Fabulous Finds – grocery bargains for the week of Dec 8

Our local Fred’s Discount Store has Spam for $1.99/can this week.  That is a .50 cent savings over regular price.  (You could buy 10 cans for $19.90 plus tax – that’s a great way to add to your food storage!)

I’ve also been told that Piggy Wiggly has their store brand of veggies on sale at 3 for $1.00. They also have Van Camps Chili at 10 for $10.00, and corn bread mix at 3 for $1.00.

Our local grocery store carries “Best Choice” store brands, and their veggies are 2/$1.00 this week.  Also on sale here:

5# bag Gold Medal flour – $1.48

Grands Biscuits – 10/$10

7oz Flaked Coconut – 10/$10

5# bag red potatoes – $2.48

fresh cabbage – .38 cents/lb

Hunts Spaghetti Sauce – 5/$5

Bryan Vienna Sausages – 4/$2

Best Choice Chicken Broth – 2/$1

Cook’s Full Shank Half Ham $1.08/lb (Butt Portion is $1.38/lb)

Be sure to check out your local grocery store flyer for sales.  Local stores offer better value on their sale prices (normally) than Walmart.  Not to mention if we don’t patronize our local stores, eventually there will ONLY be Walmart and we will have no choice on what we pay.  I love Wally World, don’t get me wrong, but a little healthy competition is good for them.  Since our SuperCenter opened, we have lost one grocery store already.  I used to shop Walmart exclusively until I learned I could save more money shopping the sales at the other stores.  There are some things I still save more on at Walmart, but I try to be more conscientious overall of where our dollars are spent.

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Stockpiling on a budget

I know all of us are pinching pennies nowdays, so I thought I’d do a sample of how you can add to your food storage/stockpile for about $20 a week using sale items.  Please note that Walmart rarely runs sales, but most grocery stores *do*.  Our local store puts a sale flyer in the paper each week, and I shop based on what’s cheapest.  Keep in mind that you want VARIETY in what you store.  You and your family would quickly grow tired of eating nothing but beans and rice every day.

Example using our current store sales:

10 cans veggies @ .50 cents/can = $5.00
2 cans PET milk @ $1.00/can = $2.00
2 – 5# bags flour @ $1.48/bag = $2.96
2 – 46oz cans tomato juice @ $1.18/can = $2.36
32oz dried pasta @ $2.00
2 cans fruit @ $1.00/can = $2.00
2 cans chili with beans @ .98 cents/can = $1.96
4# bag white sugar @ $2.00

All of this totals $20.28 plus tax and includes a variety from all food groups.

Or if you’d rather just stock up on canned vegetables while they’re .50 cents a can, $20.00 would net you 40 cans to add to your storage.  You will save money in the long run by purchasing this way, plus quickly add to your pantry each week without breaking your budget.

From the above list of items, you could easily make vegetable soup (which would provide more than one meal), a couple of pasta dishes (chili mac being one), fruit cobbler, chicken pot pie (just add some chicken to your list), several loaves of bread (as well as waffles, biscuits, pancakes), etc.  Your possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

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Stockpiling Necessities

One of the things I see most often is people not knowing what to stockpile or where to even start.  The best suggestion I have is to make a list of what you use in a month, and initially base your preparations from that.

Every family is different, but every family has basic food requirements that have to be met.

There are a lot of things you can pick up when they are on sale and slowly build your pantry and storage without wrecking your budget.  As previously mentioned, be sure to shop the grocery aisles in discount stores such as Dollar General, Fred’s, and Dollar Tree.

A basic list would include some or all of the following:

• Water – 1 gallon per person, per day – ideally 2 weeks’ worth (includes water for cooking needs)
• Flour – white, wheat, rye, soy – whatever your family likes
• Grains – oats, grits, cream of wheat, cracked wheat, popcorn, etc.
• Sugars – granulated white, powdered, brown, honey (or molasses), pancake syrup
• Salt – iodized table salt, sea salt, kosher, etc.
• Yeast – if you plan on making bread
• Oil – olive, vegetable, corn, peanut, etc., and/or shortening
• Butter – counts as an oil, but you can freeze or can the butter, or use butter flavored shortening as a substitute
• Eggs – fresh is always best, but you can buy powdered eggs to use in an emergency
• Baking supplies – corn starch, baking soda, baking powder, spices, muffin liners, cocoa powder, etc.
• Dried beans – lots of varieties such as pinto, black, lentils, great northern, navy, kidney, red, etc.
• Corn meal or corn bread packets (I really like Morrison’s Corn Kits, but it may be a regional item)
• Rice – long grain white, brown, jasmine, etc.
• Peanut butter
• Jelly or jam
• Dried or canned fruits/vegetables
• Dried or canned meats – jerky, chicken, beef, ham
• Nuts – pecans, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, etc.
• Treats for the kids (or the chocoholic in you   🙂   ) – chocolate chips, candy bars, hard candy, Pop Tarts (which have a shockingly long shelf life!), etc.
• Boxed cereals
• Condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, pickles, olives, etc.
• Ramen noodles (VERY cheap, and store well)
• Dry pasta and canned sauces
• Coffee, tea, Kool-Aid, Tang, Nestle Quik (chocolate/strawberry), hot cocoa mix, etc.
• Powdered milk
• Fruit juice or juice boxes
• Canned soups – chicken noodle, tomato, vegetable, cream of chicken/mushroom, etc.
• Crackers – saltines, Ritz, Wheat Thins, Sociables, etc.
• Canned chili or tamales
• Apple sauce
• Instant mashed potatoes (not bad with some cheese and garlic powder added in)
• Canned tuna fish, SPAM, vienna sausages, etc.  (In an emergency, it’s better than nothing!)

If you don’t know how to make bread (or cook), I highly recommend you learn.  Anyone can learn how to cook with some practice and patience.  Good cooks are not always born – they develop over time.  🙂

For other basic supplies, a beginning list could include:

• Matches
• Candles or oil lamps with extra lamp oil and wicks
• Flashlights with extra batteries
• Battery powered AM/FM radio
• Extra blankets/pillows
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Napkins
• Kleenex
• Laundry detergent and supplies (stain remover, dryer sheets. etc.)
• Dishwashing liquid
• Ziploc bags (gallon, quart, sandwich bags)
• Trash bags
• Soap
• Deodorant
• Shampoo
• Baby powder/foot powder
• Cotton balls
• Q-tips
• Shaving cream
• Razors
• Toothpaste
• Dental floss
• Mouthwash
• Pet food (dry and canned)
• Extra canning jars/lids/rings
• Seeds for planting a garden (use good quality seeds – not the Walmart .25 cent packages)

Consider starting a garden, or planting a few fruit trees in your yard.

These are just some ideas to get you started.  The important thing is to actually begin to prepare before an emergency strikes.  Having food and supplies onhand for your family is a peace of mind that is priceless!

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