Today’s question is from Christina:
My husband and I are recovering from a bankruptcy — which was the result of many, many financial mistakes and poor planning. I am realizing the value of saving money and even couponing to keep food on the table for our family of six. However, I have no idea how to save money because we live in an extremely small town where coupons are scarce and stores are even scarcer!
Other than a small Walmart, there isn’t a major grocery store (or Target) for over 100 miles! We just have a small, local grocery to choose from. Things seldom go on sale (hello $4 gallons of milk and $3 loaves of terrible bread) and there are no coupons or inserts in our papers!
How do you still save money when you are in this situation? -Christina
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Christina,
If you live in a rural area, then one good tip for saving money on your food bill would be to grow your own vegetables. Start a little vegetable garden. If you grow just 1 or 2 plants, you’d be amazed at just how many veggies they will produce. Tomatoes and bell peppers are great to start out with.
If you’re unable to do your own vegetable gardening, then it would be a good idea to make friends with some locals who do garden. In a rural area, you can surely find somebody who gardens.
I live in a rural area as well. My father and some neighbors garden. There’s almost a surplus of veggies that my dad and neighbors are happy to give away. If they didn’t give these veggies away, they would just rot.
So look into gardening and that should save you some money on your food bill.
Hope that helps,
Donny
Hi. I didn’t read all the replies, so I may be repeating lots of things, sorry.
We live very remote also, so I know your pain. My dd was laid off and we were more than broke for a couple of years. I got our grocery/misc down to $40 per week for a family of 4 (two teens/two adults). My best tips are: make a monthly menu plan (you can make us of larger cans, leftovers, cooking ahead for the next meal, soaking beans, etc.), shop the sales flyer from each store (I shopped all three small stores each week), learn your prices by making a price list (you will soon have all the prices stuck in your head), don’t worry too much about coupons, but use them when you can. I also joined with a couple of neighbors to order bulk goods that are delivered to our house every 6-8 weeks. We buy things like flour, oatmeal, spices, dried fruit, etc. The other thing was to make a rule for what you will pay for meat and stock up when sales hit that price. We ate much better on a very strict budget than we did when we weren’t on a budget. We made everything from scratch and it was healthier and much tastier. Bagels, cinnamon rolls, pie (with fruit given to me from friends/neighbors), pot pie, soup, biscuits, pancakes, oatmeal, ice tea, stew, pasta, we ate well for $40/wk.
Another thing I did to balance our diet was to make a food budget within the food budget. I set a budget for each catagory, like $50/month for meat, $50 for produce, $15 for dairy, $15 for personal/soaps etc, baking supplies and staples $30. Something like that. You get the point. I also set goals for items, like cereal for $1.50 per large box or canned beans $xx, etc. Sometimes I was able to combine coupons with sales, but I rarely used more than 10 coupons per week. They are hard to get here and no one doubles here and some stores don’t even take them here. Just keep at it and you will become an expert. You save the most by planning ahead and diligent shopping. I remember my mom telling my aunt that I never buy anything unless it’s on sale and I have a coupon. Not quite, but I must have made an impression on her!
I meant my husband was laid off, not dd!! Also wanted to say, if you do plant a garden, only plant things you know your family will eat. Don’t spend a lot of time and expense trying new things at first. If you like potatoes, grow lots of them. If you don’t normally eat beets, don’t grow them. Focus on what you eat a lot of already. Same thing with learning prices at the store. Start by focusing on the things you eat the most of and get the best price on those things, then work your way down the list to less used items until you are an expert.
We have been in a rural area for 14 years. There is a small Walmart and a few stores. Everything else is 100 miles away. We started saving money by getting creative. I started gardening, dehydrating, and canning food. After I bought some canning supplies, a dehydrator, bought tons of jars from yard sales, I was ready to go. I grow the majority of the food we can/preserve. My friends and I also asked people in town that had fruit trees/bushes if we could pick the fruit. 95% of them said yes, the fruit was not going to be picked. I was able to can 2 years worth of jellies, jams, and pie filling. That was a life saver because last year we had a late snow/freeze and all the fruit trees in town were bare of fruit last summer. We bake our own breads and muffins. I found an old book called the Make-A-Mix by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward and Madeline Westover. I got free food grade buckets from the grocery store bakery that used to have frosting nad filling in them. They are 3 and 5 gallon buckets. I use the 3 gallon buckets to store bread and muffin mixes from recipes in the Make A Mix book. I also barter for items. I am a stay at home mom, so I would barter babysitting or veggies in our garden for things like canned goods, deer jerky, etc. There are ways to save money in small towns, you have to get really creative. Some friends and I set up a kids clothing swap, just like a book swap. It was fun and easy. Its funny because many of my friends wanted to save money, its not easy to bring up in conversation sometimes. But once we put our heads together, it was fun and easy to work together on projects that saved all our families some money. In our small town, the newspaper comes out once per week. But, the nearest city has their newspaper everyday. Get to know the person that delivers the paper. We made a deal to meet them at the recycling center when they dumped the left over newspapers so I could get the extra inserts.
I live in the mountains, an hr away from all the big stores. Mountain living has been a huge blessing! It forces you to get creative. Living away from a big town/city takes the NEED out of shopping items. I find myself asking myself “why do I need that?” and really change my mindset. I love being challenged like that!
I’d say one of the biggest tip of saving money would be stocking up on those neccesity items that kill at the small town stores. Also equally important is when you do go into town and the opportunity to get cheaper items, stock up! For example, I have a misc. budget of $200 and it’s not unusual for me to spend 80% of that in the city in one trip. That leaves 20% left for the unexpected-run-to-the-store items. I shop locally as well but in the form of fresh produce, thriftshop, yardsales, and supporting our local restaurants.
Take advantage of your local library, if you have one, for entertainment. They usually have magazines and DVD’s in addition to books. Most libraries will even order a book that you are looking for. Also, some libraries have started a couponing area where people drop off coupons that they don’t need and can pick up coupons that they will use. See if you can get that started at your local library. Good Luck!!
If I were in your situation, I would do a meal plan for an entire month at a time. Then I would do a monthly shopping trip to the nearest city and stock up on most items for the month. This may involve having to initially purchase another refrigerator/freezer to store all your food items. I would try to also stockpile non-perishable food items as much as possible to work into my monthly meal plans. I believe that meal planning is one of the best ways to save your family money.
I’ve lived in a rural area for most of my life, & I can say it’s definitely possible to be frugal! It just take a bit more creativity.
1. Make fewer shopping trips. With the nearest shopping 40 mins away, we learned to do it every other week at the most– sometimes once a month. And we plan our trips well!
2. Be willing to think outside of the box & be creative. Rural areas DO have deals, they just look different & take a bit of hunting. Make some frugally-minded friends, and ask them to help you learn their skills. From friends I learned–
— The Amish farm markets, eggs, & bulk and natural foods are cheaper than you can find anywhere else!
—- Bent & dent groceries (or salvage groceries) are amazing stores where you can find items for a fraction of the cost
—-Large, cheap fruit orders happen at our local hardware store. (?!?!?)
—- I can get free sand, compost & dirt from my town. Urban folk have to buy sand & soil by the bag!
3. The strength to a smaller grocery store– the about-to-expire dairy, meat, & bread is something you can actually find! Stock up & freeze when you can. And I never had to worry about the stores running out of products when they had a good sale.
4. Work together with friends on trips. The nearest Trader Joe’s is an hour & a half away. 🙁 This past year a few friends & I formed a “Trader Joe’s Club”, where we take turns making the pilgrimage to the store every month. And everyone else sends along a grocery list. It’s been fabulous!
5. Find a local couponing/deal blog to help you out. Blogging is SO popular these days that if you look hard enough, you usually can find someone nearby that’s blogging about their deals.
6. And garden. Those city folks would LOVE to be able to experience the sizes of the gardens that we can throw on our land.
I think there are a ton of strengths to the simpler rural life. Less options can often mean that you have less things to spend your money on. Make rural living work as a strength for you rather than a frustration.
I should have read this before posting. Listen to her, she knows what shes talking about 🙂
Buy a freezer and go to the city. Also find a farmer who can sell you a whole hog and/or a side of beef.
Christina – Cooking from scratch will be your best friend when it comes to saving money and providing quality meals for your family. Homemade bread for example is pennies on the dollar and not difficult at all to make. The more you minimize your purchase of packaged foods, the more you will save and the better food will taste.
I have not read any of the many comments, but we live in a rural-ish area. However, a half hour drive can get me to just about any store so I’m not quite in your same shoes. I’m glad to ready that you’re “recovering” from bankruptcy and not wallowing in it. 🙂 Best wishes coming out strong on the other side!!
A few things I would do, which might require rolling up your sleeves and pulling up your bootstraps 😉 :
Garden – even a few containers of a few veggies will provide some fresh stuff far cheaper than buying from a store (and taste better, too!) You don’t need fancy containers, you could ask a local restaurant for their large buckets and drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage and viola, a nice container for a tomato, squash, some cucumbers, etc. Or you can “go big or go home” and do an “in ground” garden. Depending on where you live, you could still easily get nice veggies even if you start now.
Bread is horribly expensive. You can make your own for “pennies on the dollar” for what you pay for it at the store. If it seems daunting, you can scour thrift stores for a bread machine, google the instruction manual for recipes for your machine and make it that way. I don’t like the “loaf” my machine makes so I have it make the dough and then bake it in my own loaf pan in the oven. Easy peasy way to save a lot of $. 🙂
I don’t have any good recommendations for the milk except to maybe limit it? Maybe you could do milk for breakfast and dinner, and water or lemonade for lunch/in between meals?
Ask if your store ever marks down meat for quick sale. You can get it cheaper that way, and freeze it right away. In the past mark-downs were THE way I bought the majority of our meat. You don’t want to stick it in the fridge for a few days, but if you use it same day or freeze it, it is fine.
I hope you’re able to find some encouragement from all the comments! Hang in there!
Here are a few of my suggestions. When my parents moved from northern New Jersey to then-rural Pennsylvania, they were in a similar situation. Where were the stores? Yikes! You have a few more options now that we have the internet, but here’s a list of ideas to get you started:
– Buy in bulk to reduce your trips to the store
– Buy raw ingredients and make things you love from scratch (ie, bread!)
– Find like-minded friends in your town & start a mini-food co-op by splitting large orders of food
– Find local farmers for things like milk, eggs, meat, cheese, and more! You might be able to afford higher quality products if you can keep your gasoline expenses down
– Grow your own garden (or garden with a friend) and then put up the excess. Even if you can’t garden, if you can get a good deal on tomatoes, apples, green beans, or whatever, you can save money by not having to buy these things at the store later.
– Turn homesteading into a fun hobby instead of thinking “we have to do this to save money” You might find something you love (anything from making soap to canning to candle making or raising chickens) that you can use to make money!
– Living rurally can be an adventure instead of a horror.
I have the same issue. Nothing to price match to. We own a farm so produce isn’t a problem, nor is meat. If you have any room at all (I’ve even grown veggies in concrete blocks that only take up a foot) then try growing your own food. You could also try shopping once a month and driving a bit further. My husband and I drove almost two hours to the “big” town that had three stores so we could shop for the month. It was more gas, but no more than the people that shop weekly or more use.
Living in rural area, take advantage of Ebay for toys or clothing for your children. You can get great deals, with reasonable shipping for new and used items. Takes time to research and buy, but saves you gas money and you can get more bang for your buck when you buy used toys or clothes. I’m on the other end. I sell the used toys and clothes on ebay and make spending money for my family.
Buy in bulk.
Shop for seasons ahead for clothing.
Check for a used freezer from your local paper or craigslist and buy in bulk to freeze.
Invest in a used breadmaker from a yard sale, goodwill, craigslist or ebay.
I have lived in a rural area most of my life. Honestly, you couldn’t drag me to the city! That being said, I consider it a blessing to live far from the hustle and bustle of modern towns and cities. Living in the country gives you so many more avenues to better your life and situation. I have recently made it a mission to make as much as I can (food, clothing, etc.). Here’s my two-cents:
1. I started watching “Little House on the Prarie” (rented from Netflix). How these folks lived back then, only inspired me to be more independent from modern ways of buying everything, instead of making it.
2. Buy or rent the book “The Backyard Homestead”. The authors did a really good job simplifying the information, and it explains how you can feed your family for a year on 1/4 acre.
3. Grow your OWN food! You may need get a deep freeze if you don’t already have one, and canning is also a really great way to preserve you harvest as well! This year, we had a great peach harvest, and I have made peach jam and stocked my freezer with peaches too.
4. Put together a list of some really easy, cheap recipes that you can use often in your weekly menu. For instance: Sausage biscuits, tomato soup and grilled cheese, Quesadillas, etc. Stock up on these ingredients.
5. Freezer cook as often as possible (onceamonthmom.com).
6. Amazon.com (subscribe and save) and Soap.com are great places to buy some food and household products. Azure Standard is also a good place to get bulk organic and natural products (see if they have a drop-off location near you).
7. Raise chickens. Eggs are so good for you and chickens are so easy to maintain. If you have a portable chicken house/tractor you can really cut down on the cost of chicken feed too!
Make little changes where you can, and you will get where you need to be!
Hope this helps a little!
We have a similar situation. I live in a town of 3000 and the closest Walmart is 2-1/2 hours away. It is true I shop less because there is nothing here to buy. There is 2 grocery stores but they are expensive we live in a tourist town so everything is expensive. We are coming off of a bankruptcy as well and a family of 5. Our summers are too short to garden. I do make my own bread and cook from scratch. I did just get about 20lbs of cherries that we picked from an aquaintances tree. They didn’t want the birds to get them all so it cost us the gas to go pick. Menu planning is also a great way to save money. Recovery is a long road it has been 1-1/2 yrs now since our discharge. We lost our business, our home and had to trade in 2 cars, went from six figures to nothing for 7 mos. God is faithful he will provide. I wish you and your family all the best and know this you are not alone. God Bless!
