Fellow ATS members, I am scared....

reply to post by Melissa101


Oh, honey, I feel your pain!!! We are out about 60k a year as well and the unemployment is going to run out eventually. I had to get a second job as my salary got cut as well. Let me give you a few things.

First of all, I live with a hunting, fishing redneck, so yeah, we eat alot of deer, some rabbit, squirrel and fresh trout. Here's the key. Don't have anything to do with it other than to take it out of the freezer. Don't look at it when it was alive, don't watch it die, don't have anything to do with skinning and trimming it, don't even wrap it up to freeze it, just take it out of the freezer and it looks like any other kind of meat you buy at the store. You can also soak it in milk for a few hours before cooking it to get the gamey taste out of it.

Okay, now for the groceries. It takes some practice, but I have gotten the hang of saving money. I work part time at a grocery store also, so I find alot of deals. Cut coupons or print them (fast draft option on printer to save ink) from on line and go the websites for brands, you can get coupons and free coupons for alot of stuff and watch the weekly sales at the store. I buy 4 lb packages of ground chuck that are marked down to $5 the day before they expire. You have to go early or ask the meat dept what time they mark it down, it's usually early. The other day I bought two packages of whole cut up chicken for $3.30 a pack, which divided and frozen is two meals for us. Make some gravy out of the fried chicken grease and biscuts and whatever fresh veggie is around. I also bought a marinated turkey breast marked down from 9.98 to 5.98, it was a good size, so cut in half and frozen, that makes two meals. Regardless, start shopping in the mornings and checking meat prices. If it expires the same day or the next you can freeze it and it will be fine. My grocery store had hamburger helper on special a few weeks ago 10 for $10 and I had two coupons for 80 cents off three boxes and one for 75 cents of three boxes, so it was 2.20 for three boxes. We have alot of hamburger helper and chicken helper in the pantry. Ask people for coupons, I buy a Sunday paper and also get them from my mom who would otherwise throw them out.

Soft drinks. If it's the caffiene, start making sweet tea it's a whole lot cheaper and the tea is good for you. Cut out the splenda (expensive) unless for some reason you can't have sugar, then it's warranted, but google them and see if the website offers coupons. I quit buying soft drinks long ago, except when they are on sale. For instance I bought pepsi products 5 boxes of 12 cans for 12.00. We don't drink pepsi, but they like Dr. Pepper, Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew, so those counted. Needless to say, I ended up with 10 boxes of soft drinks in the basement. Coke has sales too, but usually not as good at least at the store where I work, so just wait and stock up. When the large jugs of folgers or maxwell house go on sale for 5.98, I buy two or three, especially if I have coupons. Some stores have a cart full of reduced stuff. I stumbled on 100 oz (something huge like that) jugs of All detergent that they were discontinuing (the scent) which wasn't bad for $2.50. I bought three. Something I'll use but never find that cheap. I also found before that you can use a less expensive detergent and throw in some baking soda and white vinegar (cheap, it's all the same) in the wash cycle and cut out fabric softener.

I buy canned goods at Aldi or one of the other grocery outlets or Walmart. I have a stash of them in the basement and rotate that stock, but this time of year I haven't bought any as I get veggies from neighbors and people from work and the farmer's market. Usually a tailgate market has better prices than the farmers market or grocery. My neighbor and I planned our gardens, so we grew different things then share.

You have to take a month or so to get the hang of it, but you can do it. Just start stocking up on non perishables and once you get a rotation, you will have extra money to be able to stock up on more of one thing one week and other things in another week. Now, I'll never be one of those people who buys stuff we won't use just because I have a coupon for it and then says I saved 80 dollars on my grocery bill. That's BS. I've never seen it done since I've been cashiering at the store. Another hint is alot of things go on sale in cycles, usually in six week cycles. If it isn't on sale, it probably doesn't make it into my cart.

Also, no one in my house will eat leftovers so I do portion meats and freeze them into packages that will make one meal. I invested $6 in a ziplock vacuum and bought the freezer bags and they really work well, much better than regular freezer bags.

And, lastly, google angel food ministries. They sell groceries through the churches (you don't have to go to the church and they also take EBT). You can usually get a good sized box of drygoods and after you get that, you can purchase additional packages of different meats or frozen meals, but it's always different things. I have never bought that because I work and can never get to any of the churches when they are there to pay and order the food, but I know alot of people that do and they says it's all good.

Sorry for such a long post, but hopefully it will save you and others. I used to be frugal, but since my other half lost his job, I've really been careful and working at the store helps because then I see how that works and have the mark down schedule down pat. LOL!

Originally posted by fleabit
54 bucks?! Where in the world are you shopping?

As much as people hate Wal-Mart, here is a hint: swallow your pride, and think about yourself and your family. I can't fathom how that list of groceries could cost anyone 54 bucks. You are talking 5 bucks per ITEM on that list. You should have paid probably 30 bucks tops, for that amount of groceries (probably less if you shop around).

I've seen a slight rise in groceries, but it's not been that tremendous. It's held pretty steady the last couple of years, really.

