Tips – in thriver words

Is This a Great Value?

If you are doing price comparisons, you may be asking – is this a great value or is it just cheaper? To be a food product with great value, it needs to contain the same amount of food and nutrition for a lesser price. If it comes with fewer additives, even better.

I’ve seen videos that say store-brand foods like Great Value are exactly the same as their name-brand counterparts, come off the same manufacturing line, and are just put in different packaging. While I have no doubt many store-brand products are made by the same manufacturers as their name brand counterparts, I’m not as certain they come off the same line and only differ in packaging.

potato chips spilling out of plain brown wrapper.

Sometimes that may be true, but beware of the videos that advise things like Great Value^TMToasted O’s are exactly the same as Cheerios. One is labeled gluten-free. The other is not. That’s an indicator that there’s some difference. It’s also a reminder that reading labels remains essential if you must avoid certain foods or ingredients.

Walmart is revamping the packaging for Great Value. It’s a two-year project. One of the aims is to have the nutrition information listed and in a consistent location. I’m all for better labelling! https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2026/04/15/walmart-unveils-modern-redesign-of-great-value-its-flagship-private-brand

I sometimes prefer store-brand or lesser advertised products because they contain fewer chemicals and additives. Often the additives are flavor enhancers. Those may make the food taste better, but flavor enhancers trick your brain. If you eat a lot of processed food, you aren’t just ingesting chemicals that don’t add to your health, it can change your perception of fresh food.

So back to value. If the ingredient list is the same or preferable to your usual product, the amount of food per package the same, the nutrition value comparable, and the price less – yes, it’s a great value. The packaging isn’t always as appealing, but that’s not critical.

Now that we’ve addressed store brands, here are some other great values to consider:

When fresh vegetables aren’t in season or affordable, store-brand frozen vegetables can be a great value replacement.

I sometimes buy organic milk because it stays fresh longer. That means less waste. Also, keep in mind store-brand organic milk can be $2 less than name-brand.

I don’t like the texture of most frozen fruit, so I don’t use it in fruit salad, but it can work well for baked goods and be less expensive than fresh. It’s also easy to always have on hand without worrying about it spoiling.

Look for deals on protein. One local grocery store does a Pick 5 meat deal for $25. You can mix and match cuts as long as they have a Pick 5 sticker.

Some save by buying in bulk. If you live alone, consider partnering with neighbors to maximize your bulk buying power. I live on a block with lots of cooks. It’s not odd to suggest a food exchange on the neighborhood text chain.

Grow your own herbs. Fresh herbs are both expensive and easily grown in pots. Growing your own is a great value. To reduce the initial investment, look for free pots on a community gifting group or check a thrift store. You can grow from seed or plants. Sometimes herbs are available in plant exchanges.

There’s no shame in finding new ways to save. I always keep the question, is it a great value, top of mind!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Conservation Conversations

Given current prices on everyday necessities, it’s a great time for a conservation conversations. How can you stay on your required diet, eat healthy food, not exhaust yourself, and spend less money?

Let’s start with a given. It will not be easy. Fighting this fact will delay making progress and mentally exhaust you. The quicker you make peace with a need for change that may make portions of your life more difficult, the sooner you will be able to improve your circumstances and quality of life overall.

Pink round piggy bank with pennies around it on white background.

Here are a few guidelines to follow when conservation is required.

Explore things that can stay the same. This can make transitions easier. For example, instead of giving up meals at a favorite farm-to-table restaurant, reduce the frequency. Skip the iced tea or soda in favor of water.

Stop buying things you throw away. We all have things that sit in the refrigerator or pantry because we thought they were a good idea at the time, but we don’t use often enough to justify keeping them on hand. Cocoa powder, vanilla beans, saffron, lasagna noodles, and hot sauce are things I seem to think I need all the time. I don’t.

