Passive Family Income » Frugal Living Tips

How to Use Freezer Cooking to Save on Groceries

Melissa (Staff Writer) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:24:46 +0000

Currently, my family is both short on time and money because we are paying down our debt with gazelle intensity. All of our extra cash is being thrown on debt. While I may like to eat fancier meals, at this point in our lives we are looking for healthy, nutritious, low cost meals. One way we save both time and money is through freezer cooking.

How to Stock Your Freezer with Meals

If you are new to freezer cooking, there are two main ways to stock your freezer with nutritious foods.

If you are ambitious, you can devote several hours one weekend day to cooking four to six meals you know your family loves and doubling or tripling the recipe.

If you are less ambitious, you can pick one week to cook every meal at home from scratch and double or triple it and put the extras in the freezer. If you are away from home every day working, simply pick slow cooker meals to double or triple.

Benefits of Freezer Cooking

The time benefits of freezer cooking are obvious. Once you invest time in stocking your freezer, your time investment is over. Instead of spending thirty minutes to an hour each night getting a meal on the table, spend a few hours early in the month stocking the freezer and then simply pull meals from the freezer the rest of the month.

What you may not consider as much are the financial benefits. I went shopping for my family of five at the beginning of the month and spent $250 on groceries. Included in this amount was enough produce and eggs to last us two weeks in addition to all of the ingredients I need for our freezer cooking session. At the end of my freezer cooking day, I had enough food for 18 main meals for my family and 10 smaller meals for my daughter and I to split at lunch time. (These make for a quick lunch that is much cheaper and healthier than the individual size frozen meals you can buy at the grocery store.)

To make our grocery budget stretch, I make sure all the meals I freeze are packed with healthy ingredients such as beans and spinach, so we get at least a full serving of vegetables, if not more, from our dinners. One of our favorites is Jamie Oliver’s Pasta Sauce, which has two to three vegetable servings in every serving.

Later in the month, I only have to buy produce to last for the last two weeks of the month, which is maybe $100 more. I supplement the freezer meals by cooking a few meals with the slow cooker and having leftover nights.

Our diet is largely comprised of fresh fruits and vegetables, and we make a priority to use organic produce. Still, we are able to keep our grocery budget under control by implementing freezer cooking and limiting our grocery trips to twice per month.

If you are interested in freezer cooking a good, free resource is food.com. Simply type in OAMC (once a month cooking), and you will find hundreds of recipes to try.

This post was written by staff writer Melissa.

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Never Shop at a Grocery Store Again – A Review of Peapod

Melissa (Staff Writer) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:31:09 +0000

Do you like grocery shopping, or is it one of those tasks that you detest? If you work full-time, is your one day to buy your groceries on Saturday when everyone else has descended upon the stores? If so, and you are ready to say “Enough!”, you may want to take a look at Peapod home grocery delivery.

Peapod Grocery Selection

Peapod has a selection of grocery items similar to a brick and mortar grocery store and even has a good selection of organic items. We used this service after our second child was born, and I loved it! At the time, we lived in a third floor apartment, so it was nice to have someone else carry up the groceries. The produce was as fresh, often fresher, than what I could buy at a grocery store.

Delivery Fees

There is a delivery fee of $6.95 if you order over $100 in groceries. Order between $75 and $99.99 and pay $7.95 in delivery fees; if you buy less than $75, there is a $9.95 delivery fee. (All orders must be over $60.) The penny pinchers among us may balk at the delivery fee, but if you are paying $3.60 per gallon on average for gas, depending on your make of car and how far you must drive to get to a grocery store, you make up some of this delivery cost by not driving yourself. Add in the time you save driving to the store and back, plus waiting in line at the register, and you just may find the delivery fee is not that bad. Try to order groceries once a month or every other week to minimize the delivery fee.

Ways to Save on Groceries

Just like at a regular store, you should know your prices and take the time to comparison shop. However, Peapod offers several ways savvy shoppers can save.

