I paid $4.19 for a loaf of bread yesterday

[RoughCollie]

Okay, it was a specialty bread: Arnold's whole wheat double fiber bread, which I love. It cost exactly $1 more than a loaf of floppy Wonder Bread. The Arnold's bread was only 25 cents a pound more than the Wonder Bread, though.

 

I can remember when bread was 25 cents a loaf.

 

I am going to start making all of our breads. I started out with an Amish whole wheat bread recipe that was very popular at allrecipes.com, but I didn't think it was anything special. It didn't inspire me to slather it with butter and eat the entire loaf at one sitting, which is probably a good thing but way too boring. It tasted like an insipid store-bought bread to me. I'm on the hunt this morning for some heartier recipes.

 

On the plus side, the store had 80% ground beef on sale for $2.65/lb. with $3 off each package since it was dated 10/2, and I got it for $1.40/lb. I was planning to grind my own, but the roasts were priced to high to make that a good idea, and the lower fat content ground beef was so high that the 80% stuff was a good deal (I rinse the fat off it after I brown it).

 

I never thought I'd see the day when a pound of bread cost more than a pound of meat!

 

As I strolled through the grocery store, I was shocked by the prices displayed, especially in the baked good department. Every item was $4 and change. My family eats about a dozen loaves of bread a week (not Wonder Bread -- more slices, mostly air) and I cannot imagine paying $2,618 a year just for bread.

 

Hmmph. I also cannot imagine baking 50 loaves of bread a month! I guess I will, though.

 

RC

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I hear you. I baked bread most of last month. When the price of our usual ww bread went back down to $2 a loaf, I started buying it again. But I've decided that's my limit.

 

The killer for me was when dishwasher detergent went to $7.00 a box at our grocery store.

 

I looks like Wal-mart is going to become part of my reality. I was hoping to avoid it.

[RoughCollie]

I looks like Wal-mart is going to become part of my reality. I was hoping to avoid it.

 

I am trying to keep food costs down by not buying any convenience foods and by making some household cleaners, including laundry detergent. My plan is to spend $200/week max for a family of 6 for food and household supplies. I pulled that number out of a hat -- usually I spend about $350 a week.

 

The killer for me, since I use less meat now, is the price of produce. My small beginner vegetable garden this year, which had 3x the normal amount of rain, produced about 4 plum tomatoes and 3 beans. I'm going to try again next year, but man, buying all that produce hurts the wallet.

 

Next year, given a bountiful harvest (the jury is still out on whether I have a green thumb), I am going to can my vegetables.

 

I am doing this out of necessity. I hadn't really looked at prices much when grocery shopping, except for meats. I mean, I was aware of prices in general, but I couldn't have told you exactly how much I paid for anything. Now I am extremely cognizant of prices and I am shocked, especially since they increase every week.

 

Living in a suburb on less than 1/2 acre of land, we can't be completely self-sufficient, but I am trying to get us as close as possible to that state. This horrifies my boys, who look at a large frozen pizza ($8) as a snack for one. Well, guess what -- they are learning to make their own pizzas. If it is cheaper to make cheese, they're going to make that, too.

 

RC

[elegantlion]

 

I looks like Wal-mart is going to become part of my reality. I was hoping to avoid it.

 

Wal-mart is my reality as well. UGH! I spend 100.00 a week for a family of 3 people, 2 pets, and that is the healthy basics. Prices have gone up every week. The only other grocery near us is nearly twice the price on most items, I can not afford to shop there for all my food.

 

Dh and I decided we are going to have to up the grocery budget by 20-50 dollars per week. I remember when we used to spend 40.00 for the week.

 

I estimate what I'm spending as I put it in the cart. I used to be good because I knew the price of everything. I going to have to start taking a calculator to shop, it's so depressing.

[beansprouts]

I was surprised the other day to find that the average price for a supermarket loaf of 100% whole wheat bread was $4. It has pretty much doubled since last year. I wonder what the really good stuff at the health food store is going for now.

 

Cooler weather is here, and I am starting to bake again.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

My problem is that we are already pretty maxed out on all the grocery shopping reductions possible. I only buy meat on sale. I only buy fruit and veggies on sale in season. I buy off brands of many items. I look at unit price of every single thing that goes in the cart. We had a great garden this summer and bought practically no produce, but that's over. I'm currently spending about $140 dollars a week for a family of 6.

