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10+ Ways to Beat Rising Food Prices

10+ Ways to Beat Rising Food Prices
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Throughout history — and various continents — weather cycles have affected the lives of humans and animals alike.

And today holds no exception.

Whether it’s due to drought in the United States or torrential rains in the United Kingdom…future forecasts estimate a diminished global food supply and a subsequent rise in the cost of groceries as a result.

Headlines such as these have laced our televisions and computer screens:

What will be affected?

Everything.

It won’t simply be the overly processed foods that line 85% of the grocery store shelves — no, it’s way beyond that now.

I have to caution myself in assuming that because we as a family avoid GMO’s like the plague, eat primarily from our CSA, get dairy from a raw food supplier, and buy directly from the local grass-fed meat farmer, that this somehow makes us immune to the problem.

From the cost of livestock feed to the development of biofuels — such as ethanol — used to move food across the country…the pinch will come on all consumers’ wallets.

Ways to Beat Rising Food Prices

Bottom line, the need to eat is something that simply cannot be avoided; but, the good news is there are a few steps we can take to keep our family’s grocery bill in check.

1. Meal plan around a stocked pantry.
In our home we use the pantry principle instead of long range meal planning (I first heard about this concept while reading The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn). Basically, I focus my efforts on keeping our pantry — note: by pantry I mean freezer, closets, kitchen cabinets, and the space under the beds – stocked with staple foods purchased in bulk, in season, or on sale. My only goal when grocery shopping is to restock the pantry, not to buy specific ingredients to make specific meals. Read more here…

2. Make a spending plan.
Also know as a budget. Most people ignore this step and are naturally set up for failure. There are multiple budgeting programs available, but I am going to tell you what works for my family without fail. Determine how much you can spend on groceries each month, get that amount out in cash, stick it in an envelope, and once it’s gone…it’s gone. I’m telling you, it works! Cash works! This method has stopped me from useless spending more times than not. Give it a try!

3. Buy in bulk when it makes sense.
Buying in bulk is another method of purchasing that has revolutionized the way I shop. By switching to a simple, unprocessed food diet, buying in bulk can help any family meet their goals. Warning: There are downsides to buying in bulk…just be sure that you’re going to use all of it before it goes bad — it isn’t cheaper to buy in bulk if you don’t use it. Download my free eBook “Buying in Bulk: A Beginner’s Guide” by clicking this link.

4. Stock up when things go on sale.
Sale items can be a great deal. If it’s an item you normally use, buy a bunch of it. This goes for the seasonal produce too! Stock up throughout the harvest and at the end of the growing season. This past summer, I got 50 pounds of tomatoes for $25 from one of my farmers. I was able to can a lot of salsa, whole tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce. We enjoyed those summer tomatoes for months and months. I’m on the look out for a lot more this season!

5. Eat less meat.
Meat prices will go up, even if you are looking to purchase organic, pastured meats. So that we are able to stay within budget, our family already eats quite a few vegetarian meals several times throughout the week. Way back when, my great-grandmother made a Sunday chicken and that was nearly all the meat my grandmother and her sibilings had for the week. Beans, garden veggies, and leftovers made up the remainder of their diet. Likewise, organic dried beans and grains have become staple ingredients in my cooking, along with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Less expensive and healthier. FYI: This is the BEST cookbook I have ever purchased on the topic of cooking with beans…

6. Share a garden with someone else.
If lack of space is your issue, consider an arrangement where someone else — a friend or family member — who has space for a garden and you share resources and efforts. For example, you could plant a garden in a friend’s backyard and then spend a preset amount of time each week working to cultivate and care for it with your friend. In the end you both would split the harvest.

7. Make friends with an avid gardener.
Those who grow a large garden each year always seem to grow a surplus, just in case. If you know someone who gardens faithfully, offer to help in the garden or barter in exchange for produce. Many home gardeners are very happy to have the help and are very likewise willing to share the surplus.

