Your transparency, honesty and just plain old “real-ness” is comforting, in a way. You’re never preachy, never give off an “I’m better than you” vibe, and I’m so grateful! It’s apparent that you truly want to help people, to give people ideas about saving money in order to help everyone feel successful. Thank you so much, Mindy, and God bless you!
Your comment about not making too many drastic changes to ensure changes are sustainable is spot on! I needed to hear that today. I've been trying to figure out how to redo a lot of our shopping and eating habits at home and I need to make sure I'm thoughtful and not trying to rock the boat too quickly with my kids.
If you happen to use a lot of lunchmeat consider this idea which we do: I watch for a sale on a whole ham. Just got one for $1.99 a pound. Then we use our slicer(investment that pays for itself fast) and cut our own lunch meat and ham steaks. It takes little time and freezes well. NO WHERE can you get lunch meat for $1.99 a pound:)
We’ve gone extreme in our house. I rarely buy packaged snacks anymore. We always have homemade baked goods, string cheese, corn chips with salsa, popcorn, fruit, yogurt, and granola on hand. It’s saved us so much money!
Because prepackaged snacks can add up, I do like the granola (home made) which I have not done is a long time, great on yogurt or with cereal if you add some dried fruits and nuts. Healthy. Thanks for the reminder.
And raisin bread smeared with cream cheese makes a great snack. I make the whole loaf (it's me by myself) & freeze them wrapped but put back in the bag. Then I usually take 1 out & place it in the icebox for when I want it later in the day.
My father-in-law dumps a bag of pretzel sticks in a big bowl, drizzles on Kernel Seasons Butter Flavored popcorn oil and shakes on some ranch powder (to taste) and mixes well. SO yummy!! They store well in an airtight container.
It’s cheaper to get drunk than it is to drink soda these days. There are good frozen pizzas in our freezer at all times for my days of weakness. Paying more for a high quality frozen pizza still saves money over delivery.
I try to make mine up w/great value pizza crusts, tomato sauce and cheese and pepperoni and freeze those to have on hand and it only takes a couple of minutes to throw together and wrap them up for freezing. 👍🏻I’ve also made pizza dough in my stand mixer, divided it up into dough balls to freeze as well if I feel like I want to thaw and spread out and bake later (usually I just do the Walmart crusts honestly unless I’m making the pizza for that day). Just like with anything a little planning and a few minutes makes all the difference for those convenient meals you need when you’re tired or too busy. ☺️I try to allocate at least 15-20 minutes every day to preparing some food ahead of time for later. Whether it’s cooking up rice, thawing meat, soaking beans, etc etc. sometimes it’s canning beans or beef stew for easy meals later and it saves a lot of $$! If I can do it, anyone can - I’m living in my RV while we build so I have the tiniest kitchen you can imagine! It’s not glamorous by any means but it gets the job done! 😊
I buy the large cheese pizza, or plain, and add my own toppings with extra sauce. If someone wants more cheese they can add it later. I like to buy the cauliflower crust too and save it for when its needed/wanted. 😀
Mindy, i’ve been watching you for about 18 months and this is probably the most practical useful information you have put out. Great job!!! I am 58 years old and a grandmother and the swaps are things that I’ve always done but the younger generation like my daughters don’t do this, so I love that you are putting out this information and sharing how to feed your family on an affordable budget.😊
I absolutely love how you just cut through and are just honest. I'd like to also point out I was eating waffles while watching this today 😂😂 it's just my husband and I and we are trying to find a way to budget but keep a good stock of things but I feel like these tips and tricks can help anyone! ❤
Love this!! Broccoli... I used to buy the precut bagged crowns. Now I just buy the crowns and break them down myself. Then I shred the stems to throw in stir fries, or steam and blend into spaghetti sauces. I usually buy the Gatorade powder and make a gallon at a time. Both my kiddos tend to not drink as much as they should and due to a medical condition are more prone to dehydration. Gatorade to the rescue when they come home from school.
"Better Than Boullion" soup base is a great value and tastes great. If you look at the ingredient label, the birst ingredient on the label for the beef soup base is "roast beef". We stopped buying broth a long time ago. One little jar of BTB lasts us for a long time and we use it all the time.
I purposely bought small containers with the intention of dividing out a tub of Greek yogurt for lunches. After they came home with me, I was happily surprised that the ones I selected also came with a divider top for holding mixing goodies until ready to mix. How did they know my intent was for yogurt? Boy was I lucky that day! I like to mix almond slices, chips and coconut in mine for a homemade Almond Coco Loco.
I love English muffins. I had one this morning with peanut butter, jam and banana slices. I had with some scrambled eggs and it filled me up for 6 hours!
My favorite sweet way to eat English muffins is toasted with almond butter (spread while warm so it melts) & then a bit of honey drizzled on top. My favorite savory way to eat English muffins (besides with regular butter) is to make them into mini pizzas! Just spread a bit of tomato sauce & add mozzarella cheese & then pop them in the oven or toaster oven until the cheese is melted and they’re a little crispy! Sometimes I like to add spinach and feta too!
