Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Getting the Best Prices on Beef

In the past 24 hours, I have come across some amazing deals. I didn't quite know how to share them with you all, so I thought I would share them as stories. I love stories. I especially love stories about getting good deals, with the twists and turns and catches along the way. I hope you do, too.



My Beef Story



The first is a simple and less exciting story. I was at Walmart, shopping, and I found ground beef rolls at $1.09 per pound. Yes, you read that right, $1.09 per pound. The one pound rolls were $1.25, the ten pound rolls were $1.26 per pound, but the three pound rolls were $3.25 for three pounds, which is actually $1.08333 per pound.



Before everyone gets crazy saying this must be bad beef, let me explain. It has one ingredient: ground beef, the same as the ground beef you buy, unless you buy grass fed organic. It has a sell by date of October 29; I bought it on October 20. I fear Walmart is discontinuing their stock of this beef, but it is not bad beef. It is full fat beef, which is the way we want it. If we had all the money in the world, we would buy grass fed, organic, full fat beef.



My husband, when he met up with me after his shift, said I had a problem with hoarding discounted beef, because I do have a problem with hoarding discounted beef. Now we have over 70 pounds in our freezer. I bought fifteen pounds, and have been paying $1.30 for my beef, so I saved $3.25 over my regular price.



My Stevia Story



I have been looking into switching stevia brands. My brand is delicious, and a good price. It's processed naturally, and I'm quite content. But I'd heard about more concentrated stevia. I was thinking of giving it a try.



I pay $24 for 12 oz of stevia from Whole Foods. I buy NuNaturals, and that's the price that NuNaturals sells it for. This lasts around three months.



A reader alerted me to Swanson Herb selling my stevia for $14, which caught my attention, but I was still thinking I might switch and see if a more concentrated stevia would save money by lasting longer.



Another reader informed me that my stevia was on sale for $14 at Amazon. Well, with all my swagbucks Amazon gift cards, I thought that was worth seriously considering.



Then, I was told that iHerb had five pounds on sale for $44.99. This is where the story gets good. To buy five pounds from Whole Foods would have cost me $160. To buy it at Swanson's discount price from their website or from Amazon would have cost $93.33. So, I checked out iHerb.



Yep, there it was, five pounds for $44.99. I did a swagsearch for "iHerb coupon code" because you must always do that when shopping online. Retailmenot had one for $5 off your first order and free shipping on orders over $40.



Ah, the catch!



After the $5 was taken off, my order was $39.99 so I did not qualify for free shipping! They must have something for a penny, right? So, I went to their home page and saw a free sample section. They had a ton of stuff, booklets, sample packs of herbs, and pens. The first of any item was free, but you were charged for multiples. The pens were the cheapest, $0.15, so I took two, bringing my order to $40.14. I qualify for free shipping again! I also got some booklets and other samples; I couldn't resist.



Total Savings Over Whole Foods: $119.86

Total Savings Over Amazon/Swanson: $53.19



Lisa, who told me about the Swanson deal, I hope you're not reading this too late. Sometimes it's good to get the smaller package first to make sure you like it, though.



Tammy, big thanks for telling me about Amazon and iHerb!



For me, amazing deals are thrilling stories.



Have you found any amazing deals lately?

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, what an awesome deal on the beef the lowest I ever bought in that department was two pound tubes at $ 1.66 a pound, so I bought thirty pounds of it and they are in my deep freeze. Two pounds is too much for just one meal, so I tend to cook the entire meat, split it in half and use 1/2 for let's say taco night and the other to add meat to the sphaghetti sauce.

Another great deal was buying Oktoberfest sausages for 99 cents each- I stocked up on those as well :)

Oh and one time Dempster's bread was 99 cents each, now that was a score :)

Terry Lynn,
Ontario Canada

Tammy said...

You're welcome, Emily!

Jessica said...

Great deals!!

I am concerned about your family's consumption of stevia, Emily. Have you done any research in the dangers of the herb?

I don't mean this comment to be judgmental or to be bashing your diet in any way, but rather this is coming from a place of true concern for your health.