Quickly Find the Sales - Simply click on the “weekly specials” link to see everything that is on sale for the week.
Use coupons – Peapod accepts all valid manufacturers’ coupons. In addition, they offer online coupons you can print. Simply cut them out and put them in an envelope and give it to your driver. You will be credited for the coupons used.
Avoid Impulse Shopping – Everyone succumbs at least occasionally to impulse buys at the grocery store, whether it is a pack of chewing gum at the register or items you happen to see while shopping. Peapod eliminates most, if not all, of your impulse buys.

If you are tired of the drudgery of the grocery store every week and are looking for a way to save time, you may want to consider moving to a grocery delivery service like Peapod. True, if you are a bargain shopper who uses coupons religiously and shops three different stores to get the best deals, you probably won’t save with Peapod. However, if you shop like most Americans do, without using coupons and only casually searching for deals, you may find that Peapod saves you both money AND time.

Have you ever used a home grocery delivery service like Peapod? What was your experience like?

This post was written by staff writer Melissa.

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Take Advantage of Discounts for the Best Shopping Buys in January

Melissa (Staff Writer) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:39:20 +0000

The holiday spending spree is over, and retailers often are looking at much quieter times. However, retailers are anxious to get rid of winter gear to make way for spring clothing. They are also looking to clear their shelves of holiday items to make way for Valentine’s items. As the consumer, that means you can find many bargains, if you don’t follow the marketing trends. Here are some items you can find at a steep discount:

-Winter gear. In many parts of the country, it is cold and perhaps snowy. Yet this is actually the best time to buy winter gear including winter coats, hats, scarves, sleds, etc. Stores stock up on these in fall and even more for Christmas, but they may have a glut leftover and want to move them quickly. Take advantage of the low price to buy a size up for your kids. Next fall when the weather turns, you won’t have to pay full price for a coat; there will already be one in the closet that you bought on clearance.

-Jewelry. In just a few weeks, jewelry stores will be ramping up advertising for rings and necklaces for Valentine’s Day. If you want to buy someone jewelry for Valentine’s Day, do it now, when much of the jewelry that was stocked up for Christmas is now on sale. A quick perusal of a few national jewelry retailers revealed prices that are 30 to 50% off. Want to buy your special someone a heart necklace for Valentine’s Day? Do it now. One national jeweler currently has a sterling heart necklace that normally retails for $75 on sale for $22.50. If you are thinking of getting engaged, as many do around Valentine’s Day, check out the deals on engagement rings. A national retailer has a beautiful one carat, three diamond ring that retails for $2,149 on clearance for $1,289.

-Televisions. In preparation for Super Bowl Sunday, many retailers will be offering steep discounts on flat screen televisions. If you are in the market for one, now may be the time to buy.

-Snack foods. Again, in preparation for Super Bowl Sunday, many grocery stores and drug stores will offer sale prices that you won’t see again until Memorial Day for snack items such as chips, pop, dips, salsas, etc. If these are part of your regular diet, buy them now, at rock bottom prices. Try to buy enough to last you through the next few months until the Memorial Day sales.

-Exercise equipment. Capitalizing on the common New Year’s resolution of losing weight and getting in shape, many stores offer steep discounts on exercise equipment and DVDs this month. Either buy now, or wait until April or May and look through the classifieds and Craigslist to buy equipment from all of the overzealous people who bought it in January and then never used it.

Retail marketing in January is driven by the need to clear the shelves to make way for spring items and Valentine’s Day stock. By buying ahead and being willing to store items for next year such as kids’ clothing, you can realize steep discounts. Just make sure what you purchase is something you actually need. Happy shopping!

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6 Things to Buy the Week after Christmas to Save Big

Melissa (Staff Writer) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:45:12 +0000

Black Friday and Cyber Monday receive much attention for being great shopping days, but the week after Christmas can be just as rich with sales. For the most part, I try to avoid the chaos of Black Friday and instead focus my shopping on the days after Christmas. Here are some deals you can expect to find:

