Reduced for Quick Sale

June 25, 2008

Everyone is looking for a deal when grocery shopping.  My mother-in-law  has always claimed that you get the best prices by shopping the same stores regularly.

She was right! By regularly shopping one store you learn the routine of price drops and the rotation of sale items. For example, my favorite local grocery store does a great sale on pastas every 4 months. I know to stock up on enough pasta to last until the next great sale.

You also learn where the “reduced for quick sale items” are kept. These are items that are greatly reduced in price because they need to bought quickly and used before they expire or go bad.

A thrifty shopper can pick up some great bargains if they know where to look!

I recently picked up several large bags of baby carrots for 99 cents a bag. We had company at the time, so finishing off that many carrots before they went bad was not a problem.  If I had more time though, I would have bought a few more bags, blanched them and froze the carrots in zip lock baggies ready to throw in soups or heat up as a vegetable.

On the same shopping trip I also bought two cartons of reduced price cottage cheese. One we ate fresh right away, the other I’ll make into a casserole and freeze.

We buy almost all of our fruit this way. With a family of seven, it isn’t hard to finish them before they spoil! If for some reason we don’t, I make a fruit salad for supper and use up the odds and ends. Or dump them in my vita-mix with some yogurt and make a smoothie.

Finding the hidden “reduced for quick sale” spots in your local grocery store is a thrifty way to feed your family!

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , | Comments (0)

County Wide Garage Sales

June 23, 2008

It was a big weekend here at the farm, County wide garage sales!

It took three days, but we covered almost all of the over 40 sales. We are exhausted, but triumphant with our spoils!

Some of the best buys include:

  • a pair of insulated coveralls for my hubby for $5. They were in great condition and would have cost about $50 new.
  • A pair of black leather pants to sell on eBay for $.50.
  • A similar black leather jacket to sell on eBay for $1.
  • A very nice Columbia Wool coat to sell on eBay for $1.
  • A cordless phone with answering machine for $1 (We never buy these new, we can find them so cheap at garage sales, we pick them up and when the battery runs dead, we throw them away and pull out a spare.)
  • A nice bag full of clothes for the kids that the guy gave us for a dollar just to get rid of it in the last few minutes of the sale! (I wondered later if I should have offered him $5 for all the clothes he had left, gleaned what we could use and tried to sell the rest on eBay, but I didn’t think of it in time.)

Overall it was not as good as previous years, lots of baby and toddler clothes and toys. But we found enough things for our family and for resell that we feel like it was a successful venture.

And…since I was alone with my husband we can officially qualify it as a date!

By Country Gal | Posted in Community, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , , | Comment (1)

Hot Dog Roast on a Budget

June 21, 2008

Hot dog roasts are a way of life here on the farm. We’ve found that they’re an easy and cheap way to have some great family fun.

My husband picked up the rim of a semi truck tire to use as a fire ring. Then he saved the grate from our old gas grill before we trashed it. It fits perfectly on the top of the fire ring to cook a large amount of hot dogs fast. Or we use the motley assortment of roasting sticks that we’ve picked up at auctions and garage sales over the years.

We found an old metal table at a garage sale that works perfectly by the fire to hold the food and have a variety of lawn chairs to spread around.

When there’s a large crowd, like our home school group, we put boards on cement blocks to make benches around the fire.

It’s a great and very portable system. We can load it up and head out to the ponds, using the back of  the pick-up as a serving table (a true tailgate party!) Or we can set it up closer to the house, depending on the needs of the group.

I watch the sales and pick up the hot dogs, marshmallows, graham crackers, ketchup, baked beans, chocolate bars, etc.. when they’re on sale. I just pop them in the freezer or the pantry and we’re ready at a moment’s notice to be hospitable and host a hot dog roast!

By Country Gal | Posted in Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Homemade Taco Seasonings Mix

June 20, 2008

Tacos are a staple in our diet and a form of them will show up on our table at least once a week. They are also a favorite to serve with company since they are filling and easy to make ahead.

But since I am very sensitive to MSG, I had to find an alternative to the traditional seasonings packets. In my effort to find a healthier choice, I also found a very economical one.

By mixing up the seasonings myself using bulk herbs, I not only know exactly what went in, but I can control the heat depending on the taste buds of my audience.

it’s very easy to double or even triple a batch for just a few cents more.

This can be made ahead and stored in a plastic bag or container, but I always just mix it up as needed. It’s quite fast and very easy.

Taco Seasoning Mix

2 tsp. instant onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
crushed dried red pepper to taste

Equals 1 pkg of taco seasoning mix.

To use, brown and drain 1 lb. of ground meat. Add seasoning mix an 1 cup of water. Simmer 10-15 minutes.

By Country Gal | Posted in Cooking and Food, Main Dishes, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Adventures in Soap Making

June 17, 2008

We have two nieces staying with us for the week. Even though the kids have had lots of fun, this morning everybody was dragging a little.

So I pulled out all the soap making kits that I had purchased last summer at garage sales. I think there were about three total.

One was complete, one was just a box of assorted soap making stuff, and the other was just a few items. I had no idea what I had or even what to do with it. I just set the boxes on the table and said, “Have fun!”  (No, I’m not crazy, just maybe a little too tired to think clearly!)

But it worked! The kids all hunkered down and read instructions and figured out what to do. They made glycerin soap all morning! My kitchen smelled like Bath and Body works!

I paid $4 total for all of the kits. The kids definitely had $4 worth of good clean fun this morning! And since they only made a very small dent in the supplies, we can pull the kits out again later this summer for more fun!

The best part of all is that we can actually use the soap they made!

I love it when a Frugal plan comes together!

By Country Gal | Posted in Children, Thrifty Ideas | Tagged , | Comments (0)