Use less. Following a low histamine diet has resulted in me recognizing how much flavor can be imparted by a smidge of tomato sauce, a spoonful of ranch dressing, or a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Reducing the amount I’d typically add has made things tolerable for my system and saved me money as well. For what to do with leftover tomato sauce – freeze it in ice cube trays to make it go a long way. You can also share with friends or neighbors.

Rely on herbs, spices, and veggies rather than cheese. Cheese is delicious. Cheese is also expensive. You can enhance the flavor of casseroles with herbs and spices. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and even beans can be used to add a creamy element to casseroles, soups, and one pot meals.

Add rice and/or beans. A meal will feel more substantial if you serve it with rice or beans. You can pull back on the amount of beef, pork, or chicken per person by serving bowls that include rice and/or beans.

We’ve made it through five guidelines that don’t require extra baking, sorting through sales, or organizing coupons. That may be enough to keep your budget working. If not, consider a few more:

Make more soup. Soup is delicious and filling whether it’s hot or cold. As we enjoy the farmers market, it’s a great time to use bits and pieces, leaves, and stems in soup. Fruit is best used quickly, but vegetable bits can be collected in a container in your fridge for several days before you need to cook them. Think carrot tops, beet greens, Brussels sprout leaves, chard or broccoli stems. Prep them when cleaning up after the meal in which you used the rest of the vegetable. That will leave you with a container of prepped vegetables to use in soup.

Substitute ground turkey for ground beef. I’ve been doing this for a couple of years because I prefer it, but it also makes sense for budgetary reasons. In meatloaf and burgers, I add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to beef up the flavor (see what I did there).

Make yogurt. This may sound like a big deal, but yogurt is one of the easiest things to make. You don’t need anything but milk, starter, and a place to keep it warm. I prefer to use whole milk, packaged starter, and a yogurt maker that holds jars. But you can use yogurt with live cultures as a starter and an instant pot to keep it warm. Making your own allows you to process it for 24 hours to break down all the lactose if you’re lactose intolerant. It eliminates all the added sugar of flavored yogurt, and it means your yogurt isn’t housed in plastic. Lots of bang for a minimum of prep time.

Freeze gluten-free items. Instead of buying ready-made gluten-free muffins, pancakes, waffles, or cookies, make two batches at a time and freeze one. Since 2020, the selection of prepackaged gluten-free items available in local stores has shrunk and prices have increased. This makes an occasional afternoon of baking seem like an increasingly welcome activity.

Dispose of disposables. Paper towels, paper napkins, and disposable plates all have washable alternatives. If you’re already overwhelmed with laundry or dishes, this may not be the appropriate place to cut back, but it’s an option to explore. You can also conserve by saving paper towels used to dry clean hands for later use cleaning the table or countertops.

These ten guidelines don’t eliminate but do minimize change and additional effort while reducing costs. Keep them in mind as we all deal with rising prices and are required to have conservation conversations.

Ice Ice Baby

It’s 50° outside and we still have ice ice baby. Luckily, ours came in the form of sleet that doesn’t weigh down power lines, but the indefiniteness of the forecast meant we had to prepare for the possibility we’d be without power during extremely cold weather. If you have a particular diet you have to follow, preparation is even more critical.

With the threat of ice looming, I not only stocked the house with food, I precooked several days’ worth. My reasoning was that I could reheat something I had previously baked using nothing but a 100-hour candle setup, but it would expend more resources than I have to cook it from scratch.

If I didn’t have to worry about histamine levels in food, I could have grabbed some peanut butter and deli meat for sandwiches. I could keep a store of canned vegetables. If I weren’t gluten-free, I’d have more options for borrowing from neighbors if I run out of something. Life would be easier.

RV travel has given me some experiences and equipment that were helpful in preparing for this event. I charged up my rechargeable camping lights, made sure I knew where the backup phone charger was, and broke out my solar generator.