[Erica in PA]

I am trying to keep food costs down by not buying any convenience foods and by making some household cleaners, including laundry detergent. My plan is to spend $200/week max for a family of 6 for food and household supplies. I pulled that number out of a hat -- usually I spend about $350 a week.

 

The killer for me, since I use less meat now, is the price of produce. My small beginner vegetable garden this year, which had 3x the normal amount of rain, produced about 4 plum tomatoes and 3 beans. I'm going to try again next year, but man, buying all that produce hurts the wallet.

 

Next year, given a bountiful harvest (the jury is still out on whether I have a green thumb), I am going to can my vegetables.

 

I am doing this out of necessity. I hadn't really looked at prices much when grocery shopping, except for meats. I mean, I was aware of prices in general, but I couldn't have told you exactly how much I paid for anything. Now I am extremely cognizant of prices and I am shocked, especially since they increase every week.

 

Living in a suburb on less than 1/2 acre of land, we can't be completely self-sufficient, but I am trying to get us as close as possible to that state. This horrifies my boys, who look at a large frozen pizza ($8) as a snack for one. Well, guess what -- they are learning to make their own pizzas. If it is cheaper to make cheese, they're going to make that, too.

 

RC

 

If you have any discount/surplus grocery outlets near you, they can be a lifesaver. They do vary quite a bit in quality from one to another, and some have too many out of date items or too many junky foods to be worthwhile, but we are blessed to have a great one near us. The prices are about a quarter of the grocery store's prices, and it's brand name items, sometimes gourmet or organic. Aldi's is another help-- it's not as cheap as the grocery outlet, and it's not name brand products, but the quality is adequate in most cases, and it's cheaper than the chain grocery stores. I used to go to the outlet first, then Aldi's, then buy anything I could get at those places at Giant. But the prices got so high at Giant, that I couldn't justify going there regularly anymore. I haven't been there for over a month now, and instead I just use whatever I can buy at the outlet and at Aldis. This allows me to spend less than $100 per week on groceries for the 5 of us.

 

Erica

[RoughCollie]

I going to have to start taking a calculator to shop, it's so depressing.

 

I tried that, but it was too cumbersome. Now I round up to the nearest dollar and keep a running total in my head. I pay cash now instead of using my debit card (envelope method) so I have to do that -- I live in fear of not having enough cash when I check out.

 

RC

[neesek]

I hear you. Grocery shopping used to be fun, especially when I got to go alone. :001_smile: It has not been enjoyable at all lately. It is just amazing how the prices are going up. Even in a two week span I see changes from the last time I shopped. :ohmy: I hadn't tracked our grocery purchases closely for a few months, but I did in September. Oh My. We had to increase our budget significantly.

[elegantlion]

I tried that, but it was too cumbersome. Now I round up to the nearest dollar and keep a running total in my head. I pay cash now instead of using my debit card (envelope method) so I have to do that -- I live in fear of not having enough cash when I check out.

 

RC

 

Oh I do that too. I overspent last week and thankfully I had some of MY money, but dh had to pay me back.

 

Three or four months ago dh would give 100.00 for groceries, I could spend 80.00 and keep the rest for me. Now that there is no leftover, I feeling the pinch in my personal stash as well.

[RoughCollie]

If you have any discount/surplus grocery outlets near you, they can be a lifesaver.

 

I don't, but where we used to live, there were some and I patronized them all the time. It was great.

 

In my town we have two groceries stores: one large chain, one small, regional chain. The grocery store from the small chain is a lot cheaper. I can't figure out how that can be, but I notice a big difference (15%-25%) in my grocery bill when I go there. It's in a less convenient location for me, the store is old and not spiffy and sparkling, and it is extremely crowded with people -- but boy are the prices worth it.

 

I didn't used to like going there, but now it is my favorite place. I'm going there tomorrow when they open, and I can't wait to find out what a loaf of Arnold bread costs there.

 

RC

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

We don't have either of those in our area either.

[kalanamak]

 

The killer for me, since I use less meat now, is the price of produce. My small beginner vegetable garden this year, which had 3x the normal amount of rain, produced about 4 plum tomatoes and 3 beans. I'm going to try again next year, but man, buying all that produce hurts the wallet.

 

 

 

Oh, and good bread WW bread and fresh veggies are so important! At least, around here, there has been a dip in gas prices.

 

Have you thought of container gardening? Using a sort of French intensive in small areas? I think that is a good way to start for a beginner. You can start hunting for possible containers now....ask if anyone has bigger pots from a sapling they planted or some such thing.

[RoughCollie]

Have you thought of container gardening?

 

I have a little square foot garden for which I bought the supplies from the square foot gardening guy's company.

 

I planted it in mid-May. The garden is still out there and everything is still alive, it's just not growing very much. The lettuce was 2" high last week (!) and is gone now. I suspect a wild animal has been eating the fruits of my labors before they get far -- squash blossoms and so forth.

 

The weather did not cooperate this year. The rainfall was 3x the usual amount, and it was cloudy and cool. I didn't plant a fall garden because money is tight and I can't afford to mess up again. Plus, I'm opening a family bread factory this week (it feels like it anyway) and starting to work part-time, so I don't have time right now.

 

Next year, I'm switching to heirloom seeds, hiring a guy to thin out my oak trees so the garden gets more sun, and adding real compost to the soil mixture. I used the square foot soil mixture, but it all came from bags -- I'm hoping the real thing works better. I am going to build a wire cage to go over the boxes so animals will not eat the plants.

 

If that doesn't work, it will be much cheaper for me to buy my produce from local farms. This year, a CSA share was $850 and I couldn't afford to pay it in one lump. The CSA produce is organic.

 

I've always wanted to be a person who grows her own food so I sure hope I get better results next year. I don't like being so enthusiastic and then failing.

 

RC

[CalicoKat]

Okay, it was a specialty bread: Arnold's whole wheat double fiber bread, which I love. It cost exactly $1 more than a loaf of floppy Wonder Bread. The Arnold's bread was only 25 cents a pound more than the Wonder Bread, though.

 

I can remember when bread was 25 cents a loaf.

 

I am going to start making all of our breads. I started out with an Amish whole wheat bread recipe that was very popular at allrecipes.com, but I didn't think it was anything special. It didn't inspire me to slather it with butter and eat the entire loaf at one sitting, which is probably a good thing but way too boring. It tasted like an insipid store-bought bread to me. I'm on the hunt this morning for some heartier recipes.

 

On the plus side, the store had 80% ground beef on sale for $2.65/lb. with $3 off each package since it was dated 10/2, and I got it for $1.40/lb. I was planning to grind my own, but the roasts were priced to high to make that a good idea, and the lower fat content ground beef was so high that the 80% stuff was a good deal (I rinse the fat off it after I brown it).

 

I never thought I'd see the day when a pound of bread cost more than a pound of meat!

 

As I strolled through the grocery store, I was shocked by the prices displayed, especially in the baked good department. Every item was $4 and change. My family eats about a dozen loaves of bread a week (not Wonder Bread -- more slices, mostly air) and I cannot imagine paying $2,618 a year just for bread.

 

Hmmph. I also cannot imagine baking 50 loaves of bread a month! I guess I will, though.

 

RC

I bake 10 loaves and freeze what isn't immediately eaten. That way when I'm tired I don't just give in an buy the $4 loaves of bread. It is less expensive to make your own bread.

[TraceyS/FL]

As I strolled through the grocery store, I was shocked by the prices displayed, especially in the baked good department. Every item was $4 and change. My family eats about a dozen loaves of bread a week (not Wonder Bread -- more slices, mostly air) and I cannot imagine paying $2,618 a year just for bread.

 

Hmmph. I also cannot imagine baking 50 loaves of bread a month! I guess I will, though.

 

YIKES.

 

I shall quit harping on my kids! LOL!!! (2 loaves a week at times!)

 

I use Handyshopper on my Palm to track prices while shopping. Really, it makes it doable. There are ways to do a bunch MORE with it that i haven't figured out yet! LOL!!

