August 20, 2019

Hey Everyone!

Food is expensive enough already. Why make it more expensive by buying so-called gourmet items that you could make for yourself at home easily, conveniently, more healthily AND frequently for pennies on the dollar?

Please scroll for just a few great ideas.

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LAST CHANCE: Only 20 Skillets Left For Under $30

Tomato-based pasta sauces

A jar of spaghetti sauce typically runs $2 to $6. The equivalent amount of canned tomatoes is often under $1. Suggestion: Make your own sauces from canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes particularly in the summer, when they are plentiful, tasty, and cheap. The easiest method is to put crushed tomatoes (canned or fresh) into a skillet, stir in some wine or wine vinegar, a little sugar, your favorite herbs, and whatever chopped vegetables you like in your sauce and let simmer for an hour.


Gluten-free baked goods

If you aren't diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, keep in mind that gluten-free doesn't necessarily mean healthy and gluten-free baked goods like bread, cookies, and crackers often are packed with more refined flours, artificial ingredients, and sugar than traditional baked goods. Plus, they can cost up to twice as much as you'd normally spend.

Powdered iced tea mixes or prepared flavored iced tea

Powdered and gourmet iced teas are really a rip-off! It's much cheaper to make your own iced tea from actual (inexpensive) tea bags and keep a jug in the fridge. Plus, many mixes and preparations are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and other sugars, along with artificial flavors. To make 32 ounces of iced tea, it usually takes 8 bags of black tea or 10 bags of herbal, green, or white tea. If you like your tea sweet but want to keep calories down, skip the sugar and add fruit juice instead.


'Snack' or 'lunch' packs

These 'all-inclusive' food trays might seem reasonably priced (from $2.50 to $4.00), but you're actually paying for the highly designed label, wrapper, and specially molded tray. They only contain a few crackers and small pieces of cheese and lunchmeat. The actual edible ingredients are worth just pennies and are filled with salt.

Sorry KitchenAid, we've got this for under $4

'Go Green' Hint: BYOB. Bags, that is

BYOB policies help save trees and save money! Most importantly, with ever more retailers doing away with their reusable bag rewards programs, this list will help you keep tabs on which retailers in your local area are most likely to reward you for reusing your bags.

1. Target. Earn a $.05 discount for every reusable bag you bring in to use.

2. Whole Foods. Whole Foods offers a $.10 discount with every reusable bag you bring with you to bag your groceries.

3. Trader Joe's. Some Trader Joe's stores offer a $.05 discount per reusable bag you bring in to use. Other Trader Joe's offer one entry into a weekly raffle for a $25 Trader Joe's gift card each time you shop with reusable bags.

4. Kroger. Some Kroger locations offer 5 fuel points for every reusable bag you bring in to use. Other locations offer a $.04 discount off your final purchase total.

5. Lowe's Foods. Lowe's offers a credit of $.05 for every reusable bag you bring to use (limit of 20 bags).