Mondays with Mavis – How to Feed Your Family for $100 a Month
Sorry for ditching you all this weekend, but I was having to much fun playing in the dirt. As far as staying on budget, well I’m hanging in there. Let’s just hope Santa brings us a few gallons of milk this Christmas {DID YOU HEAR THAT MOM?} or we are not going to make it.
I’ll be letting you know what my grocery budget plans are for next year pretty soon, but let me just say this. The HH tolerates my $100 a month grocery challenge as long as there is plenty food, and snacks in the house. No milk? Well that’s a deal breaker.
Here are the groceries I picked up this week :
Fred Meyer $5.00
Albertsons $0.56
I used one of my $10 Albertsons store coupons I scored when I picked up some Amazon gift cards. I thought about going back for a few more, but I just don’t need them. However if Albertsons offers Home Depot gift cards in the next ad, you can be sure I’ll be stocking up on them. Home Depot is my crack house. I LOVE it over there.
Albertsons $1.19
I used a $10 Albertsons Store coupon, a $5 Albertsons store coupon, a $1.50 off $10 coupon, and a $2 of fresh meat coupon.
Albertsons $1.61
Someone suggested I try powered milk. So I used a $10 Albertsons store coupon and picked up 2 bags of name brand powdered milk. I could of paid about 40% less for the Albertsons store brand, but I didn’t want to chance it. I’ll let you know how it tastes as soon as we use it. I wonder if I can fool the kids with it.
Albertsons $0
On Sunday I stopped by Albertsons and used 3 double coupons. If I had more money in my budget I would have done more deals, but I just don’t have a penny to spare right now. I was able to use {4} $1/2 Stagg Chili coupons I found in a blinki machine last month and the boys were ESTATIC when they saw the cans of chili.
I also stocked up on juice. I thought this was a clever move. I figured if they drank more juice, they would drink less milk. We’ll see. I also liked someones idea about doing the buy 4 boxes of cereal and get 1 gallon of milk free option, but in the end I figured I’d just end up going through more milk because the kids would want to eat the cereal.
Tricky, tricky, tricky!
We are pretty much set when it comes to produce, thanks for Mr. Produce Guy. I’m soooo glad I didn’t break up with him.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make it with $6.83 to spend on groceries until the end of the year?
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $8.36
Total Spent This Year $ 1,193.17 <<< Only $6.83 left! Holy Crackers!!!!
Total Spent This Year on Garden Seeds/Supplies $536.26
Total “Seed Money” donations received $51.00
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Try mixing the powdered milk half and half with regular milk. Much easier to disguise and will probably make those 2 gallons you bought this week last you til the end
Good idea, Tanya…one we can all use!
I was just going to suggest this. My parents did this the whole time I was growing up.
My mom did this too….we never knew she was doing it. We were at school and never saw her, we just knew that there was always a box of powdered milk in the cupboard. I don’t like milk, never have, but my siblings all drank it by the glass and it was just the way things were. No complaints.
You are buying Loew’s cards so you can get the free groceries, and then using the Loew’s cards to buy bulbs, but aren’t counting that money in your seeds/supplies list. Isn’t that “cheating”?
But it’s your blog. You can do it however you want.
NO. I don’t eat flower bulbs.
The total for my “garden supplies” is for things that apply to my vegetable garden. Things I need to buy to grow food. Dirt, compost, tools, seeds, plants {like herbs, seed potatoes, berry plants}. I do not include “flowers, or trees which bear no fruit.” Those would be considered landscaping. Hope that helps.
Thanks for the clarification!
cptacek–of course, you can’t eat the bulbs. They are just for decoration. I don’t think it is cheating.
Barter some eggs for milk? Or sell some eggs? I trade mine for Sunday coupon inserts, but I’ve also sold them for $3 a dozen to my knitting group gals.
Two dozen eggs could = two gallons of milk from costco with $1 leftover.
My mom used to do powdered milk when we were younger. Now that was a long time ago, and they may make it better these days, but it was always better when mixed with regular milk…
Okay, so you are saying mix it in with regular milk… like 1/2 milk and 1/2 powered milk?
