# Prepping on the Cheap: The $5 a Week Shopping Challenge



## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

Prepping on the Cheap: The $5 a Week Shopping Challenge


One of the biggest excuses that people make for not prepping is that they can&#8217;t afford it. &#8220;I can&#8217;t even afford the groceries we eat every week as it is!&#8221; they complain when urged to start buying extra food.

This week I made a trip to three different stores. I went to Wal-Mart, the dollar store and a grocery store. Not to locate the best prices but to locate the regular prices on common food items that might find their way into a prepper&#8217;s pantry. The following list is not based on mega-markdown loss leaders &#8211; it is based on the normal price and availability.

Here are 52 stock-ups &#8211; one for each week!

15 packs of Ramen Noodles
6 cans of mixed vegetables
5 cans of fruit
6 cans of tuna
4 cans of spaghetti sauce
5 cans of diced tomatoes
4 pounds of rice
3 pounds of kidney beans
5 cans of kidney beans
10 cans of baked beans
3 cans of chilli
12 cans of generic condensed cream of mushroom soup
12 cans of condensed tomato soup
4 pounds of white sugar
10 boxes of iodized salt
6 bags of dry pasta
2 jumbo boxes of raisins
1 pound jar of honey
2 cartons of molasses
15 boxes of baking soda
5 jars of spices
48 bottles of water
5 cans of apple juice
2 jars of peanut butter
10 boxes of macaroni and cheese
3 cans of flaked ham
3 cans of flaked turkey
4 cans of flaked chicken
1 canned ham
3 bottles of barbecue sauce
500 tea bags
120 herbal tea bags
1 large canister of iced tea mix
50 packs of generic cool-aid mix
10 boxes of instant pudding
20 boxes of gelatin mix
10 cans of corn
3 cans of beef stew
5 bags of dehydrated onion flakes
5 bags of garlic powder
10 packets of gravy mix
2 cans of spam
10 cans of Vienna sausages
2 bags of beef jerky
5 pound bag of flour
3 pound bag of cornmeal
4 pounds of dried black-eyed peas
3 jars of sauerkraut
3 pounds of steel cut oats
2 pounds of powdered milk
3 pounds of brown sugar
30 bouillon cubes

These items might not make the tastiest meals, but they will stand between your family and starvation. Keep in mind that by shopping wisely you can get far more than this for $5 per week.

Print off this list for the next time someone tells you they can&#8217;t afford to prep!


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## cnichols (Jan 5, 2010)

I saw that this morning and it's a good starting point for someone just getting started on a limited budget. 

And as he points out, all of those items are "not" on sale nor did he use coupons. Imagine if you could find some of that stuff on sale and use coupons too. Could buy even more.

But people who really don't want to prep, will always come up with excuses.


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## Guest (Jul 11, 2012)

some times when money is tight, i might get 1 item extra, around $1.50.
like the jars of grape jelly for instance. Or a box of saltines.
The store we go to has the bulk bins. You don't even have to buy an entire bag of some thing. So you can buy 2 pounds of sugar for $1. As well as other dry goods and I think the raisins are about $1 a pound. Sea salt is about 25 cents a pound.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

I appreciate this! Thx Rocktown! Have been trying to do this on the cheap, too. Am not able to print coupons at my job anymore, and it's a loss...


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## sherry in Maine (Nov 22, 2007)

thanks for your time, Rocktown Gal!


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

Nice start up list/ excuse eraser !


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Rocktown Gal,
Things must be a lot cheaper where you live. 

Canned soup cream of chicken or mushroom is .65 a can plus 4% tax Veggies of green beans, corn or peas the same price. 10 cans be $6.50

I would love to get instant pudding at that price. So high not buying. 

I do not buy bouillon cubes I do not buy I get 2# jar for like chicken for under $5 last time. Also comes in tomato chicken. I have not found big jars of beef flavor. So much higher.

