Canning Season

An evening's harvest

     Things are a little crazy around here as the summer harvest begins to come in, and the deep freezes and canning shelves overflow. We've just entered Week 3 of canning season, and as I was putting away some of the newly canned goods (Sweet Pickles from Week 1, and Bread & Butter Pickles and Sweet Pickle Relish from Week 2), I realized something... 

     No, it has nothing to do with the amount of cucumbers we're swimming in. Well, actually, I take that back, it just might. It also has to do with all the cabbage, tomatoes and peppers, and all the not-so-blank spaces on our canning shelves as we expand to can even more of our own foods each year. You see, we're not going to have enough room for all of our canned goods this year.

     I was concerned last week about running out of freezer space after having to dedicate another compartment to chicken scraps.  (Two whole compartments of one of our 15 cubic foot deep freezes are now almost full with vegetables/fruits for the chickens this winter, and before it's all said and done, a third compartment might be added as well to make sure we have enough for them.)  

     Now, with the lack of space for canned goods, some serious rearranging is going to need to take place, because figuring out where to store canned goods is not quite as easy as everyone thinks as this is our year's supply worth of food essentially being "purchased" at one time.  (Take a look at "You Plan To Eat All That?" if you don't believe me.)  

     Some days a weekend "shopping trip" to purchase this year's worth of food seems more reasonable.  I often wonder why it should take an entire "season" to can everything you need.  Why can't we just all jam it into a couple of days and be done with it all?  

Canning weekend of 2015

     Spoiler: Don't do this.  Once a year I get this brilliant idea and jam peaches, apples and tomato products into one weekend in August just to get them all over with.  Every year I come up for air exhausted and swear I'll never do it again.  This year, I've bypassed most of that stage and am making plans for a "relaxing" canning weekend containing all these products again from the fiery depths of my kitchen in August...

     This early summer has been the year of pickles for me.  The cucumber plants are (for once) doing what they are supposed to do, even though we have an outbreak of striped cucumber beetles to deal with.

Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage
fermenting to make Sauerkraut

     So far we have a batch of Sweet Pickles done, with another batch fermenting.  There's Sweet Pickle Relish canned (recipe here), and also a batch of the simplest pickle I can find: Bread & Butter Pickles.  To top it all off, Sauerkraut is also fermenting alongside the Sweet Pickles right now, and I'm about to have to thoroughly rearrange the kitchen for canning season soon as from here on out, it is expected that I will be canning (at bare minimum) one recipe each week until October.  That's at least twelve weeks of canning (and a lot more than twelve recipes worth of things that will need canned)!

     I'm not quite sure how many more cucumbers we'll need this year, so our chickens might get lucky and have some extra cucumbers to pick at instead of just cabbage heads, broccoli, cauliflower, beet tops and radishes.  I'm sure they won't mind.

The Plymouth Barred Rock also pecking at some Watermelon rinds.

In Other News

Did you say food?  Our Delawares are the least picky
chickens I have ever seen when it comes to food.  

     To complete the cycle of chaos around here, the Delawares are begging for their own pasture (and three escaped their run in search of grass when I went to change out their water the other day, so we really need to get their pasture done).  Chicken chasing is not all that it is cracked up to be.  

    With temperatures climbing into the 90s for almost a whole week now, they and the Plymouth Barred Rocks have been getting mud puddle filled runs to help keep them cool, and they are loving it!  They have also been keeping us on our toes as we change out their water multiple times throughout the day and keep an eye on whether or not they are getting heat stressed.  In all the twenty-two chickens seem to be doing fairly well considering the temperatures.

Baling Straw on July 4th before the rains came.  The Mr. is
sitting out there in the tractor, waiting to get a wagon.

     The Mr. has been helping out our landlord occasionally with the hay and straw harvests this year, and my cousin who was visiting from North Carolina and I got to watch everyone try to get the straw bales in before the rains came on the Fourth of July.  The rains, which were supposed to only arrive in the evening, came early (around 2 p.m.), and sent everyone, along with their wagons, running for cover.   Fortunately, we live in the country, and the July Fourth weekend also gave us 18 different fireworks displays, which we watched from the sand mound.