8. Grow drought tolerant fruits and vegetables.
There are several vegetable plants and fruits that do not require as much water as others. For example okra, amaranth, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, mustard greens, Armenian cucumbers, spinach, tomatoes, and Swiss chard don’t need a lot of water. Read more about drought tolerant plants over at the Veggie Patch Re-imagined. And here’s a really amazing article that shares tips for growing a drought friendly vegetable garden…

9. Learn to forage.
Foraging equals free food. Foraging is quickly growing in popularity and rightly so! Once you begin to learn what wild edibles grow seasonally in your area, begin looking around. Recently, I have opened my eyes to the goodness that is freely given by the nature around us. From edible weeds, to mesquite pods, to prickly pear fruit — even in one of the driest places on earth, food grows. Learn how to safely forage in your area by contacting your local county extension office and with these books written on the topic:

10. Stop buying overly processed, non-nutritious foods.
Perhaps its because our fast-paced society encourages convenience, but it seems so hard to avoid the quick and easy. Nonetheless, junk food and ready-made meals — i.e. foods with high fructose corn syurp as a main ingredient — will most likely be the first types of foods to see significant increases in price. Not only do they contain about zero nutrition, but it makes you and your family unhealthy and in the end it can kill you. Talk about a seriously bad deal! Instead reach for real foods and cook from scratch whenever possible.

11. Buy locally.
Locally grown or produced food is often available at a cheaper price, because you don’t pay for long transportation costs. Farmer’s markets, fairs and the local aisle at your grocery store, are all game for deals on tasty and fresh food.

12. Garden and Preserve.
These two things alone can add up to big savings in the long run. Obviously families living the the “country” or rural areas have more gardening options than those living in suburban or urban areas. Families with limited or small outdoor spaces should look for resources on urban gardening. Likewise, home canning, dehydrating, and freezing are all vital skills necessary to decrease our dependence. I highly recommend the following books if you are interested in learning more about preserving and canning:

13. Lastly and most important…
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” -Jesus

Now it’s your turn! Please share with us what are you doing in order to beat the rising cost of food

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Comments

  1. First let me say, I adore your blog. It is so well done, in every which way. I subscribe to very few blogs. I am currently in the midst of trying many of your home-made cleaners. I will then blog to my readers about your cleaners and how I liked them, limitations, if any, etc. So far, so good. Two big advantages with your cleaner recipes is yes, they save money and that is great, but I find that they bother my skin way less than ammonia based products.

    • That’s awesome Maria! Isn’t it wonderful to discover that the simple things are all we really need 🙂

    • Another advantage to the homemade cleaners is that my washing machine is visibly cleaner! No gunky residue buildup!

    • I really enjoyed your tips but I think you left something out. If you are able you should hunt for yourself and your family. Most hunting permits are not overly expensive even big game permits ( deer, turkey, and elk for example) are relatively cheap if you consider the amount of meat you will get. My family hunts for everything from doves, squirrels and rabbits in the fall to deer, pheasants and turkeys to fill our freezer. Learning to butcher your self is also relatively easy with a little practice.

  2. I am in a position that I am able to raise my own beef on grass each year. I also raise and butcher my own chickens every year. I live about 60 miles from a grocery store, so I shop about once every 6 weeks. I buy nearly everything in bulk, I also utilize Azure Standard and Alison’s Pantry. I garden and can ALOT (-: my chickens keep us in good supply of eggs. I also stay away from GMO’s and you won’t find much processed food in my pantry. I really love reading your blog!

  3. Just found your blog and love this list! Thank you! I was *most* delighted by number 13!!!!! Blessings to you!

  5. Making friends with neighbours is always a good thing I find. That way I get alerted to any bargains like buying meat together, getting my milk from one of the neighbour’s mum and sharing harvests. It does help that I live in rural Latvia though but I am not Latvian and so it has been a lifeline to make friends with the neighbours, they help me out so much.

    • Joanna! You bring up an excellent point! Community…living in community with others! It’s SO very important and vital to our health and happiness.

  6. Hi Emily,
    what great information. I really appreciate this article. I also appreciate you offering the free download of you book , Buying in Bulk.
    Thank you.Debi

  7. Excellent post, very well done. I have been doing all these (and continue to do so more and more) for years out of necessity. Living out of a well-stocked pantry is the only way to go. I especially appreciate #13, it should be #1.

  8. Really great post! I too practice shopping locally, stocking the pantry when items are on sale, buying in bulk, gardening and preserving the summer harvest, and eating no meat. I do it for environmental and health reasons, but I do love that it insulates us some against the rise in food prices.