Here pinto beans are the cheapest. Dried beans are high. I buy a variety of beans as that makes it not seem a bean diet. 

Yes, one sure can stock up some things.


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## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

newcolorado, this is not my list...if you follow the link you will see the story where this came from.

You do not have to follow the list...get what you can for $5 a week.


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## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

Great list.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

Although the prices seem to be about 25% to 30% out of date, it's still an excellent list to help us focus. Thanks for posting it.


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## pumpkin (May 8, 2012)

I don't much care for the list as written. I like the idea of spending $5 a week to stock up but I would not buy all one product in a week. If the shtf in the first week all you would have is 15 packages of ramen noodles. I would spend it on a variety of items - 1 package of pasta, one can of tomato sauce, a can of tuna and a can of fruit. The quantities are also not realistic for the $5 that you are to spend. I would love to be able to buy 2 jars of peanut butter for $5. 

If you are serious about stocking up and being perpared for an emergency - that could happen tomorrow - you need to find a fairly significant amount of cash to stock up now. We sold some items and started our stock up fund with just under $500. I now add to it every week. This is when the $5 list could be useful.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

I subscribe to all grocery stores around me up to 1.5 hrs away. Walmart price matches. So I only have to go to Walmart show them the ad on my phone and get the deal. This week festivle foods has chefboyardee on sale for 68 cents a can. Great mood lifting food for My kids. Plus many more things. I don't have to drive that far and deal with city traffic.


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

2 bags of beef jerky for $5???? :stars: I wanna know where that is at? Or are they like 0.5 ounce bags? :huh:



It would be interesting to see everyone actually price this list out (as it is) and see how close to $5 a week it is for people. That would show the breadth of prices all over! 



(edited to add that I know that is not the "spirit" of the list idea  )

.


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## summerdaze (Jun 11, 2009)

I think this is a wonderful idea, no matter what kinds of items you spend the money on. I do agree that it might be better to buy a variety of things instead of just 5.00 worth of just 1 item.

Dollar stores are a good place for small canned items like chicken, tuna, ham and beef. Some drugstores like Walgreen and CVS also have weekly specials of things you might want to include. CVS regularly has 3 cans of manderine oranges for 1.00, and soups 3/1.00 or at least .50 cents a can. I have a 2 lb jar of honey for 4.00 from Walgreen and they have that on sale quite a bit.
Family Dollar has the best storebrand coffee that I've found. I've tried just about everyone's cheap coffee, but now I won't buy it (OR their coffee CREAMER) anywhere else. For a big can, (34.5 oz) it costs a little over 8.00 .

As far as the prices go, I guess it just depends WHERE in the country you live. I could get everything but the powered milk, for sure, for 5.00 for the quantities listed. In some cases, I could get them for cheaper then that, not even on sale.
For example, most of Aldi's canned vegs are 49-69 cents a can. And I could get 5 bottles of b-b-q sauce, or 5 cans of spaghetti sauce for 5.00 coz somebody has always got that on sale for 1.00 or less.

All in all, I think this is a good idea, and it's not even any extra trips to the store really.  Who CAN'T do this?


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## Freya (Dec 3, 2005)

You know in many parts of the country Aldi's is like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. ound:


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Freya said:


> You know in many parts of the country Aldi's is like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. ound:



This is the only place I've heard of it.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

They have one in the town about 40 miles away from us, in Elizabethtown, havent stopped in to check it out though. (Aldi's)


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Went there, today. Did buy some stock up items. Usually go there once a month; as it's not close. But every month, I'm surprised to see how much higher things are. Overall, they're cheaper that any other grocery store.


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## PerhamMN (Oct 24, 2011)

Spent my $5 for the week on sugar! Our local grocery store had 4# bags on sale for 99 cents, normally $2.99. We bought five. Would be going to get more but the sale is over today.


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## blufford (Nov 23, 2004)

Several years ago I saw Old German Beer on sale for 5.00 for a warm case of cans. Hope this helps.


