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Old 02-18-2015, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Verde Valley AZ
8,775 posts, read 11,860,013 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakeneko View Post
You might also want to consider a vacuum packing system like FoodSaver?
I second that! I love my Food Saver. No more freezer burn and easy to use.
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Old 02-18-2015, 09:52 AM
 
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I don't really bother with stores anymore. Too much choice and too much of a hike just to get a few things, from one side of the store to another. Plus, I've always hated to "shop."

I pay more but get what I want by just going to drugstores, gas stations/convenience stores that sell food in smaller sizes, drive-thrus and take-outs, or through Amazon.

I don't like to plan ahead. I don't know what I'll want Friday if it's only Tuesday.
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Old 02-18-2015, 09:57 AM
 
Location: Verde Valley AZ
8,775 posts, read 11,860,013 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funisart View Post
We don't worry about small sizes, except with bread. If we can't get a half loaf--we can cut one in half and freeze the rest. Often we will cook enough of a main course, or veggie, for three meals. We portion it out and freeze the two extra. That way we have easy fast meals, when we are in a hurry. We have always done that. We only have one son--so buying and cooking for two, isn't very different from three. I'm sure that for one it would take a bit more modification.

We don't buy the giant size condiments, never have, but the regular sizes seem to do fine. We don't fill our fridge with odd sauces that we might only use once. We like to make our own from scratch. It is pretty easy to find smaller pieces of cheese, and we can ask for small amounts meat and cheese at the deli.
I cook like you do and make two entrees a week, just so I don't have to eat the same thing every day. Just add salad/veggie/etc and it's ready. Before my mom passed away I generally made enough for at least four servings. I'd split that between me, my mom and the freezer, if there was anything left of it. I've been cooking for two for a long time but it's not that hard to just cook for me. I DO have to be careful with pasta though. I swear that stuff just grows and grows! lol

I saw a post yesterday that made good sense to me. Buy spices at a place that sells them in bulk. I seem to have the same ones around for waaay too long. I have a spice rack with individual bottles so I think buying in bulk and using those would be a good thing.

I agree about keeping the "odd sauces" in the fridge. I'd rather make tartar sauce fresh than have a bottle in the fridge for two years because I don't eat fish that often and don't use it on all fish anyway.
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Old 02-18-2015, 10:22 AM
 
Location: near bears but at least no snakes
26,639 posts, read 28,478,228 times
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I don't like grocery shopping but it's easier being retired. I just make a list and dh goes and gets it. Then we divide up the hamburg into portions and freeze it, one of those fricasse chickens gets eaten in a few days and the carcass goes into the slow cooker, if I make a roast, there are millions of ways to use the leftovers or just freeze them.

Retirement gives you a lot of time to use up leftovers and make them into soups and stews or with fruits and vegetables, make them into smoothies. Now when I was working.............that's when the food went to waste. I didn't have the time to divide things up or figure out how to use leftovers.
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Old 02-18-2015, 11:29 AM
 
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Even small homes can store bulk items. Toilet paper and paper towels can be stored in the top or bottom of a closet...or under the bed!There is usually a few inches of usable space behind a sofa, too. I tend to buy large quantities of items because they are less expensive. When I see a sale on an item that we use, I buy up to a 1 year supply. We have a lot of storage space, but with a little creativity, you can always find a little extra storage.
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Old 02-18-2015, 11:58 AM
 
2,429 posts, read 4,002,844 times
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I'm single and the sizes of items is an issue. Sometimes no situation is ideal. Either you can:

-- save money, buying in bulk and use your time dividing everything up
-- use your money and time going to the store more often to buy smaller sizes that cost more per ounce or unit, but not waste money because you didn't use all the item.

I tend to think I "save" more -- or at least don't lose as much money -- buying the smaller size that at least gets used up, VERSUS, buying a larger size and throwing half of it out.....because if you do that how much did you save on the price buying the larger item.

Buying larger and wasting the food -- only works when the actually PRICE of the larger item was LESS than the smaller size. Usually the price per ounce or unit is less, but the actual total price of the large size is NOT less.

You just have to figure out what works best for which particular item.
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Old 02-18-2015, 01:49 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Beach
1,544 posts, read 1,687,790 times
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^^^^^ This
As a single I too by slightly more expensive smaller sizes to prevent a lot of wastage. For bread I love going directly to a bakery and getting a small specialty loaf.
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Old 02-18-2015, 01:54 PM
 
Location: Not where I want to be
4,829 posts, read 8,699,165 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tia 914 View Post
Now that I'm an empty-nester, shopping has become more difficult. It has more to do with local stores in general than the fact that I'm shopping-for-one. Virtually everything is "supersized."

O.K., it's not "too" much of a problem when I buy fresh meat and immediately separate it into smaller packages, but when it comes to products like bread and cereal I rarely buy them at all anymore. I simply don't have the time to divvy-up huge packages of stuff every time I return from a grocery store.

Has anyone else encountered this- and if so, what's the solution?
The local stores don't stock small or even normal sizes of anything. Heck, they don't even carry one-pound boxes of cat food!
Where do you shop???? Everything here that you're talking about I see in small sizes every time I go to the store. Arnold makes smaller sizes of bread. There are small bags of cat food. Cereal comes in small, medium, and large boxes.

You have to go to a grocery store rather than a local shop. OR find a group of friends and shop at the wholesale place and split the bill and the goods.
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Old 02-18-2015, 02:36 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,556,342 times
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I agree here the large store especially grocery now days have so many sizes of same product. A example is when I was young a six pack of coke ;even beer was six pack. now your have 12pk; 18 pk; 24 pk. A case of cokes is meaning less as its not four 6 pk any more. Even what is called single servings never exist then. Some items we even buy large quality of at farmers markets or from farmers themselves in season to freeze that we like as staple diet item.
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Old 02-18-2015, 02:48 PM
 
Location: SoCal desert
8,091 posts, read 15,374,800 times
Reputation: 15036
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tia 914 View Post
Now that I'm an empty-nester, shopping has become more difficult. It has more to do with local stores in general than the fact that I'm shopping-for-one. Virtually everything is "supersized."

O.K., it's not "too" much of a problem when I buy fresh meat and immediately separate it into smaller packages, but when it comes to products like bread and cereal I rarely buy them at all anymore. I simply don't have the time to divvy-up huge packages of stuff every time I return from a grocery store.

Has anyone else encountered this- and if so, what's the solution?
The local stores don't stock small or even normal sizes of anything. Heck, they don't even carry one-pound boxes of cat food!
My solution is to make the time. An extra 15 minutes isn't going to kill me.
On one hand it means less shopping.
On the other hand, sometimes the super-size isn't the cheapest. Always look at cost per ounce.
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