Hi There,
I don’t live in a rural area, but was brainstorming about what I would do if I were in your situation to save money. So, here are some of my ideas: Once a month trip to the far away stores to get items you can’t get locally. Start making things from scratch that you would normally buy packaged or already made (ie. bread, cookies, desserts, snacks, etc). Buy in staples in bulk: flour, sugar, meats, cheeses. Grow a garden and can/freeze the excess. I recently got a bread machine and have found that it is really easy and cheap to make bread at home. I found mine at a church rummage sale for $5, which reminds me…yard sales and craigslist are great places to find deals. Lastly, you should look online for deals and a lot of places offer free shipping. Good luck!!! Where there is a will there is a way.
One of the things we did when we lived in a more rural area was trade. I learned how to bake bread and would trade fresh made loaves for farm fresh milk and eggs. You could also trade for fresh produce. Use your skills or take up another in order to find out what people would be willing to trade for. I liked doing bread because a big batch would lead to 7 loaves, enough for my family and a trade with the neighbors.
I live in a rural area (not as rural as yours!), and by the time I get to the stores, the shelves are already cleared of the coupon match-up deals and/or a store manager tells me they haven’t got their delivery yet. Do you make a trip near your local Walmart or other stores for work everyday? If so, it may be worth stopping often to check for unadvertised close-outs and sale items. There is a local chain drugstore near me that does not run the best coupon match-ups, but they often have buy one get one free deals on their store name product. Stocking up on BOGO free soap, mouthwash, kleenex, toothpaste, ect will save some money. I avoid the local dollar store as much as possible as I find the deals are rare, the stuff is low quality and I end up spending more then I intended to. Better to have a freezer and pantry at home then to rely on a dollar store for last minute meals. I am a school employee so I do the bulk of my shopping and stocking up in the summer months when I make a special trip to “town”, every Monday (which also happens to be sale day at the thrift shop there). I only coupon in the summer months, as not worth it the rest of the time. Although I do check for match-ups on line if I am going to the city for dentist, doctor, ect.
I know they are not cheap, but I am buying and freezing the smaller pita pockets and getting away from eating too much bread. The pitas stack easier in the freezer and make a more filling sandwich. My husband would inhale a half a loaf of bread for breakfast and the other half for a snack. He is less likely to do that with the pitas and will search for something healthier, like an apple!
I am reading alot about gardening here, keep in mind a garden doesn’t have to be a big chore. A few tomato plants, a raised shaded bed for lettuce, a planter with fresh herbs are easy to care for. Is there a farm stand or u-pick around? They may sell you bulk deals at the end of the day as fresh produce is picked daily. Picking and freezing fruit has to be one of the easiest chores to save money!
I also live in a rural area. I find my time saves me more $$ if I spend it in the garden and tending to small livestock instead of coupons/sale matching/driving to a big box store.
I can a lot of produce from our garden every year. I keep a dozen laying hens and raise about 75 chickens for meat every year. I only have to invest about 10 minutes a day which pays me in a dozen organic eggs and 75 chickens in the freezer every year. I have milk goats and 20 minutes a day gives us fresh milk, yogurt & dairy products. I buy flours & dry goods in bulk at Amazon and taught my 11 year old daughter how to make bread so she can help on busy days. Also keep a pantry well stocked on things you use regularly. I buy peanut butter and barbecue sauce by the case when on sale so I don’t have to spend time & $$ driving to a store if I run out.
To save our family money I started growing my own veggies and I grow everything, I use companion gardening to get the most space, that is planting corn with beans and watermelon’s, so they can vine up the corn stalks. What we can’t eat I freeze and I have learned to can (it’s not just for jelly and jam). A few years ago I also planted fruit trees (around 10 on our property) which saves tons of money and for health reasons I make almost everything from scratch – bread, pasta, etc. along with my cleaning products to avoid chemicals. If you go online you can actually make laundry detergent for around .19 a load.
We are in a similar situation, and we go to a big city about 2 hours away every 8 weeks or so. To make it worth the trip, we enjoy the city and take the kids to museums and parks, then go shopping and fill up our coolers on the way out of town. The gas is expensive, but at least our kids get to enjoy the experience!
Many good suggestions here! One I’d like to add is hoecakes. I ate them as a child and fixed them for our son when he was little. All you need is self-rising flour, a little salt and water and an iron fry pan! You heat your pan with a little oil .mix the flour, a pinch of salt and water to the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Add to hot skillet and cook as you would a pancake. This makes WONDERFUL pull apart bread with dinner. Also my son lo ed it in the morning straight out of the skillet with syrup. Very filling, quick to make and frugal with that wonderful home made bread taste. A great video series to watch on you tube is ” Clara’s Depression style cooking “. Also my favorite site for baking is kingarthur.com. HTH
No guarantee: I lived in a similar situation, and the manager of our Wal-Mart agreed to let me price match the ads from the city about 100 miles away. I told him that I would rather shop at his store, and keep my money local, but could justify the drive at least once a month. It saved me hundreds of dollars, especially since we had a new baby.
Shopping at Wal-Mart (or any other national chain), even if it is in your town, does not keep your money local. The vast majority of what you spend leaves your town almost immediately.
We live in a rural area too, although it sounds like you are in a more remote location than we are. Sometimes I comp-ad at Walmart, because we live so far from Aldi that it actually saves me gas money just to run over to Walmart and get my food for the Aldi prices (or County Market prices). Also, depending on which state you live in, you might even live sort of close to an Amish area. They are great about having bulk food at super prices. Maybe every so often go there. I recommend yeast, oatmeal, and flour in particular. I do also bake my own bread (12 loaves at a time), which saves me a lot. Another fun advantage is that lots of folks in rural areas grow big gardens–bigger than what they can eat. So you might let people know that you are interested in veggies, and before you know it, you’ll be getting buckets of zucchini, cucumbers, and onions on your doorstep! 🙂 I just put up 15 gallon-sized bags of veggies in my freezer, and A LOT of it was given to us from older folks who love to grow the gardens but can’t eat all the food. I love rural life. 🙂
try coupons sites.
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.grocerycoupons.com/
http://smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=MKRU3JAAR6CCY
http://www.redplum.com/
i live in a small(ish) town & am able to save so much on groceries that when i looked at the standard for money spent on food for the # of ppl in my family based on age, i spend over $200 less than the conservative amount. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJan2012.pdf
I agree with everyone else…make and do everything yourself — this is where you will find your deepest discount. Hey, we city folk find that it saves the most to do it yourself too most of the time. We have a garden and lots of fruit trees (central valley CA) Depending on where you are in the country, you should be able to grow something. Learn to can! I had a ton of plums and made about 12 jars of jam (I didn’t have any equipment either) Be creative, the frugal thing takes time. As long as that’s your mindset, you will find ways to save!
You can freeze milk so if you stock up it helps. Do you have a freezer, you have to have one if you are going to save money.
I live in a rural area as well. The prices and driving distance sounds just about the same! I understand your trouble. My husband, Kids and I travel down to the nearest city (about 90 miles) every 6-8 weeks. We bring several ice chests to keep the cold stuff. We try to buy enough for about 2 months. Its makes a long day down there, and it is spending A LOT of money all at once. But, we try and make it fun, pretending we are pioneers traveling to the city for supplies. Usually we will get take out on the way home (another thing we don’t have in our town) to make it easier once we get home. It has become a fun family day for us.
Get a deep freezer if you don’t have one, we bought ours on Craigslist. When I became a SAHM 4 years ago I wanted to save $ but also feed my family the healthiest foods possible. This was when I learned how to preserve food, I found all of the information I needed on the internet. I love feeding my family foods that are fresh and healthy and I will try doing anything once. The first year we went to an apple orchard and picked apples, I made and canned all of my own applesauce (nothing added). The next year we put in a garden and I was able to can salsa with with the peppers, cilantro and tomatoes I planted. I was also able to freeze tomatoes for recipes and make my own spaghetti sauce. Last year we found pears when we were picking apples so I found a recipe to can them. When corn on the cob is cheap and plentiful I buy it from the farmer and cook it, slice it off the ear and freeze it. I planted rhubarb, I freeze my extra rhubarb to make bread and muffins in the winter months. This year we picked strawberries for the first time and I made freezer jam. I also freeze whole berries for smoothies or baking. I’ve made pickles with extra cucumbers we couldn’t eat. When blueberries are plentiful I freeze them on a cookie sheet and bag them, my kids love to eat frozen blueberries. This year my goal is to make my own pumpkin puree from the pumpkins growing in our garden, and can it. My husband is also a hunter so we eat venison, turkey and the fish he catches. We’ve canned the meat, frozen steaks, made our own bacon, ring bologna, hot dogs, brats, etc. and we know exactly what is going into our food. I do buy chicken when it’s inexpensive and my dad raises our beef, he buys 1 cow a year and 3 families share the meat and the cost. We figure it costs us about $1.99/lb for angus beef, grass fed, hormone free hamburger, roasts, steaks, etc.
I think your key to saving money will come down to two things: buying in bulk and being savvy with what you’ve got!
If you can buy groceries online, look out for things that you use often that go on sale (also think of things that can be used in a variety of different ways – eggs, tinned tomatoes, rice, potatoes, etc).
When your groceries arrive, put away the non-perishables and divide up what you’re going to use within a week or so of the perishables and freeze the rest.
I love coming up with different recipes that I can make using the same few basic ingredients – for example with some potatos, eggs, onion and bacon you can make a delicious one-fry-pan meal that is delicious on it’s own or can be used in smaller portions as side dishes. With eggs, onion and bacon you also have the basics for a quiche, and I don’t think I need to go into the versatility of potatoes! These ingredients are also easily bought in bulk, and will keep for a while.
I’ve recently started posting frugal food ideas on Instructables in their recipe section. (I don’t know what the policy is here on adding links to comments, so I’ll just say if you want to look up the frugal food ideas I’m posting, just search for CashDoctors in the user section and you’ll find me!)
Good luck to you!
Check and see if Azure Standard will deliver to your area. They are a healthy food co-op from whom you can order 25 and 50 lb bags of beans and grains for a very low cost. They also have lots of boxed and canned foods that are hard to come by outside of a healthfood store. They will create a new drop point if it is along their route and I’m pretty sure that you do not have to order regularly to have a drop point at your house, just a minimum each time you order…so go in with others!
Also I would think a chest freezer would be invaluable. We buy beef and chicken from a private farmer once a year and keep it in our chest freezer. This is cost-effective and so much healthier!
And while you are being creative about your shopping, remember all of us city folks who wish we lived 100 miles from anywhere! Hopefully that will keep things in perspective!
I live in a rural area too, not as bad but my advice is to build yourself a little homestead. If you have enough area grow a garden, possibly raise some chickens for eggs and maybe some goats for milk. There’s a book I know of called Backyard Homestead, I haven’t read it but supposedly it tells the read how to become self sufficient on 1/4 an acre of land. Also I agree with many other posters order stuff online, make your own breads and such.
We just started making our own bread to cut down on costs. If you have a bread maker you can just put in the ingredients and go, otherwise there are lots of great recipes on-line for making it the traditional way. Either way, the ingredients are a LOT less expensive to make your own than to purchase bread at the local store, especially if you’re looking for the whole grain variety.
There are a couple of options that you could do: shop through Amazon.com, shop at soap.com (they will let you use manufacture coupons), and/or see if you can order from Azure Standard (they deliver to areas once a month and you can buy items in bulk, just go to their website and see if they have a monthly drop off near where you live), make items from scratch, etc.
In your situation I think that possibly the best way to save money would be to make all that you can from scratch. Bread, cream soups, jams, even noodles. You can freeze or can these items and use them when you need them. At Walmart, check for the meat that is going to expire and is on sale. Or buy bulk packages of cheaper cuts, then refreeze into smaller packages once you get home. Don’t throw away meat bones ever. Make your own stock from them and freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen dump into freezer bags for use when you need it. Buy the fruits and veggies that are on sale because they are over-ripe. Make jam or applesauce or frozen chunks to use in recipes with the fruit. Par boil the veggies, then dry on tea towels and freeze to use just like store bought veggies. Tomatoes are the best, you can make tomato sauce, marinara sauce, your own ketchup. Bananas can be mashed, frozen in ice cube trays and used later in banana bread or oatmeal or pudding. Beans are a great money saver. You can make a huge pot and freeze the leftovers or eat them for the next week. My fiance and I switched to a whole unprocessed food diet not that long ago, and it IS more expensive, but these are the ways that I try to stretch our dollars. I know all of this prep can be time consuming, but I think that it would be a great opportunity to bond with your kids and you can begin to teach them to cook. Even little ones love to help in this area, you just have to be patient. If you lack recipes for anything you want to make from scratch, I would suggest checking Pinterest for recipes, or Google. We are so lucky to live in this age where information is so easily shared. Also, I have two great books that you can probably find used on Amazon cheaply. The Tightwad Gazette, and the Tightwad Gazette II. They were both written in the 90’s but the woman who wrote them is so resourceful, and the information is timely even today. Actually, more so today. Hope this helps.
This is just a little thing, but we have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance and they have a thing where you post how many fruits and vegetables you eat a day and also how many times you exercise – you can earn all kinds of things, but between my husband and I we get a 25.00 Amazon card every month and I use it to buy our vitamins. (We take a LOT of vitamins!) I also do swagbucks (not very much), but everytime I can I add a 5.00 Amazon card to my account.
Definitely utilize Amazon. You can get some really good deals on there from time to time. Keep an eye on any staples that you buy. When they go on a really good deal- stock up! Also, cook from scratch as much as you can! Depending on your time situation, I would recommend investing in a quality breadmaker. You can make not only your bread, but also dough for other items in the machine and save some serious money!
We also live in a rural setting. I would start by investing in a deep freezer and shelving.