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

Regarding coffee, although my husband is a frugal man who wears his work clothes until they are just strings holding holes together and who prefers cheap home cooking to gourmet restaurants, he is a coffee snob. For a while he was buying it at a local specialty shop. When they got too high, he switched to a cheaper, online source. But they also priced themselves out of his range. Finally, we turned to the mythical Aldi's (Yes, Virginia, there is an Aldi's)

They have some higher quality coffee available for around $4.65 per 12oz. bag. We buy the whole beans, which I think may only be a seasonal item at Aldi's, so we buy lots when it is available. They appear to carry the ground style year-round.

Also, for both health and financial reasons, my husband alternates coffee and tea days. One day he will have coffee and the next, he will brew a pot of strong tea. He wasn't pleased at first, but now says it helps him appreciate his fancy coffee even more and that he doesn't feel at all deprived.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I completely switched to tea after a long illness earlier this year (I couldnt drink coffee for a long time)...I buy the bulk green tea leaves cheaply at the Chinese grocer, and grow my own herbal. Now, a few months later, Im totally used to it, and saving money in coffee, and even cream. I can get a months supply for about $3, where it was costing me twice that per week in coffee.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I took the $5 prep challenge today when I went to the grocery. I set aside $5 just for the preps and this is what I got. 

2.00 --- 6 cans of tomato sauce 3 for 1.00
1.00 --- 10 packs of kool aid 10 for 1.00 (to flavor the water a little for the kids)
2.00 ---- 10 kiwi fruits for the dehydrator 5 for 1.00 (kids love these)

5.35 total. 

Last week they had my DH's favorite pork and beans on sale 3 for $1 so I stocked up for him. He loves to eat them right out of the can (YUCK to me).


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

jamala said:


> I took the $5 prep challenge today when I went to the grocery. I set aside $5 just for the preps and this is what I got.
> 
> 2.00 --- 6 cans of tomato sauce 3 for 1.00
> 1.00 --- 10 packs of kool aid 10 for 1.00 (to flavor the water a little for the kids)
> ...


Koolaid is a very good prep item. You can use it to mask the taste of water that might be off from long term storage in an emergency situation
OT...did you ever eat a kiwi with a spoon?? just peel or slice the top skin and scoop it out with a spoon, soft boiled egg style. this is new to me, so I thought Id mention it


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## Mutti (Sep 7, 2002)

A 2# jar of honey is no bargin at $4...chances are high it isn't pure honey no matter what the label infers. No doubt cut with high fructose corn syrup which has been the case in most cheap honey in grocery stores. Just a heads up. We sure don't sell our honey that cheap and we are always sold out as people want the real thing. 

High fructose corn syrup has made us a nation of fat people...in just about any processed food you can name....the news was talking about the predicted corn shortage and stated that 75% of grocery products contain corn syrup. Think about what grain is used to fatten cows..............


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## celina (Dec 29, 2005)

I think the point is for 5.00 a week you CAN find something to stock up every week. i can get a giant jar of no name pbutter at food lion for like 5.00 or 2 itty bitty of the name bran. 

It's not nec. the items listed..it's that 52 times 5.00 and you'd get a decent stockpile. 

My advice is also...skip a grocery week (other than milk if you HAVE TO) and use THAT money to buy some stock , and empty your fridge..use it up....make due...one week kills no one....to eat up what they have opened...and then add the 5.00/w


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Even if the list isn't exactly what you might choose for your family, it is a great starting point and clearly illustrates what can be done with just $5 at a time. Just a good example to jumpstart somebody's own thought process.


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## jen8753 (Jan 18, 2012)

I love this thread and all of everyone's ideas. They are great for a newbie like me. Please keep them coming!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I'm a big fan of the $1 Lipton/knorr(or store brand) noodle and rice sides.....get the ones that call for just water if you dont have a milk source....add any kind of meat and/or veg or serve with beans.....they are high sodium so they store well....


