We save money on bread by making our own, with flour and yeast bought in bulk at Costco. Each time, DF writes the date and the price paid on the bag. (He saves those 50-pound sacks to use as yard waste receptacles.)
That’s how we know that between March 2021 and March 2022, the price went up 51.5 percent. In one year! And that’s why I suggested an article for Money Talks News called “13 ways to beat the rising cost of bread.”
This baker’s dozen of ideas includes our rustic bread fetish, of course. It also features tips for those who don’t bake. One or more of these tips could help you save money on bread, too, so check it out.
Some readers have specifically asked me to run links to pieces I’ve written* lately, which is why I’m doing this roundup. Note: Some of my recent work is either fairly boring (useful, but eye-glazing) or else it’s unsigned. Thus these roundups focus on stuff that won’t put people to sleep, or out the folks for whom I ghost-write.
Another piece for Money Talks News is a topic that regular readers might find familiar. “11 ways to turn table scraps into delicious meals” starts with a sobering stat from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Almost one-third of the U.S. food supply winds up going to waste. Maybe more, since this was an older study.
So what do frugal people do? Repurpose it! Boiling bags, gleaning, liquid assets, turning “bad” dairy into good ingredients and other tactics help us get the most out of every ingredient.
And what do frugal people not do? All sorts of things, obviously, as I pointed out in another Money Talks News piece:
“Frugality isn’t a monolithic concept. It’s more of a continuum, with different approaches for different people. You can be frugal even if you don’t sew all your own clothes, grow most of your food, make all your gifts and create all your own entertainment.”
I picked out a handful of no-nos to create “9 things frugal people never do.” Enjoy.
Money and health
Two more pieces for Money Talks News:
“9 of the best ways to save money on a tight budget” shows how to squeeze a few bucks here and there out of even the most straitened of circumstances. Note: These and other tips are available at “Challenge Yourself to Save,” a chapter from “Your Playbook for Tough Times: Living Large on Small Change, for the Short Term or the Long Haul.” (As an Amazon affiliate, I may receive a small fee for items bought through my links.) This chapter is available as a free Google doc if you need more inspiration. (“Playbook” is available in paperback or Kindle through Amazon, and as through my sales platform.)
“The top 10 foods for protecting your brain as you age” takes off from a study in the journal Neurology, which examined health data and (self-reported) eating habits from more than 77,000 U.S. residents over two decades. Short form: The more flavonoids, the less likely you’ll have trouble with memory and thinking. Luckily, some of the most flavonoid-rich foodstuffs are pretty tasty.
Also, fun fact: Lightly cooked spinach is better for you than raw spinach.
And speaking of green vegetables…
Back in my newspapering days, we referred to certain articles as “green vegetable stories” – articles that were good for the readers, even if they weren’t always the most exciting.
I recently did two such pieces for U.S. News & World Report:
“Term vs. permanent life insurance” takes on the never-ending “term or perm?” debate. Which kind you decide to take is a very personal choice, based on very personal circumstances. And in fact, you may not need life insurance at all; I explain why.
“How do deductibles work?” explains that risk-sharing we call the insurance deductible. Maybe not the most intoxicating topic ever but, again, I approach these assignments with the firm conviction that somebody somewhere needs this info.
Readers: How do you save money on bread? Used up any good table scraps lately? And which frugal no-nos do you preach?
Oh, boy. This is a tough one!
I resolved not to buy anything but food and gas and limit the driving I do.
Worked for about a week.
OK, well, first the coffee pot died. Next the faucet in the kitchen sprang a leak. I do not have the bill yet from the plumber. Next a limb fell on the porch (thankfully not the house roof). I have a $500 deductible. Then the furnace wouldn’t heat. A small fix with the thermostat was cheaper than a new unit thanks to a young man with an eagle eye. My tire light came on in the car and again it was a small fix, but still $$.
Then I began receiving overdue notices from a collection company with my last name but a different first name claiming I owe around a thousand dollars to a place I never lived. They are harassing me to the point I called the local city attorney who advised me to just ignore it and don’t answer the phone if I do not know the number. That seems to be working for the time. I’m hoping that will settle it and I do not need a lawyer. He said he would write them a letter if it continued.
We can plan all we want, but as we all know, life gets in the way.
On the cheaper side, my pantry is sufficient so I only need to buy loss leaders. We get our eggs from a lady in the country at only two dollars a dozen. Gas here was 3.54 a gallon, but I walk the dog around the neighborhood instead of taking her down by the river (12 miles). She doesn’t seem to mind. I quit Hulu and only use streaming free services. The upshot is that I read more. I just finished Little Women and I plan to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, both books from my childhood. Library use, of course. I am going to sell some stuff at a huge garage sale the neighbors are throwing. Thermostat is 60 at night, 65 in the day. I use air sparingly as I have huge shade trees to block the sun (I do wish they would hold onto their limbs better!). My friends and I just go out for coffee (McD senior portion). I have tons of clothes so I do not need a thing. Same with shoes, although I have only about 6 pairs of really good quality. I’m set.
Sounds like tough times are coming.
Sounds like tough times are already here, for you. If it’s not one thing it’s another.
Marie, I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for the second time at age 61 and I can tell you I found it as delightful and endearing as the first time I read it as a young adult. I have a used copy of Little Women in my bookcase and I’m planning to read it this summer (love summer reading) and see what I think of it. I read it several times as a kid and adored it, the last time being when I was about fourteen, I think. It’s fun to read the same book at different stages of life and discover different perspectives on it.