I've looked into using stevia with my family, but all of my research showed that there are many studies where excessive consumption could lead to reproductive difficulties (especially in men), cancer, and digestive problems.

I don't mean to be an alarmist, and I'm pretty sure you could find similar studies about just about any other sweetener, but with that said I decided against using stevia with my family and instead am using honey and maple syrup as much as possible. Both are also natural sweeteners and can be very cheap if you buy them in bulk.

Local honey is so good for you! Many times you can find local beekeepers who sell their raw honey for next to nothing. I buy a quart sized jar from a local farmer for around $8 and it lasts me months!

Anonymous said...

Emily, just wanted to let you know that I live overseas in the Balkans and thoroughly enjoy your blog. While I can't always apply your ideas to my particular situation, the food for thought is great! Thanks and keep up the good work!
Blessings, Tiffany

natalie said...

My local thrift store sells skirts for $1. I recently found two that I loved. I came home and they both fit! They are both in great condition and even long enough! :)

Congrats on your finds!

CT said...

Emily, have you signed up for an ebates.com account? It's super easy: you just visit ebates.com before making an online purchase, and then you get cash back based on a percentage of your purchase. Unfortunately, Amazon.com doesn't participate, but many other online retailers do. I've gotten over $200 back since joining. Mypoints.com is also worth signing up for. It works similarly to ebates.com, but works with a points system. You can also gain points easy ways, such as by checking your email.

Treva said...

I found ground turkey marked down to $1. There were only 3, so I bought all 3 and threw them into my freezer. I found sweaters at Goodwill for $3 each; bought 3, all brand names. Found bottled juice for 99 cents/bottle; don't buy too often except for apple juice. Bought 3 of them and made sure the dates were at least 3 months out. Pork loin roast went back on sale for $1.57/lb; bought 1 and sliced it myself (saved 10 cents/pound doing this) and have 3 meals of pork loin chops for my family and 1 meal's worth for when my parents come to visit all for about $6.

Emily said...

Scottish Twins, I am surprised! I first found stevia through the Weston A Price Foundation, and the research I've seen about studies, especially on infertility, were pretty poorly done, using EXTREMELY HIGH quantities of stevia in small animals. It was the equivalent to a liter of stevia extract liquid per day in humans, and our family goes through 4 oz of powder a month. There have been other tests that proved the opposite, that stevia had no impact on fertility.

It's been used for centuries in Central America and parts of Asia. I don't use other sweeteners because they effect my blood sugar which really throws me off. Too much fruit at a time throws me off, too. But thanks for your concern.

http://www.jbb-stevia.com/english/E_Safety_Tests.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/sugarfree_blues.html#stevia

Carolyn, I use MyPoints, and swagbucks has a way you can shop and earn, so I use them whenever applicable. I'll have to check out ebates to see if it has some retailers the others miss.

Elizabeth said...

My most recent deal was at our new gas station yesterday. They are having some grand opening specials and have coupons in their flyer for a loaf of free bread (the good stuff, real wheat and grains) and first pound of onions for free. Also other deals, such as free fountain pop (which we don't need but it is a treat for the kids). So yesterday I bought: 3 fountain pops, a small treat for all three kids, a loaf of bread, an onion, a gallon of milk, and a dozen eggs and paid just $4 and something. That was a good deal in my book!

Jessica said...

Emily - I'm just weird about eating things that are grown locally. I think that people's bodies do much better when they eat foods that can be grown in the climate in which they live.

Honey isn't supposed to upset blood sugar the way other sweeteners do.

But whatever works for you. I'm glad you found a sweetener you like.

Rachel said...

Emily, How does it work within your budget to stock up on something like the ground beef deal? Do you have to do without something else that week? I am always curious about how people work their budgets.

Anonymous said...

Emily - I just posted a blog about xylitol...which is my preferred sweetener. I *was* just going to leave it in the comment section here...but decided why not just blog it? Lol :P

Anyway, I just thought you might be interested to learn about it, if you haven't already looked into it.

