She's made me NOT throw anything out!! If it has a little freezer burn....season it up no body has to know! If it's it past the best by date....it'll be fine! 😆
YES!!! I love buying the 10-pound chicken leg quarters. My Aldi had them for $5.35 AND had some with the $2 off stickers. I bought 2 bags, so 20 pounds of chicken for $6.70. Even the young cashier guy was like, "Wow, that's a great deal." 😂
@@autumnstone7237 easiest way is just put them in a casserole dish, pat dry, then add oil and favorite spice mix (I do Aldi’s steak seasoning), and bake at 425 for one hour! Make this for everyone-my three small kids, new mom meals, etc-and always a winner 🥰
My parents live with me and my 2 kids my older goes to college so she here is hardly here but when we go shopping we buy that chicken too it helps us alot
@@autumnstone7237 I bake them in oven with BBQ sauce, I also cut the leg and thigh apart and fry them. The ways to cook them are many. My Aldis I never see the discount stickers.
I chuckled when Christine said “hyperinflation”. I lived through the mid 80s crisis in Latin America when inflation was three digits per year. Also, we did not have a food stamp or food bank system back then, can you imagine what it was like? My grandpa had a cattle ranch, that is how we survived, but plenty of people migrated to the US to be able to provide for their families. Some of them illegally. I am so sorry for American families struggling right now.
I love that you did this!! Interesting to see the prices aaaaand bare shelves!!! 💀 23% increase explains the dollar tree 25% increase… going to try your grandfathers casserole recipe!! ♥️🎉 you should try the challenge again with new recipes!!
Thanks Christine. I'm a SAHM and my husband lost his job Friday because they said he's just "not a good fit" after working there for almost 4 years! We're both applying for jobs now and money will be tight. We have enough to make it 3 months without an income. Your budget meals are so helpful
How awful and frustrating! What they told your husband was a cowardly excuse, not a reason. I'm praying for you right now. God bless you both.❤ P.S. Please consider food pantries and applying for SNAP (food stamps); this situation is what it was designed for.🙏
@@eileenstasczak6606 thank you for your prayers! My husband has a new job that pays better now and he can work from home so we're saving on a ton a gas 😊
I love that you donated the food to some college students. That was really cool and sweet, Christine! I’m so happy that Haley is on the mend as well. Love her.
I love that you’re comparing the prices to your previous video. It’s great to see the price difference. In my area (west TX) that 10 lbs of chicken goes for 29cents a pound , yes 10lbs for $2.90. 🤯 I never pass that up
@@dlewis502 I’d have you pick me up some but the USPS is killing us on shipping, 😔. I’m here in the breadbasket of the country and it’s WAY higher than anything you all have posted here. 😢
Thank you so much for doing these extreme shopping hauls. I literally had $37 in my acct this week. Now it's $27. We can always make something work but sometimes we forget how strong we can be. Thanks for reminding us of our abilities. Have a blessed day!!!! ❤️🙏✨
The percentage increase was actually higher since some of the items were a smaller size! I'm shocked how much more food is. That makes a 400 grocery budget 500 🤯
I would love to see other RUclipsrs, in particular Kristine other friends of yours who live in different parts of the country or perhaps in Canada or the UK re-create this. It would be so awesome to see how the prices vary across your country and in other countries. I think we have to get them all to link into you so we could see the episodes in case we aren’t subscribed. It sure would be fun to see.
I LOVE these videos. I’m a current college student without a meal plan, and seeing your videos inspired me to not have the meal plan. I am saving so much money and learning to cook because of your budget videos. Thank you for taking the time to make these, because it helps more then you think 😊
I was a college in the early 1990s and back then the meal plan was almost 1900.00 a semester i cant imagine what they are today. I cancelled once i realized the price and cooked. Tuna helper was a frequent option.
I do love the fact that over the years that I have been watching you, you donate food to college students and donate food in general. On top of the appreciation for the position you're family is currently in, along with the values and appreciation your children clearly have.
You know how I know Christine is a genuine person? Because when she donates food and gifts food to people she never films herself doing it. She doesn't make a whole show of look at what a great person I am and look how kind I'm being. She just dose it quietly, off screen and then get on with the real content she makes ❤️
I love your budget grocery videos!!! Here's what I'd love to see from the budget grocery queen: How would you make the same meal for your family at three different budgets. For example, the meal is chicken and noodles and you make it for $5, $10, and $15. I think this would be a great experiment because we often see comments on budget videos about how something so minimal either isn't nutritious or tasty so, what could you add to it with a stretch budget and what could you add to it with a splurge budget?
For sure, the giant bag of chicken leg quarters is the best way to get a lot of meat into an extremely tight grocery budget. I also like to throw a package of chorizo in just to switch up the flavor because it's only a $1. We've seen prices jump across the border significantly in my area (south FL), and lots of empty shelves here as well. Aldi was completely out of onions last week, and most stores have empty spaces here/there, of course depending on the time/day one shops.
I'm new to the channel, just found late last night, and I think I may be obsessed. Seeing what can be accomplished with so little is amazing to me. We spend so much on groceries, so this was a very fortuitous find. I do the majority of the cooking in our house, family of 3, with two very picky eaters, my wife and our kiddo. Yup I threw them both under the bus on that one, LOL! I am really looking forward to pouring over past videos to see the many options available. Thank you so much, from this Texas Dad.