  9. Great post. #13 is my favorite as well. Looking at the world situation it is so easy to get anxious about things but God cares for our needs and I am so thankful for that. Cutting back on the amount of meat that we eat plus having a garden has helped us so much this year.

    • It all comes down to #13 🙂 It is so wise to prepare…but in the end He is the one who provides.

  10. Great ideas! We are already doing a lot of these, but your post reminds me that there is more I can do 🙂

    I want to make my own sauerkraut this year from the abundance of cabbage I grew. Even though hubby doesn’t like, the rest of us do and it is high in vit. c.

    I have always been interested in foraging, and used to do it when I was a teen (I wasn’t your typical teen!), but haven’t done much lately. Now’s the time!

    Thanks!

    • I love homemade sauerkraut! And you’re right Lisa…now’s the time to start foraging 🙂

  11. My husband and I have been talking about this over the past few days. We’re currently transitioning from our urban homestead to an acreage so it has been difficult to build, get ready to move, and store food all at the same time. We do feel it is important though so we’re working on it. We are planning a fall garden and making that as much a priority of building our new home. We have heavy clay soil so we’re building the raised beds and planning to put them in as soon as we can, I have my seedlings started under grow lights. We are also learning to can and have started putting up some “meals in a jar” and working on keeping our pantry stocked. I’ve always had it “stocked” but we’re wanting to learn to put up most of our food in storage from our garden or from stuff that is locally grown. Foraging is new to me, but I’ve read some of your articles here and noticed some of the same things growing on our acreage – I plan to harvest some of the red clover (when it comes back, it’s too hot now) and the plantain. We also just purchased some rain barrels and are looking into the cost of a deep freezer.

    • You mentioned a GREAT way to beat the increase in prices this year…plant a fall garden! That’s going to be huge!

  12. Great tips! These also help with spending less time in crowded shopping areas, in line ups and jockeying for space in parking lots and MORE time in gardens, kitchens and with loved ones! Nice!

  13. As always, good information. I really appreciate all the time and effort you put in with your site. We finally got some much needed rain here the last couple of days, and the garden is looking so much better. I’d been watering, mulching and laying soaker hoses, but nothing beats a good rain. As a gardener who typically has excess, I will vouch for being happy to barter when I can. I also buy in bulk, can and preserve, stock up on sale – pretty much everything you’ve suggested. 🙂

    I hope it’s okay to share this with your readers – each week during the growing season I post information about a new “weed” in my Weekly Weeder series – http://www.commonsensehome.com/wildcraftingweekly-weeder/ Many weeds are edible or medicinal, or both, or have food value to wildlife and domesticated animals. We also have a blog hop on the same day for herb use and other homesteading related posts that has a lot of great information. Often I find that the weeds flourish when regular garden crops struggle.

    • That’s awesome Laurie! And thank goodness for the rain! You are always welcome to share links here…in fact on Wednesday’s we have a blog hop if you’d like to share there also! Knowledge is power 🙂

  14. My husband & myself have been canning for several years. It is such a joy to have homemade salsa, spaget sauce and other veggies. We wanted to “master” veggies before moving onto fruit. My neighbors I’m sure think we are crazy because the garden gets bigger each season with beets, peas, kolarabi (saw them in store other day at $1.79 each!), blueberries, zuchinni, trying carrots & potatoes. First batch of pickled beets (9 jars) done few days ago. We go to upick farms for tomatoes & green peppers. Qty need for salsa & other recipes it is cheaper to go upick & save garden space for other stuff. I also have a co-wker that makes several kinds of jams and jellys. So we TRADE, she makes extra & we do the same.

  15. This is a topic that will only become more and more important to live by, for those of us keeping abreast of national and global news. Keep on giving us tangible, helpful tips!

  16. On top of the things you mentioned, I also buy food at this strange little place I found out about by word of mouth. It’s a discount food store that gets an assortment of foods that most grocery stores would toss in the dumpster (like a case of organic PB where one jar broke and leaked everywhere, or very ripe tomatoes, etc) they also get food from schools and restaurants as well as day old bread from a local (and organic!) bakery. They sell the food very cheap and allow me to a great deal of money while still feeding my family organic foods.

