It is time for another round of cheapskate lowcarb!

[canadianwoman]

I just thought I would add a tip to this thread. Save the water from canned mushrooms and canned vegetables (like green beans) and freeze it. Later you can thaw it out to make low carb soups and you wont need to add any salt to your soups AND the flavour from the canned veggies helps to flavour your soup nicely.

[kimberino]

I've shared this tip a few times, but I'll take the chance someone hasn't seen it. Don't forget that Walmart honors all competitor sale prices. I've saved many a dollar on gas and lots of time by viewing sale circulars for the main groceries around here and then purchasing the items at Walmart (don't forget to take the circular w/ you to show checker). It has been especially helpful w/ all the meat I buy.

[Boudica]

Originally Posted by kimberino

I've shared this tip a few times, but I'll take the chance someone hasn't seen it. Don't forget that Walmart honors all competitor sale prices. I've saved many a dollar on gas and lots of time by viewing sale circulars for the main groceries around here and then purchasing the items at Walmart (don't forget to take the circular w/ you to show checker). It has been especially helpful w/ all the meat I buy.

I do this CONSTANTLY!! There are a few rules though:

Walmart will NOT honor %'s off, BOGO (buy one,get one) or anything you could buy at the seafood dpt.

I just got 2 racks of beef ribs for 99cents a pound, rump roasts for $1.88lb, and the selection of FRESH veggies it to die for! Our SWM had their cukes for 88cents a piece while our PRO supermarket had them 4 for 99cents.

Our circulars come in our mail once a week. DEFINITELY check yours out. Your best bet is to take the circulars in to your local SWM and ask one of the head cashiers what (in your town) they honor.

[scandalouslyglam]

Glad this thread popped up again!!

[MarcyDarcy]

BUMP

[MarcyDarcy]

For snacks at work, I buy nice cheeses and cut them up in portions. Some I buy are Laughing Cow, Alouette and Havarti. They may seem pricey, but when portioned out, they're about 40 cents per snack. Sure beats the vending monster.

[cjmobxnc]

Originally Posted by DivaWannaBe

My favorite, inexpensive LC meal is a staple at my house. I crumble and brown a pound of Jimmy Dean (find it on sale and throw it in the freezer). When the sausage is done, I add a head or two of coarsely chopped cabbage. Put a lid on it and simmer it until the cabbage is transparent and wilted. This has the best flavor and is a real 'comfort food'. Love it on cold, rainy days. No one else in my house eats it, so the pot lasts me for quite a while, or I freeze half of it for another week.

That sounds yummo! I'll have to try it sometime. But, I would have to add a white onion to the mix, and maybe some frozen green beans. Think I will fix it next payday. Man, I hate every 2 weeks paydays.

[jamiernd2]

i was at a Kroger the other night doing some buyin'. I walked by the deli and the girl was marking down the rotisserie chicken. i love chicken. however, i have stayed away from these things because im usually not interested in eatting something that has been spinning all day in medium heat. but since the meat boredom has set in, i grabbed TWO! it was 4 bucks for 2 whole chickens! i didnt see the calories/carbs on them, but i looked and there was no bbq sauce or anything like that on it. just looked like herbs. i get home and look online, zero carbs! chow down, havent been in ketosis since! (as of this morning) NOT GOOD. frick! (i had NO other carbs yesterday either!)

[Mommie22boys]

Here's my latest money saver:

If you like ribeye or delmonico steaks, you know how expensive they are. Well I recently learned that chuck eye steaks are very similar to a ribeye or delmonico (they're nicely marbled and juicy) and can cost half as much per pound! Here's the best part: After paying 4.29 a pound for them at one store I called another store to see if they also carried chuck eye steaks and to find out how much they were. The man at the meat counter said that if they don't have any chuck eye steaks available, they'll just slice up a chuck eye roast for you. Chuck eye roasts are only $2.99/pound! That's like a third of the cost of delmonico's or ribeyes. Wahoo!

Another tip along the same idea as my chuck eye discovery is to buy whole pork loins when they go on sale (I can find them at BJ's or Tops for $1.99/pound on sale every couple of months.) The trick is to take the whole loin up to the butcher's counter before you go to pay for it and have them cut it up however you want. I usually have them do a 3 pound roast and the rest into chops. Way cheaper than buying packages of "pre-sliced" chops, yet the store is still doing all the slicing for you! All you have to do is package it up at home for the freezer.

[mrs.jillybeans]

We have a restaurant supply grocer here (Cash n Carry) that compares (and sometime beats Costco) I pick up Davinci for $3.89 a bottle regular price vs. almost $8.00 at the grocery store. They also sell large portions of ribs, pork, beef and cheese much cheaper per pound. I stock up on large containers of cream and cream cheese. (3lb. block usually under 4 bucks) since the grocery chains were selling 8 oz. for nearly 2 dollars this is about 66% off!

I also by near date meats at the grocers, go early a.m. and they haven't been picked over. Large packages of hamburger split to smaller. Make taco meat and freeze part. Fast nuking for a salad topper.

I cook up chicken breasts and dice up for salad. Love the individually frozen raw ones, easy to pull one at a time.

[martiangurll]

Okay fellow cheap diners, eggs are on sale all over. (I guess the Easter bunny over-delivered)

I got cartons for 25 cents a dozen. I can make a lot of egg cassaroles (crustless quiche), boiled eggs, and deviled eggs for a buck!

[Dawn18]

Wow! 25 cents a dozen. That is a great deal! I found them for 88 cents and was happy about that.