Trying to buy foods that don't cause insulin resistance like potatoes, chips, bread, pasta, baked goods, and this inflation has been good in that way. Been doing Intermittent fasting for 16 hrs and eating in a 8 hr window of time. Lost some weight too. So inflation has had some good in it. Not much, but some. 🤨
Excellent and practical tips, Mindy! Thank you for all you’re doing to help families weather inflation. We are empty nesters and I really feel for those who have children to feed.
Get your vegetables in the fall at roads side stand . You can get them cheaper than the stores . I cut them up and freeze them . That includes any other vegetables you want. Another is dehydrated your stuff .This is a real money saver. And learn to do canning.I know that alot of families don't have the time. But you will be happy , when winter come, and you don't have to pay those high prices
I have an attachment for meat grinding to my kitchen aid and dont need ground turkey. I grind chicken breast and substitute it for recipes calling for turkey breast. I freeze it in portions for a meal (1-2lb amounts). Once every 3 months or so.
I love the pre-packaged frozen veggies. I live alone and can only go shopping every few weeks. If I buy fresh produce, it usually goes bad before I can use it all. But I'm trying to get away from eating so much prepared food, so those bags of veggies are a lifesaver.
I love how realistic your swaps are for the average human. I've had to go gluten free so a lot of snack options for me are spendy. That being said, I'm bulk buying when things are on sale. Sometimes you just absolutely need a crunchy chip like snack - pretzels and flavored rice chips are my jam anymore.
I'm grandma and you know you like to pick up little things for you grandkids so I buy boxes of snacks and treats and drinks for treats for them or frozen pizzas things they especially like when I see them on sale, I feel that sometimes this a cheaper way to spoil the whole family ,my daughter will do dinner and we will bring some treats and fruit and drinks 😊
We have changed a lot with what we buy too. We went from pop to iced tea and lemonade to water mostly. Cut most processed foods. We buy little cereal. Basically seeing that most stuff we eat are not as nutrient dense and so we don't purchase many of those. We had a sale at our local grocery that was good. 5 lbs. of potatoes .99, bread, .99, tp for 3.99 for 6 rolls of Charmin. Aldi has butter for 2.69 this week too! Haven't had good sales here for about four weeks and this week they are so good. May have to go for lost leader once a month if that is the new game stores are playing.
We have been trying to portion out some school snacks. My youngest loves walmart marshmallows, 1lb bag is $1.14 here and I can fill up 29 snack size ziplock bags. Walmart pretzels are also great for that. We have been making our own mini muffins for breakfast and snacks. Love the channel! Thank you for sharing!
I got ten pounds of chicken leg quarters for $8.72 today. That will make my week! Chicken soup, chicken quesadillas, Monterey chicken pasta! And a few in the freezer.
Such creative and practical tips and swaps! Like you said, the more similar the dup is to the original, the more you will stick with it. So glad we can all still enjoy our snacks and sweets without blowing the budget!
Hey Mindy, Another great video! Love your realistic advice. If you like pretzels and ranch dressing, try making spiced pretzels: 1 -16 oz bag pretzel sticks 1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix 3/4 c. vegetable oil Put pretzels in a gallon zip-top bag. Combine oil and ranch dressing mix. Pour over pretzels. Close bag and coat pretzels with the mix. Spread pretzels on a large baking sheet. Bake at 200 for 40 minutes. Stir after 20 minutes. * pretzels can stay in the zip-top bag overnight before baking for a deeper flavor. Cayenne pepper, lemon pepper and garlic powder can be added with the ranch dressing mix for a more flavorful treat. I love using the really skinny pretzel sticks from WalMart for this recipe.
I USED to do that. But we moved into apartments and the water is NASTY tasting. I’ve always lived in a house. But apparently apartment water is the GROSSEST!! Which means I HAVE TO BUY H2o!! And it is EXPENSIVE NOW!! 🤨 ✌🏻
What bothers me about yogurt cups is all the packaging. If I had to send kids out with lunches, I'd buy large yogurt tubs and some small reusable containers. I often use empty large yogurt tubs for leftovers anyway.
Ive noticed for my kids that I actually prefer to buy the individual packs because they go through them slower than the big box. It ends up being better for my budget. The pre-portioned aspect is sometimes needed. I know that I'm a distracted snacker and so are my kids. Sometimes that built-in portion control is incredibly valuable.
I know your kids are older, but as a recently retired teacher, you can not imagine how much of those expensive lunchables end up in the trash. Many kids would eat the cheese and dump everything else. Or, even only eat the cookie or small candy. Some do eat them, but most only eat a tiny portion of it and toss the rest
That is exactly what we do. I have a freezer full of the naan rounds. Whenever Kroger puts them on clearance, I buy 2-3 packs if available and freeze them. Then just pull out two rounds at a time and microwave when someone wants one.
This is my first time watching your channel. I used to buy individual yogurts and awhile ago I switched to the big container like you showed. It is such a better deal. I also buy pretzels as well.
Great tips! I always enjoy your videos. Many store brand items are actually made in the same factory as name brands. Compare the store and name brand labels-you often see both come from the same manufacturer and possibly from the same production facility. This doesn’t include packaged foods, but if you’re looking to save money & get the same quality, the store/ generic brands are the better way to go.
I usually get the large container of plain greek yogurt and then flavoring it with jam or jelly. I can do it for an individual portions as I eat it with different flavors since I always have a couple of jars of jam/jelly on hand anyway.
