When is buying fruit for making preserves the frugal thing?

There are two kinds of jam that I think is frugal to make. 1) jam with any kind of free fruit. This would include fruit from our bushes and trees, foraged fruit, and any fresh fruit that is going soft and I would enjoy in jam. 2) The second kind of jam that I like to make does use purchased fruit. However, it is frugal if the only commercial versions of this flavor of jam are an expensive brand, such as cherry preserves or blueberry jam. Both of those flavors are only available in "gourmet" brands of jam, in my area.

A week ago I posted a photo of some Bonne Maman preserves jars.
This is a très expensive brand of jam. For some flavors, this is the only brand available in regular supermarkets.

I love blueberry jam. The 13-oz jars of Bonne Maman Blueberry Preserves are $4.99 at Fred Meyer or $4.69 at WinCo.

By making my own blueberry jam with purchased, fresh blueberries, I can make about 3 of those jars-worth of blueberry preserves for about $3.80, including berries, sugar, lemon juice, pectin, and new lids for the previously-used jars, for almost one-quarter of the cost. That's $1.27 for 13 ounces of homemade blueberry preserves. I use several sizes of jars in one batch, so some jars can be for our consumption, while others make perfect gifts.

   

While it may not be very frugal to make many types of jam with purchased fruit, it can be frugal to buy fruit to make specialty preserves. And, well, sometimes I'm just a "specialty" kind of gal. (Not that I'm high maintenance! ha ha)

July 2018 Grocery Journal

Okay, so last month I scrapped the idea of a journal, as I was buying for 3 major celebration events. Plan -- get back on track for the month of July. we'll see how I did.

July 3. Senior shopping day at Fred Meyer. I bought 3 cans of tuna (80 cents each), 1 can pineapple chunks (1.16), 3 jars peanut butter (2.06), 1 box graham crackers (1.79), 1 can Amp energy drink (freebie), 1 19-ct granola bars (2.69), 2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate (1.35), 2 large jars applesauce (1.59), 16-ct frozen corn dogs (3.68), 1 gallon ice cream (4.49), 12 lbs various shapes pasta (33 cents/lb), 1 large zucchini(98 cents), 5 lbs baby potatoes (3.14), 1 cucumber (79cents), 1 green pepper (89 cents), 8 oz sliced mushrooms (1.29), 1 container salad tomatoes (2.69), 1 lb. baby portobello mushrooms (3.05), 2 quarts yogurt (1.79), 4 individual soy yogurt (1.39), 2 quarts soy yogurt (5.99), 3 gallons milk (2.33), half-gallon soy milk (1.70), 3 packages kielbasa (1.79),3 packages hot dogs (75 cents), almost 13 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (25.43 total), 4 dozen eggs (1.79), 6 bananas (67 cents total), 2 loaves Italian bread (1.19), 4 loaves whole wheat bread (1.61), 1 loaf whole grain bread (freebie), container of blueberries (2.00). Also bought, as special items for family members -- 2 lbs turkey breakfast sausage ($3 total), 4 pot pies (89 cents each), 2 packages all-beef hot dogs (6.00 total). Total spent --  $139.17

July 8. snacky stuff from Dollar Tree -- marshmallows, pop tarts, a large dark chocolate bar -- spent $5

July 12. Cash and Carry wholesaler. 10 lbs baby red potatoes (4.83), large container grape tomatoes (4.08), 1 lb garlic granules (5.69), 3 lbs bing cherries (4.98), 3 lb bag boiler onions (1.46), dozen kiwi fruit (5.75), 3 18-oz containers tofu (1.69), 3 lbs broccoli florets (4.98), 2.5 lbs sliced mushrooms (6.37), 5 lbs shredded mozzarella (11.28), 5 lbs bulk Italian pork sausage (9.69), 5 lbs loaf sharp cheddar (12.77), #10 can tomato paste (5.09), #10 can diced tomatoes (2.97), 10 lbs carrots (3.75), 3-pack celery (1.78). total spent $90.54

July 18. Fred Meyer, get freebie of Ghirardelli chocolate squares, 2-pack, and 2 gallons milk (1.29). Spent $2.58

July 20. Stopped in Fred Meyer, while in the same shopping/banking complex, just to pick up 2 Friday freebies -- 2 bags of candy, 1 Swedish fish, the other a sour gummy candy. We'll save these for a movie night. spent $0

July 31. Was going to buy the chicken breasts on sale, but they were out (got a raincheck). But I also picked up last week's Friday freebie, a Kind bar. spent $0


So, total for the month spent -- $237.29

Not too terrible. I had a regular budget of $225, plus an additional amount of $10 to go towards 4th of July special foods, bringing me up to $235. I had $26.37 extra going into the month, leftover from May, giving me a total allowable amount of $261.37.
Bottom line -- I have $24.08 surplus now going into August.

We are back to a family of four eating almost every meal from home. I've increased the grocery budget so I can buy more produce and meat. I've also allowed for $5 at Dollar Tree for snacky stuff. This next month I've had requests for chips and pop tarts. $5 is pretty much a bargain, considering it keeps us satisfied with eating at home. I also feel that several of us at home need a pick-me-up these days. We're doing that with food. I'm buying things I never would have bought, or would not have bought as much, to satisfy our wants. I am trying to do that economically, however.

This next month -- I'll pick up the boneless skinless chicken breasts for which I have a raincheck. I'll also be looking for fresh peaches (August is the month I find great deals on peaches, here), and watermelon (good, inexpensive fruit, IMO), honey, olive oil, and all of our regular items. I'll be shopping at Fred Meyer (for senior discount day on Tuesday), WinCo (I can buy honey and olive oil in the bulk section, they supply the container), Cash and Carry (for potatoes, celery, broccoli florets, sliced mushrooms, tofu, butter, olives, and Parmesan cheese), and Dollar Tree (for snacky stuff).

Our garden is doing well, and provides a fair amount of produce. This month we're picking red apples, pears, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, kale, swiss chard, lettuce, figs, and blackberries.

How did your grocery spending go this past month? Any special foods you're looking forward to buying in August?