I would say a deep freezer is a must. With a deep freezer comes many avenues to save. If the cost of a new deep freezer is an issue check the want adds in the local papers and auction listings. We got our Deep freezer very cheap on an auction. Talk to local farmers about purchasing a half or whole beef carcass. If you have time, you can plant a garden. Freeze or Can your surplus produce. Plant fruit trees and berry bushes. Talk to people in your community, there might be someone willing to thin out their berry plants; giving you their off shoots at little or no cost. We got our strawberry plants free from a lady who wanted to thin hers out. And check places like Lowes, Menards, Walmart ect. because starting in July they really mark down leftover plants. That is how I got blueberry and blackberry plants we could afford. Don’t forget to talk to people, we get free apples and apricots from our elderly neighbor who no longer can use all that his trees produce. As far as bread; with a deep freezer you can purchase several loafs at a time and freeze some until you are in need of them. Hope this is helpful.
You can feed your family frugally, but it is a matter of learning some new ways. Just pick a few to start and add more as you can.
Do you have a Sam’s Club membership? Many of their products are available for delivery. Amazon has some great deals, too. We do not have a Sam’s club in our town, so I travel about once a month to the Sam’s 30 miles away. You can even make a list on-line at Sam’s to make it easier to shop. I buy all of my yeast, rice, seasonings, and cheese there. Carrots, eggs, and other baking staples are a good price there, too.
Check out The Tightwad Gazette at your library. There is a Complete Tightwad Gazette book that has been around for over 10 years. Lots of great ideas! Also, check out Mary Ostyn’s book Family Feasts for $75 a week. Great ideas for frugal meals that are VERY tasty! It’s my families favorite cook book.
Take advantage of your environment to raise a garden. Even if it is just a container garden of a few tomato plants, those are a few less veggies to buy. How about some salad greens or spinach? Herbs in pots in a sunny window?
Plan menus. Think about what can be used in multiple meals for minimal effort if you are new to cooking from scratch. For example, make a beef roast with veggies (potatoes, carrots, celery, etc.) Serve half one night to your family with a salad, fruit, and maybe some homemade bread or biscuits. The next morning, use the other half to make a yummy soup for that night’s dinner. (Reserve the broth, potatoes, and other veggies in addition to what meat you could spare from the meal for the soup. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, peas, beans, green beans, etc. Cook all day in crock pot. So little work, for such a great, healthy meal.)
I started making my own bread exclusively about a year ago. SO EASY!
(2 cups warm water, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp yeast. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Add 4-5 cups of flour, 2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp oil. Knead (by hand or in stand mixer) into a ball. Divide into two parts and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Allow to rise for about 20-30 minutes (until the pan is full or the bread dough is at the top. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool. Makes 2 great loaves; they slice really well after they are cooled completely. I slice as we need it, not before so it doesn’t get stale as fast.)
Look for simple alternatives to store bought cleaners. Vinegar and baking soda really are great around the house and are rather inexpensive (and healthier, too). Home made laundry detergent is really easy, too. Just takes minutes to make a batch that lasts my family of six about 2 months. (less than $4 a batch)
Water, water, water! Try to skip the sugary drinks and fill the kids (and yourself) up with water. Juice is overrated and not really that good for you. (You get more vitamins in the actual fruit/vegetables.) Pop and other drinks should be a treat. Get the kids (and yourself) reusable bottles. Keep a pitcher of water in the fridge chilled. We actually have 2 gallon pitchers and usually refill them multiple times a day.
Breakfast for dinner is a good, cheap alternative. (My bread recipe makes a great french toast, too. I use Mary Ostyn’s recipe for the actual french toast.) Omelets, pancakes, waffles, and hash browns are other ideas for breakfast for dinner. Meat is the accent, not the main course in these meals. Soup and stir frys are also other great low cost meals.
Look into purchasing a side of beef in the future. We just got ours last week. It works out to about $3 a pound after processing and it is grass fed beef, too.
Invest in a large cooler for the drives to the major stores. Shop with a list and on a full stomach. If possible, leave the little people at home. (Less distractions and less impulse purchases as well no more mysterious items entering the cart while your back is turned!)
Take snacks and water with you when you are on errands. Saves an impulse purchase or trip to a drive thru.
Re-evaluate your paper product usage at home. Of course toilet paper is not optional, but could a less expensive brand still be usable. What about paper towels? We use a minimum of them and mostly use micro fiber cleaning cloths I picked up in the automotive section of Walmart years ago instead. Look at anything that is disposable that you purchase and see if you can find a reusable alternative or a way to make it stretch further.
You have already found a very useful tool in Crystal’s website. Check for an older post about how to save money on groceries by eating a very basic menu so that there is excess for purchase of staples on sale. I wouldn’t want to live on it for a long time, but it is a place to start.
Good luck!
I don’t know if it’s been said or not, but I know the rural areas that I’m familuar with have a big “help each other” community. Are you able to garden? Maybe you could find some people to start a fruit/vegetable co-op and can exchange goods?
Also, those true “ma and pa” stores are a great place to network. If you have a hobby/trade that you can offer, why not put an ad up at their business? Maybe you can make some curtains in exchange for groceries or produce?
I also am a fan of making bread. And my husband LOVES it.
Christina…one thing that has worked for us is a couple large deep freezers. A couple large coolers and monthly or quarterly trips to the city. We buy bread at a discount bakery and freeze for use thru the month. We also purchase milk to freeze…so if you are able to find it on sale stock up…it keeps for several months. We garden….freeze and can a great deal…and that cuts cost. Yes there is your time involved in canning and freezing your own produce…but I personally find it reward and a great feeling to open the pantry and see all those canned goods you grew and canned on your own. Plus it’s better than what you buy in the store. If gardening and canning are new to you…perhaps you can find someone in your community to teach/coach you thru the process. Or even a county extension agent can help you. We use some coupons…but don’t rely on it. Planning meals…and buying bulk helps us here….hope you find somethings to help.
A few weeks ago, a huge storm left much of the WV area without power for days (and some still don’t have power 2 weeks later). I used to be a fan of buying in bulk and freezing, but, after we had to throw everything out since it went bad (there was a shortage of fuel and ice so a generator was out of the question) I’m starting to re-think that decision. In a rural area, you may be the last in the area to get power back if something happens.
You can always can meats with a pressure canner so a freezer would not be necessary. This tip also helps for buying meat in bulk, I think 2 cups of cooked ground beef equals 1lb.
Ashley–I’m sorry you lost everything in your freezer!
One important thing to consider is the frequency of such storms. I grew up in a rural area and am used to going without power for two to three days, but we’ve had two storms in the past four years that knocked out our power for five days.
One thing we do to limit food loss during outages is keeping frozen water bottles (two liter bottles or plastic milk jugs) in the bottom of our chest freezer. When bad weather is coming, we put them on the top of the food, lock the freezer and wrap it in blankets. I’ve scaled back on what we freeze and I don’t buy perishables right before big storms just in case. So far, we’ve only lost a handful of things, mostly those that were in the small freezer in the kitchen and a few condiments from the fridge. We’ve also eaten ice cream for dinner during snowstorms, too 😉
I live in a rural area, also, and know your frustration when you read about all the great deals couponing and comparison shopping. I tried most of the things suggested, like bulk buying far away, etc., but tired quickly of the time committment, so we decided to live/eat simpler. Rural life is actually to your advantage if you decide to live this way.
1. I keep a good supply of staples on hand — Walmart should have good prices on these — like flour, sugar, dried beans, etc.
2. I use Swagbucks and accrue Amazon.com credit — then I use these dollars to buy things that are hard to find locally, like artichoke hearts, capers, etc. for free! This also livens up my menus.
3. We have a good-sized garden — a definite benefit of rural living. If you don’t garden, scout around for a farm stand or market, then freeze or can your produce finds.
4. We share a half cow or pig with relatives every year from a local farmer. Even with butchering costs, it’s a bargain, and we know where it came from and how it was raised.
A little ingenuity, and an almost total disregard to the posts from those who live near Aldi’s or other cheap stores, goes a long way!
Online shopping! Get free shipping with Amazon prime (which you can get for free through Amazon Mom or Amazon student).
We also love Vitacost!
Don’t be scared of bread baking! I used to buy bread, then did the bread machine, failed at by-hand bread a few times, and then finally got the hang of it. My husband gets so excited when I make bread! Try this recipe: http://homejoys.blogspot.com/2011/01/miracle-bread.html
Learn how to cook large batches of rice and beans and oats from dry. They’re much healthier than the processed/canned/instant kind. They’ll taste “funny” at first, but then you realize that you’re just missing all the fillers!
Hang your clothes to dry. Turn off the heated dry cycle on your dishwasher- they dry just fine if you leave the door open overnight! Instead of packaging frozen things in zip bags, try to find deals on plastic freezer containers. They’ll be a bit pricey upfront, but you can use them over and over again.
I am moving to a small area also. When I go to Wal-Mart to buy milk, I have mentioned that Kroger has their milk on sale for $3.19 and they price match (Wal-Mart’s is usually $3.74). I have never seen on their price matching policy that the price match store has to be within a certain range (my closest Kroger would probably be a 100 miles away). Also, I price matched Target’s 10/$1 prints today also.
I am enjoying reading the tips here! A few posts talked about Amazon (which I LOVE!) but also price check Vitacost.com. There are many times that something I have on my ongoing food wishlist for Amazon is much less on vitacost. I try to make one or two purchases online a month to save on shipping so I bookmark things for my next purchases on the wishlist feature.
Hi,
I lived for several years in North Dakota. It was 85 miles to any regular grocery store or a walmart. It took a bit of getting used to, but I would make a once a month all day trip, and buy what I would need for the month. It will take some planning, but sit down and figure out how much of all your non perishables you use in a month- diapers-wipes- etc. If you have a big enough freezer- you can freeze milk and bread- and cheese used for cooking. Buy any meat that is on sale and stock the freezer. Also, if we or a friend was shopping and found some good deals- we would call each other and buy the deals for them(pay them back). Bring several coolers so you can visit any store you need. We would get the sale ads for those store 85 m away., or look online. Use the printable coupons sites- betty crocker- kellogs, etc to use coupons. Then only get what you absolutely have to at the local store. Hope this will help, it is doable…..
We live 20 miles out of a town of 800 with one grocery store and the nearest Walmart is approx. 100 miles away. One resource I don’t think I saw mentioned here was Azure Standard. Although I don’t know what part of the country you are in, they have pretty extensive drop point locations and are a great source for bulk flour, grains, pasta etc. If you don’t have a drop point close they will UPS non-perishable items. While this might not be in the realm of coupon type savings, I have found for our family that the cost to have the goods UPS’d was a savings over my fuel, lunch, time etc. to travel the 100 miles to our nearest bulk food store… also like many others have mentioned, embrace your situation,remember to trust in God’s provision, have a positive attitude and try not to compare your level of saving to those who have a very different set of logistics and resources. Be proud of yourself for making the effort!!
Many of the comments suggest gardening and farming as a way to save money. Sadly, rural doesn’t always mean agriculture is possible, due to renting/landlord restrictions, poor soil, lack of water, small lot size (especially for a cow!), HOA restrictions, wild animals, large trees, lack of start-up funds or a black thumb!
If any of those are the case, I suggest reviewing your entire budget. Are there ways you can save a significant amount of money outside of your grocery budget? Line-drying our clothes saves us at least $200 per year (about $16 per month), which helps make the expensive milk more affordable. Making our own laundry detergent frees up another $5 or so in the monthly budget.
Like others have mentioned, shopping Amazon’s grocery deals might work for you, especially if they have good deals on Subscribe & Save products. Shopping every 4 to 8 weeks at the big town might help you stretch your budget as well, if you’re able to plan ahead.
Well if you have good reception then get digitally savvy and use it as an opportunity to get creative!!! Creatively frugal!!!
Thank goodness for technology :D!
I live in a rural area with only a small grocery store in my town. Walmart, Costco, and any other big grocery store is 80 miles away. Here’s what I do to save money. I buy in bulk at Costco, (for us it’s worth it, the money earned from our purchases pays for the membership fee) I can some, I freeze some, this year I have a small garden, we buy our meat directly from the rancher. Usually a half or a whole cow and then have it butchered. I plan my meals, participate in Bountiful Baskets, and coupon only if I know I’m going to use it! I take advantage of Amazon deals and online shopping. We stopped our satellite service to our TV. Netflix works just as well and is $50 cheaper! We switched to straight Talk phones and saved another $50-$60. I also earn money clean vacation rentals for different people and play for weddings if needed. Think outside the box and don’t get discouraged!
I grew up in a rural town, spent a few years in a more urban community, and ended up back in a rural area. For me, the best things so far are to: garden and can/dry/freeze your own food whenever you can, look into buying bulk meat from a farmer (we got a grassfed, antibiotic free 1/4 cow for 3.66 per pound…way better than ever the junkiest meat at the grocery stores here! But, it does take a large amount of cash to begin with), make a once-a-month trip to the biggest town in your area for a stock up, and try to patronize farmer’s markets or participate in a co-op whenever you can. For us, it’s much more cost effective for me to buy a 25-lb bag of flour and bulk yeast at Sam’s Club and make our own bread (even with the $40 membership fee), as well as making our own cleaners with cheap baking soda and vinegar. Good luck!
If you do travel to your small Wal-mart, you could consider buying milk and/or bread there and freezing it. Freezing milk works great; just make sure you pour about a cup and one half out and re-close tightly before freezing (it expands in the jug).
I second the suggestion about co0perative purchasing — I currently am in a rural area and when we or friends drive to our nearest big city (civilization!) we always pick up stuff for each other.
God Bless you, your situation will improve with your work and creativity 🙂
I know exactly how you feel!!! We have a small local grocery store (which is ridiculously expensive) and a Super WalMart about 10 minutes away (but I HATE going in there!) My husband and I decided that I should be a stay at home mom, and I love being with my kids. But there isn’t much money after the bills are paid. I started to coupon regularly, and I still try to keep up with it, but I’ve found that I really save more by making my own. If you don’t have a pinterest account, I strongly suggest you check it out. I’ve found TONS of cleaning tips using things like vinegar, peroxide, and baking soda, and most of the home-made cleaners work way better than the store-bought stuff!
