Sorry about missing a few weeks of what we ate! The first week was CRAZY and I just forgot to write down what we ate. This week I chucked my receipts after balancing my checkbook (what the heck, self?). This weekend I hope to get back on the wagon. So instead I'll just do a little life update!
My husband got a new job (woo! a dollar more an hour to start!) which is exactly what he's been looking for. It's a great opportunity and the extra money will help us further our mortgage payoff goals. We've also been saving to revamp the skirting on our trailer this spring. I've also been hoarding all our change to pay for our seedlings (usually I just buy tomatoes and sometimes basil) and some new baby chicks. This past weekend my husband spent in the garage puttering to make a really nice brooder out of some things we already have, which is great! I'm hoping this weekend he'll help me put a few things up on craigslist. We've also sold some eggs for extra income. I've got almost 6 dozen in the fridge right now so hopefully our regular comes again soon. :)
I've decided to spend most of today in the kitchen. I am sick of buying (clearance at least) already made snacks for my husband's lunches so I decided to bake some muffins to use up some of the buttermilk I have leftover from baking soda bread. My veggie scrap bag in the freezer was full so I put them in the slow cooker to make broth. I also cooked up a big pot of pintos! I'll use half for chili tonight and half for refried beans.
On the crafty front I've been crocheting a bunch of cute cupcake shaped dish towels and a whole mess of little bunnies. I also found a treasure trove of (clearance from last year) Easter ribbons, signs, and eggs so I made up a wreath for both myself and my mom. They came out really cute! I did have to buy a grape vine wreath to make my mom's but it was only 1$ at Goodwill.
Well, that's what I've been up to lately! Now I'm off to the Post Office to send a box of Easter goodies to my best friend in California. :)
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Sunday, March 6, 2016
What We Ate This Week
Phew, another week down! It was a pretty uneventful one at that. I've started the Dave Ramsey cash envelope deal and it's helped my spending IMMENSELY. By giving us a "blow money" budget I'm going to save a lot. You know when you feel like you can't be sure what to spend? Yep, that always makes me spend too much. So at least now I know if we want to see a movie or grab sandwiches that we have that in the budget. If you have any tips on the cash envelope budgeting I'd love to hear it. Now onto what we ate this week!
Sunday : We had a bit of leftover quinoa in the fridge so I made quinoa/kale/mushroom bowls with fried eggs on top.
Monday : I made a big ol' loaded enchilada pasta skillet. This is another one from the Budget Bytes cookbook. It is super delicious and I was really surprised we had leftovers because my husband has a hollow leg and loves this stuff. There was enough for both of us to have it for lunch the next day though!
Tuesday : We had a giant salad to use up veg, a spinach/onion/bell pepper frittata, and homemade cheddar beer bread (again, from the Budget Bytes cookbook). The bread was great and really easy so I'll definitely be making it again. It would be great with a stew or soup for dunking.
Wednesday : Another Budget Bytes recipe (do we sense a theme here) of chana aloo masala. It was great and made a ton. My husband had it for lunch two days this week.
Thursday : Oh gosh, another Budget Bytes recipe...zucchini pasta bake! I don't actually bake it in the oven though, I just make it in a covered skillet to melt the cheese and call it good. I also thawed some meatballs from the freezer for my husband and he had those with it.
Friday : Neither of us really felt like a big meal. I had gotten some fancy bread in the discount bin so we had rosemary toast with greens and eggs on top. You're going to be seeing a lot of eggs eaten in the next few weeks because the laying is picking up.
Saturday : We had my husband's cousin over for dinner (as we often do) and I made them elbow pasta and red sauce with bits of sausage. I had rosemary toast with greens and eggs again (can't get enough of that bread!!).
I can't believe it but by taking cash out this week and starting up the envelope system I ACTUALLY STAYED IN BUDGET! I spent $9.76 at the grocery store by my mom's house, $2.64 at Big Lots, and $35.50 at the grocery store by my house making a total of $47.90. I actually have $2.10 to spare but I'll put it in our savings towards new flooring instead! Sadly, I did go over on the pet budget and had to borrow from our blow money. I'm no longer shopping at Wal-Mart so we had to change the dogs over to a food they stock at our pet store. We also needed guinea pig litter and food plus a new dog brush. While we did go over budget this new food comes in a much bigger bag so at least it'll last quite a bit longer. I'm still new at this whole cash thing so I'm sure I will fine tune it.
Thanks for reading! Did you have any great meals this week?
Sunday : We had a bit of leftover quinoa in the fridge so I made quinoa/kale/mushroom bowls with fried eggs on top.
Monday : I made a big ol' loaded enchilada pasta skillet. This is another one from the Budget Bytes cookbook. It is super delicious and I was really surprised we had leftovers because my husband has a hollow leg and loves this stuff. There was enough for both of us to have it for lunch the next day though!
Tuesday : We had a giant salad to use up veg, a spinach/onion/bell pepper frittata, and homemade cheddar beer bread (again, from the Budget Bytes cookbook). The bread was great and really easy so I'll definitely be making it again. It would be great with a stew or soup for dunking.
Wednesday : Another Budget Bytes recipe (do we sense a theme here) of chana aloo masala. It was great and made a ton. My husband had it for lunch two days this week.
Thursday : Oh gosh, another Budget Bytes recipe...zucchini pasta bake! I don't actually bake it in the oven though, I just make it in a covered skillet to melt the cheese and call it good. I also thawed some meatballs from the freezer for my husband and he had those with it.
Friday : Neither of us really felt like a big meal. I had gotten some fancy bread in the discount bin so we had rosemary toast with greens and eggs on top. You're going to be seeing a lot of eggs eaten in the next few weeks because the laying is picking up.
Saturday : We had my husband's cousin over for dinner (as we often do) and I made them elbow pasta and red sauce with bits of sausage. I had rosemary toast with greens and eggs again (can't get enough of that bread!!).
I can't believe it but by taking cash out this week and starting up the envelope system I ACTUALLY STAYED IN BUDGET! I spent $9.76 at the grocery store by my mom's house, $2.64 at Big Lots, and $35.50 at the grocery store by my house making a total of $47.90. I actually have $2.10 to spare but I'll put it in our savings towards new flooring instead! Sadly, I did go over on the pet budget and had to borrow from our blow money. I'm no longer shopping at Wal-Mart so we had to change the dogs over to a food they stock at our pet store. We also needed guinea pig litter and food plus a new dog brush. While we did go over budget this new food comes in a much bigger bag so at least it'll last quite a bit longer. I'm still new at this whole cash thing so I'm sure I will fine tune it.
Thanks for reading! Did you have any great meals this week?
Sunday, February 28, 2016
What We Ate This Week
Looking through my receipts for this week I'm a little disgusted with myself. I am so totally over budget! It's funny because when I feel like we have "more money" I end up spending more of it. I know this is a common thing (lifestyle inflation and all that) but it's driving me crazy. I'm cutting down to ONE STOP PER WEEK at the grocery store. Anyway, here's what we ate this week!
