Tag Archives: biggest bang for your buck

Cheese Please!

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 21 March, 2014 None comments

I absolutely love cheese. While I was pregnant I was so sick I couldn’t really eat much nor did anything sound good when I went to eat. The only things I could stomach were the little tangerine “cuties.” I went through boxes of these, literally 15 or more boxes during my first trimester. I would pop 5 at a time. I loved them so much and was so happy they made my tummy feel better. Morning sickness is truly the worst; nothing can actually describe these feelings. The only thing that brought light to my life during these 13 weeks of misery was my cuties and of course knowing I had a little baby I was growing. If you are pregnant or have been pregnant you are the only women who truly know how this morning sickness actually works. It’s a weird concept that eating actually helps the sickness, yet the thought of eating may cause you to throw up, while throwing up makes you not want to eat again. This vicious cycle can’t be tamed.

As my tummy started to settle and my cravings picked up, I began turning my appetite towards cheese as well as my cuties. I have always had a deep love for cheese even prior to pregnancy. I would buy blocks of medium or sharp cheddar cheese and cut chunks and melt them in the microwave. I have pictures of eating my cuties and cheese while my husband downs a bowl of ice cream. I would literally eat this melted cheese with either a fork or my fingers, it was so delicious. You hear the rumors that the husbands gain along with the wife; well I have proof that my weight was not ice cream induced but his most likely was. :) The thought of melted cheese right now actually turns my nose up, but I must say at the time it was fantasy land.

Now that I am post pregnancy I still love my cheese; cold cheese that is. I’ve found that Fred Meyers is one of the best places to buy block cheese for less. They have a refrigerator section at the end of the isles full of cheese. They have a big sign above that says “CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE.” They have sharp, medium, Pepper jack, Monterrey, and swiss. These are decent size blocks that are roughly $2.30-2.50 each. They almost always have these cheese piles and you can get a variety for a great deal.

Trader Joes also has cheese for an impeccable price. They have authentic cheese and delicious soft cheese for a good deal. We loaded up on cheese from there for our wedding and had many different platters full of many different tastes.

Here’s a few pics:

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Display case for Hors’ devours

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Cake Pops for the guests!

Fred Meyers and Trader Joes, I’ve found have the best bang for your buck for block cheese. Costco on the other hand has the best deal for shredded cheese. I buy the double bag for $12-15 depending on the kind. I have a container I use for the fridge, and constantly fill that with the remaining cheese I keep in the freezer. It’s a way better deal to purchase this in bulk rather than buy a couple smaller 8 oz or 16 oz bags from your local supermarket. This will last you a long time even if you are a household such as mine that enjoys their cheesy meals.

Deal or No Deal?

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 14 January, 2014 None comments

Costco is great, but there are some things there that simply aren’t a better deal. I am going to help organize your grocery list. I have three stores that are on my list every other week. Come pay day I head out on my shopping extravaganza with my meal plans prepared for two weeks and my grocery list in hand. I will do my big grocery shopping for two weeks at a time and then here and there step a foot into the store within those two weeks for produce.

Costco Deal:

  • Eggs (5 dozen for $7.88)
  • ½ and ½ (1/2 gallon for $3.29)
  • Milk (2 gallons of homogenized milk; no hormones added) (Whole Milk for $5.09)
  • Frozen Chicken (Foster Farms) ($21 for 15 pounds)
  • Rotisserie Chicken (Largest chicken out there with the most meat; no hormones added $4.99)
  • Bulk Boxed Butter (4 cartons for $7, great for freezing)
  • Salami Slices (2 for $10, more ounces than any other store)
  • Produce (Kale, spinach, cucumbers, grapes, Brussels sprouts, cherry tomatoes, etc)
  • Carnivore lovers (if you want pure meat with no added hormones, their fresh poultry section is fabulous)
  • Chicken/beef Better Than Bouillon ($3.99)
  • Canned Diced Tomatoes, olives, kidney beans ($5-7)
  • Honey ($12 the best deal by far)
  • Coffee (Kirkland Symmatra Blend 1.5 lbs for $14.99)
  • Chips (Large than family size for $4.99)
  • Snack Nuts
  • Bread
  • Shredded cheese (freeze and use as needed)
  • Sea Salt and Pepper grinder
  • Toilet paper
  • Almond Butter (Best deal by far $7 for 26oz vs $5.99 for 8-12oz)

Costco No Deal:

  • Certain frozen foods; snack foods
  • Cooking Nuts (buy from bins rather than Costco)
  • Unbleached Flour (buy from bins)
  • Adult clothing for the most part
  • Appliances (depending on the product and the sale at the time)

Winco/New Seasons:

Bins:

  • Flour
  • Nuts
  • Spices
  • Pasta
  • Dried fruit
  • Bread Crumbs

Trader Joes

  • Mustard- they have the best mustards for dipping
  • Salsa- they also have really great salsa without preservatives
  • Cheese- Fred Meyer and Trader Joes have the best deals on cheese
  • Healthy Snack food options- as healthy as you can get for snack foods
  • Condiments as you will not necessarily need bulk for these items.

If you have enough room in your freezer it’s great to purchase in bulk, but for perishable items that seem to be a better deal will probably go to waste.  Frozen snack food such as chicken bakes, ravioli, taquitos and so forth end up being the same price, just bulk items. Stay clear of snack items as you will need to watch your waist line because they seem to be a fabulous price. :) Just because the price seems great, don’t always spend the money cause the pressure to eat it before it goes bad will soon catch up to your jean size. Instead, choose the healthier options such as frozen beans and corn as they taste fresh and not frozen.

Costco honestly has really good deals and I have begun to purchase most my produce from Costco as they have organic deals and mixed greens for $4.99 for triple the size than Wal-Mart for $4.88. You will need to evaluate the amount of produce you go through to make the decision of whether Costco has the best deal without it going to waste. I use Costco primarily and then head to Winco or New Seasons for their bins and Trader Joes for items I love but cant find else where.

Making your grocery list for the meal plans becomes the best, honest way to shop for deals and what you know you need rather than want. I’m so big on my ‘lists’ that I don’t purchase much snack foods. My husband kept commenting on the lack of snack food in our house to the point we made a special trip last night to Costco to purchase snacks he would enjoy. :)

Stick to your lists. I shop every 2 weeks with a couple quick runs for produce to the store within those two weeks. I do this for a couple reasons. If you make your meal plans you keep variety within your dinners rather than getting stuck in those ruts. You also are sticking to your grocery budget and avoid spending more time than we prefer at the market.

Try this method and let me know how it works for you. Especially those of you with kids, I believe you will be amazed how much less time you spend driving to the store with your children.