I also am blessed to have a very good friend who is in a similar situation. She and I go once a month to the closest Sam’s, which is about 2 hours away. We leave the little kids (4, 6, and 8) with my oldest daughter (19) in exchange for one item (of her choosing) to be purchased during the trip. One month I drive, the next month my friend drives. We use this shopping trip as a way to get a break from our kids (which really seems to help us recharge and regain our focus so that we can be better wives and moms for the rest of the month!), but it is really a busy, fast-paced day of shopping, comparing, and stocking up. We buy huge bags of flour, sugar, etc. Sometimes, after we’ve completed the trip, we’ll plan a freezer cooking day together. You can also find great ideas for this on pinterest–just search ‘once a month cooking’–or you can get great ideas on this site. Other than that, I think quite a few others have mentioned growing your own veggies. We’ve done this the past couple of years, and our kids love it! Your post doesn’t say if you work outside the home, but, if you do, you can still do all these things! You might spend your whole weekend cooking and cleaning, but it will save you SO much money! Get your kids and hubby in on the action, and you’ll all be finished much sooner.
Another thing you can do is to take a long hard look at paring down your other expenses. We’ve downgraded our cell phone package to the bare mininum, we’ve increased our insurance deductible (but NOT until we had the new deductible amount in a special savings account), and we’ve put ceiling fans in every room that we thought might benefit from one. We’re currently looking into cancelling our cable plan because we just really don’t use it–we’re able to get movies from our library and Redbox, and we really enjoy playing games on our Wii more than watching TV. You’d think the kids would put up a fight on that one, but they really enjoy doing crafts and experiments together so much that they are pretty indifferent. You can also find TONS of ideas for family activities on pinterest, even some ‘scientific experiments,’ as my son likes to call them. We hit the Dollar Tree for supplies while we’re on that big shopping trip.
That being said, we do all we can to bring in extra money as much as possible. I ‘ve been able to do a little sewing and baking for money (I also shop for sewing supplies on that big monthly shopping trip), and my daughter does some babysitting and tutoring after she finishes her college classes on some days. My friend’s son (16) does yard work for several people in town. We’ve both taught our kids about managing their money, so just not having to give them money all the time helps a lot. Plus we’re helping to teach them some responsibility.
I guess the most important thing would be for you and your hubby to sit down together and really evaluate your lifestyle and decide which things are most important to your family. Maybe there are some other areas where you can cut back or add some extra income. Maybe you can work a monthly shopping trip into your budget, and do some bulk cooking and freezing. Maybe you can do some ‘make-your-own’ experiments, both with food and household items. We do a little bit of all of these, and it’s really made a big difference. Just be sure to include your hubby in the decision-making process so that you’ll both rest easier at night. Just don’t get discouraged! It takes some time to get it all down, but just keep plugging away, and you’ll get there!
I agree with the other posts about growing and preserving your own produce. I would suggest starting with easy to grow and preserve veggies such as yellow squash or zucchini. They tend to be a vegetable that the whole family can agree on and have a large variety of ways that they can be prepared. You can enjoy them raw, in a stir fry, broiled in the oven with olive oil, baked in a casserole or baked into bread. Moneysavingmom.com suggested allrecipes.com a few years ago and it has turned out to be my favorite recipe website. Squash are also easy to preserve because they can be frozen and don’t require alot of skill for a novice. Tomatoes, corn and cucumbers are also easy to grow, delicious to eat fresh and can be preserved very simply. Farmers markets and CSAs are a great place to find the other produce you need or want until you get the hang of growing and preserving your own produce. With such a large family, you guys have the manpower to one day have a great garden with a huge stockpile of homegrown food!
If there are smaller locally owned grocery stores near where you live I would suggest buying your meat from there(I don’t trust the quality of meat from WalMart and I know that the price is not the best). Go early in the morning or before lunch to find great mark downs. If not then I suggest meal planning and driving that 100 mile drive once a month with a cooler to stock up on meat. Also, remember that beans, eggs and dairy are a great source of protein and are much less expensive than meat. We as Americans tend to eat a lot more meat than our body actually requires. Also, get creative with soups and casseroles that will make the meat stretch further.
I advise against a lot of processed foods(however, I wont deny the deliciousness of the occasional kraut or chili dog). They tend to be more expensive and not as good for you and your family. When you cook from scratch then you control the substances that go into your food. Instead of buying pizza or frozen pizza from the grocer, grab some marked down french bread from Walmart’s clearance rack and have a “Make Your Own Pizza” night. I also suggest freezer cooking. You can find great deals on used deep freezers on craigslist.org.
I have not bought anything in bulk from Amazon.com but I trust Money Saving Mom to know the deals as she posts them about once a week. You could also buy your staples in bulk when you take the monthly trip to buy meat. Milk will freeze and thaw wonderfully. Printing coupons is a great way to get those coupons that you need. Smartsource.com and coupons.com are free and you should NEVER pay for coupons.
Good luck and God Bless You on your new venture.
Do a budget and stick to it.
Major life changer for us.
It wasn’t about our grocery bill. It was about all the money everywhere else we were spending. Once your budget is sound, your grocery bill is a whole lot easier to tackle.
Eat simple, basic foods. Make everything from scratch that you possibly can. If you don’t know how to do something, research it on the internet or look up the recipe on allrecipes.com. It’s wonderful how many things I can make now, that one year ago I couldn’t. Cook like your great grandmother or grandmother would have. Grow as much food as you can in your yard. Start slowly, with just a few things and build your way up. Save up your Swagbucks and buy things from Amazon.com when they go on great sales.
The first ideas that come to mind is to make from scratch as often as possible, buy in bulk whenever possible and utilize free shipping whenever possible.
If you can buy most of your items in bulk (like 50lbs of flour), then you’ll have everything you need on hand to make your own bread. The cost savings is enormous. Buy pasta, rice, sugar, yeast – all of these items in bulk. If you can’t get it online w/free shipping, plan a super-huge trip to Costco or Sams Club and do it there. Buy enough to last you 6 months.
Plant a garden and base your meals around produce. Make your own condiments.
Buy a cow (for milk, then make your own butter and buttermilk too).
If you don’t have the space, see if any neighbors are willing to go halves on a cow. Look into chickens too for fresh eggs.
I guess you need to think like a farmer, even if you aren’t one. The more I read labels, the more I realize that store-bought items aren’t really that good for us anyway. I’ve started to make more food from scratch and it tastes better and costs less.
Even though we live in an area accessible to lots of things, we still make choices that aren’t based on that. If there’s a Sam’s Club or Costco around 100 miles, you could buy in bulk, but you only go a couple of times a year. Consider carpoooling with somone trying to do the same thing. Some health food stores do the same thing or as someone previously said, Amazon. For things like flour, rice, beans, sugar, anything like that. By doing that you’re cutting costs for things that you can stretch. Make your own bread, buns, pitas, etc. I make freezer meals when I’m able to, therefore it cuts down on the cost of eating out and purchasing convenience items. I grow whatever I can and try to trade with neighbors and get leftovers when others have had enough, for example, apples in the fall, zucchini, cucumbers to make pickles. We can and freeze as much as we can as well. There are other little ways to cut costs other than shopping around for the best deal or using coupons. Growing up in my family taught me to be more self sufficient, we raised chickens when I was younger, (no longer do this) we buy eggs from one of the neighbors, I make a lot of my own convenience foods, such as pancake syrup, bisquick, taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, hamburger helper mix, etc. Sell unneeded things on ebay or craigs list if a good rummage sale is not possible. Cutting the costs of electricity or water are helpful anywhere.
What about gleaning? You might be amazed at the food people will give away, especially if you’re willing to pick it. There are some potato farmers near where we live and in the fall we pay attention to when they are harvesting. When they are in the fields we’ll ask if we can pick up potatoes where their machines already went and we get a whole minivan as full as we can!
If you don’t garden yourself, find friends that do! You’ll may get a lot of food from them too.
So many great ideas! If you decide to try to do some couponing, you can subscribe to a large city newspaper- Sunday only- and have it mailed. You won’t get it until Monday or Tues, but you will get it. Since you are not really interested in the news, pick a paper with a great deal that is known for good coupons.
I know it was mentioned, but I must recommend the University Extension Service. Every land grant university has extension offices in each county of the state. Most are known for 4-H programs- which are wonderful!!!- but also there is help for gardeners and other home economists- that’s us, ladies. Call the office and ask to talk to the FCE- Family, Consumer Educator, and share with her your frustration. She should have suggestions and helpful hints. Some offices have classes in sewing, cooking, canning, etc. as well as many things livestock and horticulturally related.
Enjoy the county! Life is simple here! Neighbors helping each other. We have a lot of eggs right now so I sent my son to give away 8 dozen to our neighbors last week. The week before it was zuccini. Yesterday a neighbor brought over a bucket of ripe, red tomatoes!
I tried ordering just the sunday paper and was very disappointed. They removed the adds and coupons to make the papers lighter for mailing.
This is my new favorite (easy!) wheat bread to make at home:
http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2012/02/wheat-bread-or-how-i-have-overcome-my.html
It’s cheap, delicious and sandwich appropriate. (I hate bread makers because of the hole they leave in the middle of the bread!)
Also, buying in bulk is great, and if there is an Aldi anywhere within a hundred miles, you can probably price match with the Aldi ad (in the newspaper or printed offline) at your local Walmart. This is best for produce– for instance, last week there were boxes of mushrooms for $.79 and boxes of grape tomatoes for $.99, and this week there are boxes of strawberries for $.99 and so on. (Doing this and shopping at Walmart, I have gotten potatoes for $.17/lb, avocadoes and mangoes for $.29 each, and onions for $.20/lb!)
I think the best thing you can do is have a plan. Even more then couponing, the real money saver is planning your meals and sticking to your list.
Also make from scratch. It is almost always more expensive to buy pre-made.
I grew up in a very small town in Alaska we had one Safeway and one other Grocery store. We saved money by buying in bulk and cooking at home. If you ever do have to make a trip to a larger town make plans to stock up while you’re there bring a cooler along to keep cold things cold.
Here is a list of bulk places that sell wheat berries, flour, sugar, yeast, oats, rice, powdered milk, barley, beans, dried onions, celery, etc. that will ship to your door:
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/index.php/pantry/bulk-foods-and-grains
Here is the French Bread recipe that I use that costs me .25 a loaf to make , and you don’t need a bread machine–just a cookie sheet to cook it on:
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/index.php/french-bread
Since you’re further from a store, the time that you save from not shopping as often will be the time you can use to learn new skills so that you don’t have to shop much.
Find out if a neighbor can sell you milk from a cow or their goats.
My own family looks forward to the day when we can be in a place like where you’re at, so that we can have chickens and a cow, grow much mroe of our own food, and not have to shop much at all!
I agree with everyone who mentions gardening. If you are renting, you can probably still garden. A good friend of mine lost her home to foreclosure, but said that it turned out to be a blessing–they now have a place to rent that allows chickens and goats (there’s fresh milk!), and the owner lets her garden, including putting in fruit trees, grape vines, and berry bushes.
Thanks, Jen!
We also live in a very rural area with limited options, but you can get SO many coupons online now that it is almost as good as getting the paper some times. And you don’t have to pay for a newspaper subscription.
We also use Amazon Subscribe and Save alot to stock up on things like peanut butter, maple syrup and other shelf stable items. The price per unit is almost always cheaper than a local grocer. Plus they always have free shipping.
If you can go to the “big city” once every few months to a place like Sam’s or Costco you can stock up on larger bulk items to last over a few months and still get lots of savings. Also, you may be able to find someone in your community who runs a bulk food co-op, like Azure Standard, or UNFI where you can buy larger quantities of staple items for reduced prices over what you would pay for single packages.
Also, since you are in a rural area, see if any of your neighbors or local farmers may be willing to sell to individual consumers. Often they will and the prices will usually be less for a higher quality product than you could buy in a small town supermarket.
Oh goodness. I’ve tried to post the same comment as a reply twice now, and both times it showed up as its own comment. Sorry y’all. 🙂
Anyway, Christina, I was going to tell you that one of the most important things you can do is to determine what it means for *you* to “save money” on your groceries. You might not be able to have the same low grocery bill as someone else based on your situation. But add up how much a typical grocery trip would cost you if you just made a menu and shopped. Then see what you can do to bring your total down from there–use the sales that occur at your grocery store, make menus, cook from scratch. Do your best (whatever that means for your family and your stage of life) and then don’t beat yourself up about it. And remember that groceries aren’t the only place you can save money–re-evaluate other areas in your spending, too.
Everyone’s giving lots of great ideas!
I’m sorry about only having the local grocery store as an option! We are lucky to have a Vons but the only other options are the local joints and they are WAY overpriced.
I’m repeating some of what others said, but here goes –
For fruits and veggies – plant your own! find out what grows like a weed in your area (usually things like tomatoes and zucchinis). for fruit, you can either plant a tree and wait a couple years OR maybe check out other neighbor’s yards. If they have a fruit tree full of fruit they might be willing to let you glean.
Drinks – good old tap water will do the body good. no need for the expensive stuff!
Dry goods – I would suggest purchasing things like flour, oats, beans, brown rice. These are chock full of nutrients and are very filling. You can get creative with seasonings to mix them up.
Meat – I would personally just opt to go vegetarian if the meat sources were too expensive. Or buy some meat and just s-t-r-e-t-c-h it as much as possible.
Goodies, treats, coffee, etc…. – I personally am using Amazon gift cards to buy things like coffee and treats for our family. I earn them easily through making video reviews on ExpoTv.com, taking surveys on Opinion Outpost, and (slowly) through Swagbucks.
I hope this has helped you in some way! Also look into financial assistance through WIC or maybe a local church if you are in great need. Praying for you and yours.
if you could make a monthly trip to the “big city” and purchase in bulk it might be worth it. You can bake bread, tortillas, cookies, pie crusts, rolls, soup, pasta, or even yogurt (from dried milk). Also you can try your hand at making- Laundry Detergent, cleaners (vinagar based), hair care products (shampoo, apple cider vinagar rinse, flax seed gel) and dish detergent. You can cut your budget in half if you simply make everything- although you need more time. Also try not eating as much meat- and more dried beans, vegetables, rice and pasta dishes. I’m a pro at making nearly everthing….and I also have a family of 6 and I rarely use coupons- most coupons are for processed food that you probably would never purchase anyways. good luck!
