Your 3-Month Supply

Here are a few things on sale this week...either use them to build your three month supply, or just enjoy a great deal!



DANS FOODS

• ShurSaving Gallon Milk Skim, 1% or 2%- $1.59 (and save .75 of a gallon by printing off THIS Group A coupon! Print it twice.) Price after coupon- .84


• Western Family Block Cheese 8 oz.- .93 ( save $1 if you buy 2lbs of cheese by printing off THIS Group A coupon...you need to buy 4!) Price after coupon- 4 for $2.72


• Western Family Cottage Cheese- .93


• Oven Roasts- $1.69 lb. (great to freeze for later use!)


• Western Family Large Eggs 18 count- $1.48


• Western Family Frozen Orange or Apple Juice (from concentrate)-. 93

SMITHS

• Mountain Dairy Gallon Milk Skim, 1%, 0r 2%- $1.50 (use previously mentioned milk coupon for .75 off a gallon, print twice) Price after coupon- .75


• Mountain Dairy Gallon Whole Milk- $1.67 (use .75 off coupon) Price after coupon- .92


• Smiths Large Dozen Eggs- .99


• Kroger Orange Juice Gallon- $1.99

To check out all of the deals and your favorite stores, click on THIS link to access the Grocery Smarts Link.

Your 3-Month Supply

Save Away!

In my post yesterday I talked about building up your 3-month supply by just finding deals at the grocery store. I thought I would let you know of some of the deals I have found this week...

Albertsons
(this is just a more detailed list of what I have on the sidebar)
Select Kelloggs Cereal- $1.67 Extra promo: Buy 7, get 3 gallons of milk FREE. Buy 5, get 2 gallons FREE. Buy 3, get 1 gallon FREE. Voucher will print at checkout, valid on your NEXT shopping trip. Kellogg’s Cereal, any flavor 10 oz. or larger .70/1 (4-5-09) RP-2/22 Final Price-.97

Butchers Block Thick Cut Bacon (buy some for now, freeze some for later)- $1.99 lb Requires in-ad "store" coupon.

M&M's (great for Easter)- $1.88 Requires in-ad store coupon + any 9.5 oz. bag or larger $1/2 (4-12-09) RP-3/1 Final Price- $1.38

Ball Park Franks (easy to freeze)-$1.77 Requires in-ad coupon +Ball Park Franks, any variety $1/2 (4-13-09) RP-3/15 Final Price $1.27

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (great storage item)- .49 Requires in-ad store coupon

Check GrocerySmarts.com for more deals.

Also, I was made aware of a couple of services I thought might be of interest.

The Community Food Co-op of Utah
This service is open and available to anyone and the more people that join, the cheaper the food is.

"For a very reasonable price (usually less than $30), one buys a share, then your share gives you 5-6 lb of meat 5 lb of fruit, 5 lb of veggies, fresh baked bread, pasta or rice. Definitely worth more than $30 retail of food!"

"How does the co-op afford this? Simply individuals volunteer time and use local resources to maintain high quality products to feed the largest number possible."

To see what one Mom got...click HERE.

If you are interested in learning more click HERE.

Outside of Utah, click HERE.

Community Supported Agriculture

"This is an AWESOME idea! An individual “subscribes” to a farm by giving a set $ amount to the farmer in the spring when the farmer needs resources the most. Then, when harvest begins, usually first of July, the subscriber receives a weekly bounty of fresh fruits and veggies, usually for 13 to 15 weeks. Costs and variety of harvest vary by farm. See http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ for participating farm locations, pricing and details."

quoted information came from the PYP Blog

Your 3-Month Supply

"Case Lot Sales"

One of the best times to stock up on needed items for your 3-month supply are case lot sales. Prices are great on many items and you are not limited by coupons that only allow you get "so many". Some items to stock up on are canned fruit and veggies, ketchup, oil, canned tomato sauce, sugar, salt, pasta, tuna, canned soup, honey, rice, jam/jelly, etc. March is a big month for case lot sales in Utah, so my sister and I headed over to Macey's to see what deals we could find.

• 50 lbs. granulated white sugar- $18.99
• 45 lbs. hard white/red wheat (already packed in a 6 gallon bucket w/lid)- $18.99 FANTASTIC PRICE!!
• 20lbs. long grain white or brown rice- $9.99
• 16-24 oz. bottles of ketchup- $14.24 (that is .89 a bottle)
• SAF Yeast- 2 for $5.00
• Country Cream Instant Powdered Milk- $9.99
• Canned Butter- $4.99
• 55 gallon water barrels- $39.99
• Gamma Seal Lids (easy access for storage buckets) - $5.99

These were the things we bought...but I am holding out for Smiths to have better prices on canned fruits and veggies.

Check in your area when case lot sales are going to take place and take advantage of the discounts you can find. One thing to remember though, don't assume that just because it is part of a case lot sale, that it is a great deal. Go to grocerysmarts.com and enter in the code g84cso. Now this is a list for Utah stores, but print off their list for Macey's (this week) and see the ratings they give for case lot sale items. That way, when you are planning for your local case lot sale, you can know when you spot a good deal.