We will also be working on replacing the greenhouse roof
before winter as a windstorm late last week ripped it to shreds.

     As we started to harvest our summertime produce, we planted a late season crop of Incredible Sweet Corn, and are now planning for our fall crops in the garden.  Just this past week our seed starter trays were filled with Winter Dream Cauliflower, Sun King Broccoli, Red Acre Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage and Blue Curled Scotch Kale seeds.   The seeds are currently waiting out the weather on the porch, where I can keep them easily watered, and will hopefully be moved to the greenhouse once needed adjustments are made to it.  Soon we'll harvest the rest of the cabbage and begin planting some of our fall season seeds.

Crops Being Harvested

July: Black Raspberries, Blackberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Herbs (various), Hull Peas, Lettuce, Mint, Mulberries, Peppers, Radishes, Sugar Beets, Tomatoes, Yellow Squash and Zucchini

Upcoming in August: Blackberries, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Herbs (various) Lettuce, Lima Beans, Mint, Oats, Patty Pan Squash, Peppers, Radishes, Sugar Beets, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Wineberries, Yellow Squash and Zucchini

Until next time, Happy Harvesting!

Free Up Freezer Space

Is your freezer so full you just don't have room to fit more in?  Are you stuck with a tiny apartment-sized freezer, but would love to prepare meals in advance?  These quick tips will help you make the most of your limited freezer space.

TIP 1: Storing meat.  A family pack of meat runs between 5 and 6lbs, which is perfect for this quick tip.  

Instead of keeping your meat in its original packaging, separate it immediately into portion-sized packages.  To do this we use fold top sandwich bags (cost is about $1 per 100-pack at a big box store) and gallon-sized freezer bags (cost is around $7 per 50-pack at a big box store).  A 1/2lb of ground meat can easily fit inside a fold over sandwich bag, fold the top over, and then pack 12 of those packages into a gallon-size freezer bag, label the bag, and stack.  When using freezer bags for this purpose, I found that zipper bags hold up better than slider bags due to how tightly they will be packed, and in having to open and close them with regularity.  

TIP 2: Storing soups and sauces.  If you're like us, you probably want to have some quick meals on hand.  We found the best way to do this is to use easily stacking freezer containers for premade soups (such as lentil soup, homemade cream of chicken soup, or chicken pot pie) and sauces that can't be canned.  The key here is to get sturdy freezer containers, which come in a variety of sizes and all stack together nicely.  The ones we have, shown right, actually come in three sizes (2 cup, 3 cup and 4 cup), and have a place where you can write in the date and contents with a dry erase marker.  Once you're done with them, wash them up, and they're good as new!  We got ours for just $3.50 for 2 cup (5-pack), a 3-cup (4-pack) or 4-cup (3-pack) from a local store.  

TIP 3: Flatten when you're able with soups, crockpot freezer meal packets, and vegetables.   This works wonderful when we are trying to jam as much garden produce into our freezers (yes, we have deep freezes these days, but started out with just an apartment-sized freezer) as possible.  Essentially, you're making file folders out of pint freezer bags (around $3 for a 20-pack at a big box store) and quart freezer bags (about $7 for a 60-pack at a big box store).  Label your bags, freeze your bags flat, after insuring all the air is out of them, and then stack like you would file folders in a filing cabinet.  You can also stack them inside freezer bins if you have them.  When using freezer bags, I've found that regular zipper bags hold up better than slider bags.

TIP 4: TV dinners for all.  When tv dinners first became popular in the 1950s, the frozen dinners came in an aluminium tray, which you heated in an oven and actually ate on a tv tray in front of the television with the rest of your family.  They were popular, and eventually became the plastic tray'd meals that we see in grocery store freezer cases today.  We currently make a spin of family-sized tv dinners using aluminium pans from the big box stores, which you can pick up for a couple of dollars.  Take the lid off, and pop them into the oven, and you're ready for a quick dinner while you clean up from the garden, or catch up on some housework.

