"The Cook" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 4 Oct 2012 17:51:37 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>I am making a big effort to do this at the moment and thanks to attempting
>>but rather failing trying to be an Extreme couponer, I do have quite a bit
>>in my larder. But some of it needs to be used up right away.
>>
>>I do have some frozen French fries and Tater Tots. Aside from a Tater Tot
>>type of casserole, I don't know what use those will have. Except to eat
>>them as is. I may end up tossing some of those because I am the only one
>>who currently eats them.
>>
>>I do have a large bag of hash browns to use up. And in case any of you
>>are
>>wondering why I would get such things and not make them from scratch,
>>well... I don't mind using them for one thing and I got them for free or
>>very cheap using coupons. I intend to use those to make something similar
>>to O'Brien potatoes except that they won't be cubes. I have plenty of
>>bacon
>>and onions and I do have some red and green peppers. So I will mix those
>>things up and they will be dinner.
>>
>>I am hoping that Winco will still have a good price on bell peppers so I
>>will be getting some more of those and some ground beef and make some
>>unstuffed peppers. I have never tried this before. Basically make like
>>you
>>would stuffed peppers but you cut the peppers in bite sized pieces and mix
>>with your meat, tomato sauce, rice (if you are using it) and seasonings.
>>I
>>figure I will have a better shot at getting daughter to eat the peppers if
>>I
>>do it this way. Normally both she and my husband scoop all of their
>>stuffing out and put their peppers on my plate because they don't like to
>>eat them like that. I do have plenty of rice in the cupboard.
>>
>>Looks like the beans are going to have to wait another week unless I just
>>cook up a small amount of plain ones.
>>
>>Do you have anything like that you are going to use up this week? Maybe
>>because you have a lot of it? Or because it's getting rather old?
>>
>
> Extreme couponing is for the birds. We stopped getting the Sunday
> paper that has all of the coupons in it. I doubt that we have
> increased our grocery bill by more than $5. We do check the store ads
> in the local papers and I am signed up with our favorite grocery and
> get an email each Sunday listing of the things that are on special the
> coming week that we buy frequently.

Yes. I am thinking of canceling my paper. But it's a tossup. Costs me
$2.95 per month to get it. I am sure I do use enough coupons to warrant
that and I perhaps make a dollar or two. Sometimes more. But there is no
way I can do like the people on that show, mainly because they were cheating
and doing things like using bogus coupons.

The best coupons come straight from the manufacturer but you can only write
to them so often to get them. I have gotten high value and free things that
way. But for the most part, coupons are for things that we do not even use.
I do use some for cat treats, once in a while cat food or litter, some
cosmetics and cleaning products. Not so much for food.
>
> The big problem trying to "coupon" is that you end up with more than
> you can use before it is out of date or spoils. Then you have wasted
> money that would have bought what you needed at regular price when you
> needed it. And unless you have very accessible storage some of the
> stuff will get lost and/or forgotten.

Yes. I find that I do well at Costco, although they have a limited
selection. I do have a garage where I can store the paper products and I
can put things like cans and jars out there. But after we got that rat in
there we can no longer keep cereal or stuff like that. The potato products
were just stupid on my part. I got that freezer and was like... What can I
fill it with? I saw the big bags of potatoes for cheap and grabbed them up,
never stopping to think that we rarely eat those things.

I have seen the big stockpiles of mustard, Frank's Red hot sauce, BBQ sauce
and stuff like that. How much of that stuff can those people eat? They get
it just because it's free! I will get free stuff and give it to the food
bank but I do try to get them usable things. Not that those things aren't
usable. But if I were needy I would much rather have a can of soup or chili
than some mustard!

> If you really want to buy in large quantities, be sure to go through
> everything about twice a year and plan meals with all of the things
> are nearing expiration. And keep the oldest in the front or on top.

I do try to do that. But the freezer got a little bad. Mostly because of
its design. Some things sneaked their way to the bottom.
>
> Of course all of that goes out the window when the spouse decides to
> buy some groceries and puts them away newest in front and on top.

That happens too. I have gotten my daughter into the habit of checking the
expiration dates and putting the old food in the back or on the bottom. We
can not go by the fact that the new food is newer because it isn't always.
But once in a while she will be in a hurry and just sort of toss things in
there. And then there are the weird things that she or husband sees. Or
even occasionally me. We'll see something that looks like a good idea at
the time but nobody eats it.

Or there is the thing that has happened here in the past few weeks. I plan
to make certain foods but somebody gets sick and is unable to eat that so I
have to change the menu. And then I might wind up tossing something. Like
that big bag of salad that we were going to eat this week. We did eat a
little bit. Just couldn't eat it all.