Holiday Decorations. If you are in the market for a new, artificial Christmas tree, don’t buy it before the holidays, buy it this week and store it for next year. This is also a great time to stock up on other festive decorations such as ornaments, wreaths, towels, etc. at a steep discount. Over the years, I have been able to grow a collection of holiday decor at a fraction of retail simply by shopping the sales after Christmas.
Holiday Food. Certain foods such as cranberries and canned pumpkin, to name a few, are stocked in abundance between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but after that, stores want to unload them to make way for other foods. It may be possible to find holiday foods at the grocery store for 50 to 90% off.
Holiday Candy. As soon as Christmas is over, stores want to be rid of all of the candy with Santa wrappers and candy wrapped in red and green. This is a great time to stock up to get your chocolate fix for the next few months at a deep discount. I also buy the red and green wrapped Hershey’s kisses and save out the red wrapped ones for Valentine’s Day gifts.
Pantry Supplies. If you don’t mind using Saran Wrap or aluminum foil with a holiday design in the months after Christmas, you can often find these up to 90% off. This is a great way to stock your pantry with items you already use on the cheap.
Holiday Clothing. I love to dress my girls in festive holiday dresses, but I don’t like to pay the full retail price of $30 to $70. Instead, I buy them on clearance for $3 to $7. I make sure to buy a size up for next year, and then I can dress them in fancy holiday dresses during the holiday season for less than it costs to cloth them in every day clothes.
Calendars. After the rush of holiday buying, calendar sales slow down, and the retailer wants to be rid of their 2012 calendars as they hold little value as the year goes on. Wait to buy one until right before the new year for the deepest discount.

A word of caution–the day after Christmas can be retail chaos as everyone heads out to use their gift certificates they got for Christmas or to return items they received but did not like. If you want to avoid the busiest day, you may want to hit the stores December 27th instead of the 26th.

If you want to avoid the stores all together, don’t forget to check out online sales. E-bay has one of their busiest sales periods immediately after Christmas when many consumers try to unload their unwanted gifts and make a few bucks. Good sales are to be had there as well as Craigslist.

Whether you prefer to shop at the brick and mortar stores or to do your shopping online, the week after Christmas is a great time to snag some deals.

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3 Free Homeschool Incentive Programs

Ashley Eneriz (Staff Writer) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:49:13 +0000

As a homeschool mom or dad, you may seem a little overwhelmed at times at how much you have to buy. You have to buy books, supplies, and other learning tools to simulate a classroom in your own home. Thankfully there are several free incentive programs opened to homeschooling families. It does not get any better than free pizza, Chines food, and books for getting your child to read.

1 – Book It by Pizza Hut – Pizza Hut’s program rewards children in grades kindergarten to 6th grade monthly for reading. You can set the goal, whether it be minutes read, pages read, or books read.

The Book It’s official website says, “The restaurant manager and team congratulate every child for meeting the monthly reading goal and reward them with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza, BOOK IT! card and backpack clip”.

The Book It program also provides teachers and home educators alike with classroom material for free. This is a fun way to reward your children for free and stretch your food budget. As of now, the program is closed to new enrollment. It will start its enrollment process in March 2012.

The Book It program also has Preschool challenges you and your little reader can enter for prizes. Learn more through the Book It website.

2 – Panda Express’ Chinese New Year Learn With Me Program – Want to add a little fun to your curriculum? Panda Express offers free kits each year to celebrate and teach about the Chinese New Year. It is geared towards 2nd-4th grade children. According to the website, the free kit includes:

• Panda Express’ Year of the Dragon DVD
• Year of the Dragon Fact Sheet
• Jade Emperor’s Interactive Game & Activity Sheet
• Chinese New Year Decoration Art Activity
• Lai See Activity Sheet
• Bookmarks (with a Free Kids Meal with purchase coupon attached)

This program’s registration closes Saturday, January 8, 2012 by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time. You can find out more about the program through the Panda Express website.

3 – Barnes and Noble Reading Club for Kids – This is a program that all parents can enroll in. During the summer, Barnes and Noble offers a reading incentive for children to read eight books for fun and to record them in a journal. Once the read the eight books, they can turn their journal into Barnes and Noble for a free book.

During the school year, they have incentives and coupons for buying books through Barnes and Noble. The best part of the program is that children get a free cupcake from the Barnes and Noble café and digital book from Tikatok.com on their birthdays.

Check out Barnes and Noble’s past summer program and their current kid’s club program.

Take advantage of these fun programs to motivate your child to read more and learn more. I do not think any child would complain about reading if it means that he gets his very own pizza each month. Keep a look out for even more free programs to enhance your homeschooling budget.

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