This frugal road for me still isn't easy

**New-mom-to-be** · 04-25-2009, 12:59 PM

I spend way too much on ready to cook meals and can never resist another toy or outfit for the baby.

But today I did something that made me think I was being frugal.

Our local Kroger had all this turkey Italian sausage marked down from 4.99 to .99 a package because it expired today.

So I bought all 10 packages. Now, I don't have a lot of room in a freezer, so I took off the casings, cooked it all down in crumbles, and then drained the fat off. I packaged it in 1 pound packages in ziploc baggies. So, I now have 8 1 pound packages of Italian sausage crumbles for pizza, spaghetti, or lentil soups. All for 9.99.

My husband asked me what I was doing and when I told him, "oh. That's kinda smart. Did you get any milk at the store?"

**Momof3girls** · 04-25-2009, 02:27 PM

I think you did great! Have you ever read Miserly Moms, by Jonni McCoy? She had a small freezer over her fridge and used it to store her prepped ahead meals.She used ziplock baggies frozen flat to store many items. That might help you, since you have limited space too

**rowdy35** · 04-25-2009, 02:48 PM

that is awesome new mom ! just take baby steps and you will get there. I have been reading up on Frugal living online since 1997 and I still have a lot to learn myself so don't fret.

**kimmy4433** · 04-25-2009, 02:53 PM

Any time you can purchase reduced meat it is a great bargan! Just because the date says today does not mean you can not take it home and use it either tomorrow or put it in the freezer. Just remember you need to use it right away if not frozen, and once you take it out of the freezer it needs to be used. It took me along time to remember that, and I probably tossed out more then $150.00 in meat alone until I found FV.

**mommyoffive** · 04-25-2009, 07:42 PM

Not only did you get meat at a great price, but you've got it prepped for recipes, which will save you from the temptation of take-out on a busy day. Good job!!!

Keep being mindful of these things, and pretty soon it will be second nature.

**porembam** · 04-25-2009, 08:16 PM

Thanks for sharing your idea to cook the meat right away-
this will save you so much time in the future.

**Debbie-cat** · 04-25-2009, 09:03 PM

Great idea! Good for you!

**Cricketlegs** · 04-25-2009, 10:59 PM

The burning question is....did you get any milk??? LOL!

Great job on the meat. I am a prepper myself and you can also do the same thing with vegetables!

**Thevail** · 04-26-2009, 02:27 AM

You did great! The thing no one ever really mentions about frugality is that it's really time consuming.

It's much harder to do when the kids are really little and demand so much of mom's time and attention. (and those adorable little outfits ARE really hard to resist)

It sounds like you've latched onto a really good strategy that will work for you on two fronts though.

You got the meat at a bargain price..and saved yourself time which you may not have later..

which means you'll save again by not giving in and ordering take out or buying expensive pre-prepped meals.

Which means you'll save again in the long run because you and your family will be overall healthier because you're eating good homecooked meals instead of overpriced garbage!

And the less you eat that nauseating muck (ok that's just my opinion on the taste of most of that stuff) the less you will be WILLING to eat that stuff, and you'll save money again as the percentage of that stuff in your diet goes down overall.

Now look for the killer bargain on cheese! Shred it, bag it, freeze it..keeps forever and..it'll go well with nearly anything you'd put that sausage in!

You GO girl!

**rainbowgc** · 04-26-2009, 12:46 PM

Applause for you! Now to tackle the cute kids clothes problems vow to shop thrift stores first. I bet you'll find a ton of great stuff and never miss retail again. Remember if you don't go into a retail store your temptation won't be there! Thrift you vice!

**peanut** · 04-26-2009, 08:25 PM

Great job! It's easy to overwhelm ourselves when we start frugality. The trick is to take one little baby step at a time. And when you master one thing, go onto the next.

I shopped garage sales for all my kid's clothes when they were pre-schoolers.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 04-26-2009, 08:28 PM

That's still an awesome thing to do! Some of us are still a bit iffy with some parts of frugality, but small steps are always better than none.

It'll get easier slowly. Trust me, sometimes when you think it's all easy then that's when you run into the tough stuff. My advice? Treasure the small victories and look at them for inspiration to continue on your frugal road.

**butterflygreen** · 04-26-2009, 08:34 PM

Good for you.

**frugalwarrior** · 04-26-2009, 09:14 PM

Great job. Most of the meat in our freezer is clearanced. Tip: package it thin and flat. That way you can break off little bits w/o defrosting all of it. We do this all the time w/ hamberger when we want nachos or a handful for spaghetti. I find we can eat healthier by using less meat this way.

**IndigoMom** · 04-27-2009, 01:25 AM

I don't know, obviously your thinking has changed. You thought to purchase it all, and cooked it down into managable chunks for your family. By doing so - you not only got a bargain, you're making sure you're not going to waste it, PLUS you just gave yourself 8 easier to prepare meals that means that's 8 ready made meals you won't be so tempted to buy later. Who knows, if you find one deal a week worth doing that for - you'll soon have a weeks worth easy meals set up for yourself, and be able to constantly replenish it as you use it. I think it's very smart.