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

ovsfarm said:


> Regarding coffee, although my husband is a frugal man who wears his work clothes until they are just strings holding holes together and who prefers cheap home cooking to gourmet restaurants, he is a coffee snob.


Sounds like my Spud Muffin. Except he doesn't drink coffee. His indulgences are a good mustard, and he has a great selection, some European. And he lives good aged sharp cheddar. I brought home some aged white cheddar from Ireland just before St Patrick's Day from Costco and he LOVED it! When it was gone, I went back for more and it wasn't there, but they had another aged white cheddar from England that has crunchy calcium granules in it (I think they formed there during the aging process), and he loves that too.

It's a small price to pay to keep him happy!:spinsmiley:


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

Common Tater, it's a small price to pay for a more harmonious family life, isn't it!

I don't mind a bit that my husband indulges in his coffee. He is reasonable about it and tries to watch costs. He often says that he will give it up if we can't afford it. It's the small pleasures in life that make it worth living.

I'd rather enjoy the time leading up to TEOTEAWKI, than to allow that event to reach back in time and steal my joy now. It's not like we are going overboard on the indulgences or anything. Just a nice bag of fancy coffee every now and then.

My weakness is chocolate. And I'm not all that picky! I have some stored, but know if TSHTF, eventually I would run out. So I am living it up while I can in the chocolate arena. No, really I am fairly well controlled with it, but it is definitely among my basic food groups.


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## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

mpillow said:


> I'm a big fan of the $1 Lipton/knorr(or store brand) noodle and rice sides.....get the ones that call for just water if you dont have a milk source....add any kind of meat and/or veg or serve with beans.....they are high sodium so they store well....


Love the rice and broccoli


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## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

Another good item would be Idahoan potatoes. I usually buy the butter and herb kind...I think there are 6 kinds...anyway...at $1 a pack that's 5 packs to add to your stores.

Just add 2 cups of water and there ya go.


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## Common Tator (Feb 19, 2008)

ovsfarm said:


> Common Tater, it's a small price to pay for a more harmonious family life, isn't it!
> 
> I don't mind a bit that my husband indulges in his coffee. He is reasonable about it and tries to watch costs. He often says that he will give it up if we can't afford it. It's the small pleasures in life that make it worth living.
> 
> ...


Mine is chocolate too. We've had bears break into the ranch house twice now, and both times they STOLE MY CHOCOLATE STASH! gre::hair:badmood::sob:

I kept it in a Danish cookie tin, on the top shelf. I can't begin to tell you how upsetting it was to find my tin bitten and torn up and empty about 100 yards up the hill from the house! 

And yes, it is nice to be able to give my Hubby something nice like that that he really enjoys.


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2012)

celina said:


> I think the point is for 5.00 a week you CAN find something to stock up every week. i can get a giant jar of no name pbutter at food lion for like 5.00 or 2 itty bitty of the name bran.
> 
> It's not nec. the items listed..it's that 52 times 5.00 and you'd get a decent stockpile.
> 
> My advice is also...skip a grocery week (other than milk if you HAVE TO) and use THAT money to buy some stock , and empty your fridge..use it up....make due...one week kills no one....to eat up what they have opened...and then add the 5.00/w


we shop once a month and every few times we stretch to once every 6 weeks.
And have gone as far as 2 monthes. You do start scratching the bottom of the barrel. Trick is to use up all the freezer goods and not the store bought canned goods.