Christine and Marie: I reread Little Women regularly–largely because the edition I read as a kid was a lousy Whitman abridgement, and I can’t tell you how furious I was when I found another copy as an adult and realized just how much Whitman had left on the cutting room floor.
And, BTW, I differ from many Alcott fans in my opinion that Jo married the right guy after all. I’ve always had a soft spot for Fritz Bhaer. (Of course, Alcott didn’t really want to marry her off to anybody!)
Since I eat gluten-free, I have minimized my use of bread. Sometimes the weekly seniors bag has some GF items. Otherwise there are lots of other carbs. It is too involved to bake GF bread unless I do something very simple like a flat bread. I do miss the ease of sandwiches. I almost never buy it as it is too expensive for what it is.
Oh, the Rustic Bread! So delicious and so easy!
Gosh, our flour prices aren’t up nearly as much as yours here in the deep south. The national brand I usually prefer is up about 20% — I found a receipt from a year ago to compare. But the store brands are still pretty inexpensive so I might switch when I need to restock. To save on groceries overall, I switched stores and signed on for the very affordable delivery service. (Annual fee, it’ll be about $1.50/week) They have better prices overall and I do better shopping online. I can compare, check the pantry and recipes, and look at different options more easily and –most important–see the total as I go.
This was for a decent-quality bread flour, but still….
You can pretty much prevent milk from going bad with a grain of salt. Or a few grains. When you buy a jug or carton of milk, shake some salt in there. I usually do this right after I open the container and pour myself a glass. Then after adding the salt I shake the container. I’ve yet to have milk spoil once it’s “salted,” and you don’t taste the salt at all. The other thing is to freeze milk. It’ll turn a yucky yellow color but that goes away once it thaws. My roommate and I got a bunch of half-gallon jugs of milk that were one day expired for 60 cents each, and froze ’em all. We thaw ’em out one at a time, when needed. We’ve been enjoying cheap milk for several weeks now.
I can’t find the science on whether salt really does keep milk from spoiling. The only articles I have found suggest it will make the milk last “a week beyond its expiration date.” But our milk lasts that long (and sometimes two weeks or more) past the expiration date because we keep it c-o-l-d. No leaving it out on the counter or the breakfast table; just open, pour the amount, slam it right back into the fridge.
The USDA says that milk kept at 40 degrees or so will last the longest. The coldest part of the fridge is all the way in the back.
And I agree that frozen milk looks gross but it’s fine once it’s shaken up.
My two favorite books in the world are Little Women and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I have read both books many multiples of times. They “settle” me.
Also Rosamond Pilcher’s books such as The Shell Seekers and September.
This week was a plethora of digital coupons in the grocery flyer. We got our turkey breast for free, had sale bought turkey gravey, sale bought canned cranberries, outrageously priced Pillsbury Crescent rolls.
Next mission will be to buy a used bread maker from my thrift store.
My grocery store had a pound package of Oscar Meyer bacon on sale with digital coupons if $2 odd as well as another $1 off, It ended up being $2.90/lb.
How I wish we could find a price like that! DF does love bacon in the morning. Or sausage, depending on which is more affordable.
When visiting my daughter I realized anew how many shopping choices she has. With that many grocery stores (plus ranch markets), the loss leader deals are pretty sprightly.
I often make homemade bread sticks or angel biscuits to go with dinner and the leftovers make a great snack. So much cheaper than premade at the store and very tasty too. I have a bread machine for making bread stick dough so that makes it easy. Rustic bread is very good and hard to believe you can get such a crispy crust on home baked bread. If we want goodies, I have to bake them myself. I just won’t spend the money for premade, my frugal side won’t let me spend the money….LOL. Thankfully I have some healthier cookie recipes and small cake recipes so we have our goodies from time to time. We are not deprived, but we don’t over do it with sweets.
Bonus frugal points if you use “old” milk or yogurt for these baked goods.
Get my bread, english muffins, bagels, and assorted Entenmanns and Thomas’ brand danish/snacks from Dollar Tree! Bread person stops there on Saturday mornings and loads up a special rack of all the stuff grocery stores wouldn’t keep on their shelves (normally all still within “sell by” date!) – if you’re not there at 9am, you will miss out as it’s usually all gone by 11am! These items are $3-$6 in the grocery stores….by patiently waiting until Saturday I get any of it for $1.25 each!!
Clearly, you rock. And remember, everybody: Dollar stores generally accept coupons.
In what area of the country are the Dollar Tree stores where you can purchase assorted danish/snacks? Our area Dollar Tree stores don’t offer these. Wish they did!
So I’m a little late to this post, but my husband loves bread (both homemade and bakery loaves). We have recently discovered the Too Good to Go app. (It doesn’t appear that any restaurants in Anchorage participate, but essentially bakeries, grocers, and restaurants offer food that would be otherwise discarded for a hefty discount through the app. We are in Lisbon, Portugal now and enjoy the app here, but it is also available in the US. My daughter in Seattle got five pastries for $5 from Evoke. This would have retailed for $20+. Generally, pickup is at the end of the day, but not always.
The downside is that you get a ‘Magic Box’ and don’t get any say in what’s in the box. That said, we have generally enjoyed most of the items we’ve received. We regularly get two loaves of rustic bread, some rolls and a few pastries and/or sandwiches from a small chain in Lisbon.
If nothing else, it’s a great way to sample a restaurant or bakery without paying full retail price!
Thanks for sharing this resource.