NORMAL - there is that word we keep hearing, every single day!!!!!
I hear at least once a day - can't wait till things get back to normal. It will be back to normal soon. Will we ever get normal again? On and on..........
Normal is what it is today!!!!!!!! We can't expect things to go back the way they were in the past (we can- but realistically?...), we can't even expect what we had a few months ago. Today is your reality!
Things change - that is our one constant in life - change.
I hear talk about groceries and yes, they do cost more. Will they continue to cost more? Probably. We can gripe and complain, and we can cry and be miserable, or we can figure out a way!!!!!
We adjust, we recalculate, we make substitutions, and we keep going forward. Things may never go back the way they were - so we need to make adjustments as well. Love it or hate it!
Vickie at Vickie's Kitchen and Garden did a post a couple days ago about the price of turkeys she was seeing. Not that .39/lb. price we here in the U.S. have gotten used to seeing this time of the year. $1 or more a pound. OK, not normal - but still cheap for meat!!! I know, I don't want to spend that either, but you know what? I can't buy lunchmeat that cheap - so if need be, I will spend the money. I also think about what all had to happen for that bird to get in that freezer at the store. IF you look at that - $1 a pound is cheap.
Kim of Out My Window posted yesterday about a one time (limited) deal on ground beef for 1.99/lb. WOOHOO! You grab those deals when you see them - whether you need it at the moment or not! If there is a limit - get what you can. Put that in the freezer later for another day.
Butter was mentioned yesterday - the price is way up. I have a bunch in the freezer for baking from sales previous. That is why we stock up. Look at buying heavy cream and making your own butter. It may be cheaper. Watch for the sales (bound to be a couple) before the holidays, and stock up.
I hear stories about shortages of all things (I am apprehensive to believe). Sure, they may not be plentiful on the shelves, or the prices are high - but I think much of that is control! Just my viewpoint.
Potatoes - supposedly a shortage! I have purchased for 1.99/5 lb. just last week (no limit). I have seen that posted from all over. WATCH for sales - that is when you buy.
Know how to COOK! Yes, that sounds simple and common sense. Many people have no idea. They buy only convenience foods and they eat out - well that isn't going to get it anymore. Prices go up, not necessarily salaries, so adjustments HAVE to be made.
Keep meals simple, with simple ingredients. Some love steak. Well, maybe they may have to get used to a roast or chicken or even 'steak' burgers.
Soups and casseroles are basics in a budget strained pantry. Using all leftovers in new ways. Simple ingredients like beans, rice, and pasta can stretch any dinner. Use lentils or other beans to stretch ground meat (even oatmeal).
SHOP your pantry and freezer FIRST. Use what you have when the budget is stretched, and prices are too high.
Cornbread with cut up hotdogs or smoked sausage added - serve with a salad or a side of green beans or soup beans. Tasty, stretches things and easy - creative.
Get creative. The computer can be your friend. So many sites out there on how to stretch your dollars, how to make creative recipes and use what you have. Experiment. Instead of a meal of meat and whatever - have a loaded baked potato (top with leftovers). It is filling and tasty. NOT every meal has to have meat.
There is a way to stretch things. You just have to step out of the preconceived notion you have that you HAVE to be able to buy this or that or that you HAVE to have this or that. Life is all about being flexible.
Buy the SALE prices - buy the CLEARANCE - buy as much as you can use in 2 months, 6 months, or even a year. You then have a jump on inflation!!!!!!!! We all need to take advantage of every opportunity put in front of us to save.
It is so very important now - just like it was back in the day for our parents and grandparents. It is a lot of mindset and imagination.
Yes, the holidays may be more expensive this year. IF you are a planner - hopefully it won't be too much of an upset for your family. I have a turkey, a ham, and turkey roasts in the freezer. I have potatoes, beans, baking goodies, macaroni and lots of cheeses - I can do a lovely meal and not spend a dime!
You DON'T have to have turkey or ham! Really!!!!! Make a meatloaf, have a chicken dinner, make a pork roast, have lasagna or an Italian feast - use what you have and be GRATEFUL!
Pantries and freezers are so very important. Stock cheaply as you can, teach all that will listen, and be a good steward of what you have. Look at prices with new eyes - it may seem better to you looking at things with a different viewpoint!
Lastly, be GRATEFUL - that you have a meal in front of you. No matter what that meal may be - it is all good!
Be blessed and be creative!
