The Entire 2nd Week! $100 Grocery Budget to Last a Month!

[@shadowcatX2000]

Please keep referring to the freezer as the squirrel fund.

[@kaelynnmartin6521]

That’s what I call the money I save from the grocery budget

[@DebbieandEddieBFF]

​@@kaelynnmartin6521I love it too❤

[@steviegallagher1801]

its adorable

[@Xxxero42]

Yes. I agree with this.

[@giancarlamacaluso]

I also love the squirrel fund!!!

[@GoingCoastal]

There is no room to criticize about the food not being super healthy. This is the reality many people live. This is their budget. They can't pull another $50 out of a hat. Your meals are balanced and well done for the budget. You're helping people have a good variety and there is very decent nutrition in your meals. Great job, looking forward to the next week.

[@theskiesthelimit-q2k]

Also, in reality, her meals are way healthier than fast food.

[@rachelarmstrong807]

Agree! Plus, she is not buying a lot of snack food or dessert. Everyone needs a splurge sometimes, but I love to get the most nutritional bang for my buck, which is what she is doing.

[@vickiethompson9245]

Absolutely!! Starvation is much more unhealthy than budget foods.

[@CherieNorquay]

This is a very detailed and well-done series. Budget meals are always contingent on sales at the store and time for scratch cooking at home. This series is realistic for working folks, features a varied menu to prevent food fatigue, and has a decent amount of meat and veggies. It's a great series for anyone on a serious budget.

[@ad6417]

Most people who criticize others about not serving unhealthy meals truly have no idea about good nutrition to begin with. They don't even understand that the protein you eat is not utilized to create muscle on your body. The healthiest people eat less than 10% protein because it's a lot easier on your kidneys.

[@erinb.5103]

You can take a couple of tablespoons of your jelly in a saucepan and add 2 cups water, 1 tsp sugar and bring it to a boil for 4 minutes, it makes what we called poor man’s syrup, which we used on biscuits or French toast or pancakes if we ran out of regular syrup. We were very poor and used whatever we had.

[@stacib7141]

Brilliant idea 👏🏼

[@lauraspicks7114]

Thanks for the tip.

[@dianethoroughman9541]

Clever, and useful!😊

[@eringrant8221]

I'll have to try that. I came here to say that if she buys a few apples like she wants to, she could boil the peels and cores in water, strain it, add sugar, and reduce it to make a really nice apple syrup. (Add cinnamon to make a more savory apple cider syrup!)

[@ariellel6123]

Ohh I might take your idea to use on these oat pancakes I want to make! (I’m gluten free and currently don’t have pancake mix or much gluten free flour but I do have gluten free oats that I think I can grind up and make pancakes out of!) We have syrup but this sounds delicious!

[@kristinebautz1859]

i'm not even broke or starving, i just love watching these videos and getting ideas. Your recipes are simple and realistic. I've done about 4 of your ideas and they are now a new staple in my household. Just sending some love!

[@DollarTreeDinners]

Glad you like them!

[@kenyonbissett3512]

It’s fun to see what she comes up with.

[@stephaniebaker4024]

Me too I have gotten so many great ideas from Rebecca. Even not thinking outside the box. ❤️

[@GloriaJackson-r4b]

​@@DollarTreeDinnersLove your recipes, they are so simple. Would also like to know where you got the lunch/food containers. Thanks

[@tauna8941]

We can't eat anything she cooks due to dietary restrictions but I love her videos.

[@StephanieGiese]

My grandma would have totally taken that graying meat over to the counter and passive aggressively made them mark it down for her. I can hear her now. "Excuse me, I think this may have been left out by mistake. I know y'all usually have better quality than this. If you want to take the price down on this one, I'll go ahead and take it off your hands for you so you don't have to throw it out." haha

[@sg-cg6lr]

Gma sounds amazing , polite and extremely resourceful!!

[@flippingthescienceclassrom]

I need her nerve! Love it

[@renysimone3312]

Wow, grandma is the GOAT!♥️❤️💖🩷💕🥰

[@lisathornton6498]

I love your grandma's style!

[@aHavenForTheLost]

​@@sg-cg6lrlol

[@ameliastelmach148]

As a retail grocery employee of 30 years I can tell you that markdowns are never completed before 9 a m. It takes time for the one employee who is responsible for this task to go around the whole department to mark appropriate items down. For future reference. You are the exception to the rule of nobody coming in that early looking for markdowns. Next time you will not "waste a trip" to the grocery store at 7 a. m. looking for markdiwns. Not at a Food Lion Publix or Harris Teeter gricery chain stores at least. Maybe elsewhere.

[@Golden_Girl7123]

What about couponing?

[@Yesica1993]

Thanks for the inside scoop!

[@jillgott6567]

Did you ask the store when they reduce items

[@Nick-uh3jx]

Tell that to my local Smiths, Wednesday 6am is gold mine day.

[@ameliastelmach148]

​​I can't speak for them. Never worked for them.s​@@Nick-uh3jx Sounds great!

[@kat-napzzz]

I totally understand sticking to the budget, but I felt for you not having enough ketchup with your eggs😂 If you did this again, I wonder if you could give yourself a small dollar tree pantry of like hot sauce, ketchup, mustard and a few more spices. I feel like it wouldn’t be a stretch that someone would have a few affordable basics already. Plus showing how to build up a small affordable pantry from dollar tree might be helpful to some. Totally enjoying these videos and getting ideas and now I want to hunt better for markdowns myself!

