You better shop those farm markets and produce stands early.

You better get there shortly after they open or it may be slim pickins otherwise.

You see, during a recession everyone learns to fend for themselves and they learn to do things that save them money.

One way to save a huge amount of dough is to shop your local farm or produce markets. They have tons to sell in a very limited time frame and you can get some great deals on produce there.

People usually get all their seedlings, plants and seeds for their gardens there in the early spring also. During hard times there are more people that plant gardens than when times are good and they learn how to can fruits and vegetables just like grandma used to do. So expect to find standing room only this year when you go to get yours.

That’s why I say to visit them early this year, or you may be the one left buying the sour grapes or planting spinach and onions! Hey wait a minute, I like onions, but please hand me a couple of those tomato plants too, would ya!

Bankruptnooption.

A Crockpot and a Crockpot Cookbook can Save You Cash.

Here at MoneysTight., we try different things on occasion and lately along with trying, we have been talking with people who use crock-pots to cook a lot of meals.

If you are not a big fan of having something cook your meal while you are out, than the key for you is practice on the weekends when you have time to watch it cook and learn exactly what it takes to start it in the morning, so you will be able to let it go until evening. That is part of the joy and freedom of cooking with a crock-pot.

Get a mid range priced pot for starters and make sure it’s as large as you can go. Always buy American and from a brand name manufacturer.

Once you have a crock-pot & cookbook and you have practiced enough meals on several weekends, than you can use it while you are gone and come home to a good home cooked meal every day if you want.

The main thing you want to make sure of, is that you leave it set on low or simmer and you want to add enough water to the bottom or juices to your broth so that it doesn’t dry out and burn the food over an extended period of time.

The great thing is that it will save you money over using a large oven for a couple of hours and it’s much easier.

There is such a wide variety of dishes and meals you can make and depending on the size of your crock-pot and your family, you may even get two meals out of one. That’s a savings in itself.

So if you want to save some money from the old utility bill, check out some of the recipes and give it a try. You save money and eat good food at the same time and that doesn’t sound to bad at all.

Bankruptnooption.

Fish, skip the market and pass me the worms.

Fish R Man said…

Wow have you priced fish lately? It looks like it’s been in there a while and really smells strong and the price is way up there.

Now I know this isn’t for everybody, but fishing can not only be a nice family get together, or a bonding moment between a parent and child, but you can look up the stats on fish taken from your local waters in the guide you get with your license.  See if what you caught is in there and the amount that’s recommended to consume.

Bring them home and clean them or stop at a bait store and see if they will do it . Some will for a small fee. When you get home either cook them up for a great meal or freeze them to use later. This is a great resource, use it.

Nothing say’s a Sport’s Fisherman can’t bring home a good meal every now and then. Visit the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council online, great-lakes.org for a great fishing site with a ton of good information for all surrounding states. Good Luck and Save a Buck!

 

Green Acres, Green Money.

O.K. I know it sounds old fashioned but the truth of the matter is that most people who have a place, plant a garden of some kind. Weather it’s acres or just a couple of tomato plants in pots, you have a garden!

When the fresh vegies come rolling in you are saving money with each serving. this can be quite the savings depending on how big of one you plant! Start from Seedlings or earlier with seeds. The cost is not to great and the reward is tremendous!

Why do you think farmers plant all that stuff anyway. Even just one tomato plant will save you bucks in the checkout lane! A good place for all your garden needs is online in the Gardening Supplies Guide. They can get you growing!

Bankruptnooption.

 

Brown bag it right and Save Even More!

It would be great to go out for lunch every day as some people do, but when you can’t afford it you have to get by with the old brown bag.

I have realized something though, How you go about brown bagging it can save you even more money than you thought you would.

What I mean is there is an OK way that will save you a buck, but if you do it right you can save a couple more pretty easily and here is how.

We all like the little store bought items that come in the individual serving size store packages,  but have you compared the prices for those individual servings versus buying the large family size item and splitting it up yourself.

You wont believe it, but you are paying top dollar for all those neat little bags and packages of stuff, with all those brand names plastered on those serving containers. So what do you do?

Buy the bulk or family size items and then go buy some self stick food wrap, reusable plastic containers or get some of those reusable hot or cold food containers to put individual servings in. The zip closed bags are OK, but will end up costing you a bundle by the end of a year of lunches. Not really saving you much at all.