I chuckled out loud when I saw the picture of the bread used many ways. My daughter in law recently shared that the dog got the garlic bread when she stepped away from the counter. She was beside herself. My son then said...well, Mom always made ours with regular bread... don't we have some of that we can use instead? She said....we can do that? He said....that's the only kind we had growing up. We also did the bread for hamburger and hot dog thing also if we had no regular buns. I think for lots of us older folks who weren't real affluent or were raised by depression babies...this was the norm. Use what you have , what you grew, what someone else shared with you or what you could get on sale.
ReplyDeleteGrowing upnI grumbled and groaned with our frugal ways ...but am so thankful my mother and father taught me these things. Obviously, my son noticed also.
As for the holidays, I'm buying as I see sakes and know we will have a wonderful meal. But most of all, even if the meal were meager, I am so grateful I have loved ones to join together to share it with.
There are still lots of deals to be had. I am like the afrementioned...I have been putting back as I've seen sales...all the while realizing how blessed I am to have the means to but ahead.
Well get through this together! But, as other recessions have passed...let us not abandon our frugal habits once it us over!
Love it! That is all we had back in the day too - just bread that served many purposes. I still do it a lot. YAY, for your sone on picking those things up along the way.
DeleteYes, not all have money to make big stock ups when they shop - but a can or 2 here and there will sure help. Use half a pound of burger and save the other 1/2 for another day. Even if getting food bank supplies - a little here and ther can be put back.
I am with you - I could eat a bowl of rice - but if I am with family or friends it is a feast!!!!!!!
We just need to keep encouraging each other and all those around us. We will get through this together- AGREE!
Normal is a setting on the dryer! The economic thing that makes me laugh when I hear it is how horrendous 7% mortgage interest has become. Um........interest was 19-21% when we bought our first home. I don't say "suck it up" but I think it. Times are different....It has always happened and it will continue to happen. We adjust or revel in misery. I choose adjust!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!!!!!! Yep, I remember that first mortgage with the high interest rates too. Didn't phase us.
DeleteI am in total agreement. It has all happened before, it will all happen again and we will manage - somehow!
I choose adjust too!!!!!
We were so thrilled in 1990 to get an adjustable mortgage at 8.75% on our first house. Mortgage rates had been in double digits before that. Shortly afterwards, Hubs faced a "downsizing". New term. NOT fun. Our youngest was a new baby at the time. We moved state for a new job for him. Higher cost of living. I remember months when we had the awful dilemma of deciding between buying food or paying the (steep) heating bill. But we got through it all. And I honed skills to stretch the food budget during that time. By which I mean everything--including baby food--was homemade and not a scrap wasted. It used to be that young adults all went through some tough times. Maybe the difference today is that hasn't been the case? Until now? --Elise
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ReplyDeleteFunnily enough I got cream on clearance to make butter from after only saying last week that I wouldn't buy butter as it was too expensive! The buttermilk will go into soda farls, so all used. Certainly after Christmas there will be a lot of cream reduced!
We can make or make do with so many things! I love that you are going to make butter. Watch those sales and get the cream cheaply. Make the butter and freeze if necessary! I love that we are all thinking outside the box!
DeleteOne year after Christmas I found cream on clearance at Target, and it was the big bottles like half a carton for 50 cents. I bought four of them it was such a great deal.
DeleteI laughed at your bread photo. Growing up with my great aunt and grandmother, we didn’t have hamburger or hot dog buns…just bread ;). I had forgotten about we eating hot dogs wrapped in a slice of bread! Your blog is spot on today, great ideas. Hilogene in Az
ReplyDeleteThat was how it was done then - and some of us still do it today. If I want a hamburger or hotdog and don't have buns - I am not running to the store for the. I always have bread!!!!
DeleteThanks - we just need to realize that we are all in this together and help each other.
Mom used to put a hotdog diagonally on a slice of bread, bring two corners up and use a toothpick to hold it together and broil them in the oven, Delicious. Sometimes we would put a slice of cheese in there with it.
DeleteExcellent and encouraging post today, Cheryl. Every day I hear or read about sky high inflation, but we've been here before. Not that long ago, in fact. From 2007 on, for at least 3-4 years, we all saw folks gardening for the 1st time. Canning, drying or freezing foods for the 1st time. Frugal blog and websites become HUGELY popular as folks were learning new habits. How soon we forget!
ReplyDeleteShortages come and go and I often feel they're manipulated by news media, but stock up when you can. If there *is* a beef shortage next year, I've got plenty from sales in both freezers. It's a blessing to be able to do that. And who's to say a beef or pork roast isn't a good choice for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Might be the best choice for a smaller gathering, especially if there's one already in the freezer.
