During the past two years alone, the price of some household staples such as bread, milk, and eggs have increased in price by as much as 69%*, while the median household income has only increased 1%*. In this video, I discuss these increases and offer tips to help your family cope with the rapidly increasing cost of groceries.
As I’ve found myself watching Youtube far more than I do television, I am going to start expanding my youtube channel, so please be sure and visit me on youtube by clicking here and be sure and click the red “subscribe” button!
References for this video:
- Soaring Food Prices: Compare Cost Increases
- Food Prices Soar as Incomes Stand Still
- Milk Prices Could Go up 60 Cents a Gallon
- Rice: The Ultimate Budget Extender
- Money Saving Tip: Rethink Bulk
- Come Home to Supper
“American families have always shown remarkable resiliency, or flexible adjustment to natural, economic, and social challenges. Their strengths resemble the elasticity of a spider web, a gull’s skillful flow with the wind, the regenerating power of perennial grasses, the cooperation of an ant colony, and the persistence of a stream carving canyon rocks. These are not the strengths of fixed monuments but living organisms. This resilience is not measured by wealth, muscle or efficiency but by creativity, unity, and hope. Cultivating these family strengths is critical to a thriving human community.”~Ben Silliman
Yum 
Thank you, Christy. You spoke on a subject I was just pondering. As a Christian, my first “line of defense” is prayer, and to trust God. I give God my problems, then I remind myself not to take them back, but to trust. Then I act on the guidance I receive. After all, Jesus never told anyone to sit back and take it easy but to take up our beds and walk, to invest our talents and so on.
A few months ago, I found a flyer for a grocery store I never knew existed. The store is a little further than I usually go, but the sale prices are the best in my area. Because I don’t receive their flyer in the mail, I looked them up online so I can shop their sales. I suggest other folks look at grocery stores where you seldom, if ever, shop because you may have this experience, too. It’s been a huge blessing.
Aside from this new store, I shop at AlDi. I also cut back on the variety of foods purchased. We stick to the basics.
I am a big fan of your new cookbook, Christy. Not only are the recipes very good as is, but they are adaptable to from-scratch cooking (my style), and to substitutions according to taste and budget. I am an even bigger fan of your God-given gift for encouragement.
Just in case this helps someone: the grocery store where I found great sale prices is Fresh County. Chicken runs 66 – 88 cents/lb., , most pork is under $1/lb., beef is usually about $2/lb, The vegetable prices vary but there are many low prices. I stick to the same ol’ things, but I vary the way I cook them. Also, it helps that I was raised to feel blessed and grateful to have any food, never mind what kind.
ALDI always has great fresh fruit and vegetable prices which I always buy extras on the ones that freeze well including onions and peppers. They will email you their weekly ad if you sign up. I also freeze milk bread and crackers when they have the special sales.
You can freeze crackers?? I hadn’t thought of that Marsha!
as long as they are left in their original package or packaged with the air squeezed out the best you can. Sometime I will even crunch them up and packaged them in 1/2 cup portions for some of your yummy recipes like the Uptown beef Patties which I love, or meatloaf etc. Graham crackers are great to pulse the entire box of crackers making crumbs then put in a plastic container with a tight sealing lid then you can just measure out what you want for recipes straight from the container. On saltines they toast up nicely in an iron skillet or spread on a cookie sheet and put in the oven. Warm crackers taste so yummy with your chicken stew. Which I think is my all time favorite stew. I could eat it 3 times a day.
Thanks Marsha!!! I am so glad to hear you like the Chicken Stew, it is one of our favorites as well! 🙂
Thank you for this post! This is such a strugglefor most families. We grow a garden and can and freeze, I make my own laundry detergent, clean with vinegar, tey to buy on sale, but my grocery spending is still way out of control. We live in a small town and Wal-Mart is really our only option therefore the prices are worse! I would n like to do more couponing but most items are prepackaged goods that we don’t buy. I usually make as much as possible myself. So frustrated! Im glad you addressed this issue!
So, who do you vote for? Happy? Better think next election.
I also check circulars weekly and try to shop the best sales. Aldi consistently has really good prices for daily staples, but it is an hour from me, so I have to plan my trips when I am in the area. I also have Save A Lot in my town and they often have really good buys on canned vegetables and on name brand items. I am retired, therefore have more time than younger shoppers to look for the best buys. I try to post really good buys on Facebook for my friends. At this point anything we can do to help each other is a blessing. Thank you Christy for wanting to help us.
