fit though.

I will have to compare the meat market prices with the grocery store as well. Produce is still a rough one. I do meal plan so to not waste it. I also make my own baby food so I really prefer getting organic, but I guess I need to read up on what is worth buying organic and what doesn't keep the pesticides in the same way. I remember reading something like it in the past. We don't have a farmer's market nearby. There was talk of trying to start one in town, but nothing yet. I'll need to check the surrounding areas and see what I can find. Although not all things grow here that we do eat.

I will have to check out the links as well. Wonderful info.

I appreciate the support too. I'm sure we'll be fine. It's not the first time for me to having to worry about every penny. I've done it in the past, although then I had more choices when grocery shopping. I think it might be a first for DH since he has been on his own so it will be good for him to learn as well. He did grow up with things being tight so hopefully it won't take much. If he hadn't been so good (read sarcasm) with his cc spending before I met him we would be in a much better position now. We'll get there though.

I'm lucky a co-worker will let me buy things on his Sam's card. He is going to bring me a sample of their diapers to see if they work on our girls sensitive bum. I think I'll be getting cereal from there too as DH has to have name brand, unless I can get his mental block changed on that one.

I do know I won't be spending money to save money right now as in buying anything to make things easier, unless it would be an immediate savings translation. I'd rather hang on to the money in case we need it.

Guess I need to start figuring out how to get my grocery shopping done during the week.

Oh I'd love any tasty money saving recipe's that can be frozen as that is how we eat lunch and dinner during the week. Don't want to waste my precious time with my daughter during the week on cooking.

Sorry for writing a book and again I really appreciate the responses.

I did some searching online as well and I think I found where I need to shop as well that have produce specials also. It will mean me taking the cooler, but produce I think will do better.

Not sure if any of you have these stores and have any experience with it. Sprouts Farmers Market

Lyfia, check out the link below for a list of the organic "dirty dozen." It's a list of the produce that you should buy organic (because of pesticides, etc.), and the produce that is the least contaminated.

Here is a link that might be useful: Produce - Dirty Dozen

Lyfia, one thing to remember; you are not alone & things could be worst. My dad taught me that; even now with hubby's cancer diagnosis; yes, times are going to be tough; but there are others in the same boat, or worst. The best advice I can give is to not let it depress you because once it does, it's hard to shake.

I'm trying to figure out what I could cut to bring the bill down as I shop pretty good now. It would end up being drinks I think. Drinks are my one splurge, especially the cooler months. I do not buy if they are not on sale though.

Do you have Target & Walmart? With oatmeal, target is usually the cheapest, same for granola bars if you use them. Cereal, I've found these 2 store cheaper then BJ's. I don't buy a lot of pop-tarts but like to buy them every now and then. I know the highest I will pay for anything; and if it's more then that, we don't use it.

We eat steak - I stock up when it's $2 a pound. I know what size to buy to feed 4 of us, so if I needed to buy a larger one, it's easily cut in 1/2. If we have leftover steak, it gets cut up in cubes & thrown in a freezer bag to be used in stew later.

I make a Hungarian chicken recipe with chicken thighs - Chicken Paprika - the one I do is onion, chicken broth & paprika. Did a quick look online don't see it. We'll eat it with with rice or noodles.

If I bake a whole chicken, we make use of what's left which is usually the dark meat, so I will make something that disguises the taste - like throw it in the chicken paprika or pot pie.

If you can start a garden, it saves so much money.

Chicken Pot Pie
1 package (10 oz) frozen mixed veggies - I also add some lima beans
1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cups turkey or chicken broth
2/3 cups milk
2 1/2 to 3 cups cup up cooked turkey or chicken
pie crust shells - use deep for bottom - regular for top

rinse veggies under cold water
heat margarine till melted; then add onion, heating till golden.
remove from heat, add flour, salt, pepper.
Stir in broth & milk, put back on heat.
heat to bubbly, stirring constantly.
Stir in chicken & veggies. I usually let it simmer for an hour or so.

Fill pie crust - & top
Bake in 425 oven until golden brown, about 35 minutes

I usually double the recipe to make 2 deep dish pies.

Thanks pam, that is a good start. I remember seeing a much more exhaustive one somewhere too that I'll be searching for.

roselvr - I have a bunch of left over cooked steak cubes in the freezer now. Do you use that for stew? If so does it work well to use. I froze them as I hate waste, but not sure what to make with them.

Thanks for the recipe too. It is very similar to one I make, that is a no-bake kind. I usually use left-over chicken for that.

Yes, that's what we use for stew. What i do is cook the meat longer in the broth before adding everything else, makes it tender.

I've also used the steak for enchiladas.
Have done beef stroganoff in the past as well

I cook and freeze into portions, saves money and time. I made a brisket last week that will translate into at least 10 meals (I'm living by myself0.