You're going to find some good ones in her list of extreme budget videos, really looking forward to the new one but you've got plenty to keep you going. Also recommend trying out Running on Plants, Miranda has loads of good simple and very affordable extreme budget videos. Enjoy! :)
I work with a local nonprofit that has a fully functional kitchen, and we remain open to the public during certain times. If you're struggling, reach out to your local youth centers/nonprofits that offer after school care and they'll do their best to help you get food and other resources!! Sending ❤️ to anyone struggling
First off I live by Chicago about 40 minutes away. We are supposed to have a snowstorm tomorrow 12 inches and possibly 6 inches on Wednesday. I live right on Lake Michigan. I went to Aldi‘s today, they had absolutely no meat besides two whole organic chickens for $15 each. No canned tuna no lunchmeat. No toilet paper and no Ramen. It was so busy that the workers just threw the boxes in the areas they were supposed to be and didn’t even bother to open. If you wanted milk you had to crawl around the two empty carts to get it same thing with eggs. There was 20 people deep in each of the four lines.
I was just at Walmart and Aldi today and while I have noticed price increases over the last few months, today it just really hit me! It seemed like everything has gone up so much. A quarter here, a dollar there and suddenly your grocery budget just isn't going as far. Crazy 😬 Definitely doing more from scratch which not only helps the budget, but also just seems healthier.
I appreciate how you update your videos to reflect the current inflation taking place. Today I am trying to adapt some of my grandmother's recipes for bread as we eat so much here at home. It's literally a daily thing for my youngest girls to have PB & J.
Awesome video, Christine! I've also noticed the sizes of some items decreasing while the price either remains the same or goes up a little. Really nice of you to donate those items.
Shoot - that egg price is insane. That is one of our go - to proteins. Our KROGER has the 18 count eggs on sale for .97 this week - so yes, I bought 5 of them. Will be baking and freezing doughs, noodles, breakfast burritos, etc. with the egg bounty.❤
Christine, I want to thank you for recommending Lasagna Love to us. I delivered my first meal yesterday and the woman was so sweet and grateful. My husband was laid off in September and we just got the first paycheck from his new job. I am going to up my deliveries to two families each time now that we're in a little bit of a better situation. Programs like this really help us realize how blessed we are to not have to worry about food. Love all of your videos, your personality is wonderful!
Great video. Flour and yeast are great staples for easy bread. Small gardens should probably be the new norm to help with increasing food prices. Easy way to cut back on $$ is to decrease meat, dairy and processed food. Awesome that you shared the food with college kids.
It is harder to do this with rising cost on groceries. I love the food items you showed. Oatmeal really is a great, and easy fix to fill up a person, and economically friendly.
That video from a couple years ago is still one of my favorites. I actually just watched it again yesterday! Lol. Please continue to make these types of videos, they are super helpful 💕
Christine I haven’t purchased water bottles in over a month and I’ve been using my brita pitcher. I’ve saved so much!! I also now use reusable ziplock bags!!
Sure 37$ is not expensive to feed a family. But considering that it was 30$ for the same products two years ago, 23% is a HUGE increase. If you only have 120$ a month for food, this means you're gonna be without food for a week. Salaries haven't gone up by 23% to counterbalance it. This means that now, food insecurity is even more rampant than at the beginning of the pandemic, yet all the covid food relief initiatives have mostly stopped at this point -- at least in my area. Thank you for your investigative work Christine, definitely eye-opening!
I'm in Michigan and my Walmart today was out of the same ingredients! No yellow onions, no pasta, low on rice and beans. Eggs were over $2 a dozen though. Happy my hens are still laying ❤️
Hi Christine! Have you ever watched a youtuber by the name of Atomic Shrimp? He's from the UK and does extreme challenges with very limited ingredients and a small budget. He even forages for ingredients at times! It's quite interesting to watch and I thought you might enjoy seeing his extreme challenges as well😊
We literally just bought the 10lbs of chicken leg quarters for $5 at a store here. I just cut them down to legs and thighs and made 8 meals for my husband and myself out of it. Great deal!
So difficult to find good prices and full shelves. I grew up on beans, rice, soups and stews but my hubby doesn't like most of these dishes and I try only been 50 years and it's a battle when it comes to food,. He is more open these days as aware of our limited budget and thankful for your channel to encourage us to try and save at the same time.
We are in our 70's. Even with a medicare supplement I spent lots of money on prescription and OTC meds. I also picked up hearing aid batteries. We are not poor. I use BOGOS, coupons, and compare prices. Frankly, I am still seeing people buying lots of convenience foods, pop, alcohol and cigarettes. I hope people can cut down on these purchases. Tina, Al's wife
I decided to price out the exact same list at my Walmart. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. When I do the exchange rate on your shop it's $46.99 CAD. To buy the exact same groceries 2 km from my house it's $122.72 CAD!! The chicken and eggs really got me. 10 lbs Chicken Quarters was $61 and eggs $3.47 a dozen. I did end up with a few extra onions and garlic because it was cheaper that way. I would need to visit multiple stores to even think of saving money, but then there is travel costs. For context minimum wage is currently $12.95/hr, average rental cost for a 1 bedroom apartment is $1450 and gas is $148.4/l which is 6.73 for a gallon. An interesting exercise for sure!