With the self stick food wraps, make sure you don’t fold it over to many times. Just use what covers the food and press it together gently if it really sticks good, and teach your child how to pull it open. Try to open it yourself after wrapping it and that will tell you weather or not your kids will be able to open it easily or not. Kids seem to have a problem with wrap, if it’s wrapped to much or to tightly.

You can even pack hot and cold in the same lunch with some of the new insulated carry lunch bags they sell. You will not only save and get more for your money, but your savings will grow much faster than buying those neat little packages.

And trust this also, the separated and home packed items will definitely be easier to open than most of those expensive single servings too!

So save a buck by brown bagging it correctly and pack the whole family to save even more!

Go Green, It’s good for the environment too!

Bamkruptnooption.

BUT BEWARE!

Bankruptnooption.

Cash Versus Cans!

Cash versus Cans.

Cash and Cans are the two oldest types of food donations to date, other than a cave man asking the next door cave man family over for dinner, to feast on the 5 thousand pound dinosaur he got while out hunting for food. (Remember, they didn’t have freezers!)

When you can give to help out others, please do so especially in the rough times we are going through, because there are a lot of hard working folks just like you who were a little less fortunate and sure could use all the help we can give right now. But consider this short videos message before you do.

I’m sure that everyone who has received help would offer up a big Thank You !!!! The economy hasn’t gotten better yet, so lets keep on helping however we can.

Bankruptnooption.

Fishing, Family Fun and Money Saving Also!

Fish R Man said…

Wow have you priced fish lately? Either it looks like it’s been in there a while and really smells strong, or the price is way up there.

Now I know this isn’t for everybody, but fishing can not only be a nice family get together, or a bonding moment between a parent and child, but for a great meal, you can look up the stats on fish taken from your local waters in the guide you get with your license to see if what you caught is in there and the amount that’s recommended to consume.

Bring them home and clean them or stop at a bait store and see if they will do it . Some will for a small fee. When you get home either cook them up for a tasty meal or freeze them to cook later.

This is a great resource, use it. Nothing says a Sport’s Fisherman can’t bring home a good meal every now and then. Visit the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council on-line, great-lakes.org for a great fishing site with a ton of good information for all surrounding states.

Good Luck and Save a Buck! Now please pass me some of that perch, would you!

Save by Sharing a Food Club Card.

Ever heard of food clubs? Well they are out there and in full force, bringing you some good deals on food and household items with pricing and bulk packaging.

Yes we all know about these food clubs and if you shop wisely you can get some great deals. The bad part about it is that you have to pay for a membership card to shop there.

So how do we save money here, you might ask? Split the cost of membership with someone else that you could go shopping with. Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Aunt, Uncle, Friend, Neighbor, just pick someone that you would like to shop with occasionally and split the cost of the card.

When you sign up, put the card in the name of the person who would use it more. Who has more money, who has the bigger family, who just goes out shopping more, decide from those factors who’s name should be on the card.

Now whenever you talk or see each other you can set up shopping dates or even make out a schedule. The choice is up to you. So go and sign up with someone and have some fun and savings while shopping.

Just a word, most of those clubs sell many things in bulk containers or packages, so plan on doing a little splitting of the goods with the other person to get the amounts that you each can use. But you will have paid bulk price for all that stuff and that’s a bargain.

Now does anyone want to buy 1/2 a case of Hot sauce, because I think I will have enough for a few meals.

Bankruptnooption.

Shop the Farm Markets and Save Cash.

Well, the fresh fruits and vegetables are starting to roll in from the fields and where do they roll? They roll to the farmers markets and the grocery stores.

The big difference between the two is that farmers markets sell a lot of their produce in bulk, where as the grocer sells in smaller bunches. So when you shop at a farm market you can get a whole lot more for your money than at the grocer.

But what am I going to do with a bushel of tomatoes or a bag full of corn, because I can’t possibly eat that much in one stretch. You don’t have to! You have a few options on that issue.

Split the cost and the produce with your friends and family. That way you are all getting the good price for the quantity you get. Everyone benefits here.

Another way to handle the big hauls of fresh fruits and veggies is to learn to do canning. This is a great way to use the produce over a period of time, and it isn’t to awful difficult either. The good thing about canning is that you get to enjoy the fresh goods all winter long and there are many food sites online and books on the subject that will teach you step by step. A canning party with friends is always a great and beneficial way to spend some fun time with people. You can also make great gift baskets with your canned goods to give out as birthday and holiday presents.

