Angel Food Ministries

Well, as gas reaches $3.69 here in Omaha, Ryan and I keep asking ourselves how we can cut back even more. We are definitely on a gas diet. Now I'm really glad I went to the Hudson Citywide Garage Sales! Even with the gas it takes to get there, it is definitely worth getting so much in one weekend.

Well, I want to put in a little plug for Angel Food Ministries. This is a service that is available in most states, but just recently became available here in Nebraska. I know my mother-in-law's church has been using it for a few years, and they themselves have ordered it many months.

You can read a bit about them on their website, but I just wanted to let you know what kind of food is available for such a low price. They have a different "menu" every month, and if you order that box (for $30), other "specials" are made available to you (these are usually $16-$20 each). Here is a list of the foods in the May Menu Box, that I just picked up on Saturday:

1.5 lbs. bacon wrapped beef filets (4)
2.5 lbs. breaded chicken breast filets (I didn't count, but at least 8)
1.5 lbs. bone-in pork steaks (2)
28 oz. salisbury steak dinner entree (On-Cor brand, family size)
2.5 lbs. beef and bean burritos (10)
2 lbs. popcorn chicken
9.5 oz. Stouffer's flat bread pizza (serving for 1-2)
16 oz. cauliflower & carrot blend (frozen veggies)
32 oz. Borden shelf-stable milk (actually, not powdered!)
16 oz. green beans (frozen veggies)
15 oz. corn niblets (actually 17.5 oz. - 2 small cans)
2 lbs. fresh onions (4-5)
29 oz. pears (big can)
9 oz. breakfast cereal (generic frosted flakes)
8 oz. corn muffin mix (Jiffy brand)
16 oz. bean soup mix
1 dozen eggs
1 dessert item (Nestle pre-cut Easter bunny cookies)

We also ordered Special #2, the Steak Box, for an extra $20. It includes:

1.5 lbs. bone-in New York Strip Steaks (2 - 12 oz. each) (I think they might actually be Kansas City instead)
1.5 lbs. bone-in ribeye steaks (2 - 12 oz. each)
2 lbs. sirloin strips (4 - 8 oz. each)

So, of course they reserve the right to substitute food, and as you can see, they did for a few things, but it wasn't like I got a completely different menu or anything.

From looking down the list, this is going to provide the main course to at least 9 meals for our family of four. So, just doing the math, that is $5.50/meal. On average, I paid an average of $1.66/item on the regular menu and $6.66/item on the special, or $2.38 per item when the menus are combined. That's about double for things like the corn bread mix and the pears, but really, really cheap for things like the steaks. We're grilling tonight, so I'll let you know how they turn out tomorrow.