Some ways that I save money are stockpiling (buying now at a cheaper price for future use), cooking simple, filling meals, my husband and son hunt and I freeze the venison and use it all year. I also LOVE Kroger and the great sales they have. Match up the sale with a coupon and you can save a lot of money. I use Southern Savers because she matches up the items on sale at each store with the available coupons out there, including where you can print them. In the last two weeks I got 12 cans of cat food free thanks to that site! I use mostly off brands. Stretch breakfast costs by doing homemade. I can make a batch of 15 homemade chocolate chip pancakes for very little. I put the leftovers in the fridge and we heat them in the microwave. You can also freeze them and can do this with homemade waffles and french toast too. When buying/trying generics don’t be afraid to try the off brand non-food items too. Any money you save there can go for more food items! I used to swear I would never buy off brand toilet paper or feminine products but I sure buy it now if it’s cheaper than the name brand! I tried the brands of different stores until I found ones I liked and I now buy those if I can’t get name brand on a good sale. Look for marked down items that you can use for other things. Walmart regularly has loaves of french bread marked down. Slice it and make homemade french bread pizza or french toast. Kroger marks their bread down to .49 a loaf most days. I buy as much as my freezer can hold at one time! By doing all of these things I spend about 100.00 a week on groceries. That includes food for four (sometimes 5) adults, 2 small children at times, pet food for 2 dogs, 2 rabbits, a cat, and all cleaning, paper and personal products.
One more thing, invest in a crock pot! You can buy cheaper cuts of meat and they will cook up really nice and tender in the crock pot! You can also cook a meal while you are at work or out for the day and not be tempted to hit the drive thru!
Christy you are on the money! I’ve applied all these tips to my household over the last 2 years and it is amazing and unbelievable how much you save! I also use the couponing for personal items like razors and other toiletries and pay next to nothing what I used to… another tip for those that don’t have time for couponing or aren’t interested is plan your meals around sale items at the grocery store if you don’t already! Stockpiling is also very helpful and convenient. I bought name brand sugar months ago when it was on sale for .99 with coupons (the 4 lb. bags) I bought like 5 or 6 packages and still have it on hand. Meatless meals are wonderful and healthy, planting your own garden is wonderful, it saves money plus is environmentally friendly:) Wonderful tips you gave Christy and they all work WONDERFULLY!
My husband installs siding for $12 and hour, and work in the winter is iffy. One thing I’ve had to learn is if he has had a good week, that’s not blowin’ money. I use it to buy what’s on sale for the freezer and stock up on the staples I use all the time. On weeks when he’s had no paycheck, we haven’t done without. We also freeze and use deer meat. I had to learn how to cook it so it was good, because all I had ever eaten was horrible. Sometime I feel like the Proverbs woman because I will meet someone and they tell me my husband brags on me all the time about how much money I save him and how well I feed him. I enjoy eating out, occasionally, knowing my savings has made it possible.
We are a family of 4 living on one income. We live in a rural area and so the only store close is a Dollar General and a Food For Less. I have learned what the lowest price an item is going to be and I buy only when they are on sale. My husband and I hunt and fish so we grind our own burger with the venison and always have plenty of fish. Also have a garden in summer. My Granny taught me a recipe that only has SR flour and milk, then you fry in a bit of oil. We call these “river biscuits” since she made them for us grandkids when we stayed with them at their river camp as kids. It is served with syrup and can be made for breakfast when money is tight. Also make my son homemade “lunchables” by using a plastic childs medicine dose cup to cut out little circles in the bologna or lunch meat, add some crackers and cheese, which is much cheaper than the storebought lunchables. I also freeze up my own mini pizzas with homemade sauce and cheese, on bagels.
If you shop at Dollar General during the week and even buy just a 25 cent piece of candy then your receipt will have a $5 coupon to be used Saturday in that week. I always do that if i have no milk or bread and then I get my milk and bread for 25 cents as i use the coupon on the candy receipt.
Never bought milk or bread for .25 cents at any DG store.