 

http://chrisant.home.comcast.net/~chrisant/hs3/hs3.htm

 

Another option is Splash SHopper - but it's not free:

http://www.splashdata.com/splashshopper/

 

But when i make my Costco list - i have a darn good idea of what things are going to cost, then i update prices while shopping. It's nice to know to the penny what it's going to be when i check out.

[TraceyS/FL]

I bake 10 loaves and freeze what isn't immediately eaten. That way when I'm tired I don't just give in an buy the $4 loaves of bread. It is less expensive to make your own bread.

 

It freezes well?

 

I need to do that so i'm "ahead" of the kids. The Amish bread loaves (we loved it here) i think i'd need about 4 a week to stay on/top ahead. I just can't figure out what to store it in so it doesn't dry out. Freezing would be a good option....

[KS_]

It freezes well?

 

I need to do that so i'm "ahead" of the kids. The Amish bread loaves (we loved it here) i think i'd need about 4 a week to stay on/top ahead. I just can't figure out what to store it in so it doesn't dry out. Freezing would be a good option....

 

I freeze my bread :) I let it cool completely, then slice it and put it in freezer bags. That way, even if it's still frozen, it's easy to get slices out and toast them, w/o having to wait for the entire loaf to thaw.

[Part-Time Homeschooler]

Wow -- that's pretty high! I buy the same bread and it costs $2.89 where I live.

[Happy]

I tried that, but it was too cumbersome. Now I round up to the nearest dollar and keep a running total in my head. I pay cash now instead of using my debit card (envelope method) so I have to do that -- I live in fear of not having enough cash when I check out.

 

RC

 

About not having enough cash....

 

Dh and I make it a habit to carry a $100 bill tucked deep into a pocket of our wallet or purse. It is strictly for emergencies. I started carrying one when I traveled a bit for business many years ago. I go months and months without having to need it, but it is nice to know it's there.

 

You could carry an extra $20, $50...it doesn't have to be a hundred.

 

In each of our car glove compartments, is an envelope with $10 cash for emergency gas money. If the teen gets away without money, he can still get home. ;) Naturally, it takes a bit of self control to not use it in the fast food drive up, but explaining to Dad how that is an emergency is a good lesson, too. :D

[beansprouts]

Wow -- that's pretty high! I buy the same bread and it costs $2.89 where I live.

 

I think grocery prices tend to be higher in the northeast.

[jonesloonybin]

Okay, it was a specialty bread: Arnold's whole wheat double fiber bread, which I love. RC

 

 

This is the type of bread we buy. We got some yesterday at BJ's. 2 for 3.65. But I hear you about everything getting more expensive. We are trying to make more homemade things. But I don't really know that much about cooking or baking..just what I have taught myself.

[KAR120C]

Okay, it was a specialty bread: Arnold's whole wheat double fiber bread, which I love. It cost exactly $1 more than a loaf of floppy Wonder Bread. The Arnold's bread was only 25 cents a pound more than the Wonder Bread, though.

Store brand whole wheat is $1.89 ($1.50/lb) here. Arnolds is more at 2.79 ($1.86/lb), but I don't see the "double fiber"...

 

Man, am I thankful to live in the cheap south right now! (And we're finally getting out of bug season too! LOL)

[BritAnnia]

Ouch! I'm thankful my lot don't eat a lot of bread. I noticed the price of bread went crazy around the time whole wheat/whole grain loaves became popular with the big brand names manufacturers.

I posted here about my shock at a grocery item price increase a little while ago. It was a bag of King Arthur flour at Whole Foods. I don't typically shop at WF's except for a few choice items every few months, but that week I happened to be there and didn't want a seperate trip just to another store just to buy flour. I thought I'd pay the usual few cents extra at WF's but the flour was priced at almost $8 vs the usual $4! My poor dh was with me and had to listen to my entire rant about that. Poor guy! :001_unsure:

[Andie]

I unpacked some things from the-move-before-last and found they were wrapped in a grocery sale flyer from 2005. I set it aside to look at later and compare prices. I'm sure it'll be interesting.

 

Dd ran in to get a loaf of bread yesterday because I didn't get the Zo kicked off early enough. Nature's Own 100% ww: $3.19

We used to get it for around $1.69- 1.89 not so long ago.

[jojomojo]

It freezes well?