If anyone else has found some great deals...please let us know!

A Few Options On Longer Term Food Storage

We have spent the majority of the month talking about ways to save on things you eat everyday. I wanted to focus one post on some good options in acquiring foods that have a considerably longer shelf life.

Option #1: The LDS Dry Pack Cannery. Long-term food storage will consistently be cheaper here. Particularly Hard Red Wheat as the Church grows their own and Powdered Milk. Buying from the cannery is nice because if you are buying items that you want to can...you have access to their canning equipment (which is fantastic!). To get a price list and see what food the cannery offers click HERE. If you do not live by or have access to an LDS Cannery, the Church also sells a "starter kit" for a very reasonable price. Click HERE for more information.

Option #2: Honeyville Grain. Honeyville is not necessarily the cheapest (although they have been cheaper in certain items), but they have a lengthy offering of food storage items. They carry the basics as well as many different dehydrated and freeze-dried fruits and veggies, all sorts of muffin, pancake, brownie mixes, a great variety of pasta and beans and many others. I am not sure what the delivery parameters are, but within a certain area, Honeyville will deliver food storage items to your door if you order over 2500 lbs. That might seem like an insurmountable amount, but you would be surprised how fast the weight adds up and if you get together with some of your neighbors, you will reach the weight requirement in no time. The greatest advantage to this is that an order over 2500 lbs also qualifies you for the "bulk" rate, which is the cheapest price they offer. I did this with my ward and placed about 7 different orders in a years time. Everyone was satisfied with what they got and they loved having the food delivered right to our neighborhood. To get a current price list (they can fax or email it to you) and to see where they deliver call 801-972-2168. You can also order online (the prices online are different then the ones they will fax you, if you are able to by local...it will be cheaper) by clicking HERE.

Option #3: Internet-grocer.net . I have not used this service yet, but I have looked at some of their items and have been impressed with their prices. A few days ago a friend called me about some canned butter he had just tasted. It was "RED FEATHER" brand butter and he said it was absolutely and surprisingly fantastic. The shelf life is about 25 years, but he said he would use it on a daily basis...it was that good. He bought it on sale at a local grocery store for $4.99 and internet-grocer sells it for the same price, so it is worth checking out. Click HERE to get to their website.

There are many more options out there to help you acquire a storage of food at a reasonable cost, these are just a few. If you have suggestions of your own...please let us know. We will continue to discuss this topic in posts to come.

Warehouse Clubs vs. The Grocery Store

I love shopping at warehouse clubs! I don't know what is about them, but I love them. Even if I am on vacation (yes, even in Hawaii) and I find out there is a Costco...I have to go! I have also had to discipline myself on how many times I go there, as dropping $100 seems far to easy, but I am getting a deal...right? Not necessarily.

There are many things at warehouse clubs that are a deal, but there are many items that are not. Tip #1: One thing to consider when buying things in bulk at a warehouse club is, "Can I/we consume this before it goes bad?" Having to throw food away eliminates the deal. I ran across a blog that listed what items are consistently a better deal at Costco or Sams Club and are a good thing to stock up on. Click HERE to look at that list. I noticed that there are some things I buy at Costco that are not on the list, but in considering what to do, I decided that even though I may be spending a little more money, I am getting the quality I like and I will still continue to buy those items. Tip #2: Your personal quality preference is something that needs to be considered.

Although I was unable to find a comprehensive list of specific items to get at Sams Club, I think you can generally use the same list (Sams Club even sells some items cheaper). I did come across a price list that someone had come up with. Click HERE to get to her blog and the list can be found on the left sidebar.

Hope this info is helpful!

Grocery Smarts Round 3

Although I have been using the Grocery Smarts website for awhile now...it is amazing how much I still have to learn about organizing and really maximizing the website's capabilities.

I came across a video made by "The Obsessive Shopper" that explains the site very well and gives you tips on how to best organize your list for your specific shopping trip.

Click here to get more info on how to really make Grocery Smarts work for you and help you start saving!

A Great Tip #2

In order to really maximize on grocery store and warehouse club savings...

Buy in Bulk!

Stock up on things that you know you use. One thing that I always stock up on when it is on sale is meat. One thing to consider in buying items, like meat, in bulk, is how to best store them. You want to make sure what you are storing is going to be good for as long as possible. There are many options out there to package goods in an airtight containers (which is especially helpful when freezing).

• The FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer System
• Reynold Handi Vac (This is what I use and I was able to get the special bags for only $1 a box on sale!)
• Ziploc Vacuum Freezer System

Also, take advantage of case lot sales. It is a fantastic way to stock up on foods for your three month supply. Harmons is currently having their case lot sale...most others will have theirs in February.

Great Deal on a Wheat Grinder!

I know this is a little off subject, but I came across a FANTASTIC deal on the VitalMill Wheat Grinder. It is made by the same company that makes the NutriMill (one of the best grinders out there) and has many great features. Click here to get more information.