Those who lived through the Depression were able to pass on habits and skills learned. WE can do that now. It didn't have to end when they passed. It's something I LOVE about your blog and all the comments... that "can do" focus. Yes we can! We're intelligent, talented people with the ability to shift gears as needed.
--Elise
Yep - been there and done that. So many seem to conveniently forget that!
DeleteI am good eating whatever - whenever. I am not a slave of tradition. I agree - we can have whatever we want for the holiday - beef, pork, poultry, even hotdogs if so desired. Why not?
I love the 'can do' of all you gals here too. Such a wonderful and encouraging group. We share ideas and learn and pass on what we can. THAT is what life is all about!
We’ve done beef roast for Christmas dinner in the past. Lasagne would be good too. And some people have a tradition of eating Chinese on Christmas Day. That can be made at home very affordably.
DeleteChristmas Story - Chinese food. LOL That is what I think of.
DeleteLasagna has been had here before - roast as well.
Inspired and amusing post, Cheryl. Prices on the same items can vary from store to store and from time to time. I saw boxes of Kraft Mac and cheese for $2.69 at one store and for .99 at another store. I bought 2# pasta for .99 last week and have a cheese drawer full of cheddar, etc that cost $4.50 a pound. ( my go to price) so a dish of mac and cheese will be very cheap to make from scratch. I have recently purchased ham butts for $1.47 #; Beef brisket for $4. #; butter for $4.49 #. A modest amount put away will see me to the next sale. The stores are well stocked. Armageddon will not be here just yet, despite rumors to the contrary. As a Canadian senior, I have no worries for my own well being. I am well provided for and then some. I think that those of us who pinched our pennies and paid off the mortgage and drove our well maintained vehicles into old age; who passed on the cruises and casino jaunts can now see the fruits of our labor. We in the western nations are rich in opportunity; just need to make responsible choices.
ReplyDeleteI agree - stores do vary. I always check the clearance as well. Same products - same sell by dates - marked down! Yepper, I will buy that one thank you!
DeleteCHOICES - that is so much of today. Bad ones, good ones, they are all out there and affect us. I agree, I think the way we were raised and lived such frugal lifestyles to get to this point in life - made a huge difference for us. I am comfy and that makes me happy. I have friends my age (and older) who still HAVE to work because of the choices they made. It is all a trade-off for sure.
Yes, no matter what the media tells us - we do still live in the land of opportunity.
Oh yes! We had a chicken burger on toast yesterday. No buns in the house and the burger was 37 cents each on sale. (Compare that to a beef burger at $1 a patty.) It was delicious! Someone said to us recently that she likes us because we just adapt to whatever life throws us and go on. What a compliment! I pray we can continue to live up to her assessment of us!
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a lovely compliment indeed!!!!
DeleteYour lunch sounds great and tasty and filling. I had a burger with a piece of cheese, one of my last tomatoes sliced, some clearance lettuce I bought last week on toast for lunch as well. Throw in a handful of chips left at the bottom of a bag. Simple and filling!
You are blessed!
I will abstain on all the happy happy joy joy here today. I ain't feeling it! The state of my flocks are in deep rutabagas and getting worse.
ReplyDeleteElise, you asked yesterday about our coyote pup. She was Basenji and coyote mix. Without a doubt, the smartest dog I've ever had. Even as a pup, it took several months and lots of attention for her to warm up to us. Then, she was fiercely loyal and protective. Lovable as all get out. That said, she had no use for other people or other dogs. She wouldn't let anyone but me and hubs touch her. We had to muzzle her for the vet. She eventually tolerated one very patient vet tech who cried with us when we had to say goodbye. She was also completely docile when my MIL visited and when my mom moved in. No touching lol, but she didn't bother them at all. Including my mom's cat. Oh, how I cried when she was gone. I loved that dog to pieces. I'm so glad she chose me at the shelter. She must've sensed that we were the ones that could handle and love her uniqueness. I think most people would have taken hr back. Many in our circles said exactly that. They obviously didn't know us at all. She was family!
Saying a prayer for you today, Debby, whatever is going on. Happy to help if I can, even with just a cyber (((hug))). Thank you for explaining about your coyote pup. She sounds like she was one in a million!
Delete--Elise
So sorry Debby that you are having a bad day. I pray that whatever if giving you grief and heartache - goes far, far away.