Sunday : My husband's cousin was over for dinner so we bought frozen pizzas as a treat. It was very tasty, and at $8 was much more affordable than take out (but still more expensive than homemade!).
Monday : I made an egg bake (aka strata) with a loaf of stale bread and a can of mustard greens for my husband. For myself I made the rest of a bag of frozen meatless tenders and oven fries with a potato.
Tuesday : We had white rice, stir fry veg, and a bag of frozen meatless beef strips. I'm actually not usually one for meat alternatives but I've been able to find some for a steal.
Wednesday : Huevos rancheros bowls. I let my husband pick from a list of meals and somehow I knew he's pick this one!
Thursday : I had run tons of errands all day so I was pooped around dinnertime. I made 2 boxes of Annie's mac and cheese and added a bag of peas and carrots.
Friday : After grocery shopping I always have lots of great fresh veg so I made a HUGE salad with homemade croutons. Our neighbor had a big meat order so he brought my husband a steak and a few burgers so I made the steak to go with his salad.
Saturday : My family was visiting from out of state so we had a late lunch/early dinner at my mom's. She made her veggie lasagna which is so totally delicious!! I brought the noodles, a loaf of garlic bread, and some frosting for my aunt's birthday cupcakes.
All in all a pretty normal food week until we look at the numbers. I spent $66.29 at the grocery store, $6.27 at the dollar store, $7.40 at Big Lots, and $4.44 at Ocean State Job Lot which totals to a WHOPPING $84.40!!!! I can remind you here that my tip top budget for the week is $60. I didn't need a lot of staples and we didn't even eat a lot of food this week! I'm getting a little frustrated with myself for buying things just because they look good. When I went to the grocery store this week on Friday I really stuck to my list and had a rough meal plan so hopefully I'll do better this week. Yikes!
Do you ever go WILDLY over your grocery budget? It'd be nice to know I wasn't the only one. :)
Sunday : My husband's cousin was over for dinner so we bought frozen pizzas as a treat. It was very tasty, and at $8 was much more affordable than take out (but still more expensive than homemade!).
Monday : I made an egg bake (aka strata) with a loaf of stale bread and a can of mustard greens for my husband. For myself I made the rest of a bag of frozen meatless tenders and oven fries with a potato.
Tuesday : We had white rice, stir fry veg, and a bag of frozen meatless beef strips. I'm actually not usually one for meat alternatives but I've been able to find some for a steal.
Wednesday : Huevos rancheros bowls. I let my husband pick from a list of meals and somehow I knew he's pick this one!
Thursday : I had run tons of errands all day so I was pooped around dinnertime. I made 2 boxes of Annie's mac and cheese and added a bag of peas and carrots.
Friday : After grocery shopping I always have lots of great fresh veg so I made a HUGE salad with homemade croutons. Our neighbor had a big meat order so he brought my husband a steak and a few burgers so I made the steak to go with his salad.
Saturday : My family was visiting from out of state so we had a late lunch/early dinner at my mom's. She made her veggie lasagna which is so totally delicious!! I brought the noodles, a loaf of garlic bread, and some frosting for my aunt's birthday cupcakes.
All in all a pretty normal food week until we look at the numbers. I spent $66.29 at the grocery store, $6.27 at the dollar store, $7.40 at Big Lots, and $4.44 at Ocean State Job Lot which totals to a WHOPPING $84.40!!!! I can remind you here that my tip top budget for the week is $60. I didn't need a lot of staples and we didn't even eat a lot of food this week! I'm getting a little frustrated with myself for buying things just because they look good. When I went to the grocery store this week on Friday I really stuck to my list and had a rough meal plan so hopefully I'll do better this week. Yikes!
Do you ever go WILDLY over your grocery budget? It'd be nice to know I wasn't the only one. :)
Sunday, February 21, 2016
What We Ate This Week
After last weekend being so stressful with the furnace and plumbing problems it was nice to have an easy one for a change. I had a wedding on Saturday night which was a total blast and today was spent running some errands with a rare lunch date with my husband. Now my husband's cousin is visiting and we'll have a fun low key night of board games and frozen pizzas. So, what did we eat this week?
Sunday : Frozen pizza, cake and ice cream. We had no running water this day so we splurged at the grocery store on a real fancy Valentine's day dinner. ;)
Monday : I made a big salad (water still wasn't right, pressure was very low) and cooked a New York Strip steak for my husband. He was supposed to have it for Valentine's Day but with no water I really didn't feel like making any dishes.
Tuesday : Leftover salad with a frittata made with our own eggs, gardein sausage patties from the freezer, discount broccoli, onions and a sprinkle of cheese. Plus, our water got fixed and was finally back to normal, hooray!
Wednesday : Pasta with marinara sauce and gardein meatless meatballs from the freezer.
Thursday : Chickpeas, diced potatoes, and green beans in a store bought pineapple coconut curry sauce.
Friday : Leftover Minestrone soup from last week with a take and bake loaf of bread from the discount bin. I've never made that before and it was pretty good. It tasted a lot like the bread you get as an appetizer at some restaurants.
Saturday : I had dinner at the wedding and I threw beef stew together in the slow cooker for my husband. It made a huge amount so he'll be able to take it for lunch a few days this week.
I spent $8.75 at Wal-Mart, $4.17 at Big Lots, $8.98 at BJs Wholesale Club, and $50.98 at the grocery store. So my total spending was TOTALLY over budget at $72.88!!! The whole water fiasco had a lot to do with it because I bought some convenience foods so we wouldn't have to make dishes. I've also been hitting up the clearance rack for way too many baked goods lately. It's time to reign in it because it's getting ridiculous and we don't need any more junk in the house.
About the whole water issue; we had super cold temps last Saturday into Sunday which froze our filter solid. Even after thawing and putting a brand new filter in we didn't have running water. We have a friend of my husband's we usually call for plumbing issues but he was quite busy with the weather. We called another nearby plumber and he screwed us, BIG TIME. Didn't fix our problem, charged us an obscene amount at $930 dollars (still our water wasn't right). He showed up unannounced the next morning asking how it was going and saying it was likely he would have to replace our well pump (he had already checked it when here the day before and told us it was fine). We've had well pump issues in the past but I was skeptical. My husband got a hold of his friend, told him our issues, and he said he was almost positive what the problem was and came over the next morning and was here 5 minutes and it was fixed. There was a ball of teflon tape stuck in our filter housing...which to me was a bit suspicious. I ended up putting a stop payment on our check to the plumber and my husband called the plumber and said no way no how are we paying you. At first he seemed reluctant but after my husband mentioned the actual problem being the ball of tape he seemed quite okay since "they didn't fix our problem we shouldn't have to pay". The whole situation was fishy to all we talked to about it and we learned the lesson that you should always deal with who you know, even if you'll have to wait a few days. Our bill went from a whopping $930 to a $20 stop payment fee and $40 to my husband's friend (he asked for $20 but I gave him $40 for just being so great). We dodged a bullet there, thankfully, and we are so very glad. I just can't believe there are such dishonest people out there!