[@Cookie7294]

Most people have some seasonings and sauces in their pantry and fridge. Might be interesting to do a challenge including what's on hand as a base.

[@tv-21]

Gas stations have them for free

[@mrdaym]

That sounds like a delightful idea! Yes I know Rebecca usually only uses oil, pepper and salt as a basic free for all because she tries to keep everyone in the loop, even those of us who are going through hard times. But it would be fun to see a challenge performed with a "beefed up" base of not only oil, salt and sugar but also hot sauce, ketchup and mustard be added to the ready-to-go ingredients.

[@Cookie7294]

@@mrdaym I stock up on non perishables when the price is good and have jars of all kinds of herbs and spices. A video on how to work with what you have while buying a minimal amount might be interesting. There's a channel called Frugal Queen in France that you might like. She talks about budgeting, how to take advantage of discounts and sales, and meal planning. Now she is also gardening. She does several no spend months each year as well.

[@kenyonbissett3512]

Dollar General- crystal hot sauce $1.15, clover valley ketchup $1.35. I think you are right that Bull’s Eye bbq sauce $1.25 would provide a nice selection of flavors for her dishes at a low cost.

[@patrice1966]

You won’t get the mark downs going that early. You need to wait at least an hour or two after the store opens. That gives the meat department employees time to go through the meat on the shelves to check the dates and mark the items down. I find better clearance prices on Monday and Tuesday because they mark down meats that didn’t sell over the weekend. With the new sales start on Wednesday you might find some clearance on Fridays as well.

[@ChristinaVVM]

Here too. One store does Mondays and the other does Fridays for all their markdowns.

[@cindymichaud7111]

I agree with @patrice1966 , one hundred percent. Too early for mark-downs, plus, my stores marked by Monday afternoon. Have a blessed day 💖✝

[@juliehill8292]

I was thinking the same thing. I love this series and am really enjoying the videos. The only thing I wish is that you had more to work with in seasonings and condiments. I also want so much for you to have your ice coffee or chips ,some kind of a treat. I feel like you probably have enough food in your freezer now for the fourth week and could maybe splurge on some more convenience items.I absolutely love how you use every last bit of everything. It's inspiring and makes me want to try and do the same.

[@SMV95OA]

Yes, great advice! I work in a grocery store bakery and we will not have markdowns done until at least a couple hours after opening. Usually the weekend is not the best time for markdowns because product is flying off the shelves faster than we can stock it. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings/noonish are best, as least at my store.

[@loriloristuff]

Nope. Here in Wisconsin, we're up early. Woodman's and Stinebrink's Piggly Wiggly are ready before 9 AM. Aldi opens at 9 AM, but my daughter works at one (yes, we have 6 within driving distance), and Aldi marks down after closing, in anticipation of the next day.

[@steviegallagher1801]

you may already know this bc youre so good at budget eating and associated things like that, but if youre not already: chill all your meals down in the fridge first before putting them in the freezer. if its already cold when it starts freezing, the ice crystals will be smaller, which minimizes any texture changes when you reheat it.

[@aHavenForTheLost]

Wow thanks! I never knew this.

[@ms53182]

Thank you, did not know

[@Fiery154]

Thanks for putting this here for the rest of us! I bet my fridge meat drawer would be the best. It will freeze damage the veg, but doesn’t freeze meat or cheese.

[@animula6908]

I’m not even sure I’m that sensitive to texture changes to try this, but I’m happy you taught us this trick. It’s good to know just to know.

[@menevermind2612]

My tip for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Extend their life from getting soggy due to jelly bread, touching with a thin layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread and then the jelly on top of that. So the water in the jelly doesn’t touch the bread and make it soggy. I hope that helps somebody.it’ll make a sandwich last at least a day or two if you don’t eat it right away. Love your video love this series too.

[@mistymountainhop1971]

I just got my Food Lion coupons yesterday in the mail. They had some good ones, a free bag of small coffee. I work as an RN, so I don't really have to budget for food, but when you grow up as poor as my family did, you don't forget where you came from. I could go out and spend $$$, but I ask myself, will this bring value to my life, do I need it, or do I want it? Thank you for making this series.

[@Golden_Girl7123]

You might go online too and see their download coupons

[@Nick-uh3jx]

This is the most relatable message for me lol. I grew up dirt poor and food insecure. After 31 years I finally have a very cushy government job but I still can't lose the budget mindset.

[@aHavenForTheLost]

I would still perhaps do a budget because you never know what can happen. Then you can save the rest for a raining day or for more of a retirement savings on top of your 401k.

[@alphabetsoup6681]

They never send me paper coupons anymore. I have the phone app but the coupons are hit or miss.

[@animula6908]

You work hard for your money and you’re smart enough to realize expensive food isn’t the thing that’s going to enrich your life or the lives around you, so I think you’re living right. Values alone should make us all want to keep budgets for sustenance to a minimum. There’s got to be more to life than groceries or what kind of life are you living? No one ever said from their deathbed that they wish they’d eaten more imported ingredients and designer foods.

[@kaye2168]

What about using the syrup from your canned fruit for the French toast casserole? You could cook it down to thicken it and even add some cinnamon.