I think she buys milk and bread on Saturday and uses her 5.00 off coupon that she got earlier in the week when she just bought a 25 cent piece of candy (to get the coupon)
You are right Shari I didn’t put that into a correct phrase. Thanks Shari for helping me explain. If I do not need milk or bread then I will get canned tuna or salmon as they too are a great budget stretcher.
Joanna,
Will you please share your recipe for river biscuits.
Thank you,
Deb
I grew up on what you call river biscuits except we called it hoecake and made just one big biscuit that was skillet size. Loved it. I remember being glad to have that and pinto beans for Thanksgiving dinner. We never went hungry cause that was always available. I even cooked on a wood stove back tlhen. I was just a young’un then. Thanks for the reminding me.
Thank you, Christy!
Additional tips that I’ve implemented over the past few years include –
buying bread from the bread outlets. I save a ton and freeze the bread or keep it in the refrigerator.
I take advantage of Walmart’s price matching policy. I gather all the various store ads and look for those Items I want. I buy my fresh produce this way and only buy what’s on sale.
Finally, I maintain a shopping list with the help of a phone app and only shop once a week.
Please keep up the tips.
I never buy bread crumbs I use the heels of the loaves for that pulsing them in a food processor then toast them in a skillet with garlic powder, Italian seasoning or even just toast and leave them plain. I save the heels in the freezer and make batches to freeze in zip bags. Bread crumbs basically for free as most people throw the heels away.
Great idea – thanks!
Great idea Marsha!!!
Marsha that is a great idea!
The Kroger where I live does not accept coupons…..we only have one store that does, but their price is way too high, even with coupons…..and I just heard today that milk has gone up over .60 cents….what are people going to do ???? I may just quit drinking milk…..never really liked it anyways…..but family with children, need milk……gardening and canning is not an option for a lot of seniors who live in a senior apt. you need land to farm…..we live a good hr. drive to large store like Meijer, Sam’s Club, Jungle Jim’s, Whole Foods, etc…..we have Kroger and Save-a-lot, and Walmart here….so that isn’t much of a choice and Walmart is so expensive here…..and it is not a full supermarket…..the only kind of meat you can get is packaged…..they do not have a meat counter where you can get a few hotdogs or a small roast, etc. then they have a deli with lunch meat only…with Dr. Oz and other doctors saying the processed meat and cheeses are bad for you….yet you see people still buy them……
Hey Christy!
I was so glad to watch and subscribe to your YOU TUBE videos! Love Ya Girl!
We have a garden every year this past one was a 50×80 one that I had all kinds of veggies: okra (YUM!!) yellow & butternut squash, all for colors of peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, sweet corn (500-600 ears were gathered and put away!) beets, zucchini, onions, salad greens, beans, cucumbers on which I made 9 5 gallon buckets of 14 day pickles with! When I got finished with All the veggies I wanted, I also gave away tons of them to friends and church members. So I spread the “love” around! I also buy in bulk at Sam’s Clubs, and we have meatless nights with beans and cornbread—YUM!! When we go out to eat, we bring home at least 1/2 or more and we have that for another night so what we spend doesn’t sound a bad and we enjoy it at least 1 or 2 times again. I don’t miss having sodas (haven’t had them in 13 years now!) We either had sweet tea or water. But now we have gone ALL WATER….. I canned ALL my veggies, froze some, buy meat in bulk and divide it up in smaller packages. I do make my own bread also….. I hate that things are going up but hope that we can continue to grow all our food this summer. Sure tastes better as I know what it in it!! Thanks again for your help on things Christy and Can’t wait for your next video!!
I certainly try to keep to my budget, but it is very difficult when you have food allergies. My husband is allergic to rice of all things. I don’t have to worry about the price of milk as he is allergic to that as well, but almond milk is just as expensive. Lord knows I try! Now that WalMart matches all grocery ads, that has helped. I try to make my list based on what is on sale before going shopping ’cause I don’t want to be one of those people with all of their ads in hand trying to figure out how it all works while shopping. Get in, get out, get done!