The aluminium pans stack wonderfully in the freezer, and can make a full course meal for two, or a main dish for more than two, whereas the small loaf pans make great single serve meals or a side dish for two.  The key, is to get only one or two kinds, which stack nicely so you don't use up too much of your freezer space.  If you're careful with the pans you can easily wash and reuse them, although you will have to replace the lids.  (A simple "new" lid can be made from aluminium foil and cardboard.

TIP 5: Use freezer bins/baskets if you have the space.  Not everyone will have the space to use freezer baskets as catch-alls, but I love these plastic baskets with holes in that allow the air to circulate, and can catch all of those half-used bags of vegetables and random single-packs of meat that are floating about.  You'll notice that we use them in our deep freezes for all of our bags of roasts and steaks.

These baskets come in four different sizes, ranging from a shoe box size to almost 11" x 14" x 10", and cost anywhere from $1 to $5 each at big box and dollar stores, depending on the size.  (We actually love them so much that we use them for our produce bins, yarn and craft bins, for all the clothing that doesn't fit nicely into our two dresser drawers, and in organization of our bathroom closet.)

I hope these tips help make some room in your crowded freezers.  What do you do to save space in them?

Who Buys That Much!?

     For those of you who read my last post, you may recall me not wanting to show you what stocking up for the winter looks like at our house because I wasn't sure what's above "nuts," "crazy," and "scary" in your vocabulary.  Well, I folded, and so I guess I'm about to find out.  

     You see, it all started when I watched our chicken dwindling down in the deep freeze, and even though we're going to slaughter two of our roosters for the freezer, two birds does not a whole winter's worth of meals make.  I found my solution in this week's grocery ad.  

     Catch the fine print?  That's right, buy 40lbs of chicken leg quarters and get them for 39c/lb.  That's only $15.60.  Not bad right?  

     I know, I know.  What in the world are we going to do with 40lbs of chicken other than my smart answer of "eat it," that you're probably not looking for?  But that's exactly what we are going to do - eat it, all winter long - once I go off to the grocery store to get it and prep it for the deep freeze.  

     So off to the grocery store I went, grabbing a shopping cart and heading straight for the meat counter.  Behind it was a kid, who couldn't have been much out of high school, to wait on me.  I promptly asked for a 40lb box of chicken leg quarters that were on sale that week.  He looked me up and down in my boots, skinny jeans, and blouse, and I could already see he was questioning my sincerity.  I was surrounded  by moms in conservative dress pushing mounded high shopping carts with armies of kids following behind them that probably would never have gotten a second glance, and here I was asking for a 40lb box of chicken leg quarters for two people.  

    After first asking if I had ever gotten a 40lb box before (not that, that really mattered) and hedging for a bit, he finally gave me the tag for the box, then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to pull my car around the side of the building for them to just put it in my car for me.  It was a nice gesture, but I had already gotten the cart, so I figured that pulling the car around would just be more hassle on my part.  "No," I reassured him, I'd like it in my cart.  He questioned me again and again for a good five minutes, each time I reassured him that I'd take the box in my cart, it was only 40lbs.  He wasn't convinced until I finally said, "If I can lift a 50lb bag of feed, I'm pretty sure I can handle a 40lb box."  He went to get it for me...

The menacing box, and I know it's not organic, but we
believe it or not, we actually don't eat completely organic
unlike a lot of other people who live a lifestyle similar to
ours.  Our theory with food can be found here.

     As I watched him struggle to drop it into my cart, the only thought that ran through my mind was "What have I gotten myself in to?"  I seemed to quickly answer that once I got the rest of the groceries, paid for them and stood at the trunk of the car.  I had unloaded everything else first, leaving that now menacing box for last.  Bracing myself for the struggle I now figured it would be to get it into the trunk, I lifted... wow, that was lighter than I thought.  Apparently all those feed sacks since May paid off.  

    Getting it home I was now faced with the daunting task of fitting it all into the fridge because I was also faced with at least four hours of driving to a Scouting event that evening before it could be processed the next day.  Luckily, my husband was home to help with this one and we jammed it all in.  (Only to realize that I had also bought a gallon of milk and a quart of heavy cream that was still on the outside of the fridge when we stood back to admire our handiwork.)  

