Dairy: Cheese, butter, etc. about $20.00.

Try making some rice milk – works real well for cooking, sauce for rice pudding, cobbler and even chocolate milk.  Make some veggie cheese, nut butter yourself, cheap to make now and you will have the experience when the time comes that you can't get fresh. We no longer buy milk/eggs from the store, we have goats and chickens that supply those needs now.  I currently only buy a 2lb block of Cheedar Cheese about $8.00 and a l lb of Monterrey Jack Cheese about $4.00, 2lbs of butter $8.00 and 1 lb of margarine $1.00 (in case I run out of real butter). Our Goats are NOT producing enough milk yet to make our own, but will soon be kidding, so will cut this expense as well, plus have milk for butter, yogurt, soft cheeses, etc.

Meat: Pork, chicken, beef, fish $30.00.

(Update Meat list, current as of Sept. 2011) The following makes about 50-60 meals or almost two months worth. For a total cost of about $62.00 or $31.00 per month. Without the splurge! This list can easily be increased to 3 months by adding meals of beans, tuna/mackerel casseroles or patties, eggs/cheese, etc. once or twice a week.

1. Chicken leg quarters 2 bags (20#) = about 12-15 meals $14.00.
2. Frozen Ground Turkey with Seasoning 12 Rolls (12 #) about 12-15 meals = $12.00
3. Frozen Whole Turkey About 7-10 Meals for $14.00
4. Fish Tilapia 4# bag makes about 4 meals = $8.00
5. Pork Steak 3-4lbs makes about 4 meals = $8.00.
6. BACON 3lb box bits/pieces about 12- 20 meals = $6.00
7. BEEF we no longer buy hamburger, etc.. when we really want beef we buy some good steaks (rib, t-bone) and splurge at about $12.00 a meal with some leftovers!

CHICKEN: Our meat includes a lot of 10# bags of chicken leg quarters (11-12 quarters) about $7.00 per bag =  6 meals  or more per bag. 

Chicken leg quarters 2 bags (20#) = about 12-15 meals $14.00.

I bake these whole or cut them for faster cooking. We usually will have: Hubby one leg and thigh, Me two back sections.  Evening snack the other two pieces with cheese/crackers, or use as chicken salad next day.

Some of these I use by cutting the leg from the thigh, then the back portion from the thigh, leaving a little more meat on the back portion (that's is the part I like best!)  Remove most of the excess fat/skin feed this to the dogs, cats or put back into container in freezer for soup base. If you don't like the back portion, put it into your soup base container also.

These parts I season with my special seasoning mix (see recipes) and Fry for Fried chicken, Bake like shake/bake.

Bake on top of rice or noodle/macaroni casseroles with mixed veggies added in, real good this way.

Some of these quarters, I take out the bones on the thigh/legs backs going into soup base container, cut into cubes and use for stir fry, sweet/sour chicken, chicken spaghetti, soup, etc. I also use de-boned chicken for fried chicken nuggets, strips,  using my seasoning mix. etc

Leftover chicken for snacks with cheese/crackers or chicken salad.

Frozen Italian/Chili spiced ground turkey in one lb rolls, I use a roll for spaghetti, macaroni, rice casseroles. I, also cut off from a frozen roll  about 1/4 or 1/2 lb section, cook it and use on our "almost pizza" and to add meat/spice to beans, scrambled eggs, etc.  These rolls are currently about $1.00 per roll/lb at Walmart. Not the high dollar Jenno, these are hidden away, so you have to look in the frozen section for them! Just cook well, pre ground meat can contain some nasty stuff, buy cooking it well will kill all that.

We ususaly get about 6 of the Italian and 6 of the Chili (either is great for Mexican dishes also as well as Italian)

Frozen Ground Turkey with Seasoning 12 Rolls (12 #) about 12-15 meals = $12.00

Frozen Whole Turkey 14lbs = $14.00 about every two months.  I partially thaw and cut off the wings, leg quarters and cut it in half through the breast lengthwise, pry it open, not cutting back section yet, remove the giblets/gravy bags. (or ask the butcher to do this, but he will cut the giblet/gravy bags as well!) using a large butcher knife and hammer (YES, I keep a hammer in my kitchen!). Then cut the whole back from the two breast sections.  I cut back into two parts right behind the ribs,  then into the parts as follows and refreeze.

Use Cooked leftovers for snacks/turkey salad or soup base container.

The 2 breast sections: I cook one at a time with mashed pot., gravy, veggies, etc.. One at a time is enough for us.

2 Leg quarters – separated from thigh, I cook both, usually baking or BBQ.  Or simmer in a little water until tender, remove from bone, cut into cubes/pieces and add to casseroles, beans, etc..

2 Thigh sections – Same as above.

2 Wing sections- remove tips at last joint. Same as above.

2 Back sections, neck, wing tips. I divide these up into two separate freezer bags for two meals.  I cook these as soup or turkey and dumplings, remove the bones after they are done.  The rib bones will fall apart, so be careful not to leave any in the broth.

The Giblets/Gravy use as soup base, or Liver for catfish bait.

Frozen Whole Turkey About 7-10 Meals for $14.00 with leftovers for snacks, etc.

FISH- We live not a 1/2 mile from a lake, I can NOT for the life of me figure out why I have to buy fish, but I do!  I try to find it on sale, Walmart had it last month on sale 4 lbs for $8.00 Tilapia in big bag.  Fry, bake with lemon, soy sauce, garlic butter.  Or use seasoning mix.  Even Grandbaby loves this!

Fish Tilapia 4# bag makes about 4 meals = $8.00

We only buy Pork, Beef if it is on sale below $2.00 lb or marked way down! Pork used to be a good buy, but has risen too high for our budget.  When we can afford it, we will spurge and get some pork steaks for about $8.00, Makes about 4 meals.  I put them on rice/veggie casseroles, bake, or season mix and fry.

Pork Steak 3-4lbs makes about 4 meals = $8.00.

BACON 3lb box bits/pieces about $5.00-$6.00 for seasoning. I separate this into 12 parts of 1/4 lb each, I roll each part in wax paper, putting about 4 into a small freezer bag, to use in beans, scrambled eggs, pizza topping, etc. When I need some bacon, I just usually cut one roll in half and use that part as bacon seasoning.

See the other Sections below.