You can shot for a LOT less if you shop around, catch the sales, etc. Hamburger not on sale? Chicken at buy 1, get one free? Change your menu and have chicken this week. For crying out loud.. if you are paying that much, you've only yourself to blame.

I'm in Denver, and I did check out the paper last week for jobs, you can't be too cafeful. But for my field (computer networking etc), there were a rather lot of jobs. So it's maybe not as bad as folks act.

Oh.. and one more hint. Do NOT buy your cleaning supplies at the grocery store. You can get them for 1 buck each at most dollar stores now. Large cans of comet cleanser for 1 buck? Bottles of slightly less amazing, but still very effective laundry soap for a buck? Yes please!

[edit on 20-7-2009 by fleabit]

Here's what I bought Saturday morning:

2 Whole cut up chickens (4 meals for us 3) 3.30 per pack
2 pkgs boneless chicken breast (2 meals and chicken salad from leftovers 3.00 per pack
1 Turkey breast, marinated (2 meals for 3) 5.98
Bag of frozen shrimp 4.45 (2 or three meals, can pair with some chicken on a kebab).
pck of 4 deviled crabs 3.98 (ok one splurge meal)
4 lbs ground chuck $5.00
3 Cans Chef boyardee 3.00
1 package of bacon on sale for 1.98
watermelon 2.98
6 ears corn 1.98
4 bananas @50 cents or so (one of the best foods and cheap)
Box red beans and rice 1.79
Box cheesy rice/broccoli 1.09
gallon milk, store brand 2.18
dozen eggs, store brand .98
loaf of bread, store brand 1.00
Ice cream on sale 2.50
Bag of frozen hushpuppies 2.50
Bag of grits 1.09 (they really are good if you know how to cook 'em and go a loonnnggg way)
Microwave popcorn 10 mini bags on sale 2.68

Next will probably be cheeses and sugar and flour, but as I already had meat in the freezer, I'm set for a good while.


Walmart and some of the dollar stores take coupons as well, so you can use them for cleaning products there too. I don't like the meat at Walmart because here they ship it in prepackaged whereas the grocery store where I shop has a meat department and it's much fresher and cheaper. Walmart doesn't ever seem to have it on sale.

Oh yeah, and the toilet paper and paper towels, always at Walmart or our local dollar store that carries name brands. Some things ya just can't skimp on, but you can find on sale and there's always coupons.

Save the coupons and watch the sales and match them up. It started out as a chore, now it's like a challenge to myself to see how much I can come up saving at the bottom of the receipt between loyalty card and coupons.

I have enjoyed reading all the different situations and outlooks in this thred.I have been depressed lately but I feel a little better now.I have been aware of the nwo since 1994 when i was 16.But I became wide awake in 1999 with a little help from prophecy club and william cooper (rip).I always tried to warn my friends or anyone i worked with and family about the coming Downfall but 95% of the time people did'nt listen.I still have problems with people thinking It'll get better and back to normal with the blind belief that it MAGICALLY has to.I believe in optimism but I also Strongly beleive in accepting truth and not denying it I myself have had a great fall.It's my own fault.I used to have my own framing crew.I would make around $1500 to $2000 a week.But even though I knew things would turn this way I thought It would be Around 2012 before it started.I would spend $500 a month on the best KIND bud around.And go wherever I wanted.Now after many tragidies (broke wrist,Ripped off etc)I have no job.I have been working hard Framing Houses since 1995 and now I have'nt a penny to show for it.I and my wife at least almost have are house paid off and we own are own Vehicles.But i get 0 unemployment because i never paid taxes and I refuse to ask for it and we barely have any food.My wife only makes enough to pay for power,sat,ph/int,and a $30 a wk food budget.So It's been a huge crash for me.But nonetheless i deserve this and am looking forward to it all falling down and the apperance of the ANTICHRIST.This is what NWO is leading up to.And i don't care if the atheists beleive this or not.they will soon see for themselves. First One world government then Global currency after this One world religion then the antichrist as leader of this system then after this globally currency will be an implant chip for buying and selling known as the mark of the beast.this is only a shallow description but this is the true goal of the globalist agenda.It does not matter what you beleive this is the plan.

I have to go to shaws or hannifords because the food at walmart is downright expensive. OP I agree with some of the others look through the sale papers and by no means get anything that has a sticker saying -enter dollar amount- off the meat has been sitting in the back and they just slap a sticker on it and thats that.

I'm also in the same boat OP, I was discharged from the military because I didn't believe the things I was reading in the mail. So I moved to New Hampshire with hopes for a better life. I too am unable to find a job and my savings is dwindling to nothing.

I hope life fares better for everyone, and one rule of advice that I got from an anonymous passerby. "If you can't trust yourself to make the right decisions for you. Do not by any means take the advice for others, because you and only you know whats best for yourself."

Peace be with you always and Goddess Bless
Ahroun Deltori
(Edit: Spelling)

[edit on 27/7/2009 by SemperParatusRJCC]