I make a "veggie medley" I call it and eat it everyday. I chop up fresh veggies (brocc, cauli, cabbage, etc) and put them in a ziploc baggy and whip out the bag and boil some of it and use them in everything. Veggies are dirt cheap and you can eat them with anything!

Well I read this thread last year when it was posted but didn't reply so I will now.


One thing to invest in is a food vacuum sealer. Wal-Mart has the Black and Decker for around $50-60. If you can afford it, I would go for a better brand but the B&D works fairly well. Get some of the containers and the rolls. The holder with the cutter is a must if the brand/model doesn't have one built in.

Salads can last over a week, which is good if you get the 3-5 lb bags like I do. My grocery store had a sign the other day that due to the rains in California that the bag salads wouldn't last much longer than 2 days. We got a 3lb bag (kind with carrots- I pick most out) and a bag of spinach on Saturday, I seperated them both in to a few containers and they are still nice today.

Great for all kinds of foods and non-food things. With the big freezer and the sealer it is easier to buy in bulk for later. I'm sure most have seen the infomercials.

Find a food service outlet or buy in bulk when stuff you like and will use is on sale.

I'm lucky to have in my small city (5000 m/l) a foodservice warehouse and they have an outlet where they have Splenda 200 packets for about $3.50 and have a section with damaged, slightly out of date frozen and canned goods priced fairly cheap. It's where I get my heavy cream (40% fat). Have gotten a few big cans of mushrooms ($4) that I vacuumed and froze. I have a big can of red peppers ($3) that I will do in a few weeks. A few months ago they had Dreamfields spaghetti and linguine for $.50/box so I bought 16 of each.

We buy most of our meat at the grocery store instead of the supercenter. I also get my 3lb salads and things like brocoli slaw, frozen veggies when on sale ect there instead of W-M.
Unless it is on sale it is usually a lot cheaper at W-M and we will buy it there then, or if it is one of the price-match items.

Also shop at a discount grocery (just cans, bottles, boxes -no fresh or frozen stuff). They get Dreamfields and other LC things in every so often and I will buy it there to try for a whole heck of a lot less, so if it sucks I don't lose as much as if I bought at the regular stores.

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Funny thing, after I posted this last night my mom came over wanting to know where the portal was for the container tubing to attach.

Guess my sister bought a Food Saver mini model that doesn't have that ability, so now I have 2 more FS containers.
This is the same sister that gave me the B&D and the 2 sets of containers and the 2 FS containers that aren't compatible.
But I figured out how to make them work together. LOL

i can't add any more that has not already been said. i agree with most--buy in bulk on sale and freeze (especially meats), look for sales and stock up on staples and condiments, etc., buy frozen veggies for convenience and to curb wasting fresh produce

dang!! what the (*&$*#&$ ! all of that from one walmart shopping trip.

I have been going to Aldi's (discount grocer) and checking out which fresh vegetables they have that are low priced and look good.
They also have some frozen things (like fish) that I find to be helpful.
I am sure that in warmer weather I will be haunting most of the farmer's markets around for their produce deals.
~sue