Comments on: Are You A Super Saver?

By: Steve in W MA

Steve in W MA — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 01:06:44 +0000

By and large, the dates on food items are not “expiration dates” but “sell-by dates” and “best used by” dates..

In most cases you can go way past the sell by date and the food will still be *safe* to eat.

As regards dairy items, if it smells or tastes bad then it’s bad. Not before. In my experience unopened milk containers can go about a week after the sellby date, and eggs can last indefinitely in the fridge, a couple of months at least past the sellby date.AS a special case, if you want to preserve milk that you feel may be approaching its end, make it into yogurt by heating it up to 185F, letting it cool to 130F, and adding some yogurt culture to it and keeping it between 110-125F for about 5 hours.

The yogurt will last another 3 weeks or so without going bad.

By: Shannon

Shannon — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:57:22 +0000

I wanted to jump in about the expiration dates. I used to work at a General Mills warehouse. Most of the time the dates are for warehouse purposes. We had a chart (we mainly housed flour) The date on the package was the shortest date. Flour was usually good for 172-365 days after that depending on the type. Most food is actually good for an amazing amount of time. The dates are set for extra extra extra precaution because it goes through a lot of different places before it ends up in your pantry. Shannon´s last blog post..New Freebie Trading Forum

By: celia

celia — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:44:12 +0000

Hi,

I am here from Mindi’s site. I love coupons and routinely cut my grocery bill by 40%. And that is with my insistence on eating 75% organic and buying environmentally friendly products. We realized when we began our debt snowball that we were spending an outrageous four hundred dollars a month on meals and snacks outside the house. So we started packing our lunch and taking our coffee.

I plan our meals a week in advance- looking at what is on sale. I shop at three stores. I also will do things like cook two packs of chicken at one shot and then chop them so I have the makings of a quick dinner right in the freezer.

Today I am making 12 mini meatloaves to freeze.

Here is one of our favorite 5 minute meals.

Dump a can of black beans(don’t drain them) on the stove. Drop in a heavy handful of the chicken you have already cooked and shredded. Start it cooking.

Pull out your plates,cheese,sour cream, and salsa.

If you planned ahead, pop the rice you already made in the microwave. Trader Joes sells precooked brown rice that stays good for a long time in the fridge, I usually keep one on hand for nights like this.

Heat a tortilla(maybe 5 seconds in the microwave)put on the cheese,and then the rice- then the chicken and beans. That kees your tortilla from getting soggy. . We like the rice in the burrito. You can fancy it up with whatever toppings you like but this is our basic “we are starving and in a hurry” dinner.

Mini meatloaves are a great time saver too. Not only is the initial cooking faster since they are in muffin pans, but you can pop them in the microwave for a hot dinner or slice them up for a meat loaf sandwich to go.

celia´s last blog post..California SUCKS

By: Just Starting Out | Moms Need To Know

Just Starting Out | Moms Need To Know — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:10:19 +0000

[...] Brad has written his own “Aha!” post about overcoming brand and store snobbery. Check it out here [...]

By: James Hahn

James Hahn — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:17:56 +0000

I’m not necessarily a Super saver, but I do a pretty good job. Example, I use the expresso machine at work to make my coffee. I supply the milk. Coffee cost went from $3.75 (incl. tip at Starbucks) to $0.50.

I keep salad stuff at home all the time (cover cut lettuce or other vegies with a damp paper town to keep them fresh. I also keep bags of frozen shrimp in the freezer. I can have a pretty good dinner on the table in 15 mins by defrosting the shrimp in a collander under cold running water and topping greens and vegies.

I also tend to buy larger quantities and vacuum pack them (those machine are a real food saver). I also cook in mass quantities on the weekends so week night dinner are usually only 15 or 20 minutes prep time away. Freeze in individual portions and heat on the serving plate in the microwave. Prep, dinner, dishes, done in 60 minutes or less.

When using coupons watch out for stores where that very item may be on sale and thus doubling your savings.