This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff and brought to you by The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

If you’re planning to serve beef this holiday season, you’re in luck: beef prices are down almost 10% from their peak prices in late 2014. That means you can expect to see lower prices in the grocery store, as you shop for steaks, roasts and ground beef for your holiday meals. But 10% is just a starting point. Let’s go over some more ways to save money on beef, so you come home from the grocery store with a deal. [Read more…]

Something I haven’t told you about our weekend homestead yet: It’s in an area that’s being settled by the Amish. The first families came down from Pennsylvania three years ago. Now a bunch more families are moving to the area. We’ve been told 42 Amish families will be relocating to the area. And we’re really enjoying watching their community take shape.

There’s a great Amish bake stand that’s open on the weekends, and we love to stop there for fresh donuts. They’re ridiculously good.

And since this spring, several homes and businesses have gone up. There’s a new saw mill, a dry goods store, a hardware store and a wonderful salvage grocery store.

We finally made time to visit the salvage grocery store yesterday, and I really wish we had done it sooner. The deals are incredible. Take a look at what I brought home:

(5) bag of SunMaid chocolate covered raisins for $.50 a bag [Read more…]

Would you buy food from a Dollar Tree? Until recently I would have said no, but you know what? I’ve really changed my mind about that. Because the thing is, they’re not just selling junk anymore. There are lots of real, minimally-processed foods to choose from, and the prices are crazy good. We’re talking 75% less that what I’m used to paying at the grocery store for the same thing (and in many cases, the same brands).

Every time I stop in to stock up on groceries, I find something new to try, and so far I haven’t been disappointed with anything.

Here’s a look at what I’m currently buying at Dollar Tree …

Nature’s Own Bread – They act as a bakery outlet for several bread companies, including Nature’s Own. What they get in varies, and it sells out quickly, so I fill the freezer when it’s in stock. [Read more…]

Trying to get your grocery bill down? Here’s a look at how I save on groceries:

I Buy in Bulk.

I cook most things from scratch, so buying bulk quantities of the ingredients that I use regularly just makes sense. It saves me time and cuts down on trips to the store. I buy sugar 25 pounds at a time; I buy olive oil in a big tin; and I hit the bulk bins for dried beans and spices a couple times a year. I used to buy my flour in bulk when our friend owned a pizza place, and I hope to get back to buying it in bulk again soon. It’s just so much easier (and cheaper). [Read more…]

Make better use of your kitchen scraps, and you’ll have less trash to take out and fewer groceries to buy. Here are four scraps that are worth hanging on to:

Bones – Beef bones, ham bones, chicken bones, turkey bones – they all make beautiful broth. Just throw them in your crockpot with some veggies, herbs and water, and come back later in the day to jar it up.

• How to Make Beef Broth
• How to Make Ham Broth
• How to Make Chicken Broth
• How to Make Turkey Broth

Vegggie Scraps – Drop onion, carrot and potato peels, broccoli stems, cabbage cores and carrot tops into a freezer bag, and pop it into the freezer. When the bag is full, use it to make a rich vegetable broth.

• How to Make Vegetable Broth

Citrus Peels – Keep orange and lemon peels for their zests, dry them to add to recipes or use them to create your own extracts.

• How to Make Lemon Extract
• How to Make Orange Extract

Bread – Save bread heels, crusts and any stale bread that you may have, and use them to make your own bread crumbs. If you dry your breadcrumbs in the oven, they’ll keep for months.

• How to Make Bread Crumbs

Are there other kitchen scraps that you keep? I’d love to hear what they are and what you do with them.