Oatmeal is a wonderful staple and great to have on handle for breakfast or baking. Here are some tips for saving money on oatmeal. Feel free to share you own.
Buy Oats Instead of Oatmeal
It's cheaper to buy oats than oatmeal, so get some (hulled) oats, pick out leftover hull pieces, soak overnight, then blend or sprout a bit and blend with a bit of water. It's higher in soluble fiber than rolled oats, tastier, fresher, but with the SAD (Standard American Diet) being so fiberless, may be an acquired taste. Cook to your taste, or dry into crackers, or serve warm.
If you like instant oatmeal, check out the generic (store brands). They taste good and are cheaper. Here's a recipe for making your own instant oatmeal.
I was buying the store brand instant oatmeal, or Quaker when a coupon was available, but now our family is cutting back on sugar. I buy the largest container of store brand Quick Oats, add my own cinnamon or chopped up apple, walnuts, etc, whatever you like to add. I put all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl add water and cook, put some low fat milk on it and enjoy. If you don't have time for breakfast at home, put the ingredients in a container and add water at work, then microwave. You just may have to do without the milk unless there is a small refrigerator at the office.
By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX
Buy In Bulk
Buy oats in bulk and save money. Warehouse stores usually have a great deals on bulk Quaker oats.
Easy to Make
Oatmeal with whole oats is easy to make (look for package instructions) cooks in 5 minutes and can be made on the stove top or in the microwave. This makes a good, inexpensive, filling breakfast with some raisins and/or nuts, sugar or honey and milk. Cook the oats, then add the raisins during the last minute so they can warm up.
Do you have any ideas for saving money on oatmeal? Post them below.
I've found that quick oats or regular oatmeal will cook fine with water from the hot water spigot of our office's coffee pot (it's for tea bag drinkers, really.) The water is not boiling so I have to stir a bit more often & let it sit a minute or so longer. But a large box of generic quick or regular oatmeal costs less than $3.00 & will feed me five breakfasts a week for three or four weeks. It's in a spare coffee mug so easy to manage at my PC & desk. Additives are limited only by imagination. Usually I add peanut butter.
I like the tip about the Amish store, but you may not have to live in or near "Pennsylvania Dutch Country" to take advantage. I live in rural NC and there is actually an Amish community and an Amish store in a neighboring county (maybe a 20 min. drive away) and they are wonderful! Do a little research, and you may find something near you!
For those of you lucky enough to live near the Amish country in Pennsylvania, oatmeal is currently only 44 cents a pound in their bulk food stores. That translates to about $1.15 for 42 oz., the size of a large box of oatmeal, which rarely costs less than $1.99 at the grocery store. We've checked the Amish stores against warehouse clubs - the bulk food items are considerably cheaper at the Amish stores.
Frugal oatmeal is the way I like to make mine and I add 2 Tablespoons of dry milk powder to each bowl. That way if you take it to work you don't need to add milk.
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