Angel Food Ministries

Today I picked up our first box of "Angel Food". I found out about this through a flier at my local post office. The program has definitely made a believer out of me. I was able to purchase a box of food for $30. Here is what I received:

• 1.5 lb. Ribeye Steak (4 x 6 oz.)
• 4 lb. Leg Quarters
• 1.5 lb. Beef Patties (4 x 6 oz.)
• 18 oz. Cheese Filled Manicotti
• 2 lb. Pork Rib Strips
• 1 lb. Chicken Breast Fajita Strips
• 1 lb. Ground Turkey
• 1 lb. Broccoli
• 1 lb. Peas
• 6 ct. Oatmeal Variety Box
• 2 each-Regular, Maple Brown Sugar and Apple Cinnamon
• 32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
• 8 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix
• 12 ct. White Corn Tortillas
• 1 lb. Pinto Beans
• 7 oz. Chicken Flavored Rice & Vermicelli
• One Dozen Eggs
• Dessert Item

I definitely feel that I received a value for my $30. We had Chicken Fajitas for dinner tonight, using some of the ingredients above, and it was great!



So how did they do it? They provided this through a "cooperative" food purchasing program. This means that the more of a item is purchased, the greater the discount; therefore, by the Angel Food Ministries purchasing in bulk and then distributing the food through a local church - they are helping me to save money.



What a great idea and what a great service! If you are interested in purchasing "Angel Food", check out their website to search for a local "Angel Food" distributor in your area. Here is the link:



http://www.angelfoodministries.com/



I was so excited about the program when I picked up my food today, that I have ordered already for next month. Here is what I am getting next month:



Regular Box:

• 1.5 lb. Sirloin Strip Steaks(4 x 6 oz.)
• 2 lb. Tray Pack Chicken Breast
• 1 lb. Boneless Pork Chops
• 2 lb. Breaded Chicken Nuggets
• 28 oz. Salisbury Steak Entrée
• 12 oz. Sliced Bacon
• 1 lb. All-Meat Hot Dog
• 1 lb. Stir Fry (Broccoli, Red Peppers & Onions)
• 1 lb. Carrots
• 10 oz. Peanut Butter
• 32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
• 35 oz. Crinkle-Cut Fries
• 7.25 oz. Mac ‘n Cheese
• 1 lb. Rice
• 1 lb. Bean Soup Mix
• Dozen Eggs
• Dessert

Price: $30.00

Special #5 - Fresh Fruit & Veggie Box:

• 3 lb. No. 1 Premium Idaho Baking Potatoes
• 3 lb. No. 1 Premium North Carolina Sweet Potatoes
• 2 lb. No. 1 Premium New Crop Western Grown Yellow Onions
• 9 oz. California Premium Raisins
• 1 lb. Premium California Grown Carrots
• 1 head Premium Fresh Green Cabbage
• 3 lb. New Crop Tree-Ripened Red Delicious Apples
• 2 each Premium Washington State Anjou Pears
• 1 each Premium Golden Sweet Pineapple
• 3 lb. New Crop Premium Florida Tree-Ripened Valencia Oranges

Price: $21.00

Special #6 - Tangerine Box:

• 2/5 Bushel New Crop Florida Tree-Ripened Honey Tangerines (approximately 20-21 pounds or 70-75 tangerines)

Price: $15.00

So for the month of February, I will have invested $66.00 for all of the items listed above. What a great deal & service!

Check this service out and let me know what you think.

Until another frugal moment hits...

The Frugal Queen

The Best Value for Your Money when Grocery Shopping

When shopping at the grocery store, don't just look at the big price on the shelf sticker - also check out the "unit" price or the "per ounce" price. I have found that this is really the best way to purchase the cost effective amount.

Let's take ketchup for example. (It is in it's own food group for my son, who puts it on everything!)

The cheapest big price on the store shelf is most probably the smallest size - say a 12 ounce bottle for $1.19. When you look at the per ounce price on this, it comes out to about 10 cents per ounce. But say there is a 36 ounce bottle on the shelf next to it - for $1.99. The bottle is bigger and costs 80 cents more, but the per ounce price for the larger size is now down to 6 cents per ounce.

That is savings! If you have the space and will be able to use it all before the expiration date, the larger sizes are almost always the best value. Also, check out the store brand versus the name brand. Using the same theory above, check out the name brand per ounce price versus the store brand per ounce price. You will see a tremendous amount of savings!