  17. I have enjoyed your blog for quite a bit now & always happy to se the wonderful info you put in it for others to learn by…I must say this is one of the really good ones as most of us don’t think of all the ways to shop, store & stock up on food items….i got involved in a bulk food Co-op 4 yrs ago & i learned to think differently about what I buy & why…I started with some of the basics like raw sugar in 50 lb bags & brown rice in 25 lb bags…as I got chickens I started buying stone/steel cut oats, oat meal & 7 grain mixes for them during the winter months…Well this turned me on to eating steel.stone cut oats, which I had never had before….The 7 grain I bought the 1st time in whole grain, then found roughly ground then now they have the flaked which also works well with making cereals, breads & baked goods like muffins.
    So though I am not much of a meat eater my hubby is so I have learned to rework our meals with less meat, more beans, rice & grains by being in this Co-op.
    I am also a big believer in Canning, freezing & drying foods that I grow or get from other growers
    I try very hard to stay away from processed foods since they are full of stuff I can’t even pronounce plus just mess the body up.
    thank you again for this…M’

  18. Another great post, Andrea. We raise about 75 % of our own food and have good friends in a local town who garden and share their excess with us, too. We never feed corn or soy to our animals but expect wheat and oat prices to go up this fall as well, and that is the basis of our livestock grain supplement. We are working at drying the weeds for our rabbits for the winter, and growing an extra plot of field peas (just planting them now) which we’ll harvest after flowering and feed for hay, to reduce our dependence on grains this winter.

    Another thing i would add is don’t put all your food preservation in the freezer. It makes you vulnerable to power outages. Dry some, can some, and root cellar some, too, so that if there is an extended power outage, all your work isn’t in vain. Try making Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables to preserve some of the summer goodness. Lacto-preservation methods increase the amount of vitamins and minerals available in your winter food and will help your family stay healthy over the winter. You just need canning jars, and Kosher salt. If you have some whey from cheese making or yogourt, that can help to get things working properly in the jars.

    Chris

    • Hi Chris, I like your suggestion of doing multiple types of preserving. I struggle with what is best. I know fermenting is the healthiest with freezing next in line, but both make you dependent on electricity for storage (or a cellar for ferments which we don’t have). Canning is great for storage without dependency on the grid but it loses so much of the nutritional value.

      • Hi, Gay, I’ve seen very easy to create cold storage solutions like dropping an ice chest in a hole in the ground and covering with a couple of straw bales, which can be removed for access. You don’t necessarily need a full cellar to keep ferments cool but not freezing.
        ☺ I agree with you about canning.

  19. Wow, I love these tips! But how do you store a lot of broccoli? Do you just freeze it? That’s one thing I need to figure out is what I can just throw in the freezer, what needs to be blanched, etc.

    • Linda, broccoli (and most veggies) should be blanched briefly (3 minutes) and then plunged into cold water to stop the cooking. This stalls out the enzyme breakdown of the produce so it holds better in storage. After the cold water/ice bath, I drain the broccoli and get rid of as much excess water as possible (sometimes I’ll even dry them on a flour sack towel), and then spread them on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen solid, I vacuum seal them. This gives me individual pieces of broccoli instead of broccoli bricks and they easily resist freezer burn for a couple of years.

      As Joybilee Farms points out, using a mix of preservation methods is a good idea, but broccoli is something I always preserve by freezing.

  20. The fastest way to cut back on summer produce shopping is to find somebody who grows zucchini squash, tomatoes and cukes. Unless they are extremely low on growing space, you can guarantee that once you make friends with them, you’ll never run out. In fact, by the end of the summer, you may quit answering your doorbell if you see that friend coming up the walk with another grocery sack of stuff. How do I know this? My dad is one of these people. And I l follow in his footsteps. Hehe ;D

    Great article!

  21. I just found your site a couple of days ago and I love it! I have a garden, laying hens and we raise meat chickens as well. We get our beef from a local farmer and organic dairy from another local farm and they deliver, gotta love that.
    We are also lucky to have friends with an apple orchard. In Aug-mid Oct I am busy busy busy, canning, dehydrating and butchering chickens. With GMOs and now the drought it’s a little scary. Oh, and I also coupon. I can’t bring myself to pay full price for anything anymore. When it’s really cheap or free I stock up. I have been working on a stockpile for almost a year and it’s getting quite nice. ( I am not a shelf emptier though)
    My 89 year old mother lives with my husband and I. She grew up during the depression so she is a wealth of information for the lifestyle we choose to live.
    I haven’t bought in bulk but after reading your article will be contacting our local co-op about doing just that. Thank you for the great information!