:)

Emily said...

Rachel, we don't have a grocery budget. We spend anywhere from $40 to $200 per month on groceries depending one what we need and what deals we find. Some months, it feels like we are just buying flour and eggs. Other months we stock up on everything.

Anonymous said...

I am curious about your preference for full fat beef? I know it is cheaper, but is there another reason that you prefer this?

Blessed said...

Emily, over on Atheist Mama's blog I asked if you and she could explain why you chose stevia over xylitol, even thought you have used it before and are considering it for teeth brushing. I am new to the whole alternative sweetener thing, but really need to get some feedback from "in the trenches" because my blood sugar has been completely out of whack since I was pregnant with my now 1 yr old boy, and blood sugar crashes make me such a poor mommy and housekeeper. Ugh.

Scottish Twins, if you have really low blood sugar issues, even honey is not great. Would you believe when I was pregnant I once ate FOUR grapes on an empty stomache (while making dinner) and that amount of completely natural sugar made me SO sleepy (i.e sugar coma!) I actually FELL ASLEEP in the living room while my 3, 5 and 7 yr old kids were eating at the table a few paces away!

And I have heard there are illness dangers from eating raw honey too. . . i am sure there is no one perfect sweetener, although I do tend to trust the ones that are eaten in their natural form (like honey) rather than concocted by chemists out of natural ingredients.

Amber said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html?_r=2

Please, please, please read this. I think it's important for everyone to know exactly what they are getting in their beef. Your beef might say "ground beef" as the only ingredient, but that doesn't mean that is all it is.

This quote is found on page 3 of the article after it has been explained what goes into ground beef, especially the cheap tubes of ground beef that come to the store pre-ground:

"The listed ingredients revealed little of how the meat was made. There was just one meat product listed: “Beef.”"

You're better off buying from a local grocery store who grinds the meat there. Chances are they are testing it more and the risk for diseases and contamination are lower.


I do hear you on stocking up though... we have probably several hundred pounds of frozen meat (chicken, pork, beef) in the freezer that was all purchased on sale. If you have room for it, why not buy 20lbs of chicken when it's 2.00 off the normal price?!

Emily said...

Anon, I'm working on a whole post about my fat preferences, but animal fat is extremely nutritiuos, contrary to popular opinion.

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/oiling.html#animal

Blessed, I've never used xylitol, but I have similar blood sugar issues, where I need a nap. I choose stevia over xylitol because stevia is 15-200 times sweeter than sugar, so you use MUCH less, which makes it more frugal.

I wouldn't be concerned about eating raw honey because it is raw, but because honey effects my blood sugar levels.

Lowrey said...

Please post something about my blog I do reviews and giveaways you can view it at www.familyliciousreviews.blogspot.com

Debra

Amber said...

I also wanted to add that we don't have a grocery budget, either. Because we stock up when there are sales, there is rarely a time when we *need* anything except milk, eggs, and produce. Even the produce... I flash freeze a lot of veggies so that they stay fresh and crispy but won't rot in the freezer. I think having a difinitive budget and a need to shop every week makes it impossible to actually save money in the long run.

Anonymous said...

Just because you can find one website to back your belief that high fat meats are healthy does not make it so.

Cook two separate pans of beef... one 70/30 and one 90/10. You don't eat the grease in the pan, I hope, and in the end you're left with much more beef with the 90/10 than with the 70/30. Do the same experiment with two burger patties and your 90/10 will stay big and juicy while you're 70/30 will shrivel up.

Sarah said...

Dumpster diving. Can't beat free, organic, grass-fed beef. :} I normally don't "admit" this to anyone, but feel free to google it. Some of the best stores to dumpster dive at are the health-nutty type chain stores. I won't name names, but you probably know the big one. I have been eating this way (plus grocery shopping for other necessities) for about a year and have not ONCE gotten sick. I'm eating healthier than I ever have for free and from the trash. :}

Sarah said...

P.S. - Check your local laws to make sure dumpster diving is legal. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. :]

Emily said...

