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Cheap Grocery Advice

Mary Terry said:
Is there a community oven that town residents can use? Some places provide a large oven that can hold many loaves at the same time, and everyone shares the cost of the fuel to run it. People bring their dough to the oven and bake it at the same time.
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Nope, first time i hear about this.
And don't have place here where to bake bread on charcoal, I live in an apartment :)
But yeah I can imagine how amazing that bread tastes and smells.
 
The best way to save money in a suburban situation is to maintain your own stock of nonperishable items. Especially the more expensive items like coffee. I keep on average a 3 month supply of coffee, I never pay full price, I can wait until it's on special then buy a few kilos at a time.

Supermarkets play on the fact that most people are easily tricked in to living a hand to mouth existence. They sell the idea of convenience and most people buy it. A lot of people keep almost no food at home and instead will go to the shops and buy a few more items every couple of days. When you live like that you have no choice but to pay the price of the day, and these places know most people get paid on Thursday or Friday.
 
Sometimes it even seems cheaper for some people to eat out than to use gas or electric and buy food and shopping. That won't work for a family every night though. If you are partial to it though you can get a McDonalds burger for £1 even or so lol. You can get some basics and eat out. For some singles this is ideal and they are probably doing it. It shouldn't have to be like that though.
 
Tired said:
Yes, there are tones of bakeries everywhere, and those bakeries sell not only breads, but also different pastries, pies and stuff like that. And it's pretty cheap.
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When I was in France, I stopped everyday in a patisserie for something scrumptious to eat for lunch. We in the US have no idea what we have lost in settling for mass marketed junk.
 
Mary Terry said:
Is there a community oven that town residents can use? Some places provide a large oven that can hold many loaves at the same time, and everyone shares the cost of the fuel to run it. People bring their dough to the oven and bake it at the same time.

For what it's worth, I've baked bread in a cast iron pot covered with a lid with charcoal. Put coals under and on top of the pot to create a hot oven. The pot has legs on the bottom to elevate it above the coals, and the lid is flat so you can put coals on top. I used to do it when we went camping. Probably the best tasting bread I've ever made.
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For about five years I lived with a wood cook stove and baked bread in it. That’s the best bread I ever made. And biscuits too. Oh, my!

But I really want to try this baking bread in a cast iron skillet. Do it outside and you don’t heat up the house on these hot summer days.
 
Outdated said:
The best way to save money in a suburban situation is to maintain your own stock of nonperishable items. Especially the more expensive items like coffee. I keep on average a 3 month supply of coffee, I never pay full price, I can wait until it's on special then buy a few kilos at a time.

Supermarkets play on the fact that most people are easily tricked in to living a hand to mouth existence. They sell the idea of convenience and most people buy it. A lot of people keep almost no food at home and instead will go to the shops and buy a few more items every couple of days. When you live like that you have no choice but to pay the price of the day, and these places know most people get paid on Thursday or Friday.
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In France, people shop every day at their local stores they want and get only fresh bread, vegetables and meats. Or at least it was this way when I was there. I suspect it is still like that in more rural areas.
 
Win-Co Foods, if you have one in your area, is a fantastic grocery store. Everything is at deep discount.

They have rows and rows of bulk bins full of flour (everything from white to spelt to rice flour), different powdered milks, milk substitutes, protein powders, noodles of every variety, different rices and grains and beans, candies, sprinkles, different sugars and sweeteners, bulk teas and medicinal herbs, bulk coffees too, and a grinder.

There are also bulk liquids like honey, agave, olive oil.

There are two big shelving units of culinary spices and herbs. I can buy great big bags, containing several months worth for less than a dollar each.

The produce dept at Win-Co Foods is massive. They not only have conventional produce, they also carry Hispanic and Asian produce as well. I love purchasing nopales and aloe vera cactus fronds for cooking.

The meat dept is massive, and it's probably the cheapest place to buy quality meat. Once again they have conventional, and multicultural meat choices. Carne asada steaks are so cheap there.

They have a gigantic frozen food dept. Good quality ice cream for way cheaper than other stores.

Toilet Paper and Paper towels, as well as other household and personal care items are really cheap at Win-Co, and good quality.

Their bakery is fabulous. Super cheap and fresh.

Tortillas are the cheapest I can find them, at Win-Co.