[@jenny97217]

As frugalfitmom says ask your store employees about the best time to find mark down.

[@KJDogluv]

She’s great!

[@Michelle-ud4we]

A 99cent bag of frozen spinach would have gone a long way to adding nutrition to the Alfredo and the breakfast burritos

[@ilovemusic1974]

Could also add to the breakfast burrito mix

[@estelarubin764]

I love spinach on almost everything

[@KrystyneY]

Where do you find spinach that cheap? The cheapest I've seen is $2.39 on sale.

[@adventurouspeach]

I love blending spinach into basically any sauce especially curry and pasta though I dont like its texture cooked so makes me feel like im getting something good 😅

[@ourgreatlittlelife-alexand7993]

@@KrystyneY in my area (central IL) almost every frozen veggie has a Great Value bag for $1.19 (used to be .99 before the COVID times, but alas)

[@redinwolfsclothing]

If you have any takeout Chinese sauce packets, duck sauce pairs really nicely with pork loin sandwiches.

[@Fiery154]

That sounds like YUM

[@CupcakeFairy777]

That sounds good God bless

[@BeFreeForInfinity]

Or McD ketchup

[@bethanyg153]

Canned green beans are great, I agree! I found them for 38¢/can around Thanksgiving and I bought 36 cans.

[@DollarTreeDinners]

Oh wow! That’s a great deal

[@Charlotte-h9j]

I cannot even look at a can of string beans. It was my mom's favorite, but she was from the depression era, and would eat them just poured out of the can. Blah

[@somethingoldsomethingnew2199]

​@@Charlotte-h9jSame! My mother wasn't depression era but she and her sister (my aunt) liked their vegetables cooked until they were mush. It wasn't until I was an adult and learned how to cook vegetables properly that I realized how much I actually liked them. Except onions, that's where I draw the line! 😂

[@dianethoroughman9541]

​@user-cy5ll2kl6d It is weird, I like regular green beans, but I hate string beans! 😂 Same vegetable, but a different way of cutting.

[@TT-de7wb]

@@somethingoldsomethingnew2199 Properly? Who says the softer ones aren't done properly? Are you the food police? All the millions of people who like them softer would probably not agree with you.

[@kelzorific]

I love calling it the "squirrel fund" - my current meals are about 2/3 from my own squirrel fund. I haven't gone grocery shopping at all this month, and did one modest trip late May for fresh stuff to hold me over and see 1) how long I could get some produce to last, 2) if I would actually start eating out of my freezer instead of just keeping it stocked until it was bursting, and 3) to get really creative and make sure I used up some stuff that was languishing in the back of my cabinets. I love seeing all of your creative ideas for making do with what you have rather than my usual tactic of impulsive grocery trips to make whatever food I'm feeling like at the time. It's inspiring!

[@wandasellers3899]

To use up those bread scraps, my mom used to cut up the heels and crust and put them in scrambled eggs. She would let it sit on the counter to soak up the egg a few minutes while she did other things in the kitchen. She used bacon grease to cook the eggs and bread which she seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and parsley. She would save and freeze the end pieces of cheese, any extra sausage or bacon and bits of veggies. Any of if these ingredients could be added to the eggs and bread. Mom called this dish "Tummy Filler", lol.

[@jemnyjones]

My mom would make something very similar growing up. It’s called a strata! Rebecca I bet this would be a great way to use up leftover scraps.

[@TT-de7wb]

@@jemnyjones It may be called that now, but maybe not then.

[@TT-de7wb]

One smart mama! My mom did similar things too!

[@wandasellers3899]

@@TT-de7wb My mom made done great dishes on a budget, we were poor and didn't realize it. Never went hungry. The other budget dish I still love...fried eggs and rice 🙂

[@wandasellers3899]

@@jemnyjones Stratta is usually baked with eggs, like a breakfast casserole and usually it would s assembled the night before, refrigerated and baked the next morning. My Aunt made Stratta, My mom's dish was all mixed in a bowl and made by scrambling the eggs. I think Stratta or Tummy filler would be great used of that bread🙂

[@1981lackadaisy]

I have perfected roasted potato wedges (for us anyway). I toss with olive oil & bake covered with foil on a baking sheet at 425 for 35ish minutes. Remove the foil. Flip the potatoes. Bake for another 15ish minutes. Covering with foil for the majority of time makes them so soft in the middle! Then letting them bake uncovered for the rest of the time gets the outside crispy. For seasoning, I usually just use Lawry’s seasoned salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder. My whole family craves these magical spuds!

[@nelliegeorge550]

I make them the same

[@Susanfuzz]

I used to prep pb&j sandwiches for school lunch and repack them in the bread bag, then into the freezer. I would pull them out daily and pack them frozen. It would keep my son’s lunch cool and be defrosted and not soggy any lunch time. Reusing the bread bag and packing in a sandwich box reduces waste and plastic bag use :)

[@veronica978]

I’m not sure what state you live in and if you pay taxes on food… but I think a good “challenge” would be to do a month on the Max SNAP (food stamp) amount for a household size … I’m not sure what it is in your state but in my state a household of one Max is $291, household of two is $535. (Those amounts are for households with $0 income… the more income you have the lower the amount is, since it is a supplemental program.) I’m not personally on SNAP but know people who are. I think that it would help show people how to stretch that type of budget. .. i usually cook those loins in the slow cooker and it makes them so tender and juicy.

