Some Tips and a Gluten Free Site

I am so dense sometimes that it just dawned on me - If I want to save money I must NOT bring my husband with me when grocery shopping! I learned the hard way. I work very hard at keeping grocery costs down and with rising prices it isn't easy. For instance, the 2 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese pkgs. we were getting for pizza night (Great Value brand) used to be $7.98, which is high anyway. Tonight I went to buy pizza cheese and that very same bag of mozzarella is now a whopping $10.98! A $3 raise in price from one week to the next is ridiculous. I bought 3 pkgs. of 1 lb. blocks of mozzarella at $3.48 each because I needed extra for the lasagna I want to make tomorrow night. But wow, cheese and dairy in particular is really getting expensive.

I really think that people should grow as much food at home as possible, not only to save money but to increase their healthy lifestyles. Canning takes a whole lot of effort, but really, freezing some produce is easy and worth the bother. It isn't too late to plant a little lettuce and spinach for fresh eating through the rest of the summer. Radishes don't take long to grow either. Swiss chard is another green that's easy & quick to grow. My shell peas are loaded with pods but not filled out yet. The green beans are getting ready to blossom. That's pretty good for being as far north as we are. So far all we've harvested are radishes and lettuce, but we're getting there.

Check farmer's markets and you'll be pleased to find locally grown fruits & veggies at a much better price than you'll find in any grocery store, and many times they're organic to boot. Quite often you can find a great deal on bushels of apples, peaches, etc. for canning or freezing. I think I'll try dehydrating more this year too.

I found a good site tonight for those who are gluten intolerant. You might want to check it out.