Grocery Help for Family of 7....

[cptacek]

I've read somewhere where you can cook wheat like rice. Even though the price of wheat is up compared to last year, you might be able to get it from a grain elevator for market price (like $8 a bushel right now) and still save money. I've also read, but can't find right now, how to "cook" it using a thermos overnight for breakfast.

Oh, and if you do decide to get a goat, make sure to get the ones WITH horns. This may sound silly, especially with both sets of kids around (yours and the goats HA) but if they have horns, you can use them as handles to control them

[Beckiboo]

I am very impressed at your ability to support your family so frugally!

I'm not sure how much space you have in your garden, but if you have plenty of space, you could have your kids plant pumpkins. Then before Halloween they could sell them. We have a neighbor with kids who sit by a trailer full of pumpkins at the end of their driveway on the weekends every fall, selling loads of pumpkins. We look forward to getting the pick of the bunch, and I think they make pretty decent money on it.

Maybe talk to friends and family about bartering? I prefer homemade jams and jellies, but do not prepare them myself. I would be glad to trade my concord grapes for a few jars of jam. Maybe someone you know would have a similar trade off.

We also get wild asparagus growing in the ditches around here in the spring. Every year I see the same family traveling around and picking it. I guess they remember where it was from last year. But if you live rurally, you might want to start watching the ditches as you go for walks or bike rides. Nothing more enjoyable than fresh picked asparagus!

[SnoopyCool]

This post has been so inspiring! I assumed I was somewhat frugal, but the things you guys do are amazing I am taking notes.

[cptacek]

The bakery uses sugar...do they buy it in bulk? Could your husband buy it from them at that price?

[aukxsona]

Yes, we have already gone over the bulk buying thing. No his business won't give us a discount on supplies, we are very lucky for the bread. I know that some locals would like bread, but the amount would require a car to haul. Once our car is up and running we should be able to.

[rennigade]

Probably not a bad idea to look for new jobs. Simple factories around where I used to live i hickville PA would pay $11-19/hr.

[LuxLiving]

Aukxsona, I don't know if you caught this but it's a list of some salvage/discount type stores in your area:
Arkansas
Alma
A to Z Discount Grocery, 4810 North Highway 71, Ph 479-632-8348
Amity
Amity Salvage Grocery, 637 West Thompson St., Ph 870-342-9506
Harrison, South Harrison
Harrison's Bent & Dent Grocery, 3864 Highway 7 South, Ph 870-391-2210
Wholesale Outlet, 519 North Main Street, Ph 870-743-5248
Huntsville
Ma & Pa Bent N Dent Groceries, 15045 Highway 412, Ph 479-738-6272
Midland City
Discount Groceries, Highway 231 South, Ph 334-983-1250
Mulberry
Higgen’s Produce (and Grocery), 3741 Mulberry, Ph 479-997-8601
Nophlet
Z & C Salvage Grocery, 300 W Padgett Street, Ph 870-665-9692
Salem
Highway 62 (Call for directions) Ph 870-895-4800

[aukxsona]

The Salem one is the only one I have ever heard of. It is very hard to get up there right now, but they do have great discounts.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Thought of another free harvest that I think might grow in your area. Mulberries. If so, look NOW, because being a little south of me, I think your trees might be just about finished bearing.

Take with you shallow containers, as mulberries are very fragile. They bruise under the weight of a second layer of berries very easily. I like to collect them directly into colanders so that I won't toss them about so much going from field to kitchen. They are most tasty in years when there has not been a lot of rain at ripening time. Otherwise they seem to take on enough water to dilute the sugars. But I'm sure they would still have some nutrients even when not so sweet. I guess you could add a little white sugar to them if it has been rainy.

Not only are mulberries fragile, but their attachment to the tree when ripe is fragile. All you have to do is touch the berry and it falls off in your hand. One time I went out with a little girl and we stretched a sheet below the branches of a small tree. We staked the sheet so that it was like a fairy trampoline under the tree. Then we shook the tree and let the berries fall, cushioned, into the sheet. We still had to sort out the not quite ripe ones and the past ripe ones.

Mulberries do not keep well in the fridge or out of the fridge. They dehydrate quickly. So you should expect to eat them right away. You can use a bit of the juice to color white frosting, (Once I tried them as a fabric dye, but by themselves, they did not make a permanent die. Kids can make a water color paint, but that doesn't help your food budget.)

[GoodBuyGirl]

As far as oatmeal goes, January is national oatmeal month and Quaker always puts out coupons and the stores have mega oatmeal sales.
I've always been able to get free oatmeal with coupons at this time. Just start keeping your eye out for coupons in late December early January.
I know it doesn't help much now.

[aukxsona]

Update

Well, food wise May ended up being a lot better. I ended up being given almost 200 dollars in meat. I harvested 12 heads of loose leaf lettuce. I have turnip greens ready to pick. I have potatoes well on their way to becoming delicious and purple. I have kale and dill ready to harvest. I have onions half way to harvest, and garlic in the ground. Our radishes were not so great this year. The cabbage didn't grow, and only one little pea plant did.

Our small chickens are finally outside the house, so now they can catch bugs and eat grass! (Less chicken feed.) This also means we won't use electricity to heat them with a heat lamp.

We have 3 roosters ready for butcher any time. Our oatmeal and rice is low. But we have a lot of beans and potatoes now. We have some frozen peppers the neighbour gave. The black berries are starting to show up, along with the passion fruit. We eat the passion fruit every summer. It calms the kids down literally. They will all snack on a fruit and take a two hour nap.

I found some walking onions the other day. We also have 9 fruit trees planted. They won't grow for a couple years though.

[LuxLiving]

Have you ever collected polk/pokeweed? It's up around here right now.

edited to add: Proper preparation of this is necessary or it is hazardous to your health.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Collect and recycle everyone else's cans. It pays money, my mom used to do it growing up for food money.

[LuxLiving]

Aukxsona, I don't know if you can get to a local library or not but you might want to add to your wild food knowledge by trying some of these books thru the inter-library loan system:
Wild Foods Bibliography and Useful Books

or you may have already seen this but others may not have:
FORAGING THE EDIBLE WILD !!!!

Do either you or your husband hunt and fish?

[aukxsona]

Update.

Husband lost job. Herniated groin at work. With in 24 hours they "laid him off". Now he is too hurt to work, can't get medical care to get better to work, and his job won't pay for it. Food is going to have to be cut more to pay bills on my meagre 300 dollar a month salary.