Comparing item to item, it doesn't seem that bad, but it adds up to a lot and I'm very worried. Cheap staples are getting harder to find in my area (like the empty shelves you experienced) and the average increase has been 35%. I am noticing many items have not only increased in price, but you also get less product! This is a huge hit to families who were already pinching pennies. It has made shopping so stressful and our local food banks are overburdened. Thank you for putting videos like this together and for giving to your community!
Are you ready to revisit blueberry muffin recipes? I have 2 with yogurt that I love. One is from America's test kitchen, the other is from Alton Brown's book "I'm just here for more food"
I’m definitely going to need to be smarter with our budget and making sure nothing goes to waste. We aren’t good about eating leftovers, that’s the main thing. It’s just my grandma and myself and we spent $130 and it may last us a week and a half without having to go back for milk and fruit. It’s buckle down time for us!
I really enjoyed your video where you went to the food bank with your family, and recreated the box they were giving out. It is just my husband and I now, but I love getting ideas from you for some meals I might not have thought of otherwise. Thanks for the inspiration!
I think people need to put a lot of this in perspective. We haven’t had any inflation for years and years. Inflation actually indicates a good economy. Analyst have even said that even tho inflation is happening, people are still buying buying buying. The way to slow down inflation is for us to buy less. Not just groceries, but everything. It’s economics, supply and demand. In my area, evenings and weekends the stores r packed. People are buying by the cartload. We do have some control in this.
We had 2 birthdays this week, so my husband went to Costco to pick up stuff for a steak dinner. 3 steaks was priced at $70! There was also a pack of prime beef for 4.8 lbs for $186. No beef will ever prime enough for us to even want to spend that kind of money on it, even if we won the lottery. It's just insane. We had already been seriously revising how we shop, but we hadn't purchased beef besides ground beef since prices started getting crazy so we were shocked. Love to see your videos for ideas. Thank you.
You sooo inspire me! I just made a “casserole” using 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (seasoned with 2 Tblsp of Worcestershire and garlic and pepper) a can of Great Value diced tomatoes with celery, green pepper and onions, a box of Mac and cheese (made as directed), mixed those together and poured into a 9x13. Added some shredded mixed cheeses on top and baked about 10 minutes til the cheese was melted.
Thank you! The first video of yours that I ever saw was the original to this one. I'm getting ready to send my first-born over state lines for college and an terrified of the grocery prices. On more than one occasion, I have told her to watch your videos about budgeting and food prep. She, thankfully, likes to spend time in the kitchen, and we need to find her a dorm with a kitchen, but even with the original video's recipes, she can eat for a month at least and save tons. (Beacaue the cheapest meal plan she can get is over 4000 for the year.)
Can’t believe how cheap it all it compared to the prices in Canada! Especially the chicken. A pack of 7 small chicken breast are $23 , bone in is more depending on the cut. Eggs in my area are 3.17 for 12 eggs.
Thank you for making this video! I know it’s not easy, but you are showing that with frugal meal recipe choices (with good nutrition) and frugal shopping are possible. In some expensive are even if you tack on another $20, an almost 50% increase, to $57, it can be done vs the $200-300 a week budget.
Have been following you since you posted the original video! What a great thing to do, donating the food to college students! (I received your "Thank You" card in the mail. It was so wonderful of you, Christine!) 🤗🌻
Hi Christine Love your videos. I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada. Our food prices are almost double on some food items. You are fortunate that prices are better in your area.
This was really interesting to have the price comparisons. 23% increase is quite a bit, even though the total for this food isn’t much. In an overall grocery budget, it’s a big increase.
We make that casserole ALL THE TIME!! Sometimes we use the yellow saffron rice but usually just white rice and seasonings, chicken, cream of mushroom - or whatever cream of soup you want really- and we like to top it off with cheese before we bake it. 😋 🤤 ssssoooooo good
I thought that a 7 dollar increase wasn't much, but when you think of it as a percentage of the previous total, 23% is a HUGE jump!!!😳😳😳😳😳 I'm very fortunate to not be a a food budget 🙏, I think that you are fabulous for doing these kinds of videos, they will help a lot of people.
I don't live in the USA, and I don't keep track of prices for the most part, I'm not diligent enough, but even so I have definitely noticed the price increase 😳😳😳
Surprisingly I have found that some of the upscale grocery stores often times have the best price on rice and dried beans. Often times my Walmart, Aldi's and Dollar Tree are sold out.
Weirdly enough, shelves in the stores near me in MN are basically stocked. On the other hand, a pound of any ground meat is over $5. I've definitely felt the increase of prices.
Agree....I am from MN and it looks basically normal in my " neck of the woods"....but I live in an area where people are pretty self sufficient with gardening and access to farm raised meats.
I usually buy the 60 count of large eggs and, in my area, Walmart's eggs were $5.46 for the 60 count large eggs and I went to my Walmart the other day and they jacked up the price to $8.78. That's a really steep price hike in my book. I can still go over to my local Kroger store and still buy the 60 count large eggs for $5.49.