I shop almost exclusively at Aldi's and Lidls and save so much money. Aldis is branching out so hopefully others around the country will get those savings as well
So enjoy your videos! I’ve been focusing on price per - pretty much everything too. Where we live, west coast - coke is up to $9.99 per 12 pack. It does go on sale, but that’s just crazy. Coke or soda is not on my list currentltly. I found a great deal on cranberry juice small bottles and we are mixing with sparking water for a treat, that also stretches the cost.
We have a kroger in my area. I get name brand chips for $2 a bag. I shop their sales weekly. Walmart is getting less of my money. The prices of groceries and pet food and household essentials is insane. I live in Louisiana and we cant even afford to take our annual tulsa vacation this year for our anniversary. Im really sour about the economy. You are such a bright spot in my day. Thank you.
You mentioned frosting. I dont know if you know/do this but with the canned frosting i take out 1/2 and put in a bowl and whisk it with mixer. It doubles the frosting....just another way to save a bit
I was so excited to find honey crisp apples today at my "expensive" grocery store for $0.79 a pound. Can't find them cheaper anywhere. Don't sleep on sales at more expensive stores.
We have been using alot more mixed drinks like iced tea lemonade than seltzer and soda because my teens drink cans like its water and only finish half a can and it gets dumped. Also dollar tree has been my friend for cereal crackers tortillas spaghetti sauce, knock off takis, drink mixes today i found no sugar added full size bushes baked beans for $1.25.
I have done these same things myself. I am a freezer meal momma so I have all kind of little containers. My kids really like chia pudding. Have u ever tried that? It is actually cheaper to get one of those soda machines in the long run and adding the drink mixes as flavoring. My girls can drink that fizzy water with the little drink mixes and be even happier because they can mix and match flavors.
Hey Mindy! Absolutely love your videos! I just wanted to say please do some research about those prime drinks. Especially for kids. Just want you and your kiddos to be safe and healthy ❤
Me again☺ you really got me thinking about the boxes of broth, sometimes I don't need the whole box. I have cubes and powders but still have boxes which do take up a lot of space.When the boxes are gone, they are gone> Thanks for the info
Stonefire makes a round naan bread sold in most grocery stores that you can use to dupe the pizza lunchable. They’re like $3-4 for an 8pk. I get the Contadina pizza sauce (squeezable bottle), shredded cheese and mini pepperonis to go on top. You can either eat as is or pop them in the toaster oven to cook
My favorite pizza lunchable swap is to buy sandwich thins, pepperoni, cheese and pizza sauce! Then you can pack it and assemble it just like a regular lunchable, and each sandwich thin can make 2 pizzas worth.
Okay so for a pizza lunchable: use the mini naan circles they sell at Walmart, add some sauce in a container, shredded mozzarella and pepperoni or whatever else your kids want on theirs, they can build them during lunch just like a real lunchable.
Regarding the pizza Lunchables... I make my daughter pizzadillas, and she likes them just as much. Tortilla, pizza/marinara sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Depending on the amount of each item you buy, you can make quite a few of them.
Honestly, if you're going to compare the Stauffer's animal cookies to Oreo, I'd forgo the iced and pick up the chocolate animal cookies. They really do satisfy that chocolate cookie crunch.
We make our own frozen waffles using a mix. One of our favorite breakfast sandwiches are tomato and cheese on an English muffin. We buy extra English muffins and freeze them when they are cheap.
We have for sure cut out things like cereal and I make granola, quick breads, bagels and more to have for breakfast. We have cut out canned soda and we buy 2 liters that we can all share as a family treat with pizza night. We cut back on the chips and do pretzels and tortilla chips. My son asks his grandparents for Doritos and other junk and they happily buy him that stuff and they are heroes for it. It is hard for a lot of people to make those connections to the budget and I think this is an amazing and specific plan for many families.
We also will do some of those things in Christmas stockings or Easter baskets. Especially boxed sugar cereal, which I hardly ever buy outside of holidays or special occasions.
I grew up with my mom making plain yogurt and then letting us choose jam or jelly (whatever types were in our fridge) and mixing it in for flavor. I still often get big containers, or make plain yogurt, and do that. (right now I bought a pack of chobani on sale at Sam's. I also am on a kick of the peanut butter cheese crackers in my lunch, I'm a teacher. Another odd thing I do is if sonic gives me extra ranch cups if I stop there, I save them and pack them with carrots or cherry tomatoes in my lunch. I have a health condition that needs electrolytes, and I found those prime packets at Sam's too. Every once in a while they go on sale.
Great ideas and suggestions! When I was younger, I got into the habit of dipping my pretzel sticks into French onion dip or nacho cheese dip. So tasty!
Whales > Goldfish My niece has preferred Whales her entire life, and I have for many years. My favorite thing is when I find the Aldi pizza for 50% off. It’s only happened twice, but it was such a thrill both times 😅
When the kids were home we'd have waffles on weekends. We'd increase the recipe and make extra for the freezer. They would just disappear during the week.