Great tips! I use most of those tips myself, so I have very little to add. I will say that I always shop the CVS circular. Their sales are often really good. Recently I got one of the “good” brands of tuna (we don’t eat off-brand tuna, although we do off brand about 90+% of our food) for 77 cents a can. That is just one example. So I guess my tip is to try stores that you don’t think of as “grocery stores” for their specials. You might be surprised! I’ve gotten excellent buys on shampoo, pasta sauce, paper towels, off-brand zip locs, dishwashing liquid, and many other items at CVS. My husband takes Osteo Bi Flex and fish oil (doctor’s orders), and I only buy it when CVS has the buy one, get one free sale on. I always get them cheaper than they are at discount stores when I do this.
I have been stocking up on staples for years. I have a lot of beans, rice, sugar, cake mixes, canned vegis and fruit and tomato products and others. If I had to we could eat out of the pantry for 6 months to a year. Also, I keep all the different flours and grains that I use in the freezer. I take them out when I need them and they don’t go bad. That way I can have all the different types to use when I want and don’t waste them. Keep up the great work Christy.
Thank you so much for your tips! I love that Zoe is part of your family and you are such a down to earth person! What would we do without our furry friends!!! You are such a down-to-earth person and appreciate your “real life” tips and recipes!
My daughter is the Queen of Thrift. Her hubby is the King of Frugaland. She follows all the suggestions I’ve seen here plus one more. She bargains with managers. To do that, she makes sure she knows what on sale and for much at the store’s competitors. Then, she asks to speak with the manager and shows her list.
“I’d prefer to do my shopping here. I’m a regular customer, feeding a family of five. Will you match or beat their prices on these items?” If they hesitate, she courteously lets them know she will go elsewhere, if need be. This doesn’t apply to groceries only, by the way. I don’t think any have ever refused to at least match the competitors. Sometimes she has coupons that are one or two days outdated. Yes, you guessed. Usually, they honor the coupons.
Look for slightly irregular products, a little dent, a chip, etc., and ask for a discount. (With canned food, make sure they’re still sealed and not bulging. Check expiration dates. (Sometimes stores overlook that little detail.) Point that out for a potential discount. Milk doesn’t suddenly sour on the exp. date nor does meat suddenly sprout salmonella. Bakery items can be freshened with a few minutes in the oven, also. They probably won’t let you have such items the day after they’ve expired, fearing a lawsuit.
Oops! Did you fry too much bacon? Slip it into a bag, and keep it in the freezer until the next time you cook beans, make an omelet or quiche, or toss a salad. Have onions sprouting greens? Dice and freeze. Same for bell peppers.
Okay, I’ve nearly written a blog entry here. Great video, Christy. Thanks.
Write on!
When I find onions that have sprouted, I plant them in pots (let the tops stick out above the soil), put them in a window and let the green parts grow. Then I have fresh green onions all the time.
Love it Sharon!! Thanks for sharing!!
Yes, it is quite hard to eat a good diet when one has only $25 a week to spend on food. I live on a very limited income but God has always seen that I have what I need, not always what i want but what i need! I too use the crokpot a lot, it does wonders.
A dream to have servants ? Who does that?
It was a joke. I was chatting and said that to point out how silly it was that I had just stated “I shop for all of our groceries” because of course I do.
A sense of humor is absolutely required if you’re gonna read SouthernPlate 🙂
You need a like button. 🙂
As if I could love you any more, now you’re making great videos!
Just a few months ago, we were spending $50/week on groceries (there’s only 2 of us), and now we’re spending $80! It’s crazy. I can’t wait until it warms up so we can start the garden back up.
As for a money saving tip that I could offer…definitely going meat-free helps a lot. Don’t be afraid to try ethnic recipes that rely on lentils or beans for protein–you just might find a new food you love! Whenever we eat out, we bring half home and enjoy it again. It helps take the sting off of it.
Cornmeal is cheap, so polenta and grits are our staples.
I recently found out that Costco is much more expensive than Sams, so I will be switching. Costco has good deals on name brand, slightly higher end stuff…I don’t need name brand, so I’ll be switching to Sams.
Use dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. I think deli meat and pre-sliced cheese is outrageous. Plus, a hot lunch is always better.
Thanks for these great tips. I’m off to find some coupons.
Blessings,
Christina
Thank you for sharing your great tips Christina!!!