Another thing that you can do is to freeze some of the items that will freeze well. Some of the items might have to be pre-cooked before freezing, but you will then be able to pull out a bag of fresh fruit or veggies any time you want! Once again check the food sites and your local bookstore for tips on freezing things and you will be eating good and inexpensively all winter long!

Money Saving and Great Tasting all at the same time, That’s a deal that can’t be beat.

Just remember to figure out about how much you will actually use through out the next year or two after canning, or you might can more than you could eat or give away.

We ate fresh homemade salsa for 2 1/2 years and gave away boxes of the stuff,  finally dumping out the rest of the jars that were left. I think we canned a little to much that time!

Bankruptnooption.

Shrinking and Changing Products, for Profit. So Shop Smart.

Just a quick word of wisdom. Be more alert when you shop these days.

Manufacturers of many products are starting to cut the size of their products or the quantities in their packages and you are still paying the same price or more, but now getting less than you used to before.

They can make more money by taking one ounce away from a 10 ounce package and selling 9 ounce packages instead. This way they are saving an ounce per package. After filling 9 packages and saving an ounce from each one, they have enough left over to fill another complete 9 ounce package.

Now they can make an extra box for every 9 boxes they produce, and it didn’t cost them any more. The extra box becomes pure profit for them, when it is sold.

But we all still end up paying the same price or more, and even if it is on sale, you don’t get as much as you used to.

Another way manufacturers are cutting cost to make more money, is by removing some of the more expensive ingredients and replacing them with the cheaper ingredients or by cutting the quality of the ingredients in their products.

Lets say you are finding your favorite soup now has less noodles and more liquid, or your stew has less meat and more gravy and the meat is a lot tougher. They are switching the higher priced ingredients for cheaper ones, which increases their profit. They will reduce their quality and change the ingredients, almost to the point of being noticeable.

Start shopping by size, price and comparing different brands and quality, because you might find that some of the deals that your favorite brands usually offer, are not as good as they used to be. You may find that other brands are offering a better deal. This way you will be making sure you are getting more bang for your buck, like before.

So pay attention to the things you buy and if your favorite brands are changing their products enough to matter to you, then write them a letter, send them an email and change brands for a while to see if they get the message.

One way you can cheat them back instead of changing brands completely is this: If your usual brand is giving less or cutting quality and changing their mix, only buy half of your favorite and then buy half of the next best brand. Now when you are cooking, mix together half of each brand and most of the time if they are the same type of product, the family will not notice the difference.

Happy Shopping!

Bankruptnooption.

Try RAGU – PIZZA QUICK!

It comes in a small jar at your local grocer. What it is, is a mixture of pizza sauce, (I prefer the original style, they have different flavors) with spices that you spread on a slice of white bread and then toast in an oven or a toaster oven.  Toast until the bottom of the bread is just firm and not really toasted, unless you like your pizza crunchy. Let them cool slightly, (so you don’t get pizza mouth) then enjoy.

Kids love them because it’s like having a mini pizza with each slice. You can even get some grated cheese, sliced peperoni and some of your other favorite toppings to spread on them, to add to their fun and taste.

The kids will eat them up!  It’s great  at a small birthday party (buy several jars, but it’s still way cheaper than real pizza).  Help the kids put the toppings on their own slices and show them how to make funny faces with the toppings. Then you heat them for the kids and serve them. That way they get to build and eat their own little pizzas. Remember sometimes it’s the simple things that are the most fun and most remembered.

A jar is only around two or three bucks depending where you shop and should make about a dozen or so slices, depending on how thick you spread the sauce.

It’s a quick and cheep meal or even a great Bednight Snack. Not great nutritional value so don’t serve too frequently. But it’s just like mini pizzas and they say pizza has all the good stuff you need.

So Enjoy. Just add four pepperonis and light cheese to mine please! And by the way I like mine lightly toasted.

Bankruptnooption.

Local Food Banks and Pantries. Where are they?

Hey folks,

With the number of unemployed people through out the U.S. many people are pinching a penny to make ends meet and feed their families. If you can donate food to a local pantry then please do so, because many people out there are that bad off and the pantries can use all the help they can get.

This section is intended to become a place to either give or find the location of your nearest pantry by state, city and address. Add the rules also if there are any. There are so many out there hurting right now and if you know someone who just lost their job, then copy down the nearest locations and give it to them.

IN:

USA— Pantrynet.org

Foodpantries.org

Bankruptnooption.