Thanks for the weird but awesome wedding present!

     This morning, I was now faced with 40lbs of chicken, on what could otherwise be a relaxing day except for the housework, chickens, farm cats, harvesting, dishes, and everything else I've been putting off for who knows how long.  Luckily we asked for weird things for wedding presents, and our relatives and friends had happily obliged.  So, all I had to do was figure out where in the world the Mr. hid the butcher kit, then snip, snip, snip... Yeeeeouch! (blood blister from the bone sheers), and I was done.  

     So now I can officially say, I think we're pretty set for winter (at least when it comes to chicken).  Not only are there five jam-packed gallon freezer bags of chicken in the deep freeze downstairs, but also chicken roasting in the oven.  Who could resist?  I think it'll be an awesome lunch, and also make some pretty good cream of chicken soup (that I also managed to run out of in the deep freeze).  So there you have it, our latest "nutty" adventure with 40lbs of chicken.

     Have you been prepping food for the winter as well?  

You Plan To Eat All That?

     To answer the many questions and commentary of our friends and family (and the rest of you who are probably thinking the same things followed by the words "nuts," "crazy," and "scary") who saw my canning posts on Facebook over the course of the last few months.  No we are not preparing for nuclear fire to rain down... nor are we stocking a fallout shelter... planning to go completely off the grid... prepping for the zombie apocalypse... or any other apocalypse for that matter!  YES, we do plan to eat our canning.  

     What provoked this blog post is the photos leading up to this one... 

     You are currently looking at 720 jars of canned goods (amounting to a little over 85 gallons worth of food), which doesn't even happen to be all of them for the entire upcoming season, just the ones we have done.  It's called food and yes, a lot of it, and yes we understand you think we're nuts (as you've let us know this time and time again under no uncertain terms over the last few years).  So today, I'm simply here to say we plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner a little differently than you, and that our food store will not go to waste.

     Think of it this way... How many pizzas do you eat every year (remember not only to count Saturday night, but birthday parties, poker nights and every sporting event imaginable)?  We currently only have 15 jars of pizza sauce which means (unless we run out and buy a pizza), we can only have 15 pizzas in the next twelve months.  Having said this, more pizza sauce is planned to be canned, so we're adding to that 720 jar count.   There's just 29 jars of spaghetti sauce, or otherwise known as about two spaghetti-based meals a month for the next year.  Applesauce, peaches and pineapples?  There's 93 jars of them.  That means we don't even have two quarts for every week, and we often go through 3 or more of them when packing the Mr.'s daily lunches.  In essence, we are not only buying "a week's worth of groceries" like many of you might, but we're shopping for the whole year, which is why we have 720 jars of canned goods and you all think we're nuts. 

Having a second deep freeze is an amazing feeling for me

     What you haven't been seeing in between these canning sessions is the deep freezes starting to fill with garden produce and the dry goods shelves and root vegetable bins also being stocked up.  (This is probably good because I'm not sure I want to know what is above  "nuts," "crazy," and "scary" in your vocabulary.)  What each and every one of you is also probably forgetting, is that we don't want to buy (and hope not to buy) fresh produce during the winter when produce prices are so high as they're being imported from further and further away.  Although we are contemplating about adding a low tunnel or small greenhouse to the garden to extend our growing season, for now we have to rely on the shelves and current season.  We'd like to store our own garden's produce for our use over winter instead of running to the store.  In February, I can't run out to the garden for an onion, but hopefully I can go downstairs to our bins for one instead of hand-shoveling the driveway, letting the car warm up, skidding down the driveway on a sheet of ice because keeping the driveway ice free is a rarity, and then heading down the road through the snow and slush to the grocery store.  

     "But what about the ridiculous amount of jams you have?"  You protest.  

