Grocery Shopping: Adjusting to a New Area...NOVA

With a new area comes many changes when you move across the country...new stores, new layouts, and new regional grocery stores.

Back in Chicago, my frugal routine of grocery shopping was rock-solid....head over to Village Marketplace on Dempster for all my produce, meats, etc, (and favorites like Eastern European candies, different kinds of sauerkraut and Jon's favorite, Kabanos smoked sausages!)...then head to Aldi for the standards, like sour cream, milk, butter, pita chips, etc.

Here in NOVA or Northern Virginia, there are a lot of different choices,...Giant, Safeway, Super Walmart, Target, Shopper's Food Warehouse, and a multitude of Latino grocery stores.  In Chicago, I liked shopping at the ethnic grocery stores....they usually had better produce, meats and prices than the "Jewel-Oscos" and "Dominicks" of the area and I didn't have to clip coupons to get the best price.  Today I have long list of ingredients for this week's meals (I'm also doubling up on cooking many meals so I can stock my freezer with easy meals when the baby arrives!) so, I need to find the best and most frugal grocery options.  I saw an Aldi down the street about a mile which I was very happy about!  Stores I don't know too much about are "Best Way" which looks to be a Latino Grocery Store, as well as a couple independent Latino grocery stores along Richmond Highway.  I am interested to see what they offer in prices and food offerings.

I have bought a couple items at Safeway during my first week, which seems to be a "Dominick's".  Good overall basic American grocery store, but you have to hit the sales and coupons just right and use their membership card.  I checked out Shopper's Food Warehouse, no membership card is necessary, and they double coupons up to $1.00.  (And it's the closest to our home!)  So far, I like their offerings, except they don't have a meat counter...they do have a fish counter though.  Strange trade-off I think!  Anyway, Walmart was a total disaster when Jon and I tried it out and it may deserve another chance, but I'm afraid...when we walked in a couple weeks ago, it was chaos...a DJ was loudly playing and screaming right by the area you grab carts, children were darting everywhere, and the atmosphere was enough to deter us that day.  We have found since then, that Walmart in NOVA has the best price thus far on Breyers Ice Cream,...which is very important when it's summer and you're pregnant!

More to come on my findings and frugal grocery adventures...

Cheap Eats from Your Pantry

Maybe you're feeling a little bit of financial stress...well, you still need to feed yourself and the family, so no fear....'Cheap Eats Part 1' are the answer!

Currently we're going through our pantry/fridge/freezer and creating meals from what we have stored up from previous sales and trips to the grocery! Here's some delicious ideas from what we've created!

Gnocchi with Beef Vodka Sauce and Caramelized Onions

• Gnocchi Package, $1.00 (bought on sale and stored in pantry)
• 4 oz Ground Sirloin, .80 cents (bought on sale and stored in freezer in 4 oz portions)
• 1 Spanish onion, .65 cents (bought on sale and stored in pantry)
• Classico Vodka Sauce (1/2 jar), .80 (bought on sale for 1.75 for whole jar and stored in pantry)
• $1.00 for 1 pound of In-Season Oranges

Boil Water (salted). De-thaw and brown beef in skillet. Drain any fat and add chopped onions. When onions are tender, add 1/2 jar of Vodka Sauce. When water is boiling, add Gnocchi - they are done when the dumplings float to the top, then drain. Plate sauce over gnocchi and enjoy with in-season Clementines and oranges on the side!

Total cost = $4.25

Date & sharp cheddar Quesadilla

It's that sweet and sharp flavor combined that are just so delicious! Yum!

• 2 flour tortillas, .10 cents (.60 cents for package of 12)
• 4-5 chopped pitted dates, .30 cents
• 1 oz of shredded sharp cheddar, .25 cents

Total cost (for one quesadilla) = .65 cents

Italian Quesadilla Dippers

Great for late night pizza cravings! Makes 2 quesadillas to share with a friend/spouse!

• 4 flour tortillas, 20 cents
• 2oz shredded mozzarella, .50 cents
• 1 small can tomato sauce (in pantry bought on sale), .50 cents
• Dried Oregano
• Garlic Powder

Make quesadilla in skillet with tortillas and mozzarella, when done, slice into 8 pieces for dipping. Heat tomato sauce (combined with garlic powder and oregano for taste) in a microwave-safe dish in microwave until hot. Total costs = $1.20

Spaghetti-O's (homemade style!)

We stumbled upon this creation that has delighted our childhood appetites! It's better than the real thing and is all natural! For my husband who loves this so much this would only be a 1 serving recipe, but for most normal people, this serves 2-3 people. (Serve with Garlic Toast to re-create childhood tradition!)

• Orzo pasta, .35 cents (whole box was $1, bought on sale and stored in pantry)
• 1 can of basic Tomato Soup, .60 cents
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, .70 cents
• Garlic Powder

Cook 1/3 box of Orzo noodles in a small amount (10 oz. approx) of boiling water. When orzo is al dente, add can of tomato soup and stir. Add 1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder and 2-3 Tablespoons of Grated Parmesan Cheese and stir in! Total cost = $1.65 cents

More adventures in cheap eats to come....new challenges....using different items in pantry/freezer including Bran, canned Chili, Beans, pineapple rings, Panko crumbs, dry ravioli and more!