I’ve ramped up my gardening so that I always have some fresh produce to harvest (I live in Southern California, we have a year-round growing season). Cruciferous veggies, peas, fava beans in the winter and spring; tomatoes, string beans, squash, etc. in the summer and fall, herbs everywhere. Meat, I only buy what’s on sale. My standalone freezer is stuffed to the gills!
Year-round gardening would be so great! I’m in central Illinois. And my yard is too shady to do much more than herbs and a few tomatoes. But every little bit helps.
I just said this the other day. Our summers are so short up here that it's difficult to plan for any type of harvest lol. Also, my yard faces north...hardly any sun.
If you watch for specials, salad kits are surprisingly economical and cut down on wasted produce. Don’t over-rely on them, but it’s a great option and I’ve discovered some really good combinations that I can then adapt and make from scratch. Taylor Farms has a “sweet kale” salad that is really good—chopped kale and cabbages with almonds and dried cranberries and a poppy seed dressing that is strangely addictive.
We learned a lot about the value of smaller food systems during the pandemic—locally sourced fruit and vegetables are more expensive than the grocery store, but if you factor in tariffs it will be comparable this summer and fall. If you live in a rural area, keep an eye on the farm and garden/local Facebook pages. We scored a deal when a local person sent her pigs to be butchered. We went in with a friend and purchased a whole pig. It was cut up according to our specs, vacuum sealed and is now in our freezer. I’ve also purchased beef and chicken this way. It’s better meat, more humanely raised, and it helps out local families who are usually raising animals as a side hustle.
I could see this for a small household. But my mind was blown the first time I compared a bag of shredded cabbage and a whole cabbage — and cabbage keeps well so you have some time to use it. It’s very worth each person comparing the options for what they eat, how much the ingredients cost and whether it’s working for them.
Yep—it only makes sense if there’s just one or two of you, and only when they go on sale. The savings isn’t in the greens—it’s in all of the toppings and add-ins. It adds up to have all that on hand, and to be honest I am way more likely to forget that I have things like dried cranberries or olives or whatever.
Buying in bulk for nonperishables and less packaging waste. Also I noticed items I like often go on sale in a 3 or 4 week cycle, so I normally buy enough to last until then. I have a full freezer in the basement, plan to garden this year, and might even do some canning.
Shortages of domestic products probably won’t hit this growing season, but as farmers go out of business due to lack of overseas markets and migrant labor to pick crops, I expect it will get far worse.
Good stuff. My wife shops the local Aldi on occasion but shops the local Lidl store more often, even though they are located in the same mall area. For her, it's about the different availabilities of things. Lidl seems to have more of what she likes. I told her that she better stock up on her Asian foods as the tariffs will make them so much more expensive now.
On the other side of things, I, too, am working on stocking up more on non-perishables and long term food storage. We have a medium sized freezer that stays relatively full all year long. We live in central Virginia so growing a lot of vegetables year round is a challenge. We actually do get a bit of snow here in January.
I'm dreading what's coming, between the food taxes and the serious slide into a dictatorship as of yesterday. I'm asking myself, how much longer is living in the U.S. going to be sustainable for those of us who are here on green cards or naturalized citizens? Saving money on my grocery bill might not be so high on my list of concerns by next winter.
Reading this brought back memories of my young, broke single mother days. Ugh.
Nowadays, I'm still pretty cheap even when I do have money lol. I eat a LOT of different soups because it's cheap and easy to make from scratch with beans, lentils, chickpeas, and veggies. I make huge pots and eat it for aa few days, then freeze the rest when I get tired of it. I don't eat meat either so it's pretty easy sticking to a simple diet.
Onions and peppers freeze incredibly well and can save you from having to toss them if you see they're about to go bad. I'll chop up 3-4 onions and 2-3 green peppers and store them in Ziplocs in the freezer. We use them for omelets, stews/soups, hamburgers, all kinds of things. So easy to grab when cooking and because they're chopped, they thaw and cook fast.
Excellent shopping advice, Michelle. I love the bean pots, and when making gumbo, I make a huge pot to freeze some. Likewise chicken noodle soup, Bolognese sauce, gulashsuppe, white bean soup. Having a FoodSaver makes freezing soups more doable. 1-gallon bags are the bomb.
I went to aldi for years — and then discovered its German cousin Lidl. Love it! I make a dried bean soup weekly — so easy to do. I do fried rice once a week — chop every vegetable I can find sauté (I splurge and use minced pancetta too) in sesame oil — make a well drop in more oil and add beaten eggs — then the rice. Season accordingly (I use ginger, teriyaki, and hot sesame). Yum.
I love Aldi. You don’t get everything you want and you have to lose your attachment to brand names but the prices are so good. When I go back to traditional stores for things Aldi doesn’t sell I am shocked by how expensive things are.