I made meatloaf, honey-lime chicken tenders, and beef with rice. Vegetables included squash with red bell pepper & onion, green beans, and blackened broccoli. I had bananas, apples, blueberries, kiwi, and goat cheese on hand. I stocked up on eggs, and made sure I had some gluten-free pasta, rolls, pizza crust, and bread. I pre-grounded coffee beans and verified there was back-up coffee from the RV in the house just in case.

While that level of prep turned out to be sufficient. It would not have been if grocery delivery had not resumed after six days. And that is why I also had some dry shelf-stable gluten-free survival food on hand.

With supplies and working internet, I am able to be productive. There’s plenty of entertainment in books, TV, and movies. And there’s the joyful sound of sledding on the hill next to my house. The biggest problem has been keeping a handle on time. The days begin to run together.

Most of my friends are going crazy. Some are cleaning out the garage. Some are feeling antsy because they want their regular, overcommitted, busy routine back.

When ice looms, prepare in advance so you feel safe and equipped to meet any challenges, then take the opportunity to use unexpected free time to read a book, write a song, clean out your closet, or stare at the fireplace. It’s funny how likely we are to squander unexpected gifts of quiet time.

Constant frenzy is not healthy. Perhaps ice is the universe’s way of letting us know we need to take a moment, refocus, and examine the path we’re following. Another option is to absorb and enjoy the peace.

When it’s time for you to prepare for ice ice baby, here’s a great resource.

https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-08/fema_winterstorm_htp.pdf

Toss It

With new gifts filling your house, should you keep your old stuff or toss it? I grew up in a family that used the same pieces of Christmas wrap for 10 or 15 years. We weren’t allowed to tear open a package. We carefully cut along the tape or lifted it gently, refolded the paper, and stored it away for another year.

African American woman in front of black background looking surprised while holding a small present with lid open.

The fact that we held onto things is evident in the houses I’ve cleaned out and the building I’m still emptying. I’ve rented multiple 30- and 40-yard dumpsters – 5 just for stuff my mother accumulated. Two of those equaled over 10,000 pounds of trash.

As gifts arrive, it’s a great time to contemplate another round of tossing. As I do, I’m reminded that I like feeling prepared. But do I really need another insulated tumbler, or do I just hate washing the one I have?

So when it comes to a specific item, how do you decide whether to keep it or toss it?

Determining what to keep can begin with a few simple questions…

Does this item feed me or weigh me down?
Do I use this item or is its value sentimental?
Would someone in my family value this more than I do?
Is the item in disrepair?
Would cash serve me better at this moment?
Could the item help someone?
How long have I had this without using it?
Can it be replicated digitally then disposed of?
Does this thing fit my current lifestyle?
Am I hanging onto something based on wishful thinking?
Has the tech become outdated?
Is it something my family or neighbors can collectively use?
Do I have more than one thing that serves this purpose?
Have I received an updated version?
Can it be repurposed and will I repurpose it?

How you answer these questions will make some answers obvious. If something weighs you down, toss it. If something has mostly sentimental value, a photo may suffice. If the item is in disrepair and you determine that you aren’t willing, or can’t afford to, fix it, give it away (or sell it).

While I don’t want to hang onto every little thing, I like the feeling of being prepared. I hate the feeling of being wasteful. I keep the best boxes throughout the year to use for gifts during the holiday season. I keep small flowerpots when I repot to larger ones. I have a collection of Allen wrenches I’ve saved from furniture assembly just in case a bolt comes loose.

I have jumper cables plus a rechargeable jump starter. I don’t plan to get rid of them because I’ve loaned them to two neighbors in the last month.

On the other hand, there’s a window seat, cedar chest, and box of small antiques that are nagging me to sort and toss. If I don’t finish those before the end of the year, I want to make sure they are included in my 2026 calendar.

Actually scheduling a toss out reminds me that as long as I don’t replace at the same rate I toss, I have more time for fun. It also allows me to take advantage of free recycling events.

I wish you lots of lovely gifts this holiday season, but when one isn’t for you, don’t be afraid to toss it to someone else.

Happy Holidays!