Po' Man Grocery List

Items essential to feed a large family in these difficult economical times. The following are grocery or food type items only:

All purpose flour (multiple uses... including bread, cakes, dumplings, etc)
Salt
Sugar
Milk
Eggs (unless you own chickens, these are a necessity)
Butter (not margarine, don't confuse the two!)
Yeast (for breads)
Chicken (either leg quarters or whole breasts)
Pork sausage (often cheaper than beef hamburger, and tastes better in sauces anyway!)
Pasta and rice (cheap and filling)
Chicken broth
Vegetable oil
Whole tomatoes and tomato paste (used for spaghetti and chili, hearty meals for large families)

Unfortunately, there is no nutritional substitute for fresh fruits and veggies, but the following are good when caught on sale:
Baby carrots
Broccoli
Romaine lettuce
Apples
Bananas
Butternut squash
Sweet potatoes/Yams (these can be bought in bulk when on sale, blanched, and frozen for long-term storage)

A garden goes a long way to helping ease the economical burden of purchasing fresh foods. Fruit trees also can help with this, but take several years to produce enough to make them worth the effort.