Saving Money

[home-based-mom]

I'm still really new here so I hope it's OK to post this. I notice that a lot of newly diagnosed people are overwhelmed with the expense of changing their diets.

May I suggest visiting Open Original Shared Link. The people who run it have CFS and Fibromialgia rather than gluten intolerance / Celiac, but they are very familiar with chronic health issues. Be sure to read the page of jokes!

The recipies are not gluten free, but I'm sure many if not all can be adapted by the talented people I've encountered here so far. (I'm not a cook - plain broiled chicken and steamed broccoli is just fine with me! )

The reason I suggest this site is their motto: "Making the most of what you have." Money has always been tight for them and they have learned to stretch it as far as possible. Hopefully everyone can learn a few hints and tips, or even a whole new mindset about spending money.

The site has a lot of ideas about saving money on food and also everything else you need in life so you have more money to spend on food if you need to. They also have a newsletter and a blog.

Hopefully someone will find it helpful!

[gfpaperdoll]

Thanks, I am sure this will be usefull to a lot of people... & me, I love staying on a budget & consider it a challenge to live well on nothing!!!!

[NoGluGirl]

I'm still really new here so I hope it's OK to post this. I notice that a lot of newly diagnosed people are overwhelmed with the expense of changing their diets.

May I suggest visiting Open Original Shared Link. The people who run it have CFS and Fibromialgia rather than gluten intolerance / Celiac, but they are very familiar with chronic health issues. Be sure to read the page of jokes!

The recipies are not gluten free, but I'm sure many if not all can be adapted by the talented people I've encountered here so far. (I'm not a cook - plain broiled chicken and steamed broccoli is just fine with me! )

The reason I suggest this site is their motto: "Making the most of what you have." Money has always been tight for them and they have learned to stretch it as far as possible. Hopefully everyone can learn a few hints and tips, or even a whole new mindset about spending money.

The site has a lot of ideas about saving money on food and also everything else you need in life so you have more money to spend on food if you need to. They also have a newsletter and a blog.

Hopefully someone will find it helpful!

Dear Sandi,

Thank you for the site! Welcome to the forum! Now, here is a present for you! I have a list that should really help. This is overwhelming. I went through this with myself eleven months ago. You spend most of your day cooking and cleaning obsessively. The rest you are on the phone with reps from companies trying to find out what is safe. I decided to save you the trouble!

1. There are a number of things in the regular grocery that are safe. Some things are labeled already. Wal-Mart's Great Value brand has numerous things you can eat.

2. For the love of God use Coupons on items you are allowed to eat. People can get them and print them out online even. Call some of the local stores and ask if they accept online coupons.

3. Check the ads online and in the newspaper. You would be surprised how many people do not do this.

4. Some items like rice flour and rice noodles are safe to buy at the Chinese or oriental market. The merchants are more than happy to help you if you cannot read the label.

Now, here is my list of great things to get you started:

Condiments:

Smart Balance Margarine*

Crisco Shortening

Crisco Oil

Pompeiian Olive Oil

Great Value soy sauce

Heinz Ketchup

Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce (all Lea & Perrins Products are safe)

Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

Kraft French Fat-Free Salad Dressing

Kraft Thousand Island Fat-Free Salad Dressing

Pace Picante Sauce

Ortega Salsa

All Classico Red and *White sauces

All Jif Peanut Butters including Smooth Sensations

Welch's Grape Jelly

Cool Whip*

Philadelphia Cream Cheese*

Miracle Whip

Daisy Sour Cream (fat-free, low-fat, regular)*

Snack Foods:

Utz Potato Chips (Found at Sam

[Celiaction]

Hi, Welcome and Sorry.

I'm a garden-vegatable and discount meat eating person so the expense of treating celiac is not insurmountable. You will find that most pre-packaged garbage at the grocery store averages $4.00 per pound. Check Froot-loops. So is the butcher's special. I just bought a pork roast on sale at King Soopers for $1.79 a pound with KS card. This is possibly an inexpensive cure for every auto-immune disease you can name. So fire up the grill, tell the kids to shut up and eat what is before them, emerge from the "Matrix", and live.

[loco-ladi]

I found for some things I use alot of I can buy cases at amazon .com and save over local prices, not that my local(60 miles one way) is very knowledgable or helpful when I ask about certain things they "could" carry, is it a bad thing I am concidering opening a very local store as I am also finding out there are at least 6 of us in this town alone! Heard about #6 just yesterday, its a child of a fellow engineer and since many know of my situation (I have been very vocal, lol) they told him to look me up, lol left him a note in his mailbox with my number on it!

[DawnS]

I found for some things I use alot of I can buy cases at amazon .com and save over local prices, not that my local(60 miles one way) is very knowledgable or helpful when I ask about certain things they "could" carry, is it a bad thing I am concidering opening a very local store as I am also finding out there are at least 6 of us in this town alone! Heard about #6 just yesterday, its a child of a fellow engineer and since many know of my situation (I have been very vocal, lol) they told him to look me up, lol left him a note in his mailbox with my number on it!

I think your own store is a great idea. I've often thought of offering a few of my favorite products through my personal website just so I can buy them wholesale!