  22. I think that one of the things that has helped us, particularly with two teenaged boys to feed (!!!!) is to need and want LESS in other areas of spending thus freeing up more money for food. I have embraced a more minimalist life with less spending and less waste in nearly every way. I use 99% of my CSA box and plan our meals around that…we still eat out occasionally but not nearly as often as we used to. The rising cost of food has really been apparent to me this summer and I am always very interested in what others are doing about this so this is a very timely post. Thanks Andrea! 🙂

    • I’m there with you Steph. I have 4 teen boys (well, one is a preteen but eats like a teen) and 1 teen girl who can eat like there’s no tomorrow. I agree, the key is spending less in other areas in order feed the never full bellies of these guys.

  23. I appreciate your blogging on this topic. I posted it for our readers on Whole Living Web Magazine so they can access your information. Personally, I am from New England and have been canning, etc for years. Since I relocated to Atlantic City New Jersey, and my husband and I live in a ‘food desert” my skills have come in handy to stay healthy.

    Like you, I am a pantry person. I buy and cook only what is a good and fair priced and in season…putting up what is available at that time. Like now, I am canning, freezing and filling up our apartment with food. My husband is not American, and coming from the Mediterranean, he can’t quite wrap his head around what I do, but loves it all the same. Also like you, I rely on beans, rice and staple foods to defer the cost. I view the grocery store like a mine field of toxicity..and we shop the outer walls, where they usually stock the healthiest foods. Our actual grocery list is small and consists of fruit, vegetables, and staples for baking. Quite inexpensive. We wait for organic chicken to go on sale, buy only small amounts of fresh fish and have a local butcher cut our meat in front of us [no more pink slime here] This is all usually packaged into much smaller portions of freezer bags to be used as an ‘accent’ of meat in a meal. Such as, chili, or soup, or bean or rice dishes.

    One of my personal tips is to waste-not, want-not. So when you bone a chicken, shell shrimp or carve raw beef, save those bones and meat scraps for soup. Don’t throw out vegetable scraps, put them into a container to make homemade vegetable stock. Need only an egg yolk, freeze the whites in a container to make a homemade Angel food cake…need only whites, save those yolks in an ice cube tray til frozen, then place in a freezer bag for a sauce or pudding…this is only practical information. If you have uncooked fish that is not enough for a meal, make fish cakes..this is another way to extend you money and food.

    Use your local library for free information on canning, preserving and other food related information, as well as the internet. I use Evernote, along with a compatible program through them called Say Mmm, which allows me to surf and collect free recipes and information on these topics while storing them on the cloud. Another way for people to extend their food is to learn how to cook internationally. For instance, India, China and many other countries limit meat consumption without sacrificing nutrition. By learning international cuisine, you vary your diet as well as save a lot of money.

    It is nice to see someone like you trying to help people and educate them. Yes, I do subscribe and I post your information often on our Web Magazine. Keep up the great work..and you’re right again..Jesus tells us to trust and rely on God alone to live…Man does not live on bread alone….

  24. Great blog! I am totally into #2. My hubs and I have coordinated 3 Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University classes and believe me, it has made a huge difference in our lives and those of the people who took the classes. We use the envelope method and the cash really does work wonders!

    We have been able to offset the rising costs of goods by beginning to make my own cleaners and buying in bulk whenever possible. I have been having good success with several recipes.

    Living in a 5th wheel presents it’s own set of challenges, but I definitely have always had a pantry–though now it is more like 10-15 lbs of items rather than 50 as when I was in a house.

    I say buy food or preserve it folks! Where else can you get a 30-50% return on your investment now days????

    And #13 for sure! God gave us the ability to plan and make decisions so that we can prepare for the hard times during the times of excess. He will and does take care of us. We are expected to work and prepare though!

  25. PS–I forgot to say above that I am totally in awe of your site! Great stuff!

    And do you rinse your quinoa before or after cooking?

