I suppose one of my favorite days of the week is today, Tuesday.  Sounds strange because it is the day the grocery ads/Free Press/Shopper come out in our area.  Sales start on Wednesday, so I like to get them and look them over.  Hy-Vee often has "Specials" for Thur-Sat, and often a 20 cent/gal gas discount if you spend $40 in the store.

 Is anyone else stocking up on food when it is on sale.  My MIL is so worried about food prices, it is about all she talks about.  I will share a few things with you that I have been doing, and maybe other people can also share some tips!

-A while back, eggs were 99 cents/dozen for XL eggs.  I bought about 6 dozen.  I broke them, 6 at a time, into my big Pyrex measuring cup, beat them up, and poured them into Ziplock bags.  Then I lay them flat on cookie sheets and froze them.  When frozen, I stacked the flat, frozen bags in piles in my freezer.  For our family, 6 eggs (and a little milk/water, and cheese) is perfect for making scrambled eggs for after-church breakfast.  I just take the bag out of the freezer before church, and let it thaw on the counter until we get home, or the night before in the frig.

-We hit the bread discount store when we are in Quincy, and buy about 6 loaves of our favorite bread because it is half there what it is at the store.  We freeze that, also!  It doesn't take long at all for a loaf to thaw, and the bread doesn't taste any different. (But...frozen pieces of bread are good when making a sandwich to be packed until lunch.  Keeps it cold!).  That way, we have fresh bread whenever we need it, and we pay a lot less.  Plus, I have one of those Rubbermaid things you put your bread in, and we keep it in the frig.  to prevent mold.

-I found a deal on gallons of milk a while back for 99 cents!  But the expir date was soon, so I only bought two.  I wanted to try freezing the milk.  It worked fine!  Just a note:  make sure you use about 1/4 of the milk before you freeze it, or else the jug will crack when the milk expands in the freezer.  Dethaw in the frig, and make sure to shake it up to get it all mixed back together.

-Check with local farmers about buying beef.  You can usually buy anywhere from 1/4 to the whole thing.  Last year, we did that (we shared 1/2 a beef between us, my MIL, and my SIL) and it was nice to always have meat in the freezer.  HOWEVER, you still have to check prices.  This year, I found it to be a better deal to buy bulk steak and hamburger from local merchants than to buy the beef (after paying for the processing, etc).  And that way, you don't end up with stuff you don't use a lot of, like liver and soup bones.

-The last thing I can think of is to really look at the economy size food area of your store.  I know WalMart has one.  If you use a lot of ketchup, bbq sauce, peanut butter, etc. you can save some money by buying the 4 lb bottle.  Also, it is economical and environmentally friendly to buy the large cans of pork and beans, etc for family reunions, parties, etc.

-Use coupons and keep an open-mind about store brands

 I hope other people have some hints/tips they would be willing to share.  I am a weirdo in the way that I enjoy grocery shopping, and you can often see me in the aisle, calculating cents per oz.  LOL