Also, for lunches, I make sandwiches a lot of times, and even with stuff like avocado and smoked turkey it is still way less expensive than buyng lunch out. And when I do buy lunch out, I keep an eye out for specials- there is a chicken place near where I work that has 2 large pieces of fried chicken on Tuesday for 99 cents. I take the chicken back to work, drink a canned drink I've brought with me, and that is less expensive a meal than I could make.

Soups are good for you and pretty cheap. I prefer hearty ones, like lentil, beans, split pea, etc. Just get DH the recipe and tell him what time to start cooking. LOL! Whole grain corn bread is a favorite with soups around here.

My mother was famous for stretching a meal. I grew up thinking all hamburgers had crackers and egg in them and every piece of meat had to be tenderized or pounded (stretched). She canned like crazy in the fall.

Tuna patties or salmon patties are all good in a pinch. Potatoes are always cheap. Tomato sauce based recipes are usually cheap. Unfortunately, cheap foods generally have higher carbs. (Pasta, etc.)

Just step away from the prepared food! Good luck in tight times. My DD's husband lost his job and I swear, they were 'borrowing' napkins to make their TP stretch with 5 kids and 2 adults. Luckily he is working again, even if it is for less money than before.

Again, I wish you the best. Time to get lean and mean. My grand kids take water to school too. OH! DD swore by Costco's canned beef. She made burritos and tacos with it.

Check out the cooking forum here--there's a lot of good posters.
Cereal is over-priced fodder. I weaned my family away from FrostedToastedCinnamon Whosits and got them to like oatmeal, which is cheaper and healthier.

However, I think there's other places to cut spending rather than food, unless you're living on frozen dinners. Paper towels, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, garbage bags, cleaning products---they're all too expensive, I think. I'd rather use rags, re-usable containers, and white vinegar.

thanks roselvr - that is good to know. I will probably do it in the crockpot then so it can cook nice and long and ready when I get home from work.

lucille - that is what I do on the weekend. I cook large meals to have during the week. Don't have time to cook during the week.

goldust - that is my problem I need to watch my carbs (type 1 diabetic) and hence I tend to buy meat, dairy, and produce mainly. I know I could make stuff with rice and pasta and stretch it a lot, but not the best for me. How do you make tuna/salmon patties - don't think I've had that in the past, but it sounds good.

The good part is the majority of our drinking is water already so no need to get used to something new there and we both love soups and stews.

1. A price book is an excellent tool in determine what is a good buy or not. Basically keep a record of the best sale prices on the things you buy the most. When the prices are good, stock up. I now have a modified price book where I just determine I won't pay more than say $2 for a pound of cheese, so much for meat (we eat very little now though). I use this to help me develop my pantry. My ultimate goal is for a 1 year pantry stocked with things I actually use that are nonperishable so that when things get even tighter, I have something to fall back on.

2. For your steak cubes: shred them with some BBQ sauce for BBQ beef sandwiches; make a red chile sauce for chili con carne; slice them thinner and add sauted onions and bell peppers for fajitas; add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc for tacos; add 'em to a salad and either go southwestern or asian in flavor with your dressing, or blue cheese etc to the salad; revisit the peppers, onions, and tomatoes, place them on a French roll and broil some cheese on top for a philliy cheesteak.

3. If you like to cook for a week, do searches on once a month cooking. It is not something that I do but many people have had great success with it.

4. Keep a list posted on the fridge for what to do on those nights when there is no time or energy left for cooking and nothing to pull out of the freezer. Whatever works for your family. If you have a pressure cooker, it would be great in this situation but I had to be honest with myself that some prepared foods are not all that cheap or easy, but they still work better than fast food for my family of 6.

5. Two places I visit to help me keep my mindset in the zone is a blog called The Simple Dollar and a weekly newsletter, The Dollar Stretcher, www.stretcher.com.

6. I don't know your location but now is a good time for planting lettuce, spinach, kale, sorrel, chard, etc. These are easy to grow and seeds are cheap. They are also nutritional powerhouses.

That is what comes to mind immediately right now. I am sorry that you are forced into this situation and I hope that it is extremely brief.

ideefix - we were cross posting. Well DH is the only one that eats cereal. He is a very picky eater so I doubt I can wean him ;)

As for other areas to cut than food, as I mentioned in my early post we are cutting everywhere, however we were already pretty lean (ie not wasting much money) so it is coming down to just watching every penny. The one big change is not going out to eat lunch several times a week, which is our biggest cut overall.

I'd love to hear other suggestions and have in the past spent some time on the cooking forum.

tishtoshnm - great advice - love the pricebook thing. I need to do that as I currently don't know what is expensive or a good deal due to not paying attention unless it was something really high.

BTW I'd love to start a garden as we have two growing seasons here, but it requires buying soil and lots of watering and we still won't get the majority of the vegetables that DH eats, so not sure it would really get us much at this point. DH's mom has a garden that she mentioned expanding so she could give us some.

punamystike, thanks very much for the link. I really appreciate that the person posted pictures--I like that when I'm attempting something completely new.

Now to find a good challah recipe...