Good afternoon Mandy and Family and Friends here. How's everyone doing this week? Thanks again for sharing your budget friendly foods with us. Have a blessed day friends and may Jesus bless our families and friends. Happy Thursday Friends. We send our Love and Prayers to our family's and friends. Lots of hugs to our sweet friends here. Everyone take care of yourselves. Im so happy that we found your channel our friend Mandy. 😇🥰😇🥰😇🥰😇🥰💌💟💌💟💌💟💌💟💌💟💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤🎊🎁🎊🎀🎊🎀🎊🎀🎊🎀🎊🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
Walmart also sells off brand electrolyte drink mixes for $2.24 / 10 count. That’s only 22 cents each. They’re honestly really good too, they remind me of capri suns:)
The Greek yogurt/drink mix idea is genius. My kids have a sensitivity to food dyes but there are some dye free mixes we keep on hand. My husband often gets free plain yogurt from his work and I always struggle with how to get my kids who like yogurt to eat it (I hate yogurt).
I make yogurt and to sweeten it or make it taste better I’ll add a tsp or two or vanilla extract. I’ll also add a little maple syrup or honey to sweeten it and it’s so good -Sarah
I am so grateful that I found you on UA-cam last summer. I have saved so much money by learning about the swaps you do. I recently received a gift card to a chain grocery store and could not believe the price of items that I normally buy at Walmart or Aldi.
Great ideas as always, thank you! I go one step further with yoghurt. Bought a maker and make 2 litres at a time for much less than i can buy a tub for. Also, you can set aside 120ml from each batch, x4 at most and it becomes even more economical! I add cinnamon, local honey and a banana. Delicious! And you know exactly whats in it. Works with lactose and UHT milk. Actually UHT or long life mile makes the process even easier and quicker - only heat to 40c , add milk powder and starter and let it nap in the bath for 10hrs. I bought from luvele. Please let me know if you try it.
👍 I do most of these hacks too to keep the grocery budget lower. I eat pretzels 🥨 everyday, love dipping them in spicy or honey mustard-so good! ❤ Great tips! 🙌
Years ago I started making 1 boxed desert mix a week to save money. Hint, standard cakes are a pain if you need to ice it. Brownies or quick breads work better or spinkle chocolate chips on the cake batter before baking and skip icing. Very quick and easy.
Your transparency, honesty and just plain old “real-ness” is comforting, in a way. You’re never preachy, never give off an “I’m better than you” vibe, and I’m so grateful! It’s apparent that you truly want to help people, to give people ideas about saving money in order to help everyone feel successful. Thank you so much, Mindy, and God bless you!
Thank you! I really appreciate that!
I second this. She's always so kind and real❤
I agree
Well said. I agree too! 😊
Agreed!!
I actually batch cook the waffles at home and freeze. Tremendous savings😊
Your comment about not making too many drastic changes to ensure changes are sustainable is spot on! I needed to hear that today. I've been trying to figure out how to redo a lot of our shopping and eating habits at home and I need to make sure I'm thoughtful and not trying to rock the boat too quickly with my kids.
If you happen to use a lot of lunchmeat consider this idea which we do: I watch for a sale on a whole ham. Just got one for $1.99 a pound. Then we use our slicer(investment that pays for itself fast) and cut our own lunch meat and ham steaks. It takes little time and freezes well. NO WHERE can you get lunch meat for $1.99 a pound:)
We just started doing this too! I don’t have a fancy slicer (😊) but I find the taste and quality is so much better. It’s been a great find!
Family stopped drinking soda 2 years ago
We’ve gone extreme in our house. I rarely buy packaged snacks anymore. We always have homemade baked goods, string cheese, corn chips with salsa, popcorn, fruit, yogurt, and granola on hand. It’s saved us so much money!
Because prepackaged snacks can add up, I do like the granola (home made) which I have not done is a long time, great on yogurt or with cereal if you add some dried fruits and nuts. Healthy. Thanks for the reminder.
A loaf of raisin bread is even cheaper than English muffins because you get more slices and it is so good!
My son loves raisin bread! Good idea!
And raisin bread smeared with cream cheese makes a great snack. I make the whole loaf (it's me by myself) & freeze them wrapped but put back in the bag. Then I usually take 1 out & place it in the icebox for when I want it later in the day.
Raisins bread makes great bread pudding.
@@davidkeyser128 ohh absolutely
My father-in-law dumps a bag of pretzel sticks in a big bowl, drizzles on Kernel Seasons Butter Flavored popcorn oil and shakes on some ranch powder (to taste) and mixes well. SO yummy!! They store well in an airtight container.
It’s cheaper to get drunk than it is to drink soda these days. There are good frozen pizzas in our freezer at all times for my days of weakness. Paying more for a high quality frozen pizza still saves money over delivery.
Fair point!
I try to make mine up w/great value pizza crusts, tomato sauce and cheese and pepperoni and freeze those to have on hand and it only takes a couple of minutes to throw together and wrap them up for freezing. 👍🏻I’ve also made pizza dough in my stand mixer, divided it up into dough balls to freeze as well if I feel like I want to thaw and spread out and bake later (usually I just do the Walmart crusts honestly unless I’m making the pizza for that day). Just like with anything a little planning and a few minutes makes all the difference for those convenient meals you need when you’re tired or too busy. ☺️I try to allocate at least 15-20 minutes every day to preparing some food ahead of time for later. Whether it’s cooking up rice, thawing meat, soaking beans, etc etc. sometimes it’s canning beans or beef stew for easy meals later and it saves a lot of $$! If I can do it, anyone can - I’m living in my RV while we build so I have the tiniest kitchen you can imagine! It’s not glamorous by any means but it gets the job done! 😊
Tips on making said pizzas and freezing them?