Ask Walmart what stores they will let you use to ad match with. they generally let you have a bigger radius than if you lived in a city. Also have you looked to see if a larger city’s papers are sold in your town?
Invest in a bread machine and start making your own bread, pizza dough, buns, dinner rolls, etc. May recipies are easy to mix up and freeze for laster use. There are also some great crock pot spaghetti sause recipies – grow your own tomatoes, throw them in the crockpot and freeze in freezer bags after cooking and cooling. Barter for produce, milk or eggs from local farmers. If you have small children, check out ThredUp for clothes. Amazon, ebay, etc for bulk items. And find a core menu of thrifty meals and rotate them every other week or so. Think recipies with the main ingredient of beans or something served over rice. Cook a whole chicken in the crock pot and serve it for dinnner, using the leftover chicken for wraps or on a salad, etc. And strain the cooking liquid and freeze for chicken broth. I never buy chicken broth!
I just moved to a rural area also and can relate. How about $7.29 for a gallon of OJ? Here are my ideas:
Shop sales at your small local stores, sales only. If ground beef is on sale and you can afford it buy double and freeze the rest.
make your own as much as possible from scratch
Grow your own fruit and veggies and can and freeze extras
if you have the space why not venture in to chickens for eggs, the startup costs can be high so do a lot of research before starting.
As I’ve transitioned to a frugal lifestyle / tight budget I’ve noticed a trade off between time and money. So my suggestion would be see if there are ways you can take time to do something that would save money. If it’s food you’re looking at, make homemade. It does take more time, but then you are not paying for that food. Things I make, in order from easiest to most time consuming (in my opinion) are: Chicken broth, all breakfast food, bread – with a bread machine, frozen egg noodles, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, using dry beans, and more.
So adding to all the suggestions to buy raw ingredients online in bulk and make and freeze a lot of your own food. Just recognize the time it takes (is actually probably the time you would take searching for deals, sorting through coupons and going to stores.) There is definitely a learning curve and things will go much quicker when you been making your own for a while.
Alice.com is another place to buy online and they sometimes have good deals.
I live in a town of 600 people, with a very expensive grocery store in town. I’m fortunate that 10 miles away there is a town of 5,000 with two grocery stores that often have awesome sales on meat, produce, cheese and eggs. I buy most of my meats and produce there, and cheese, and reserve most everything else for Walmart. If I were you, I’d plan a once a month Walmart trip using printed coupons from online or coupons you get via the mail and stock up on everything you might need for the month. Then you could get just basic staples of milk and produce at your local store. You can freeze meat, of course and cheese and eggs tend to last a long time these days.
Are there any smallish towns nearby of a few hundred or few thousand people? If so, see if you can get their grocery ads mailed to you or online or if you know someone who goes by there once a week and pick it up for you. You’d be surprised what good deals they have. About coupons, you can also find a friend or family in a larger town to mail you theirs.
Lastly, I have learned that there are amazing resources in a small town. Here locally, we gather black walnuts and shell them for awesome tasting nuts. My husband’s grandparents old place still has strawberry rhubarb that comes up every year so we harvest that and eat it. There are TONS of mulberry trees in town and I’ve collected literally gallons! They make great pies, smoothies, additions to yogurt or oatmeal or pancakes. A local guy who goes to our church asked if we wanted to come get some peaches from his trees.
My father in law gave me a couple gallons of crab apples to make a pie, there are sand hill plums everywhere and we have a gallon of wheat kernels we got during harvest that we are going to grind into flour. You could also check with neighbors to see if you could buy their excess garden veggies for a couple bucks. In Florida, I would ask neighbors if I could pick their lemons/grapefruits/oranges that they didn’t want.
See what you can find in your community!
good luck!
Steph
make friends at the meat counter and find out when there will be markdowns. even walmart has pretty good discounts. Invest in a freezer and freeze, freeze, freeze. I freeze everything except cheese. (milk and butter are 2 biggies in my freezer when they are on sale) grow what you can and maybe plan a once a month or every 6 weeks trip to the bigger city stores. you might not catch every deal, but every bit helps. check out hotcouponworld.com for upcoming ads to scan and see if its worth your time. take a cooler for more perishable things if needed. make what you can at home. I make my own laundry soap and it saves a ton. look into bartering or trading. check out online shopping.
btw i live in a city but hate to shop 🙂
April, is there a reason you don’t freeze cheese? I freeze it all the time. Bars tend to be a bit crumbly, but the cheese still tastes great!
Instead of looking at what you can’t do, focus on what you CAN do. Write down EVERY item you spend money on each money listed into categories. When I did this a few years back (after I lost my job, and we were needing to live on one income), I found many areas we could cut back on (ie. lowering services for cell phone, cable, insurances, etc.). For meals, plan basic homecooked meals with ingredients made from scratch.
Many people focus too much time on trying to save a couple bucks at the grocery store, when they are hemmoraging hundreds of dollars in other areas of their lives.
I don’t know of any family who has gone into bankruptcy for the sole reason of not being able to coupon for junk food 😉
Start living to be more sustainable. Make your own bread, baked goods, etc. Plant a garden with fruits and veggies. Stock up when prices are low (if there are sales). Maybe shop online and take advantage of free shipping deals. Facebook and email are great ways to hear about savings so if there’s a store you like follow them on facebook and sign up for their newsletter to get notices on sales.I hear many other moms getting great deals through Amazon.com. I would try shopping online though. I do a lot of shopping online and have saved big this way too. Maybe make a trip into town once a month or quarter to a bigger stores like Costco where you stock up on essentials like oil, flour, sugar. I like The Prudent Homemaker on facebook. Very inspiring example of how to live very frugally. Good luck!
We are in this situation along with you and we plant a very large garden, I find my kids are willing to eat the veggies after they’ve helped to grow and pick them. I learned how to can by reading a few canning books that I found at the library. I bake our bread and we make our own pizza dough also ( very easy). We have laying hens that provide us with a great source of protein, plus our children love going out and getting the eggs out of the hen house. I but most of our canning and baking supplies in bulk online. We live about 40 minutes awy from any large grocery store so I only grocery shop once a month. You can and I do freeze milk when I find it on sale ( just pour alittle into your already open gallon and freeze the rest. It works great. I bake and freeze bread for the summer months so I don’t have to heat up the house. I dont find the need for coupons, because we eat a mostly all natural diet ( my kids do love chips ahoy! cookies) Aisde from the staple items like milk,butter, pasta and rice we grow or make the rest. We have made so many helpful changes we now are able to save a little money every month.
I lived in a rural area for over 20 years so I can feel your pain! I learned to make out meal plans for 30 days and go buy my groceries at a cheaper grocery store every 6 weeks. Then I filled in by shopping in town when I needed fresh food. This was before Wal Mart and before the Internet so I didn’t even have a way to check the specials – just shopped my list. I think meal planning is the number one task that can help save money. You don’t have to cook your meals in the exact order you plan them but at least you have the ingredients on hand. The other tips from readers are all great so start slow and soon you will see results.
For your information, I eventually moved to a big city with at least 7 different grocery stores and many other resources. It takes so much gas, time, and energy that I am exhausted trying to make ends meet here. One of my friends from the rural area came to visit and went to the grocery store with me. She was awestruck but I informed her, “It is nice to have so many choices, but I still have the same amount of grocery money so I still buy the same things as before”. LOL!!!! It just seems like the grass is greener on the other side.
Make a menu. Our local rural grocery store is sky high(wish our milk was only $4 a gallon), so I go about every 4-6 weeks to the city (45-50 mins) to do a monthly trip. Shop online. Garden. How about farmer’s market? Can/freeze food. I’m finding that I’m using less and less coupons.
Also look for other areas to cut down. Can you do less trips wherever and save on gas? How about utility bills, can you decrease them? Check out the bills on insurance, phones, etc. is there anything there you can do to bring it down? Can you simplify elsewhere that’ll save you money? You may have to cut out some activities. Smallnotebook.org and a post recently about ways to cut down on your budget (and her first suggestion is NOT the grocery budget, it’s actually the last)
Since you do have a Wal-mart stocking your pantry full of basics shouldn’t be all that hard. Then you should really try making things from scratch. It saves so much money in the long run. Make homemade oatmeal packets with bulk oats and brown sugar. Make your own pizza dough and bread. Look at shelf stable milk products such as almond milk or soy milk or evaporated milk. You have to just start a different mindset. Making things from scratch gets easier and easier the more you do it. So do be intimidated!
I live in a small town. Try only shopping in town once a month. It may take some getting used to – maybe start with shopping every two weeks at first. Menu plan for a month at a time. Garden. One fruit tree (or two) can provide free nutritious snacks for an entire season – plus some to can or freeze. Try homemade versions of items you normally buy. Evaluate your everyday meals. Soups, sandwiches, omelets, rice&beans all make excellent meals for pennies per serving. I try to do 2-3 of these “cheap” meals each week.
Spend some time on this site – it will help you tremendously! Keep a positive attitude. You can do this!
I grew up in a very small town too, and we had to get creative to save, but it was still possible. At first it takes a little effort to learn what works, but like everything else, once you figure it out, it’ll be no big deal. Here’s what we did.
Find out everything you can about the nearby stores. If your local grocer will allow you to order things that are on sale so you can stock up, etc. If you have a Dollar General or Walgreens, learn the game for those stores so you can maximize your savings. If you don’t have a chain drug store, consider organizing a co-op of other residents that would take turns driving monthly or bimonthly to the nearest big town and taking orders from other members. When I was a kid, my parents organized a co-op with members of our small town splitting cases of food and ordering in bulk.
Watch the local newspaper for ads from local farmers with eggs or produce for sale. Call them and ask about other items they may have (eg beef, chicken, etc). Or if you have a butcher in town, talk to him about local farmers that may have meat/produce for sale.
Hope that helps 🙂
Faith! it will carry you through the tough times. Gardening is the 1st thing that comes to mind to save money on groceries. Even if you don’t have the land to do it, I put my “garden” in concrete cinder blocks (keeps the weeds at bay too!). Store bought bread, like you mentioned, is expensive so make your own. Go back to the basic way of life where you buy staples and make what you eat. It might sound time consuming for a family of 6 but making bread can be pretty easy & its fun, take that frustration out on kneading!! Living a basic life is very rewarding too. Money isn’t the root of happiness, its the root of evil. Enjoy your freedom.
I live in a rural area, but can get to a Walmart in 20-30 minutes and target in an hour. I have recently been trying to save money without too much work. I found an Amish bulk store that is 2 hours away. Love it. They sell grains, beans, flours, and lots in bulk at cheap prices. I think I am going to start going there every 3-4 months and there is a sans club between here and there do I can pick up other bulk items in the same trip. I should only need to go to Walmart every couple weeks for fresh produce and milk. I have started making my own bread (bought what some consider the best bread maker, because I am a working mom and can’t do it without). I am getting ready to start making bread from fresh ground wheat that I ground. Trying to eat better, save money, and not spend hours doing it.
Depending on gas prices & how many mph your vehicle gets, perhaps it might be worth a very well planned out trip to town once a month or so to stock up. Print online coupons from home before you go. A large freezer would also help a lot. Take a cooler for the perishables on the way back. And be sure the perishables are the last things you place in your shopping cart right before heading straight home. And try to grow as many edibles as you possibly can. Almost all produce that you buy can also be grown at home. You might even be able to trade your home grown goodies for store credit towards other foods at your local small grocery store. Trading w/ neighbors is often beneficial, too. Perhaps you could even start a monthly grocery trip car pool w/ a few local neighbors that are also interested in savings. Good luck!
I have Walmart, Sam’s, a small town grocery store and Kroger to choose from, but Kroger and Sam’s are over 30 minutes away, so I understand. We also filed bankruptcy last year, due to the economy and they length of time it took my husband to find a job after he was laid off, it was our only option. I don’t coupon either. It just isn’t worth it for our family.
I’ve changed the way we shop. I use mostly our small town grocery store now. They have good deals on fresh fruits and veggies and meat.
You have to find the little things that work for your family and your area. Here are my best tips that work for our situation:
1-We don’t buy ‘snack food’ or prepackaged foods often, and I make everything I can myself. I make our own bread and yogurt and hot pockets. Homemade pancakes and waffles and syrup. Homemade chocolate syrup and hot fudge.
2- One of my favorite tips for saving on food is I use one of those large party size ice cream containers and leave it in my freezer at all times. Any leftovers that won’t be eaten or used in another meal get tossed in. After a time you have a nice collection of veggies and some meat, add a can of tomatoes and seasoning and water and you have a pot of free homemade soup!
3- Don’t pay for what you can get for free! DRINK WATER! Most of what people drink and pay to drink is crap, not healthy and a waste of money. The juice most families buy is so processed and sugary it’s not better than drinking kool-aid or syrup. Instead we eat fresh or frozen fruit and drink water. Or squeeze a lemon or lime or orange wedge in your water. Or add a splash of lemon juice, a touch of sweetener and some frozen berries.
Rarely do my kids drink a glass of milk-it’s expensive. If I have extra money I’ll buy a gallon of chocolate milk at the store and they can drink that as a treat all week. But we usually only use milk in other things-I make homemade yogurt, we eat cereal, I make smoothies, and we use it for cooking. They get plenty of calcium without being wasteful of our grocery money.
4- Snack foods are killer to a grocery budget, don’t buy them. Our snacks are fresh carrots, salad or fresh fruit. A 3 lb bag of carrots is cheap and will last a while-serve with ranch or peanut butter. I buy a 3 lb bag of romaine lettuce at Sam’s for $3. Fruit is what’s in season. Bananas are usually affordable as well as apples. Other than that it varies, right this moment our other options are grapes, kiwis, limes, and oranges. Last week we had strawberries and raspberries.
5 – Do not base your meals on meat. Each of our meals is based on potatoes, rice or pasta. Cheap and filling. Then I round them out as our budget allows, making them as healthy as I can.