DeleteHope your mood lifts soon. Not like you to not be all perky.
Take care and like Elise said HUGS!!!!!!!
Hope today is a better day for you, Debby. You're in my thoughts and prayers. --Elise
DeleteWonderful post especially mentioning me....:) It is so easy to get on the band wagon of dispair and complaining. I am prone to this. But I just keep going back to the beginning of the war In Ukraine and telling myself, I can buy gas, I can go to a store with food on the shelves. I can make do with what I have and I have a lot more than most of the folks in the world. Plus I have you.
ReplyDeleteThanks - hey, love giving shout outs.
DeleteIt is easy to do - and we must resist. We need to realize just how blessed we are and have joy each day. We are beyond blessed - so many around the world would think we are all super wealthy. Perspective.
I love you guys!
My Lidl app is showing turkeys for 49 cents starting in next week's ad. They really follow the competition so I think it likely that there will be good sales.
ReplyDeleteWOOHOO - that is encouraging for sure. Hopefully in the next few weeks - stores will start reducing. It really isn't time yet - so a week or 2 will be wonderful!
DeleteTHANKS! - good news!!!!!!!!!
Yes, be grateful for the food you have! We eat pretty simply, home cooked meals that are nourishing and easy to make. No running to the store for an ingredient that will never be used in anything else. I haven't checked the price of turkeys this fall. The Urban Farmer read online that a ton of turkeys were just killed. Who knows why. We have a boneless turkey breast from Costco in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteSame here. Simple, basic home cooking. Learn to use substitutes and enjoy what I have.
DeleteWe should be so thankful for what we have.
I have a turkey and a turkey roast in freezer - not worried. Lana said Lindl has turkeys next week for .49/lb. in their ad. Maybe others will follow suit.
Yes, substitute where you can. I was out of butter and used up the margarine and then turned to a can of shortening. It worked,
DeleteI too was raised to use slices of bread for the hamburg buns, hot dogs, garlic bread etc., and still do to this day! We do get buns, etc., but a lot of times forget to pick them up and so we think nothing of using bread.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to share this particular story of a woman who has this blog, mentioning how she and another lady helped with the local food bank and helped with making sure people that came got a share of the different things available. What was interesting was this. She said no one really wanted the regular pantry type things, like beans, rice, flour, you know the basics. They wanted the ready-made, out of the can stuff or things they didn't have to cook. So, what they figured out after having a few conversations, a lot of these people had no clue what to do with those foods because they didn't know how to cook and had basically bought mostly frozen, prepared type meals at the store or went through the local drive thru. So, what they ended up doing is making up little copies of very basic recipes on cards using those foods so people could figure out what to do with those basics. I think they should have kept home economics in the schools and required it! Good grief! Pretty sad when I think about that. Sure, don't we all love to eat something easily prepared for us or go through the drive thru, but when times aren't the best and you need to eat, it's a good idea to know how to put something together that will fill your belly without having to depend on those things.
I am grateful to have what we need, not what we want always and give thanks to the LORD for that and for having the skills and willingness to figure out things that we have been blessed with.
What a great idea those ladies had to give out basic recipes for basic ingredients! I have heard that so many people do not know how to cook real food and it's a shame. We eat mostly from scratch at our house, so when my husband stopped for a fast food burger yesterday, he said how awful and salty it tasted. Definitely not worth the money spent!
DeleteLISA - Same here. I do buy buns once in a while - but if I have none it is no big deal!
DeleteIsn't that something. I have heard comments like that as well. Pretty darn sad that in this day and age - people can't do the simple act of cooking. It really is simple - it doesn't have to be fancy. Just a sad statement of our society in my opinion. Easy and immediate seems to be the way people think today. Good for the ladies of trying to help.
Amen - we are so blessed with enough and with knowledge.
NANA - isn't that the way? Most fast food tastes icky any more. Nothing like good old home cooking. I applaud those ladies for trying to teach a basic skill to others.
DeleteBasic skills have gotten lost over the years.
There is a term for cooking with basic pantry items, which Bob Waldroup referred to as slow food, which was how his elders cooked. Cooking beans from dry makes them slow food, but they are very affordable. https://distributistreview.com/archive/cultivating-a-local-food-system
DeleteSLOW FOOD - yep, I love that.