I buy the large cheese pizza, or plain, and add my own toppings with extra sauce. If someone wants more cheese they can add it later. I like to buy the cauliflower crust too and save it for when its needed/wanted. 😀
@@Happy2Run4Me sounds like a great plan! Dinner Me is always grateful when Morning Me does a little prep!
As an Aussie I think the best part of this video was hearing you mention The Wiggles and Bluey in the same breath! 😄🥰
You’re right! They know how to write catchy tunes for kids in Australia!
Thanks! Yes! Better than Boulion beef flavor while expensive has a superior taste to other brands. Their roasted chicken flavor is delicious. 😊
Mindy, i’ve been watching you for about 18 months and this is probably the most practical useful information you have put out. Great job!!! I am 58 years old and a grandmother and the swaps are things that I’ve always done but the younger generation like my daughters don’t do this, so I love that you are putting out this information and sharing how to feed your family on an affordable budget.😊
Thank you! I'm glad I can give some ideas. :)
I love to put a tablespoon of PB in my vanilla Greek yogurt and enjoy it. Tastes like a dessert.
I absolutely love how you just cut through and are just honest. I'd like to also point out I was eating waffles while watching this today 😂😂 it's just my husband and I and we are trying to find a way to budget but keep a good stock of things but I feel like these tips and tricks can help anyone! ❤
Waffles are a fine treat but have very little nutritional value. Maybe homemade healthy muffins instead? They can be frozen too.
I had a nutritionist tell me that often frozen veggies are more nutritious than fresh because it’s not been sitting around.
This is absolutely true! The number of times that I've been told off by people who didn't believe me is ridiculous!
Same!
Love this!! Broccoli... I used to buy the precut bagged crowns. Now I just buy the crowns and break them down myself. Then I shred the stems to throw in stir fries, or steam and blend into spaghetti sauces.
I usually buy the Gatorade powder and make a gallon at a time. Both my kiddos tend to not drink as much as they should and due to a medical condition are more prone to dehydration. Gatorade to the rescue when they come home from school.
Do you have a sav-a-lot? They have the individual pkts of hydration mix. I think 6-8 for a couple dollars
"Better Than Boullion" soup base is a great value and tastes great. If you look at the ingredient label, the birst ingredient on the label for the beef soup base is "roast beef". We stopped buying broth a long time ago. One little jar of BTB lasts us for a long time and we use it all the time.
I always keep a jar each of veggie, chicken and beef in my fridge ($8/ea. at Costco). I haven’t had to buy broth in a long time.
I purposely bought small containers with the intention of dividing out a tub of Greek yogurt for lunches. After they came home with me, I was happily surprised that the ones I selected also came with a divider top for holding mixing goodies until ready to mix. How did they know my intent was for yogurt? Boy was I lucky that day! I like to mix almond slices, chips and coconut in mine for a homemade Almond Coco Loco.
I’ve seen those containers. Very handy!
I love English muffins. I had one this morning with peanut butter, jam and banana slices. I had with some scrambled eggs and it filled me up for 6 hours!
English muffins are great and multipurpose. Breakfast sandwiches, mini pizzas lots of options
My favorite sweet way to eat English muffins is toasted with almond butter (spread while warm so it melts) & then a bit of honey drizzled on top.
My favorite savory way to eat English muffins (besides with regular butter) is to make them into mini pizzas! Just spread a bit of tomato sauce & add mozzarella cheese & then pop them in the oven or toaster oven until the cheese is melted and they’re a little crispy! Sometimes I like to add spinach and feta too!
Trying to buy foods that don't cause insulin resistance like potatoes, chips, bread, pasta, baked goods, and this inflation has been good in that way. Been doing Intermittent fasting for 16 hrs and eating in a 8 hr window of time. Lost some weight too. So inflation has had some good in it. Not much, but some. 🤨
I eat twice per day with intermittent fasting. I lost 20 lbs.
I love Intermittent fasting and mainly stick to water all day, even in my eating window.
And try not to eat things that have been BIO ENGINEERED!! That stuff does no one any good!!
@@cynsi7604Most chips now include crickets.🦗
@@shelahogletree7711 🙀
Excellent and practical tips, Mindy! Thank you for all you’re doing to help families weather inflation. We are empty nesters and I really feel for those who have children to feed.
I'm just glad I can be helpful. I try to be a "calm, non-anxious presence" here on YT! :)
Get your vegetables in the fall at roads side stand . You can get them cheaper than the stores . I cut them up and freeze them . That includes any other vegetables you want. Another is dehydrated your stuff .This is a real money saver. And learn to do canning.I know that alot of families don't have the time. But you will be happy , when winter come, and you don't have to pay those high prices
I have an attachment for meat grinding to my kitchen aid and dont need ground turkey. I grind chicken breast and substitute it for recipes calling for turkey breast. I freeze it in portions for a meal (1-2lb amounts). Once every 3 months or so.