Anywho, with our water being fine again I hope that this week our grocery shopping will be much lower without having to buy convenience foods. I'm also planning to stay away from stores as much as possible because you can't buy if you're not in a store!! What causes your grocery spending to inflate?
Sunday : Frozen pizza, cake and ice cream. We had no running water this day so we splurged at the grocery store on a real fancy Valentine's day dinner. ;)
Monday : I made a big salad (water still wasn't right, pressure was very low) and cooked a New York Strip steak for my husband. He was supposed to have it for Valentine's Day but with no water I really didn't feel like making any dishes.
Tuesday : Leftover salad with a frittata made with our own eggs, gardein sausage patties from the freezer, discount broccoli, onions and a sprinkle of cheese. Plus, our water got fixed and was finally back to normal, hooray!
Wednesday : Pasta with marinara sauce and gardein meatless meatballs from the freezer.
Thursday : Chickpeas, diced potatoes, and green beans in a store bought pineapple coconut curry sauce.
Friday : Leftover Minestrone soup from last week with a take and bake loaf of bread from the discount bin. I've never made that before and it was pretty good. It tasted a lot like the bread you get as an appetizer at some restaurants.
Saturday : I had dinner at the wedding and I threw beef stew together in the slow cooker for my husband. It made a huge amount so he'll be able to take it for lunch a few days this week.
I spent $8.75 at Wal-Mart, $4.17 at Big Lots, $8.98 at BJs Wholesale Club, and $50.98 at the grocery store. So my total spending was TOTALLY over budget at $72.88!!! The whole water fiasco had a lot to do with it because I bought some convenience foods so we wouldn't have to make dishes. I've also been hitting up the clearance rack for way too many baked goods lately. It's time to reign in it because it's getting ridiculous and we don't need any more junk in the house.
About the whole water issue; we had super cold temps last Saturday into Sunday which froze our filter solid. Even after thawing and putting a brand new filter in we didn't have running water. We have a friend of my husband's we usually call for plumbing issues but he was quite busy with the weather. We called another nearby plumber and he screwed us, BIG TIME. Didn't fix our problem, charged us an obscene amount at $930 dollars (still our water wasn't right). He showed up unannounced the next morning asking how it was going and saying it was likely he would have to replace our well pump (he had already checked it when here the day before and told us it was fine). We've had well pump issues in the past but I was skeptical. My husband got a hold of his friend, told him our issues, and he said he was almost positive what the problem was and came over the next morning and was here 5 minutes and it was fixed. There was a ball of teflon tape stuck in our filter housing...which to me was a bit suspicious. I ended up putting a stop payment on our check to the plumber and my husband called the plumber and said no way no how are we paying you. At first he seemed reluctant but after my husband mentioned the actual problem being the ball of tape he seemed quite okay since "they didn't fix our problem we shouldn't have to pay". The whole situation was fishy to all we talked to about it and we learned the lesson that you should always deal with who you know, even if you'll have to wait a few days. Our bill went from a whopping $930 to a $20 stop payment fee and $40 to my husband's friend (he asked for $20 but I gave him $40 for just being so great). We dodged a bullet there, thankfully, and we are so very glad. I just can't believe there are such dishonest people out there!
Anywho, with our water being fine again I hope that this week our grocery shopping will be much lower without having to buy convenience foods. I'm also planning to stay away from stores as much as possible because you can't buy if you're not in a store!! What causes your grocery spending to inflate?
Monday, February 15, 2016
Book Review
Two posts in one day! It's a miracle! ;) In all honesty, it's great to have something to do because we are still having water issues. Between my stressed out organizing and reading I should be able to keep my sanity (what little I have, anyway :) ).
So, today I received the book "Little Felted Dogs" by Saori Yamazaki. Talk about ADORABLE! I am still a felting beginner but being 1) all about craftiness and 2) obsessed with dogs this book is totally awesome. Each pattern has approx wool weights for each part of the dog, as well as amounts of each color needed. There are also plenty of diagrams (plus a bunch of really cute pictures showing off the finished product). I think they would make great gifts for the dog lovers in your life, especially because there are plenty of different breeds of dogs. My favorites (of course) are the miniature Dachshund, followed by the Shetland Sheepdog. I'm thinking of giving this as a gift to my mom for Mother's Day, since she's a HUGE fiber enthusiast. Either way I think it's a great book!
Thanks again to Blogging For Books for providing the book free of charge for my honest review!
So, today I received the book "Little Felted Dogs" by Saori Yamazaki. Talk about ADORABLE! I am still a felting beginner but being 1) all about craftiness and 2) obsessed with dogs this book is totally awesome. Each pattern has approx wool weights for each part of the dog, as well as amounts of each color needed. There are also plenty of diagrams (plus a bunch of really cute pictures showing off the finished product). I think they would make great gifts for the dog lovers in your life, especially because there are plenty of different breeds of dogs. My favorites (of course) are the miniature Dachshund, followed by the Shetland Sheepdog. I'm thinking of giving this as a gift to my mom for Mother's Day, since she's a HUGE fiber enthusiast. Either way I think it's a great book!
Thanks again to Blogging For Books for providing the book free of charge for my honest review!
What We Ate This Week
Well, here I am a day late again. This time I had an excuse though! For anyone who lives in the northeast, I just want to say I feel your pain. We woke up Sunday without water (still no water; plumber coming today) and our furnace wasn't working correctly. Turns out the kerosene in our outdoor tank (we live in a mobile home) was gelling up. My husband went and got the 911 additive and my dad came over to help him bleed the lines and lo and behold I believe we are okay now. Sadly, even after thawing our water filter (it was a hunk of ice) still no water. We've narrowed it down to either the pressure switch or the water pump for our well. If it's the water pump, that will be the 4th one in 4 years so I'd think we have ANOTHER problem. Either way, it was a stressful day. Our neighbor is letting us fill up buckets to bring over to our place so we have water for the animals and for ourselves. I'd really like a shower, though! ;) Hopefully whatever the case we get our water back today. We are keeping our fingers crossed for it just being the pressure switch because that will be a lot cheaper! Onward to simpler, less complicated issues...like what we ate this week!
Sunday : I was feeling a bit under the weather so I just ate some fruit and my husband cooked half the pack of bacon our neighbor gave us and made himself bacon grilled cheese sandwiches. Always the health-nut, that one.
Monday : Vegan hoppin' john with brown rice on the side. One of our favorites!
Tuesday : Leftover sloppy joe filling (from last week) on top of baked potatoes with a bag of frozen broccoli on the side.
Wednesday : Breakfast for dinner! We have TONS of eggs from the ducks and chickens so this helped make a dent in them...until the next morning anyway. I used the last of the Bob's Red Mill mix I had to make pancakes (with frozen blueberries), scrambled eggs, and cooked the last of the bacon for my husband.
Thursday : I put a pork roast I got on super clearance in the crockpot with an onion, the last of the wine jelly, and a jar of pear and apple chutney I canned a few years ago. It made the house smell amazing! My husband had that with rice and I had rice and beans.
Friday : My husband's phone had died so I cooked soup and he got Subway for us...whoops.
Saturday : The aforementioned minestrone soup with clearance foccacia rolls that were fantastic!!
I spent $52.60 this week total; $24.72 at Big Lots, $12.74 at the grocery store by my house, $8.14 at the grocery store by my mom's house, and $7 at the dollar store. A bit above my usual spending but I end up spending more when I go to Big Lots since they have such great deals. This week I'm going to skip the trip there, as well as to the dollar store (I went to stock the freezer with bread). I only took out $25 for groceries this week since I made two big orders on Vitacost. We will see how I do this week!
I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!
Sunday : I was feeling a bit under the weather so I just ate some fruit and my husband cooked half the pack of bacon our neighbor gave us and made himself bacon grilled cheese sandwiches. Always the health-nut, that one.
Monday : Vegan hoppin' john with brown rice on the side. One of our favorites!
Tuesday : Leftover sloppy joe filling (from last week) on top of baked potatoes with a bag of frozen broccoli on the side.
Wednesday : Breakfast for dinner! We have TONS of eggs from the ducks and chickens so this helped make a dent in them...until the next morning anyway. I used the last of the Bob's Red Mill mix I had to make pancakes (with frozen blueberries), scrambled eggs, and cooked the last of the bacon for my husband.
Thursday : I put a pork roast I got on super clearance in the crockpot with an onion, the last of the wine jelly, and a jar of pear and apple chutney I canned a few years ago. It made the house smell amazing! My husband had that with rice and I had rice and beans.
Friday : My husband's phone had died so I cooked soup and he got Subway for us...whoops.
Saturday : The aforementioned minestrone soup with clearance foccacia rolls that were fantastic!!
I spent $52.60 this week total; $24.72 at Big Lots, $12.74 at the grocery store by my house, $8.14 at the grocery store by my mom's house, and $7 at the dollar store. A bit above my usual spending but I end up spending more when I go to Big Lots since they have such great deals. This week I'm going to skip the trip there, as well as to the dollar store (I went to stock the freezer with bread). I only took out $25 for groceries this week since I made two big orders on Vitacost. We will see how I do this week!
I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!
Sunday, February 7, 2016
What We Ate This Week
Phew, talk about crazy weather we're having. One day this week it was in the mid-50's and we were seeing green grass and then 8 inches of snow on Friday. It's been a mild winter all around and we'll take it. Last year I got such a late start on the garden since winter wouldn't quit. Maybe this year spring will be early and I'll get to dig in the dirt earlier! I will keep my fingers crossed. Anyway, onto what we ate this week!
Sunday - We ran errands for most of the day and I just didn't feel like cooking. Boxed mac and cheese (with frozen broccoli added, gotta get the veg) came to the rescue!
Monday - A big pot of black bean and corn chili. Yummy!
Tuesday - I threw together a greek pasta salad with olives, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, scallions, and dressing. Some chicken tenderloins made it out of the freezer for my husband as well.
Wednesday - Curried potatoes with eggs. Since the animals have been laying we've got loads! This is one of my favorite dishes to cook. The tomato based curry sauce is super yummy!
Thursday - I broke open the last box of meatless sloppy joe mix (bought on clearance for 75 cents!) and baked the last of a bag of frozen fries. There is still a big container full in the fridge so I'm thinking leftovers this week.
Friday - French bread pizza on 1/2 price day old roasted garlic bread. I used olives, pickled jalapeno slices, and pepperoncinis as toppings. We haven't had pizza in awhile so it was an extra treat.
Saturday - Huevos Racheros bowls with no beans. Again, we had been running around all day and I just didn't feel like cooking. The only real cooking involved here is boiling water, adding grits/polenta and frying eggs. This is my go to super quick fix meal (also, it's VERY DELISH).
This week I spent $35.02 at the grocery store, $8.21 at Big Lots, and $9.88 at Ocean State Job Lot (a New England store which is very similar to Big Lots). I am beginning to really like these posts because they allow me to look back at my grocery spending and see what needs improvement. I am becoming a HUGE fan of Big Lots. My husband's work snack basket was looking low so I headed over and found a whole bunch of healthy and organic snacks in their clearance bin. There were some great cracker packs for 65 cents a piece and some organic snack sized granola packs for 1.25 a box. Snacks always feel like a huge grocery budget buster so I really enjoy being able to find cheap stuff. I also received the "Good and Cheap"cookbook I bought off Amazon (used, of course) and am looking forward to trying some of her recipes. I had used the PDF version a few times but I find I enjoy having the cookbook in my hands much more than using it digitally.
Have you found any cookbooks that help stretch your grocery budget? Did you make any fantastic dishes this week?
Sunday - We ran errands for most of the day and I just didn't feel like cooking. Boxed mac and cheese (with frozen broccoli added, gotta get the veg) came to the rescue!
Monday - A big pot of black bean and corn chili. Yummy!
Tuesday - I threw together a greek pasta salad with olives, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, scallions, and dressing. Some chicken tenderloins made it out of the freezer for my husband as well.
Wednesday - Curried potatoes with eggs. Since the animals have been laying we've got loads! This is one of my favorite dishes to cook. The tomato based curry sauce is super yummy!
Thursday - I broke open the last box of meatless sloppy joe mix (bought on clearance for 75 cents!) and baked the last of a bag of frozen fries. There is still a big container full in the fridge so I'm thinking leftovers this week.
Friday - French bread pizza on 1/2 price day old roasted garlic bread. I used olives, pickled jalapeno slices, and pepperoncinis as toppings. We haven't had pizza in awhile so it was an extra treat.
Saturday - Huevos Racheros bowls with no beans. Again, we had been running around all day and I just didn't feel like cooking. The only real cooking involved here is boiling water, adding grits/polenta and frying eggs. This is my go to super quick fix meal (also, it's VERY DELISH).
This week I spent $35.02 at the grocery store, $8.21 at Big Lots, and $9.88 at Ocean State Job Lot (a New England store which is very similar to Big Lots). I am beginning to really like these posts because they allow me to look back at my grocery spending and see what needs improvement. I am becoming a HUGE fan of Big Lots. My husband's work snack basket was looking low so I headed over and found a whole bunch of healthy and organic snacks in their clearance bin. There were some great cracker packs for 65 cents a piece and some organic snack sized granola packs for 1.25 a box. Snacks always feel like a huge grocery budget buster so I really enjoy being able to find cheap stuff. I also received the "Good and Cheap"cookbook I bought off Amazon (used, of course) and am looking forward to trying some of her recipes. I had used the PDF version a few times but I find I enjoy having the cookbook in my hands much more than using it digitally.
Have you found any cookbooks that help stretch your grocery budget? Did you make any fantastic dishes this week?
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Another Frugal Find
If you have a blog (and love books!), a site you should really check out is Blogging For Books! I've been a member for over a year now and found that it's a great way to get books for both gifts and myself. You sign up with your blog site and can receive books for free just for reviewing them on your blog. On my old blog I did TONS of reviews (basically it was just blogging for books reviews, oops). This will be my first one on my new blog though!
This time I picked "The Bee-Friendly Garden" by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn, since I am a bit of a gardening fiend. First off the pictures are GORGEOUS! I wish my garden looked that beautiful. There are also some really cool close ups of bees that are pretty remarkable. The first chapter tells a bit about the extent of colony collapse disorder and how important our gardens are to help create a healthy environment for bees to live and thrive in! The chapters go on to mention the best plants for bees, both ornamental and edible, as well as how to design your bee garden. My favorite chapter was about becoming a bee activist! People really don't realize how big of an issue the decimation of bee population is or how much we rely on them for our food supply. There is also a section for each region of the country and what plants work best in those climates. I think it's a great book full of useful information (and the pictures! seriously!). It would make a great gift for the gardener in your life. I'm going to save this copy for my Dad's birthday or Father's Day because I think he would really enjoy it.
Once you review the book you received (like I did above) you post your review and the link to their site and then pick out another book. My favorites are the cookbooks and hobby books. I end up keeping very few for myself since I'm a bit of a minimalist but it helps IMMENSELY with my gift budget. Who doesn't enjoy a shiny new book? So, if you love books (or would like to hoard them for gifts) I would highly suggest you sign up!
(Of course, I must mention that I received this book free for my honest review from Blogging For Books.)
This time I picked "The Bee-Friendly Garden" by Kate Frey and Gretchen LeBuhn, since I am a bit of a gardening fiend. First off the pictures are GORGEOUS! I wish my garden looked that beautiful. There are also some really cool close ups of bees that are pretty remarkable. The first chapter tells a bit about the extent of colony collapse disorder and how important our gardens are to help create a healthy environment for bees to live and thrive in! The chapters go on to mention the best plants for bees, both ornamental and edible, as well as how to design your bee garden. My favorite chapter was about becoming a bee activist! People really don't realize how big of an issue the decimation of bee population is or how much we rely on them for our food supply. There is also a section for each region of the country and what plants work best in those climates. I think it's a great book full of useful information (and the pictures! seriously!). It would make a great gift for the gardener in your life. I'm going to save this copy for my Dad's birthday or Father's Day because I think he would really enjoy it.
Once you review the book you received (like I did above) you post your review and the link to their site and then pick out another book. My favorites are the cookbooks and hobby books. I end up keeping very few for myself since I'm a bit of a minimalist but it helps IMMENSELY with my gift budget. Who doesn't enjoy a shiny new book? So, if you love books (or would like to hoard them for gifts) I would highly suggest you sign up!
(Of course, I must mention that I received this book free for my honest review from Blogging For Books.)
Monday, February 1, 2016
What We Ate This Week
Oops! I'm a day late with this post. It was so nice out yesterday (over 40! In January! In Maine!) so taking the dogs out to play took precedent.
Sunday - Leftover curried squash soup with leftover salad. I love combining two leftover dishes to make one meal! Plus, no cooking, woo!
Monday - Black bean and avocado enchiladas. I dare you to make these and NOT lick the spatula from the enchilada sauce. It is so stinkin' tasty...mmm...
Tuesday - For my husband I made a deer liver/potato/onion slow cooker dish. I had salad made with the dregs of the crisper drawer with a meatless gardein sausage patty crumbled on top.
Wednesday - Tomato cabbage rice soup. I had a small cabbage head that was looking sad so in the pot it went. Does anyone else have a hard time making a reasonable amount of soup? There was seriously enough for a small army.
Thursday - Chickpeas, peas, and potatoes in curry sauce. I got this fantastic pineapple coconut milk curry sauce at a discount store and hoo-boy it did not disappoint! My best friend is half Indian and it seriously reminded me of her father's cooking we ate growing up. Yum!!!
Friday - Earlier in the week I cooked a bag of black rice that has been hiding in the back of my cabinet. So on Friday I used what was left after lunches to make fried rice. I added a bag of stir fry veg, scrambled eggs, mung beans I sprouted myself, and some green onions. This was one of the first things I learned to cook on my own.
Saturday - Leftover cabbage soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. I can't believe it but we made it through the vat of soup! ;)
The only waste this week was a small storage container of leftover mushroom gravy and TVP from last week's shepard's pie. Since the chickens will be getting it when I go out to feed them in a few minutes, I suppose it's not a total waste! This week I spent $25.78 at the wholesale club, $4.61 at the grocery store by my parent's house, and $13.33 at the grocery store by my house. I still have $6 in my wallet in case we need more fruit or greens. The chickens and ducks have started laying more as the days get longer so I see a lot of egg dishes in our future.
My neighbor brought us over a bag of food on Friday night as well! So we got 3 hunks of different fancy cheese, a salami, an appetizer of cut cheese/wine jelly, 2 bags organic tortilla chips, 6 bags of candy (I shared those with my mom, thankfully), and a small box of fig newtons. I used one bag of Hershey's kisses to make peanut butter blossoms and sent a dozen over to my neighbor. The cheeses were great because they were expensive types we'd never buy. Of course my husband loved the uncured salami because any meat is good to him. We have the best neighbor!
What did you eat this week?
Sunday - Leftover curried squash soup with leftover salad. I love combining two leftover dishes to make one meal! Plus, no cooking, woo!
Monday - Black bean and avocado enchiladas. I dare you to make these and NOT lick the spatula from the enchilada sauce. It is so stinkin' tasty...mmm...
Tuesday - For my husband I made a deer liver/potato/onion slow cooker dish. I had salad made with the dregs of the crisper drawer with a meatless gardein sausage patty crumbled on top.
Wednesday - Tomato cabbage rice soup. I had a small cabbage head that was looking sad so in the pot it went. Does anyone else have a hard time making a reasonable amount of soup? There was seriously enough for a small army.
Thursday - Chickpeas, peas, and potatoes in curry sauce. I got this fantastic pineapple coconut milk curry sauce at a discount store and hoo-boy it did not disappoint! My best friend is half Indian and it seriously reminded me of her father's cooking we ate growing up. Yum!!!
Friday - Earlier in the week I cooked a bag of black rice that has been hiding in the back of my cabinet. So on Friday I used what was left after lunches to make fried rice. I added a bag of stir fry veg, scrambled eggs, mung beans I sprouted myself, and some green onions. This was one of the first things I learned to cook on my own.
Saturday - Leftover cabbage soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. I can't believe it but we made it through the vat of soup! ;)
The only waste this week was a small storage container of leftover mushroom gravy and TVP from last week's shepard's pie. Since the chickens will be getting it when I go out to feed them in a few minutes, I suppose it's not a total waste! This week I spent $25.78 at the wholesale club, $4.61 at the grocery store by my parent's house, and $13.33 at the grocery store by my house. I still have $6 in my wallet in case we need more fruit or greens. The chickens and ducks have started laying more as the days get longer so I see a lot of egg dishes in our future.
My neighbor brought us over a bag of food on Friday night as well! So we got 3 hunks of different fancy cheese, a salami, an appetizer of cut cheese/wine jelly, 2 bags organic tortilla chips, 6 bags of candy (I shared those with my mom, thankfully), and a small box of fig newtons. I used one bag of Hershey's kisses to make peanut butter blossoms and sent a dozen over to my neighbor. The cheeses were great because they were expensive types we'd never buy. Of course my husband loved the uncured salami because any meat is good to him. We have the best neighbor!
What did you eat this week?
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Five Frugal Things
I am stealing (borrowing?) the idea of a "5 frugal things" post from my favorite blog, The Non-Consumer Advocate! So, here are 5 things I've done in the past week which I think were awesomely frugal!
1.) My husband's aunt and uncle had to put their dog to sleep this past weekend. I wanted to send a little note to say I was thinking of them. Instead of buying a sympathy type card at the store, I just used a plain note card I had. They will appreciate I was thinking of them, regardless of the card.
2.) I was rummaging around in the freezer on Monday and found a small bag of deer liver my husband's father had given us. I soaked it overnight in the fridge in some salad dressing (made from the liquid from a can of olives and oil from a jar of pickled peppers). I then cooked it in the slow cooker with potatoes and onions. My husband loved it! I ate salad to use up some peppers that were getting shrivel-y.
3.) I baked a loaf of banana bread to use up some brown bananas.
4.) I am planning today to mend two pairs of my husband's pants. He is SO AWFUL at wrecking clothes! Part of it is his job (a welder) but also he is a bit of a bull in a china shop. ;) I use pieces cut from another pair of jeans with the iron on glue (stitch witchery) and then hand stitch around the hole to keep things in place.
5.) When checking my ebates account I realized I hadn't been credited for a purchase I made at the beginning of the month, so I emailed my order confirmation and got my whopping 55 cents credit! ;) Hey, every penny counts!
What frugal things have you done this week?
1.) My husband's aunt and uncle had to put their dog to sleep this past weekend. I wanted to send a little note to say I was thinking of them. Instead of buying a sympathy type card at the store, I just used a plain note card I had. They will appreciate I was thinking of them, regardless of the card.
2.) I was rummaging around in the freezer on Monday and found a small bag of deer liver my husband's father had given us. I soaked it overnight in the fridge in some salad dressing (made from the liquid from a can of olives and oil from a jar of pickled peppers). I then cooked it in the slow cooker with potatoes and onions. My husband loved it! I ate salad to use up some peppers that were getting shrivel-y.
3.) I baked a loaf of banana bread to use up some brown bananas.
4.) I am planning today to mend two pairs of my husband's pants. He is SO AWFUL at wrecking clothes! Part of it is his job (a welder) but also he is a bit of a bull in a china shop. ;) I use pieces cut from another pair of jeans with the iron on glue (stitch witchery) and then hand stitch around the hole to keep things in place.
5.) When checking my ebates account I realized I hadn't been credited for a purchase I made at the beginning of the month, so I emailed my order confirmation and got my whopping 55 cents credit! ;) Hey, every penny counts!
What frugal things have you done this week?
Sunday, January 24, 2016
What We Ate This Week
So these new meal plan posts are going to span from Sunday to Saturday. This week I had a bit of a brain fart and chucked my receipts so I don't have a spending total (womp womp). I have bumped my grocery spending to 75$, but it does still include things like tolietries, cleaning supplies, and things like cling wrap.
Sunday - I had taken drumsticks out of the freezer for Saturday (we had a guest for dinner) but our guest ended up getting us pizza! So Sunday I cooked 2 packs of chicken drumsticks (for my husband), roasted broccoli, and made autumn lentil pilaf (from the Budget Bytes cookbook). I really liked the pilaf, and will definitely make it again.
Monday - Curried squash soup made from most of the delicata squash my husband's grandfather gave us from his garden. I still have 2 more left!
Tuesday - I just didn't feel like cooking (I had to run a ton of errands during the day and just felt pooped). I cooked two boxes of Annie's mac and cheese (bought by the case at the warehouse club) and added a can of drained black beans, scallions, a sprinkle of chili powder, and about half a jar of pickled jalapenos. It was quick, easy, and tasty!
Wednesday - Homemade shepard's pie. I make Happy Herbivore's easy mushroom gravy as the sauce and add TVP for the "meat". It was tasty and worked great as a leftover lunch for my husband 2 days.
Thursday - Another busy day of errands, another easy dinner. I cooked half a box of pasta and warmed up a jar of sauce with gardein meatless meatballs.
Friday - My first attempt at quiche! I usually just make frittatas because crust terrifies me, but I found an easy no roll out recipe in my beloved King Arthur Flour cookbook. It ended up a bit crumbly, but I think that was from the liquid from the filling. I filled it with cooked greens (the last bit from our giant pack for salads that was starting to look sad) and the last of the smoked salmon our neighbor gave us. It was fantastic and I will definitely be making quiche again.
Saturday - Big salad with homemade croutons (from some stale bread). I had the last of some pinto beans on mine, and my husband had some sirlion tip steaks on his that I got in the discount bin for 1.40! Meat makes him happy so I try to pick some up when it's steeply discounted.
This week I went all over the place for groceries. I picked up a few things at the dollar tree, some dressings at Ocean State Job Lot, some Earth Balance (I'm going mostly dairy free from some tummy troubles) at Wal-Mart, produce and clearance tea at my local grocery store, and a whole mess of things at Big Lots. Big Lots has honestly become one of my favorite places for groceries lately. When you first walk in they have a big bin of close date foods that are at least 50% off. I've pretty much filled the snack bin for my husband's lunches for under 3$! I can also get canned beans at a regular price that is the same as my grocery store's once every three months awesome sale. I didn't need oats straightaway but have been eating oatmeal every morning so I picked up a 3lb canister of organic rolled oats there for 2.50$! What an awesome price. Goes to show you that if you have a budget sometimes it pays to expand your horizons for grocery shopping. :) I don't have exact amounts spent at each store but I do have 8$ left in my wallet! I did go a little crazy on the Big Lots discount bin (because my waist line did NOT need those brownie batter brownies!) but I never get treats so it was a one time thing. I will be better about it in future weeks.
What did you eat this week? Did you find any great deals?
Sunday - I had taken drumsticks out of the freezer for Saturday (we had a guest for dinner) but our guest ended up getting us pizza! So Sunday I cooked 2 packs of chicken drumsticks (for my husband), roasted broccoli, and made autumn lentil pilaf (from the Budget Bytes cookbook). I really liked the pilaf, and will definitely make it again.
Monday - Curried squash soup made from most of the delicata squash my husband's grandfather gave us from his garden. I still have 2 more left!
Tuesday - I just didn't feel like cooking (I had to run a ton of errands during the day and just felt pooped). I cooked two boxes of Annie's mac and cheese (bought by the case at the warehouse club) and added a can of drained black beans, scallions, a sprinkle of chili powder, and about half a jar of pickled jalapenos. It was quick, easy, and tasty!
Wednesday - Homemade shepard's pie. I make Happy Herbivore's easy mushroom gravy as the sauce and add TVP for the "meat". It was tasty and worked great as a leftover lunch for my husband 2 days.
Thursday - Another busy day of errands, another easy dinner. I cooked half a box of pasta and warmed up a jar of sauce with gardein meatless meatballs.
Friday - My first attempt at quiche! I usually just make frittatas because crust terrifies me, but I found an easy no roll out recipe in my beloved King Arthur Flour cookbook. It ended up a bit crumbly, but I think that was from the liquid from the filling. I filled it with cooked greens (the last bit from our giant pack for salads that was starting to look sad) and the last of the smoked salmon our neighbor gave us. It was fantastic and I will definitely be making quiche again.
Saturday - Big salad with homemade croutons (from some stale bread). I had the last of some pinto beans on mine, and my husband had some sirlion tip steaks on his that I got in the discount bin for 1.40! Meat makes him happy so I try to pick some up when it's steeply discounted.
This week I went all over the place for groceries. I picked up a few things at the dollar tree, some dressings at Ocean State Job Lot, some Earth Balance (I'm going mostly dairy free from some tummy troubles) at Wal-Mart, produce and clearance tea at my local grocery store, and a whole mess of things at Big Lots. Big Lots has honestly become one of my favorite places for groceries lately. When you first walk in they have a big bin of close date foods that are at least 50% off. I've pretty much filled the snack bin for my husband's lunches for under 3$! I can also get canned beans at a regular price that is the same as my grocery store's once every three months awesome sale. I didn't need oats straightaway but have been eating oatmeal every morning so I picked up a 3lb canister of organic rolled oats there for 2.50$! What an awesome price. Goes to show you that if you have a budget sometimes it pays to expand your horizons for grocery shopping. :) I don't have exact amounts spent at each store but I do have 8$ left in my wallet! I did go a little crazy on the Big Lots discount bin (because my waist line did NOT need those brownie batter brownies!) but I never get treats so it was a one time thing. I will be better about it in future weeks.
What did you eat this week? Did you find any great deals?
Friday, January 22, 2016
A quick update
As I've mentioned before I'm a crappy meal planner. I make a plan of dishes to make but end up making other dinner because certain things need to be used up, etc. So instead of making a post of what I bought at the grocery store and what I'm going to make, I will start posting every Sunday with what I spent, what we ate, and what (if anything) got wasted. This blog is still new and I'm still trying to get in the groove with posting, so this is a step in the right direction!
If you are reading this and live on the East Coast where the big storm is hitting this weekend, BE SAFE! We are getting spared this time around but I know how rough a bit storm can be. Maybe some yatzee and an extra pot of coffee with cheer you up! :)
If you are reading this and live on the East Coast where the big storm is hitting this weekend, BE SAFE! We are getting spared this time around but I know how rough a bit storm can be. Maybe some yatzee and an extra pot of coffee with cheer you up! :)
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Thrifty wins!
Over the weekend our neighbor was out of state so we watched his cat. He is usually a little hellion but must've been lonely because he was so lovable! After work yesterday my husband went to drop his key off and while there my neighbor's friend stopped by. I'm not sure exactly what he does for work, something involving driving I think but somehow ends up with tons of close to date food. A few times my neighbor has given us some stuff from him, usually candy. Well this time my husband came back with a giant bag full! There were a couple bags of candy, but there were tons of other things too! We got two packs of smoked salmon, which is a favorite of mine but it's so expensive! I stashed it in the freezer and will pick up bagels and cream cheese at the grocery store on my next trip. My husband ate the crab legs and lobsters last night, plus I have a 1lb package of tuna salad (good for almost a week more!) I will eat for lunches. We also got a pound of american cheese, deli meat ends, strawberries, and a bag of shrimp. Not only is it great because it's FREE but it was also a bunch of things we usually don't buy because they are pricey. Best of all is that my neighbor doesn't like smoked salmon so he said he'd give us all that he gets, wahoo!!!
On another thrifty note, I saw this morning on Facebook that my local Goodwill was having an "all kids clothes for 1$" sale today. One of my best friends from elementary school is having a little girl in May and I've been trying to stock up on cheap clothes for her. First I hit the Men's jeans rack, because my husband burns through jeans like no one else. I found a pair of 7 for all mankind jeans in my size, and they were the color of the day, so 3$! I came home and found that these pants retail for 189$!!!! Talk about the deal of the century. They fit amazing and were a great steal. All because someone put them in the men's section (probably because their sizing is by waist size, like men's jeans). I also found 7 cute little things for my friend. On Friday my mom and I are hitting up another thrift store where all the baby clothes are 1$ so I think after that I'll be all set with a bag full for her. I also picked up a brand new copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" for my own bookshelf. I am not pregnant yet, but we expect to try in the next year or so so I figured since I saw a copy in new condition for 1$ I'd pick it up. Plus, if anyone I know gets pregnant first I can give it as a gift. :)
All in all, a successful thrifty day!
On another thrifty note, I saw this morning on Facebook that my local Goodwill was having an "all kids clothes for 1$" sale today. One of my best friends from elementary school is having a little girl in May and I've been trying to stock up on cheap clothes for her. First I hit the Men's jeans rack, because my husband burns through jeans like no one else. I found a pair of 7 for all mankind jeans in my size, and they were the color of the day, so 3$! I came home and found that these pants retail for 189$!!!! Talk about the deal of the century. They fit amazing and were a great steal. All because someone put them in the men's section (probably because their sizing is by waist size, like men's jeans). I also found 7 cute little things for my friend. On Friday my mom and I are hitting up another thrift store where all the baby clothes are 1$ so I think after that I'll be all set with a bag full for her. I also picked up a brand new copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" for my own bookshelf. I am not pregnant yet, but we expect to try in the next year or so so I figured since I saw a copy in new condition for 1$ I'd pick it up. Plus, if anyone I know gets pregnant first I can give it as a gift. :)
All in all, a successful thrifty day!
Monday, January 11, 2016
So I ended up hitting up my grocery store to get some great deals on pantry staples (pasta, marinara, large canned tomatoes, tuna, etc). Then I made a quick trip to the produce stand to fill things out. This week I had to go to the warehouse store for toliet paper and trash bags, and I am now so, so over budget! I'm thinking of moving my household goods to another budget category to make things easier. Funny enough, I write these meal plan posts and then end up making completely different things (albeit still with the ingredients on hand!). So, I've got $12 left in my grocery budget for the week but I'm going to try not to spend it. Honestly, I think I can make it until Thursday with the fruit on hand (the only thing I'm worried about). Onto the plan!
1/10 Sun - Freezer soup; used up box of frozen spinach, tomato sauce and shredded zucchini from the garden frozen over the summer, and a package of ravoli. Made enough for an army!
1/11 Mon - Huevos Rancheros Bowls (from the Budget Bytes cookbook). If it seems like a constant repeat, it's just because we love it!
1/12 Tues - Stir fry (cabbage, peppers, onions, celery, mushrooms) with udon noodles
1/13 Wed - Leftover soup from Sunday with homemade foccacia
1/14 Thurs - Curried chickpeas with brown basmati rice
1/15 Fri - Sloppy joes and the last of the fries from the freezer
1/16 Sat - My husband's cousin will be here for dinner so I'll pull out the chicken drumsticks from the freezer and serve with either mac and cheese or potatoes and a veg
Well, that sounds doable! If there are no good sales at the grocery this week I'll just stick with the produce stand for fruit and a veg or two. On the no spend front, I'm doing pretty well. They had some clearance candles at the warehouse store for $2.98 and without thinking I put one in the cart. Later on in my trip I put it back! I did slip and ordered a Harvey Prince perfume rollerball I'd been wanting with a coupon (just pay s&h). Each week it's getting easier. I'm also realizing I shop just for the high of getting a good deal and not because I actually need anything. I had an urge to check out TJ Maxx today but instead reorganized my pantry and a few cabinets and the feeling passed. I decluttered as I went and was even more glad I didn't give in go for a drive to the store. If I already have things I don't need in my home there's no need to bring more in! I'm hoping this weekend to put a few things on Craigslist. A little more cash never hurt anyone! :)
1/10 Sun - Freezer soup; used up box of frozen spinach, tomato sauce and shredded zucchini from the garden frozen over the summer, and a package of ravoli. Made enough for an army!
1/11 Mon - Huevos Rancheros Bowls (from the Budget Bytes cookbook). If it seems like a constant repeat, it's just because we love it!
1/12 Tues - Stir fry (cabbage, peppers, onions, celery, mushrooms) with udon noodles
1/13 Wed - Leftover soup from Sunday with homemade foccacia
1/14 Thurs - Curried chickpeas with brown basmati rice
1/15 Fri - Sloppy joes and the last of the fries from the freezer
1/16 Sat - My husband's cousin will be here for dinner so I'll pull out the chicken drumsticks from the freezer and serve with either mac and cheese or potatoes and a veg
Well, that sounds doable! If there are no good sales at the grocery this week I'll just stick with the produce stand for fruit and a veg or two. On the no spend front, I'm doing pretty well. They had some clearance candles at the warehouse store for $2.98 and without thinking I put one in the cart. Later on in my trip I put it back! I did slip and ordered a Harvey Prince perfume rollerball I'd been wanting with a coupon (just pay s&h). Each week it's getting easier. I'm also realizing I shop just for the high of getting a good deal and not because I actually need anything. I had an urge to check out TJ Maxx today but instead reorganized my pantry and a few cabinets and the feeling passed. I decluttered as I went and was even more glad I didn't give in go for a drive to the store. If I already have things I don't need in my home there's no need to bring more in! I'm hoping this weekend to put a few things on Craigslist. A little more cash never hurt anyone! :)
Saturday, January 2, 2016
The lure of the clearance section
Okay, that last post about a loose shopping ban? We're talking real loose. January 2nd and I already feel like a failure!!! I bought some clearance candles (.75$x2) and tulle (.25$x2) plus a tin sign (8$) for my kitchen. Yes, the tin sign has been on my lookout list but still! I also purchased a roof rake (used my Amazon points so it was around 18$) and 50 lb bag of bird seed (14$) but I consider those home expenses. I'm trying not to get too hard on myself. I will be better!
I'm also trying to go as long as possible before the next grocery shop. I may drop in tomorrow since my grocery has 3 day sales for the weekend and they had a good deal on shredded cheese. Then again...I have two small bags in the freezer! So here is a tenative list for my meal plan;
Sun : Potato Tacos, possibly with tempeh from the freezer (my giant bag of potatoes is starting to sprout! So lots of potato dishes this week)
Mon : Stir fry cabbage with black rice (trying to get it out of the pantry!)
Tues : Roasted delicata squash with onions and couscous (or potatoes?) on the side
Wed : Open faced tuna melts and green beans
Thurs : Mac and Cheese with mixed veg
Fri : Corn chowder
Sat : Pizza, made with homemade dough
All of these things I can make with what I have on hand. The grocery store is having a great sale (20 items for 16$, out of a certain list). We need some canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce, plus more pasta. So I may stop by to get those sale items and some bananas for lunches, plus a bag of onions (I'm almost out). I can definitely get out of there under 25$. Last week after my post I made a trip to the warehouse store and ended up spending about 30$ more dollars, argh! They had some deals that were killer but it put me over budget. Hopefully with a small shop these week I'll make up for it!
I'm also trying to go as long as possible before the next grocery shop. I may drop in tomorrow since my grocery has 3 day sales for the weekend and they had a good deal on shredded cheese. Then again...I have two small bags in the freezer! So here is a tenative list for my meal plan;
Sun : Potato Tacos, possibly with tempeh from the freezer (my giant bag of potatoes is starting to sprout! So lots of potato dishes this week)
Mon : Stir fry cabbage with black rice (trying to get it out of the pantry!)
Tues : Roasted delicata squash with onions and couscous (or potatoes?) on the side
Wed : Open faced tuna melts and green beans
Thurs : Mac and Cheese with mixed veg
Fri : Corn chowder
Sat : Pizza, made with homemade dough
All of these things I can make with what I have on hand. The grocery store is having a great sale (20 items for 16$, out of a certain list). We need some canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce, plus more pasta. So I may stop by to get those sale items and some bananas for lunches, plus a bag of onions (I'm almost out). I can definitely get out of there under 25$. Last week after my post I made a trip to the warehouse store and ended up spending about 30$ more dollars, argh! They had some deals that were killer but it put me over budget. Hopefully with a small shop these week I'll make up for it!
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