For those freaking out about the pie crust purchase, you can make pie crusts with oil instead of butter or crisco which would make it work with pantry staples. It still turns out flaky too Love your content!! Thanks for doing the footwork for this update
Still jealous of your prices!! So much cheaper than what I can get around me in Australia 🙃 but I still enjoy trying to get somewhat close to some of your budget recipes 😉
Mmhmm! Like what's the deal with a 3 liter bottle of milk being $3.90 here in Queensland!? Yeesh! And the cheapest dozen eggs at Coles here is $3.70. THREE DOLLARS SEVENTY FOR A DOZEN EGGS! ($3.70AUD = $2.61USD. for a dozen eggs).
I just made a deal with a rancher here in Montana for 1/2 a beef. Comes out to $5.75 a lb. With the bones for bone broth or what the dogs will eat (organ meat) it's not a bad deal. At the store, the only thing under $6 lb is hamburger/mince. Most is $10.99 - $18.99 a lb. Worst part is I'm up in Montana which is beef country. So, going to the source. It's ridiculous. I have Canadian friends I shop for who come down to the border. Since Covid, we had a company we hand the boxes off to and they take them across the border to drop them off at their warehouse on the other side. Still, cheaper to do it that way.
I am so excited for this video! We live in Alaska and our prices are absolutely going up!! It’s already expensive and the prices are rising! I love all your videos but the extreme budget shopping are an all time fav!! Thanks for sharing your life with all of us!
I started putting a list of things and their best buy date on freezer packages and on my phone. Top left basket I put freshest meat. I write on my phone top left basket - chicken 1//31/22, etc. Right top basket - use up basket and a list of what is in there. Also date the packages in large sharpie marker. File them in baskets. Every shelf is different. Packaged foods have a basket, veggies etc Easier to not miss old food that way. Any way we can save.
I take one day to make a large portion of something such as chili or beef stew or baked chicken legs, or meatballs. etc.....divide each large portion into 5 or 6 freezer meals. Cheap way for my food budget!
Love the budget challenges! I also would like to thank you for the no knead bread recipe, it is my and my family's favourite! I made it for all the holidays this year plus normal times and it is so so good and easy. I used to make french style bread with my bread machine and this is even easier and better, thank you!
Yeah, the government keeps claiming there is only 16% food inflation. For this haul, which had a lot of stuff that is always on the less pricey side, it was 23% PLUS the amount in the packages was less. It's more like 30%.
I so glad this is from a person that has more than 2-3 kids. It's 4 of us atm but it'll be 5 of us again when my brother moves in. Then, both of my brothers that love to eat everything in the kitchen so this will help. Thank for this. I haven't made it around to make my bread lol 😅
Frugal fit mom has me making my own tortilla shells, buying caldo de poyo, and making my own bread. What has she changed in your life?
😂😂😂 same
I shop clearance way more often & wait for sales now
Yes! Bread making!! 🙋🏻♀️
She's made me NOT throw anything out!! If it has a little freezer burn....season it up no body has to know! If it's it past the best by date....it'll be fine! 😆
My freezer and refrigerator is filled with discounted meat and veggies.
YES!!! I love buying the 10-pound chicken leg quarters. My Aldi had them for $5.35 AND had some with the $2 off stickers. I bought 2 bags, so 20 pounds of chicken for $6.70. Even the young cashier guy was like, "Wow, that's a great deal." 😂
That is awesome!
What do you make with the chicken legs?
@@autumnstone7237 easiest way is just put them in a casserole dish, pat dry, then add oil and favorite spice mix (I do Aldi’s steak seasoning), and bake at 425 for one hour! Make this for everyone-my three small kids, new mom meals, etc-and always a winner 🥰
My parents live with me and my 2 kids my older goes to college so she here is hardly here but when we go shopping we buy that chicken too it helps us alot
@@autumnstone7237 I bake them in oven with BBQ sauce, I also cut the leg and thigh apart and fry them. The ways to cook them are many. My Aldis I never see the discount stickers.
I chuckled when Christine said “hyperinflation”. I lived through the mid 80s crisis in Latin America when inflation was three digits per year. Also, we did not have a food stamp or food bank system back then, can you imagine what it was like? My grandpa had a cattle ranch, that is how we survived, but plenty of people migrated to the US to be able to provide for their families. Some of them illegally. I am so sorry for American families struggling right now.
I love that you did this!! Interesting to see the prices aaaaand bare shelves!!! 💀 23% increase explains the dollar tree 25% increase… going to try your grandfathers casserole recipe!! ♥️🎉 you should try the challenge again with new recipes!!
Hey Kim! 👋
That would be great, and probably a challenge. It's like CHOPPED from the Food Network. Trying to figure out meals with limited ingredients
Thanks Christine. I'm a SAHM and my husband lost his job Friday because they said he's just "not a good fit" after working there for almost 4 years! We're both applying for jobs now and money will be tight. We have enough to make it 3 months without an income. Your budget meals are so helpful
How awful and frustrating! What they told your husband was a cowardly excuse, not a reason.
I'm praying for you right now. God bless you both.❤
P.S. Please consider food pantries and applying for SNAP (food stamps); this situation is what it was designed for.🙏
@@eileenstasczak6606 thank you for your prayers! My husband has a new job that pays better now and he can work from home so we're saving on a ton a gas 😊
@@udderlylost1178 God works in mysterious ways. Glad your husband has a better job.
I'm not frugal. I'm not fit. No kids. Live alone. Don't even live in the states. Yet I love ❤ this channel!!!!
