Grocery Savings Strategies

This is this my most recent shopping trip.  I paid $61.24 (plus tax) for this batch of food.  Normally, I am an avid couponer, but most coupons are for nonperishable food items.  It is very hard to find deals on meat or find coupons for meat items.  Some meat packaging websites will offer coupons for their brand of meat (such as Hormel) and the brand that is store owned, Red River Ranch Angus, but those are few and far between or are only for specific items.

My strategy for saving on meat is twofold:  First, I know the days the meat is marked down at the store where I shop, which is Homeland.  Second, I have a coupon that is issued by the store for $5.00 off a $50.00 purchase.  These $5/$50 coupons are usually available in fundraising booklets.  One place to find such a coupon is on the back of the Homeland Cares coupon books (see photo below).  The second is from a fundraising book called Enjoy the City.*  which can be purchased online.

I check the marked down meat first.  I then stack up $50 worth of meat, and use my $5/50 coupon.  By using that coupon, it automatically takes my purchase down by 10%.  Add in the markdown on the meat, and you've got significant savings.  Even if the meant is not marked down, by using the $5 off $50 coupon, you've automatically reduced the cost by 10%. 

Today's purchases included extra items, making the total a bit more than $50, but everything will be used to prepare the meat I purchased.

Here is a list along with prices: 

Bell Peppers x4  @ $0.79 each = $3.16

Green onions x1 @ 0.69 each = $0.69 (not a great deal but I needed them)

Yellow Onions x2 @ $0.79/lbs. = $1.01 

Jar sliced jalapenos x1 $1.89 =  $1.89

Campbell's Chicken gravy x1 =  $1.49

Best Choice chopped green chiles x4 $0.99 each = $3.96

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts $2.99/lbs. @ 2.65 lbs. = $7.95  (the one item not on sale)

Beef Top Blade Patio Steaks = $3.31

Ground beef 1.5 lbs. @ $3.84 each = $11.52 

Stew Meat (sirloin chunks) 1 lbs.. x1 = $3.94

Stew Meat 2.5 lbs.  = $7.86

Stew Meat 3.5 lbs.. = 10.07

Boneless Pork Tenderloins = $4.26

Subtotal $61.11

Minus $5.00 coupon

Final total with tax**  = $61.24

*Enjoy the City books are available for many metropolitan areas and may be directly purchased from the website linked above.  They are not just for Oklahoma.  Most major grocery store chains have coupons for a certain dollar amount purchased in these books, so it is worth your time to check into them.They also contain numerous coupons for other activities, restaurants, and stores in your area.

** A note about sales tax.  Even if you use coupons and bring your total down, tax is charged on the original dollar amount, not the amount minus coupon, so keep this in mind when figuring totals.  Particularly if you are on a tight budget.

Hope Kids Outreach, for whom I am a board member, is selling the Homeland Cares Coupon books for $5.00 each.  You make your money back using the $5/50 coupon on the back, and it contains $40.00 of manufacturer coupons that often double at Homeland and are not available elsewhere.  If you are interested in purchasing one, please let me know in the comments and leave an email, and I'll be happy to contact you.

Michelle's Freezer to Crock Pot Chili

I dearly love a hot bowl of chili on a cold night.  While it's not been all that cold lately, it's been cool enough that I've just wanted something hot and spicy for a meal.

I've made this chili numerous ways.  I'm posting this recipe not because it's anything special but instead to talk about making freezer-to-crock pot items and to also talk about substitutions.

For crock pot meals, I make recipes based on a 5 quart crock pot. 

Michelle's Chili 

1 to 1.5 pounds ground beef, browned, drained, and rinsed*

1 to 2 14.5 oz. cans of kidney beans drained and rinsed**

1 to 2 packets of chili seasoning (enough to season 2 pounds ground beef)***

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1to 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (we like hot, but adjust to your taste)****

1 4 oz can diced green chiles (optional; this makes it very hot)

Brown the ground beef until there is no pink, drain, and rinse thoroughly to remove fat.  To freeze, place ground beef and remaining ingredients into a bowl and stir thoroughly to combine.  Spoon into a 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag.  Squeeze all air out, seal, and place in freezer.

For crock pot chili, remove frozen chili from freezer.  Run hot water over exterior of bag in order to loosen enough to remove the block from the bag.  Place in crock pot and cover.  Cook on high 2-3 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

If you wish to just cook this in a pot, then return ground beef to pot and add remaining ingredients.  Simmer on low for about 30 minutes.  Add water as needed to keep chili from burning or becoming too thick. 


*This is up to you, but I recommend draining and rinsing the meat, even if it is extra lean.  Because you may be putting this in a crock pot, more fat will cook out in the process, and if you do not drain and rinse it thoroughly, you might find your chili with a little too much grease floating on the top.

** Substitution alert:  Substitute any canned cooked bean you like such as pinto, black, or even navy beans. Just make sure the beans are drained and rinsed.  I say 1-2 cans because some beans are bulkier than others.  Put one can in, eyeball the chili, and then decide if you want another can of beans. We like 2 but less is OK.  Any bean will work, and you might find an interesting combination that you like even better than the original recipe.  Different types of beans also make the dish more visually appealing.

***I use Williams Chili Seasoning, but it may be a regional thing that is not available to you.  The Williams Original Chili seasoning is made to season 2 pounds of ground beef.  Use whatever you like, just make sure it seasons 2 pounds of beef. My pet peeve is to find a great recipe but it contains some obscure ingredient that makes cooking not worth it.

****I use Ro-Tel tomatoes, but again this might be regional.  You can use any brand that is canned with chopped green chiles.  As a substitute, you can use one can of diced tomatoes in juice, 1 tsp. onion flakes, and about 1 tablespoon canned diced green chiles.