Angel Food Ministries

If you are looking to save money on groceries, we recommend Angel Food Ministries. I know, I know. You are thinking, "wait a minute, I need to save money but I am not ready for charity yet!" or maybe, "Oh no! Not another religious group looking to push their agenda on me in the guise of a service!" Well, it isn't that way at all. It isn't a charity and except for a piece of paper spreading the Word that is inserted into your box, no one will ever try to convert you or even speak to you about religion at all.

Angel Food began in 1994 in Georgia and now serves 44 states - chances are pretty good that you can get it in your area. The idea is they obtain food at cost or below cost from vendors (they don't state who these are but I can tell you we have gotten items from Tyson, Marie Callender's, and other brand names in our box, as well as the one time the kids refer to as the "big score" in which we got what looked suspiciously like the Burger King crown nuggets). They then group items in various "boxes" for sale.

The food is not of inferior quality or out of date. We have never had any problems, particularly with the meat or frozen items. They do this to help families - any family as there are no questions asked, no income qualifications, save money on food.

They offer typically one or more options for their "Signature" box, which costs $31 and is designed to feed a family of four for a week or a senior or single person for about a month. Then they also have steak boxes, grill boxes, and even vegetable boxes for between $22 and $30.

Sample Menu:
(this month's menu can be viewed here)

• 4 lb. IQF Leg Quarters
• 4 oz. Beef Back Ribs
• 1 lb. 80/20 Lean Ground Beef
• 2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
• 1.5 lb. Bone in Pork Chops (4 x 6oz.)
• 1 lb. Ground Turkey
• 18 oz. Stuffed Manicotti (Cheese)
• 12 oz. Smoked Sausage
• Betty Crocker Seasoned Potatoes
• 7 oz. Cheeseburger Dinner
• 16 oz. Green Beans
• 16 oz. Baby Carrots
• 2 lb. Onions
• 1 lb. Pinto Beans
• 1 lb. Rice
• 7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix
• 10 ct. Homestyle Waffles
• Dessert Item

You can even order and pay online at most sites for a $2 convenience fee, which is quite handy. The food is then delivered to a host site (typically a church) the last Saturday of the month.
https://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Nicole's take:
I really like that the meat in particular is so inexpensive. There is no way I could get a box with 5lbs of strip steaks for $22 at the grocery store, and if I did, it would be shoe leather. Angel Food meats are usually really quality cuts. I also like the fact that it inspires me to be creative. For example, once we got a whole chicken in our signature box. Never having cooked a whole chicken before, I looked up recipes and came out with a really great dish!

I would caution against buying the produce boxes though unless you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables very quickly. These tend to get handled roughly at times during shipment and sometimes arrive over-ripe so they have to be eaten rather quickly. Also, I don't find these to be as good of a value.

Bill's take:
I definitely agree with Nicole on the meat boxes.  You really can't go wrong.  One time we ordered a "Summer Grill Special Box" and got 3 lbs Steaks (Mix of T-Bone, KC Strip and Ribeye) (This pays for the whole box if going to Albertsons or the like), 2 lbs angus burgers, 2 lbs of sausage and 4 bacon wrapped turkey filets for around $29.  The seafood boxes (when available) also pack a great value.  3 lbs of tilapia filets, lb of breaded shrimp with tails, 1lb of popcorn shrimp,  1/2 lb breaded clam strips and 6 big lump crab cakes for around $30.

This may be one of the best ways to save money when it comes to buying meat in bulk, possibly even better than wholesale clubs (no markup!)