I love that you donated the food to some college students. That was really cool and sweet, Christine! I’m so happy that Haley is on the mend as well. Love her.
I don't have a big fam. I don't live in America. Addicted to this channel 😂 I can't even get half of the ingredients. Such a good vibe
The emergency extreme budget grocery haul QUEEN 👑
I love that you’re comparing the prices to your previous video. It’s great to see the price difference. In my area (west TX) that 10 lbs of chicken goes for 29cents a pound , yes 10lbs for $2.90. 🤯 I never pass that up
That's an AMAZING deal
I’m so jealous!! Used to be .99 a pound but now it’s up to $2 a pound!! I’m in NJ though…🤦🏼♀️
The cheapest in CA is over $1 a pound.
Sale price in SmallTown, Alabama is .49 lb.
@@dlewis502 I’d have you pick me up some but the USPS is killing us on shipping, 😔. I’m here in the breadbasket of the country and it’s WAY higher than anything you all have posted here. 😢
Thank you so much for doing these extreme shopping hauls. I literally had $37 in my acct this week. Now it's $27. We can always make something work but sometimes we forget how strong we can be. Thanks for reminding us of our abilities. Have a blessed day!!!! ❤️🙏✨
Please know you're in my prayers. Your positive attitude is inspiring! Enjoy a blessed day, Ca D!❤
Thank you so much! Prayers work so WE are highly favored and blessed! Have an amazing day❤️
@@cad4409 🙏❤️ for you and your faith in God and positive attitude really inspired me
The percentage increase was actually higher since some of the items were a smaller size! I'm shocked how much more food is. That makes a 400 grocery budget 500 🤯
Yes! Would be interesting to compare by ounce/lb etc. Probably closer to 30% increase, if not more!
Two years and a 22% increase. Percentage wise that’s a huge increase; especially since you purchased basic staples and generic.
I would love to see other RUclipsrs, in particular Kristine other friends of yours who live in different parts of the country or perhaps in Canada or the UK re-create this. It would be so awesome to see how the prices vary across your country and in other countries. I think we have to get them all to link into you so we could see the episodes in case we aren’t subscribed. It sure would be fun to see.
Brilliant idea! Would love to see this come to fruition! :)
I LOVE these videos. I’m a current college student without a meal plan, and seeing your videos inspired me to not have the meal plan. I am saving so much money and learning to cook because of your budget videos.
Thank you for taking the time to make these, because it helps more then you think 😊
I was a college in the early 1990s and back then the meal plan was almost 1900.00 a semester i cant imagine what they are today. I cancelled once i realized the price and cooked. Tuna helper was a frequent option.
This touched my ❤️ I really wish I learned how to cook younger.
I do love the fact that over the years that I have been watching you, you donate food to college students and donate food in general. On top of the appreciation for the position you're family is currently in, along with the values and appreciation your children clearly have.
I love that you donated this food. I’m sure they appreciated it. You have a good heart.
Yesssss!!! Thank you Christine!! The work you put into your videos, we quality of your meals, the deliciousness, thank you!!!!
Thank you so much!!
I laughed when you said controversial pie crusts 🤣
That video is how I found you 2 years ago. I love a good challenge.
You know how I know Christine is a genuine person? Because when she donates food and gifts food to people she never films herself doing it. She doesn't make a whole show of look at what a great person I am and look how kind I'm being. She just dose it quietly, off screen and then get on with the real content she makes ❤️
I love your budget grocery videos!!!
Here's what I'd love to see from the budget grocery queen: How would you make the same meal for your family at three different budgets. For example, the meal is chicken and noodles and you make it for $5, $10, and $15.
I think this would be a great experiment because we often see comments on budget videos about how something so minimal either isn't nutritious or tasty so, what could you add to it with a stretch budget and what could you add to it with a splurge budget?
For sure, the giant bag of chicken leg quarters is the best way to get a lot of meat into an extremely tight grocery budget. I also like to throw a package of chorizo in just to switch up the flavor because it's only a $1. We've seen prices jump across the border significantly in my area (south FL), and lots of empty shelves here as well. Aldi was completely out of onions last week, and most stores have empty spaces here/there, of course depending on the time/day one shops.
That was so nice of you, giving your groceries to college students.
I would love to see a video with organic whole foods for a week. We have to do this for health reasons and my grocery budget is insane.
I think its awesome that you donated the items to the college kids. What a great idea. Have a great day! Love all your videos.
I'm new to the channel, just found late last night, and I think I may be obsessed. Seeing what can be accomplished with so little is amazing to me. We spend so much on groceries, so this was a very fortuitous find. I do the majority of the cooking in our house, family of 3, with two very picky eaters, my wife and our kiddo. Yup I threw them both under the bus on that one, LOL! I am really looking forward to pouring over past videos to see the many options available. Thank you so much, from this Texas Dad.
You're going to find some good ones in her list of extreme budget videos, really looking forward to the new one but you've got plenty to keep you going.
Also recommend trying out Running on Plants, Miranda has loads of good simple and very affordable extreme budget videos. Enjoy! :)
I work with a local nonprofit that has a fully functional kitchen, and we remain open to the public during certain times. If you're struggling, reach out to your local youth centers/nonprofits that offer after school care and they'll do their best to help you get food and other resources!! Sending ❤️ to anyone struggling
I am unreasonably excited about the upcoming extreme grocery budget challenge video.