  26. Yeah, I could cut meat out of my diet, if I wanted to kill myself slowly. You’ve got two choices when it comes to that: you can eat the meat, or you can take the multivitamin to replace what you get from the meat. If you’ve gotten so poor you can’t possibly get the meat, you’ll be too poor for a decent multivitamin. If it’s gotten to the point you’re considering beans and rice as a meat substitute and not just a side dish, it is long past time to cut something else out of the budget.

    Cuba had no choice but to reduce meat consumption after the fall of the Soviet Union. And what they wound up with was a thiamine deficiency epidemic for their trouble. People were going blind before someone figured out what was going on, felt sorry for them and arranged for the import of vitamin supplements.

    And that’s not even getting into their B12 shortage.

    You think meat is just for protein. You’re going to hurt yourself that way.

  27. I’m hitting up our local amish bulk goods store this weekend – dried beans and things are high on the menu and I’ll be hitting up some produce stands and doing a major canning/freezing/dehydrating spree this week (luckily I just so happening to have the next week in vacation time!)

    The only thing worth mentioning is that it maybe unclear what the price of meat will do. Many people are trying to sell off their herds/flocks/etc. right now so that they won’t have to buy super expensive feed this winter after the drought has had it’s way with seed and grain supplies. This *could* mean that the market will be inundated with cheap meat or, of course, that prices will rises as farmers feed the animals thru the winter to keep from flooding the market.

    Worth noting is that if you can make friends with a local small scale farmers with beef/pork/chickens they might be in a good position to bargain if you’re willing to take the meat off their hands before winter!

    The Farmer’s Almanac has been spot on for the last 7/8 months in my area, and if it keeps being correct we’ll have an early, snowy winter to contend with next and I’m already planning ahead for it!

  29. I have been a fan of your blog, and products for a while now. I really enjoy them all. Im hoping to use more of these ideas. Getting everyone on board is the hard part lol Im hoping you will make an ebook on homemade personal care products soon. Thanks for all the great info!

  30. Could you do a blog post on what to have in well stocked pantry? I am trying to move in that direction, but not sure what are good staples to always have. I feel like I always forget something that I need for a recipe. On tips for saving – bake your own bread! I made two loves yesterday and I love it. My teething toddler also likes one kind that I make that has a think crust to it that I soak with a little coconut oil. Excellent for teething!

    I also like to juice lemons (my aunt has a lemmon tree) and then free the lemon juice in ice cube trays (once frozen store in a bag in the freezer) then you always have lemon juice on hand that can’t go bad.

  31. Pet foods: I usually hold off buying my canned cat foods, kitty litter and other pet products until the local Dollar Store has the coupon where you get 5.00 off a 25.00 purchase. I divide my orders into separate 25.00 orders, then save 20.00 on a 100.00 order…NOT BAD! Also, although I do buy canned cat food for my “pickier older kids” I make my own cat food for the rest of them. (mom of 10 cats and 2 parakeets and numerous aquarium dwellers) I will put the recipe on here. Does it save money…some, but not enough to be significant in the “food department” HOWEVER, in the veteranarian area…OH YES. My homemade cat food contains NO ASH. For those of you with male cat, you know how harmful that can be with urinary tract blockage. Painful and potentially deadly for the pet and expensive for you, the pet owner. Here is my recipe:
    I buy 2 large packages of chicken thighs. Usually around .99 per pound. I boil them in a large pot on my electric stove, once the water boils for 10 minutes, I cover it and let the stove do the rest of the cooking. IF they are not cooked enough to fall off the bone, I bring it to a boil and let it stand again. This is usually long enough. That is the plus of an electric range vs gas. I have saved quite a bit cooking with electric and I never thought I would be an advocate for electric stoves 🙂 When the chicken is done, I remove it but LEAVE THE WATER! This is what the rice gets cooked in. This next step is optional, but the cats love it. I buy the large institutional size can of tuna (around 10.00) I strain the liquid ito the water the chicken cooked in but the tuna stays room temparature. I usually add 2 cups of rice to boil and do the same as I did with the chicken, bring it to a boil and turn it off. After the chicken cools, I remove it from the bone in a HUGE mixing bowl. The good thing about thighs…just one bone! Also get rid of the grizzle hard ends of the bones. I empty the contents of the tuna can and mix it toghether with the chicken. when the rice is done, I add that to the mixture.
    Over time, I have accumulated a nice stock of the large tuna cans. I freeze the mixture in these cans stacked in the freezer. This recipe yields around 4 large cans (large sized lids from coffee cans fit them perfectly) With my 10 cats, I do this maybe once every 2 1/2 weeks. I take out the cans as I need them and they defrost in the fridge. If you only have a couple to feed, reduce the recipe. My cats eat it. Plus, I usually pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Every other day, I put a capful of white vinegar in the mixture to aid in digestion AND for flea protection. Fleas HATE white vinegar and if they eat it in ther food, it is in their blood 😉 Hope this helps you pet owners out there…After all, the babies have to eat too! Linda

