Monday, January 17, 2011

Item of the Week--Cereal

How did everybody do with peanut butter last week? I ended up getting nine jars which should last us for a few months.

This week our item is Cereal.

(Dry cereal, not oatmeal.) Is there any food more beloved to people than cereal? I mean, who doesn't like it? It can be healthy or utter crap (yes, Honey Smacks, I'm talking to you.)


My favorites are:

--Apple Jacks (which I never buy because it's too sugary)

--Quaker Natural Granola with Raisins (I also never buy this because it has 6 grams of fat in 1/2 cup. Yikes. But that's why it's so good. I eat about eight bowls of the stuff, which makes it even worse. Sometimes I'll get the lowfat version. Not quite as tasty.)

--Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch--This is surprisingly low in sugar. And it's just so dang good.

--Cinnamon Toast Crunch--Every time I eat this I'm like, "wow, I forgot how good this is."

This week is going to be all about cereal. Yes, I realize it's a major cash outlay. But be comforted by the fact that it will all get eaten (unlike, say, canned peas). I also realize how idiotic you're going to feel at the check-out stand with sixteen boxes of cereal in your cart. I'm going to be right there with you, OK? (This also means I might have to swallow my pride and go to [gulp] Wal-Mart which has the excellent cereal prices. I will have to take Mister's car which doesn't sport an anti-Walmart bumper sticker.)


I'm going to leave it up to you as far as quantities go. Cereal takes up a lot of space so it might not be feasible to have too much. It's up to you. I will be getting 2-3 boxes per person. That's about 20 boxes. You may want to check the internet or dig out the newspaper in your recycling bin first to see if you can find some coupons.

Remember to just Get It Done!

P.S. My reader Jen brings up a good point: what if your family doesn't eat this stuff (it never entered my mind that somebody wouldn't eat cereal!) At church I have a theme for each month so if you don't want to do a certain item you can easily pick something else within that theme. January is "Family Favorites". So if you are allergic to peanuts or your family just doesn't eat what I've recommended, then by all means pick something else! If you guys don't like peanut butter, get some jelly. Or pick something else that your family really likes for lunch. Prepackaged tuna or chicken salad maybe. Just try to get something that is a "sure thing" for your family. Preferably something shelf-friendly (i.e. not hot dogs or cold cuts).

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11 comments:

  1. JenJanuary 17, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    I love that you are doing this, However what if your family NEVER eats peanut butter, and hardly eats cereal? Do you have a good substitute for these things?

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  2. EmilyJanuary 17, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    USE COUPONS!! Certain Kellogg cereals at Walgreens and Walmart art 1.99 this week and if you use coupons you can get 3 for $5. Using coupons is a great way to stock up on food storage at a reasonable price. I didn't get peanut butter last week but I am this week because skippy is 2 for $3 at Walmart. Anyway, I am excited to be following your weekly list to help me grow my food storage so thank you for doing this.

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  3. www.thewhitefarmhouse2.blogspot.comJanuary 17, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    I don't shop at Walmart either. Hate that store. I have found that Target has some really good deals on cereal. I usually get ours there. I brought home all those jars of peanut butter and my family thought I was crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. OmgirlJanuary 17, 2011 at 10:30 AM

    Oh no! You started this already?? I am super behind on blog reading. I guess I will hie to the store today to stock up on peanut butter AND cereal. How long does cereal keep?

    ReplyDelete
  5. CarinaJanuary 17, 2011 at 1:07 PM

    We just got a WinCo here and MY WORD, they have a rotating bunch of cereals for $1.98 a box. Hello. Plus an amazing bulk food section that is cheap as all get out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. LorieJanuary 17, 2011 at 3:12 PM

    I want to be like Jen when I grow up! I keep trying to be the mom that doesn't feed her children cold cereal for breakfast everyday, but I don't know that that will ever happen in my home. The texture of oatmeal makes me gag! :X

    I will have to figure out where to store 10-15 boxes of cereal. I need your pantry!!

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  7. Financial Aid for CollegeJanuary 17, 2011 at 3:40 PM

    Yes, what about us non-cereal eaters? It's pretty hard to think of a "family favorite" for my one- member family that will keep on a shelf for 3 months. It will either be oatmeal for me, or Whole wheat flour to make buns, pancakes or crunch topping for canned fruit. Mmmmmm! Canned fruit, too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. RebeccaJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:33 AM

    Is it embarassing to buy 16 boxes of cereal at a time? I do that all the time! (More often than every 3-4 months.)

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  9. TiffanyJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    I got my PB last week. This week does present a problem--one of my kids hates cereal. I'll have to think of a substitute for him.

    Thanks again for this!

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  10. TiffsterJanuary 18, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    I bought TWELVE jars of peanut butter. LOVED the checkers face at Costco. Bless her, she didn't say a word.
    I'll have to scour for coupons. I can't stand paying anything more than 2.50 a box for cereal (MAX). It's against my religion.

    ReplyDelete
  11. LonnaJanuary 18, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    My kids were the ones that asked me why so many jars of PB, I stuck in a few Nutella jars as well. Gotta mix it a bit around here.

    We go through cereal so fast I wonder if I buy random ones if they will last longer? If my kids didn't eat cereal in the mornings that would mean that I would have to make something or they would be out of luck...I'm feeling a lot of love for cereal eating kids right now.

    ReplyDelete