First off I live by Chicago about 40 minutes away. We are supposed to have a snowstorm tomorrow 12 inches and possibly 6 inches on Wednesday. I live right on Lake Michigan. I went to Aldi‘s today, they had absolutely no meat besides two whole organic chickens for $15 each. No canned tuna no lunchmeat. No toilet paper and no Ramen. It was so busy that the workers just threw the boxes in the areas they were supposed to be and didn’t even bother to open. If you wanted milk you had to crawl around the two empty carts to get it same thing with eggs. There was 20 people deep in each of the four lines.
That original video is how I found your channel! Can’t wait for the next one! And… wow… a 23% increase is crazy!
I was just at Walmart and Aldi today and while I have noticed price increases over the last few months, today it just really hit me! It seemed like everything has gone up so much. A quarter here, a dollar there and suddenly your grocery budget just isn't going as far. Crazy 😬 Definitely doing more from scratch which not only helps the budget, but also just seems healthier.
I appreciate how you update your videos to reflect the current inflation taking place. Today I am trying to adapt some of my grandmother's recipes for bread as we eat so much here at home. It's literally a daily thing for my youngest girls to have PB & J.
Wow that was the first video I ever saw of yours and here we are years later. How cool 😎👍🏾
Awesome video, Christine! I've also noticed the sizes of some items decreasing while the price either remains the same or goes up a little.
Really nice of you to donate those items.
So true!
I've heard they call this 'shrinkflation!'
Shoot - that egg price is insane. That is one of our go - to proteins. Our KROGER has the 18 count eggs on sale for .97 this week - so yes, I bought 5 of them. Will be baking and freezing doughs, noodles, breakfast burritos, etc. with the egg bounty.❤
Christine, I want to thank you for recommending Lasagna Love to us. I delivered my first meal yesterday and the woman was so sweet and grateful. My husband was laid off in September and we just got the first paycheck from his new job. I am going to up my deliveries to two families each time now that we're in a little bit of a better situation. Programs like this really help us realize how blessed we are to not have to worry about food. Love all of your videos, your personality is wonderful!
How wonderful that you are thinking of others, even through your own hardships. Way to go! 😄
yes. Food prices are higher...boo! But, like you do ,cooking from scratch is cheaper and healthier! You are awesome!
I'm really glad that you updated this because prices have changed so much.
This is awesome!! So many people need this type of advice and help with their budgets Grocery prices are shocking right now. Thanks, Christine! 🥰
YES to the flour and yeast! I have made so many pizza doughs, loaves of bread, pop tarts, rolls etc that have helped me cut budget!
You're the best at these emergency grocery budget challenges! Such great ideas! This topic has been on my heart a lot lately.
Great video.
Flour and yeast are great staples for easy bread.
Small gardens should probably be the new norm to help with increasing food prices.
Easy way to cut back on $$ is to decrease meat, dairy and processed food.
Awesome that you shared the food with college kids.
Groceries in Canada are quite a bit higher than in the states. Every time I watch these videos it makes me a little jealous lol
It is harder to do this with rising cost on groceries. I love the food items you showed. Oatmeal really is a great, and easy fix to fill up a person, and economically friendly.
wow it was a lot of gaps at the store. I use the leg quarters, yeast / flour and beans n rice monthly forsure, big money saver.
That video from a couple years ago is still one of my favorites. I actually just watched it again yesterday! Lol. Please continue to make these types of videos, they are super helpful 💕
Christine I haven’t purchased water bottles in over a month and I’ve been using my brita pitcher. I’ve saved so much!! I also now use reusable ziplock bags!!
Thanks Christine! You are an inspiration to us all! Hugs and blessings! 🙂
Sure 37$ is not expensive to feed a family. But considering that it was 30$ for the same products two years ago, 23% is a HUGE increase. If you only have 120$ a month for food, this means you're gonna be without food for a week. Salaries haven't gone up by 23% to counterbalance it. This means that now, food insecurity is even more rampant than at the beginning of the pandemic, yet all the covid food relief initiatives have mostly stopped at this point -- at least in my area.
Thank you for your investigative work Christine, definitely eye-opening!
I agree!! It’s shocking really.
I'm in Michigan and my Walmart today was out of the same ingredients! No yellow onions, no pasta, low on rice and beans. Eggs were over $2 a dozen though. Happy my hens are still laying ❤️
I love the extreme grocery challenges especially when you make the recipes
Great idea to donate the items to college kids
Hi Christine! Have you ever watched a youtuber by the name of Atomic Shrimp? He's from the UK and does extreme challenges with very limited ingredients and a small budget. He even forages for ingredients at times! It's quite interesting to watch and I thought you might enjoy seeing his extreme challenges as well😊
I second this! I love watching his budget videos too.
I love how you sometimes take groceries and donate them to college students. You are so generous and kind.
We literally just bought the 10lbs of chicken leg quarters for $5 at a store here. I just cut them down to legs and thighs and made 8 meals for my husband and myself out of it. Great deal!
Love it!!
So difficult to find good prices and full shelves. I grew up on beans, rice, soups and stews but my hubby doesn't like most of these dishes and I try only been 50 years and it's a battle when it comes to food,. He is more open these days as aware of our limited budget and thankful for your channel to encourage us to try and save at the same time.