[@aHavenForTheLost]

Excellent idea!!

[@bouldergirl528]

Yep, I'm in Colorado and on SNAP benefits. I live alone, my benefits are $271/month

[@somethingoldsomethingnew2199]

Years ago, I was on SNAP for 6 months. We got 87.00 a month for a family of 4. I can honestly say that it didn't do much to help. I checked recently and we made 2,000 too much to qualify this year. I'm trying to get through the rest of the week with 11.00. I will have to skip a few meals and just hope it doesn't affect my diabetes too much.

[@Aery-ro6te]

​@@somethingoldsomethingnew2199 😮 oh no, please don't skip meals 😢 do you have the makings for some simple biscuits? That's my son's favorite "poor food"

[@irenez7439]

​@@Aery-ro6te biscuits are not good for diabetes.

[@alexisbryanto1474]

Another low cost meal we enjoy is a summertime bow tie pasta. Get bow tie pasta, Italian dressing, 2 cucumbers and 1 container of cherry/grape tomatoes. Boil pasta then drain. Cut up cucumbers into small pieces and cut tomatoes in half. We go ahead and add the bottle of dressing. Refrigerate, then serve cold. We get roughly 5 generous portions. At Walmart you can recreate it for ~$6.71. So roughly $1.34 per serving! Also perfect for a hot day since you serve it cold!

[@LulaMae21]

I've had something similar but with bell pepper and onion added, and sometimes avocado instead of cucumber. Delish!

[@alexisbryanto1474]

@@LulaMae21 oh that sounds good! I will have to look at doing that next time! Thank you for sharing!!!

[@myyoutubeaccount2780]

if you don't have milk you can add in a little butter to the oatmeal to make it more creamy

[@Susanfuzz]

I love oatmeal “porridge” style: butter, salt and lots of pepper! It’s tasty and lower carb than with sugar :)

[@Fiery154]

Butter is ESSENTIAL FAT is Flavor

[@flippingthescienceclassrom]

Can I just say, as someone who: Lives in the south Worked at Walgreens as a photo tech Worked at fast food And owns what seems like all your food containers… Are we twins?? 😂 😂 I’m so glad I found your channel. Great to listen to and learn new tricks to save money.

[@DollarTreeDinners]

What a unique parallel situation!

[@vickiethompson9245]

​@@DollarTreeDinners As for the twin situation, I've always thought if you went ash blonde, you'd be twins with the actress Amber Marshall. Do you ride horses?

[@pigoff123]

I don't normally eat breakfast but my daughter moved out and left me apples and banana so I cooked them with butter and brown sugar and added them to oatmeal and had it for lunch. It was delicious. 😊

[@allyrooh3628]

You might need to wait until the butcher comes on duty. Also, if you talk to the meat manager they could tell you when they do their markdowns. I’m no morning person either. I felt every ounce of your pain while watching you shop! Your last week is going to be awesome shopping your freezer & it will be such a time saver!

[@4vinte]

me, a Brazilian living in Europe, not struggling with money, couldn’t wait for this episode to come out 😂 you are so sweet, kind and thoughtful! you deserve the world!

[@eathomelive]

It's okay to not have a veggie with every meal. Your meals have been so much better than what I expected. You are doing great so far. Putting back food in the freezer is so smart. You should ask the meat market when they do their meat markdowns. Also, you could usae the cabbage to make some slaw for the pork sandwiches.

[@Sammvoy]

The clip with the turkeys is too precious 🥺

[@pepsidogs]

I love seeing someone appreciate canned green beans as much as I do! I used to just eat them straight out of the can and they are so superior to frozen and fresh. :P

[@DollarTreeDinners]

I can also eat them cold straight out of the can! So good!

[@tinashort9098]

I love them too!

[@RikkiWhite]

I have never liked fresh or frozen green beans as much canned ones. When I do have fresh green beans, I intentionally overcook them, so that the texture is a bit closer to canned.

[@misspeaches1144]

@@RikkiWhitei totally get it! My family is all about blanching green beans and cauliflower and then ice bath so they stay crunchy. I loveee overcooking mine so they are super soft and the cauliflower gets sweet and not bitter

[@ChristinaJ-5189]

Something I grew up on, is bean salad. A can of drained green beans, a can of yellow green beans, and several cans of different kinds of beans drained & rinsed. I now use a 6-bean blend plus an extra can of chickpeas. I season it with minced onions( fresh or dried) celery, chopped sweet peppers, salt, pepper & parsley flakes or fresh parsley. Dressing is oil, vinegar or lemon juice, a pinch or two of sugar. For simplicity, I also use italian dressing instead. It can be an entree or a side. Delicious & filling plus cheap even with fresh vegetables as you use so little. It lasts all week & gets better as beans marinate .

[@TheRAWRpham]

An idea for the crusts, bread pudding is always a good idea too

[@shannonc4135]

Coming from a Kroger employee, they are having employees come in later to have people there during “prime time” to cut hours so a lot of things aren’t done as early anymore, I assume the same thing is happening there unfortunately, we are lucky if we even have time in a day to get them done at all

[@lindaholliday4536]

We have a store called Winco and some prices are cheaper than dollar tree. Veggies can cost as little as 59 to .69cents a can. Fruit is a good price also,you probably could have gotten your apples.