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## pumpkin (May 8, 2012)

We went through a hard time a while ago and most of our supplies went. I had slowly accumulated these so you can build up a supply with a small amount of money each month but it does take time so you are actually planning for the next year. Hopefully nothing goes wrong this year. To restock I knew that to do it slowly was not the way. We sold some things and were able to get $500 worth of supplies right away. From that point on I put $50 aside out of the grocery budget every month only for stocking up. This allows me to buy large quantities when they are on sale. To get that $50 we eat less and don't buy anything that is not a basic staple. The eating less has had a lot of benefits.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Common Tator said:


> Mine is chocolate too. We've had bears break into the ranch house twice now, and both times they STOLE MY CHOCOLATE STASH! gre::hair:badmood::sob:
> 
> I kept it in a Danish cookie tin, on the top shelf. I can't begin to tell you how upsetting it was to find my tin bitten and torn up and empty about 100 yards up the hill from the house!
> 
> And yes, it is nice to be able to give my Hubby something nice like that that he really enjoys.




I think I'd start keeping my chocolate in one of the big gun safes. That would be to heavy to carry off and should be strong enough to keep a bear out. Of course you could keep other less important stuff in there too. Like money, gold, ammo......


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

So I spent $10....

I split a 50# of Domino sugar that cost $20 with my sis (salvage)


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

Today I got 4 cans of cream of chicken soup and 2 cans of peas and one package of chocolate chip cookies at the Dollar store here. This I use week in and week out. $5.08 and last week same but no cookies and $4 some. 

Their sugar cookies are not fit to eat but these are okay. One cookie is my sugar about for the day. One need to have something. I am on diets so this messes up things, I am learning. I have to read labels. We go to big city every couple of months or so. 

Peanutbutter I pay $13 something for 5# and it has no soybean oil and I can eat it. Cheap as I can find and is at Sams. Dollar here has only peas and corn and greenbeans and mixed and cheaper that other places.. We stock at Sams and Krogers and I can get to Walmart. 

I am trying to keep stock of what I eat on hand. Of get sick or weather bad I can eat okay. Some of the things I eat can not be boughten in this little town. If the pass would go out to big city I will still have something to eat. I buy some things in large size if can get and can use it. Things that I use. 

I bought cheap chocolates at Xmas and after Easter. No suppoise to eat.. I gave my kids here most of the chocolate easter bunnies, I did not eat any. I do have incase I just have to have a piece.


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## doodlemom (Apr 4, 2006)

summerdaze said:


> I think this is a wonderful idea, no matter what kinds of items you spend the money on. I do agree that it might be better to buy a variety of things instead of just 5.00 worth of just 1 item.
> 
> Dollar stores are a good place for small canned items like chicken, tuna, ham and beef. Some drugstores like Walgreen and CVS also have weekly specials of things you might want to include. CVS regularly has 3 cans of manderine oranges for 1.00, and soups 3/1.00 or at least .50 cents a can. I have a 2 lb jar of honey for 4.00 from Walgreen and they have that on sale quite a bit.
> Family Dollar has the best storebrand coffee that I've found. I've tried just about everyone's cheap coffee, but now I won't buy it (OR their coffee CREAMER) anywhere else. For a big can, (34.5 oz) it costs a little over 8.00 .
> ...


This creamer is excellent and cheap Great Value: Coffee Non-Dairy Creamer - Walmart.com


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## PerhamMN (Oct 24, 2011)

Picked up some Planters sunflower kernels for my preps today... Free after coupon! Thought it would be a good little source of protein. So it's a little addition to my $5 limit for the week.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I load up on specials, closeouts, and coupons... whenever it's on an item we use regularly (as long as it's not perishable). Regardless of my budget, I'll blow it on a good deal, knowing I won't have to buy that item again for a year or two. Recently got several cases of some specialty hot sauces, when they were half price.... two years worth of ketchup... Thursday, a case of refried beans (will hit HEB again Monday, for several more)...

I'm getting restricted on space, so stuff is stacking up, unorganized....


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I miss HEB. During the holidays they have coupons so if you buy a turkey(it depends on the holiday) you get the fixings half price or free,depending on what they are. Well, they had those deals. We haven't lived near one in 6yrs. When we visit family we always buy all the fajita meat we can fit in the car.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

For chocolate I store dry cocoa powder. It can be used in hundreds of recipies and keeps forever if kept dry. Its also inexpensive when purchased at Aldis. It may be one of Aldis seasonal items so its wise to purchase a year's supply when its available.