We are in our 70's. Even with a medicare supplement I spent lots of money on prescription and OTC meds. I also picked up hearing aid batteries. We are not
poor. I use BOGOS, coupons, and compare prices. Frankly, I am still seeing people buying lots of convenience foods, pop, alcohol and cigarettes. I hope
people can cut down on these purchases. Tina, Al's wife
I decided to price out the exact same list at my Walmart. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
When I do the exchange rate on your shop it's $46.99 CAD. To buy the exact same groceries 2 km from my house it's $122.72 CAD!! The chicken and eggs really got me. 10 lbs Chicken Quarters was $61 and eggs $3.47 a dozen. I did end up with a few extra onions and garlic because it was cheaper that way. I would need to visit multiple stores to even think of saving money, but then there is travel costs. For context minimum wage is currently $12.95/hr, average rental cost for a 1 bedroom apartment is $1450 and gas is $148.4/l which is 6.73 for a gallon.
An interesting exercise for sure!
Comparing item to item, it doesn't seem that bad, but it adds up to a lot and I'm very worried. Cheap staples are getting harder to find in my area (like the empty shelves you experienced) and the average increase has been 35%. I am noticing many items have not only increased in price, but you also get less product! This is a huge hit to families who were already pinching pennies. It has made shopping so stressful and our local food banks are overburdened. Thank you for putting videos like this together and for giving to your community!
I love this so much. I love you showed us the comparative price of the food, and I love you gave it to students. God Bless.
Are you ready to revisit blueberry muffin recipes? I have 2 with yogurt that I love. One is from America's test kitchen, the other is from Alton Brown's book "I'm just here for more food"
I’m definitely going to need to be smarter with our budget and making sure nothing goes to waste. We aren’t good about eating leftovers, that’s the main thing. It’s just my grandma and myself and we spent $130 and it may last us a week and a half without having to go back for milk and fruit. It’s buckle down time for us!
I really enjoyed your video where you went to the food bank with your family, and recreated the box they were giving out. It is just my husband and I now, but I love getting ideas from you for some meals I might not have thought of otherwise. Thanks for the inspiration!
I think people need to put a lot of this in perspective. We haven’t had any inflation for years and years. Inflation actually indicates a good economy. Analyst have even said that even tho inflation is happening, people are still buying buying buying. The way to slow down inflation is for us to buy less. Not just groceries, but everything. It’s economics, supply and demand. In my area, evenings and weekends the stores r packed. People are buying by the cartload. We do have some control in this.
We had 2 birthdays this week, so my husband went to Costco to pick up stuff for a steak dinner. 3 steaks was priced at $70! There was also a pack of prime beef for 4.8 lbs for $186. No beef will ever prime enough for us to even want to spend that kind of money on it, even if we won the lottery. It's just insane. We had already been seriously revising how we shop, but we hadn't purchased beef besides ground beef since prices started getting crazy so we were shocked. Love to see your videos for ideas. Thank you.
You sooo inspire me! I just made a “casserole” using 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (seasoned with 2 Tblsp of Worcestershire and garlic and pepper) a can of Great Value diced tomatoes with celery, green pepper and onions, a box of Mac and cheese (made as directed), mixed those together and poured into a 9x13. Added some shredded mixed cheeses on top and baked about 10 minutes til the cheese was melted.
Thank you! The first video of yours that I ever saw was the original to this one. I'm getting ready to send my first-born over state lines for college and an terrified of the grocery prices. On more than one occasion, I have told her to watch your videos about budgeting and food prep. She, thankfully, likes to spend time in the kitchen, and we need to find her a dorm with a kitchen, but even with the original video's recipes, she can eat for a month at least and save tons. (Beacaue the cheapest meal plan she can get is over 4000 for the year.)
Making our own Tortilla shells for enchiladas was life changing.
Can’t believe how cheap it all it compared to the prices in Canada! Especially the chicken. A pack of 7 small chicken breast are $23 , bone in is more depending on the cut. Eggs in my area are 3.17 for 12 eggs.
Yes!!! It's way way more in Canada. $$$
Giving you less food in a bag (like rice etc) is also how they raise the cost of your food.
Thank you for making this video! I know it’s not easy, but you are showing that with frugal meal recipe choices (with good nutrition) and frugal shopping are possible. In some expensive are even if you tack on another $20, an almost 50% increase, to $57, it can be done vs the $200-300 a week budget.
Have been following you since you posted the original video! What a great thing to do, donating the food to college students! (I received your "Thank You" card in the mail. It was so wonderful of you, Christine!) 🤗🌻
Hi Christine
Love your videos. I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada. Our food prices are almost double on some food items. You are fortunate that prices are better in your area.
All I can say is you have such an amazing heart
Thank you, Christine! These types of videos are very helpful for me and my family. Things are pretty tight for us right now. You do it best!
This was really interesting to have the price comparisons. 23% increase is quite a bit, even though the total for this food isn’t much. In an overall grocery budget, it’s a big increase.
We make that casserole ALL THE TIME!! Sometimes we use the yellow saffron rice but usually just white rice and seasonings, chicken, cream of mushroom - or whatever cream of soup you want really- and we like to top it off with cheese before we bake it. 😋 🤤 ssssoooooo good
I agree about Walmart produce. My last several pick up orders had produce that was already ruined. I am buying my produce elsewhere!