Anon, actually, we do usually save the grease from burgers and use it for cooking our eggs in the morning. Or, if we're making a one dish meal, like taco mac, it gets incorporated into the sauce. There are lots of other sources saying the same thing, but the one I posted puts it most concisely.

Sarah, I love that!

Anonymous said...

Why don't you shop from local farms at all? I buy ground turkey from a local farm for $2 a pound. It is healthier for me and I do not have to worry about what "crap" the animal was feed. I also buy half a cow that equals out to $1.85 a pound for all cuts of meat.

Also there should be you pick farms or a CSA that you can go to to get healthy local produce.

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Devon said...

Something to consider with the honey, too, is that many docs will recommend keeping it away from little ones under two due to risk of botulism, which can be deadly. I've never tried sweentening with honey, and now that mine is almost 2, maybe I could try it. I wonder, are the measurements the same?

Emily, I have to tell you, though I think you are a loony toon in some areas, you have me thinking! I'm planning and plotting on how I can get a breadmaker and pasta roller (I just don't have time to knead/roll them myself, even as a SAHM). I'm going to start making my own wheat bread and pasta!

Hey, I was wondering, too, do you ever use olive oil? I was noticing many of the pasta recipes call for some, and it is so good for you that I was wondering why you omitted it...it can be expensive, but at Sam's I get a HUGE thing of it for 17.00 that lasts me three months, and we use a LOT of olive oil.

Just curious.

Emily said...

Anon, I do shop at farm stands, but they don't compare with the price of meat. They do with produce, though.

Devon, I use olive oil in my tortillas sometimes, and in my ketchup and Chinese chicken. I omit it from my pasta because it is not necessary. That's exciting that your going to make bread and pasta. It's comments like that that make me know this blog is worth it. (:

Jenny said...

Do you see food as simply a form of sustenance or as more?

I don't think anyone here thinks that children are suffering due to eating homemade pasta and homemade noodles. I think we all can agree that her children are getting adequate nutrition even if it isn't what we'd want to feed our own families. And frankly, what she feeds her kids is better than some people I know in real life who's children subsist solely on fast food and other processed junk.

That being said, I think that what makes me recoil a little bit is that the food she posts simply doesn't have much appeal to me personally. I'm no gourmet cook, but I like exposing my children to good food while they're young since this is when their tastes and preferences are being shaped. And frankly, it just seems unfortunate that her kids are going to grow up accustomed to eating food that simply doesn't taste very good. (ie: not using olive oil or salt when making pasta b/c it's not necessary. It may not be absolutely necessary, but it sure the heck will transform it into something much more palatable.)

Is that abuse or neglect? Of course not. It's simply a matter of perspective: I view food as more that just simple calories/sustenance to keep the body going. For me food means so much more- food is about family, celebration, tradition and culture. Food is about trying new things and savoring flavors.

Unknown said...

Regarding ground beef...Emily, I will be honest. When I read how much ground beef you consume, and where you purchase it, I could not help but cringe. Did you know one package of ground beef can have thousands of different cows in it? And they can be from several countries. I have raised my own beef and I highly recomend it. I know you are considering a dairy cow one day but I suggest you also consider a beef cow. It is unfortunate in our society that people have to sacrifice quality for cost. I am working in my community to start a community beef share for families with limited incomes.

That being said, I do admire your life and how you are chosing to live it.

Take care,

Juliette
"Mainah"

Robin said...

I got a box of over 100 bananas, just slightly past ripe, for $2 the other day. I froze them in batches just big enough for banana bread or smoothies. We're set for banana bread for the next year! :)

kaylan said...

I rarely find good deals on food, but I did get some ground turkey this week that was half off because it expired the next day. I bought all four packages. Clothes shopping on the cheap is my forte... I recently bought $60 worth of baby clothes for $5 - I was quite proud of my baby shower gift and no one needs to know what it cost!

Captain Cleavage said...

