Do you have a Walgreens/CVS/Rite-Aid/DrugMart near you? Check out the circulars for those stores. They often have crazy deals on toiletries and household sundries. Quite often “Buy-one-get-one-free” deals too.
Don’t be afraid to STOCK UP on all of that stuff when you find a good deal. Like t-bonham says, they won’t go bad on you.
You can also scrimp a bit on soaps while waiting for the next good deal to come around by putting a bit of water in the shampoo or conditioner bottle to thin it out and get every last drop. If you can hold out for deals and stock up, even tho it seems more expensive at the moment, it will save you money in the long run.
take some time to check out stores like these, Winco is kind of a hybrid grocery store/costco thing where they have great prices with no membership required, Cash n Carry is really a restaurant supply store but they have all sorts of crazy stuff dirt cheap including large and HUGE jars of spices for the same price you would pay for a tiny one at the regular grocer.
I also second/third/8th the recommendation of a crock pot, with it you can turn cheap ass dried beans and rice into food you cant wait to get home to eat.
make large batches and freeze left overs, then once you have a nice selection in the fridge its a lot easier to skip eating out, hell its kinda like having your own menu selection. (I had a couple friends over on short notice one night, the 3 of us all had dinner consisting of frozen left overs and we all had something different) I have found that having food, especially good food at home ready to eat goes miles towards not eating out.
be willing (assuming you are a reasonable cook) to try something on a whim, I made some pork soup the other day that was wonderful, pork was on sale, along with some pinto beans and garbonzos, toss in a can of black beans and 2 sausages quartered along the length and chopped up, onion and some spices and I only have 3 servings left…out of around 11. total cost for those 11 servings was probably 15 or less...hell thinking about it I would say more like 8-10
make your own flavored oils, just get a big thing of olive oil and add some spices to a smaller wine bottle, fill with oil and leave it sit for a week or 2, I make crushed red pepper oil this way and it packs some serious heat. (about 1/4th cup crushed red peppers to a quart wine bottle)
Well, I can’t get to the local CostCo, but I can definitely compare prices with a nearby Target. Of course, the nearest Target also sells food, while the nearby grocery store sells Le Creuset, so it seems like they’re all kind of melding and jumbling together anyway.
Yes, the restaurant supply store is a lovely place if you have one remotely handy. Insane deals on all sorts of kitchen basics. Things like a pint of vanilla flavoring* for the same price as a 4 ounce bottle at the grocery store, a 10-lb bag of popcorn for barely more than a 3-lb bag at said grocery, a 3-lb box of cream cheese for $4.50. I’m specially fond of the big things of chicken base, which makes the equivalent of a gallon of broth, but costs the same as a couple of pints of Swanson’s. It’s just the ticket when you need just a little bit of broth, and equally convenient when you want a few cups of the stuff.
If you don’t have a restaurant supply store, you might also check around to see if you have a little store run by Amish or Mennonite folks. (I’d be a bit surprised that far west, but it’s worth checking out.) Our local one has similar prices per weight unit as the GFS, but you can get much smaller packages.
*Yes, I know, real cooks only use real vanilla extract because it’s vastly superior. The blind tastings in the Cook’s Illustrated kitchens, however, beg to differ. The fake stuff tested as well and in some cases better than the real thing.
We have used this recipe, as absolute beginner bread-makers (we had never tried making bread before we found a no-knead recipe). The resultant bread is good enough to give as gifts.
We use Reynold’s Release Foil instead of parchment paper, and we spray only the top (not the bottom) with cooking spray.
Thanks to this thread, I’ve paid attention to the things around me. Today I noticed there is a restaurant supply store across the street from one of my jobs, and kitty-corner to that is “Main Street Meat Supply–Public welcome!” I was cutting things close today, so I didn’t have a chance to check it out, but now it’s on my to-do list.
I also made bread this weekend. I murdered the yeast the first time around…the bread didn’t rise at all in the pan, lol. I used it to make some homemade bread pudding, and attempted a second loaf. The second one turned out much better!
I’m also going to make a variety of crock-pot soups this week. I intended to go to the store today but then my boss called me in, and then my other boss called and asked if I could take over a Novels class–tonight. Suddenly, instead of having a day to investigate recipes and go shopping, I had to work for 8 hours. Oh well, I can’t complain!
You should definitely hit the meat place. Buy huge packets of stuff, and break it down. It’s shocking how much money you can save that way, especially if you’re willing to buy things that need chopping up.
I’m specially fond of chicken leg quarters. They’re less than half the price of the boneless, skinless thigh fillets, and they tend to come in big bulk packages that you can use for several meals and then freeze the rest. It’s a really good way to trim the grocery total, and they’re a major ingredient in one of my favorite cheap easy dinners, chicken pot pie.
Stew up a couple leg quarters or equivalent (do use dark meat for at least half of your meat, the white just doesn’t hold up to this very well or give the broth the necessary richness) over low, slow heat with whatever spices you like. I’m partial to salt, pepper, several cloves of garlic, and some Italian seasoning, myself. Let 'em simmer till they’re falling apart. Fish the chicken out and pull out the bone and skin and shred the meat. Dump it back in with some mixed veggies and a pat of butter. Simmer it another half-hour or so to let the veggies soak up the chicken-y goodness in your broth.
Meanwhile, fix some biscuit dough. How much really depends on how big a pie you’re making and whether you want top and bottom crusts or just a top one. I generally find that one standard batch of dough is about right for a single crust on a 9x13 pan. Roll it out about the size of your pan and assemble your pie. Bake at 350 until the crust is golden brown.