I agree, best out there in the grocery stores.

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  • I agree, best out there in the grocery stores. - NM

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My favorite cheap meal is cooking chicken leg quarters in a crock pot with an 1/4 onion and tumeric. Serve them with rice and lentils.

Here is a list of cheap foods: PB&J, bacon (cook two 2 slices at  a time to put in eggs and beans), carrots, potatoes,  beans (lentils are the easiest to cook IMHO), pasta, rice (use oil instead of butter to save $), eggs, Totinos pizza, and frozen mixed veggies.

www.stretcher.com under groceries has some good ideas.

www.hillbillyhousewfie.com has good ideas too. She has a good list called Everyday Bargains.

Do you have a bakery outlet close by? They usually have great deals on bread and bakery junk food. For $4 you can walk away with a big bag of bread, bagles, cake, ect.

I'm a single mom so I can't do this but if you can go grocery shopping without children that will help. Most stores have a loss leader for meat on sale each week. I would buy that meat and make mix it with rice or ramen noodles for dinner.

Most churches have food pantries. If you call one that does not have one, ask where there is a food bank. Church secretaries get so many calls for help they are usually experts at what the organizations available.  Some Catholic Churches have St. Vincent DE Paul societies, they will either give you food or a gift card to a grocery store. Call the parish office and ask if the is one.  We recieve food stamps now but I have been to food banks.  They usually give canned food, pasta, and bread.

HTH

We shopped at Aldi Foods when all our kids were at home - teenagers and toddlers at the same time - this was a big help with keeping grocery $$ lower.  I think they take only cash or ATM (no credit cards - which is probably a good thing).

Gardening and canning your own produce can help save money on your grocery bill, as well as homegrown produce is better for you nutritionally.  It is time consuming, however.

A favorite web site - The Dollar Stretcher     http://www.stretcher.com

or tennis shoes.  It's within walking distance of my house.  I have a set schedule and get paid and can cash my check right at the store every other Thursday.

I get a vacation, health insurance, there is Workman's comp.  Istarted at $8/hour and getting raise in 30 days.

I don't work constantly, there is an ebb and flow of customers.  I'm not wrung out at the end of the day, and I know what my paycheck will be at the end of the day!  They aren't jerking me around with "no work" and there is overtime for when I may work over 8 hours in a day!  I NEVER STAND THERE AND HAVE NO WORK/GETTING NO PAY! 

Who knew I would be throwing away 30 years of medical knowledge to slide some groceries across a scanner, put them in a plastic bag, and say howdy to some really nice people-------for the same amount as sitting in a chair, searching for work 24 hours a day, and being treated like a machine.

I miss learning about medicine but I certainly love having a life again.

I will probably pick up some overflow transcription from a local doc's ofc from a girl I know who has some contracts.  OR NOT....who knows.....I may throw this whole computer in the closet and shut the door.  It feels so good not to worry constantly what MQ's next trick will be. 

advertising homemade pies, cakes, breads etc.  A lot of the famous and rich people in this type of industry started off this way.  I think it isn't that big, at least not in the smaller cities, but we have people that come into your home, plan a menu with you and then cook so many meals a week.  There is also a business that just started near me where you go to their store, they have all the makings for 6 different meals and you just put them all together.   One place has cooking lessons for kids and also opens to kids cookie parties and he is doing very well.   Work with a caterer prn.   I live in a city of about 230,000 and we have events that are seasonal where caterers are hiring dozens of people, with June coming up they will be hiring to help with weddings.

I know lots of people with psychology degrees and none of them are working in their field because there just aren't any jobs. 

You don't mention a husband or kids, but if you are young and no responsibilities now is the time to go out on the limb. 

None of the above would require a huge time commitment or financial commitment and you could test the waters while still having a FT income.  If it took off you could scale back your hours, or try and do both for a while and get your debts paid off and then be in a position to jump in with both feet.

Our local community college has a culinary program.  I think it is still largely male dominated, but still lots of females too.   I don't know if this is a 1 year or 2 year program, though I think it does require a lot of hours.  You could do it during the day and work nights/weekends.  It wouldn't be easy, but nights/weekends usually pay more.

If you want it bad enough you'll find a way.  

This got buried on the second page, but I pointed out that Bounty paper towels are more at Walmart than my local grocer.  Someone replied back saying that overall the grocery store is more.  Nope.  This is my reply:

The paper towel price increase is not a momentary thing.  I started comparing prices a few years ago between Walmart and the grocery store.  I used to buy food at the grocery store and everything else at Walmart.  Until Walmart got to be just as expensive or MORE expensive in some cases than the grocery store.  It is NOT just paper towels.  Same with Era detergent.  Same with a multitude of other products.  Walmart has gotten GREEDY.

Now I clip coupons for the paper goods, cleaners and what not and the grocery store doubles any coupons 50 cents or less (I don't use them if they don't double).  So with the prices being less than Walmart to begin with, plus using coupons, I come out WAY ahead.  So I don't even make a Walmart trip at all anymore.  Might as well just buy everything at the grocery store.  It's closer, more convenient, and CHEAPER.

It will be interesting to see if she gets any tips ... or will be allowed to. She's going to be starting at $1 over minimum wage but has to pay union dues. She just quit a restaurant job where the business received tips that were to be divied up between the staff. She got lots of tips at her tables that she had to put in the tip jar. She never saw a penny in her pocket from those tips.

Personally, I've never tipped the baggers, but they do work hard!

Publix says tipping is not allowed.  I do not agree with that.  They are loading TONS of stuff into cars, why shouldn't they get a tip?  I tip, their bosses are not outside watching anyway and I don't know that anyone ever lost a job with Publix (one of the largest employers in the SE) due to this

to each his/her own I suppose    

I first hit our local thrift store when my dear mom was in a nursing facility with Alzheimer's.  She'd just forget where she "folded and put her clothes away" or the laundry would lose some.  So, I was able to buy mom many beautiful blouses/tops, dresses for way too cheap.  Usually walked out of there with 5-6 complete outfits under $20.00.

She's gone now, but in her memory, I still do my shopping stints there, then haul it over to the nursing home for those residents who don't have family, it truly helps me more than it helps them.

I find fashionable, barely worn, name brand clothes. It really is fun!! I couldn't imagine paying for new clothes anymore!

It's a little harder to find good kids' clothes at the second hand stores, but I have found some really nice ones that are real bargains.