[rebelchai]

Definitely look at the convenience & packaged foods you buy. Do you have time to make more from scratch? I'm a stay-at-home mom so I have more time than money.

I bake two loaves of bread every other day. It's 50 whole/ ap flour wheat bread, and I buy the ww flour and yeast at the local health food store and they cost less. The last time I did the math, it was $.30 a loaf. I use the same dough to make hamburger buns (8 for $.30), pizza crusts (1 XL for $.30) and subway rolls (4 for $.30). The home made breads taste a lot better, are fresher, and less expensive. On the other hand, I have to be available for the bread making process which lasts about 3 hours from first mixing to out of the oven. Bread freezes great so in the summer I make more and freeze ahead.

Do you buy cereal? We just reduced this drastically. DS is almost three and loves my home-made granola:

7 c rolled oats
1 c ww flour
1/2 c corn syrup
1/4 c molasses
1/2 c peanut butter
1 c rice crispies (store brand)

Mix all but the rice crispies thoroughly - I use my KitchenAid mixer. Don't overdo it or you'll break up all the oats. Dump this into a roasting pan and mix in the rice cereal. Pop it in a 250F oven and stir every fifteen minutes for one hour. Cool. Store. Eat. YOu can add dried fruits if you want.

We spend $40 at the store per week (including diapers, toiletry needs, EVERYTHING) I have stated this in previous posts, but what I failed to include (I just forgot) is that my DH helps his parents on the family dairy farm, so we get free milk (2 gallons) and 2 pounds of ground beef a week "free".

We also grow lots of peas and eat one meatless meal for supper per week.

Um, let's see, what else? No soda, no crackers, no baked goods not from scratch, no juice, no chips. . . Kettle popped corn/ air popped corn are our snack of choice. Home-made soft pretzel and bagels are tasty, too.

No convenience prepared potatoes. Cut up some potatoes in bite sizes, put them in a covered casserole dish (brushed with oil) with some garlic &or seasoned salt for 1hr @ 375. No complaints.

One whole chicken costs about $3.00 at Walmart here and we can get 2+ meals from one. (2 adults, one toddler). Cook in crock pot with 1/2c water on LOW for 6hrs, or until drumstick pulls off easily. We eat one "roast chicken" meal, and the leftovers go into enchiladas, or pasta salads, or green salad main dishes, or anything else you use chicken bits for.

How much time do you have?