Mixed berry and strawberry jams from earlier this year

     Sigh.  For those of you who have been following along in previous months you can probably surmise by this point, we do have a bit of jams, jellies and butters built up.  So, yes our 187 jars of jams, jellies and butters are sitting downstairs among the rest of the canned goods.  But, while you see 187 jars of jams, jellies and butters that we'll never use in the next decade let alone year, I see peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, homemade cereal bars, and Christmas gifts.  No.  We will not eat all of these jams, jellies and butters this year, but I like to try and stock up for about two years at one time when doing them.  It saves me time, and although others will protest, I really think they taste just as good the second or third year as the first.  (To each their own.) 

     "What are those?"  You point, wrinkling your nose.  (I don't question your uncertainty as this is a scene that I have made before as well to my great grandmother's 40-year-old chow chow that she still thought was good and tasted fine.  For this very reason I am still holding strong to my pledge of not only never making chow chow, but never eating the vinegary mini-produce.  That smells lingers with you for a long, long time.)  Instead of chow chow, however, you happen to be looking at my chicken, turkey and vegetable stocks that will be turned into soups, stews and stuffings.  Yes, the jars of cream-to-brown liquids may not look the prettiest, but sometimes food tastes a lot better than it looks!  

     Before you bother with your next protest, as I've noticed you working on the next one as I answered your last, I'd like to interject with a quick story.  I once read Betty Groff Cookbook: Pennsylvania German Recipes that my mother had gotten for me.  In the book the story is relayed that Lancaster County, Pennsylvania native Betty Groff was entertaining some Amish neighbors for dinner and had invited them to see her shelves packed with vibrantly colored canned goods as she was "keeping the tradition" of canning. Afterwards her Amish neighbor had remarked at Betty’s cupboards of canned goods: “For you, this may be a tradition, but for us it is survival.” And, although you will assuredly come up with another protest, I stand by the words of Betty Groff's Amish neighbor.

     So, although most of you still think we are "nuts," "crazy," and "scary," when I go downstairs to get my apple pie filling for Thanksgiving dinner and your rushing around trying to figure out what you're going to make when the grocery stores are closed because someone who was bringing dessert cancelled last minute, remember... we're all a little nuts in our own special way.  

Lowering Your Grocery Bill (Part 2): Before You Go To The Store

“It is wise to keep an exact account of all you expend —even of a paper of pins.  This answers two purposes; it makes you more careful in spending money, and it enables your husband to judge precisely whether his family live within his income.”

– Lydia M. Child, The American Frugal Housewife (1832)

      You will probably hear this Mrs. Child advice used so many times in this blog that you will start repeating it in your sleep (along with my absolutely favorite piece of her advice you’ll be introduced to in another post).  Some of the first lines of Mrs. Child’s introduction to her manual on being a good housewife are certainly among my favorites, and it’s not hard to find a place these can easily adapt to your own lifestyle.  One of the biggest places her advice fits neatly into our lifestyle is the dreaded chore of grocery shopping (on a budget)! 

      From the time I was a small child, I can vividly remember my trips to the grocery store with my mother.  She had spent the evening before or the early morning at home pouring over sales ads and clipping coupons from her in-law’s Sunday paper, carefully outlining what we would eat on that week’s menu.  Next came the compiling of the grocery list, and at last, a trip to the grocery store!  I do not remember my mother purchasing anything that was not on that grocery list when I was younger even though the ice cream on a hot summer’s day probably tempted her as much then as it does me now.  As a single-income family, I can understand now why the grocery list was strictly followed, and just why she added the price of each item off to the side of the paper, carefully keeping track of the money they had to spend.  Apparently her ideas rubbed off on me as I created our monthly grocery budget a few months after we married and set to work stocking our own kitchen.

      In our household two adults are provided for in “groceries” for $225.00 a month (and our ten friendly farm cats will add another $50 to our bill each month if no one has a doctor’s appointment, but honestly it’s fairly cheap entertainment, comradery and pest control), which even with the farm cats is less than a family of two could receive from the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP benefits each month.  (The maximum potential allotment for a family of two per month is $357 for 2015.  In case anyone was wondering, a family of four can receive up to $649 a month.  These allotments amounts will definitely help put your grocery bill in perspective!)  Our grocery category is likewise far-reaching encompassing all groceries, toiletries, medications, eating out, gardening seeds and basic necessities, canning and food preservation, and fishing and hunting licenses and supplies.  Before you presume we’re nuts and starving, living on Raman noodles and PB&J, rest assured that we eat pretty well! 