I love the pre-packaged frozen veggies. I live alone and can only go shopping every few weeks. If I buy fresh produce, it usually goes bad before I can use it all. But I'm trying to get away from eating so much prepared food, so those bags of veggies are a lifesaver.
I buy carrot chips and dip them in spinach dip or ranch
When my husband was a 2nd class in the Navy ,I would buy the largest box of complete pancake mix and make waffles for the freezer.
I love how realistic your swaps are for the average human. I've had to go gluten free so a lot of snack options for me are spendy. That being said, I'm bulk buying when things are on sale. Sometimes you just absolutely need a crunchy chip like snack - pretzels and flavored rice chips are my jam anymore.
I'm grandma and you know you like to pick up little things for you grandkids so I buy boxes of snacks and treats and drinks for treats for them or frozen pizzas things they especially like when I see them on sale, I feel that sometimes this a cheaper way to spoil the whole family ,my daughter will do dinner and we will bring some treats and fruit and drinks 😊
We have changed a lot with what we buy too. We went from pop to iced tea and lemonade to water mostly. Cut most processed foods. We buy little cereal. Basically seeing that most stuff we eat are not as nutrient dense and so we don't purchase many of those. We had a sale at our local grocery that was good. 5 lbs. of potatoes .99, bread, .99, tp for 3.99 for 6 rolls of Charmin. Aldi has butter for 2.69 this week too! Haven't had good sales here for about four weeks and this week they are so good. May have to go for lost leader once a month if that is the new game stores are playing.
Aldi has cabbage 29 crents a pound no limit one pound carrots 47 cents limit 3
We have been trying to portion out some school snacks. My youngest loves walmart marshmallows, 1lb bag is $1.14 here and I can fill up 29 snack size ziplock bags. Walmart pretzels are also great for that. We have been making our own mini muffins for breakfast and snacks. Love the channel! Thank you for sharing!
I got ten pounds of chicken leg quarters for $8.72 today. That will make my week! Chicken soup, chicken quesadillas, Monterey chicken pasta! And a few in the freezer.
Such creative and practical tips and swaps! Like you said, the more similar the dup is to the original, the more you will stick with it. So glad we can all still enjoy our snacks and sweets without blowing the budget!
Flavor the plain yogurt with a bit of jam, jelly, canned fruit, or such - even cheaper than the drink mixes.
Great ideas Mindy!! Try dipping pretzels in French onion dip❤now if you have time how about cleaner eating on a budget. Thx
Hey Mindy,
Another great video! Love your realistic advice.
If you like pretzels and ranch dressing, try making spiced pretzels:
1 -16 oz bag pretzel sticks
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
3/4 c. vegetable oil
Put pretzels in a gallon zip-top bag. Combine oil and ranch dressing mix. Pour over pretzels. Close bag and coat pretzels with the mix. Spread pretzels on a large baking sheet. Bake at 200 for 40 minutes. Stir after 20 minutes.
* pretzels can stay in the zip-top bag overnight before baking for a deeper flavor.
Cayenne pepper, lemon pepper and garlic powder can be added with the ranch dressing mix for a more flavorful treat.
I love using the really skinny pretzel sticks from WalMart for this recipe.
The other good thing about the easy peelers over the applesauce is no plastic waste and you can put the peelings in your food waste bin/compost.
I save and rinse my water bottles and refill with tap water. No one knows the difference. I put them in fridge so they’re cold.
I USED to do that. But we moved into apartments and the water is NASTY tasting. I’ve always lived in a house. But apparently apartment water is the GROSSEST!! Which means I HAVE TO BUY H2o!! And it is EXPENSIVE NOW!! 🤨 ✌🏻
What bothers me about yogurt cups is all the packaging. If I had to send kids out with lunches, I'd buy large yogurt tubs and some small reusable containers. I often use empty large yogurt tubs for leftovers anyway.
I love pretzels dipped in hummus. So delicious.
In our area, we can get a Pizza Hut large 1-topping pizza on the app for $9.99 and large 3-topping for $11.99.
Ive noticed for my kids that I actually prefer to buy the individual packs because they go through them slower than the big box. It ends up being better for my budget. The pre-portioned aspect is sometimes needed. I know that I'm a distracted snacker and so are my kids. Sometimes that built-in portion control is incredibly valuable.
I know your kids are older, but as a recently retired teacher, you can not imagine how much of those expensive lunchables end up in the trash. Many kids would eat the cheese and dump everything else. Or, even only eat the cookie or small candy. Some do eat them, but most only eat a tiny portion of it and toss the rest
❤❤❤❤
Great dupe for pizza lunchable is the naan dippers with sauce pepperoni and cheese.
For sure, but naan is kind of pricey. At least in my grocery stores, those naan dippers are around $5 a container.
I get naan when it’s 1/2 price at Aldi (close to date) and freeze. We use the mini naan to make personal pizzas. Perfect size and easy to
That is exactly what we do. I have a freezer full of the naan rounds. Whenever Kroger puts them on clearance, I buy 2-3 packs if available and freeze them. Then just pull out two rounds at a time and microwave when someone wants one.
