How to Get by on Almost Nothing and Still Save $$$ Weekly With Food Staples

Food shortages are global right now, and only those with money can afford to eat a six-course meal. Most people can barely afford the makings for a casserole. But keeping the pantry full of the basic food staples will make sure nobody goes hungry and everyone can have seconds if they desire. The money spent per month depends on the amount purchased (with bulk usually much cheaper) and where they are bought--regular grocery stores, dollar stores, food outlets, and stores with stapels on sale.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Flour
• Corn Meal
• Oatmeal
• Beans--Navy or Pinto
• Whole Potatoes--white or sweet
• Salt--sea or iodized
• Pepper--black, white, and cayenne
• Sugar--white, brown sugar, and confectionary
• Meat--rabbit, goose, duck, deer, or fish
• Vegetables--buy or grow fresh first, frozen second, and canned third for quality and taste
• Fruit--watermelon, muskmelon,strawberries, raspberries, apples, peaches,cherries, etc.
• Nuts--peanuts, walnuts, hickory nuts, etc.
• Canned and powerder milk--keep the store bought for drinking, this is for cooking
• Rice--white, brown, and long-grain
• Pasta--macaroni and spaghetti,preferable in wheat for health reasons and bulk

1. FLOUR: My mom used to buy a 25-pound bag of flour and put a sheet of paper on the cupboard to keep track of what she would make out of it to feed four children. Today we barely see a 25-bag of flour but if they are placed in smaller plastic bags and then put in the refrigerator, they will last until they run out. Call around and check prices on them--sometimes it is cheaper to buy five bags of flour at $1.00 each at the dollar store than go to Wal-Mart or the local grocery store. Flour (preferably wheat flour) is used for bread, biscuits, rolls, pancakes, soft-shells, thickener (I prefer cornstarch myself), chicken gravy, etc.
2. CORN MEAL: Corn meal can be purchased almost anywhere, with many cultures using it for corn shells. I personally like it for a smooth yellow breakfast hot cereal, while my dad loved to take the hot cereal and place it in a bread pan. Keeping it overnight in the refrigerator would firm it up so he could slice it, fry it in a bit of grease, and then put butter or syrup on it--similar to french toast. I also loved making corn bread or corn bread muffins for an added treat with meals, adding some jelly or honey in the center for treats in the middle of the afternoon or before bedtime.
3. OATMEAL: Oatmeal is mana from heaven, as it makes wonderful oatmeal cookies and is an excellent breakfast cereal that is good for keeping the cholesterol down and the insides working properly. It keeps a long time and can be purchased in bulk sizes, which is always cheaper. Shopping around for any bulk items is wise, and worth the time spent calling. Bulk items purchased for the entire month can save lots of money, with one month worth about one week in boxed or quick items we are known to purchase to save time.
4. BEANS: Navy or pinto beans are another bulk or smaller item to choose from, depending on how well they are liked and what the culture is using them. I personally like the navy, while hating the pinto beans. I grew up with a mother from the depression, and beans was a staple from the very beginning. She would soak them overnight with a bit of soda to remove the "gas" which makes them so famous, and then place them on the stove in the morning with onions, shredded carrots, bits of bacon or ham, and the right amount of spices. They are extremely low in fat and calories, and are excellent in weight control. And one-half cup of beans consumed twice a week or more controls the risk of heart disease, according to the latest studies, and also controls colon cancer. The pinto beans are excellent for chili or burritos, or a heavy-colored brownish ham and bean soup my mom used to make for a change every now and then. Topped with hot corn bread and honey/butter mix on the side. Yummy! Any extra of the thick soup was mashed up for a burrito or softshell filled with ground meat and beans. The kids buy the same at Taco Johns or Taco Bells today.
5. POTATOES: Either white or sweet potatoes are what most of us grew up with, included in the "meat and potato" generation. As long as we had potatoes we never went hungry. We could mash them for a special Sunday meal, then fry the rest up the next morning for breakfast. We fried them for supper, and mixed them with eggs and chopped up onions, tomatoes, and green peppers for lunch the next day. Now they are taken out of a box, with the remains thrown away if they are not used up. Potato soup is as varied as the recipes used to make it, depending on one's taste. It is a vegetable, but in its own way it makes the entire meal along with meat or the main casserole.
6. SALT AND PEPPER: How many of us have removed salt from our table replacing it with salt substitutes, only to find out that heart medicine counteracts with the salt substitute. I use sea salt because it is natural and I like the taste, and it can be purchsed in fine or course grain. Sodium is necessary for our health, but is bad for the heart when we eat too much of it. Gluttany in any form is unhealthy, regardless what it is. Pepper on the other hand is an added spice which is excellent if used sparingly, unless the taste is something enjoyed in excess. Most people, if they cannot eat salt, will add more pepper.
7. SUGARS: My mother grew up without much sugar because of the depression, so it was something I learned to enjoy later on. A little bit of sugar goes a long way, and white sugar can be cut in half for recipes while still maintaing the sweet tast and is healthier. Many people even use honey instead of white sugar. Brown sugar is good for making cinnamon rolls, carmel, and baking. Confectionary sugar is used for icing and candies. Each one has its own purpose and lasts a long time, depending on the family and how much it is use. But it has a good shelf life or can be placed in the freezer.
8. MEAT: Hunted meat such as rabbit, goose, duck, deer, or fish is cheap in price as it costs a hunting license, depending on how good a shot you are and where you live. Buying beef,pork or chicken is high now and probably will not go down for awhile, if ever, due to the high price of grain and high-demand for food shortages. But if it can be afforded, buying on sale is preferable to buying in bulk, unless the bulk is on sale. Alternative protein foods instead of meat are cheese, eggs, peanut butters, etc. which can be used just as well.
9. VEGETABLES: I was always taught to buy or grow fresh first, frozen second, and canned third for quality and taste. I realize the new science research says they are all the same, but they also tell us many things which change in the blink of an eye. Also, as many of you notice--to eat healthy is affordable only to the rich and wealth. The rest of us make do with what we can afford. So, buy from the local gardner if you do not have one yourself, offer to help weed or whatever is needed if you do not have the money to buy. Plant a pot inside the apartment with you favorite vegetables and pick them on a special day or an afternoon luncheon. After that, go to the frozen section as the vegetables here has a taste comparable to the fresh ones. Canned are always cheaper, but I think they lack the flavor and have way too many preservatives in them.
10. FRUIT: Fruit is very necessary for us, and is very expensive depending on the time of year and what type of crops were grown. Shopping seasonally is a good idea, freezing them to carry through the year. Apples can be frozen for one year and retain flavor and vitamins, while lasting one month in the refrigerator. The website below "Selecting and Storing Fruits & Vegetables" has a graph on the bottom which tells about refrigerator shelf life and freezer durability for the food item.

Tips & Warnings

• Stock up on dry goods in bulk such as rice, pasta, and beans in one grocery trip.
• Pick up a variety of beans such as pinto, kidney, and navy beans.
• Whole wheat or whole grain versions of the rice and pasta are readily available in many stores, and make much more healthy options.
• Another wonderful idea for cheap meals is Mexican food staples like burritos, nachos and quesadillas which make many wonderful variations of meals.
• Purchase bulk bags of frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts along with a few bags of frozen vegetables. These items alone can make for meals for a week or more.
• Use coupons for products you already buy.
• Minimize consumption of processed foods.
• Shop at produce stands for fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Buy coffee in bulk amounts.
• WARNING! This article may save you money. If that is not your goal, and you are not willing to work for it--buy processed and boxed foods from the store at double the prices and receive half the amounts.