[flatferenghi]

even if i had billions at my disposal. tuna is the people's food, not a luxury item. I would never buy the 5 oz (remember when it was 6 oz?) solid white tuna, unless it was under $1.00 a can. I got lucky...Shoprite had it on sale for $.79 a can this past week. I got 5 cans. Otherwise, i go tuna-less for a while, till the next sale. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

[SlimBy2011]

Taco Salad - 9 carbs (5 without the queso)


I love this and it's so easy to make.
Ground Beef
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Shredded Cheddar
Queso.

[martiangurll]

Originally Posted by flatferenghi

even if i had billions at my disposal. tuna is the people's food, not a luxury item. I would never buy the 5 oz (remember when it was 6 oz?) solid white tuna, unless it was under $1.00 a can. I got lucky...Shoprite had it on sale for $.79 a can this past week. I got 5 cans. Otherwise, i go tuna-less for a while, till the next sale. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

Its cheaper to just get cat food.

(Bumped this thread cuz its the end of da month and I am almost broke.) Any one else have a say on the end of the month cheap low carb menu plan?

[WannaBeThinAgain]

Local grocery store has pork sausage for $1.00/lb, stocked up with 20 for sausage quiche, mix it in with ground turkey or beef etc

[martiangurll]

Just found some lamb patties on sale, I picked up about a pound of them for under 2 dollars. now I just have to figure out how to cook em

[tulipsandroses]

Got 16 oz tubs of Mascarpone Cheese on sale for half off!

[Zenngrl]

I'm bumping because I'm at home now going to school and I'm trying to make the most of our food budget!

On the plus side I love to cook, so I can get creative with plain ol' meat and veg!

[Swipe]

One way to save a little money is to find ways to make a lot of different dishes using the same basic ingredients. (The Taco Bell business model.)

Let's say cabbage is on sale. You buy a head of cabbage. Take off a few outer leaves, and uses them for stuffed cabbage. Chop up half the cabbage for stir-fry. Shred the remaining cabbage for coleslaw.

Once you start looking at foods that can make multiple dishes, then you save money.

[ravenrose]

I hafta say, finding a store that discounts things that are close to their sell by date rather than tossing them in the dumpster makes so much difference! I got over three lb of green beans in a bag for $1 Saturday, and almost always have a stash of zucchinis and other squashes obtained at that same price.

I know which brands of chickens our stores carry that are better in terms of cruelty and clean feed and all and I watch their prices like a hawk and stock up when they are cheap, even if it means a chicken meal every day all week for both my husband and me.

Take into account energy costs in preparing things if you pay your own utility bill too--something that needs an hour and a half in a hot oven may not be as much of a bargain as you were thinking. The microwave saves a LOT of money that way, since all the energy goes into cooking your food and not heating that whole corner of your kitchen.

I think the biggest mistake people make is being too timid when they see a good price. When I see a great cheese marked down to $2 a lb., I may get 10 lb. of it. If it's a solid cheese and neither shredded nor something soft like Brie it lasts MONTHS without problems. Hey, Brie lasts a long time too.

I always try to keep at least two weeks worth of meat products in the freezer in case there is nothing cheap in the stores that week--you don't want to feel forced to pay too much.

I know when you have no money, buying ahead seems impossible, but you can do it a little at a time until you have a reasonable stock of stuff.

Your freezer uses less energy when it's packed pretty full too, rather than a lot of air that warms up every time the door is opened.

Butter can be frozen--I never buy it at more than $2 a pound. And save the fat from bacon and chicken for cooking, it's wasteful to toss it out.

And if your finances are really in bad shape, I want you to seriously consider dumpster diving. I know it's not for everyone, but the amount of perfectly good food thrown out in this country every day is staggering. There's a name for people use that otherwise wasted stuff--freegans. Nothing to be ashamed of! It's the people throwing the stuff out without trying to distribute it to those who need it who should be ashamed, not the ones who use it. Be well, all.

[wifezilla]

Two things I do to save money...

1. Buy meat in bulk. I paid $175 for half a pig from a local farmer. It gets delivered next month

2. Garden. A few dollars for seeds and some sweat equity and you have a steady supply of fresh veggies. I am harvesting cucumbers, zucchini and lettuce right now.

[TaDa!]

Bumping for Wilbur! Not all of it will apply ... as a young single lowcarber, you're unlikely to buy half a pig probably, lol! but some of the ideas might help you!



Pauline

[wifezilla]

My single friend just bought a quarter cow. If you have a good freezer it will keep.

[lisaerinqt04]

Sometimes when I'm broke I feel like Bubba off of Forrest Gump...

Tuna with mayo...Tuna with rotel...Tuna with eggs...Tuna with lettuce...tuna with broccoli...tuna with cheese...tuna with spinach...

[rashell03]

I started recycling pickle juice from the pickles my fam eats and slicing peppers, cucumbers and zuchinni and a little onion and let it sit in the fridge for a few days and it is an awesome snack that doesn't even need a sauce!!!

[RavenFox]

Subscribing. Great thread!

[Wilbur]

thanks for bumping this! I just posted about this issue this morning

[flatferenghi]

when my xpress..redi..set...go ever arrives, i will be able to use leftovers in my omelets and personal pizzas, instead of throwing them out because they are slightly passed their prime. I have thrown out lots of food in the past. It goes against my Ferenghi/Costanza sense of frugality. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI

[MLE]

Browsing through these I saw many posts mentioning "tuna muffins" but the link does not work. Anyone have the recipe for these (they're not in the Recipes area that I can find)?? They sound WONDERFUL!