 

 

 

I usually flash freeze my bread right before the second rise - just shape it and stick it in the deep freeze on a cookie sheet. After about an hr its frozen enough to bag up. It can be thawed out in the fridge. With small dinner rolls, sometimes I just stick them in the oven frozen and put the oven on 170 until they thaw, never tried that with a loaf before though. My plan is to keep at least a months worth in the freezer.

 

That's french bread though. If I used a regular loaf pan (which I'm going to start, I don't usually make sandwich bread), I'll just line it before freezing so that the frozen dough will pop out in the shape of the pan (or just use a silicone pan!).

 

If anyone has a great recipe for sandwich bread, I could sure use one. That's the reason I don't usually make sandwich bread - haven't found one with the texture of commercial bread (we usually get the Sarah Lee multi-grain).

[cjzimmer1]

Okay, it was a specialty bread: Arnold's whole wheat double fiber bread, which I love.

 

 

RC

 

Our favorite is Arnold's German Dark Wheat although we like the double fiber too. it runs about $3.69 around here but I only buy it when it's when one get one free or on sale for $2.50 a loaf or less. But even that adds up so I've started making my own bread. Having never worked with yeast before, I spent the summer making Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day stuff, and since the baby arrived in August and I have a bit more energy I have been experimenting with kneading bread.

 

I've been using this recipe

http://tadmitchell.com/cookbook/wheatbread.html

and other than adding a bit more honey (cause we like it quite sweet), I've been very happy with this bread. It's turned out for me every time. Last time I added cracked wheat to it and I'm hoping to slowly evolve the recipe into something close to the German Dark Wheat.

[disneymom]

 

I use Handyshopper on my Palm to track prices while shopping. Really, it makes it doable. There are ways to do a bunch MORE with it that i haven't figured out yet! LOL!!

 

http://chrisant.home.comcast.net/~chrisant/hs3/hs3.htm

 

Another option is Splash SHopper - but it's not free:

http://www.splashdata.com/splashshopper/

 

But when i make my Costco list - i have a darn good idea of what things are going to cost, then i update prices while shopping. It's nice to know to the penny what it's going to be when i check out.

 

 

Thank you so much. I have been looking for something like this for my new phone.

 

We are lucky that we have a Wonder bread outlet and everything is very cheap. They even have specials for three loaves of bread for $1. The only problem is all the other snacks they have there. :lol:

[cathmom]

I bet CSA prices will be up quite a bit next year. I have heard that they were hit hard this year because of the fixed price.

[Vida Winter]

Okay, it was a specialty bread: Arnold's whole wheat double fiber bread, which I love. It cost exactly $1 more than a loaf of floppy Wonder Bread. The Arnold's bread was only 25 cents a pound more than the Wonder Bread, though.

 

I can remember when bread was 25 cents a loaf.

 

I am going to start making all of our breads. I started out with an Amish whole wheat bread recipe that was very popular at allrecipes.com, but I didn't think it was anything special. It didn't inspire me to slather it with butter and eat the entire loaf at one sitting, which is probably a good thing but way too boring. It tasted like an insipid store-bought bread to me. I'm on the hunt this morning for some heartier recipes.

 

On the plus side, the store had 80% ground beef on sale for $2.65/lb. with $3 off each package since it was dated 10/2, and I got it for $1.40/lb. I was planning to grind my own, but the roasts were priced to high to make that a good idea, and the lower fat content ground beef was so high that the 80% stuff was a good deal (I rinse the fat off it after I brown it).

 

I never thought I'd see the day when a pound of bread cost more than a pound of meat!

 

As I strolled through the grocery store, I was shocked by the prices displayed, especially in the baked good department. Every item was $4 and change. My family eats about a dozen loaves of bread a week (not Wonder Bread -- more slices, mostly air) and I cannot imagine paying $2,618 a year just for bread.

 

Hmmph. I also cannot imagine baking 50 loaves of bread a month! I guess I will, though.

 

RC

 

Do yourself a favor and get the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book. I have been using this method for the past year and my family loves it. It doesn't work so well for wheat recipes but I do add some wheat flour to each batch of dough. I need to work with it a little more to get the wheat mixture right. It really does take very little time and is delicious. As a double bonus I make pizza at least once a week from the same bread dough and it is fantastic.