Oh, absolutely! I get everything possible there and then hit another store for things they don’t have — like tahini. Because my husband is European, we love all the European foods they carry. Such things would be super expensive from an import store (and may be much more expensive once tariffs hit.)
I totally ran my home like you did. My kids grew up with hot breakfasts and most meals were made from scratch. (The "Make a Mix" cookbook helped me make my own quick mixes.)
You might enjoy using the Out of Milk app. I got hooked on it several years ago and love it. Gone are the days of my shopping list template, laid out according to store layout.
And yeah, as the days grow more perilous, it brings me great peace of mind knowing I have some seriously bad ass skills when it comes to thrift and meal planning. It's sad seeing how many younger people don't really cook anymore. It's all heat and eat. But yeah, folks will need to learn new shopping habits as the prices continue to go up, up, up.
Unit prices are my best friend at the store - it’s highway robbery how small portions are more expensive!!
I also love the app Too Good To Go - it partners with grocery stores and restaurants to sell day old but still good food at a steep discount (75%). It’s likely not available in rural areas, but it’s GREAT for treats on a budget. You can’t pick what you want, but there are ratings from others.
Every month, I spend $6 to get a dozen cupcakes from a specialty bakery (normally $28!) to take to our community meeting. I also occasionally get grocery ones, but those are competitive in my area!
White rice is fantastic, only thing that stores for longer is wheat berries salt and honey. I suppose thats living/working around Asians, cause its my base for the majority of meals i cook. Regardless a good read. Living pretty far from interstate in rural wv, first thing to go was the franchise food. Heck, the only franchise nearby is a mcdonalds, every other one is at least 1 1/2 hrs away
Love ya, Michelle, this post about smart food-shopping & prepping is so timely & close to my (frugal) heart. We all need to pay attention to your sage advice in these tough times. Thankyou! Jo from Australia😊
I’ve ramped up my gardening so that I always have some fresh produce to harvest (I live in Southern California, we have a year-round growing season). Cruciferous veggies, peas, fava beans in the winter and spring; tomatoes, string beans, squash, etc. in the summer and fall, herbs everywhere. Meat, I only buy what’s on sale. My standalone freezer is stuffed to the gills!
Year-round gardening would be so great! I’m in central Illinois. And my yard is too shady to do much more than herbs and a few tomatoes. But every little bit helps.
I just said this the other day. Our summers are so short up here that it's difficult to plan for any type of harvest lol. Also, my yard faces north...hardly any sun.
Year round growing is possible if you set up grow lights or do seed sprouting on a windowsill in jars. You don't even need soil.
We grow lettuces and cherry tomatoes in the basement over the winter using a hydroponic system (Kratky) and grow lights.
The sprouting setup just takes about a teaspoon or two of seeds and a week later you have a quart of sprouts.
I do sprouts. Haven’t tried indoor tomatos
If you watch for specials, salad kits are surprisingly economical and cut down on wasted produce. Don’t over-rely on them, but it’s a great option and I’ve discovered some really good combinations that I can then adapt and make from scratch. Taylor Farms has a “sweet kale” salad that is really good—chopped kale and cabbages with almonds and dried cranberries and a poppy seed dressing that is strangely addictive.
We learned a lot about the value of smaller food systems during the pandemic—locally sourced fruit and vegetables are more expensive than the grocery store, but if you factor in tariffs it will be comparable this summer and fall. If you live in a rural area, keep an eye on the farm and garden/local Facebook pages. We scored a deal when a local person sent her pigs to be butchered. We went in with a friend and purchased a whole pig. It was cut up according to our specs, vacuum sealed and is now in our freezer. I’ve also purchased beef and chicken this way. It’s better meat, more humanely raised, and it helps out local families who are usually raising animals as a side hustle.
I could see this for a small household. But my mind was blown the first time I compared a bag of shredded cabbage and a whole cabbage — and cabbage keeps well so you have some time to use it. It’s very worth each person comparing the options for what they eat, how much the ingredients cost and whether it’s working for them.
Yep—it only makes sense if there’s just one or two of you, and only when they go on sale. The savings isn’t in the greens—it’s in all of the toppings and add-ins. It adds up to have all that on hand, and to be honest I am way more likely to forget that I have things like dried cranberries or olives or whatever.
Buying in bulk for nonperishables and less packaging waste. Also I noticed items I like often go on sale in a 3 or 4 week cycle, so I normally buy enough to last until then. I have a full freezer in the basement, plan to garden this year, and might even do some canning.
Shortages of domestic products probably won’t hit this growing season, but as farmers go out of business due to lack of overseas markets and migrant labor to pick crops, I expect it will get far worse.