I don't store mixes. Pudding is sugar (or substitute), thickening (corn starch, flour or tapioca), flavoring (vanilla, cocoa, coconut, butterscotch, etc.), and milk (canned, dried, or fresh) and sometimes eggs (fresh or dried). The various ingredients can be used in numerous other dishes so it makes sense to store the makings rather than mixes. It also frees up storage space not to have shelves full of boxes of mixes and the mixes do not keep as well as the individual ingredients.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Yes, it is usually cheaper and better quality to buy the basic ingrediants.

Big Lots is having 20% off everything today. Sometimes, they have really good food deals.


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## Izitmidnight (Oct 22, 2011)

If you shop food lion, they have thier half pound spaghetti boxes on sale this week. It is cheaper to buy it by the half pound box than the pound box. 2 half pound boxes for 46 cents each versus a pound box for $1.39 each.


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## Bettacreek (May 19, 2012)

I'm trying to restart my stocks after moving. Was living with my parents for awhile and they decimated most of my stocks. Instead of buying, if they knew I had it, they ate it. Kind of like my Folger's Black Silk coffee... When I heard that prices would be going up, I bought about a year's worth of coffee for me. GONE in less than two months. I think I had about a dozen of the large cans of it. Here, my mother was taking it into work and everything! They were always griping about having so much food, etc, etc. Now, I'm really paying for it. I have two boys and live off of $350/month, but fortunately have no bills (boyfriend) and when I'm short, the boyfriend again helps out. However, the fact that I have basically "no food" is awful. It's extremely stressful! This year, I've been putting a lot of it into homegrown food... Chickens, egg layers, turkeys and ducks, as well as the garden and gas to go foraging for food.

As for the $5 challenge, I like the idea of it, in a way. I would never follow such a thing, but it does make a point that it CAN be done. Here, we can get 25 packs of ramen for $5. It's good for when I'm having my off weeks and will only eat one or two food items for a week or two (I know, not healthy, but I'll throw anything else up, so I guess at least there's SOMETHING going into my system). Ramen isn't the greatest food in the world, but I'll tell you, if something happens, that $0.20 meal that can feed at least three people will feel like a god send. Now, as for the actual items, as someone else said, bulk, raw ingredients are better than the packaged goods. It's far cheaper and easier on storage to make your own. Not to mention the fact that it's less likely to be eaten out of boredom/snacking when it takes half an hour to make it instead of five minutes. 


Someone mentioned a variety, which I think is nice for starting out, but personally, I prefer to do sales. If london broil goes on sale at $1.99/lb, I'll spend just about the entire budget on that. You can't even get the 70/30 ground beef for under three bucks here, so something like that is something to jump on, even if you have to tap into some of your stocks to be able to afford it.


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## Limon (Aug 25, 2010)

Bettacreek said:


> Someone mentioned a variety, which I think is nice for starting out, but personally, I prefer to do sales. If london broil goes on sale at $1.99/lb, I'll spend just about the entire budget on that. You can't even get the 70/30 ground beef for under three bucks here, so something like that is something to jump on, even if you have to tap into some of your stocks to be able to afford it.


What I did when money was tight and I was trying to build up my pantry was to set aside something like $10 to start with and then saved all my loose change. Whenever a big sale came along, I had that $10 + change that I could use for that item without blowing the rest of the budget. When I could, I'd toss another dollar or three into that reserve budget for the next big sale.


