Rising cost of groceries...

[luvmychicknkids]

*sigh* I WANT to start canning. I started to buy a pressure canner and realized I was going to have to choose between the canner and food. Well, food won.

 

[jkm]

you don't have to have a pressure cooker to can.... we can with a water bath canner and do fine.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

It depends on what you are canning. Anything acidic (berries, tomatoes, pickles/chutneys) can be done with water bath canning. Vegetables usually need pressure canning.

 

[ChickenToes]

Good tips! I'm going to try my hand at canning this year, I don't see a way around it. I've also been making a lot more homemade bread, the stuff at the store keeps going up in price. We live 45 minutes away from any sort of large chain grocery store (Wal Mart) and I just can't justify spending extra on gas just to go to Wal Mart. The other thing that kills me is chicken feed...if we drive an hour it's 10 bucks per 50 lb. bag, if we buy it closer to home (still 30 minutes away)it's over 13 bucks a bag. We're getting the short end of the stick here!

 

[Cheep Mama]

I shop at save-a-lot and walmart for groceries. I have to drive 20 minutes to get to either one, so I stock up and hope I have what I need to make it through the week.

 

[Beekissed]

*sigh* I WANT to start canning. I started to buy a pressure canner and realized I was going to have to choose between the canner and food. Well, food won.

You know, just about anything you want to can in a pressure cooker can be put in the freezer....well, maybe meat wouldn't come out the same way, I love canned deer meat! I plan to can all that I am able, but the items that require a pressure cooker, I will process as normal and freeze in freezer bags. Soups, pumpkin pie filler, chicken soup starter, etc. will be put into quart-sized bags and frozen.

I cut grocery costs by buying about the same thing each time and in large quantities, which we divide and freeze or store. We don't eat store bought meats or milk (except soy milk), no cheese, eggs (we have our own

), or microwaveable foods. I make my own bread, grind my own wheat, and make my own laundry detergent (approx. 60 cents per gallon), use dryer balls instead of fabric softener, buy shampoos, soaps and cleaners from the Dollar Store. We plan our trips to include all our errands....every time the wheels roll, the money disappears down the gas tank! We also are going to start watching portion size, as a method of conserving food. We use the crockpot a lot for cooking beans and soups. We drink water instead of other, more expensive drinks. I plan to create a small hoop house over one of the garden beds this winter, to continue growing lettuces, broccoli and anything else that I can keep growing!

I'm supplementing the chicken's feed with crimped oats (cheaper than laying mash) and am growing gourds and pumpkins that can be stored and given to the hens in the winter months also. I will cull every hen that isn't producing, as we can't afford to feed extra animals. We plan to fill every shelf and bin in the cellar this year and sell the excess at the roadside stand. I'm not mowing as often this year, to save gas, the grass can be just a little longer than usual and I will trim around the edges to keep it neat looking.

Anyone else?​

 

[wwinorth]

I've started making more things instead of buying them. Bread, crackers (I have a two year old that loves crackers), tortillas ect. I try to make everything from scratch. We are planning on buying a chest freezer to stock up on meat ect. I've also started quite a garden this year. I'm hoping to do a lot of canning. yummmm..pickles! My dad has a bucket calf he is planning to have butchered and we will probably get some of that as well as a few meat chickens. He also give us raw goats milk for the kiddo every week so that helps!

I cannot wait to get out of town so I can raise most of my own food. I really like knowing what I'm eating!

Mel

 

[ruth]

In the little town we moved to in December there is only one small privately-owned grocery store. There is also a Dollar General next door. I had never shopped in a dollar store before but now find we buy a lot of things there. Canned goods, juices, many of the same name-brand items at much, much cheaper (way cheaper than Wal-Mart). I have learned something new and saved a lot of money.


Edited to add: WOW, I just saw that this was my 1000th post. Can't believe it. I saw the number after I closed out and had to go back and double check "Did that say 1000?" Yep, it did.

 

[dangerouschicken]

--Coupons do help, and to get your hands on them without buying a paper, go to the local coffeeshop or library and ask if you can have theirs!

--If you go to WalMart.com they have free samples they will send right to your house. That's always nice and just takes a few minutes to fill out the address form.

--When something is on sale, BUY A LOT OF IT! This is especially true of items containing grains, as the price is up 50% for some things (like flour).

--Bake your own bread or go to the local bakery outlet store.

--Invest in a chest freezer and freeze all the food you think might go bad before you will eat it up. We do this with veggies, meat, bread, fruit, and anything from our garden.

--Plant your own food! Even a patio garden at your apartment is better than nothing. Try containers with cherry tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, bunching onions, or bush beans. You will be surprised just how easy it is!

--Go in with a family member or friend on farmer-grown pork, beef, lamb, or other meats. It is cheaper and you won't tire of eating just one kind of meat over and over and over.

--If you have the space, and don't mind the butchering process, invest in rabbits for meat. The reproduce, well, like rabbits, and you will have a continous food source to feed your family from.

--Hit the Farmer's Markets in your area when certain crops are at their peak (i.e. berries in June, pickles in July, corn and zuchini in August) and get them large quantities cheaply. Freeze a lot of it. Refrigerator pickles are delicious and very easy to make.

Also, eat less. It is good for you!

 

[ginasmarans]

We are in the proces of planting our garden. We're a little late,but it's been so wet. Then our tiller had to b put in the shop and parts had to be ordered,etc. We borrowed my brother's tiller and ours is supposed to be fixed tomorrow. We are planting tomorrow! Last year we got enough out of our garden to take us through the winter. I have a couple of bags of corn, a few more of green beans and a few tomotoes left. Hopefully we will have more this year. Last year we had to fight for it. We had a severe drought.