Feeding a Large Family on a Non-existent Budget

Who out there isn't trying to save money these days?! I know there are other large families out there, trying to make ends meet, trying to keep their kids fed and clothed and a roof over everyone's head. A lot of them are even trying to do it without any kind of income. Our family currently is trying to survive on a single member's income. That means that foods have to be home-made as often as possible and plenty of it to keep growing kids happy and healthy.

Meat and fresh foods are the biggest concern. To that end a large family such as ours often looks to alternative sources for protein including beans, peanut butter, and home-grown meat sources. I shop bargains and am grateful to have a large deep freezer in which I can store meats long-term. This allows me to stock pile when times are better. I'm becoming more adept at stretching small amounts of meats farther so that just a little will feed the whole family.

We eat a lot of soups, stews, chili's, and pasta's. Meals that feed everyone and still have leftovers. My large 12 qt stock pot has seen more action recently than it had in months! We make bread regularly, a 5 lb bag of flour can be had for just $1.60 here. A jar of yeast lasts for literally weeks. I'll be adding more laying hens this spring, and plan on bringing in some meat chickens and perhaps some ducks and turkeys to provide a little variety. I will buy a couple/few bags of chick starter grain, but then the birds will be free-range, minimizing expenditure for growing them out.

I'll be doubling the planted produce for our garden this year. Last year's crops gave me an idea which vegetables to plant again, which did well in certain places or could do better if they were moved. I had problems growing beans last year and will be using small terrariums to protect them, hopefully long enough for them to gain some size.