Lots of great ideas here. Something we have done is to drink only water or tea. I do not buy soft drinks, juice, etc. My middle son could go through a bottle of juice or Gatorade a day. It finally came to the point that I said no more! Plus, water is so much healthier. If you drink coffee, drink it at work. When I was growing up my mom would mix powdered milk with bottled milk. Although I have never done it, it tasted the same as regular milk when mixed. When the cupboard is bare, don't go out to eat, eat pancakes for dinner. This is a well-loved dinner in our house!

I hope things get better for you soon!

fly, Fine Cooking has an excellent challah recipe. They even give directions for a 6-stranded braid that is actually easy. Dh's uncle asked for the recipe once and it was the first homemade bread he ever baked and it turned out well for him.

Lyfia, There is only so much that you can do so the garden may have to be a future endeavor. If you use your friend's Sam's card and you are salad eaters, they have excellent prices on large containers of organic baby spinach and spring mix lettuce. If it is too much for your family to eat before going bad, look for another family to split it with. Good luck!

thanks, tishtosh. I'll go find it -- I'm in your DH's uncle's group so maybe it's newbieproof :)

And lyfia, may I ask where you live? Because there are plenty of *perennial* plants that yield edibles without much watering at all. It might sound weird, but it's really just as easy as planting, say, blueberry plants or whatever is native in your area, and letting them grow because they're adapted to the particular climate, and harvesting their fruits. It's a little something, and it's not something that yields fruits immediately, but it's sure worth it. We got a summer's worth of fresh blueberries for cereal every day (and then some) from our plants. Same with berry canes. They *like* to grow, don't need that much water, etc. *in our climate* So if you can tell us what climate you're in, area of the country, we can find out what plants are native and will pay you dividends without much investment.

And do you get rain? If so, you can collect water from the roof downspouts in barrels (really inexpensive via craigslist - we got four that way) and use it to water your plants. I LOVE using harvested water :)

Well I did good on my shopping yesterday and stocked up on things we normally get that were on sale. Going to go to Sprouts today and get some cheese and some other fruits. Got several soups done and got the crock-pot going for this evening. Also bought the ingredients to make the Artisan bread. It will need to wait until next weekend though.

We just got rain this weekend and hadn't really had any to speak of since April. We have been in an exceptional drought stage. We had planned on getting gutters and collect the rain water this winter, but don't think that will happen now. We pushed it out since no point in putting it up with a drought.

We live in Central Texas.

lyfia, make the dough ahead of time, before you are ready to bake. It keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It is easier to handle once it has been in the fridge at least overnight. I always bake 2 at the time (the recipe makes 4)that is to save time and electricity. I usually keep the left over bread in the plastic bag in the fridge after a day, as I do not mind if it gets little harder, still tastes good.
Mixing the dough will take only couple of minutes, the only time consuming part is to keep it on the counter for 2 hours before you put it into the fridge. If you do not have time during the week, maybe your DH can do these steps?

Thanks punamytsike - where in the oven do I place it? The middle and then the pan with water below?

Have you tried making smaller sizes out of the same batch? Since it is just 2 of us that eat bread, I thought it might keep better to make smaller.

LOL - on getting DH to do it. He would do anything I ask of him expect he may leave something out if he doesn't like the ingredient or he won't eat it.

He doesn't seem to get his mind around the need to follow a recipe. His mom gave him the recipe for one of his favorite dishes and it calls for having mashed potatoes. Well he doesn't like butter and milk so he made the mashed potates without and then he said it doesn't taste like when his mom gets it. I make the mashed potatoes now and when he's not looking and he thinks it is just fine. Nothing I say seems to be able to change that.

Yep, in the middle :)

I do not weigh the dough, so sometimes one is bigger than other. I would then make just one or if make two, freeze the other. I have never tried freezing but others have with decent results. I also used the same dough as base for pizza, very healthy and cheap. That is another way to use up the dough without it going to waist. You could measure out the all the flour into a box or bag and then ask him to just mix the water, yeast, salt and flour. He will not know what is in the flour mix. Maybe that will work?

This is a very universal dough, many other things you can do that you would use similar yeast dough - like buns and son on.

Trailrunner posted a challah recipe and pictorial, if I remember correctly, on the Kitchen forum last year. It seems to have scrolled off the board. I'll see if I can find her to post it again.

here it is : we had a recipe collection going on the Cottage garden forum. There are LOTS of great recipes from everyone. This is the Challah. I have been making it almost weekly since the mid 70's.

Here is a link that might be useful: challah recipe

I have found it worthwhile to shop at BJ's. In one trip alone I can use enough coupons to pay for my membership and our best day of coupon usage was $48. Their coupons are NO JOKE sometimes 3-4 dollars off one item. We have a deep freezer where we store as much of the bulk as possible. Pretty much the only things we don't buy there are items that I'm planning to use just 1-2 times in a specific non-recurring recipe. Otherwise, we've converted almost completely.

thanks, trailrunner -- I remember pics you posted. Amazing.

I'm still indulging in *delicious* and healthful roasted plum tomatoes a la natal and golddust :)