      Before I continue, I’m going to answer the already burning question in everyone’s mind.  Does this mean we always stick to our budget?  Unfortunately, no.  Some months we slide a little, as there’s around $20 of wiggle-room, especially if you need to do a massive stock-up.  We are human, and therefore imperfect, so quite obviously we will end up spending more some months, and perhaps less others.  In the end though, each month balances out the other, and therefore we spend approximately $225.00 a month on groceries.  

      So how does one live so frugally and not feel poor?  Although the latter part might not always be easy when you see your friends and family eating out weekly or daily in some cases, there are a few simple solutions we employ to lower our grocery bill on a regular basis.  This week, we’re focusing on three big things you can do before you even get to the grocery store.  

Plan your meals in advance.  Not everyone has the luxury of planning a month’s worth of meals like we do, but by planning your meals in advance, you’re less likely to just run down to the pizza joint or make a dozen trips to the grocery store each week.  When you plan your meals, take into account what you are likely going to be doing each day of the week to determine how many quick meals you will need.  Each week we have a few meals that take less than 30 minutes to prep and cook (our yard work day meals), a crock pot meal (if I plan to be busy all day), and at least one “big meal” (often on a Sunday or Saturday night) that takes longer than an hour to prep and cook.  The meals themselves are based off of four things: what is already in the pantry and freezer, what is available fresh from the garden, what’s on sale, and what there are coupons for.  Simply put, if I have more rice than potatoes, there will be more rice dishes then potato dishes, although those specific ingredients might not be used the same way each night and therefore would not become tiring as quickly.  (Tip: We've been adding some of our favorite recipes to our Healthy Homestyle page on Pinterest.  Remember to check back periodically, as we continue adding more!) 

Click image to enlarge.

Make a list and check it twice.  Once you’ve figured out your meals, start making your grocery list.  I like to categorize my grocery list into six sections – produce, meat and dairy, frozen foods, bulk goods, dry goods, and non-food items – as I will be shopping at more than one store, and not every store is laid out the same way.  For the above two week sample menus, our grocery list would look something like this:  

Please keep in mind that we already have some staples at home such as baking supplies, canned goods, onions and potatoes from the garden, and frozen meat and vegetables.  To help keep our budget in check, if I know I am going to run out of bulk items like bread flour, all-purpose flour or rolled oats in the next two months, I will decide which is the most important to get sooner rather than later instead of buying all three in the same month (and breaking the bank). 

Check the circulars!  I cannot stress this enough.  Some people like to do this step first, as this could amend your first two steps when you do it last, but personally this is last on my list.  I find that if I do this earlier, I’ll end up adding more to my grocery list because “that would taste good” rather than using up what is in my pantry and freezer first.  By comparing the prices in multiple circulars, you can easily figure out just where you plan to buy your groceries when your shopping trip comes.  

Checking the circulars online, saves the cost of a Sunday paper, and you can easily see multiple circulars at the same time.  (You can also print your coupons offline too.)  I find it actually takes less time then clipping coupons each week to check the circulars, and soon you'll notice that certain stores almost always have better prices then other ones.  The best way to figure out where exactly you want to shop, and therefore what circulars to check, is what stores are closest to you.  Our weekly grocery shopping is done in a 20 minute radius from our home, but for larger purchases that may only need to be made once or twice a year, we might travel an hour away. 

For example, the produce I need is on sale at quite a few stores in the area this week: 

Store 1: apples are $1.28 per lb., romaine lettuce hearts are $3.98 for a 3-pack

Store 2: apples are $1.99 per lb., celery is 2 for $4, strawberries are BOGO

Store 3: romaine lettuce hearts are $1.99 for a 3-pack

Store 4: apples are $4.99 for a 3-lb. bag, broccoli crowns are $0.99 per lb.