Good stuff. My wife shops the local Aldi on occasion but shops the local Lidl store more often, even though they are located in the same mall area. For her, it's about the different availabilities of things. Lidl seems to have more of what she likes. I told her that she better stock up on her Asian foods as the tariffs will make them so much more expensive now.
On the other side of things, I, too, am working on stocking up more on non-perishables and long term food storage. We have a medium sized freezer that stays relatively full all year long. We live in central Virginia so growing a lot of vegetables year round is a challenge. We actually do get a bit of snow here in January.
I'm dreading what's coming, between the food taxes and the serious slide into a dictatorship as of yesterday. I'm asking myself, how much longer is living in the U.S. going to be sustainable for those of us who are here on green cards or naturalized citizens? Saving money on my grocery bill might not be so high on my list of concerns by next winter.
Reading this brought back memories of my young, broke single mother days. Ugh.
Nowadays, I'm still pretty cheap even when I do have money lol. I eat a LOT of different soups because it's cheap and easy to make from scratch with beans, lentils, chickpeas, and veggies. I make huge pots and eat it for aa few days, then freeze the rest when I get tired of it. I don't eat meat either so it's pretty easy sticking to a simple diet.
Onions and peppers freeze incredibly well and can save you from having to toss them if you see they're about to go bad. I'll chop up 3-4 onions and 2-3 green peppers and store them in Ziplocs in the freezer. We use them for omelets, stews/soups, hamburgers, all kinds of things. So easy to grab when cooking and because they're chopped, they thaw and cook fast.
I do this, too’
Great advice!
Excellent shopping advice, Michelle. I love the bean pots, and when making gumbo, I make a huge pot to freeze some. Likewise chicken noodle soup, Bolognese sauce, gulashsuppe, white bean soup. Having a FoodSaver makes freezing soups more doable. 1-gallon bags are the bomb.
I went to aldi for years — and then discovered its German cousin Lidl. Love it! I make a dried bean soup weekly — so easy to do. I do fried rice once a week — chop every vegetable I can find sauté (I splurge and use minced pancetta too) in sesame oil — make a well drop in more oil and add beaten eggs — then the rice. Season accordingly (I use ginger, teriyaki, and hot sesame). Yum.
I use Aldi because it’s the best option where I live but it could apply to other stores. I would eat everything you’re cooking! Yum!
I love Aldi. You don’t get everything you want and you have to lose your attachment to brand names but the prices are so good. When I go back to traditional stores for things Aldi doesn’t sell I am shocked by how expensive things are.
Oh, absolutely! I get everything possible there and then hit another store for things they don’t have — like tahini. Because my husband is European, we love all the European foods they carry. Such things would be super expensive from an import store (and may be much more expensive once tariffs hit.)
I grew up eating this way. Plus we grew a garden in the summer and fished during the applicable seasons.
I totally ran my home like you did. My kids grew up with hot breakfasts and most meals were made from scratch. (The "Make a Mix" cookbook helped me make my own quick mixes.)
You might enjoy using the Out of Milk app. I got hooked on it several years ago and love it. Gone are the days of my shopping list template, laid out according to store layout.
And yeah, as the days grow more perilous, it brings me great peace of mind knowing I have some seriously bad ass skills when it comes to thrift and meal planning. It's sad seeing how many younger people don't really cook anymore. It's all heat and eat. But yeah, folks will need to learn new shopping habits as the prices continue to go up, up, up.
Unit prices are my best friend at the store - it’s highway robbery how small portions are more expensive!!
I also love the app Too Good To Go - it partners with grocery stores and restaurants to sell day old but still good food at a steep discount (75%). It’s likely not available in rural areas, but it’s GREAT for treats on a budget. You can’t pick what you want, but there are ratings from others.
Every month, I spend $6 to get a dozen cupcakes from a specialty bakery (normally $28!) to take to our community meeting. I also occasionally get grocery ones, but those are competitive in my area!
Only a gas station in my area participates in that, unfortunately.
White rice is fantastic, only thing that stores for longer is wheat berries salt and honey. I suppose thats living/working around Asians, cause its my base for the majority of meals i cook. Regardless a good read. Living pretty far from interstate in rural wv, first thing to go was the franchise food. Heck, the only franchise nearby is a mcdonalds, every other one is at least 1 1/2 hrs away
Love ya, Michelle, this post about smart food-shopping & prepping is so timely & close to my (frugal) heart. We all need to pay attention to your sage advice in these tough times. Thankyou! Jo from Australia😊
How in God's name did you do all that from scratch all the time and still work a full time job, raise kids, and take care of a house???
When my kids were babies I just had a home biz/freelanced and then had a little biz with 2 other moms that allowed me to take my kids with me.