Snack Foods & Popcorn

When I was growing up we used to sit in font of the TV in the evenings and many times my Mom would pop a bowl of popcorn for us to enjoy while we watched our favorite television program, which back in the 1970s would have been the Walton's or Little House on the Prairie. 

Back then all you needed to make popcorn was a pan with a lid, some oil and a stove top. Those were the days before microwave popcorn was invented.  Sometimes we even used to take a brown paper bag and turn the edges down and put the popcorn in there to snack from. I can also remember doing that when I was first married in 1989.

Nowadays, snack foods are one of those items that can make or break a budget. When I was at Sam’s Club last week I noticed that Frito Lay products were two bags for $5.98 for 15 & 1/2 ounces (31 oz.) of chips.

I purchase white popcorn kernels in the two pound bag from IGA for $1.89, which has 27 – ¼ cup servings at 7¢ each. Three tablespoons of vegetable or corn oil from a 48 ounce bottle costing $2.50 will cost me 9¢.

Now, when I make popcorn, I like to use ½ cup of kernels and let the popping corn push the lid off the pan while it is popping, which is free frugal entertainment for the kids. So, my ½ cup of popcorn costs me 14¢ each. 

Let’s do some figuring in this. Let’s say you have snacks in your home at least one or two nights a week. You may go through two bowls of popcorn or two bags of chips in a week. You may be thinking two bags of chips would last longer than one or two nights of snacking, but have you seen teenagers eat? LOL. :)

Now, let’s do the math.

14¢ x 2 =28¢ (popcorn) + 9¢ x 2 (oil) = 18¢ = 46¢

46¢ per week for 52 weeks equals $23.92

2 bags of chips=$5.98

$5.98 per week for 52 weeks equals $310.96

$23.92 verses $310.96

Difference $287.04

Serving two bowls of popcorn instead of two bags of chips twice a week will save you $287.04 per year. That is a savings of almost $300 a year just by switching from chips to popcorn as a snack food. And that is only one thing that we can change. Imagine if we applied this to several things in our lives or even everything? Remember Amy Dacyczyn always said it was the little things that add up. :)

 

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Fruit Fly Traps

 

We've been having our annual summer bout with the fruit flys due to the large amount of tomatoes we've had in the house. My daughter has been bothered by them more than I have and yesterday she set out to combat them. She did her investigative work online and quickly set up a table full of experimental homemade fruit fly traps. She set out a plate of tomatoes to attract them to the table and even put two lamps there to attract them. It was like watching a mad scientist in action. :) 

Her experiment worked great and last night she counted 52 dead fruit flys and there were even more this morning. She used a variety of recipes, but the one she thinks worked the best was a combination of milk and sugar, but she had that bowl wrapped in plastic wrap and once they found their way into her trap, they couldn't find their way out. I think the apple cider vinegar traps worked the best, and if they had been covered in plastic wrap they would have done an even better job. We may have to do another experiment. :)

Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the apple cider vinegar since it has  a fruity aroma, and I like the fact that there are no harsh fumes and these traps can be made relatively inexpensively.

Apple Cider Vinegar Fruit Fly Trap:

Ingredients: 

1 cup apple cider vinegar

A couple drops of dish washing detergent (we used Dawn)

A small bowl or jar

Plastic wrap

Directions:

Pour the cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar or small bowl.

Add a couple drops of dish soap to the jar. 

Cover the container with plastic wrap and punch small holes in the top.

Place around your house in areas where you've seen fruit flies, and wait for the kill. 

 

Milk & Sugar Fruit Fly Trap:

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup milk

2 TBSP Sugar

A small bowl or jar

Plastic wrap

Directions:

Pour the milk and sugar into a jar or small bowl.

Cover the container with plastic wrap and punch small holes in the top.

Place around your house in areas where you've seen fruit flies, and wait for the kill.  

 

She did add some cider apple vinegar to the Milk & Sugar trap later thinking it would help attract them to the traps.  Like I said, she was like a mad scientist adding things to the traps as they day progressed. It was fun for her and I could tell she was enjoying herself. 

There are many recipes online for homemade fruit fly traps and many of them will do a good job of ridding our homes of these pests for very little money.

Today’s Bit of News:

 I subbed again today for the same teacher as yesterday. Dinner tonight was easy, Beef Hot Dogs with mustard, relish, tomatoes, and onions, Potato Salad and Cole Slaw. We stopped at Sonic again on the way home and picked up Iced Tea, but I still had two freebies with one of the surveys/receipts and received another one today. I brought my lunch from home again today, homemade pepperoni pizza that I made on Sunday and drank water, so no money spent today either. I hope you've had a good day today.

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Saving Money with Number Ten Cans

Another way I save money in my frugal kitchen is by purchasing food in number ten cans, which usually range in size from 102 to 110 ounces. Several types of food can be bought in these bigger quantities for less money than smaller canned goods. 

Back in 2012 when I wrote this article, the prices I paid were cheaper than they are today, but I have updated these prices to reflect the cost in 2024. 