I have always bought groceries as frugally as I can, but it is becoming a challenge even for me. I regret buying more and more starchy items and less meat and fresh produce as I firmly believe we need these things to be healthy. I predict that future generations are going to have increased health problems because of the diets we are feeding the children. It is not a criticism of parenting as most are doing the best they can with the budget constraints. I just hate to see the multiple packs of fatty hot dogs, mac and cheese boxes, bologna, cheap frozen pizzas, etc. that land in the shopping carts. So many do not know how to fix cheaper dishes and make better selections. A big box of oatmeal as opposed to little convenience envelopes or dry cereal at $4.00 a box as an example. Cooking dry beans, making soups from leftovers, more casserole dishes are all options . Too often people select pasta mixes and frozen entrees as a far greater price than the raw materials. I know parents who have to limit milk intake for their children and it is just a sad stae of affairs.
Things are definitely very different these days!
Having been through some lean times, I found these tips helped:
Making stews, soups, and casseroles using less meat and more potatoes, rice, and noodles to stretch them. Reuse those leftovers! We use leftover chicken or beef, etc in a different dish the next night (hash with meat, diced potatoes and onions, salt, and lots of pepper is a favorite.). Plan your meals and make a list, then buy only that at the grocery- no waste. Don’t overlook eggs as a good meal protein. Even with rising costs, they are still cheaper than meat.
Great tips Kathy!!
I am so glad you are openly addressing this issue. After the demise of Angel Food Ministries, we had so many in need. In our area and other parts of the country, former AFM friends joined to restart. In our area, we are Hope for the MidSouth (TN,AR,MS) partnered with Smart Choice Foods http://www.smartchoicefood.com for bulk buying mostly through churches and nonprofits. Family Table is also partnered through us. In Kansas and OK, there is Bread of Hope. Great solution and we all use your recipes just like we did for AFM. Wish I could get your videos to stream smoothly but my problem not yours. Again, thank you so much for this focus. We use Kroger for other items!
Angel Food Ministries was such a blessing to so many, I hated to see it go, but I am so thankful for folks like you Cheryl. You work so hard to help others and it doesn’t go UN-noticed!
My daughter and I live on $710 a month so we have to be very frugal. We use eggs a lot in a variety of ways, shop at Aldi’s buy specials we can freeze for another day, only go 1 time a month to save gas and money, shop strictly by our list no impulse shopping, divide a package of ground beef or turkey which ever is on sale into thirds and stretch it with rice or pasta, buy chicken thighs cook only one and stretch it in a casserole. We never buy pre shredded anything we shred it ourselves. But do you no what we are blessed we have each other, a roof over our head, and we don’t go hungry. We don’t have cable but watch what free tv we can get on the laptop as she needs the internet for her school work but there again we are blessed as we have together time.
You are blessed indeed Marsha!!! And those are some great tips! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Christy, where to begin? As always, you are the best.! Great mom, wife and great cook and I so appreciate the way you help us to create wonderful meals on a budget! Also love your stories and your down-to-earthiness in being one of “us.” I love that you love your pets… love that you didn’t shoo Zoe away when she interrupted your video recording and especially love that you didn’t re-start the video!! You are the real deal!’
I personally would like to hear more about drying fruits and veggies. I’ve been reading a great deal about it as I have a garden every year. Not a huge one but big enough for tomatoes, squash, green peppers, green beans etc. I tried canning tomatoes years ago and was not happy with the way they “looked” so was afraid to eat them and have not tried it since. Don’t want to rely on my freezer in case the power goes out for any length of time… i.e. if the grid goes out for some reason. Storm or ?
Also, I am a 71 yr old mom, grandma, great grandma trying to become somewhat of a “prepper” in that I want to have enough on hand to make sure my large family has enough to eat for an extended period of time. I agree that we should have a whole lot of white rice on hand but I’m concerned about how long it will keep by putting it into 2 liter plastic bottles vs putting the rice into mylar bags? Thanks for any help!
Have joined your you-tube videos and love, love your recipes!!
Nancy
Thank you so much Nancy!! I will be posting more about drying/dehydrating soon I hope. I researched the rice in 2-liters and from what I have read it will last 10-20 years if you place an 02 Absorber in it. Hope that helps!