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## shannsmom (Jul 28, 2009)

Great idea to have a list of "examples" to give to people, just to get their brain going on what could be done if you stop saying you can't! Another example is bottled water...Walgreens and Kmart often run their 24 packs for $2-3, I think 2.49 this week at Walgreens. Or buy the gallons from Walmart for less than $1. Or a giant box of instant potato flakes at Walmart (generic) for less than $5, that makes a lot of mashed potatoes and you can flavor as you wish. There are really so many options, once you get in the mindset of looking for them. And if the SHTF next week, ANYTHING will be better than nothing!


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## Bettacreek (May 19, 2012)

Limon said:


> What I did when money was tight and I was trying to build up my pantry was to set aside something like $10 to start with and then saved all my loose change. Whenever a big sale came along, I had that $10 + change that I could use for that item without blowing the rest of the budget. When I could, I'd toss another dollar or three into that reserve budget for the next big sale.


That sounds like a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, I don't use much cash. I have the state issued debit card for child support and it charges me an extra $1.50 to remove cash from it, so I always just use it as debit. The only cash comes either from the boyfriend or local sales. I should try to save the cash all for this purpose though, that's a really good idea.


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## Rocktown Gal (Feb 19, 2008)

One thing that we did in the beginning was to save dollar bills (and still do). Every time we received a dollar bill in our change we put that in an envelop and left it there. We just kept adding to it. We said one day we may need that money. I have used it to prep...used it to pay the electric...I have used it to pay for cows. You just have to set your mind to something and do it.


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## pumpkin (May 8, 2012)

We had a really good supply of goods that took a long time to acquire but was used up very quickly when times got bad. Well that is what the stock up is for. We replenished our stock up in a hurry (sold some items for cash) because we sure learned that anything can happen at any time. Since then we take $50 from our house budget every month to replenish our stock when items go on sale.

The way I did it was to only buy items that I use all the time. I have a large pantry and in it I keep everything that I use. We have our supply shelves in the basement. When I run out of something - i.e. olive oil - in the kitchen or pantry I go to the stock up shelves and take a bottle of olive oil. I put the olive oil on my grocery list and the next time I shop I buy two bottles of olive oil. I remove one more bottle of olive oil from the stockup shelf and put it in the pantry as a reserve and put both new bottles on the supply shelf. This way I rotate our supply stock but always keep it topped up.

Where I live it is remote so when we were first stocking up we could not always wait for sales. You buy the item when it is available or you may not see it again for months. That is why it is so important to have a dedicated fund just for stocking up. When an item is on sale you need to have the money to buy it. We don't do credit and certainly not for food.


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## newcolorado (Jan 31, 2012)

We are planning to go to the big city Friday. Making a list. Never know how long we go again. Several months maybe. This time only a month. So I was checking syrup and I fond one bottle and was sure i had two. Couple molasses and these jars are smaller all the time. Or the store orders small to sell it. Just me to feed and I do bake and give kids half. Prices get higher they put in small things. I use to for family buy 5# buckets of molasses, honey and syrup. I don't need for me but seems do not make. I think Walmart still sells a gallon jug of syrup. I can not use that now. I was buying and putting into small bottle when I opened one. Funnel works good for this. I use small funnels for salt and pepper shakers and such. 

Here 2 hour drive each way to big city. And if the pass goes out it is a 3 hour drive each each way. Yes, there is a grocery store in this town and a Framily Dollar. Conveience store. YOu would not starve here. City the other way is closer but not as good. But they do hold this pass road real good anymore it seems.


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## rainy5 (Oct 28, 2011)

I was able to get 9 boxes of cereal today for 6.00. and I was able to get 6.00 more rewards coupons. Number 10 canned frosted flakes etc will stay good for 25 years. I don't plan to keep them that long but with coupons stock ups can go so much further. Last year I saved thousands and used that for prepping food supplies. We are at a point that takes many years of prepping. A man I have known for 30 years that is a survivalist took a look at what we have accomplished in a year and a half and was amazed. The money I saved with coupons got us not only food but a generator and stove, solar, tools etc. It can be done.


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Where did you find the frosted flakes. I haven't seen them in a can.


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