Tips For Homemakers

My husband has hypoglocemia and needs to eat 6 small meals a day to keep his sugar regulated. I was packing his lunch to save money but realized the things I was packing were really not good for him though they were quick and easy to pack…. processed meat sandwiches, chips, pepsis, cookies.

Now, I buy 4 or 5 pounds of ground beef meat and make them into 4 ounce hamburger patties. Place in a frying pan and add Worcheshire Sauce, garlic salt and Nature’s Seasoning to taste. I have a large frying pan and it holds seven patties. I sometimes cook 30 or so patties if the hamburger meat is on sale. After they are cooked thoroughly and cooled for about 5 minutes, I wrap each one individually with aluminum foil. I use one of those plastic shoe box size containers to store them in the freezer.

I have been buying ground beef for $l.49 a pound and I continue to stock up on it when it is on sale so I keep about thirty patties in the freezer at all times. The frozen patty only takes about 2 minutes in the microwave. Calvin usually bakes his potato first (4 minutes) and then puts the vegetable and meat in together for about 2 minutes. So it takes about six minutes but he is busy getting his drink and setting up his eating area during that time.

Sometimes I buy boneless pork chops and cook up about six of them using my steam process so it is fast and tender. Again, cool and wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. You need variety.

I have also found those frozen chicken breasts (on sale for $5.99 a bag - 2 lbs) work really well, too. I usually just cook up about four or six servings at a time.

I buy frozen vegetables like broccoli florets, califlower, and brussel sprouts (his choices). I also buy sweet potatoes and a bag of russet potatoes for baking.

So I pack two bottles of water (one frozen to keep things colder and for a refreshing drink on the way home), two hamburger patties, either a sweet potato or russet potato, and one of the frozen vegetable, and two pieces of fruit (usually peach, apple or banana). Plus, a small plate and silverware. This only works if you have access to a microwave at work.

The people at work are so jealous when he sits down to a hamburger (sometimes I add a bun) with a baked potato and broccoli with a fresh fruit for dessert. They think I am a wonderful wife.

I sometimes pack leftovers, too but skip a day when you pack it. If we have country fried steak on Monday, I pack a piece of it for Wednesday’s lunch.

I don’t know if this will help anyone but it could make your lunches more interesting and healthier. It takes me about 2 minutes to pack his lunch.

2 bottles of water, 2 meats, 2 vegetables, 2 fruits

I shop at Winn Dixie probably more than any other grocery store. I am not real big on clipping coupons. I use them if I have them though. Winn Dixie has a lot of buy one, get one free and lowered prices if you use your Winn Dixie Card. I have saved $2500 since they gave out the cards. My goal is to always save at least 25% when I check out at the register. That means that I try to stock up on the items that are on sale that I use. I might buy l0 cans of green beans this week and it usually lasts me until they go on sale again. I never pay more than $2.50 for a l2 pack of pepsis. Sometimes, I pay $l.99.

I get the sales brochures on Tuesday and go thru them and see what is on sale at Food Lion and Winn Dixie. Because I always go past the Winn Dixie almost every day it is not out of my way. Food Lion is further away from my house but I usually go by it at least once a week. If not, I ask my husband to pick up the couple items I want on his way home from work. It is important not to make extra trips to save a dollar or two and end up spending extra money in the gas tank. Then I make a grocery list on an envelope and put any coupons that will work for the items I am buying that week. Winn Dixie gives away three free items a week if you spend $25. I get them even if I don’t want them and give them away to family members.

I probably have seven large cans of coffee in my home. It was $3.92 at Walmart about a year a go. Now it is $4.92. I definitely stock up on non-perishable items. I never pay the $7.49 for paper towels but buy them on sale for $4.99. Then I buy at least two.

Scott toilet paper is great, too. The larger rolls mean you aren’t constantly changing the rolls. I am convinced it is definitely a better deal to buy Scott even though it is more expensive. I think it has l000 sheets instead of 400 or 600. I buy it on sale, too. I always keep a back up of every product I use that I bought on sale, of course.

I guess I get all “controlling costs” from managing restaurants. I know the price I pay for everything I purchase. I know when I see a good price. And I stock up.

My niece told me she doesn’t have extra money to do that but if you just start small. This week just buy one or two things extra that are on sale that you use on a regular basis.

Don’t buy things just because you have a coupon for it. I have found that I end up wasting money because I try the product and I don’t like it, or I just leave it in my cupboard and it eventually expires.

I go to Goodwill a couple times a month. The Goodwill closest to my home puts out new stuff every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I love antiques so I am hoping to find an overlooked antique at dirt cheap pricing. I did find a silver candlelabra for $l.99 and I researched it’s value and found one just like it selling on Ebay for $l25.00.

Well, the point I really wanted to share is buying cheap plate settings. I have a set of dishes that I normally serve meals on every day. I decided to buy two plates,two bowls (for small salad) and two flat saucers ( for roll or biscuit) all of one pattern. They sell dishes by the piece there. I believe it was less than $3.00. I just wanted to add some variety to the dinner table. Since then I have bought an additional three sets of different patterns. One set is antique. Another has a very deep plate which is great for serving spaghetti or roast and potatoes that has a lot of juice. Some are expensive looking and some are just fun.

Goodwill is a great place for young couples or college kids who don’t have much money. It is also fun for us older folks who just love other people’s junk. Did you know you can buy jeans there for $5? Since it is seems to be popular for the jeans to look worn, it is perfect.