I spoke with the people at Bosch and they said it is a great grinder for someone that is looking for a grinder primarily for making bread. It has one speed, which means it just grinds wheat, beans, etc. into flour. It does not have a "coarse" setting, but if you are just hoping to get flour, this is well worth your money. They said it stores well and has the same size storage capacity as the NutriMill. If you are looking for a more cost effective grinder, they would highly recommend this one.

For a limited time (and I don't know when it ends), The Bosch Kitchen Store (John and Jenny's Kitchen) is selling the VitalMill for $139.99 and free shipping. That is a great deal! A wheat grinder will make a considerable difference in helping you use your food storage in everyday life!

Also, if you are interested in purchasing a hand grinder as well...Emergency Essentials is offering this same grinder as well as a Back to Basics hand grinder for $199.99. This sale can only be redeemed in the store.

Shortcuts.com

If you are someone that just really hates cutting coupons (or really loves coupons and wants as many as you can get!) and regularly shops at a store with a "fresh values" card or something like that...there is a great website out there for you. Shortcuts.com is a great website that actually loads your coupons onto your "fresh values" card (or whatever you use) so you don't actually have to remember to take your coupons with you.

The only downside is that it is easy to forget what coupons you have loaded, so I just log on the website when I am planning my shopping list and off I go!

Free Trial

Thank you to My Food Storage Deals for posting their two week free trial offer on the comments page of my last post!! What a great way to try out their services!

Just enter the promotional code... FREE TRIAL

Happy Saving!

Food Storage Deals

Perhaps some of you have heard of this, or even use it already, but another great tool for helping you build your food storage is a website called My Food Storage Deals .

For a monthly membership fee, "you will have access to all five of the major grocery stores' weekly deals. We will compare grocery store prices to "warehouse" prices and help you know which items are Great, Good & Okay Deals. We will tell you when to stock up on items, which items to add to your food storage, give you helpful food storage ideas, weekly recipes, coupon helps and other fun tips."

This website is not for everyone as there is a fee involved, some people don't want to pay money to save money, but it is very convenient and the "tip of the week" can be real money saver. By using their tips I saved $65 at Albertsons and only spent $30.
Check it out and see if it is something that will help you.

Grocery Smarts Round 2

I orginally posted this about a month ago, but it is what I use the VERY most in saving and stocking up on groceries and thought it was worth posting again. One thing I like the most, is it is a site you can really mazimize on if you use coupons, but you don't have to as it shows you all the deals that are offered at the store you shop at. A news station in Vegas did a story on the website that I think has great information. Click here for to watch the link.

I have learned some more information on this site though since my original post...it is only available at this time to people who live in Utah and Las Vegas. That is a real bummer, but if you don't live in either of these two places, there is a girl who has created a spreadsheet that will allow you to make your own savings sheet. Click here to get more info.

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to cut down on spending. I have always been a frugal shopper, but I have been a bit more vigilant this last little while. One thing that has made a big difference in my grocery shopping is this website called "Grocery Smarts". They assign a code for every state and then provide the advertised deals for all of the grocery stores in that state. They have stars highlighting the best deals, let you know what coupons are out there (whether online or in your Sunday paper), and how much your cost will be after the savings. It is brilliant! The passport code for Utah is g84cso. Just go to http://grocerysmarts.com/ and enter the Utah code. You can then select the store or stores you like to shop at and start saving away! It is a great way to not only save money for food you need today, but a great way to stock up for food needed tomorrow!!

Lofthouse Cookie Outlet

Once again, here I am posting about a great deal. I can't help myself! I have just learned of a Lofthouse Cookie Outlet in Ogden that sells "second" containers of cookies. What is considered a "second" you might be asking?...it is actually just a fresh cookie that is "slightly imperfect" but one that most regular customers would not notice.

They are offering amazing deals...a dozen cookies for $1. That my friends is a deal. They sell all varieties, not just the sugar cookies with thick frosting (not that that isn't a tasty treat!).

It's location is a little challenging to find they say, but way worth it. The address is 400 North 700 West, Building 5D. It is a warehouse in the old Defense Depot. Their hours are 7 am to 5 pm weekdays and 8 am to noon on Saturdays.

The best access is off I-15 northbound (exit 344) on 12th Street, then east to Depot Drive, north to 400 north and east on 400 North to the northeast corner of building 5D.

If you need more information, just go to their website, http://www.lofthousecookies.com/

Grocery Smarts

I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to cut down on spending. I have always been a frugal shopper, but I have been a bit more vigilant this last little while. One thing that has made a big difference in my grocery shopping is this website called "Grocery Smarts". They assign a code for every state and then provide the advertised deals for all of the grocery stores in that state. They have stars highlighting the best deals, let you know what coupons are out there (whether online or in your Sunday paper), and how much your cost will be after the savings. It is brilliant! The passport code for Utah is g84cso. Just go to http://grocerysmarts.com/ and enter the Utah code. You can then select the store or stores you like to shop at and start saving away! It is a great way to not only save money for food you need today, but a great way to stock up for food needed tomorrow!!