Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun!

Share your tips and ideas on making the most of meals!
Post Reply
Roxanne
Posts: 676
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by Roxanne » Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:59 pm

I am also carrying over some items from January, like the C. bacon, cream cheese, orzo and couscous. This time for sure, I'm going to use it all so I won't have to keep looking at them month to month and thinking "when will I use this up?"

When I think about it, C. bacon is a couple dollars more than deli ham here too. I did use it in the recipe I intended to use it in and found I liked it so I decided to sub. it for ham in a cheese and ham pinwheel recipe, bad idea! It was way too salty and I didn't add extra salt to the recipe and since that I kinda didn't want to eat it anymore but putting it in the omelet was good cause I put just a small bit of it in there.

Cookie dough and quick breads freeze really well and I have had nuts in my fridge for a while now (I have a ton of pecans in my veggie crisper draw which I sealed in bags) I just toast them up before using and they are still as good as new. So you can do that too.

Kchurchill5
Posts: 16044
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2011 11:55 am

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by Kchurchill5 » Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:02 pm

rac, that is a great plan. I don't mind new items for a party. But I also try to use on hand first. Good for you.

And seasonal, I can't blame you for that.

Sometimes when I have a few friends over for card nights we call it CORN. Literally I serve them all my leftovers. I take 3-4 soups out. We grill a mix of chicken, shrimp, pork etc. Or we just reheat 4-5 different dishes and make a fresh salad to go with it and it's a giant smorgasboard which is fine. And we all have fun. Someone usually brings a dip, and another beer or drinks and presto. You can make it a fun party. Great for close friends or family. Play cards, a game, watch movies and just use all your leftovers. Nothing wrong with that.

Roxanne
Posts: 676
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by Roxanne » Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:09 pm

Totally agree Kc, in the future I will be doing that - looking for more than 1 recipe using a particular item before buying. I don't eat out much, only once a week with my BF and all I do is home cooking. The foods I have grown up eating is definitely different cause of where I live but I did go through a period where I was trying lots of other new food items and recipes which is how I kinda got stuck with some of these things. Since I cook my local cuisine regularly again it is kinda hard to use up some of this stuff. Also, I have been thinking of doing a thing called "meatless mondays" basically you eat vegetarian for that day, I think it is a grand idea.

lol racr, I love your grocery bill story. I am too much of an impulse buyer for sales (BOGO or reduced prices) I have still been impulse buying in January. But most of the recent impulse buys have been chocolate related - and I do have a major sweet tooth but still I probably shouldn't stock pile too much lol. I did do a pasta and sauce mix impulse buy though. I should know better as I am already over run with other pastas! But they don't have a sauce mix with them and that pulled me in with it being less than 1/2 the price :roll:

HeatherFeather
Posts: 2558
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by HeatherFeather » Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:40 pm

My impulse buys usually involve anything that says it is a holiday flavor or "limited edition" type food. I love seasonal items and specialty flavors, so this sales tactic is very successful at getting me to buy things I really don't need.

I have gotten better about it now, but I still let myself get a few things now and then, like holiday flavors of coffee. My biggest incentive now is to wait until just before the holiday hits, and for a few days after the holiday as well - all of those limited edition items get marked down heavily if any are left. With most things, I can make myself wait until the markdown prices have appeared.

I have 5 bags of holiday flavor gourmet coffees in my pantry right now that were all clearanced. I go through coffee fast, so I will definitely go through them. I don't mind drinking things like pumpkin spice flavored coffee in February. Who made it a rule that it is only a fall flavor anyway? :D

racrgal
Posts: 1337
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:33 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by racrgal » Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:46 pm

Kchurchill5 wrote:rac, that is a great plan. I don't mind new items for a party. But I also try to use on hand first. Good for you.

And seasonal, I can't blame you for that.

Sometimes when I have a few friends over for card nights we call it CORN. Literally I serve them all my leftovers. I take 3-4 soups out. We grill a mix of chicken, shrimp, pork etc. Or we just reheat 4-5 different dishes and make a fresh salad to go with it and it's a giant smorgasboard which is fine. And we all have fun. Someone usually brings a dip, and another beer or drinks and presto. You can make it a fun party. Great for close friends or family. Play cards, a game, watch movies and just use all your leftovers. Nothing wrong with that.
CORN night at your house sounds wonderful!

racrgal
Posts: 1337
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:33 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by racrgal » Tue Jan 31, 2012 6:53 pm

Roxanne, I was in my 20s when I started shopping from lists. Over the years it has become such a habit that I "forget" to buy ordinary things which aren't on the list. I've thought of "milk" on the way to the market and come home without milk because it wasn't on my list. :oops: You should see me fly through a store if I know the layout and have my list. I'm not a grocery store browser.

racrgal
Posts: 1337
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:33 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by racrgal » Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:10 pm

HF, anytime is a good time for gourmet coffees! They are very difficult to find in decaf so I do stock up when I find a nice decaf flavor. Oh my! An impulse buy for me. :o :lol:

Roxanne
Posts: 676
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by Roxanne » Tue Jan 31, 2012 7:49 pm

racrgal wrote:Roxanne, I was in my 20s when I started shopping from lists. Over the years it has become such a habit that I "forget" to buy ordinary things which aren't on the list. I've thought of "milk" on the way to the market and come home without milk because it wasn't on my list. :oops: You should see me fly through a store if I know the layout and have my list. I'm not a grocery store browser.
Well I'm in my 20's now and I do shop with a list of regular and non regular items on there cause if I don't I surely forget one or some items :roll:. But I think I get caught up in sales cause I am a browser! I love to look around to see if there are any new items stocked and of course in this process I see lots of sales I wouldn't otherwise see :lol:.

Heather, I also love certain seasonal items. There is this one item, a chocolate hazelnut wafer that they only have at Christmas time. Every year I look forward to it. The other day they had half price sale at a store on stocks from Christmas so I bought a couple. I also got Hershey's caramel filled kisses at 1/2 price (another thing they only import for Christmas) Luck so had it I got Reese's Whipps at 1/3 the price even though it is year round item - I bought a whole dozen bars. Then I got bogo on a caramel filled and hazelnut studded chocolate bars. lol see, told you I stock piled on lots of chocolate items :oops:. I don't even need chocolate for V-day at this rate! :lol: I don't see a problem with having pumpkin spice in February btw. No one says you can't enjoy something "out of season" ;)

racrgal
Posts: 1337
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:33 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by racrgal » Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:01 pm

Browsing is our difference, Roxanne. I just don't browse the grocery store. Now a Farmer's Market is an entirely different story! I love fresh fruits and veggies. I like to check out the "weird" produce too. I can get carried away in a Farmer's Market.

Roxanne
Posts: 676
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:47 pm

Re: Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun

Post by Roxanne » Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:45 am

I went out yesterday and browsed (half-way) gosh, so many temptations still! But I resisted and bought nothing extra! :D. I don't usually browse the market here looking for new things, I browse looking for better prices and how good the produce looks too.

Post Reply