[@heatherj3030]

I love Winco! Their bulk bins are perfect for a low spend month!

[@violetvillard1347]

May I suggest that you add a little of the BBQ sauce (now that you have it) to the Pork & Beans. That way you can spice it up a bit & it doesn't taste the same each time. I'm also loving how you refer to the freezer as the "squirrel fund" 🐿. Totally love that. ❤

[@forShitzenGiggs]

Thanks for the inspiration to eat better while saving money.

[@aninnecoiiles9314]

Not sure if anyone mentions this but salt your oatmeal! 🧂 Makes a big difference 😊

[@Lottie_Girl]

Just want to say that your content helps me a lot with budgeting ideas and not only that, I am genuinely excited when I see a new upload. We don't have cable and only a few streaming services so we mostly watch KZbin and yours is my favorite channel. You have a genuine kindness and warmth about you that is inviting and refreshing and I don't see it much online. Thanks for everything you give to all of us. ❤

[@salmansj]

The company that makes the chocolate covered Pomegranate balls also makes chocolate covered Blueberry Acai and they are SO good! Much better fruit/chocolate ratio. Their chocolate caramels are also really yummy.

[@DollarTreeDinners]

They’re a great brand and super affordable, I love their chocolates

[@Fiery154]

Get the salted dark chocolate caramels from Aldi - SO GOOD

[@stacyrussell460]

Rebecca, I think you're doing very well & taking the budget into consideration. Also, for the French toast casserole, use some of the strawberry preserves (add a couple teaspoons of water to thin it out) for a syrup.

[@s.sherwood4193]

Don't be shy and talk to the managers in each department, (make friends with them) they will give you the schedule on mark downs. My local "big" grocery store is Tuesdays and Thursdays. They clear out what didn't sell over the past weekend and clear out before the start of the new weekend. If your grocery store does produce and bakery mark downs, those are a great place to start to figure out food for the week. Hope this helps. Love the new series by the way❤

[@d-townchicana2232]

You could do a crustless quiche with leftover potatoes and sausage. You'll get 6-8 servings with same amount of eggs😉

[@veronica978]

For potatoes for your burritos you could use the cubed hashbrowns (you can get them with peppers and onions or seasoned) from the freezer section. It might be cheaper

[@sheliapeters2082]

Another idea is if you make a breakfast bread if you have the small loaf pans you could freeze some for later and I love just pulling a couple slices out at a time.

[@chrismuellner9270]

Keep your potatoes in the dark place the light is what makes them turn green

[@peggydierks6988]

I put mine in a big bowl and cover them with a towel.

[@catherineboyle8841]

I came here to say this! Potatoes really can last a long time if you keep them out of the light and in a cool, dry place. They should never turn green if you keep them out of the light!

[@happygardener28]

1) Along with rinsing jars to get most of the sauce out of the jar/bottle lay the container (lid on) on it's side for several minutes (I use a towel or pad so the container doesn't roll around). Squeeze bottles can stand on their top to get more of the product ready to use. 2) Cocoa powder (or hot chocolate mix) with Peanut butter is so good in oatmeal. But I also like to use cinnamon, or apple pie, or even pumpkin pie spice to add to my hot cereal. 3) Loin cuts (beef, pork, chicken or lamb) can be precut into chops/small steaks and then cooked; this can give you multiple options = chops, cubed for stew/soup, stuffed chops, shredded or finely diced/minced for casseroles. 4) Here I find that the meat departments put out the markdowns about 2 hours after they open. But depending on "holidays" discounts can be scarcer as people saved to splurge. I also shop near the middle of the month as SNAP recipients and most retirees do their shopping near the first of the month so demand is higher and discounts fewer.

[@violapastuszyn1349]

And when that pb jar is basically empty, just make the oatmeal directly in the jar.

[@cbears57]

My grandmother's grew up during the depression & they always used a very little bit of confectioner sugar for things like French toast & waffles. We do that now and save money using that instead of syrup. Just a thought for your leftover bread crusts.

[@drea1976]

Re: Pork sandwiches.....To impart more flavor,for free, just toast your buns. Plus you're adding texture.😊

[@sueh6287]

Great advice for improving taste and texture. I toast all types of bread for any kind of sandwich, and even lightly toast hot dog rolls.

[@alisosiaalisosia9282]

Peanut butter and jelly on tortillas is just as good as on bread

[@explorn66]

Another great video! My wife loves it that I'm following your ideas while she's working away from home. I've always been a meal prep guy and I love leftovers and saving money. Keep up the good work.