We are "Meat Snobs" as DH calls us lol. He has worked in the food industry for years and although like you we do save the grease for things like frying eggs or making gravy and sauces for us the grade of beef is important. we are lucky though as he works in the warehouse industry and we veeery rarlly have to pay for our meat and when we do it is usually like 5 dollars for about 30 pounds of ground beef (which we freeze most of)

Have you looked into any food wharehouse in your area? a lot of times they will have sales every few months on food that they have overstocked for really cheap (produce meats etc)

hekates said...

We started shopping at a restaurant supply store, and can get cheese for under $2/lb and got some excellent chuck roast for $1/25 (it was a lot so I cut it up.) 50 lbs of potatoes for $5 and 28 lbs of tomatoes for $8.

Have you thought about browning your ground beef and then pressure canning it?

And BTW - xylitol is EXCELLENT for your teeth! It cuts the mouth acids down.

CSAs here cost far more than the grocery store.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I just wanted to suggest agave nectar for those of you with blood sugar issues. It is much lower on the glycemic scale than honey and is very concentrated, even more than stevia. You can google it for free samples- we use organic and buy it at costco for a reasonable price.

Anonymous said...

to correct myself- agave nectar is NOT as sweet as stevia- and it is important to make sure you are using a quality, organic brand.

Anonymous said...

Anon - She just scored meat for about $1.09/lb. You're suggesting she pay nearly $1 more per pound? Oh her budget? Yeaaaaah.

Also - I think CSA's are overpriced and overrated. You end up not getting very much for the price, and also getting things you don't really like.

U-Pick farms, however, or Farmers Markets can be pretty cool :)

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

I hope you put the fat from your meat in the refrigerator over night. I throw mine out because if I don't and it congeals my husband will yell at me. I use 80/20 all of the time. Julia Child said once that you needed a little fat in the burgers to make them tasty. But the cheaper beef just is nasty.

Katie said...

Emily,

You need a button! I want to put your blog on my site under awesome blogs:)

Martha said...

Emily - When you say "full fat beef" what do you mean? What is the percentage of fat to beef? Not a criticism, but it would help me to compare what I am paying per lb. for beef. I usually buy 85% lean beef and go to 80% when it is a rock bottom sale. Thanks.

Emily said...

Jenny, I'm sorry our food doesn't look appetizing to you, but we love it. Food doesn't have to look appetizing to be delicious. Believe it or not, my kids are going to grow up with unusually refined tastes, as they only eat real food made from whole ingredients.

Juliette, I would love to have a beef cow, but it's not an option right now. (: If you know of any resources where people can find beef shares in their area, let me know.

Carol, I didn't know you could brown beef and pressure can it. I'll look into that, as my freezer is pretty full.

Katie, I will make a button for you. All it takes is someone being interested.

Martha, my full fat beef is 73/27.

Thanks for all your great deal stories everyone!

Anonymous said...

Jenny summed up my thoughts beautifully. Your menus seem to consist of the same basic ingredients, so it's hard for me to believe your children will have "unusually refined tastes." Have your children ever had sushi, Thai, or Indian food? Heck, what about fish, shellfish, mango, kiwi, asparagus, risotto, or couscous? While I don't think you are abusing your children, it's borderline delusional to think you are developing their palates.

-CB

Jill said...

Jenny - Honestly, I think the reason her food looks totally unappetizing is the black & white. No offense Emily, but I'm simply not going to take the time to click on a picture to view the full-color version. And the black & white pictures truly look blah. =) That being said, I'm sure by the ingredients, that the recipes would taste good!

I don't think you necessarily need oil & salt to zip up recipes. Several years ago, when I was MUCH healthier, I had a totally different lifestyle. Much more active, and there were some things I just never ate simply because I didn't LIKE them. I didn't really care for chocolate, hated frosting, didn't drink soda, never added salt to anything, no butter on bread, etc. Unfortunately, as I've decided to "re-try" some foods, I've found that I now LOVE some of those foods - and my current health & weight have made that evident. So although my food used to be more "blah", it really was better for me. Sorry for such a long ramble...