Black Olives - (105 ounces) - was $6.25, now $15.99

Carrots - (105 ounces) - $6.99

Cheddar Cheese Sauce - (106 ounces) - $9.99

Corn - (106 ounces) - $6.99

Fruit Cocktail - (106 ounces) - $4.35, now $13.99

Green Beans - (105 ounces) - $6.99

Tomato Sauce (105 ounces) - was $2.98, now $5.99

Whole Tomatoes (105 ounces) - was $2.88, now $8.99

Diced Tomatoes - (102 ounces) - was $2.98, now $6.99

Crushed Tomatoes - (102 ounces) - was $3.22, now $6.99

Pizza Sauce - (105 ounces) - was 2.98, now $8.49

Pineapple Tidbits - (106 ounces) - was $3.78, now $9.99

Spaghetti Sauce - (105 ounces) - was $2.98, now $8.49

Groceries cost more these days, but there are still some good deals to be had. Like this number ten can of peaches I bought at Kroger last week for $8.99.

What I would do with these large portions is to open up the can, take out the portion I need and then freeze the remainder of the food into meal size portions. 

Black olives have risen a lot in price in the last few years and now cost around $1.99 for a six ounce can. But I can get this 110 ounce can of black olives from Gordon Food for $15.99. This works out to 15 cents per ounce. Walmart's price is 34 cents per ounce and up, which is more than double the price. 

 We love black olives here and include them in many dishes, so this is a good money saver for us as well. I simply transfer the olives to a container and store them in our refrigerator for a couple of weeks and we've never had any problems using them up in that time frame. Of course, it helps that I plan meals that I know call for black olives like tacos, pizza, pasta salad, etc.

Now, I know that not everyone has access to these types of canned foods, but for those who do they can be a money saver. Sometimes Walmart and some grocery stores have a small section devoted to the number ten size canned goods, so it is worth your time to check into this. 

However, it is important to note that sometimes you may run upon a good sale on a similar product in the 14.5 ounce canned good size. I know I have found canned tomatoes in that size priced at 3 for $1.00 at Big Lots before, although that kind of price has been hard to find since the Great Recession. 

Also, some number ten canned goods are not a good value. So, as always, be sure to know and check your prices to make sure you are getting the best deal for your family. 

Bi-Lo & IGA Run 8-12-12

I made a run to Bi-Lo on Friday to pick up a few sale items. Many of the sale items had a limit of 4 each, which was fine with me. Here is what I picked up:

4 (50 oz.) cans Hanover green beans - $1.48 each

4 (16 oz.) boxes spaghetti - 77¢ each

4 (1 lb.) boxes butter - $1.88 each

1 (5 lb.) bag flour - 99¢

1 (24 family size) box tea bags - $2.35

2 (1 lb.) packages Hillshire Farm Brats with Cheese - 2 for $5.00

The Tetley tea bags were on sale for Buy One Get One Free (B1G1F), so I decided to only buy one of them since Bi-Lo charges half price for one item on a B1G1F sale. Some grocery stores will sell you one for the sale price and then give you the second item free. I like the way Bi-Lo does it because it actually saves me more money. 

My box of tea rang up at $1.18, but I also had a coupon for 50¢ off one box and since Bi-Lo doubles coupons, they took another 50¢ off of that price. Now I'm not a coupon queen by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like it when I get a good deal like this. I only paid 18¢ for that box of tea, which is less than one penny per tea bag! You can't beat a good deal like that. :)

I also made a run to IGA on Friday morning to buy the Butterball Turkey Bacon they had on sale for $1.00 per package. We tried this turkey bacon for the first time this past summer and decided it was something we liked, and so I will definitely be buying this whenever I can find it on sale. I bought 5 packages and plan on using some of this for breakfasts and some for a baked potato bar.

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

WFD Saturday? Tacos!

Saturday night dinner is Tacos, which is a family favorite around here. Pictured above is the plate I made for my Dad. I serve his on a paper plate, so he does not have to worry about returning any dishes to me. He likes to eat early and is within walking distance from our house, so once I fix his plate, my daughter will walk it over there to him and visit with him. Then later I can warm up the taco meat again later and fix our dinner. 

The tomatoes are fresh from the garden, cheese and onions were bought on sale last month, ground beef was bought on markdown and frozen until last night when I put it in the refrigerator to thaw. The tortillas and lettuce are fresh that I bought at Sam's club this week. 

I put cubed potatoes in my taco meat to stretch it even farther. Today I used the can of potatoes I bought last week at Bi-Lo in the Crash and Burn section. I've made tacos before and not added the potatoes, but then everyone asks where the potatoes are, so I make sure to add them all the time now. Here is a picture of the meat with the potatoes added in there:

By my calculations these Tacos cost approximately 50¢ each to prepare at home, which is cheaper than ordering out anywhere. Like I, and many other personal finance writers have said for years, it it will save you money to cook the majority of your meals at home. 

What's for dinner at your house today?

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”