Great video!! Subscribed to your youtube channel too! I am blessed to live on a farm and have a large area to grow my own garden, we’ve raised a few steers and pigs too. When we grocery shop, it is 80 miles one way, so we don’t do it often, but we do buy in bulk and stock our fruit room and freezers. Our first store is always Grocery Outlet, then the “other” stores, because GO has much better prices. I write on the lids of my canned goods the date I put them on the shelf so I will use the older stuff first. When I had a bumper crop of zucchini, I shredded it all and put it in the freezer in 2 cups per zippy – I use one zippy per batch of lasagne so I don’t have to use as much meat and no one knows 🙂 Hubby is diabetic, so that totally drives my meal planning – no rice or pasta-heavy meals. I am making my own re-usable “paper” towels with flannel and old towels so I can avoid buying so many real paper towels that just get thrown away. Prepping as much as I can, in every way, to save money in the future!
Thank you Susan!!! And thanks for sharing some of your tips!
hi susan….I use coffee filters in the place of many paper towels. I still use paper towels but not near as any…they absorb great…dry yr hands, wipe up water/spills( small ones), cover microwave warm ups, and many more things…
Christy, you are amazing! Keep up the good work! Looking forward to more money saving videos!
Thank you Donna!!!
I like to purchase bacon wrapped pork tenderloin medallions, they run about $3.50 per package of 2 and are about 3-4 inches across an inch to two inches thick almost like a pork filet minion..I marinate them in teriyaki sauce or what ever marinade you like for steaks, then I cook them in my Nuwave Oven with some chopped veggies in the bottom under the meat rack so the juice flavors them. This saves us by not having to use the large oven for such a small amount of food or heat up the house in the summer ( I like to use my slow cooker too, so we don’t heat up the kitchen to kick on the a/c in the summer)… In the Nuwave they sear perfectly and are so juicy plus the veggies are seasoned perfectly, we add a .99 cent bag of Uncle Ben’s rice of choice, a frozen veggie for $1.00 from Walmart or a salad and ya have a great meal. I also love Walmart’s black bean & corn salsa, it’s in a large glass jar. The flavor is wonderful and it can be used in soups, chili’s, stews or poured over chicken or beef in the slow cooker, in burrito’s, taco’s, quiches, omelets, etc… I recently switched to the Sam’s club brand paper towels and they are actually better than the named brand ones with the pic. of the very strong guy on the front..LOL…and their T.P. is great also ( I am picky about those products) it saves us about $10.00 total on the two paper products. Also Walmart reduces their meat mid-week and if you hit the store when they are doing reduction, you can save a ton of money on steaks, roasts, pork etc…Just call them and ask to speak to the meat dept., and find out what day they will be reducing the price that week. We also have “Ruler’s” which carries Kroger products and their poultry, eggs and milk are always the lowest as is the “Dollar Store”…As for T.V. the “Leaf” antenna with a digital booster works great for getting local and extended area digital channels for free, the combo runs about $60-$75.00 and no monthly fee, you just buy them hook them up and your set to go… If you have high speed internet, you can get Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime and stream form you computer most shows, some might be a day later than aired but you can see and entire season whenever you choose and at your convenience. Amazon prime also has some free books and movies and gives you free shipping on most items they ship from their direct vendors. All of these offer reasonable monthly/annual prices. You can also get internet phone by purchasing the phone unit individually. I have looked into them and read many reviews on Amazon, Epinions and Consumer Reports reviews and one in particular is rated very highly and works really well. Review your cell phone plans/costs and current usage to negotiate down the prices as they will not tell you when a new cheaper plan becomes available..as with most providers, they are becoming very competitive in most areas so check for a less expensive plan with cell and cable services. We recently switched and saves $100.00 per month and even though we still have cable/internet (my hubby likes his sport live) we were able to negotiate our bill down from $140.00 to under a $100.00 for HS Internet/Cable and landline after reviewing our phone usage and data package the wifi and landline will save us money by reducing our minutes used…Consider joining a local farmers market/co-op for veggies in the summe if you can’t garden. Local farmers offer great prices for those who pre-buy at reduced prices for the summer/fall produce..That way they know who is a guaranteed customer and many will deliver to your door or work and that saves you gas and time…Shop the clearance sections for household needs and seasonal items at places like Big Lots, Dollar Tree, Dollar Store and Family Dollar, all have great prices on canned goods, non-perishables, laundry and dish detergents etc.