Anonymous said...

emily, please tell me more about this magical refrigerator, which holds seventy pounds of ground beef in addition to your fifty pounds of cheese, sixty-five pounds of ground beef, four pounds of yeast and ten pounds of carrots.
http://under1000permonth.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-sams-club-adventure.html

Emily said...

Anon, the 70 lbs of beef is the total, it is not 65+70. Cheese is moldable and there are 30 lbs in the freezer, as I said in the post you referenced, the rest went into the fridge. There are no carrots in the freezer. We keep carrots in the fridge, and have long since used the ones we got from Sam's club.

Anonymous said...

Is this stored in a regular fridge freezer, or chest freezer? Could you post pictures of your stash for us, I think that would be helpful to see how you do it.

Thanks :)
Jenny

Shallow Gal said...

I'm glad some of you have posted the New York Times article and commented on the safety (or lack thereof) of our ground beef supply. I did not allow my son to have any ground beef until he was 7 or so, when I thought ground beef was safe to eat again. I have decided after reading and seeing the recent news on how our ground beef supply is becoming unsafe again not to feed either of my children ground beef for the time being. I desperately need to save $ on food, but there are some things I am just not willing to feed my children. Now, if I could afford to buy a nice cut of meat and have it ground, I would, but since I can't, I definitely won't be feeding them ground beef from a tube, especially after reading the NYT article.

Emily said...

Jenny, I'll add that to my frequently asked questions.

On a side note, comments about my general diet can be posted on posts about my general diet.

Anon, yes, we go out to eat and we went to have sushi not too long ago. Those aren't recipes I post, as I don't cook them, but I wrote a whole post about how we do frequently eat out. We get fruit and produce on sale, and get varied produce, but they do not go on our regular menu rotation, as they are not produce that regularly fits into out budget. This blog is two months old. It is quite presumptive for people to assume I've written every fact about my life on it and then jump on me for anything that is omitted.

yodasmith said...

Stevia is a very wise choice, especially if you have blood sugar problems. Stevia has no effect on insulin levels and can nourish the pancreas. It is actually used in South America to treat diabetes because it can lower blood sugar levels to them in balance-- 0 glycemic index! The health benefits of stevia are many,frankly too many that I care to take the time to mention right now. Though stevia may be new to you, it has been around for a very long time!It has been used in South America for 1500 years, and in Asia for decades, without any adverse reactions reported. The worries about infertility (I have heard this before) is simply folkloric. Again no adverse reactions have ever been reported( in humans)--including infertility. Contrary to what some may believe, the safety of stevia is actually very well-documented.

I use SweetLeaf Stevia. It was the first and is the most natural because no chemicals, alcohols, or solvent were used in processing, just pure water during the whole process (also I it is the only stevia brand or sweetener with no calories, no carbs, AND a 0 glycemic index)

Anyway, enjoy your stevia!

Captain Cleavage said...

Emily be careful with cheese in the freezer. When you thaw it out it can grow all kinds of nasty stuff (even if it is thawed in the fridge) and unless you are cooking every single peice of cheese immdeitly upon thawing it it will still mold (even if you can't see it)

This is why cheese is never stored in a frezzer at the store or in the warehouse. Hubs warehouse has to do cooler temp cheaks 3 to 5 times a day to make sure it is at the right temp. They have actually had to throw whole pallets out because of the potentiol lysteria risk

Jenn said...

Quick comment for Devon about a pasta roller. Do you have a Kitchenaid Mixer, by chance? You can buy an add on pasta roller for it, which is what I've been pondering asking for at Christmas :) On Amazon, it's listed as KitchenAid SNFGA Pasta Maker Attachment for Stand Mixers. There's also one that's more expensive too. That idea popped into my head. As for deals, I just got chicken drumsticks for $.77/lb at Sam's Club. Is that a good deal anyone? It's been the lowest I've seen it in our "neck of the woods".

Anonymous said...