Consider if the sale prices are really sales.  Obviously, I’d rather pay $1.99 for romaine hearts than $3.98, but what if the sale prices aren’t really the cheapest you can get your produce?   As the early days of spring are upon us in Pennsylvania, I won’t be heading to the garden to get any fresh produce we may need, nor will the farm markets be open (or have amazing deals on fresh in-season local produce).  So I have to get a little creative, which is where the discount outlet comes in.  At discount stores like ALDI’s, Amelia’s Grocery Outlet or Sharp Shopper, you just might be able to find even cheaper produce.  We happen to go to a store similar to these in the area, so I know there is no way I am paying $1.28 per lb. for apples!  The discount store has them the whole “season” for $0.49 per lb.  Celery is rather expensive at 2 for $4.  I’d much rather pay the discount store’s $1.49 for the exact same item.   (And in most cases, they really are the exact same item you would find in the regular grocery store, just always make sure to check dates on canned goods and boxed items before you put them in the cart.)  Therefore our Store 5 (the discount store) is going to have some better deals:

Store 5: apples are $0.49 per lb., bananas are $0.39 per lb., broccoli is $2.15 per head, cauliflower is $3.25 per head, celery is $1.49, romaine lettuce is $1.19 per head, and strawberries are $1.98 per quart

      So the next time you start to make your grocery list try some of these early budgeting tips before you even leave your house, and see just how low you can go with the grocery bill!  Check in with us again to see our next installment, and if you missed the first part, you can find it here.  

Lowering Your Grocery Bill (Part 1)

      Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I tend to always pause when I see mention of lowering my grocery bill.  The one that caught my eye this morning was living on $30 a week for groceries.  How can this be done?!  I had to read on.  Then I found my answer… oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and I’ll stop there as I can already tell you, I’m not eating their suggested dinner options.  Though it’s a good idea, their $30 a week meals are not to my palette, so next! 

      Hmmm… maybe I should head over to Pinterest.  Pinterest always has helpful suggestions (and not ones that make you pull out your hair because really, just who can do that project!?  Yup, you know the one I’m talking about.  Your personal Pinterest fail you bought all this stuff for, tried… and tried… and tried again, yet it all ended up in the trash, and your vowing to never mention it again.)  So let’s just click on a few more ideas to get us depressed about how we aren’t saving money on groceries, shall we? 

      Oh, look there!  The average family spends over $500 on groceries a month according to the USDA estimates.  (Yikes!  Glad I don’t spend that much.)  And, various blogs suggest:

• Lower your bill with extreme couponing and a massive pantry stockpile.  (Yeah, because we need 96 rolls of toilet paper, and baby diapers for children you plan to have another ten years down the road, and so many jars of mayonnaise there is no way any human can eat it all before it expires.) 
• Become vegetarian because beans are cheaper then meat.  (That won’t fly in this house!  Even Meatless Mondays might be pushing it around here.)
• Avoid buying processed foods.  (Sorry, but can you pass the Velveeta because that just made some awesome queso the other night?  I know, your wagging your finger at me, but sometimes you just have to splurge because a knockoff won’t do it.  It’s like my husband’s grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies.  Don’t try to make them any other way because they just won’t be as good.)
• Shop for bulk at health food stores. (Uh, wherever they live, apparently they have really cheap health food stores nearby because I sure don’t!) 
• Don’t go out to eat at restaurants or eat fast food on the go.  (Sigh.  We were looking forward to not having to do the dishes at least once in the next month.)
• Starve (or at least that’s what it feels like in the end). 

      These are certainly some of the more drastic ideas that are out there.  I know not everyone’s blog post about saving money on the grocery bill reads like this, but they’re the stereotypical common themes I keep seeing post, after post, after post.  I’m not ready to go vegetarian, or give up all processed foods (or that breakfast sandwich from the drive-thru every now and then), but I do want to lower our grocery bill. 

      How this was going to happen was the dilemma that I went through last year, and I am still constantly looking for new ways to lower that bill!  Throughout the next few months I’ll be sharing with you some of the ideas that we employ to help us eat well and watch our wallets.