DeleteGreat post!! There are so many creative ways to keep going. And we definitely still use bread for buns around here. With just the two of us, we don’t always need a package of 8 buns. Speaking of buns, they are still sold in packages of 8 or more. Our favorite Nathan hotdogs have downsized to only five wieners in a package. Go figure! 😁 (little Penpen)
ReplyDeleteSeems hotdogs and buns have never matched in quantity! Crazy.
DeleteThere are many, many ways to get by - it just takes a little work and imagination
Another from Little Penpen: do you follow Grandma Donna? She posted a lovely, similar post to yours today. https://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/stop-waiting/ You both are thinking clearly!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Penny. I’m going to check out her blog too.
DeleteNeed to go check her out! Thank you so much!
DeleteI love this blog post, Cheryl. Yes to all of the above! Sluggy said it once with a post that said prices are not going to go down, so we might as well get used to it. This is the new “normal”. We make adjustments and life goes on. Frugal Queen talked about her life growing up in the UK in the 1970s where they really had some hardships. When I think of my growing up years in the 70s they weren’t like that. We had central heat and air at that time, which is really a luxury. We are going to be OK, it just takes a little getting used too. 😊
ReplyDeleteBelinda, it's going to be "normal" for awhile, but won't last forever. That fact can give folks hope who are learning new-to-them skills. My mom divorced in the 1970s. We were so broke a cousin lived with us in an apartment to help with rent. I learned to cook at that time; she was working long hours and I liked to have dinner taken care of. We ate a LOT of cheap meals. More tuna casserole than I care to remember. Spam was new then and also cheap. 100+ ways with a pound of ground beef. Soup and saltine crackers at the end of a pay period, waiting for payday. Pizza was a huge, rare treat. That recession lasted awhile, but it did pass. We had a roof over our heads, central heat and air, access to a laundry room, and were happy overall, having escaped an abusive situation. We'd literally moved from one coast to another. It took guts on my mom's part. It takes guts today to face so many changes. And yes, we ARE all going to be okay. Even if it doesn't immediately feel like it.
Delete--Elise
Thanks Belinda. There are many of us that are thinking in the same frame of mind today. We just have to do the best we can with what we have. Sub when necessary and change things up a bit. It sure isn't going to hurt a one of us.
DeleteI remember the recession before and gas and things were crazy. Interest rates were so high. We all made it.
They keep saying we are heading into a recession - boy are they full of it. We are already in one IMO! !!!!
It will last a while - then the things may turn around. It will be what it will be, and we just adjust.
YES ladies I agree - we will be OK!
Still use bread in those ways, unless we have company. The picture made me smile.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Just makes sense - right!!!! It is all made from the same stuff!
DeleteI am sure I am preaching to the choir here...but so many times I see people filling bags of onions regardless of the price. If they are cheap, I fill a bag, too. But if they are expensive, I buy ONE onion, since the price goes up and down. I may buy one onion for 4 weeks in a row. I have always had target prices for grocery items, and for onions it was .39 lb. I am not sure what it is now...so I'm still buying one onion at a time, LOL.
ReplyDelete--Maxine
I have target prices too. Like ground beef - has to be under a certain price before I buy. When it gets to or below that price I stock up!
DeleteWhen you can get a lot of onion - chop and freeze or dehydrate and you never run out!
I agree - just some things I do not buy anymore - I survive fine without them. Hunt for those prices and follow your brain!
I keep dried, minced onion and garlic on hand, bought at $1 each container (Walgreens, Dollar Tree, etc.) for when there aren't good sale prices on fresh. Celery is bought on sale, washed, dried, sliced and vacuum sealed in the freezer in batches for the same reason. Next year I'll grow herbs in pots on the patio; I use dried quite often, but like the taste of fresh better. --Elise
DeleteElise I always have dried onion and garlic too. Can be had very cheaply. I cut chives all year too and bag those and stick in the freezer. Of course the basil and thyme and mint are always dried as well. It is fun figuring out these little tips along the way!
DeleteThere are things I never buy like buttermilk. I just do the vinegar + milk thing. Except a few months ago they had a carton on clearance for 25 cents! I bought it. Probably the 1st time I've bought it in 30 years! It's in the freezer for holiday baking. Lol.
ReplyDeleteI have a fully stocked pantry of INGREDIENTS.
My kids used to tease me..."there's nothing to EAT. All you have is ingredients!"
It's the family joke now.
~~margaret
LOL - my hubby used to say that.
DeleteFunny how people look at things. Having a pantry and freezer full of 'ingredients' is the best feeling. You want something - it can be had - just a little work. That is wonderful in my opinion.