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Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:09 pm Subject: groceries

groceries are the biggest expense every week that i have. three teenagers create a huge bill. i've been able to slash my bill by forcing my children to drink koolaid or crystal lite (aldis brand), funny, there still living...lol...also just by waiting two to three days before going shopping and using the things that nobody wants really is saving me some money....just wanted to share some of my frugal tips with you guys. p.s. aldis ground beef is out of this world...not the frozen roll but the fresh ground stuff.

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:58 pm Subject:

I am a big Aldi's shopper as well. Their polska keilbasa is at least $1.20 less than the grocers. My kids love cereal but refuse to eat it if it's not a big name. So I buy it at Aldi's anyway and put them in Tupperware storage containers. They never know the difference.

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:22 pm Subject:

My favorite inexpensive recipe....

1lb pasta...I prefer the rigatoni, or the bow ties...Usually can find it on sale for $1 or less a box.

1 large can cream of chicken soup...I buy the least expensive brand...Usually around $1.50/can.

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables...(the peas, corn, carrots, green beans....Or whichever you prefer) I get it on sale around $1.50/bag.

1 lb cooked chicken..Shredded...the most expensive part of the meal...I buy it when it's on sale for less than $3.00....If you can't find it on sale, you can skip it...

Cook the pasta. Mix the cream of chicken with 3/4 can of water. Add the veggies and the chicken. Mix it with the pasta. It makes quite a bit, and it's yummy..

You can also do it without the pasta, and serve it with biscuits, which makes a kinda chicken pot pie type meal.

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:24 pm Subject:

Sounds really good, Jessi Smile

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:29 pm Subject:

I make this when my Chris's musician buddies come into town...they usually want me to feed them, and I'm not trying to order pizza for 15 people..lol I can make 2 batches of this and it feeds the hogs. Smile

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:36 pm Subject:

Here's another cheap recipe..

3 cans buttermilk bisquits (4 for $1.00)
pizza toppings(pepperoni, lunchmeat, mushrooms, onions, etc..)
shredded cheese(always on sale somewhere 3 for $5)
pizza sauce(less than $1)

spray a 9x13 pan. take 1 1/2 can of bisquits and cut each bisquit into 4s..Spread these out across the bottom of the pan. Mix the sauce and whatever pizza toppings you like in a bowl. Put a lot of toppings in..Spread half the sauce mix across the bisquits, put half the shredded chz on that..Repeat, ending with the rest of the cheese.

Bake in 350 oven for 32 minutes. OMG, this is wonderful!! It's called bubble-up pizza, it's fun and delicious and cheap!!

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:40 pm Subject:

That does sound really good. Smile

Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:00 pm Subject:

Those recipes sound delicious. The mother of a friend of my son's did something similar to yours, Fins; but instead of biscuits, she used tortillas to line the bottom of the pan.

I also am a big fan of Aldi's. I do most of my shopping there, only going to (now) Giant Eagle (I used to go to Tops, which is no longer in existence here) for things that my kids just HAVE to have like Coco Wheats and chili sauce for hot dogs. Once, I just didn't feel like going to two stores, so I just went to Tops. I bought less meat than I usually do when I go to Aldi's, and I spent twice as much as I do at Aldi's! The savings are just amazing. And I agree, you'd be surprised at the meals you can make out of stuff that "nobody likes."

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:57 am Subject: groceries

I'm going to use both of these recipes this weekend. My kids will love the pizza biscuits, and the chicken recipe really sounds like a nice winter dish, me and my daughter love anything creamy with noodles. As for the Polska Kielbasa here is a wonderful sauerkraut recipe

3 tbls marg or butter
1 can sauerkraut, rinsed & drained
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbls brown sugar
2 tbls red wine vinegar
3 tbls dijon mustard
2 tsp caraway sees
1 bay leaf

combine all and let simmer with the sausage cut up and cooking on the top.....it's excellent

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:10 am Subject:

I have one for beef stroganoff that goes over well here, and my kids just love it. When I buy a roast a get a larger one than I need for one meal and I use the leftovers for the stroganoff. The recipe is:
1 bag of wide noodles
1 can of cream of mushroom sauce
1 pint of sour cream (this is the most expensive item)
1 package onion soup mix
leftover roast beef.
For every bag of noodles add one more of each of the other things.
My mom used this all the time and we loved it and so do my kids. I come from a VERY large family and we were raised on a tight budget, so I learned how to make use of many leftovers. I still shop looking for two meals out of one.

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:12 am Subject:

I will agree, that Aldi's is A) very cheap, and B) very good quality. There's very few things I won't buy from Aldi's.

Did you know they have valet service for their shopping carts??? At least where I live, there always tends to be a homeless guy wandering around the parking lot, who will return my cart if I let him keep the quarter. (Although I know this would probably be scary to some if a strange guy approached you and wanted to return your cart...)

I also found out from someone who worked at Aldi, that it is their internal policy to keep only 1 cashier on the floor. The only time they bring out another cashier is if the customers complain. I tried this too, there was a long line and I asked the cashier if there was anyone else working. She pushed a button under her counter, I heard a bell ring in back, and another cashier came walking out.

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:34 pm Subject:

Interesting facts, debtcruncher. I wondered why there was usually 1 cashier. Here, we don't have a valet for the carts, but there is usually someone waiting for you to load your car who then gives you their quarter and takes the cart, so it still works out pretty well.

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:00 pm Subject: groceries

lmao over aldis...my boyfriend hates aldis...thinks the quality is lower. So if he calls and I'm at Aldis I tell him I'm at jewel...lol....but he eats at my house and doesn't know the darn difference.

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:17 pm Subject:

OMG Debtcruncher, they have the valet service here also! LOL. There are two homeless guys who always try to take the carts back up, when one is working the intersection the other is working the carts, and they switch off between the two.

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:03 am Subject: groceries

hey at least they are trying to earn some money doing some Valet work, they could be out robbing little ole ladies. But sheesh, they still do make me very uncomfortable, I know exactly what your talking about, but when they first approach you, you start thinking omg they're going to rob me, when you realize it's just the stinkin quarter that they want....it's like WHEW!!!!!

Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:43 am Subject:

Candice - tell your man that most of the products in Aldi are made by major corporations. Cuz the fact is - they are.

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