Frugal Menu Mamas

You know you’re a frugal menu mama when your sister comes to visit and for a fun evening you take her to the newspaper dumpster to dig for coupons.  Glad she’s a frugal menu mama, too.

And it was worth it.  Two newspaper dumpsters were full and dry enough for us to reach in and get 9 of last weeks Smart Source and Red Plum inserts…9 of each.  Plus, we got some older inserts as well.

Oh, the thrill of the coupon hunt!

So, in my journey to being a Frugal Menu Mama, I am learning to make the most of every opportunity to stock up and save big.  You would know this if you read about the ground beef fiasco or if you noticed the ways I save time and money by freezer cooking.  This past weekend, I made the most of an unexpected opportunity.  Last Thursday was my grandmother’s 80th birthday.  The Sunday before it, we decided to sneak up to TN and surprise her.  That was so much fun.  Well, my mom informed me earlier that week that one of the birthday traditions is to go to this apple barn up on the mountain on Saturday morning.  They feast on apple dumpling, doughnuts, and fritters and then take home a box of apples.  We decided to join them.

It was such a treat!  I got an enormous cinnamon roll for breakfast and my hubby ate a fried apple pie.  Delicious!  The kids played among the pumpkins and we checked out the produce.  We bought a bushel of “second” apples for only $11!  We also split a box of sweet potatoes with my mom for only $6.  Now what will I do with all that yummy produce?  Here is my plan:

-homemade applesauce, enough to eat and more to can

-apple pie kits for the freezer

-apple fruit leather ??

-apple muffins or bread

-dehydrated apples ??

-baked, mashed sweet potatoes for the freezer

-sweet potato chips & fries

-maybe this cake?

Got any suggestions of things to try or things not to try?  This is my first time doing this and I need input.  Please leave a comment and let me know! 

So, I am still not in my new house and still don’t have internet there.  This is a rare time where I get to be online (at my hotel) so I thought I’d post.

I stayed with my parents last week.  They live in a small Tennessee town about 45 minutes from a city of any substantial size.  :)  They don’t have a grocery store that doubles coupons.  HOWEVER, my mother is the original person who really taught me to be frugal.  So, I started considering some things she does in her small town that save them money.  You could use these ideas in any town though.

-Even if your store does not double coupons, you can still utilize sales and coupons to get the best prices available to you.

-Research the area.  My mom’s town has a “grocery outlet” store.  This means that it has dented cans or discontinued items as well as a few regular items.  My mom gets fantastic deals at this place.  You have to be careful though, the selection changes often. 

-Know the money saving places in surrounding cities.  My mom knows the places in other cities that will save her money and tries to stop at them when she is in town for other events.  For example, in the town where my grandparents live, there is a “scratch and dent” type store for toiletries.

-Ask friends or family for help.  My mom does not have a warehouse club near her, so she is not a member (I guess that saves money right there!).  But when my sister or grandparents visit theirs’ they always bring my mom a few of the items she knows are a good deal at the warehouse.  Those people are already making the trip and don’t mind helping out.

I found a neat article this week on this same topic.  Check it out!