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Getting Some Deals, $5 Dinners and Making Salad for the Week

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It’s Thursday, but it has felt like a Friday all day today. So, I thought I would cruise around the blog-o-sphere and do a little round-up of sorts.

I may be getting back into using coupons for groceries. So I found this article interesting. Danielle tallied her deals at Kroger. She saved quite a bit.

Beverly sends me some of the greatest links. She didn’t disappoint with the following one. I haven’t tried the recipes yet (I’m still working on switching gears with our meal changes so I’m slow at trying new things right now). But I have this one bookmarked: 5 Dollar Dinners.

I LOVE salads, but lettuce and I do not get along. Our lettuce goes bad by mid-week. Now that we only go to the grocery store weekly I only buy enough for a few days so none goes to waste. Jeremy at Generation X Finance is my new best friend. He wrote a post about preparing lettuce to last all week and I am so pumped to give it a try this weekend!


12 Comments

  • Reply George C. |

    Those “green bags” advertized on tv, (Debbie Myer) work great. I bought mine at Dollar general for $5 and my lettuce lasts at least 10 days.

  • Reply Jeremy |

    Hey, thanks Tricia. I’ve been looking for a new best friend anyway 😉

    Hope it works out for you!

  • Reply LA |

    Re: keeping lettuce fresh– I found a new Rubbermaid product (on the very back shelves next to the school supplies, not in with the other container products— wonder what that’s about?) that’s supposed to help with keeping salads fresh. 2 sizes, single serving and larger, @$5.00. It has a plastic insert that keeps the salad up off the bottom of the container, so if you keep it upright, the moisture goes to the bottom and doesn’t touch the salad. I’m giving it a try— I like to take salads to work and this might be easier than clingwrap and paper towels in that venue.

  • Reply Tricia |

    George – I have caught those bags on QVC or HSN (can’t remember which one). They do sound really interesting, but it’s almost like they were too good to be true. Thanks for your input on those!

  • Reply Jon |

    I second the “green bags” from tv. I can keep bananas from turning brown for up to 10 days. I’ve got a head of lettuce in the fridge that is almost 21 days old and looks like I bought it yesterday. Peppers and onions too. I’ve got grapes right now in my fridge that I bought almost 2 weeks ago. They are all still fresh.

  • Reply KDB |

    nice find on the 5 dollar dinners! I’ll be spending some time there to add to my list of “cheap” eats. Thanks!

  • Reply danielle |

    Thanks for linking to my post. Wow, that’s the most traffic I’ve ever gotten! Anyway, the trick to using coupons is to find out who does double and triple, and go there, and whenever possible, combine them with sales.

    I’ve gotten things for free this way, but the Worcestershire sauce from yesterday was the only thing I ever made money off of. And, we use it quite a bit here, because I marinade red onions in it before putting them in pico de gallo.

  • Reply mv |

    How I keep vegetables lasting longer than 1/2 – 1 wk: wrap them in plain paper towels before putting in the plastic bag (or container). If they’re not water-hogging veggies (i.e. bell peppers) I wash & dry them first. If the paper towel gets too moist, replace it. I’ve had bell peppers, lettuce (unwashed), cucumbers, celery, you name it, last at least 2 weeks (celery longer). I’ve personally never tried the green bags, thought about it, but paper towels are cheaper, I already buy them, and they’re bio-degradable/compostable. I buy the smaller size square paper towels (boy how the regular size has gotten bigger) and they last longer, of course, I’ve started using kitchen towels more often now, too. Yes, they get dirty, but I already am doing laundry…and extra towel or two aren’t going to add to the laundry expenses.

    @LA: I heard of those containers from my sister. She said asparagus & the like last much longer in it, so I bought one to try. It’s rather bulky, which I don’t care for. The only thing I’ve used it for is to store avocados – they do last longer when using that container and doesn’t ripen as quickly, and since avocados are rather delicate to bruising, keeps them from getting banged around.

  • Reply Andrea Klein |

    Another lettuce method-
    cover with water in sink so lettuce can absorb some moisture a few minutes. Run through salad spinner so dry. Put in freezer bag, almost close it and squeeze all the air out. Finish sealing. Lasts an amazingly long time. Works for other vegetables too.

  • Reply emmi |

    I second MV’s paper towel. I just take the veges out of the plastic at the grocery, wrap them in the towel (old dish cloth works too if you are feeling reusable), at a few drops from the tap if it’s something leafy, put them back in, and close the bag with some extra air inside to keep the contents from getting crushed. 2 weeks is typical for things packed this way. We also buy the live hydroponic lettuce which his grown locally here in upstate all four seasons. With a few drops of water added regularly and propped upright on the top shelf where it is a little warmer, those go a loooong time.

    My favorite cheap meal is green split peas, bought in bulk and cooked into a thick soup with a little bacon and onion. That’s about 30 cents a serving. Filling as heck too.

  • Reply Kris in JP |

    Also, if you are doing what Andrea K is doing in the previous comment, you can take a straw and suck out the last bit of air – air damages lettuce- before sealing it up.

    That is compliments of a cooking show, the name of which I cannot remember.

So, what do you think ?