6 – Find your cheap staples in your area that your family will eat-then google and find how many various frugal ways you can prepare those things. It might be a regional thing or seasonal or even a fluke.
Oh, Christina! I am sorry that you have had to go through this, but what a blessing to be able to start fresh!! What an example that is for your children, for you to learn from your mistakes…(we all have them). 🙂
It is hard to know exactly what will specifically help you since every community is different. I agree with lots of the previous posts regarding gardens, making things from scratch, making your own laundry soap. Make friends with people who have gardens if that is not your thing. I give tons of veggies away that we have been over blessed with. We also started raising chickens, they really don’t cost much and it has been fun for the kids. My blog even has instructions on how to build a coop with re-purposed materials, if you are interested.
It is very freeing to become more self-sufficient! I hope your efforts are doubly blessed!
Lajoie
I think we both must live in the same small town. We do not do the 120+ drive to a bigger city. I make almost everything, bread, rolls, desserts, jams, all meals are from scratch. We never buy canned beans but buy dry in bulk and cook them and make our recipes. We can’t garden due to the restrictions placed by our HOA but do take full advantage of any produce and fruit sales and freeze and use all we buy. We buy flour, sugar, etc. in large quantities from Walmart and then supplement with online shopping when the sites have sales. Works for us.
Try the store brands for things. Some things will be fine with store brands (paper towels and cereals) and some won’t (I don’t like walmart brand cheese and yogurt).
regarding bread – I buy the more expensive breads at walmart (arnold and brownberry brands) because they are healthier and fresher. You can also learn to make your own. If I want plain old white bread – I make it. See if you can get the Artisan bread in 5 minutes book from your library. Great for bread making!
I don’t know if this is workable for you or not. But, I have two possible ideas. (With both ideas, you will probably want to invest in an extra freezer or two)
#1. Maybe you need to be the type of family who only shops like every 3 months or so and drives to a store where you can pick up your groceries cheaper and only shop for the little stuff like milk and at your local store.
#2. Do you have land? I know that my grandparents lived in a rural neighborhood while my mom grew up (with 10 children) and they ended up growing a HUGE garden and canning/freezing a lot of their food. They also raised a cow, goat, and chickens to help make butter, milk, and eggs. Along with this idea is to maybe find someone else in your area who you can trade or barter with. LIke….. maybe you have chickens and they have a bunch of fruit trees…. you can always trade with them or even barter babysitting duties or something like that.
Also, if you end up going the shopping route, you can always buy all of your supplies and make things like bread from scratch. It’s cheaper than your local store and the taste is much better.
hope this gives you some ideas. I’ve never personally lived in a rural neighborhood but, this is probably what I would do if I did.
I grew up in a rural area, so I know your pain!
In addition to amazon.com, make sure you sign up for camelcamelcamel.com. It’s a site that tracks amazon.com prices so you can a)check out the price of a product over its sale time on amazon.com and b)be alerted when a chosen product is on sale below your alloted price.
Also, someone mentioned diapers.com. This site also has a number of sister sites that lets you combine items from each of the stores (which really helps to achieve free shipping). Also, many of the daily deal sites like amazon, Plum District, etc. will have half-price deals to these stores. The sister stores for diapers.com includes soap.com, yoyo.com, beauty.com and casa.com. You can’t combine multiple half-off deals, but you can use coupons!
I live in the middle of nowhere. Closest grocery store is 16mi & the closest large grocery store is about 45mi. Not quite as bad, but my advice is to make friends with the owners at your local grocery store. See if you can get good deals on nearly expired items. Also, you can buy coupons online. Carpool with someone & plan a day, maybe once a month, with no kiddos & go the 100mi to the big grocery store. Take a cooler & some of those thermal bags for cold stuff. Do LOTS of planning beforehand on what you will buy. Call & ask for their sales & deals or go online to see ads. Also check their coupon policy. You might contact your local paper to see what it would take to get coupon inserts.
We lived 35 miles from town for many years. Here are some of my strategies:
Invest in a freezer if you don’t already have one. Chest freezers are more efficient; uprights are easier to find things in.
-Milk can be frozen. I usually repackaged in quarts leaving enough headroom for expansion.
-Shop once a month at the bigger grocery store to get the better deals. Keep track of how much of each item you need to last a month. We had to ration cereal for the teenagers.
-Look for a local meat cutter who processes meat for the local farmers. Sometimes they have meat to sell.
We lived 35 miles from town growing up too! 🙂
I second the local butcher – oftentimes people will being in an animal to be dressed out and cut into meat and then they’d “forget” to pick it up. We got a lot of meat rather cheap (equivalent of $2/lb now) and it was locally grown. We could get a whole dear for the equivalent of about $0.99/lb now if we’d have wanted it. Not everywhere is that good, but it’s worth checking it out.
We have a chest freezer – I personally think freezing is easier (by far) than canning and since I live in MN, I really don’t have to worry about things melting. Most good quality freezers that truly seal will stay frozen for up to a week without power if they are kept cool, closed and well stocked. We keep ours in the basement, which is consistently about 60F.
I have found that skim milk does not freeze well for drinking but is fine for cooking. My guess is that it doesn’t have enough milk-fat in it to redistrute evenly after freezing.
Tomatoes and peppers are easy to grow as well as herbs (there’s a reason they have windowsill herb gardens available in any variety store). Talk to other people about what grows well for your area. We have good luck with squash, beans, lettuce and peas (as well as the tomatoes and peppers) but terrible luck with carrots and spinach.
Rural living can be a huge blessing! I hope you find something that works well for you!
Lea
My mom is in the same situation. She moved to Canada a few years ago from the U.S. and thanks to high taxes, and regulation on dairy/meat products, the cost of living (and eating) is about double of what we pay.
Here is what you can do to save a lot of money over the course of a year:
1. I hate them, and I am pretty sure they are the devil, but Amazon does literally sell everything (long story related to blogging). Gluten free products, honey, and nuts are a fraction of the cost of local store shelves. One great example is on Natural products like Annies Cheddar Bunnies (a favorite of my kids) http://www.amazon.com/Annies-Homegrown-Crackers-Original-7-5-Ounce/dp/B000CQ25UA/ref=sr_1_42?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1342031238&sr=1-42&keywords=goldfish+crackers
2. Get good at fixing and making everything. One MAJOR bonus to living in this day in age, is we have the tools to find, fix, expand, renew, and build almost anything we can dream up. We have a washing machine and oven that are, well, junk. We downloaded the manuals on-line for free, and have made all repairs to them ourselves. It has saved a fortune. We don’t have new things, but what we have works.
3. Take up a hobby that makes money. If you can knit for a few hours in the evening while spending time with your kids (let your older kids read to the younger kids while you sit between them and knit), you can have a hobby that will translate to a couple hundred dollars profit each year if you can get good at it. If you don’t like to knit, find something else; painting, sewing, writing, etc. Places like etsy, and ebay are great places to sell your wares.
4. Make a trip to the city once a month. This may seem expensive in gas money, but here is the caveat, even if it costs $50.00 in gas you can save more than $100.00 on the grocery bill. Anyway you look at it, it is a good trade off. Check the store on-line for their ads and go with a list and coupons. Plan ahead every single time.
5. You can make almost anything on the store shelves at home. Disgusting bread at the store? You can make some with simple ingredients and a little time. You may not be happy the first couple attempts, but keep trying. You will get the hang of it. Check out web sites that offer free recipes. I love Pioneer Woman, but you can find a lot more out there.
6. Find out what animals you can have where you live. You may be able to raise chickens (eggs, and meat), turkey (meat), cows (milk and meat), pigs (meat), and goats (milk). Slaughter houses are available everywhere and most of the time the cost to prepare the animal for consumption is very reasonable. You can also find small-scale milk processing equipment on craigslist, ebay, and via local dairies. Milking a cow on a daily basis is a pain, but you will get a daily influx of dairy. You can use the cream to make ice cream, cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, and butter. That can equal a lot of savings over the year.
7. Stock basics only, lots and lots and lots of baking soda, citric acid, borax, soda ash, vinegar, and essential oils can be used to make almost all household soaps. It is great for those with sensitive skin, and those that are trying to eliminate a lot of the chemicals from our bodies.
8. Be accountable for every single thing you buy. Ask, do I NEED this? Can I live without this for a month or two? How will this be used? How can I reuse the item?
9. Places like Macy’s and Sephora offer free in-store samples of product for you to take home and try. It is a great way to get a mini make-over and score a 10 day supply of foundation and cologne.
10. Go through your house monthly and sell off anything that you can’t use, is outgrown, can’t afford to keep around (husband and kids excluded), and gathering dust. Use ebay to sell clothing and small household items, and craigslist bigger things.
I hope that this helps. Best of luck to you and your family.
we have a similar problem, and after several years of trying to be thrifty, we ended up using the rural area to our advantage. now we have a huge garden, where we grow our own veggies. we team up with neighbors and buy half a cow / pig (you’ll need a big freezer!). we do a lot of trading….veggies, eggs, services (babysitting, tractor work, etc). we help our neighbors, and they help us. (where, the closest neighbor is three miles away) i hope that helps some!
We actually have a similar situation since we live in Manhattan, where the price of living is sky high and no-one takes coupons. It’s a challenge – particularly for fresh food.
Your challenges are different, but I tried to figure out what might work for you!
1) For bread, invest in a bread machine. It will cost you between $60 and $100 (less if you find it on a good sale) to get a good one, and ingredients are probably less than $1 a laof – much cheaper than – plus, you control what goes in and doesn’t. The convenience can’t be beaten – we usually put a loaf in when we get home from work (5pm), and it’s done after dinner (8:30ish). Perfect for doing sandwiches or whatever for the kids for school.
2) Buy online. Take a good look at the prices at your local store and Wal-mart. Then, go to Amazon and look at their subscribe and save deals. For many, many dry goods, they might be cheaper and even have a better selection. If prices are really bad, check into mail-order butchers. There are more and more and they might be able to give you a better price if things are really bad.
3) Find out about your local stores policies on internet coupons. Even if you can’t combine them in a sale, getting something off your bill is still worth it and there are more and more available online.
4) If you do go to the next big town (with good stores and sales) for another reason, consider seeing if you can do some of the non-perishable food shopping there or snag whatever sale is available when you’ll be there. Being opportunistic doesn’t hurt, even though it’s probably not worth it to travel that far just for the groceries. This can be particularly good if you can set up a deep freeze for extra meat and a pantry space to store extras.
we live in a rural community, too. we have a super wal-mart 45 miles away, and like you, target, etc. is over 100 miles from us. our local grocery store is very small, but they do run pretty good sales once a week. when things do go on sale, i stock up. especially things like ketchup, soups, etc. some things at our small grocery store are very pricey (like cereal, toilet paper, soap, etc.), so i buy things like that off of amazon. i watch the amazon deals that are posted here. as far as milk & bread, we just have to pay those prices, but hopefully can find deals on other things. i doubt this was much help, but i thought i’d let you know you’re not alone 🙂
see if you have any local csa’s (they seem expensive up front but believe them they are not) do you have a Bountiful Basket near you … make a once a month/every other month trip to a bigger community and stock up (I do this to go to Costco & to see my daughter’s doctor.) Plant a garden, even an herb garden or container garden … I have five tomatoes, 30 peppers, & various herbs in containers right now & zucchini planted under our maple tree … if you cannot plant where you are at find a neighbor who gardens and see if they will let you barter time for veggies OR space at your place for veggies … if you find yourself using certain brands most of the time, write those manufacturers and ask for coupons … subscribe & save thru amazon (my daughter has many allergies & I find they have great prices on organic items & it gets delivered to my door =)
Amazon often has very good deals that you can find through this site and others for having food shipped to you, often better than stores and even without coupons.
As far as $3/loaf bread….make your own. I bought a bread maker a couple years ago and other than hamburger buns I don’t buy bread anymore. You can make dough and all sorts of bread items with it.
You also say you live in a rural area. Do you garden? Do you vegetable garden? If not, choose what you eat the most and learn how to grow it. You can save tons of money off produce that way.
If you don’t eat much/any meat you can save money there too. Meat is one of the most expensive things to get at the store.
Are there any farmers markets by you? If so, buy in season and freeze or can so you have produce other times of year, but you bought it at lower prices.
Maybe make that once a month trip to stock up on staples and supplies at the stores 100 miles away, but perhaps it’s worth getting a Sams Club or Costco type warehouse membership.
Cleansers – make your own.
Laundry detergent – make your own.
Don’t be brand loyal, buy store brand or whatever’s the cheapest with your coupons and sales.
The more you make yourself and don’t buy prepackaged, processed, etc the more you will save.
Hope this helps!
Second the suggestion to make your own cleaning products.
– Laundry detergent saves 95% the cost of cheap purchased. It’s made from bar soap, Borax and washing soda; it costs me half a cent per load.
– Window cleaner is almost as frugal, made of a bit of ammonia, a drop of dish soap, and a lot of water.
– Produce wash is similarly frugal, made of white vinegar and water. It also is supposed to extend the life of berries.
– Baking soda is a good scrubbing product. Use in place of Comet, but not on delicate surfaces that you want to preserve. Buy the large boxes (typically 5 lbs) and not the little boxes in the baking section.
Certain homemade foods are much cheaper than storebought. Here are some off the top of my head:
– Most breadstuffs, such as bread, pizza, muffins, waffles, pancakes, etc; all of these can be frozen after baking for future use. So don’t get Eggos, get a waffle iron and freeze your own. Tastes better to me, too.
– Pickles, kimchee
– Marinades
– Salad dressings
– Lemonade
– Pasta sauce
– Apple sauce
– Yogurt
There’s a book I’m exploring, “Make the Bread, Buy the Butter” by Jennifer Reese. Having lost her job she got deeply into homemade then does cost and taste comparisons. The actual prices are unlikely to be the same as yours but it gives you the general idea.
Finally, try to create a “savings account” of food by buying more when it’s cheap. It can take a while to build up a stash but even just a little at a time – say $5/trip – will give you a cushion to wait out the expensive times. For example, flour and sugar get cheap for the holidays, combined coupons it’s half the price.