And then grocery, I mean it's like a warehouse, there are so many varieties of every product. You get lost in there, easily.

They have friendly associates, great prices, and great products. Plus it's employee owned.

Also, I like the early 80s grocery store brown interior.
 
Outdated said:
Here that's called a Dutch Oven. My Mum preferred cooking bread and cakes that way, she even cooked sponges like that.
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They're called Dutch ovens in the US, too. I use them often, usually the enameled ones which are easier to clean and don't require "seasoning" like the regular cast iron versions.
 
WhitewaterWoman said:
In France, people shop every day at their local stores they want and get only fresh bread, vegetables and meats. Or at least it was this way when I was there. I suspect it is still like that in more rural areas.
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Agree. Plus, European home refrigerators are tiny compared with American fridges and rarely have a freezer section. People who live within easy walking distance of food stores usually do a daily shopping for ingredients. It's common in NYC to just walk to the local bodega to buy food to make dinner. I'd do it, too, but the nearest decent grocery store is 20 miles from where I live. Hence, we have two refrigerators, each have freezers, and a huge upright freezer and small chest freezer in the garage. It's not unusual for me to go 3-4 weeks before I have to go grocery shopping.
 
This was on my list today as well propercorn popcorn. I used to like popcorn as a child. I have liked it for years. It is like a sensory food as well the crunch I talked about it with an OT specialist about sensory food. I am mentioning it as it is on offer that cannot be bought in supermarkets in the UK.
Some of my neice and nephews love the sweet and salty. I was looking for that as well this morning for their mum. I couldn't find it. School holidays are coming up. Buying in bulk may be helpful at this time with a family. May be they have other varities. It works out £1.35 about a pack from this morning memory.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PROPERCORN...0_1_ec_ped_pd_rhf_se_s_rp_c_d_sccl_1_4_t&th=1
 
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Yeshuasdaughter said:
There is a grocery store that's marketed to the food service industry. It's called the US Foods CHEF'STORE. (Formerly known as Cash and Carry Smart Foodservice).

I get such amazing deals on meat, cheese, and eggs there.

You will have to buy a large quantity of meat and cut it yourself into steaks, roasts, or stew meat.

If you eat it, you can find pork for as low as a dollar or two a pound. Beef for around three a pound. So cheap!

I just bought ten pounds of hamburger for under thirty dollars- which is cheaper than Win-Co.

Five pounds of shredded Monterrey Jack for fifteen dollars.

Five dozen brown eggs for fourteen dollars.

They also have excellent deals on bread and veggies/fruit.

And other groceries.

They don't accept food stamps though. Cash or card only.
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At the aforementioned US Chefstore (aka Cash & Carry), 5 dozen brown eggs are cheaper than white eggs at practically any other store.
 
I just bought a Dutch oven pan, and l want to make bread in it. I did at one time have a bread maker machine, which was quite fun, dump everything in and walk away, and voila - a loaf of bread. I use to make homemade sauce for spaghetti, just let it simmer away.
I have bought a bunch new appliances, like a double Belgium waffle maker, so much fun. And you can use it for sandwich bread also. Like cream cheese and olives filling, or honey and peanut butter, just to change your routine. I used my pani grill to toast a burrito made from a vegetable tortilla and then dip it into tomato sauce with seasoning. Like saving money yet having variety. My partner loves Asian pot stickers, you get a huge bag of them for a very reasonable price and throw it it a ramen bowl, instant meal.
 
With certain exceptions, we just save money buy buying the store brand versions of products rather than the name brand.

Honestly speaking, while I'm not going to pretend that the store brand is going to be 100% identical to the name brand but I'd say it's usually enough to not make paying more for the name brand worth it, y'know?

It's kind of like if the store brand version of something is $3.99 and the name brand version is $5.99 but the store brand is like 90% as good as the store brand, that's not a big enough difference in quality for me to want to pay $2 extra for the name brand.
 
I buy flour, rolled oats, and rice in the big bags they are shipped in. I make my own granola, hummus, bread, and sprouts. I never eat out or buy bagged snacks. I won't buy food I'd be tempted to binge on. I don't eat animals or dairy products. However, I always buy the best quality, organic food I can. I don't drink coffee, but I have a daily ration of fair-trade chocolate at 80% cocoa.
 
Where would you go to learn how to can fruits/vegetables?
 
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