[@ceciliaguevara6977]

A quick suggestion maybe try oatmeal banana pancakes

[@jeanlujan6129]

You can make syrup by using one to two cups of water and brown sugar one cup and if you want you can add maple flavoring to it bring it to a boil and let everything melt together turn down the heat and let it reduce a little then put it in a container and put it in the fridge it’s not going to be thick but still taste good

[@marianbrinley4389]

That’s what I was gonna tell her!! ❤❤

[@five_pennies]

I'm fortunate that I live near a discount bread store. I can buy Nature's Own brand bread for $.89, hotdog and hamburger buns for $1. They also sell discounted Tasty Cake brand snack cakes. Anyone reading this, it's worth checking in your area to see if you have something like this. It's not stale either, I think it's just what they just couldn't sell to distributors. We lived in a rural area and my mom would stop there on the way home from the monthly grocery haul and buy a bunch of bread to keep in the freezer. Also if you're in a rural area I can guarantee this time of year someone's got a vegetable garden and has too much produce that they can eat or can themselves. My dad used to just give away squash, tomatoes and peppers; actually he would beg people to come take them, otherwise they'd just rot in the field. Someone else probably has chickens and would sell or give away eggs. There might even be a co-op you can join. You might have cheaper options than even Dollar Tree, *and* you'd be helping out your neighbors

[@cnk2hoo]

Impressive that yours still has discount prices. Went to mine the other day and realized clearance at Kroger was a better deal 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@kj7653]

In my area, the best bargains are on Wednesdays. That is usually when the new sale ads come out. Some of the stores honor both the past week bargains and the coming week's sale prices. So double bargain sale prices to choose from.

[@alanbirkner1958]

A local store had canned vegetables for 48c each, limit 6. I had some left from before, so I made a pot of vegetable soup one night with some other items I had. Tina, Al's wife

[@MakingThisUpAsIGo]

I know you don’t have ranch but peanut butter is a perfectly good dip for carrots you could even add a bit of water if you wanted to stretch the PB and make it more dipable

[@alissaroberts2545]

You mentioned having syrup for a possible French toast dish with the bread scraps. You have an option from what you already have, use some of your jelly mixed with a bit of water heated up in a small pan or glass measuring cup in your microwave. If in the next shopping trip you happen to get canned peaches, get the kind in heavy syrup and use that syrup warmed up it is lovely on French toast, pancakes or waffles.

[@aardyn8564]

Pink Lady apples are another non-mealy apple choice if you happen to see them in stores.

[@heatherj3030]

Those are my favorite!

[@girlonfire2.076]

Fuji apples are non mealy really crisp

[@JenniferS-ef2sp]

One product you might consider because it is multipurpose is Kraft Sundried Tomato salad dressing. Of course you can put it on salad, but it makes an excellent marinade for chicken, beef and even mild fish. When I have leftover pasta I add the dressing and let it sit in the fridge soaking up the dressing and seasonings until the next day. Add chopped peppers, tomatoes, green onions or even olives or leftover chicken if you have them and it becomes a complete meal, or just the pasta and dressing is great for lunch with soup, or as a side dish with chicken.

[@evem4876]

If I found a pork lion for as cheap as u did , I would of bought several more n put in my freezer ...🌼

[@texastea5686]

Another way to make roasted potatoes: preheat oven for 400°, cut them up as you like and parboil them first until almost fork tender. Drain, place on baking sheet and drizzle with oil and seasonings , bake until crispy.... and def invest in parchment paper for baking, MUCH better than foil

[@karynajabrail5035]

Cole slaw is great with potk sandwiches and the beans ❤

[@hopehasty5039]

Very true..... See if you could budget in a head of cabbage and maybe pick up some mayo packets at a convenience store or fast food place. Save some of the outer leaves for cabbage rolls and/or chop the rest of it to use in either soup or your own version of burrito "egg rolls" (perfect if you run out buns for the pork loin, or if you just wanna change it up a little)! I have a pork loin in my freezer- I think I'm gonna look for a small head of cabbage this week myself! 😊

[@LadyLenaki]

I used to have to do a $10 week grocery budget, gluten free and vegan (for medical reasons). I don't even know if that's possible now. I still live on mostly stir fry (I would buy whatever veggies were on sale, and rice was cheap). This is a really awesome series.

[@Jewelry_Making3]

You can save money as well by making your own 2 loaves of bread with just flour water, oil and salt. Especially if the store runs out of bread. The tortillas you made, you can make extra and freeze them for later.

[@thespoilercritic3478]

As someone who used to work the opening shift at a grocery store.. 8:30 -9 would have been your best bet. With that being said though, I’ve noticed since Covid, meat discounts have been either few and far between or not as big of discount as before, unfortunately. But some discount is always better than paying full price 😊

[@stephsstuff270]

I love my barbecue as an open face sandwich. I like a corn cake, the baked beans, then my pulled pork with bbq sauce. No judgement for dipping that sandwich!

[@The3Storms]

If you only like wheat bread with sweet and you’re talking of French bread casserole, I figure at least one can of peaches can go in there. That means the 2nd half of the pasta, at least one of the frozen portions of soup, a couple oz of cheese, the inner half of the cabbage (or last can of green beans) and some stock from the scrap bag can go with the 4th serving of pork to make a savory bake.

[@mistresscupcake8913]

We have a WinCo store here. I don't know if you are familiar with them. They have a large section of bins were the customer simply buys the quantity they want. And it's really cheap and all kinds of items! I would love to see what kind of budget ideas you could produce with that. I love your videos. They are such an inspiration! Thank you for your hard work!

[@ursularowe3353]

Love Winco, their bulk section is the best!

[@christygreen9550]

Strawberry jam/jelly makes a good syrup. Cook w/some water. Great week of meals.

