Centsible meals

Blah Blah Blah, I could feed you a bunch of excuses of why I have disappeared off the face of the blog world. But Honestly. I just haven't wanted to write. I'm in a weird funk. And when I'm not in the weird funk mood, I am just busy. I've tried to minimize my time that is spent on the computer in the cyber world, and start enjoying real life more. I'm not wasting as much time on Facebook, {So I am only on there if I get a notification that someone has sent me a message or posted on my wall.}
I have limited myself to 15 minutes a day on Pinterest. {I don't know how long that will last.}
And so blogging has been on the back burner as well.
I've gone into one of my "I've got to cut our spending" kicks again, I cut the cable totally. We aren't T.V. watchers anyways, and I really don't want that influence in my home. As inappropriate and degrading as the shows are, The commercials are just as bad. So, It was a win win really. We don't miss it. I also switched internet providers. Now instead of $70 a month, we will pay $25. That is if I can figure out how to set it up. Wish me luck tomorrow!
So, In attempts to cut the budget more, I was trying to figure out how to cut our food bill even more. Yeah, I think it's possible. I came across this book. You can find it on Amazon. I found it on clearance at a book store for $1.99. If you are considering cutting your food budget, I suggest that you invest in it. This gal feeds her family of 6 on $200 A MONTH! I know some of you are thinking that I am slightly getting ridiculous about this... And you know what, I very well may be. But I don't care. I'm cheap and I am happy.

A sneak peek into what I liked about the book.

Less processed = less money.
Less processed = healthier

Homemade bread is healthier, and cheaper.

Get rid of boxes and bags. {IE cake mixes, oatmeal packets, boxed "helper" dinners etc.} Most of the time you have to provide the most expensive ingredient {Like Meat or eggs} and you only save a minimal amount of time, and spend 4 or 5 times what it would cost to make it yourself. And chances are, you have the stuff needed to make it in your pantry already.

She talks a lot about basic fillers.

Whole grains
Rice
Beans
Potatoes

Instead of focusing her meals around meat, she focuses them on these, and then occasionally a meat is added to compliment the meal.
Hearty soups and stews, etc. Which I really like, one because its less expensive...WAY less expensive. and two, I am not a big meat fan anyways. Or dairy for that matter. {With the exception of cheese.} And those are usually the two most expensive components of meals.

I know that making everything from scratch is time consuming, But really, That's my job. I am a homemaker. My job is to make food. I am really trying to simplify my life, and enjoy spending time with my little ones. Lala loves helping me make bread, and Blake loves eating it!

Does my Costco membership really save me money? Or do I buy crap I don't need?
eat with the seasons.

Convenience costs. Just think about it. Pre packaged stuff and snack size items cost way more.

She does a months menu at a time. Each week day revolves around a base food.
Sundays- meat
mondays-noodles
tueadays-rice
wednesday-beans
thursday-potatoes
friday-grain

Most of these things are in her pantry and she has a hearty supply on hand of the basics.

I am super excited about seeing if I can really feed my family for less than $1.00 per person per day, like she says. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
Yes, Yes I can. And shoot sucker you know I am not eating dry beans and rice. It's going to be a cheap flavorful fest all up in the Hicks house! I'll let you know how it goes.
And P.S. We are headed to the cannery to stock up on some basics if you'd like to join us. you can find a price sheet HERE.