This is my first time watching your channel. I used to buy individual yogurts and awhile ago I switched to the big container like you showed. It is such a better deal. I also buy pretzels as well.
I love greek plain yorgurt. I add cocoa powder or puree pumpkin for extra flavor. Great video Mindy. I always enjoy your videos. 😊
We love the cutie oranges. I found the little bags at Walmart last for $1.48. There were two bags and I was so excited.
I quit buying chips also, for myself, but i send either cheetos or fritos in my kiddo's lunch. I wait til they're on sale at Kroger or DG and stock up
That bag of mandarins would be about $7 here and same or more for a basic bag of apples
This is so helpful! Food is so high these days that I’m angry every time I shop.
Great tips! I always enjoy your videos. Many store brand items are actually made in the same factory as name brands. Compare the store and name brand labels-you often see both come from the same manufacturer and possibly from the same production facility. This doesn’t include packaged foods, but if you’re looking to save money & get the same quality, the store/ generic brands are the better way to go.
I usually get the large container of plain greek yogurt and then flavoring it with jam or jelly. I can do it for an individual portions as I eat it with different flavors since I always have a couple of jars of jam/jelly on hand anyway.
Thank you for acknowledging a world outside of the USA
Right now at my Walmart, I’ve noticed that ground chicken is even cheaper than ground turkey. 😎
I shop almost exclusively at Aldi's and Lidls and save so much money. Aldis is branching out so hopefully others around the country will get those savings as well
So enjoy your videos! I’ve been focusing on price per - pretty much everything too. Where we live, west coast - coke is up to $9.99 per 12 pack. It does go on sale, but that’s just crazy. Coke or soda is not on my list currentltly. I found a great deal on cranberry juice small bottles and we are mixing with sparking water for a treat, that also stretches the cost.
For a quick meal l do vegetables fried rice with scrambled eggs. So good.
I really enjoy Your videos ! Thanks For doing them.
Thanks for watching!
We have a kroger in my area. I get name brand chips for $2 a bag. I shop their sales weekly. Walmart is getting less of my money. The prices of groceries and pet food and household essentials is insane. I live in Louisiana and we cant even afford to take our annual tulsa vacation this year for our anniversary. Im really sour about the economy. You are such a bright spot in my day. Thank you.
I wish we had Kroger here!
You mentioned frosting. I dont know if you know/do this but with the canned frosting i take out 1/2 and put in a bowl and whisk it with mixer. It doubles the frosting....just another way to save a bit
I was so excited to find honey crisp apples today at my "expensive" grocery store for $0.79 a pound. Can't find them cheaper anywhere. Don't sleep on sales at more expensive stores.
We have been using alot more mixed drinks like iced tea lemonade than seltzer and soda because my teens drink cans like its water and only finish half a can and it gets dumped. Also dollar tree has been my friend for cereal crackers tortillas spaghetti sauce, knock off takis, drink mixes today i found no sugar added full size bushes baked beans for $1.25.
It's true - Pretzels get enjoyed when cream cheese or peanut butter is included.
I have done these same things myself. I am a freezer meal momma so I have all kind of little containers. My kids really like chia pudding. Have u ever tried that? It is actually cheaper to get one of those soda machines in the long run and adding the drink mixes as flavoring. My girls can drink that fizzy water with the little drink mixes and be even happier because they can mix and match flavors.
I do this too - I love spackling water but the cost is crazy.
Oh that's a good idea!
You can your own extra toppings to the frozen pizza .
Always!
Mustard is great on pretzels too!
I love your yogurt tip! I have shied away from soda!!! Soda used too be cheap but no way at these prices...
Pizza lunchables homemade style...cut tortillas with cookie cutter or use no pocket pita, or mini naan.
Hey Mindy! Absolutely love your videos! I just wanted to say please do some research about those prime drinks. Especially for kids. Just want you and your kiddos to be safe and healthy ❤
Me again☺ you really got me thinking about the boxes of broth, sometimes I don't need the whole box. I have cubes and powders but still have boxes which do take up a lot of space.When the boxes are gone, they are gone> Thanks for the info
I think the penguins do taste better than the gold fish but the turtles from Aldi are even better.
Agree. My kids love turtles. ❤
Stonefire makes a round naan bread sold in most grocery stores that you can use to dupe the pizza lunchable. They’re like $3-4 for an 8pk. I get the Contadina pizza sauce (squeezable bottle), shredded cheese and mini pepperonis to go on top. You can either eat as is or pop them in the toaster oven to cook
You MUST watch Bluey! It speaks straight to the heart of grownups with kids! I swear, they made it more for us than them!
My favorite pizza lunchable swap is to buy sandwich thins, pepperoni, cheese and pizza sauce! Then you can pack it and assemble it just like a regular lunchable, and each sandwich thin can make 2 pizzas worth.
Okay so for a pizza lunchable: use the mini naan circles they sell at Walmart, add some sauce in a container, shredded mozzarella and pepperoni or whatever else your kids want on theirs, they can build them during lunch just like a real lunchable.
Regarding the pizza Lunchables... I make my daughter pizzadillas, and she likes them just as much. Tortilla, pizza/marinara sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. Depending on the amount of each item you buy, you can make quite a few of them.
Drink mixes in yogurt! You're a genius! ❤❤❤
Thanks for the tip about the ground turkey
You bet!