Now really finally: most people can’t do all of this at once. If you feel overwhelmed, just start somewhere and with a small step. Next week, do another small step. You’ll make mistakes, which is also OK. Step by step you can walk around the world.
Could your family grow a garden?? Can and freeze what you would need for winter??? Just a thought.
1.) Get organized with once/month shopping.
2.) Grow your own food.
3.) Contact local farmers.
4.) Cook and bake from scratch.
Love these clear and to the point tips!
Oops, my comment was supposed to go under Shelah’s comment as a reply to her!
Great tips everyone has given here. I have to wonder if Christina is from Wyoming, like me? =) I understand rural living. I do a lot of the things mentioned here. The most important thing is investing in a second fridge or a deep freeze and going shopping once a month and filling that freezer up (with bread, milk, produce, etc.). Having a month’s worth of meals planned out and buying once a month means you don’t have to shop at the high-priced local stores as much. Online shopping is okay, and gardening or co-ops can be good if you live in the right area for them.
I have four kids too and I understand where you are at. It takes some planning but it can be done!
Online shopping should be your friend!
We lived in an area like you describe for 7 years. I bought a lot online, we gardened, shopped our local grocery and Wal-Mart, and made tri-monthly trips to the ‘big city’ 1.5 hours away.
This last september I was so excited when we moved for my job to an area with ‘more.’ There is a Meijers, Krogers, Aldi’s and Super Wal-Mart within 2 miles of my home and a Target and Giant Eagle 10 miles away. I thought this would be sooo much better.
It wasn’t!
We didn’t put in a garden this year b/c we had all these stores–big mistake! I choke every time I buy swiss chard for $4 a bunch at the store and $2 at the farmers market when I grew it all summer last year for the cost of a $1.75 seed packet.
No single store has everything so I hop from store to store to get it.
You will be ok! go online, container garden if you don’t have land, change what you eat 🙂
My husband and I are in a similar situation. We were able to prevent bankruptcy, but we still fell victim to foreclosure of our home. We also do not live very close to any of the nice ‘couponing’ stores, although I have found it worth the drive once every other weekend or so to drive 30 min and spend the day shopping the deals. But mostly, I stick with ad-matching at Walmart. It is a looooong and tedious task, but it has saved us quite a bit of money!! Also, do you have a Fred’s dollar store nearby?? If so, they double coupons up to .70 cents every Saturday. Their selection isn’t the best, but it has also helped, especially with bathroom products. I also take the time to play the drug-store game. Hopefully you have either Walgreens, CVS, or RiteAid nearby. Again, loong and tedious task, but pays off in the end!!
As far as getting the coupons, generally most newspaper inserts can be found online. The major inserts have websites where you can print the same coupons. (Redplum, Smartsource, Coupons.com, etc) Take the time to print them. (Its worth the cost of ink and paper!!) You can also use clipping services like the coupon clipper. They charge approximately 10-15 cents per coupon, but again worth it when you save 50 cents to a dollar per coupon.
Match your coupons with your ad-match items whenever possible. Most of your blog sites will do this for you. (Most will also have links to the matching coupons!!) All you have to do is check mark the items you want to make a list. Print it out and take it to the store with your sales ad and coupons!!
Again,everything takes time and effort to get results. I still get frustrated when all my friends swear they ‘dont have time’ to coupon. But my 1st experience, I was able to take an $800 Walmart bill and turn it into a $500 bill. (I know, still a lot, but I have 8 teenagers in the house at the moment!!) For me, $300 off of a single grocery bill is a paycheck in my house!! Well worth the time and effort I put into it!!
Dont give up. Keep researching what is available to you. Also remember that some savings is better than none. So even if you only save $20 each week on a $100 bill, at the end of the month, that is $80!! Enough to pay a small bill maybe??
Hope this helps!!! And Good luck!!
I live in a small mountain town. I just paid $5.50 for a gallon of milk because I ran out. And for bread….EWWWW I found mold on a loaf up here so I no longer buy bread up here.
I don’t live 100 miles from any major stores but it does take me a good 40-50 minutes to get to them. Here’s what I do. I shop every 2 weeks. I also go to Costco every so often and stock up. If it’s hot I put an ice chest in the back of my car.
Maybe make a once a month shopping trip. If you have a Sams Club or Costco they have pretty good prices on produce and you can freeze or can them.
This site has great idea for freezer cooking to.
Hope this helps 🙂
Buy staples–bread consists mainly of flour! I find that even young children (mine are 5 and 2) love to help in the kitchen.
Also, you may be in a wonderful position to buy directly from farmers–eggs, produce, meat, etc. You may be able to go pick your own in a field of peas or corn before the harvesting machines come, or pick up fallen apples somewhere. It’s totally worth asking around if you have farming neighbors.
Plant a garden, make things like bread, tortillas, pancakes, waffles etc. from scratch. Plan your meals by the month. Sign up for a meal planning service like E-Mealz if you are having trouble. Buy things like…whole chickens, roast them & serve one evening, use leftovers to make other meals (chicken tacos, chicken salad, chicken noodle soup). Start making homemade laundry detergent. The list could go on. Consider watching couponing blogs, purchasing only the coupons you need from a clipping service and making a once a month trip to a store (even if it’s over 100 miles away). Bring ice chests to store the cold stuff. But I really think the two biggest money savers would be to plant a garden (even if you live in an apartment complex, you can container garden) and make as much as you can from scratch.
I had friends who lived in a very rural area. The local store was super high on everything! The second closest was Walmart, but it was a good 40 minute drive.
They would choose one big shopping day a month and go and get everything done. That would be the day they did any errands, clothes or food shopping.
My mom lives in the midst of the oil boom and things are crazy expensive there ($5 gallons of milk, yikes!). She buys a lot of stuff off amazon.com and alice.com. If you have time, I would also recommend making some home mixes and bread for yourself as they often taste better, and in those situations almost always save you money.
I think cooking from scratch saves us the most money. If you haven’t done much cooking, start small, trying very basic things. And have fun with it! I call my new recipes “experiments” and it takes the pressure off to have it right the first time.
-Others have suggested bread, which is easier than a lot of people think it is, and there are endless varieties to try. If you’re nervous about yeast breads, a basic biscuit recipe can go with many meals.
-Buy bone in chicken and throw it in the crock-pot for a few hours. The bones will just about fall out and you can cut up the chicken to pop in the freezer. Use the chicken chunks for chicken salad, chicken tacos, chicken and biscuits, casseroles, or anything that calls for cooked chicken.
-Make your own spice mixes for taco seasoning, ranch dressing, etc. There are lots of recipes online.
-Don’t be afraid to try new things, or leave pricey ingredients out of recipes, or swap for what is available in your area. Cooking isn’t nearly as an exact process as many people fear it is.
Dear Savings Viking and Jen,
You really got my attention when you mentioned shopping on Amazon. Would you mind sharing more about shopping Amazon; perhaps giving the name to a couple of the sites, please? I’ve seen quite of few mentions on this site w/ regard to shopping on Amazon for items, but never looked into it. Is Amazon ideal for filling most or all of one’s grocery list or is it best for those items that people normally like to buy in bulk, like toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, etc.?
Thanks.
Thanks!
Hi Mrs. C~
I shop on Amazon often, but not usually for food/drug store items because I live in a city were I can buy inexpensive items with relative ease. Crystal posts Amazon food deals quite often so you may want to keep an eye out for them. I know Amazon has a “prime” membership for those who buy products often. I believe the membership is about $80 for the year and gives you free two day shipping as well as access to kindle books and instant movies/tv shows. I always purchase over $25 worth of products to get free shipping.
I’ve ordered from Soap.com before and they have some decent deals on their site. They have a “saving center” where you can see what online coupons are available. They usually have free shipping deals/20% off on your first order.
I know another popular sites are beauty.com and drugstore.com which I believe are similar to soap.com although I have never used either.
Getting a good deal starts with knowing what is a good price for an item. Once you figure that out you should stock up as much as you can we you see it for a good/great price. Hope that helps!
Hi K~
I shop on Amazon often, but not usually for food/drug store items because I live in a city were I can buy inexpensive items with relative ease. Crystal posts Amazon food deals quite often so you may want to keep an eye out for them. I know Amazon has a “prime” membership for those who buy products often. I believe the membership is about $80 for the year and gives you free two day shipping as well as access to kindle books and instant movies/tv shows. I always purchase over $25 worth of products to get free shipping.
I’ve ordered from Soap.com before and they have some decent deals on their site. They have a “saving center” where you can see what online coupons are available. They usually have free shipping deals/20% off on your first order.
I know another popular sites are beauty.com and drugstore.com which I believe are similar to soap.com although I have never used either.
Getting a good deal starts with knowing what is a good price for an item. Once you figure that out you should stock up as much as you can we you see it for a good/great price. Hope that helps!
Christina, I would first remember we are all in different situations and “my” family and circumstances will be different from your own. We must do what we can. Realizing that at the end of the day, as long as our family was able to eat, we are better off than 1/3 of the world.
I can also relate to having a bigger family. We are a family of 7 with my husband only working part time at the moment. But the lessons I am learning through hard times are lessons people pay the “experts” to know. Stay strong and remember that “seasons” will change.
* Cook from scratch as much as possible. I know you have probably heard and seen this many times, but it is so true. Not just your breakfast, lunch, dinner, but snacks too. My kids love to snack on boiled eggs, homemade muffins, fruits, & etc. Instead of sodas & kool aid, rely heavily on water. Take some extra fruits or fruit juice and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then your children can have fun choosing what ice cubes they want in their water. Sounds simple, but children can have fun and enjoy simplicity.
* Enjoy the bounty of summer. My children have many “summer” picnic meals for their lunches. Fruits & Vegetables, Pasta, etc. Sandwiches can eat away at the grocery budget when they are a daily habit. Buying lunchmeat, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, etc can get very pricy. My kids eat sandwiches maybe once a week, if that. Other than that we stick to what is in season and simplicity.
* Look for online deals. Amazon has some amazing grocery deals every couple months or so. Starting setting aside a couple dollars or more each pay period so you can stock up on the best Amazon deals for your family. It’s amazing how many grocery items Amazon ships and runs sells on.
* Put the word out that you and your family would love to glean fruits & vegetables that are unused or unwanted. It’s a teaching experience for your children and it’s a great way to spend quality time. I put an ad on Craiglsit and was able to go pick a lot of free figs and the sweet woman also gave me almost 50 free eggs from her hens.
Also a man & his wife let people come and pick Organic Blueberries for $5 a GALLON!! Yes that is a amazing price!! So check craigslist and get the word out. My neighbor behind me no lomger lives there and the family comes by every now and then. I asked to pick from their fig tree and we are enjoying yummy free figs. All I had to do was ask!
* You can also put the word out for those who hunt or raise thier own meat. If you don’t have the money try bartering your services or even seeing how your family can help them on their farm, land, etc. Farmers & those with animals love to have extra hands when the heat of summer comes.
I have more. But I must go to prepare a meal for a friend. I know you will figure out what to do for your family and everything will work out. Mrs.C
I like the craigslist idea! In what category did you post your ad?
I grew up in a similar situation. A family of 6. We were very poor and we always had plenty to eat on a tiny budget. I don’t think I even saw the inside of grocery store until I was about 12.
We planted a HUGE garden and canned or froze food. We raised chickens for eggs and meat. We picked wild berries or fruit on other people’s property if it was going to go to waste. Momma always knew where the blackberry thickets and raspberry bushes were for free.
Momma milked cows for the man down the road so we got free milk. We sold our eggs to our neighbors and also to the local store. We didn’t eat bread unless Momma made it. With the fresh milk we were able to make butter and yogurt and cream. It wasn’t that hard and not as labor intensive as you would think. I guess people today pay a ton for that kind of organic living but we called it surviving or making do.
We never had any junk food at our house. Momma would bake cookies for special occassions or she would bake a cake for our birthdays.
You and your siblings, if you have them, are probably so healthy that you’ll live into your 100s! We should all be so lucky to eat your Momma’s meals:)
We lived in a very rural area for a couple of years and are a family of six. I learned to make as much as possible from scratch. A bread machine was a huge help and worth the investment. I found a lot of great deals on Alice.com, especially on household goods. Not to mention we didn’t have to use the gas to go all the way to the nearest (hour away) wal-mart. A garden is invaluable as well. It’s time consuming to cook and garden, but it’s worth the savings and healthier. Double the benefits!
If you live in a rural area, do you live out in the country where you would be able to garden? If so, plant a garden, tend to it like you would a part-time job (have your kids help!) and eat the fruits and veggies. Store any extras (canning is really not very difficult). Also, if you can, get some chickens (free eggs!), maybe even a pig! Often in rural areas, if you are unable to keep livestock, there are farmers around who sell them already butchered for a reasonable price. You mentioned bread…get a bread machine and make your own! Much more nutritious, and much cheaper as well. Try to make from scratch as much as possible. You can always order coupons online from coupon clippers, or order from Amazon for toiletries when they go on sale if your grocer doesn’t carry a selection at a good price. Good luck!
Christina~ I understand your frustration, but be encouraged….it is still possible to stick to a budget and start saving on groceries even in this kind of situation. I, too, have a family of six and live in a small, rural town with a Walmart (we have a couple of grocery stores too, though!) and a newspaper with no coupon inserts. But, I have learned how to make good use of Crystal’s site (thank you!) with all of the online deals (including free shipping) and have printed numerous coupons from coupon sites. You can make your own bread fairly simply and quickly, and grow your own herbs very easily. I also love to swap good quality fruit/vegetables from friends’ gardens in exchange for muffins or other goodies I make them. It helps save a ton and is so much better for you. I’ve also learned to make the most of Aldi’s and Dollar Trees when I am near them– stocking up on staple items (canned tomatoes, crackers, etc.). I’ve also learned to make as much as I can from scratch, both for health and budget reasons. It’s amazing what you can save and it doesn’t take that much time. Although I struggle at times to see rural living as a blessing (since I am from the city), I’ve come to learn that it can really force you to live more simply. With few to no choices in good restaurants or retail stores, you can be inspired to make your own dishes at home and shop frugally on-line. Hope this helps~ 🙂
I agree re: gardening. When we lived in the extremely rural Oklahoma pan-handle (our mailbox was four miles away – not the post office; our actual mailbox!) I had a garden where tomatoes, onions and green beans especially flourished. I found freezing easier than canning, so I bagged our tomatoes and froze them in our second-hand deep freeze, then made homemade spaghetti sauces from those – delicious. : )
I agree with what everyone else said re: buying in bulk from Amazon.com. It may or may not pay off for you to buy an amazon prime membership – $79 per year which then gives you free shipping on a big variety of items.