Mix up the powdered milk and refrigerate until cold, then mix into the “regular” milk using equal amounts of each. It helps if the reconstituted milk is icy cold and shake it well when mixed.
I took it to mean all garden supplies, not just things used for food.
If that is the answer, ok.
I think some friends or family members might need to give you some grocery store gift cards as early Christmas gifts!
Personally I think 100 a month is an awesome goal. No one will fault you if you have to keep the boys happy as you are so close.
I use powdered milk for cooking and baking, mixing in hot cocoa, making pudding and other dairy desserts, and cooking in my oatmeal or other hot cereal. My family is my hubby, me, boy14, girl almost 13 and boy6. My youngest boy loves to drink it, since he’s been pretty much raised on it, but my older two (teenagers) don’t like to drink it. We buy about 4 gallons of fresh milk a month, to drink, and I make 2 to 4 gallons per month of rice milk or almond milk from scratch. Google it, it’s really easy to make and still very nutritious. Besides that, I use powdered milk. My family hated me for mixing the powdered milk and the fresh milk. I buy my powdered milk in a huge bag from Winco…I think it’s 25 lbs and almost $100, but it lasts for 6 months or more. That tip wouldn’t help you for the next couple of weeks, but might help for next year.
Wait until they have drunk about 1/4 to 1/3 of a jug of milk and refil it with water. Give it a good shake. They will never know.
Next time you’re thinking of buying powdered milk, consider buying the Morning Moos brand. It is so much closer to the taste of real milk. Albertson’s used to sell it in the large cans. I don’t know if they still do. You can buy it online too of course. There is a difference between Morning Moos and real milk in taste but, it is just closer to the real thing than what you bought. I have used it for years. It is virtually undetectable with cereal and of course in baking.
One thing you can do with any powdered milk to make it taste better is add a little sugar or some vanilla. You can also use it in your Christmas baking as there are some easy recipes to make sweetened condensed milk out if it. Maybe you could use some of it for that. I also use it in from scratch pancakes, bread, and cream soups. Maybe it will make your 4 half gallons last a little longer!
I say barter some of that free fire wood you just had “fall” into your lap for milk.
I’m glad you’re trying the powdered milk thing. My kids are super tasters so I’m not sure it’ll fly. I got a bunch of free coffee creamer and used the “triple heavy cream” one in place of milk in my rice pudding and the littles noticed it and badgered me about it. I like the idea of half powdered and half milk. I’mma try it too. Nothing great at Albies this weekend. I think I have coupons for free juice though. I can live without it if I don’t get ready to go down there tomorrow.
No such luck on the Home Depot cards. This week includes Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, fandango, Applebee’s, groupon, macaroni grill, amazon, Southwest Airlines, and one other that I can’t recall.
You can still do it!! BTW, I grew up on powdered milk, and I can attest to the fact that it would be much tastier mixed for drinking, but used straight for cooking, baking, etc. would be just fine.
One last suggestion: BARTER, BARTER, BARTER!!!!!
1.) You can eat dahlia bulbs, just saying if you get desperate…
2.) My husband looooooves milk. I buy whole milk, take out 1/3 of it and add water to fill it back to the gallon level. I water the 1/3 down slightly, too, in another container. This has worked much better than watering down 2% with powdered milk. My husband can sniff out powdered milk better than a TSA puppy sniffs out drugs. I can get away with it in baked goods, but no other way. But he never has commented on watered down milk—only works with full fat.
When we were really poor and drank 1.5 gallons of milk a day (yes a day) i used to mix the powdermilk with ice cold water in a blender then mixed it half and half with 2% milk..The kids never ever knew it. They drank it all up!
We don’t drink much milk, about a gallon a week for 5 people. Use it mainly in cooking. Preferred beverage is water (from our well) or tea, hot or cold. None of my children have ever had cavities. I started watering down the juice with my first child as I was worried about the acid eating away his tooth enamel and excess calories. Still do water it down as no one cares. Course I prefer they eat the fruit itself. I used to use powdered milk for cooking but haven’t for awhile. Sanalac was the brand that seemed the best to me.
I have also heard to put just a little vanilla in the powdered milk and it helped the flavor.