 

What you need:

big pizza stone

pizza peel (I use the Super Peel - awesome.) http://www.superpeel.com

cornmeal or polenta

flour, kosher salt

I also use a little olive oil in my dough.

[Erica in PA]

Do yourself a favor and get the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day book. I have been using this method for the past year and my family loves it. It doesn't work so well for wheat recipes but I do add some wheat flour to each batch of dough. I need to work with it a little more to get the wheat mixture right. It really does take very little time and is delicious. As a double bonus I make pizza at least once a week from the same bread dough and it is fantastic.

 

What you need:

big pizza stone

pizza peel (I use the Super Peel - awesome.) www.superpeel.com

cornmeal or polenta

flour, kosher salt

I also use a little olive oil in my dough.

 

Do you need a heavy duty mixer (i.e. KitchenAid) to make good bread at home? I've always wanted to try it, but I only have a hand mixer. My friends who make bread all use the big, heavy duty mixers.

 

Erica

[beansprouts]

Do you need a heavy duty mixer (i.e. KitchenAid) to make good bread at home? I've always wanted to try it, but I only have a hand mixer. My friends who make bread all use the big, heavy duty mixers.

 

Erica

 

You can always work the dough by hand. My friend does this, and she makes excellent bread. My dh did buy me a Kitchenaid, and I love it. My inexpensive Sunbeam mixer was just not up to the job.

[Vida Winter]

Do you need a heavy duty mixer (i.e. KitchenAid) to make good bread at home? I've always wanted to try it, but I only have a hand mixer. My friends who make bread all use the big, heavy duty mixers.

 

Erica

 

I don't use a mixer at all. I have a KitchenAid but it's gathering dust. The Artisan Dough is wet enough to mix with a spoon and at the end you may have to stick your hands in it to finish it up but it takes very little time, then you let it sit in the fridge overnight. Or you can leave it on the counter and use some of it after an hour or two before you put it in the fridge.

[Mekanamom]

I don't know how it compares to Arnolds, and I don't know if you have a bread machine. But I'll share the recipe anyway. It's a 2lb loaf.

 

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 T vegetable oil

2 T molasses

2 T honey

1 1/4 C bread flour

1 1/2 t salt

2 1/4 C whole wheat flour

2 T dry milk powder

1 C whole bran cereal

2 t active dry yeast

 

Bake on your machine's whole wheat setting.

 

It's tasty, high in fiber, and the texture is great for sandwiches. This is what I make for our everyday sandwich bread.

 

For artisan bread, I agree with Dana... get the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book! It's very easy and it makes really good bread. I don't have to run to the store any longer to buy any bread at all between my sandwich bread and the artisan bread. I do use my kitchenaid to mix it, but I don't think there would be any problem mixing it by hand, since the dough is so wet. Less to clean up that way, too.

 

Last night I needed garlic bread... I just cut my basic artisan loaf in half, made garlic spread with butter, garlic, a few other spices, and a little parmesan... and voila! Better than the pre-made stuff you can get at the grocery store. Nearly as fast to put together, and a lot less expensive.

[RoughCollie]

Okay, I'm going to get the Artisan bread book from the library. It sounds great, and I've been wanting to try that.

 

Now I wish I hadn't given my baking stone and pizza peel to Salvation Army about 10 years ago -- I never thought I'd use it! Oh well, decluttering sometimes bites me in the you-know-what.

 

Mekanamom, do you know if bread machine recipes work in regular ovens too? I also gave my bread machine to Salvation Army years ago, because the loaves were too small.

 

RC

[Mamagistra]

I was surprised the other day to find that the average price for a supermarket loaf of 100% whole wheat bread was $4.

 

Right...and most of it contains HFCS! :glare: I, too, need to get back to baking.

[Mekanamom]

 

Mekanamom, do you know if bread machine recipes work in regular ovens too? I also gave my bread machine to Salvation Army years ago, because the loaves were too small.

 

RC

 

I have no idea! Since the bread machine does all the kneading and rising and punching down for me, I couldn't even guess at how to convert a bread machine recipe to a regular oven recipe... maybe someone else knows!