[@BrowneyedGirlmjd]

Watching your intro I was thinking... WTF????? Don't those stores know Rebecca has an entire online community counting on these videos and she got up early for us and to snag the good sales!! 😠🤣 Seriously though as i was watching this set of videos I was thinking of our senior you cook for. I think she and her nephew would love cabbage rolls (especially now that you know how to tweak the recipe). Watching waiting for the birds??? ♥♥♥🐦🐦 In Winnipeg in Spring the annual waiting for the family of geese to cross the road is tradition even on the crazy busy freeways.

[@wilmasantos3255]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this series!! I can’t get over how many delicious meals you’ve made on such a tight budget! Rebecca, you are the QUEEN of budget shopping and meal prepping!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@OZARKMOON1960]

With so many different grocery 'chains' across the country, I would just ask someone in the meat and the produce departments when they routinely do markdowns. I know my local 'price chopper' small grocery does it Tuesday afternoon (before their Wednesday ad is in effect) and sometimes on Friday afternoon to get stuff moved out over the weekend. Each one in town is different, though. Great job so far with lots of good ideas for making the budget stretch for decent meals.

[@katehazel2450]

So an inexpensive breakfast is a drained can of diced beets, saute in frying pan and add eggs. I add time in an oven to cook the top of eggs. 350 fir 5 minutes.

[@tinashort9098]

I love those seasoned pork loins. I’ve gotten them many times on a buy one get one free at Food Lion. I cook them in my instant pot and then pop them in the oven for just a few minutes to get a little brown on the top. So good!!!! I add a little bbq sauce sometimes. I find the most mark downs at Food Lion in the afternoon. Around 5. I love yellow taters!! They’re all so expensive everywhere 😢. I get those tiny ones allot. But I do go ahead and them both if they’re on sale like that. I know why didn’t though. The red ones are a little bigger and are good to bake in the microwave.

[@bmg9136]

I switched to parchment paper for my baking/oven cooking, easy to clean up and food doesn't stick to it (easier to flip), therefore I can use less oil overall. Safe to use up to 425 F. I've used it for roasted veg, works great - paper might brown, not on fire.

[@adigmon]

Saturday night is a good time at our local store for meat markdowns. I think you have to find what day your store does it. Be the crazy lady that goes in every night until you figure it out. 😂 I always make burritos out of leftovers. You can add beans, potatoes, anything you have to a little meat to make all kinds of burritos for the freezer.

[@DollarTreeDinners]

I was thinking about doing that honestly haha a trip to the store everyday to figure out which day is the best

[@adigmon]

Love your videos and your kindness! I’ve been watching you since the early days. We’re so fortunate to not have to eat frugal, but a lot of the time we do because it’s what we like. I grow a lot of our produce too. Keep up the good work. You help so many!

[@hippie2mars]

Suggestion for the pork: finely chop one of the slices, add to the pork and beans with a little barbecue sauce, and serve over rice (or a baked potato if you find potatoes on sale).

[@pennytinker2356]

thank you for showing the footage of the wild turkey family. i used to live on a little farm and a group of wild turkeys lived in the woods near the house. i would watch them march across the front yard, and your film brought back good memories. and i love your recipes, they are so practical, so thanks for them too.

[@ChristinaJ-5189]

To make crispy fries & wedges, soak them in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for about an hour. Remove them, pat dry & toss into a dry bowl with oil & seasoning. Layer on baking sheet as per the video instructions & bake. Remove from oven & season again. Serve as desired.

[@beckystone7994]

I think you did great Rebecca!! I find Tues. & Weds. mornings the best time to find marked down meats and Manager’s specials on meats at my stores. Rebecca ! I love your meals they are tasty and filling and most are nutritious I think ! I love your potato and steamed eggs breakfast to be very filling and delicious ! Also I take a 14-15 Oz size can of tomato sauce and mix in a envelope of taco seasoning ( store brand is less expensive and just as good, about .50 € ) put in a 1/4-1/2 cup of water depending on how loose you want the sauce but start with 1/4 cup water mix well and store in a jar or bowl with lid ! This keeps well in fridge and I use it on tacos , taco salad, on chicken or pork when baking or when serving , also on burgers , hotdogs, as a pizza sauce, as a veggie dip, mixed in with hamburger meat to make sloppy joes , in pork & beans to make baked beans , with chicken and cooked pasta as a sauce , on meatloaf as a sauce , also great as a dipping sauce for French fries or baked potato ! And it’s a money saver because it is so versatile and it taste great and saves on seasonings !! God bless ❤️🙏🙋🏻🌈🌈

[@lifewithkymm]

If you steam your potatoes, especially gold potatoes, let them cool preferably in the fridge overnight and then season them and bake them at 425 for about 25-30 minutes (flipping half way) they are the BEST. Plus you don’t need any oil and they don’t ever stick.

[@mistythompson1398]

Our best day, I live in VA too, is Tuesday after 10am. They mark down things before the ad changes to make room. You are doing amazing so far. Cannot wait for next week.

[@lukestark217]

i know you prefer savory breakfast (I'm the same way.) Have you ever made ramen with peanut butter and hot sauce? I ate it for breakfast constantly in my 20s. I use maruchan chicken flavor ramen, 1-2 spoons of PB to taste/ desired consistency, and as much or as little of your favorite hot sauce. I usually use a store brand sriracha or chili garlic sauce, but i think you can use any kind. If you have access to extra ingredients, you can totally add things like green onion, mushrooms, broccoli, mixed vegetables, basically whatever you have on hand. it's also wonderful with a fried egg on top.

