Inflation not a problem as long as you avoid food

[Greebo]

What a relief - all we have to do is give up eating!

[brennasmom]

I have noticed some boxes of items (granola bars, etc.) now only contain 5 that used to contain 6. Sneaky.

[CrazyHomemaker]

I've been:

Going to the meat market for meats - lotsa locals bring in the meat
Double couponing at one store in my area - if good deal only
CVS and Walgreen shopping with coupons and $$ catalina rebates
Going to Wally World (ouch!) for coupons that can't be doubled
Checking the 'end of the line' fruit/veggie shelf for good deals

I try to get at least 50% off using store deals and coupons.

Thanks for the article in The Buzz!

[imagine]

What a relief - all we have to do is give up eating!

I make that joke at the cash registrar. LOL "If only we could give up eating." or "I'm thinking about giving up eating." the cashiers are stone quiet like it wasn't a joke. Then I add " those pesky children of mine can't stop eating or growing." then they catch on and laugh and share growing children stories.

One lady and I were smiling over a sale on tomatoes. I commented on how we hadn't been getting them for a while to expensive. We start talking about prices and some how my pants being to big became conversation. I mention that happens when you eat less(meaning dieting) and she leans in and whispers to me that the Salvation Army gives out food.

I think there are some people trying to/having to give up eating, at least give it up some. I know some adults that are eating less than they need to so that their children can have more of the available food.

[Sophiasmama]

I have noticed some boxes of items (granola bars, etc.) now only contain 5 that used to contain 6. Sneaky.

Oh my goodness...after reading this post I ran to the pantry to see if this is true....your right! The boxes have 5 instead of the usual 6...very sneaky.

[wanderlusting]

What a relief - all we have to do is give up eating!

Finally! A cheap way for me to lose weight!

[SwirlyThing]

We've done a few things lately to cut down the food bill. We've increased the amount of home-grown produce. We have several fruit trees, and a larger garden. I have an old orange tree that gives me WAY more oranges than I ever used... I've started juicing them so they do not go to waste. (Cannot believe I EVER bought orange juice when I have that tree right in the back yard!).

We also now have a few hens to give us eggs. They free-range in the back yard and eat bugs, which actually decreases the number of bugs we get in the house. They also provide me with fertilizer for the garden. And my 5 girls give me more eggs than we use, so I have some left for gifts or for barter. They're also relaxing to watch and really friendly... they come running to say "hi" whenever they see us! I love my chickens!

I've also started making my own bread. We go through a TON of bread in this house! I use a no-knead recipe, so it's very little effort, and make 5 loaves every week or two (depending on how fast we go through it). It works out to about $0.35/loaf. And I know exactly what's in it, since I made it myself. Actually the recipe is so easy, that DH and DD sometimes make it for me.

[Judi Dial]

One way I've been coping is to work more at using the shelf-stable foods I already have: dried beans, grains, etc. I'm trying to use this stuff regularly, where before this was my stockpile and we ate fresh foods more often than not.

Last night for example, we had the carrot/lentil soup that I've been making all winter. Used up another stock box (2 more to go!) about 1C of red lentils (time to buy more) the piece of sweet onion in the fridge, the end of 2 pkgs of carrots and some of the previously roasted cumin. It was yummy and we got 2 meals out of it.

The recipe I use for the soup is here:
Spiced carrot & lentil soup recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

That soup has become one of our favorites this winter. Cheap, fast, yummy! I don't use the chili flakes nor the yogurt btw.

My point is that instead of starting with a "fresh" sort of thing, I'm working harder at using up the other food I have. You folks may have been doing this for a while, but here the shelf-stable food was more often than not side dishes or emergency rations. I'm trying to do this at least 3-4 times a week for a few reasons: 1) to make use of the $ we've already spent 2)to keep the dried stores rotated/fresh and 3)get us used to having less fresh stuff all the time, especially in winter when anything fresh is likely to be at a premium!

My

Judi

[pollypurebred39]

They way we are coping with it is threefold.

1) I changed the foods we were eating. While I still do fresh produce (from our garden and on sale) I no longer buy the more expensive protein, opting for more beans. I stick with mostly whole foods, like flour, sugar, beans, oil, etc.

2) I followed HappyMama's stockpiling advice, for which I will be forever grateful. Not only do I not worry if we will run out of food before the next shopping trip anymore, but I have been able to begin to stockpile, AND my family is eating MUCH healthier now.

3) My stockpile is now my pantry, that's what we eat.

[shoiji]

I have been eating more of the food in the freezer and pantry. I am hoping another good managers special on meat comes along so I can stock up. Am really greatful for the stockpile that I have and add to it when I can.

[Rhiamon]

This is what I am going to do!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHAl1tWvvPA]YouTube - The Last Saskatchewan Pirate[/ame]

lol