 

I tried to link you to the cheapest bread machine I knew about (It was a $40 Sunbeam that was programmable and made the 2 lb loaves; good reviews & free super saver shipping, too.) but Amazon apparently isn't carrying them anymore. :sad:

 

I have heard that sometimes Walmart has them for around that same price... but I can't find it on their website.

[Lisa]

WOW, thats a lot for bread. I buy bread from our "day-old" bread store for about $1-$1.50 a loaf or from Kwik trip for $1 a loaf.

[Mandarinmom]

Taking the recipe from the Artisan bread in 5 minutes. It does takes 5 min, and so easy, and so good. The downside is I gained 5 pounds this month, because I just can't stop eating it, it is too good.

[beansprouts]

Arnold's is my favorite store bought bread. Good stuff!

[Anne Rittenhouse]

Pricey Europe! Not a bit when it comes to real basics. One loaf of sliced whole wheat bread, about 1kg, 0.69Euros. Scottish smoked salmon, on the other hand 78Euros/kg!

[maryhob]

Does anyone know of a good website that would have recipes for soap, toothpaste etc... I have a front loader wash machine so I would need something that doesn't suds-up much. Mary

[RoughCollie]

http://tipnut.com/homemade-toothpaste-mouthwash-teeth-whiteners/

 

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

 

Just put whatever you need in the search box and you'll find all sorts of interesting tips.

Edited January 8, 2009 by RoughCollie

[Karenciavo]

I like that Double Fiber bread too RoughCollie, but I hate the price. I've always thought of making my own bread, but fresh bread is my weakness. Maybe it's time to work on that weakness. :rolleyes:

[kewb]

I started baking all of our bread last September. I just could not justify the $3-$4. a loaf for good whole wheat bread. Making the bread is now part of our Practical Life Skills curriculum.

[Pretty in Pink]

I pay 4.00 for specialty bread, too. I think it's Pepperidge Farms. Anyway, it's organic and I buy it when I can find it; otherwise I can usually pick up either Pepperidge Farms or Arnold specialty breads 2/4.00-2/5.00. I go for the dark, multi-grain varieties.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby?

 

I bought a loaf of whole wheat, all natural bread for $1.49 last week. The double fiber bread was 2.49.

[laughing lioness]

I wanted to recommend Marmee Dear's web-site http://www.marmeedear.com/ I bought a bosch from her and the recipe book that came with is terrific. She also has a video.

Urban Homemaker http://www.urbanhomemaker.com/ is full of great ideas, too.

[Julpost]

I don't have time to check out all of the replies but I wonder if anyone has suggested Costco. I find their prices on the basics to be much more reasonable than the grocery store. In fact, I really don't go to the regular grocery anymore. I get all of our veggies and fruits, eggs, milk, pasta, canned tomatoes, cheese, baking ingredients, and meat there. I think it was close to $5 for 2 loaves of bread...which I buy rarely. I also try to do a lot of baking and cooking from scratch at home. We buy lemon juice and just make lemonade once in awhile or sometimes I'll splurge and buy juice or cider. It's always so much less than the regular store. The key is staying away from frozen or prepared foods. I also get our frozen veggies there and they are TOP NOTCH.

 

HTH

[Deidre in GA]

If you have any discount/surplus grocery outlets near you, they can be a lifesaver. They do vary quite a bit in quality from one to another, and some have too many out of date items or too many junky foods to be worthwhile, but we are blessed to have a great one near us. The prices are about a quarter of the grocery store's prices, and it's brand name items, sometimes gourmet or organic.

Erica

 

i've used these outlet stores for years. the best one here is Flowers Bakery which produces the Nature's Own and Cobblestone lines. there's a large variety and the most expensive loaf is less than $2. it all freezes well so i go every two weeks and stock up on bread, buns, bagels, and english muffins. of late they've been overstocked on bagels and english muffins and you can often find specials like 3 packages (of 6 - 8) for $1. tuesday is customer appreciation day where there are free items if you spend at least $6.

 

my only caution is to check the freshness dates and always purchase the ones that are the farthest date out. i LOVE bread and honestly cannot tell the difference between the outlet offerings and supermarket as long as i'm mindful about the dates.