I have been purchasing Orrington Farms broth base for quite awhile. We have found it doesn't seem as salty as some others.
Honestly, if you're going to compare the Stauffer's animal cookies to Oreo, I'd forgo the iced and pick up the chocolate animal cookies. They really do satisfy that chocolate cookie crunch.
We make our own frozen waffles using a mix. One of our favorite breakfast sandwiches are tomato and cheese on an English muffin. We buy extra English muffins and freeze them when they are cheap.
We have for sure cut out things like cereal and I make granola, quick breads, bagels and more to have for breakfast. We have cut out canned soda and we buy 2 liters that we can all share as a family treat with pizza night. We cut back on the chips and do pretzels and tortilla chips. My son asks his grandparents for Doritos and other junk and they happily buy him that stuff and they are heroes for it. It is hard for a lot of people to make those connections to the budget and I think this is an amazing and specific plan for many families.
We also will do some of those things in Christmas stockings or Easter baskets. Especially boxed sugar cereal, which I hardly ever buy outside of holidays or special occasions.
I find frozen veggies preferable to fresh or canned on some things. I know they were flash frozen right after they’re harvested.
I grew up with my mom making plain yogurt and then letting us choose jam or jelly (whatever types were in our fridge) and mixing it in for flavor. I still often get big containers, or make plain yogurt, and do that. (right now I bought a pack of chobani on sale at Sam's. I also am on a kick of the peanut butter cheese crackers in my lunch, I'm a teacher. Another odd thing I do is if sonic gives me extra ranch cups if I stop there, I save them and pack them with carrots or cherry tomatoes in my lunch. I have a health condition that needs electrolytes, and I found those prime packets at Sam's too. Every once in a while they go on sale.
Great ideas and suggestions! When I was younger, I got into the habit of dipping my pretzel sticks into French onion dip or nacho cheese dip. So tasty!
Whales > Goldfish
My niece has preferred Whales her entire life, and I have for many years.
My favorite thing is when I find the Aldi pizza for 50% off. It’s only happened twice, but it was such a thrill both times 😅
When the kids were home we'd have waffles on weekends. We'd increase the recipe and make extra for the freezer. They would just disappear during the week.
Good afternoon Mandy and Family and Friends here. How's everyone doing this week? Thanks again for sharing your budget friendly foods with us. Have a blessed day friends and may Jesus bless our families and friends. Happy Thursday Friends. We send our Love and Prayers to our family's and friends. Lots of hugs to our sweet friends here. Everyone take care of yourselves. Im so happy that we found your channel our friend Mandy. 😇🥰😇🥰😇🥰😇🥰💌💟💌💟💌💟💌💟💌💟💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤💙❤🎊🎁🎊🎀🎊🎀🎊🎀🎊🎀🎊🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸♥️🧸✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️
and the double stuff isn’t really DOUBLE anymore!!! i am definitely going for the iced cookies!! Thank you for this great information!
Walmart also sells off brand electrolyte drink mixes for $2.24 / 10 count. That’s only 22 cents each. They’re honestly really good too, they remind me of capri suns:)
The frozen green beans are less hassle than the fresh ones since they are pre cut
Yep! Me too!
You're channel has been such a game changer for my family. Thank you!
I'm so glad I can help!
Those take and bake pizzas at Aldis are so delicious and such a great deal!
They are really good! I think the Aldi ones are just a little bit better than the Walmart ones.
I agree. The Aldi pizzas are much better than the Walmart pizzas!
A small bag of apples is probably cheaper then the apple sauce also
The Greek yogurt/drink mix idea is genius. My kids have a sensitivity to food dyes but there are some dye free mixes we keep on hand. My husband often gets free plain yogurt from his work and I always struggle with how to get my kids who like yogurt to eat it (I hate yogurt).
I make yogurt and to sweeten it or make it taste better I’ll add a tsp or two or vanilla extract. I’ll also add a little maple syrup or honey to sweeten it and it’s so good -Sarah
Great ideas Mindy, always look forward to your videos!
Thanks so much 😊
I am so grateful that I found you on UA-cam last summer. I have saved so much money by learning about the swaps you do. I recently received a gift card to a chain grocery store and could not believe the price of items that I normally buy at Walmart or Aldi.
Glad I can help! :)
Great ideas as always, thank you!
I go one step further with yoghurt. Bought a maker and make 2 litres at a time for much less than i can buy a tub for.
Also, you can set aside 120ml from each batch, x4 at most and it becomes even more economical!
I add cinnamon, local honey and a banana. Delicious! And you know exactly whats in it.
Works with lactose and UHT milk. Actually UHT or long life mile makes the process even easier and quicker - only heat to 40c , add milk powder and starter and let it nap in the bath for 10hrs.
I bought from luvele. Please let me know if you try it.
👍 I do most of these hacks too to keep the grocery budget lower.
I eat pretzels 🥨 everyday, love dipping them in spicy or honey mustard-so good! ❤
Great tips! 🙌
Years ago I started making 1 boxed desert mix a week to save money. Hint, standard cakes are a pain if you need to ice it. Brownies or quick breads work better or spinkle chocolate chips on the cake batter before baking and skip icing. Very quick and easy.