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Yup, regular milk can be frozen. We mix regular milk about 60/40% with powdered milk so the powdered milk is palatable. Sometimes a drop or two of vanilla improves it, too.
I cannot stomach powdered milk. Does anyone know if regular milk can be frozen? Wonderful ideas in this post.
It sure can, I buy in quantity when it's on sale, like 4-6 gallons at a time, and freeze whatever I can't use within a few days. The main thing to remember is to take at least a full glass from each gallon jug first - milk, like other liquids, expands as it freezes, and if the jug is full it will split the plastic. Back when I kept a goat, I froze whatever we didn't use every day in quart mason jars. That worked fine, too, but I always made sure there was plenty of room in the jar for expansion. Never lost a single jar, either.
As for powdered milk, keep in mind that it's non-fat, so if you aren't accustomed to the taste of non-fat fresh milk, the powdered is not going to taste any better. Afaic, powdered milk is a cooking ingredient, not a replacement for fresh milk.
I am a single woman who eats on $150 a month, but that is including all tolitries and alcohol. I buy things on sale. I don't buy processed or prepared foods. I bake my own bread, buy fruits, veggies, meat, and fresh fish at the International (Asian) market--they have much better produce than supermarkets and outstanding prices. I don't drink pop. Eat lots of grains. I also have a dehydrator and make my own dried fruits, jerkey, trail mix (I like to hike and these are great snacks). It's do-able. YOu just can't be buying rip off stuff like Lunchables. How anyone pays good money for a few crackers and cheese is beyond me.
It's not as difficult as it sounds, but it is more time consuming than just going to the store and grabbing what you want. Here are some notes.
1. You buy things only when they are on sale for a good price (not all sales are good) and with coupons.
2. There will be some necessities each week that might not be on sale (like milk for babies), but you do your best to keep those to a minimum.
3. Garden - in a pot in your kitchen if that's your space.
4. Buying in bulk makes sense, too. I do that at Costco with things like meat and cheese.
5. The freezer is my best friend. I buy clearance meat at the grocery store and freeze it immediately.
6. Oh, and the more meat you cut out of your diet, the less you tend to spend.
7. I am not loyal to very many brands. I am not loyal to grocery stores, either.
I'm in a high COL area and I spend about $200 a month or more. My boyfriend does eat with me a couple of nights a week. So, I guess I'm feeding 1.5 people.
I use Quicken to track my expenses. I don't consider toliet paper and other household items "groceries". I track them seperately and usually don't get these items from the supermarket. I do eat convience foods once or twice a week. If I were to stop this, I would probably save $25-30 a month.
I've found that the months where I stop my the supermarket just to get a few things a lot, I spend more money. When I stick to a list and go shopping 2 times a month. I spend a lot less. Then, all I have to do is pick up milk and fruit on the "off" weeks.
I am a single woman who eats on $150 a month, but that is including all tolitries and alcohol. I buy things on sale. I don't buy processed or prepared foods. I bake my own bread, buy fruits, veggies, meat, and fresh fish at the International (Asian) market--they have much better produce than supermarkets and outstanding prices. I don't drink pop. Eat lots of grains. I also have a dehydrator and make my own dried fruits, jerkey, trail mix (I like to hike and these are great snacks). It's do-able. YOu just can't be buying rip off stuff like Lunchables. How anyone pays good money for a few crackers and cheese is beyond me.