[@alphabetsoup6681]

Finally someone else who knows the joy of peanut butter in spicy ramen! It’s delicious but my family thinks I’m weird. Keep green onion - the green parts - chopped in the freezer to throw on top too.

[@lukestark217]

@@alphabetsoup6681 oh hell yeah! Definitely gonna do that

[@christinemascott8061]

peas would work great too. Cheap and you can keep a bunch in the freezer.

[@LizFaith-sv4ng]

Grocery store sales and markdowns are regional. Some regions have sales that start over every Sunday. I’m in the south and regularly shop at Publix so my sales go from Thursday to Wednesday. For other regions Publix sales are from Wednesday to Tuesday. I’m in FL so no double coupons like other states. Also, it’s a true BOGO state so buy 1 full price get the 2nd item free. Other states are half price for each BOGO item so you only need to buy 1 for the discount. When watching sales, budgeting, and clipping coupons, the biggest mistake I see people make is trying to duplicate what others do. It’s a lot of work because at the end of the day you are on your own. These videos are very helpful for ideas and inspiration. -signed a couponer for 2 decades

[@SillyMeKimmieG]

For POTATOES, you shoiuld use parchment paper because nothing really sticks to it. stuff will stick to foil unfortunately.

[@tonic.1917]

I've eaten potatoes and eggs for breakfast my entire life. My grandma would make it for me EVERY morning, until I graduated. She fried the potatoes a bit more crunchy, removed excess oil, and scrambled the eggs on top of the potatoes. We called it taters n eggs. It's also my kids' favorite breakfast.

[@nicolemeyer240]

You come so far in your confidence that you can stretch your money!

[@Miss_Dante]

In my experience Sunday is not the best day for deals. The best deal day is the last day of the week before they change over the flyer or the day of the flyer switch. Sometimes that is Sunday but when I shopped at market basket that was Wednesday/Thursday. My advice for anyone trying to figure this out is to talk to the employees, The morning employees specifically as they tend to be full timers. Not a manager as they are likely to not tell you. You may also be able to find Shopping hacks on local Facebook groups.

[@champagnemommy]

I can tell you live in a very beautiful place, maybe a bit remote. So that makes it difficult when you don’t have lots of choices for grocery stores. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth it to live in a beautiful area. Are you able to garden at all where you live? Even just doing some pots of potatoes, tomatoes and peppers could help save someone quite a bit of money and give yourself healthy choices during the spring and summer.

[@Jennifer-fz4ns]

I like to make loaded potato skins with leftover bbq pork. Bake your potato then cut them in half and scoop out most of the insides. Shred the pork and add it to the potato skins with shredded cheese then put them back into the over. Garnish with green onions and serve with ranch or sour cream.

[@meeomelovescookiesandhisto459]

I don't even live in a country with a dollar store and I really love your channel and this series. It's always fun to see someone problem solve, and I get so much inspiration from your videos. It's always so inspiring to see that you're making appetizing and varied meals with those restrictions, it helps me remember that my meals don't have to be boring or lackluster just because I'm shopping on a budget.

[@laurenknowles7041]

If you get mandarin oranges or similar in the future, you can make sorbet out of them. Just peel the oranges and freeze the wedges. Then, take the frozen orange s Wedges and puree/blend til smooth. No sugar or water is added. I watched a cook do it on YT.

[@carolparker2392]

Thank you for letting the wildlife cross the road so enjoyable

[@minisarefuntopaint]

Suggestion for next time: use some of the cabbage cut up small in place of the broccoli you don't have. It won't taste quite the same, it will give you veggies in that dish and still taste good. Either leave out the main stem, slice it superfine, or steam it 30s-1min in the microwave with a tiny amount of water and a cover to steam it a little first because it will take longer to cook than the cabbage leaf or broccoli. I have a tendency keep a head of cabbage on hand during the winter so I can dump cabbage into any dish that needs another vegetable whenever I need to. Works for me.

[@maymorning8504]

The wild turkey clip was too cute!!!! I love seeing baby turkeys out and about 😍

[@nancyeverhart145]

To keep your potatoes from turning green, keep them in the dark. You can set them is one of your cupboards. I’m 75 and now by myself,. You gave me some great ideas, Thank you! ❤

[@cassandrahammomd1436]

I totally agree on your potato and egg breakfast. Loving it

[@DollarTreeDinners]

So glad!

[@joke1able]

Normally you don't want to go to the store right at opening. Markdowns are done throughout the day on Sundays from my experience. Some stuff like general merchandise are marked down pretty much immediately but food normally needs an employee to go around and see what is going bad to markdown unless it's something the store just isn't carrying anymore. I don't know about at Food Lion but other stores I've worked at normally take until 2 to 4 hours after opening to finish food markdowns depending on the employee and what else they have to get done that day.

[@mystcxprns]

Great job putting stuff in your squirrel fund! Everything looks delicious and filling! Definitely need to make some breakfast burritos this week!

[@cherylhelm4282]

I grew up working on a potato farm. Make sure you don't put your potatoes in the fridge. From the potato harvest we would put the potatoes in a cool dark place, our root cellar. I don't have a root cellar now ok. So I put them in an open metal basket in a cupboard. They last for a couple of months this way.