I thought that a 7 dollar increase wasn't much, but when you think of it as a percentage of the previous total, 23% is a HUGE jump!!!😳😳😳😳😳 I'm very fortunate to not be a a food budget 🙏, I think that you are fabulous for doing these kinds of videos, they will help a lot of people.
I was shocked, but not really I guess because prices have really been crazy.
I don't live in the USA, and I don't keep track of prices for the most part, I'm not diligent enough, but even so I have definitely noticed the price increase 😳😳😳
Surprisingly I have found that some of the upscale grocery stores often times have the best price on rice and dried beans. Often times my Walmart, Aldi's and Dollar Tree are sold out.
Weirdly enough, shelves in the stores near me in MN are basically stocked. On the other hand, a pound of any ground meat is over $5. I've definitely felt the increase of prices.
Agree....I am from MN and it looks basically normal in my " neck of the woods"....but I live in an area where people are pretty self sufficient with gardening and access to farm raised meats.
We're still having issues with toilet paper shortages, and cat biscuits, go figure!??
I'm in Australia though.
I usually buy the 60 count of large eggs and, in my area, Walmart's eggs were $5.46 for the 60 count large eggs and I went to my Walmart the other day and they jacked up the price to $8.78. That's a really steep price hike in my book. I can still go over to my local Kroger store and still buy the 60 count large eggs for $5.49.
For those freaking out about the pie crust purchase, you can make pie crusts with oil instead of butter or crisco which would make it work with pantry staples. It still turns out flaky too
Love your content!! Thanks for doing the footwork for this update
Still jealous of your prices!! So much cheaper than what I can get around me in Australia 🙃 but I still enjoy trying to get somewhat close to some of your budget recipes 😉
Same with Canada! Wow egg prices are HIGH here
@@leahirvine3522 eggs here are minimum $3.50aud for 1 dozen 🙃 if we are lucky lol
Feeling this! It’s amazing to see the price difference between us & them.
Some of the US prices blows my mind
Mmhmm! Like what's the deal with a 3 liter bottle of milk being $3.90 here in Queensland!? Yeesh! And the cheapest dozen eggs at Coles here is $3.70. THREE DOLLARS SEVENTY FOR A DOZEN EGGS! ($3.70AUD = $2.61USD. for a dozen eggs).
I just made a deal with a rancher here in Montana for 1/2 a beef. Comes out to $5.75 a lb. With the bones for bone broth or what the dogs will eat (organ meat) it's not a bad deal. At the store, the only thing under $6 lb is hamburger/mince. Most is $10.99 - $18.99 a lb. Worst part is I'm up in Montana which is beef country. So, going to the source. It's ridiculous. I have Canadian friends I shop for who come down to the border. Since Covid, we had a company we hand the boxes off to and they take them across the border to drop them off at their warehouse on the other side. Still, cheaper to do it that way.
I rewatch that video pretty regularly. So much great advice.
Aww the video from 2 years ago was how I found your channel! Love your vids
Another great resource is the LDS cannery for staples. They offer a great range of food storage type foods for a good deal.
I am so excited for this video! We live in Alaska and our prices are absolutely going up!! It’s already expensive and the prices are rising! I love all your videos but the extreme budget shopping are an all time fav!! Thanks for sharing your life with all of us!
I started putting a list of things and their best buy date on freezer packages and on my phone. Top left basket I put freshest meat. I write on my phone top left basket - chicken 1//31/22, etc. Right top basket - use up basket and a list of what is in there. Also date the packages in large sharpie marker. File them in baskets. Every shelf is different. Packaged foods have a basket, veggies etc Easier to not miss old food that way. Any way we can save.
I take one day to make a large portion of something such as chili or beef stew or baked chicken legs, or meatballs. etc.....divide each large portion into 5 or 6 freezer meals. Cheap way for my food budget!
I have nothing to do with non veg and your recipes because our eating habits are different but watching your videos is always relaxing....
Thank you so much 😊
Wow I can so relate to the higher groceries🛒 I was lucky our butcher was having a sale on leg quarters for $20 for 40lbs. Thanks for sharing 😊
Good Morning Christine and Family. I see you are up to 403K subs now. Congrats.!!!
🎉
taco bowls stretch ingredients also when eggs are cheap make things and freeze them like egg cups muffins
I love your extreme budget videos! I'd love to see you handle this type of challenge on a gluten free diet. The homemade bread looks amazing, though!
Love the budget challenges! I also would like to thank you for the no knead bread recipe, it is my and my family's favourite! I made it for all the holidays this year plus normal times and it is so so good and easy. I used to make french style bread with my bread machine and this is even easier and better, thank you!
Yeah, the government keeps claiming there is only 16% food inflation. For this haul, which had a lot of stuff that is always on the less pricey side, it was 23% PLUS the amount in the packages was less. It's more like 30%.
Omg… that video you posted 2 years ago I just watched it like 2 weeks ago. I’m glad that you made another one!!! 😊 yay!
I so glad this is from a person that has more than 2-3 kids. It's 4 of us atm but it'll be 5 of us again when my brother moves in. Then, both of my brothers that love to eat everything in the kitchen so this will help. Thank for this. I haven't made it around to make my bread lol 😅