Also, the Latino markets have fantastic buys or fresh fruits and veggies (ie 4lbs of Fuji apples for $1, large ripe mangos 5 for $1, broccoli 2 lbs for 89 cents, 10lb bag of potatoes for $1.99....can't be beat at the grocery store) Also the Farmer's Markets...I try to go near the time when they are about 1 hour from wrapping up....1 full flat of ripe strawberries for $5, 2lbs of green beans for $1
I only spend about $70 - $80 a month on food (not counting eating out-which I chose not to do very often...a few times a month maybe)
I want to use this list, to show how this would not work where I live. I think the cost of food is cheaper in the US than here in Canada. For a family of four we spend $800 a month $600 if I am being frugal, and now with oldest away it will be a little less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randomdude
5 boxes of special K, 31 bananas. If you look for decent sales, that can be had for under $20. Just Special K is $5.99 a box
4 gallons of milk, about $12 Milk $7 for 4 Liters
4 cans of fruit juice concentrate $8 This we can get for .79 a can
6 loafs of bread, about $8 one loaf of bread whole wheat $2.69
1 jar of peanut butter, 1 jar of jelly $6 Large PB $7 jar of Jam $5
1 package of frozen lunch meat $2.50 half a pound about $4
2 lbs of tomatoes, $2 About the same
1 head of lettuce $1.50 $1.99 to $2.99 Depends on time of year
31 packages of Ramen noodles $3.10 This is .25 each so for 31 $7.75
2 family size packages of frozen chicken (boned), $5 About $8-$10 for one pack
2 lbs of ground turkey or beef $3 $6-$8
2 boxes of spaghetti noodles $3 About the same
31 cans of vegetables about $15 31 cans of vegis is about $31, .99 a can and that is no name
1 5 lbag of potatoes $3.00 $4.99-$5.99
3 dozen eggs $3 $3 percarton of eggs
Water can be had on tap, and its less then a penny a gallon.
That is $95.10 and should provide more then enough nutrition and even some limited choices for meals.
I did find Nova Scotia had food items that were more then in Ontario, and some were cheaper. So maybe it depends across Canada. But I still think it is cheaper in the US. I know the dollar is different, but I think it balances out with cost of living and earning etc... if you converted it. I may be wrong on that. I am always trying to find ways to cut down our food bill, but with these prices it is hard.
This was a side topic from another thread. I have a friend who is a single woman that claims she lives on a $150/month food budget. Some people thought this was doable, but I couldn't see how.
So... this seems like a good topic for a thread. How do you guys do it? I'm open to the idea but I can't quite grasp how you eat three nutritious meals a day on $5 a day. Please give as many specifics as possible, and remember I'm talking about living on a budget like that all year long (this person is not fasting or trying to lose weight). A grocery list would be great.
I have a friend who lives on less than this, actually. Although she is doing it out of necessary and largely due to this economy and her current employment.
While she is not in agreement with taking "charity" unless it was life or death, she purchases her groceries from Angel Food Ministries online, then picks up her boxes of food from one of their locations local to her. She pays about $30 for a supply that she spreads out for a month for just her. (ie, she cuts a steak in half, same with chicken breasts, etc, and eats it with a small portion of something else like rice, bread, potatoes, etc). She buys other needed items from places like Aldi's or the dollar store, and welcomes any products that friends or family do not/will not use and offer to her. The reason she will buy from Angel Food Ministries is because she feels she is actually paying for the food and not taking it for free.
cutting out meat does wonders, buying fresh stuff, and i know some very small but cheap grocery stores and DO NOT shop at the chains at all (except for target for some staples, because they're ridiculously cheap with food).
I can do it for about $150 a month and I do eat out on occasion too. Chicago is expensive, but not on cooking if you find the right stores.
I have a friend who lives on less than this, actually. Although she is doing it out of necessary and largely due to this economy and her current employment.
While she is not in agreement with taking "charity" unless it was life or death, she purchases her groceries from Angel Food Ministries online, then picks up her boxes of food from one of their locations local to her. She pays about $30 for a supply that she spreads out for a month for just her. (ie, she cuts a steak in half, same with chicken breasts, etc, and eats it with a small portion of something else like rice, bread, potatoes, etc). She buys other needed items from places like Aldi's or the dollar store, and welcomes any products that friends or family do not/will not use and offer to her. The reason she will buy from Angel Food Ministries is because she feels she is actually paying for the food and not taking it for free.
Are their certain income requirements you need to meet to buy food from Angel Food Ministries?
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