( check the exp. date to make sure you can use them by that time). Set the programable thermostat to 67 degrees at night and when we’re not home and 70 for the few hours in the morning and when we get home, reversed the ceiling fans to turn clockwise so they send the rising heat back down, putting them on low does not create a drafty feeling or to much air movement. We also purchased good quality electric blankets that are fleece on one side, added the clear shrink film to the inside of drafty windows using a blow dryer, the curtains hid the sides and you can’t even tell it’s on. We saved over $60.00 on the first heating bill after making these changes. We now run the dishwasher and laundry at night and that helps too…We have experienced what you mentioned in your video and are continually making changes to our budget and finding ways to save money. My husband is such a hard worker and so dedicated to who he works for, he would work day and night to make sure the customer, they employees he manages and the company are taken care of first…way before himself, he never called in sick..yet he lost his job, when the new owners brought in their own people to run the business…The Phrase they used was ” You are one of the hardest working employees we have ever had and we hate to loose you but we are eliminating your job, we hope you know it’s just business and we will give you a great reference” … this was after 12 years with the company, working 70-90 hours a week, driving 90 miles round trip to and from work each day 6 days a week..In the last 11 years he had only taken two 5 day vacations and a 3 day bereavement when his father was died after a botched gallbladder surgery done at the veterans hospital in Marion, IL (several patients died after surgery by the same Dr.) and 2 days to be with his granddaughter who was born premature and passed away at a week old and he went back to work immediately after each of these traumatic events and never complained…It took a few months for him to find any job and during the time he was off he became so sad, he was feeling lost and not needed, without a sense of purpose and he really missed his work family which he had grown to care for over the years …Thank God, he did find a job, still 80-95 hours a week and 135 mile commute each day. He leaves at 6:15 a.m. and gets homes at 9:15 p.m. at the earliest, yet it is half the pay and more time and gas added gas cost, but again we give thanks that he has a job and that’s all that matters for the time being …Hopefully things will get better for us and everyone else sometime soon…Praying they do, God Bless…
Sorry for the typo’s errors, I am a hunt and peck typist…lol
Wow Donna! Thank you so much for sharing your story and all the tips and tricks you have learned along the way. I am praying things get better soon as well, you will be added to that list. 🙂
Check out becoming minimalist on FB. You would be surprised how having less “stuff” actually makes your life better.
I will have to research that Kim, thanks for sharing!
This is an issue facing all families, young newlyweds to seniors like my husband and I (married 47 years now) It is not only about the price of food, it is also about the quality of food GMO’s and hormone feed meat. Consumers do have a say, but lots of us raising our voices are more likely to be heard. As for groceries I do shop Aldi but live in Mich small town where Wally World Rules, I coupon, takes a bit of time and a bit of planning but it does stretch the food budget. I am not brand specific and go with the brand on the coupon. There are several good coupon sites, several which do not use your e-mail to send spam. You can print the coupons at home and some have coupons you can download to a smart phone. My Wally World recently started a policy that a home printed coupon must scan, (before a clerk could key it if it did not scan they cannot do that anymore) so if it will not scan you cannot use it, So I am shopping more at another store (Meijers) that will key them in if they do not scan. We get the newspaper and the Sunday coupons pay for the cost of the paper, again you can check on the internet to find out how many coupon flyers will be included each Sunday some it is 1 and some times it can be as many as 4. I buy eggs and chicken from local farmers that do hormone free and range free, nice pink plump chickens not the dried out yellow stuff sold in most groceries. I have been a couponer for years since my girls were little, not the kind that buys 20 packs of paper towels but a couponer and I manage to save about 25-30% off most of my shopping trips. Well worth the time. Some things I never buy without a coupon, cereal, soup, for example. Bottom line pennies count up so couponing is worth the time, at least for me.
Vary good points Blanche!! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the video. I had to turn my speakers all the way up and I still had to strain to hear when you were talking in normal voice. The excitement voice came out louder and so did the music at the end. I don’t know if others had trouble hearing it or not. Thanks!!
It may be that the volume on the youtube video is turned down. I find that is often the case with me. Turning the volume up on your computer helps but if the volume level on the video itself is down it will only do so much. There should be a volume adjustment in the bottom left of the video. I hope this helps Sandra! It is always a joy to see you!