I have found several good deals lately.
I bought ground meat (non tube) for 1.04 a lb and London Broil for 1.39 a lb. at a local grocery store.
I also bought a 40 piece appetizer for 2.99 that normally retails for 13.99 for a party that I was hosting.
I bought some V8 splash juice for 1.29 for the large bottles and a 48 family pack of tea bags for .29 cents.
I LOVE good deals!!!
Thanks for posting your great deals Emily!

Carla said...

I love deals! Food is so expensive here that I have to hop on every deal I find! I know when to go to the store for the things I want, which helps me never have to pay full or even full sale price (except most produce). I always get my organic greens half off. They are even good up to a week or two after the BBD on the package.

Recently I got 5lbs bags of carrots for 99 cents, I got a 10lbs bag of onions for 2.37, I got several big packs of lean ground beef for $3 (this never goes under $2/lbs so I usually get it from a farmer, but he hasn't had any since spring. I made 12 or 13 burgers out of each $3 pack), I got a ton of organic stuff today half off an already reduced price: liquid stevia, spices, sunflower seeds, blackstrap molasses, milk, mixed greens. I bought about $150 worth of groceries for $37 without using a single coupon :)

Anonymous said...

I want to see photos of the fridge and freezer as well.

Going to add even though you may know already - I'm hypo (don't know if you're hypo or hyper and I don't think it matters either way), but everyone has a carb to protein/fat ratio. If you cannot have a carb alone without blood sugar issues then only eat your carbs with a protein/fat. You will have to experiment with the amount.

My tolerance for carbs is very low. I am grain-free, had to cut down on fruit which I love, and never eat a carb alone and even then it's a small amount, preferably every other meal.

Carb = sugar, grain, bean/legume, fruit, vegetable (and someone told me cheese counts as well) -Cris

Oh forgot to ask whether or not you check craigslist for whole animals? When it's the "season" the farms around here will sell whole animals on CS. Not certified of course, but hey I am willing to trust the people I've met so far.

Bubblej said...

I just wanted to say how lucky you all are to live in a country with so much variety and so many options. Here we have 2 supermarket chains, a handful of meat warehouses and independant veggie stores. The price doesn't vary much as there isn't enough competition to warrent it. The cheapest I can get ground beef is 2lb for $10

Tammy said...

I am excited about some good deals I have found recently in my quest to boost my family's well being!

I am in a "raw milk co-op" and can get raw, organic milk for $4/gallon. I make our butter and sour cream from the cream I skim off, and also make yogurt.

There is a farm about 15 miles from us that raises grass-fed Highland beef, and I can buy the ground beef in bulk for $3.25/pound.

My teenage daughter works part-time at the local health-food store within blocks from our house, and they will let me use her 30% discount if I shop there while she is working, so I am able to get organic eggs, chicken breasts, pork sausage, etc. for about what I would pay for the regular stuff at a grocery store. Also--did you know that there are lots of bulk items in a health-food store that are cheaper than a grocery store? Sea salt, spices, natural vanilla extract, honey, and aluminum-free baking powder are some.

There is also an Amish "general store" 40 minutes away, and they sell bulk supplies like whole wheat to grind for bread, flours, nuts, etc. at really low prices.

Emily said...

Tammy, thanks, those are great tips. I recently switched to raw organic peanuts to save on peanut butter thanks to our little health food store.

I checked out soaper's choice this morning and they give me a better price on my lard, as well as EVOO and EVCO, shipping included! I love your tips, Tammy! (:

I have been looking into soap making after we finish our old stash and this will be an AWESOME resource.

Tammy said...

You will like soap making; we make soap and I give it as gifts--some people have even asked if I would sell it! Don't order the lye, shipping is very high because i't's so toxic, I believe. Get "Rooto" drain cleaner at a hardware store. (I'm serious!) It works well. The best investment I've made with my soap is a $10 stick blender.

There are so many good deals out there if you just have the time to find them, and so many great projects that we can do with our children to teach them. My friends that work outside of the home or have kids "go" to school (we homeschool) tell me they wish they had more time. No amount of money could entice me to give up being a SAHM, I even want to be a SAHG (gramma) some day! (My oldest is 20.)

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