Even if you don’t have a Craigslist group right in your area, you may be able to make arrangements to have things shipped to you from sellers if you pay shipping, or meet people half-way to purchase items second-hand. We recently did this in purchasing a portable air conditioner – the person met us half-way so it was more like 30 miles than 60.
In general the more you can make from scratch, the more you will save.
Wishing you well!
Do you have a recipe you’d recommend re: making sauce from fresh tomatoes? I have been wanting to do this for some time and finally have enough to do so =)
Christie, I HIGHLY recommend using a recipe where you oven roast the tomatoes first. Something like this:
http://family.go.com/blog/catherinewman/easy-roasted-tomato-sauce-832480/
I always read that everyone can successfully garden and I want to comment that that just isn’t true – we have 4 acres but have a terrible deer problem – they have nibbled the tops off our tomato plants which were in sq ft garden boxes surrounded by 4 ft chicken wire. Another critter (we’re guessing raccoon) dug up a patio tomato plant that was on our deck. So infuriating!
BUT we do have a 90+ yr old neighbor with a successful garden – my husband and boys will go over and help him in his yard and came home with 3 zucchinis the other day (mine died of wilt last year and I didn’t even try again this year.)
Here’s a tomato pasta sauce; all amounts approximate:
oil, preferably olive
1 c. chopped onion
1 T. minced garlic
28 oz. canned chopped tomatoes, as high quality as you can afford
basil, thyme, and oregano; 1T. dried or 2T. fresh
salt & pepper to taste
1. Heat oil in a frying pan.
2. Add onions and garlic, saute on medium heat till onions are translucent and somewhat soft, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn. The longer you cook them, the milder their flavor.
3. Add tomatoes, stir to mix, let simmer on low to reduce the tomato juices. Cook till it’s as thick as you like it.
4. Optional: puree your sauce.
5. Add spices, let cook 1-2 min, stirring, taste again, add more spices if it’s not zesty enough.
Oops – sorry about the reference to canned tomatoes. For fresh, use the same weight of chopped fresh tomatoes. You can get fancy by peeling the tomatoes first: drop the tomatoes in boiling water, boil them 2-3 min then dump in ice water. When cool enough to handle, pull/peel the skins off. It’s simple to do, a bit harder to explain in words – if my word picture is insufficient, check YouTube for a video.
Lynda, I noticed you said you bagged your tomatoes – can you expound on that? Do you literally just put them in a freezer bag, etc? My garden is overflowing with tomatoes and I have been giving a lot away and still have tons. My husband is deployed and I have two small children, so this is not the summer for me to learn and take up canning, ha! Any easy suggestions you might have would be great!
I’m not Lynda, but I’ll tell you what I have done–just put the tomatoes into gallon ziploc bags (or whatever freezer containers you have handy). Then pull out whatever you need at a time. You can run them under warm water and the skins will slip right off, if you want to peel them. Then let them thaw in a bowl for a little while, blend them up, and simmer on the stove with your preferred seasonings until it’s the thickness you want. It makes great pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce this way, and is super easy!
I’ve frozen tomatoes whole before, just tossed them into a freezer bag, and it works just fine. They’ll be mushy when they thaw and they’re great for sauces, the peel slides right off. But I highly recommend coring the tomatoes before freezing them. It’s tough coring a mushy tomato.
Lynda, I noticed you said you bagged your tomatoes – can you expound on that? Do you literally just put them in a freezer bag, etc? My garden is overflowing with tomatoes and I have been giving a lot away and still have tons. My husband is deployed and I have two small children, so this is not the summer for me to learn and take up canning, ha! Any easy suggestions you might have would be great!
Sorry, Lynn: this was supposed to be a reply to your comment, but somehow I managed not to hit the right buttons, so it’s duplicated below 🙂 I’m not Lynda, but I’ll tell you what I have done–just put the tomatoes into gallon ziploc bags (or whatever freezer containers you have handy). Then pull out whatever you need at a time. You can run them under warm water and the skins will slip right off, if you want to peel them. Then let them thaw in a bowl for a little while, blend them up, and simmer on the stove with your preferred seasonings until it’s the thickness you want. It makes great pizza sauce and spaghetti sauce this way, and is super easy!
Another thing you can do is adjust your menu. If bread is crazy expensive (and you don’t choose to make your own-which is easier and less scary than you might think), adjust your menus to use less bread. Sandwiches are yummy and convenient, but convenience comes at a hefty price sometimes. What can you get at your store for a reasonable price? Beans? Rice? Pasta? Cornmeal? Figure out what you can make from ingredients that are cheaper.
Also, if you have freezer space, you might consider a trip to a bigger town once in a while. You can buy a bunch of bread at an outlet and freeze it.
Learn to bake homemade bread check with your local Extention Office and see if they have 4H clubs they can teach you and your kids different skills. Lots of people who raise large gardens will trade produce for labor. Check with your local churches if they know any families needing help with harvesting their produce.
Check the local dollar general or family dollar sometimes their prices are cheaper than wal mart.
Just a few ideas.
One of the suggestions I would have is learn to get thrifty and make foods from scratch. If the bread is several dollars per loaf, maybe learn to bake bread. Many staples such as flour can be purchased online. Considering the grossly inflated costs you’re giving examples of, perhaps this may be less expensive. Maybe consider growing a few veggies that are easy to grow in your climate. In the south, I grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and herbs. Many of which I purchased for .50 as seedlings at the beginning of the season. I also utilize local farmers who will give a discount to repeat customers. We can and freeze some fruits and veggies during peak (cheap) season so that we are not forced to pay super high prices throughout the rest of the year. Also, look into homemade detergents for your laundry, dishes and even homemade shampoos. You may find that you can get those ingredients from Wal-Mart at a decent price and save TONS of cash making your own products. Lastly, just do your best. I’ve read Crystal giving advice to people many times again, reassuring that staying steadfast or making tiny steps forward is better than losing ground. Of course, her words were more graceful than mine. As long as you are setting a reasonable budget based on the costs of living where you are and are sticking to it. I believe will make progress and do well! 🙂
We live on a farm so have incorporated a lot of money saving techniques that have been mentioned… however, earlier this spring, I kind of happened on making a little money to pay my way to town. I am kind of known for baking butterhorns (a sweet dough with icing) and so posted one day that I was baking butterhorns that morning and was on my way to town that afternoon – so would anyone want to buy a dozen? My facebook page was popping with orders – and so the bake-a-thon began! I baked whatever days I had planned appointments or sports activities and sold buns to pay for the fuel. Now that summer is here, I’ve decided to take a rest for the summer but will likely start back up in the fall. This has been a great way to have a little extra cash on hand – either to pay for the fuel or buy groceries/etc.
Maybe there is something you are good at… that you could MAKE a little extra cash on the side and use it to pay for the expensive milk etc.
(Maybe bake bread since you said the bread is not very tasty??) You’d be amazed how many would love to buy homemade goodies.
be careful with this – many states prohibit individuals from selling homemade food and goodies. they frequently require that you have a food handler’s license and that food is prepared in a commercial kitchen.
sorry, this was supposed to be a reply to an earlier commenter…
be careful with this – many states prohibit individuals from selling homemade food and goodies. they frequently require that you have a food handler’s license and that food is prepared in a commercial kitchen.
Wow – What a clever thing to do to make a little cash! I’d buy some butterhorns, yum!
Couponing is very over-rated. You end up buying food that is junk for your bodies. Make your own bread. Seek out farmer’s markets and pick-your-own farms where you can save a bunch of money and are getting much healthier food for your family. Learn to cook in bulk and freeze leftovers. I like the idea of buying things in bulk from Amazon or other sites if it’s something healthy you can use for many meals. Try growing your own food. I’m having great luck with tomatoes and summer squash. Start with a couple of things to grow and add something else each year. Talk to neighbors in your area about food. Maybe there’s a neighbor who has an abundance of one type of food that they grow that they might swap with you if you planted an abundance of another type of food. Look into making your own mixes, salad dressings, etc. instead of buying packaged items. Involve your kids in the entire process. They will grow and learn from it all. I hope this helps.
I would suggest partnering with another local family and taking turns to drive to the biggest nearby city once a month to take advantage of the deals. Buy in bulk and freeze what you can from those shopping trips. You could also share a warehouse club membership if it makes sense for your family.
Look into online deals from drugstore.com, diapers.com, amazon.com, cvs.com and walgreens.com to combine good deals with free shipping on items that you need.
Depending on what part of the country you live in, some things may cost a lot less. I grew up in a rural area 50 miles from the nearest Walmart (though my hometown now has one). However, we had a weekly farmer’s market at the stock yards in a town 15 miles away that had dirt-cheap produce and a flea market all in one place. Think $1.50-2- per dozen corn, $8 per bushel of tomatoes, etc.
If you have property, grow your own produce and consider building a chicken coop for egg-laying hens.
If you have land for it keeping a goat or two would supply your milk as well as meat if you butchered the bucklings, or you could sell the kids or barter with them for other locally grown items.
I used to live in a similar area. It is a blessing in disguise to not have many options. It means less shopping. Make a menu, then shopping list, and make that drive an hour away and do your shopping. Plan it! Then freezer cook, or portion size items, and it will make your life so much simpler. Use the rural area to hit up your farmers markets and support small local business. They don’t have coupons but usually are cheaper and better for you.
Maybe consider canning or doing your own garden during the summer time while you can get a lot of the produce items for cheap.
Also if your store allows rainchecks, be sure to get those, and depending on when they expire, you can use them when the items are high-priced to get the low price listed on your raincheck.
If you have online access, maybe ordering through amazon, or online somewhere will help you save on your other goods like health/beauty/housing items. You can usually get tons of discount codes for free shipping, or other discounts, so you don’t even have to leave your house. If you do this option, you can also consider getting a free Ebates account where you earn money-back when shopping online.
Some towns also offer grocery delivery, so if you have a store that is far away, but they have products that you really need, maybe you can use their grocery delivery service once in a while to save.
You might consider going to monthly shopping for food and make the 100 mile trek to a larger food store.
Monthly or even every other month.
Print coupons from websites (MSM has links at the top of the page) for things you normally use.
I grew up in a rural area so I totally understand your problem! On the one hand, it’s hard because you can’t take advantage of deals since there are few stores in your area. On the other hand, you’re not going to be tempted to go buy things you don’t really need just because they are on sale! You can save money by planning meals that include basic ingredients; rice and dried beans are cheap no matter where you are! Stockpile when you can; and check into amazon-they often have great deals that include free shipping!
Try going online to look for coupons. There are many sites that have printable one such as coupons.com and commonkindness.com (this one allows you to pick up to 3 charities to benefit from your printed coupons). I also help save money by making my own bread and other baked goods. It’s cheaper and a lot healthier.
Here’s what I would do if I were in your situation: stock up on basics when you are at wal mart–like bulk sizes of flour, rice, sugar, etc. Grow a garden or see if there is a csa in your area. Check out what groceries you can buy online for a good price with free shipping from sites like amazon. Buy a portion of a cow and keep it in your freezer so you don’t have to be buying meat. Buy lots of fruit in season from local growers and can or freeze it. Learn how to make a lot of your own foods, toiletries, cleaning supplies. I have learned from the Internet how to make my own soap, Chapstick, baby wipes, etc. I even learned how to clean spots off the carpet with vinegar and water. You can make a bunch of loaves of bread and freeze them.
couldn’t have said it better!!! Ditto everything!! also try to find ways to barter for things like fresh farm eggs!
This is the Best way EVER to save money and eat very healthy! If I were in your situation, this is what I’d do, too! Think Depression-era cooking–beans and rice, stretch a chicken or roast with casseroles (healthy ones), etc., stretch a pound of ground beef by adding lentils(very cheap), lots of soups, stews, etc,. make bread, drink water, buy produce local and in season. Nix cereal for breakfast and cook oatmeat or pancakes or eggs. Use milk sparingly. Think about what is really necessary and what you can really do without.
Well said Rachel! These were my thoughts exactly!
grow a garden! my husband and I plant broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, tomato, sweet corn, garlic, cilantro, asparagus, peppers, jalapenos, onions, red and white potatoes. We freeze or can what we can’t eat fresh and save a TON of money!!!
also don’t buy pre-made or processed foods and cook everything from scratch!
Start making bread!! Buy flour in bulk, much cheaper!!!
I agree with Maggie–you can bake multiple loaves at one time and freeze the ones you don’t need right away! Any NO store bought bread can ever beat homemade…
Agree! Making our own bread has saved us so much money! Typically, we do one big shopping trip and then weekly runs for milk and bananas. I don’t use a lot of coupons because we make a lot of bulk purchases, but I feel like we save so much money because we are not always running to the store.
One thing you might want to consider is comparison shopping online. There are some really great deals on Amazon for food (you buy it in bulk), make sure you spend more then $25 at a time and you will receive free shipping. Some online stores have coupons that you can automatically apply online. Good luck!
One thing you can do is buy in bulk from sites like amazon.com. When you buy in bulk from websites, and have the items shipped to you, you can often save a lot over what you would have paid at the store.
You can find a coupon train to jump onto. I know you can get onto one on weusecoupons.com.
Finally, you can order coupons from clipping sites and off ebay to help you with items you buy in store.
Just a heads up there was a major bust yesterday on a coupon clipping site. I strongly advise against using them. The website cents-off dotcom gives you all the info aboutt. Just passing info along 🙂 these people were selling fake coupons on eBay and other sites.