I have been teaching my kids this lesson as we go to the grocery store each week. I always have them look at the per ounce price on items instead of the "big" sticker price.

Want to learn more about being a savvy super market shopper? Check out this newsletter from the University of Kentucky school of Agriculture: click here. (It is a PDF document.)

Until another frugal moment hits!

The Frugal Queen

Free Online Training!

I know this will not be for everyone, but for those of you who are not afraid of trying new things...check out the State of Ohio Library's website for the Learning Express Library! The Learning Express Library is a website which allows you to take online courses in different subjects at no cost...and no this is not a gimick. It is a great resource offered by the State of Ohio's Library!

To check it out follow this link to the State Library's website:

http://winslo.state.oh.us/

Then scroll down the page and follow the link for Learning Express Library. (Or click this link:
http://www.learnatest.com/LearningExpressLibrary/Home.cfm?CFID=x&CFTOKEN=x&Refresh=1&sip=473908416&HR=http://www.library.ohio.gov/)

Either way, you will be taken to the Learning Express Library website. You can then register for a user account and follow the available links to courses on various Microsoft Softwares, including the new Office 2007 version!

You can also take practice tests for the SAT, GMAT, and many other areas like civil service exams and EMT/Paramedic certificaitons!

It is a fabulous resource made available through the State of Ohio Library - for all Ohio residents and everyone beyond our state. So either commit today to brush up on skills you have wanted to learn more about or pass the word along to someone who can use the Learning Express Library!

Until another frugal moment hits....

The Frugal Queen

Flower Exchange - Diversify your Flower Beds!

I received a great idea from a friend just north of where I live. She participates every Spring in a flower exchange. How it works is a group of neighbors or friends gets together each Spring and brings with them starts of flowers from their flower beds. For each start you bring with you, you are able to place a ticket with your name on it in the hat. Then one person takes turns pulling names out of the hat. As your name is pulled, you get to choose from among the flower starts. This goes on until everyone's tickets have been pulled.

At the end of the day, everyone goes home with a new variety of flower starts for their garden with no money spent!

Kudos to the ladies of Fallsburg for this great frugal idea!

Until another frugal moment hits -

The Frugal Queen

Mooch a Book Today!

I have discovered a great new website which will hopefully help me to recycle my books and get others that I want to read. It is called Book Mooch. You can link to it at http://www.bookmooch.com/ . Essentially, other people "mooch" books off of you and you "mooch" books off of others. The way the system is set up to work is explained on the site, so if you are a book lover, check it out!

This is definitely a frugal person/avid reader's dream find!

Until another frugal moment hits -

The Frugal Queen

Ridiculous Money Saving Ideas

Found a website this evening which provide me a few good laughs. Click this link to read about the "Ridiculous Money Saving Ideas": http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/ridiculous-money-saving-ideas.html .

Hope it gives you a few good laughs too. I definitely needed them. I decided to put up some strawberry preserves while the prices for strawberries were super low at the grocery store, but ended up splashing some boiling water on myself while removing the jars from the water bath. Terribly painful. I have a bag of frozen broccoli on the burns right now.

Sometimes frugality can be a very painful process.

Until another frugal moment hits,

The Frugal Queen

Why is the electricity bill so high?

The title of this post is a question I seem to ask in our house at least once a month. I have even gone so far as to check out an online calculator for electricity use, available for free at: http://www.consumerspower.org/home_energy/billestimator.php .

The thing I found was our pump for the well (we are on a well and septic system, not city water) was the most expensive thing as far as our electricity consumption. This was a big surprise! I am now looking at what we can do to reduce water usage (I never really looked at this before, because I always thought - I do not have a water bill per say, so I don't have to worry about how much water I use, right?) Now I am worrying about it quite a bit.

I am going to look into a new clothes washer, a front loader instead of a top loader. The front loaders use less water to clean the clothes and at 15 loads of laundry a week, this could be a big savings over time. I have also asked the kids to consider recycling clothes they have worn if possible (not visibly dirty or no odors). This will hopefully cut back on the number of loads of laundry I have to wash (isn't this every mother's dream? kids who are responsible enough to minimize the amount of laundry which needs washed?)

I will let you know later if I move on the new washer idea and if I am able to cut the electricity bill through less water usage.

Until another frugal moment hits!

The Frugal Queen