  32. Although I have never bought many prepared foods, over the years I had relaxed my stance into buying prepared breakfast cereals, ice cream, cookies, salad dressing and bread. This summer I have started making these things. Although these can be had less expensively, I believe in serving high quality food so the ones I pick are not cheap. The cost of baking quality whole grain bread is much less than purchasing and it is really easy with the 5-Minute Bread method. Same goes for salad dressing and the other things on my list. I will, however, probably continue to buy condiments like mayonnaise and catsup as we take awhile to use those and I don’t need great quantities. I also raise as much of our own food as I can. On my city lot I have 2 dozen fruit trees and most weeks of the year, something is ripe. (It helps to live in CA.) I can, dry, freeze and make jam with the excess. I have berry bushes, a year round vegetable garden and raise hens for eggs. Similar to meal planning from your pantry is cooking from the garden. We are eating a lot of green beans now because they are in season. I buy a little meat, but much less than I used to, and what meat I do buy is humanely raised & fed, and worth the price. I don’t have time for couponing, so I purchase what groceries I need at a store (Trader Joe’s) that gives me everyday prices comparable to sale prices at major chains. The trick is to stick with the basics and not splurge on the fancy stuff.

  33. my question is about Excedrin Migraine the store i shop at stopped carrying Excedrin Migraine. I found 300 count
    bottle on Amazon for $350.00, I used to pay $30.00 for the same amount. Why has the price to such a jump?

    Thanks!!

  35. Great article! Buy local and fresh and preserve it!

    We are farmers and I liked the plug you gave to the farmers in your own area! 🙂 I feel very blessed because we raise our own meat, milk our own cows, and so on. I love to can and it’s been fun this year to do more than ever.

    I read about how back in our grandma’s younger days, the ratio of income people spent on their food was 34% compared to 13% today. I know we have other expenses that they didn’t have, but it puts it into perspective when I complain about cost of wheat berries and whatnot.

  36. Love the list. One thing to add to number 12 is grow heirlooms so that you can keep seeds. That is also a way to be more self sufficient and also save money. Also never turn down free food. A farm here had an accident and had to turn off one of their coolers. Once the produce gets about 39 degrees they can no longer sell it. So they were giving away the blackberries and raspberries that were there. I canned and froze more blackberries than I ever had but I felt like it was the Lord blessing us and we were to use it wisely. Thanks so much for such a wonderful blog.
    Jeanna

  37. This article is great! I know I am 2 months late in finding it; but I have subscribed so that I can be up to date from now on. Three thoughts came to me as I read.
    First:: I cannot believe the price of beans and honestly don’t know how folks who struggle financially can afford to eat, even if they are eating beans.
    Second: A strategy that I depend on is knowing current prices per lb./oz because sometimes smaller quantities are cheaper than bulk. Ex. I once bought 10 5# bags of potatoes for less than the 50# bag.
    Third: Unless I missed it, herb gardens were not mentioned. Herbs can make or break a tasty meal and are very expensive. You can eat better & save a bundle by growing your own. Also you may only have space/time for a window garden. Pesto for example can really change a meal, sandwich & leftovers.
    I look forward to future posts! So glad I found you.

  39. I enjoyed this post. I try to read The Tightwad Gazette yearly! I always find new tips! I used to use the Pantry Principle but since our income has dropped over 1/2 in the past few years I have tried different methods. I’m tempted to try it again after reading your post. 🙂 I wondered something.. say.. there is tomato sauce and green beans on sale. How do you decide how many cans to buy? Do you have a post that gives more information on how you do this?

    Thank you so much!

  40. We’ve been working on doing all of these things! One thing that I’m focusing on this year when it comes to the garden is to pick seeds that are abundant producers so that I can plant less and still have more at harvest time!