I've bought a couple things on amazon too by the case...even better if you can find a friend to split cases.

My dr. recently suggested doing my cooking on Saturday for the week. Make 3 large meals...Freeze 1/2 of each meal for later in the week. For the first couple days eat lunch and dinner from what's been refrigerated. Then when those are gone thaw/reheat what's in the freezer for the end of the week. This was my 3rd week doing it and I eat a lot better as well as save money. Instead of looking for quick convenience foods, I have good less expensive food ready. My dr suggested doing "1 pan" meals...a carb (like rice, quinoa, sweet potatos, white potato if you can eat them) w/ a meat and covering with water and slow cooking in the oven on a low temp. If your oven is big enough you can cook all three meals at once. Then with each meal make a salad or cook a fresh/frozen vegetable. I don't do all of mine "one pan" because I like to cook and come up with new things. But the idea behind it is making my life easier and my trips to the grocery store less painful.

One of my favorites has been a beef macaroni dish. I used the Tinkyada macaroni and cooked according to directions. Then I browned a pound of hamburger meat. Mixed it into the cooked/drained pasta. Then I put a sloppy joe type sauce (I make my own out of tomato sauce, agave nectar, salt, pepper, celery salt, and a bit of dijon mustard) and stirred it all together. (If you can eat onions, I'd chop one and cook it with the hamburger meat and probably skip the celery salt.) It froze and reheated great. It took me about 1/2 hour to prepare and probably cost about $7. I got about 5 or 6 meals plus some others ate off it a couple times.

As I come up with others that y'all might enjoy, I'll try to post in the cooking board.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear DawnS,

I am going to have to start doing all of my cooking for the week once a week. I cannot keep this up. It is exhausting!

You just do not have the energy for other things when you are obsessively cleaning and cooking all day. I definitely need to start doing this! That meal you posted sounds great! I am going to keep that in mind for a meal!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[DawnS]

Dear DawnS,

I am going to have to start doing all of my cooking for the week once a week. I cannot keep this up. It is exhausting!

You just do not have the energy for other things when you are obsessively cleaning and cooking all day. I definitely need to start doing this! That meal you posted sounds great! I am going to keep that in mind for a meal!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Glad to hear that you think this will help you. It's amazing how much less time I spend in the kitchen and how much better I'm eating. In fact, this week I have enough stuff in the freezer from earlier that I didn't take out, that I might not have to cook at all. I had family in over the weekend and didn't get to, so I might just get to skip it I'll decide if I'd rather keep it for a busier week and cook this time. But the cool thing is I GET TO decide!! I did buy a little lamb roast the other day, so I might just have to try that lamb and prune tagine I've been wanting to try...mmm...I'll pass that along if it turns out well. I had one in a Moroccan restaurant once and have been wanting to try to make my own since. It will fit perfectly into this new plan I think.

[NoGluGirl]

Glad to hear that you think this will help you. It's amazing how much less time I spend in the kitchen and how much better I'm eating. In fact, this week I have enough stuff in the freezer from earlier that I didn't take out, that I might not have to cook at all. I had family in over the weekend and didn't get to, so I might just get to skip it I'll decide if I'd rather keep it for a busier week and cook this time. But the cool thing is I GET TO decide!! I did buy a little lamb roast the other day, so I might just have to try that lamb and prune tagine I've been wanting to try...mmm...I'll pass that along if it turns out well. I had one in a Moroccan restaurant once and have been wanting to try to make my own since. It will fit perfectly into this new plan I think.

Dear DawnS,

I have been contemplating it for a while. This also will cutdown on dishes and having to wash my hands so much. Running back and forth becomes so exhausting. I need to be able to spend more time doing my work and studying. Finding balance is important. Right now, there is no balance. Something has got to give! My biggest thing I am craving is Chinese.

It is my lifeblood. The spring rolls take some work, because of the chopping and shredding, which I am not the world's greatest at! I am going to have to practice!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[DawnS]

Dear DawnS,

I have been contemplating it for a while. This also will cutdown on dishes and having to wash my hands so much. Running back and forth becomes so exhausting. I need to be able to spend more time doing my work and studying. Finding balance is important. Right now, there is no balance. Something has got to give! My biggest thing I am craving is Chinese.

It is my lifeblood. The spring rolls take some work, because of the chopping and shredding, which I am not the world's greatest at! I am going to have to practice!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

after reading your signature line, i was going to ask if you had any good gluten-free/soy f Chinese recipes. I like Chinese food and have pretty much given up ...i'd give anything for a good General Tso's chicken. Well, maybe not anything, but it would be worth a lot. Especially since I've got a pretty heavy case of PMS going on today! lol

[NoGluGirl]

Dear DawnS,

I know the PMS feeling! It is miserable. Chocolate always makes it better! The Chocolate Emporium has some Gluten-free Casein-free chocolate chips that are also soy-free. The Chinese food is something I am gluten-free with, but the soy-free is more difficult. However, you might be able to substitute oyster sauce. I know there is gluten-free oyster sauce, but do not know for sure if it is soy-free as well. Lee Kum Kee is the brand to check on.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl