tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22346828916413980532024-02-02T00:33:44.591-08:00Chronicles of a Thrifty HomemakerChronicles of a Thrifty Homemakerterricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-83762740910511834332013-05-27T13:01:00.000-07:002013-05-27T13:01:11.235-07:00Weekly Menu Plan<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7079266615675675665" itemprop="description articleBody">
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Well here we are once more. Time to get back into routine. Holiday
aside, meals are planned once more. Next task today: begin a freezer
and pantry inventory. It's moving on towards June now and high time I
checked to see what I've got on hand and what is needed in the months
ahead.<br />
<br />
I had a 'practice' run of pantry cooking this weekend. I skipped
grocery shopping last pay period, saving my money for food for a little
trip we took last week. Not replenishing at home was fine...until we
had to prepare a company dinner...I made a meal which will appear below
in the menu plan, but it was a scraped together affair. Truthfully, I
might have made it until grocery day this week if I'd tried, but John
was paid early due to the holiday, Publix had some too good to miss
sales on items we can't buy at Aldi and when John was called in to cover
for the other team due to a holiday presentation at Andersonville, I
took advantage of his being gone and went off to pick up the sales items
and enough produce to get us through until we go to Aldi later this
week. It's amazing how just having lettuce and tomato and an apple or
two on hand can feel like a booster shot to the pantry.<br />
<br />
<b>Roasted Whole Chicken, Beans and Potatoes, Waldorf Salad, Challah, Peach Cobbler</b><br />
I knew Katie and her boyfriend would be down to pick up her furniture
from the shed. Seemed to me the last thing they were going to do was
stop for a meal anywhere along the way, especially knowing that she
still had to load her things from her brother's house as well. I was
right and they looked very happy to know they'd have a nice hot meal
while here.<br />
Katie made the cobbler, using frozen peaches from my freezer. It was
very good. Similar, I think, to the one I make, but she had her own
recipe and I was too busy to notice how she made it.<br />
This meal was all about using what I had. Apples from the fridge bought
two pay periods ago, some awfully wrinkled little potatoes, canned
green beans, challah leftover from the Shabat table the night before.
But it tasted good and no one would guess how hard I'd had to think to
come up with a mix of fresh and canned ingredients to pull it together.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-tortellini-salad-50400000113379/" target="_blank">Chicken Tortellini Salad</a>, Challah bread, WW 'Ice Cream' Sandwiches</b><br />
Today's meal was a leftover makeover dish. And yes, I know I've skipped
Sunday's menu...There was none! I made a tomato sandwich for my dinner
after I came in. <br />
This is an easy salad to make: I didn't have green onion, so used
vidalia onion, a little red (or orange or yellow just for added color
and crunch) bell pepper with a Parmesan dressing that you make
yourself. Very tasty and served warm-ish not cold. This is the first
time I've made a full recipe. We'll have leftovers to eat on grocery
day.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Cubed Steak Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit Cocktail</b><br />
I'll use two of the hamburger buns for the bread and we'll have lettuce and tomato and Vidalia onion on the sandwiches. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Burgers on the Grill, Lettuce/Tomato/Onion/Cheese, Corn on the Cob, Wellesley Fudge Cake</b><br />
It's Mama's birthday and this is her 'gift'. She loves a good grilled burger.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Tuna Salad Plates, Crisp Crackers, Fresh Fruit</b><br />
With tomatoes, lettuce, and carrots on hand I think tuna salad is a nice meal for a warm day.<br />
<br />
<b>Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Steamed Broccoli, Garlic Cheese Toast</b><br />
I need to look up recipes for other meatless meals to have...but in the
meantime this dish is a good way to use up fresh tomatoes. Have I ever
mentioned how much I love summer produce? The foods are flooding into
our markets here in the South and I have to really limit myself and not
overbuy this time of year.<br />
Fresh tomato sauce is a mix of diced tomatoes, a little olive oil,
garlic, and parsley (fresh basil if you have it). Let sit on the
counter for a few hours so the flavors fully marry, then toss with hot
pasta. If you can afford Boccini (fresh baby mozzarella cheeses) they
are especially nice in this dish, too. If not, a good grated Parmesan
will do.<br />
<br />
<b>Taco Pizza, Tossed Salad</b><br />
I'll assemble the pizza and leave in the fridge, cook after we come in
from synagogue. I'll top the warm pizza with crisp shredded lettuce,
diced tomatoes, shredded cheddar and some of the homemade enchilada
sauce. You could skip the enchilada sauce and make a fresh pico de
gallo to top the lettuce instead, with dollops of sour cream on each
slice. <b> </b><br />
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terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-61971762747561134862013-04-07T12:26:00.001-07:002013-04-07T12:26:46.384-07:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Mar 22:</b> My kids are coming in for the weekend. I made a few
things ahead for meals so that I could spend more time with them and
less time cooking. I could have bought take out or even frozen entrees
but homemade is just so much better. Two meals prepared ahead of time
netted me a savings of at least <b>$20.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Mar 23:</b> The little wagon full of alphabet blocks wasn't
expensive at Ross for Less. I paid just $10 for it, compared to the $21
we spent for a similar item at Toys R Us a few years ago for another
grandchild. The kids loved it just as I thought they would. <b>Savings $11</b>.
What they also enjoyed: empty plastic buckets (which became hats, were
filled with toys), canning jar rings (bracelets), an empty oatmeal box
(used as a drum and as a container to drop things into). Toys are fun,
but honestly, no money is required when you have children. Imagination
is a great thing.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Mar 24:</b> No expenses associated with this day. We didn't buy the
Sunday paper, didn't go into town, didn't use a lot of energy cooking
(used microwave to reheat leftovers). I'm sure there were savings but
I'll limit it to the cost of the paper and the gasoline saved. <b>Saved: $2.25.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Mar 25: </b>I felt a little unwell today with an earache and sore
throat. I opted for the prayer, mega dose of Vitamin C and gargle
method. That and plenty of water seemed to do the trick.<b> </b><br />
<br />
It was time to wash bath towels. I had enough clothes for a small load
but I scrounged about and came up with enough items to make up a medium
load. This means we won't be doing another load for a couple of more
days this week and I barely raised the water level.<br />
<br />
I noticed the markings on my detergent lid had begun to wear off, making
it impossible to tell which level was required for small and medium
loads. I got out the red nail polish and used that to mark the lines on
the lid. That won't wear off and it will allow us to continue to use
only as much detergent as is needed. I've noticed the bottle of
detergent has last us about a month longer this time around, though it
was a smaller bottle than our last. <b>Savings $2.49</b>.<br />
<br />
Dear DIL prepared dinner for us Saturday evening. We had leftovers and
she left them with us. Those leftovers were our main dish today. I
just added a salad. <br />
<br />
<b>Mar 26: </b>I sure didn't feel well today. Allergy/cold, call it
what you'd like I knew just what I needed: Chicken Noodle Soup. Mine
didn't come from a can, it was good homemade soup, enough for a couple
of meals and cost me less than one can of ready to heat and eat soup.
My big pot of soup <b>saved me $5</b> the cost of the 'extra' cans needed to make up the same amount of soup.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 27:</b> Mama and I skipped the shopping today and simply had
dinner out and a nice ride. I've said it before and it continues to be
true: if I don't go into a store I save. I decided to go into the local
store to pick up the one grocery item needed for John's work meals this
week. I'm not even tempted to pick up extras in there on a good day
and today was a good day. Overall I'd put my <b>savings</b> at <b>$30</b> for the day.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 28:</b> Pantry freezer challenge ongoing, I am now able to dig
deep into the baskets to pull out those items that really needed to be
used up or would be a total loss. I was amused by the cost comparison
of today's meal and one we had a few weeks ago. I had chicken wings
(sauced with a homemade sauce), French Fries (the remaining portions of
two different bags), and Celery sticks with blue cheese dressing (home
prepared celery and homemade dressing). We paid $25 for a similar meal
out (and got a FULL cup of coffee afterwards instead of the half cup
poor John received when he ordered coffee!). My costs today, just using
what I had on hand netted us a difference of $20. Using what we had
and not letting it be lost in the freezer until it was no longer edible <b>saved us $5.</b><br />
<br />
<b> Mar 29: </b> I gave myself a full pedicure today. Compare my FREE pedicure to the cost of a salon pedicure. I <b>saved $25</b>.<br />
<br />
We washed a full load of clothes and a full load of dishes today. <br />
<br />
<b>Mar 30: </b>I made muffins for breakfast the other morning. Not
unusual, I do that sort of thing often. What was unusual was that I
only made a half dozen and I put the rest of the batter in the fridge
right away. This meant it didn't 'rise' and it also meant that we had
only enough muffins for one day, key for us because we don't seem to
like muffins that aren't made fresh that day. Otherwise they just end
up in the dogs' pans.<br />
<br />
So this morning, I added to my half batch of batter: 1 cup grated
carrot, 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and made a small
batch of Carrot Cake muffins. Frosted them with leftover cream cheese
frosting from that pitiful bunny cake. John told me they were super
good. Score me! My leftover batter makeover saved us tossing a half
batch of muffins. Savings is too small to calculate but it's still
savings!<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 31: </b>John brought home a treat for me, the cutest cupcake,
straight off the pages of Pinterest. He also brought home two
hardboiled, dyed eggs. "Egg salad would be great from those," he told
me as he handed them over. Good idea. Two eggs made enough egg salad
for three sandwiches.<br />
<br />
Weather warmed up nicely for the day. So warm that the house got a bit
stuffy. The AC came on but so did the oscillating fans. That kept the
air stirring even with the AC set to summer settings, which kept us cool
while we grow accustomed to the warmer temperatures.<br />
<br />
I clipped coupons this morning and sorted them, then went online to look
at sales sheets and make out my list. Preparation ahead always helps
me to save money. <br />
<br />
<b>Savings this week: $100.74</b><br />
<br />
<b>Savings for March <u>$736.44</u> </b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-77146328217963285322013-04-07T12:24:00.001-07:002013-05-27T12:56:46.111-07:00Weekly Meal Plan<img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUg29RLYh0_0oN-6ZIAATYQeGJrrinXyXX_CO8M4NCTf9KeGAYgZMGr_IU0z7rp107_cZGZ35STZaQUznB0S090ulx1Lc7zJWZjVLTHCIYD7apDe3WKv4p10aituY-f8Ai9mHhYm0Cr0A/s320/WR703740.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
The weather outside is Springlike once more, after a couple of chilly
rainy days at the end of last week. We went visiting yesterday and the
ride was made that much more pleasant by the site of dogwood, redbud,
azalea, and cherry trees along with that soft gentle new green of leaves
starting to show upon many of the trees.<br />
<br />
I woke a little late this morning, to a world riddled with sunshine,
dew, birdsong and the most beautiful blue skies. SIGH! It's nice to
see Spring has finally arrived. Mosquitoes, too. I got bitten twice
last night while the dogs ate. John's planning to mow the lawn today,
first time for this year. I think we had to mow in February last year
due to the unexpected heat wave that hit us and shoved Spring away in
about one and half weeks. I like this slow easing into a season myself,
despite the pollen.<br />
<br />
Trouble is, weather like this has me thinking all sorts of thoughts:
mulch, plants, new curtains, paint, etc. I mean to stick to my Back to
Basics plan but I can see that will be a huge challenge if this keeps
up. One just naturally wants to spruce everything else up to look as
pretty as it does all outdoors.<br />
<br />
As I said earlier I was up late this morning. John took one look at me
and knew without a doubt he would be waiting a bit longer for breakfast
as I was definitely on a two cup coffee call before I was going to be
sensible, lol. Bless the man he got busy rattling pots and pans and
made quite a nice breakfast for us of omelets, fried Spam (no Ews
allowed we LIKE Turkey Spam!), and toast. So nice to be pampered by the
man of the house while the coffee took effect.<br />
<br />
Big late breakfast and plans to mow the lawn, there's no need for a big
heavy meal. I had a prepared entree in the freezer that I'll heat and
add salad. One meal down, six more to go...<br />
<br />
<b>Spaghetti, Salad, Pineapple Cupcakes</b><br />
I used my favorite single layer cake recipe to make up a dozen cupcakes.
I decided to replace the milk called for with the juice from a small
can of crushed pineapple, then dumped in the fruit, too. I had leftover
butter cream frosting in the fridge from the disastrous bunny cake. I
used that to frost the cupcakes. John says these are the best cupcakes
I've ever made! I don't know if that's true or he's just that easy to
wow, but they are moist and tender. I was happy to use up another can
of that pineapple that expires next month. Only three cans more to go.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Black Beans, Salad</b><br />
I never made chicken tacos last week. I had the meat cooked and was
ready to prep the meal when John told me he didn't think he wanted that
for dinner. I had a fall back meal we could eat and just put the
chicken meat in the freezer. I think he'll be happier with the switch to
enchiladas.<br />
<br />
<b>Beanie Weenies, Coleslaw, Corn Muffins, Grapes</b><br />
I have three hot dogs in the fridge. I'll slice and add to a can of baked beans for homemade version of Beanie Weenies.<br />
<br />
<b>Tuna Salad Nicoise, Tomato Soup, Crusty Bread</b><br />
I'll use canned tuna, sliced cooked yukon gold potatoes, and steamed
whole green beans for the salad. In summer we wouldn't add soup to the
menu, but Spring is a season when a little something more is nice, as
appetites are still used to the heavier meals of winter.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Kiev, Roasted Asparagus, Wild Rice, Green Salad with grapes and apples</b><br />
John loves roasted asparagus. I try to buy it each grocery day when
it's in season as it has been for about a month now here. The challenge
is coming up with menus that it 'fits' and I think this one will do
nicely. I'd have liked to do a salad with strawberries and almonds, but
the berries were not very pretty this last grocery shop.<br />
<br />
<b> BBQ Beef Cups, Spring Salad Bowl, Strawberry Cobbler</b><br />
I DO have frozen berries in the freezer. Nothing tastes richer than
cooked strawberries in a cobbler. I won't make a big cobbler, just
enough for two. I'll make my own bbq sauce for the beef cups and my own
biscuit dough, too. I'll put some of the biscuit in the freezer for
future meals.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Macaroni and Cheese, Wedge Salads with Thousand Island dressing, Steamed Broccoli</b><br />
I'll likely cook double the amount of macaroni required, perhaps even a
whole box. I can always use an extra dish in the freezer for a future
easy meal and any leftovers besides can become salad next week.<br />
<b> </b><br />
That should do nicely for the week ahead, don't you think? Have a great week!terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-3403166206167566712013-03-24T16:46:00.000-07:002013-03-24T16:46:09.188-07:00Weekly Meal Plan: Pantry Freezer Challenge Week IV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow what a Week End! Grandbabies and their parents arrived Friday
afternoon. Dear DIL made dinner. I don't know how she does it, drive 5
hours to our house and then make dinner, but then again she'd been in
close confines with the kiddos for 5 hours so maybe that was a huge
break for her! She spoils us a bit, always has a new item or recipe she
wants to try. Friday evening was a fancied up meal of Artisan tomato
soup and Panini style Grilled Cheese that was grown-up sandwiches:
Havarti and Gouda on three cheese Italian bread. Campbell's tomato soup
suddenly seems so...I don't even have words. Let's just say that I'd
much much rather have the Artisan soup, but I'll probably have another
can or two of Campbells soup before I give it up and admit that I've
been turned into the worse tomato soup snob ever born. <br />
<br />
It was a rollicking weekend. It was stormy outside with rain and
thunder and lightning and inside it was just as noisy and loud. Sleepy
babies, babies thwarted in their intent to do exactly what they know
they oughtn't, parents and grandparents shouting a warning to the
nearest adult to prevent the disaster just milliseconds away, and a wee
older brother who has just discovered the lack of freedom when twins
become mobile enough to follow you every single place you go. Yes. It
was awesome.<br />
<br />
I made a bunny cake. I haven't made one in years upon years and no
there will be no pictures forthcoming. It was the oddest looking thing
and I didn't think ahead before I got it made. I used a recipe I'd
found late last year and wanted to make for my own birthday cake back in
February. For one reason and another I didn't get to make it then.<br />
<br />
I made the bunny cake that starts with a single round layer, cut in half
and set on the cut ends to form the body. Then I had this brilliant
idea to use a tiny portion of the batter in a regular cupcake tin and
another tiny portion in a mini muffin tin to make the head and tail
portions, an addition of my own that I thought was brilliant. Heaven
help me. I got the thing assembled and frosted and it was a right mess
with a wobbly head and droopy tail. I used a cut plastic straw to hold
the head and tail in place, fashioned ears from a white paper plate and
shoved them in. At this point I was down to eyes and nose. Only I
forgot to buy the candy I'd meant to use to decorate it with. So I used
two pastel blue peanut M&M candies for the eyes and a pretty pink
one for the nose. At that point I decided I'd best stop the
decorating. It was pretty weird looking.<br />
<br />
But it gets worse. I couldn't cover the thing because with the addition
of the head and tail it was too long to go in my cake carrier. That's
not the worst thing that can happen. I knew the frosting would 'dry'
somewhat and protect the cake from drying out. I didn't know that it
would also dry out the M&Ms which cracked so my rabbit had chocolate
bloodshot eyes and a funny looking nose. But it gets worse. Because
you see, in my lack of thinking ahead, when you cut into my bunny cake
there inside was the cake...a cherry nut cake so the whole thing ended
up looking rather macabre. Thank goodness my grandson is three and
thought it just fine. The rest of us sort of shifted our eyes away from
one another and let it rest. It did taste pretty good, though.<br />
<br />
Well, enough of my foolishness. I am a woman blessed. Our pantry and
freezer are still full-ish, our home is pretty much ready for Passover
and the Feast of Unleavened bread. The weather report is that the cold
is blowing in once more on another blast of Arctic air. I've just the
meals to remedy that cold spell.<br />
<br />
<b>Leftover Baked Spaghetti, Green Salad, Toast, and the Unfortunate Rabbit Cake</b><br />
I made the spaghetti dish Thursday. Somewhere in between there and
Saturday when I first served this meal, the sauce 'disappeared'. It had
been so nice and thick, a real meaty layer in the middle of the
spaghetti dish. The pasta must have absorbed the sauce. It tasted good
but it came across as flavored pasta. We finished off the casserole
today. <br />
<br />
<b>Flank Steak, Hashbrown Casserole, Spring Salad, Muffins</b><br />
Dear DIL provided the main course Saturday night of a marinated flank
steak. It was very tasty and John was pleased as punch when he heard
that she'd left the leftovers in the fridge for us. (I discovered a
container of that awesome tomato soup, too as I rummaged about.) Spring
Salad: green peas, green onions, thinly sliced radishes in a green
salad.<br />
<br />
<b>Pot Roast with Root Vegetables, Corn Casserole, Coleslaw</b><br />
There should be enough roast for two meals this week. The corn
casserole will make enough for two casseroles for us. I'll pop one in
the freezer.<br />
<br />
<b>Arroz Con Pollo, Black Beans, Iceberg Wedges</b><br />
I love this hearty rice casserole that cooks on the stovetop. I've
learned to cut the rice packets in half. I suspect we'll have leftover
black beans as well, so two meals from one here.<br />
<br />
<b>Black Beans and Rice, Salad with Avocado, Pico de Gallo, Flour Tortillas </b><br />
If the black beans and rice looks a little small for two servings, I'll
add in some of the roast pieces from Tuesday. We'll shred it and roll
in the tortillas with some enchilada sauce and cheese, add in rice and
beans to 'fill it out'.<br />
<br />
<b>Cheese Omelet, Grits, Fried Apples, Biscuits</b><br />
I read a tip today to add 1/4tsp baking soda for each egg you use in
your omelet. The soda will combust when the eggs begin to heat and
create a lighter and fluffier omelet. I'll be trying that tip this
week.<br />
<br />
<b>Teriyaki Chicken Wings, Steamed Pea Pods, Fried Rice, Eggrolls</b><br />
I have the rice and eggrolls, and the chicken wings plus a bottle of
marinade on hand. At most I'll purchase 1/2 pound of snow peas or pea
pods for us for this meal, only because I know I'm running low on
vegetables. If I decide against even that purchase, I'll steam green
peas or heat green beans. We'll se ehow I feel at the end of the week.
<b><br /></b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-33744261225204966932013-03-24T15:46:00.000-07:002013-03-24T15:46:14.354-07:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 15: </b>Received in today's mail: 1 Worship Cd. It was an
unexpected courtesy gift for a gift we made. We never expected that!
The Cd is top rate and we enjoyed it greatly. <b>Savings $15</b>, the retail value of the item.<br />
<br />
Clipped coupons from the ALL YOU magazine issue I'd finished reading. I
clipped enough usable coupons today to pay for the subscription<b>...</b>if I'd paid for it myself! As it is, I got my subscription using Coke Reward points. <b>Savings $22.</b><br />
<br />
I love to do Suduko puzzles. I have several books on hand here at
home. Lately I've been systematically working the puzzles. I began at
the beginning and worked them in order of difficulty. I confess that
the HARD puzzles are still a bit beyond my thinking skills at this point
but using the whole book instead of just those puzzles I think might be
my skill level or a challenge means I'm getting full enjoyment from the
books. I have about six books on hand averaging $5 each. Fully
enjoying them nets me a <b>savings of $30</b>, because it's not savings if you're not taking advantage of what you have, is it?<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Mar 16: </b>Lovely easy day at home. I was so totally relaxed all day long. Dinner was pizza: HOMEMADE.<b> </b>And
we had enough leftovers that I put some in the freezer for a future
meal and some in the fridge for a grab and go supper meal. <b>Savings $10</b> over the cost of takeout.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 17: </b>No big corned beef dinner today but we had a lovely meal
all the same. I made my own Thousand Island dressing for Reuben
sandwiches. <b>Savings $2.49 </b>for a bottle of dressing.<br />
<br />
I didn't need all of the corned beef I had, even though I thought I had
only enough for sandwiches. Hash for breakfast tomorrow will be a nice
bonus meal. <b>Savings $2</b>, a bonus breakfast entree.<br />
<br />
Potato soup...It's easy to make, delicious and so inexpensive to make.
Homemade broth brought the cost down and the flavor up. <b>savings for homemade broth: $1</b>.<br />
<br />
Sunday paper netted me more than enough coupons to offset the cost today. <b>Savings:$2.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Mar 18: </b>Not feeling well today. I have a problematic tooth and
today it was making itself felt in a big way. No dentist open either so
it was make do the best you can. When Katie had a problem following
her wisdom tooth surgery the orthodontist had her swish her mouth with
peroxide. I didn't have the higher strength solution on hand that he
prescribed but I did have peroxide. And I had over the counter pain
relievers. That and a moist heat pack helped get me through the day.
Here's to home remedies! True the tooth will eventually need to be seen
but to manage reasonably well at home on my own made life bearable.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 19: </b>What's the best way to SAVE money overall? Don't spend
it! I thought long and hard to day about my plans to spend, picking up a
few items at several different stores. They were good buys and with
coupons they would have been even better buys. But honestly? I'm in a
pantry/freezer challenge. I have plenty of stuff in the house and these
were all just extras, not filling in holes in the stock. I cut out one
store and then two and then three...<b>My savings was $35.</b><br />
<br />
When I got home today the first things I did was put my change into the savings jar. I added <b>$6</b> towards that vacation shortage fund today. So far I've saved $38.<br />
<br />
I made a second meal from my dinner. We had chicken breasts today. I
set a portion of mine aside, along with a roll. This evening, I made
sandwich from my dinner leftovers. It was a perfect supper portion for
me and so good that I think I might have to have a chicken sandwich
dinner one day soon. Two meals from one isn't news in this house, lol,
but I'm always amazed that my foodstuffs continually 'expand'.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 20: </b>Grocery day. Not my usual day nor store. Necessity
this week demanded that we change our day and place. And I discovered
something. I'm very spoiled by Aldi prices. I had to buy what I had to
buy today, mostly dairy and produce and we didn't walk down too many
aisles besides those. Our sole splurge was a dozen donuts. I spent
every single penny I had in my budget. NO savings there. I'm more
determined than ever to attempt an ALL ALDI month in April. Officially I
have a pittance set aside for the beef purchase I meant to make. Good
thing I decided to wait on that meat purchase.<br />
<br />
Okay it might sound like a splurge but it wasn't really. It was a
little spot of joy in the midst of my frustration: I had a Starbucks
coffee. I indulge only once a month. It's my treat to myself and
lately I've discovered that I can buy a gift card with my Swagbucks.
Now I usually use my Swagbuck dollars to purchase Amazon gift cards
which we use towards household and personal care purchases but every
fourth or fifth time I earn points enough I'm purchasing a $5 giftcard
to Starbucks instead. Today I treated John and I to coffee and we didn't
pay one penny of cash for it. <b>Savings: $5.46</b> <br />
<br />
John needed a desk to work at and we've looked for one at thrift and
yardsale over the last few months. We had an idea of about what we'd
pay if we found one we liked. He cleared out his music room today and
moved a lot of equipment and stuff and low and behold...A table that had
been laden with other things suddenly presented itself as a desk. <b>Savings: $40</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 21: </b>We didn't spend any money today...Always a good thing.
I spent the morning preparing foods for the weekend, getting the guest
room prepared, etc. We went out that evening to the Region 7 EMS
dinner. It's a wonderful dinner hosted by two hospitals honoring the
EMS. Awards, door prizes, dinner, gathering with friends and
acquaintances; it's a lovely evening out. Very nice evening out with
people we like. You can't beat that!<br />
<br />
<b>Savings: $180.95</b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-56911961455039840142013-03-17T19:09:00.000-07:002013-03-17T19:09:34.449-07:00Weekly Meal Plan: Pantry Freezer Challenge Week III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNu-vtCCKE/USreJw3yryI/AAAAAAAACjo/rb1nT7DR2Ik/s1600/pantryfreezerchallenge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNu-vtCCKE/USreJw3yryI/AAAAAAAACjo/rb1nT7DR2Ik/s320/pantryfreezerchallenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I've decided that I'll probably sail through next week without a care as
my pantry/freezer are holding up very well to this challenge. Even the
meat that I had on hand has gone further than I thought it might. I
think this is wonderful and am really pleased. I was fortunate last
week that Mama shared some fresh produce items with me. This meant I
could extend our produce items by choosing the ones less likely to keep
well and those that would keep longer. No need to use up all of the
broccoli right away, since it will keep well for another week. Apples
will keep, but the grapes won't, so we've had grapes this weekend and
will have apples for the beginning of this week.<br />
<br />
<b>Baked Ruebens, Creamy Potato Soup</b><br />
I put the rye bread in the freezer when we got home from the grocery
almost two weeks ago. I couldn't get another corned beef as the store
was out and I thought this menu would do nicely for a St. Patrick Day
meal. We should have leftover corned beef and bread so there will corned
beef sandwiches for supper one night later this week. <b> </b> <br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, Tangelo</b><br />
I put so many vegetables in the fried rice (mushrooms, onion, celery,
carrot, peas, broccoli stems) that I feel with the egg roll we're safely
getting two servings of vegetables each and possibly more. This will
be the last meal from our whole roasted chicken. I'll put the carcass
in the freezer to make broth with in the very near future.<b> </b> <br />
<br />
<b>Cubed Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Broccoli Apple Salad</b><br />
I moved the broccoli apple salad from last week to this week. I really
like this salad. It's a fresh alternative for a winter salad bowl. You
can add raisins, craisins, a bit of onion, toasted nuts or sunflower
seeds to this salad to extend it.<br />
<br />
<b>Homemade Sausage Pizza, Tossed Salad</b><br />
The last time I made pizza, I made the dough ahead and put in the
fridge. It rose there overnight and was the best dough I've made to
date. I plan to do the same this time. I'll won't use vegetables on my
pizza this time. I plan to have a salad filled with tomatoes,
mushrooms, onions, olives<br />
<br />
<b>Quiche, Hash Browns, Green Salad, Biscuits</b><br />
I froze the leftover asparagus last week instead of using in the egg
dish and will thaw to use in the quiche today. I'll make my own pastry
from scratch. The remaining Swiss will be used in this dish, too. Hash
browns will be made from scratch as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Tortilla Towers, Corn with Cumin Butter, Salad with Ranch dressing</b><br />
I have corn tortillas in the freezer. I'll make a batch of homemade
chili, use half for this dish and freeze the rest for a future meal.<b> </b> <br />
<br />
<b>Smokey BBQ Sandwiches, Coleslaw, Sweet Potato Fries </b> <br />
Smoked turkey meat, homemade bbq sauce on whole wheat rolls.<br />
<br />
<b>Corned Beef Hash with Fried Egg, Cornmeal Pancakes, Applesauce</b><br />
I had enough corned beef left for another meal. With rainy cool weather
predicted for the weekend I think this meal might just hit the spot for
us. I've a jar of applesauce that needs to be used up. Some for
dinner today and some for a dessert later in the week.terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-9970810663446322382013-03-17T19:08:00.002-07:002013-03-17T19:08:17.325-07:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>March 8 (cont'd): </b>John washed a mixed load of clothes today.
That consisted of colors, whites, towels, etc. We seldom separate our
clothes preferring instead to wash a full load two or three times per
week. John hung clothes to dry today, forgoing the use of the dryer.
When he came indoors later with the towels he did something I've done
many times myself: he held them to his nose and inhaled deeply, "GOOD!"
That's one thing the dryer is not going to give us, that lovely line
dried aroma of clean laundry. Fresh air and sunshine are <b>FREE</b> and no artificial perfume will ever duplicate that aroma try though candle and freshener manufacturers do.<br />
<br />
Peaches to Beaches yard sale stretches for about 250 miles from the
start of the peach growing district to the coastline of Georgia. I've
attended this yard sale regularly for the past few years but this year
I'm skipping it, as much as I've enjoyed it in the past (and the weather
is lovely today!). In years past I've spent about $40, my personal
limit for the yard sale. I have that amount in my purse at present, but
I'm <b>saving $40</b> and the gasoline usage. I don't have room for
more 'stuff' at present and I need other things I never find at
yardsales or thrift stores. In the meantime, I figured I'd hold onto my
money for a bit.<br />
<br />
Made sloppy joes from scratch today. I made up my own sauce. A can of sloppy joe sauce costs $3 these days. I saved <b>$2.50</b> making my own sauce.<br />
<br />
Made my own BBQ sauce, too. <b>Savings $2.59</b> the cost of one bottle of sauce.<br />
<br />
<b>March 9:</b> No expenses connected with this day except the small
amount of electricity used. We stayed home, didn't do any work aside
from heating our dinner and putting it on the table. John watched
Rugby, which I'd never seen before and rather enjoyed watching, too. I
now know the word "Scrum"...knowledge <b>free</b>, lol.<br />
<br />
Filled my Swagbuck quota today doing searches. I had enough points at day's end to order another gift card. <b>Savings $5</b>.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>March 10: </b>Spring Forward today for Daylight Savings Time. We
set our clocks back last night prior to going to bed. I'll appreciate
the later evening hours, especially now that the cold weather will soon
be passing. It will give me extra time I can spend in the yard.<br />
<br />
John had an errand he wanted to run today. It took us over an hour away
from home. We were both surprised that it was so much further than
we'd thought it might be. On the way back home again, now well into the
afternoon, he decided we'd stop for lunch. $5 for a footlong sub, $3
for two drinks and eating al fresco under the big covered patio at the
place enjoying the warm late winter afternoon, <b>FREE</b>. We had many
options, all of which would have cost a good deal more than our $8
meal, but you can't beat atmosphere. We overlooked a city park and a
row of lovely old houses opposite. The birds sang, it was reasonably
quiet for an area near a highway and was so pleasant we lingered for
over an hour after eating!<br />
<br />
That little patio made us think hard about what we like. We've always
enjoyed picnics and eating outdoors. we frequently plan a picnic into
any long roadtrip from home. John mentioned twice how much he was
enjoying himself and I said the same at least two times myself. I
finally looked at him and said, "At home we have a front porch, a deck
and a patio...Why don't we make our own outdoor areas more attractive
for use?" I think we're going to be working on those areas this
Spring. We have almost all the furnishings we need to do this. Our
only expense might be the purchase of an umbrella for shade for the
patio. Inspiration <b>FREE.</b><br />
<br />
Bought the Sunday paper while we were out. Coupons galore this week, more than enough to offset the cost of the paper. <b>Savings $2.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>March 11: </b>Morning spent in the kitchen. I made 1 dozen egg rolls. <b>Savings $1 each or $12.</b> That's what they cost at the Chinese restaurant and mine are just as good. Perhaps even better, as we bake them.<br />
<br />
Cleaned the top of the stove. No fancy cleaners required, even though
there were 'baked on' stains from the past month's meals. I used
baking soda, a bit of Dawn detergent and a green Scouring pad. I buy
the pads in 8X 4 sheets at the hardware store for $1 each. I cut them
down into four 2X4 pads. I'll get more use from the pad yet and have
three fresh ones in reserve. Not buying a special cleaner is a <b>savings of $4.</b><br />
<br />
Roasted a whole chicken for our lunch today. I'd planned to BBQ it but
didn't. While I was prepping vegetables for the egg rolls, I made up a
nice coleslaw. That finished off 1/4 head of cabbage that likely would
have languished and been tossed (<b>savings $.30)</b> and 1/2 an apple <b>(savings $.50)</b> that had been in the fridge since Thursday and was obviously not going to be eaten otherwise.<br />
<br />
Made up 16 slider type sandwiches. I used Smoked turkey legs and wings
from the freezer for the meat, dinner rolls we'd bought and put in the
freezer, and my homemade BBQ sauce. Having that convenience meal on
hand for 'heat and eat' meals <b>saves $8</b> (the cost of 1 dozen White Castle Burgers), and every bit as convenient to microwave.<br />
<br />
John has new suspenders, the sort with teeth that grip the waistband of
the pants rather than hook onto his belt. The teeth bit hard into the
fabric and to prevent wear he asked what I could do to help save the
material. His pants only come in one length when he orders them and so I
typically cut off about 5 inches of fabric from the bottom and re hem
to his length. I save this material as it comes in very handy. I've
used it to patch pockets, repair tears, etc. over the years. Today I
took some of the material, cut into strips and made tailored patches
that I sewed to the waistband in the spots where he hooks the
suspenders. This should be an effective way of extending the life of
his pants. It took about an hour or so to do but his work pants cost
$50 a pair. I'm counting this as a savings over purchasing a new pair
next year...<b>savings $50.</b> And by the way, that means my hourly 'wage' for that task was $50.<br />
<br />
<b>March 12: </b>Plundered through the fridge and freezer for this
meal: 1/2 package Kielbasa (7 ounces these days, since the packages have
been reduced from 16 ounces to 14 ounces. Yep they got us again!). I
found 1 cup of Green Peas left from a meal late last week. I dug about
under the counter and came up with a sprouting onion, three potatoes
that were beginning to age a little...One casserole later I'd used all
the ingredients to make a meal. <b>Savings: $2.00 for items that nearly weren't used.</b><br />
<br />
John did a home repair job. The facings inside our double windows have
been looking steadily worse over the past two years. He removed the
inner windows, cleaned, spackled, sanded and painted the interior
framework and then replaced the windows when it was all dry. To do two
windows took just over an hour of real work time. Our goal is to do one
room every other week until all are refurbished. It cost us the price
of a new tub of spackle ($6.97) which will do all the remaining windows
as well. We had paint on hand. We figure a handyman would have charged
us $20 an hour and would have added in the cost of waiting on the
spackle to dry etc. <b>Our DIY job saved us $50</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>March 13: </b>John washed a full load of clothes, hung to dry.<br />
<br />
I've been waiting to wash a load of dishes until the dishwasher is
full. I thought I'd have enough after breakfast this morning but no,
there's still room in there. I'll hold off until tomorrow.<br />
<br />
Out with Mama today. I spent $3. I skipped going into the temptation
filled store and stayed in the car. My expense was the cost of ice
cream (our usual dessert when out) for the two of us. I used a $5 and
put the change aside to add to my <b>savings account deposit $2.</b><br />
<br />
Mama shared produce she'd bought yesterday. A half pint each of yellow
and red grape tomatoes, 1/2 a stem of green grapes and 1/3 of a pound of
radishes. These are bonus foods for us and saves her having them
spoil. How I wish she could buy just what she needed loose, but I am
the one who benefits from her overage. It will extend our fresh produce
here and means we can eliminate some of the pantry items from our menu
this week. <b>Savings to me: $5</b>.<b> </b><br />
<br />
New pantry shelving arrived this morning. John had it together in about
five minutes time. It's light enough to move easily when empty and
sturdy as can be. I think we got really good value for that $42
purchase.<b> </b><br />
<br />
Came home this afternoon and put the new pantry shelving into order.
We're very pleased with the shelving we purchased. It fits the space
perfectly and we now have MORE storage room for further stocking.
That's one bonus we hadn't planned for, <b>doubling our storage space</b> for <b>free. </b>Because
the length is shorter I can now stack the resealable buckets at the end
of the unit, freeing up floor space in front of the freezer. That's
another added bonus we didn't plan for but are certainly grateful for.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>March 14: </b>Prepped vegetables for chicken fried rice for
tomorrow's dinner, the last meal from this roast chicken. The chicken
cost me $3.20. We will have had 4 meals from that chicken and I've not
yet made broth from the bones and skin. That works out to about $.80
per meal. I expect we'll have enough chicken fried rice for TWO meals.
That will reduce the costs even further.<br />
<br />
Used the last of the potatoes that were getting older. <b>Savings $.50.</b><br />
<br />
Refilled two water bottles for John's work supper. <b>Savings $1.50. </b><br />
<br />
After dinner today, I finally had the dishwasher filled to capacity. I
waited two full days beyond the day I thought I might wash dishes.
Since the water must be hot when you start the machine, I filled a
measuring cup and the coffee pot for later use while the water was still
cool, and when the water was warm, I ran some in the sink to handwash a
few items. I washed them quickly and had hot water just in time to
rinse those dishes from the sink. Then I turned on the dishwasher to
begin it's cycle with really hot water.<br />
<br />
I've recently followed another blogger's example and reduced the amount
of soap I put in the dispenser. I've found that the 1 tbsp she uses is
sufficient for thoroughly cleaning our dishes. I should double the usage
I get from this bottle of detergent, a <b>savings of $2.29</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Total $186.18</b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-56770371647051893912013-03-09T10:26:00.000-08:002013-03-09T10:26:22.535-08:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A new month and a new opportunity to save. I'm ready for this!<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 1: </b>I started the pantry inventory yesterday and today, I
decided I needed to use some of the surprise ingredients I found: frozen
chili, a can of pineapple (one of several that will expire come May), a
box of just expired macaroni. Determination to salvage was strong
after tossing those two long expired items the last day of February.<br />
<br />
So I made up TWO entrees from the box of macaroni, with a bonus single
serve entree. Chili Mac for dinner today, along with Pineapple Upside
Down Cake with a single serve casserole of chili mac for the freezer was
the first meal. Entree Two: a freezer main dish of Macaroni and Cheese
with a lovely homemade cheese sauce. A frozen entree of mac and cheese
at the grocery goes for $9. I know because I have bought them on
occasion, gasp... I used 1/2 and 1/2 that had just reached the
expiration date to make my cheese sauce, saving half a bottle from
spoiling which increased my savings in making this dish. <b>Savings: $11 (not tossing the macaroni or the half and half and NOT buying frozen mac and cheese)</b>.<br />
<br />
Made up my favorite little cake recipe and poured over drained crushed
pineapple, brown sugar and melted butter. Yummy! I thought of a dozen
ways to use those five remaining cans of crushed pineapple. Now I just
have to choose which ones I will make. In the meantime I <b>saved $.50</b> making a conscious effort to use the pineapple.<br />
<br />
Here's <b>a bigger savings: $32...</b> How so? I noticed an ant on
the counter top where I do baking early this morning. I killed him and
then found two more. Then I noticed what looked like three or four
'bodies' lying about. We've had a little spider that came in on the
houseplants who has made it her personal business to kill ants this
year. Honestly she's the best pest control I've ever had! She seems to
track down all those little scouts and has no mercy whatsoever.
Natural pest control at it's best, lol.<br />
<br />
However, she was unable to keep up with this infiltration. And they
discovered the baking cupboard where boxes of dried fruit, and more
importantly two tubs of Ghiradelli melting chocolates were stored.
Hence the 'bigger savings'. I discovered that the bottom of the dark
chocolate tub was cracked just before the ants got into that container.
The cupboard was emptied, the chocolates and fruit repackaged...and
disastrous loss was avoided. Thankfully because...<br />
<br />
I inventoried the bottom pantry cupboard this afternoon. Oy. Three
cans of black beans, two of peaches and two cans of coconut milk went
into the garbage. Expired months ago. <b>Losses of -$5.77.</b> Not
good. I felt ill even though the monetary amount was small. And I came
up with a possible solution. I'm buying some brightly colored dot
stickers. I'll color code to highlight those that need to be used
immediately, soon, or simply first.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 2: </b>I wanted to make a real Shabat dinner this week. But I
hadn't done prep work. Solution was to use what a container of
cornbread dressing from the freezer, leftover mashed potatoes, canned
green beans, cranberry sauce. All I needed to do really was to bake the
chicken to go along with the easy side dishes.<br />
<br />
When I opened the package of breasts this morning I found two large
breasts. Only one was XL and the other was XXXL. I cut the biggest in
half for our meal today, put the second breast on to boil with homemade
chicken broth (from the freezer) for a second meal. That allotted me
two meals from one package of breasts. <b>Savings: $2.23</b><br />
<br />
The potatoes were initially meant to be potato soup with Reubens but I
lacked ingredients essential to a Reuben. I added some half and half to
the potatoes to moisten them and then put in a casserole to reheat. It
kept them nice and fluffy and didn't dry them out.<br />
<br />
Leftover gravy, mashed potatoes and the meat I stripped from the second
breast went into the leftover broth. I will make meal from this
tomorrow. That is a NO WASTE couple of meals. Love it!<br />
<br />
Our midday meal was so hearty that we ate our dessert as a late snack this afternoon. Neither of us wanted supper. <b>Savings there: $4</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 3: </b>It's been cold cold cold all weekend long. We ran the
little propane heater nearly all day long yesterday and it's been on all
morning thus far today. The floors are chilly cold to the barefoot, so
I've had on slippers all day long, too. Not complaining. It's the
first time this winter we've had the heater on for the full length of
the day. It cuts down on how often the electric heat pump must come on,
saving us electricity. <br />
<br />
I made chicken and dumplings today...I used the leftover gravy and
mashed potatoes from yesterday's meal, the meat from that XL breast, and
added in chicken broth leftover from making the gravy. All I really
needed extra was two cups of those lovely frozen mixed vegetables we
bought at meat market and two bay leaves, a handful of chopped onion.
Voila. I added in a can of evaporated milk that was expiring this
month, and made dumpling batter. One hot and delicious meal for one
cold gray gloomy day. <b>Bonus savings: $4</b> my allowance for meals...We have enough leftovers for another meal later this week.<br />
<br />
Preventative maintenance this morning. The ant scouts were out on the
other counter where we keep foodstuffs in the cabinet above. I moved
everything out, wiped down the shelves, sprayed a line against the back
walls and sorted through items so that all was nice and neat (and well
away from the ant spray even though it had dried by the time I put
things back in. I tossed only two items. I'll count my loss for only
one as the first was a bottle of dill that I know was several years old
and all but crumbs had been used. The other items <b>a loss at </b>- <b>$1.79.</b> <br />
<br />
I wasn't inclined to do too much today except play about on the
computer. Occasionally I take a day out to follow all the blog links
within whatever blog I'm currently reading. This week it was Tracy's <b><a href="http://seasideenchantment.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Enchanted Cottage</a> </b>wherein she was so kind as to list my own blog here as one of her <a href="http://seasideenchantment.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-favorite-frugal-blogs.html" target="_blank">favorite frugal sites</a>. Well I checked out her other favorites. Gems!<br />
<br />
John offered to buy me a subscription to one of those genealogical sites
so I could happily pursue my new hobby. Kindness itself that man...but
one of those favorite bloggers made comment on her blog that she was
doing research and she could access those sites free through the Family
Search website (Latter Day Saints has a huge genealogical database that
links to other archival paid sites) at the public library! Now and then
I luck upon info that is free through that site but I get frustrated
when 'evidence' is just a credit card charge away, lol. Per this young
lady, I can access those paid sites without charge through the site via
library systems. This is truly <b>savings! $98 a year </b>for one of those sites and some were pricier.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 4: </b>Fashioned a new wreath for the back door. I spent
NOTHING. I used just what I had on hand and it's cute as can be. I'll
try to get a photo of it to post later this week. I'd have liked it to
be a bit wider and a big more this or that but to have used just what I
have...well I'm pretty satisfied and it certainly did cut out that
desire to go <u><b>buy</b></u> which can bring hardship to a budget.<br />
<br />
I worked on the wreath while sitting out on the back deck. I find that
moss is such a messy medium to work with indoors and I learned my lesson
at Christmas when I made that moss covered sphere to use on the dining
room table. Ugh! The bonus of my work space, aside from fresh air and
sunshine and a certain red dog sitting adoringly at my side (and
snitching flowers as it happens, the little scamp!)? Getting to see
hundreds and hundreds of geese winging their way northward and hearing
their lovely calls as they flew. Sometimes saving money just has
benefits that are beyond cost.<br />
<br />
Made a meal from some leftover roast beef. That beef roast cost me
$18. We ate from it twice last week (and I will include the fact that
both kids ate from it while we were gone) plus I put up two packages of
meat in the freezer before we left on our trip. I used one of those
packets, frozen bell peppers, a sliced onion (that had sprouted so I
wanted to use it up right away before it spoiled) and made Italian
Pepper Beef for our main meal today. We had enough leftovers from that
dish to make two more hearty servings. Wow. That 'expensive' roast is
looking less pricey by the minute. Safe to say that we just had an
additional <b>savings of $3</b>.<br />
<br />
I replicated those Mc breakfast sandwiches again this morning, this time I used sausage. <b>Savings: $5 </b>for two homemade sandwiches with coffee.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar. 5 </b>Harvest Day in our home. I broke the news gently late
last week that we were going to have to buckle out belts a tad tighter
with the new budget. No complaints from my husband, though he likes it
no better than I do. We will survive, however, and bills want paying no
matter what else goes on, just as people want to eat come meal time no
matter if the world is ending. I explained my hard and fast grocery
budget and suggested some treats would be better halved in the amounts
(we should eventually start to lose weight we've cut so many of our
treats in the past three years, lol).<br />
<br />
Our new routine is that I take the check to deposit, the bills to post
and pick up local purchases from local stores. I gather any trash that
needs to go to the dumpster, too. Trying to make this trip to town
count as much as it can, just to save on gasoline.<br />
<br />
I did do one thing you might think foolish, especially in light of the
other thing I did today...There's a branch of our bank in three towns
within 15 miles of us. Personally, I like the one in the town to the
west, 11 miles away. It's simple really: they call me by name when I
come in, even at the drive thru. In the town to the east, where I've
banked for nearly 20 years, they still ask for my I.D. I had to go to
the town on the east of us today, but I drove to the bank in the town
to the west first. Yes, I know, with gasoline costs and what they are,
but I just LIKE having someone treat me as though they KNOW me. I paid
about $1 for that trip over to the bank and back again. <b>Loss -$1.</b><br />
<br />
And then I drove to the town to the east and bought gasoline because
it's $.10 a gal cheaper than it is here in this town. Mind you I also
went by the pharmacy. <b>Savings for 11 gallons of gasoline $1.10.</b> <br />
<br />
We also do take out for dinner on this day, our little treat for the pay
period. Right now it comes from the grocery money, previously from the
entertainment budget (which took a header this past budget cut). Today
I wanted Mexican. I went through a half dozen options and eventually
decided that this was the only thing that would do. I was pleased to
discover that I could order a Burrito plate (with three sides! and free
chips and salsa!) for the same price as a chicken dinner with two
sides. Not such a hard 'hit' on the grocery budget at all and nice to
know.<br />
<br />
Went to the pharmacy drive thru. There's nothing tempting at the drive
thru window. No pretty new nail polishes or rosy lipsticks or pastel
colored candies for Spring. Sure does make it easy to avoid impulse
buys.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar. 6:</b> Leftovers for our dinner today. That's like a free meal
in my opinion. Our salad today was Ambrosia. I used orange segments I
froze in January, a can of that 'gotta use it or lose pineapple' (<b>savings $.50) </b>mixed with some coconut and a few chopped maraschino cherries. It was a nice cold contrast to the hot chicken and dumplings. <br />
<br />
We really enjoy eating these little sausage links made from beef or
turkey. We enjoy them so much I have to be careful that we eat only a
serving and not a whole box! Fair warning this morning to my husband
when I did cook the whole box. "These are being saved for another
meal..." <b>savings: $.50</b>, insuring that we do get two meals from the box.<br />
<br />
I managed to finish that freezer inventory (last of the big inventory
for this quarter) this morning. No surprises in the big freezer. I was
pretty sure of what I had and I didn't have to toss out too much. Some
beans and rice had slipped to the bottom and were undated, so I'm sure
they were older than six months, and 3 hamburger buns. Not sure when we
had those nor why they were at the very bottom of the freezer. I tore
them into bits to feed to the birds, though Trudy has decided I really
meant her to sit guard over them, sigh. <br />
<br />
There's an ant trap in the bathroom, the sort filled with an attractive
poison. Those always make me nervous. Not because I'm afraid of
contamination but because it becomes a regular "Party Like It's 1999"
for the ants who trek to and fro and come in droves. I fought my
instincts and left the thing in place. Lo and behold this morning I
found the trap devoid of poison, dead ants littered the counter and
floor. It does work if you leave it alone instead of panicking at the
site of the ants the way I normally do. Letting the ant trap do it's
job and getting good use from the trap <b>saved $1.50</b>. <br />
<br />
Sat down with my inventory lists, the grocery store sales sheets, and my
coupons today. I made out a 'short list' of items to purchase, mostly
fresh produce and dairy items, but a few really good sales items that
will benefit pantry and freezer next month. I figured what I mean to
spend and I should save half of my budget. I'll actually post my
savings tomorrow. Planning ahead is only half the battle. Fighting
impulsive urges and sticking to the list is the harder half.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 7: </b>Grocery day. I planned carefully and kept on task. <b>Savings today: $24</b>
below the balance I've set in stone. Not a huge savings, but I filled
the holes in our pantry. Next pay period, I hope to just spend the bulk
of my money at meat market. Any leftover this pay period will help
cover costs of produce/dairy products needed.<br />
<br />
<b>Mar 8: </b>We had to run to town to pick up pain reliever for John
who was experiencing some allergy problems. We made the trip count:
took off trash, took an article to the post office to mail. <br />
<br />
Shopped at home this evening...What is the point? It kept me on task
and I wasn't distracted by sundry other "oh I could use this!" items. I
bought a new set of pantry shelves. Researched several options and
determined I could use a set from Walmart that are made from a resin
type material. Final cost with delivery here to the house was $42.
That is <b>a savings of $30</b> over other options. I made sure to
measure my space, and to check on the weight capacity of each shelf (250
pounds) which should work beautifully for me.<br />
<br />
Bonus of having new pantry shelving? I now have shelving I can use in
two other areas where I wanted to put shelves. Neither requires a heavy
load capacity and no damage will be done if they do come apart. I can
use what I have in the pantry now. <b>Savings: $60</b> at the least, based upon pricing of the lowest quality options.<br />
<br />
<b>Total: $268.57</b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-2119840443192584532013-03-09T10:24:00.001-08:002013-03-09T10:24:44.283-08:00Q & A<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3C4munH8NzCjL8vzyVxyhuozpTyKo3EiGEqSCW7a5Bvn_arQQxfpPFXtl3Y_wgXEpRVAlXpcLfVvWyDbVcVCw126y41UyTKSP0vtIZdARn0nAKSu-dmzHbktaL0kg2z8WhtC6Rc6I1I/s1600/ClickHandler.ashx.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3C4munH8NzCjL8vzyVxyhuozpTyKo3EiGEqSCW7a5Bvn_arQQxfpPFXtl3Y_wgXEpRVAlXpcLfVvWyDbVcVCw126y41UyTKSP0vtIZdARn0nAKSu-dmzHbktaL0kg2z8WhtC6Rc6I1I/s320/ClickHandler.ashx.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b> Not to criticize your meals, because they do sound delicious... but I am
not sure how adding a rice dessert to a meal with baked beans makes a
"complete protein"? There's a lot of carbohydrates and sugar in that
meal, but I don't think the "complete protein" theory applies here...
although, the meal sounds amazing and I would eat it in a second,
protein or not! :) Anonymous</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
Good question! I'd love to address you personally but since you didn't
leave your name and chose to remain anonymous that's impossible.
However you know who you are...<br />
<br />
My posted menu: <b>Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Corn Muffins, Orange Wedges, Rice Pudding</b><br />
<br />
I looked this up to be sure of straight facts, because I've always
'known' it and can't remember where I learned it. I believe my
knowledge came from reading a magazine article back in the early 80s
when the U.S. was in another recession. Or it might even have come from
an older cookbook or WWII era magazine when meats were rationed.
Nevertheless <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/351077-the-protein-in-rice-beans/" target="_blank">rice, beans, and/or corn do indeed form a complete protein</a> when combined in a meal. You can click on those words to lead you to a link that confirms.<br />
<br />
In our poorer days we often used the method of combining beans and corn
or beans and rice (or even all three now and then) to stretch our
dollars and feed our family of 7 a balanced diet when meat/money was in
shorter supply. WIC programs now offer beans and rice on their
vouchers, as well as peanut butter and cheese, all good sources for
protein alternatives. You'll also find this combination in use in many
underprivileged countries where fresh meat is not always an option.<br />
<br />
Other foods may also be combined. I found <a href="http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/802982/get-your-protein-with-meatless-combinations" target="_blank">this article </a>interesting for vegetarian/meatless meals.<br />
<br />
Reading back over the menu itself I can see where one might think it
full of sugar. In the South we do not sweeten our cornbread nor
coleslaw. The beans would have sweetening from molasses or brown sugar
but not much is required, nor does the rice pudding have a ton of sugar.
I use a recipe that calls for a low sugar amount and I'll be making
only 2 servings! My recipe calls for lemon zest, but were I to add
raisins I'd have need of even less sugar since raisins are naturally
sweet. <br />
<br />
The meal may well be heavy on carbs, but heavy on fiber as well, which
offsets the carb counts somewhat. With the beans, cabbage, cornbread,
orange and rice we will be getting almost all of our daily requirement
of fiber in this single meal. Just one serving of each food would net
us almost 24 grams of fiber. Had I leftover brown rice instead of
white rice, the fiber content would be right at the recommended daily
allowance for fiber. So this meal would be a very filling one and
satisfying on several counts.<br />
<br />
We certainly would not be having a cereal based breakfast this day. I'd
be far more inclined to serve bacon and eggs and keep toast to a single
slice. Supper too might well end being a big salad or a bowl of tomato
soup rather than relying heavily upon carbs.<br />
<br />
I do try to balance meals throughout the day and the week so that we get
a good variety of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs and fibers. I'm
not a nutritionist but I apply the knowledge I've gained over years of
reading and making menus.<br />
<br />
And thank you for the compliment! I think our meals will be tasty this week, too.<br />
<br />
<div class="GDACNK3CBB">
<i><b>Karla wrote: Everything
sounds delicious! Your menu plans are always very inspiring and
mouth-watering.
I do have a question - do you have any tried and true resources for
knowing what will freeze well and how you rewarm it all back up to taste
good? Or is it just from experience and know-how? on <a href="http://bluehousejournal.blogspot.com/2013/03/weekly-menu-plan-pantryfreezer-version.html?showComment=1362599450489#c257160497356112998" target="_blank">Weekly Menu Plan - Pantry/Freezer version</a></b></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/31-things-you-can-freeze-to-save-time-and-money.html" target="_blank">Jillee</a> compiled this list of things that you can freeze. I thought it rather interesting. <br />
<br />
University of Georgia offers this guideline for<a href="http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/freezer_shelf_life.html" target="_blank"> freezing</a> basic foods.<br />
<br />
But I think what you're asking me, Karla, is how do I freeze things like
mac n cheese and some of the other entrees that I will make ahead.
It's really been a matter of trial and error and reading suggestions on
blogs.<br />
<br />
For the most part, the less an item is cooked the better it freezes in
my opinion. For instance, the Macaroni and Cheese: I cook the pasta to a
hard al dente stage, just barely even suggesting it might be almost
cooked and then combine with a white sauce based cheese sauce. The
sauce is usually enough moisture to finish cooking the 'macaroni as the
casserole bakes. If I choose to prepare a pan of lasagna and freeze, I
don't bother to cook the pasta but I will layer with a wetter sauce so
the noodles have more moisture to become tender. <br />
<br />
Most all frozen entrees will cook best at 350F adding extra time for
thawing/cooking if you are freezing. I used the directions from
Stouffers boxes of entrees (lasagna, mac and cheese, etc) which require
you to keep the food covered for the first hour, uncover and continue
cooking for an additional 30 minutes or so. Of course, the lesser
amounts of food (say an 8 inch square pan as opposed to a 9 X 13) would
require less cooking time. Unlike baking cakes, there is NO harm in
checking an entree as it is baking. If I have a special meal planned
and I'm uncertain how to time foods that have been frozen, I find that
thawing them overnight in the fridge and then for an hour or so on
counter if still frozen (on mild days!) is sufficient to thaw and I can
bake as per usual instructions.<br />
<br />
I will experiment with most entrees at least once. That said, some of
the things I'm less fond of freezing include any sort of cooked poultry
unless it's going into a casserole or soup. I'm not fond of it at all
as an entree. However, Roast beef tastes very well once cooked, frozen,
and thawed. I seldom freeze fully cooked items though, except as
single serve entrees meant to be thawed and heated in the microwave. I
do like to make up spaghetti meat sauce or chili and freeze as the
flavors tend to be so much better after that additional time. <br />
<br />
I can say honestly that cakes frosted with butter cream frosting will
freeze well, too, but I'm not an expert when it comes to baked goods.
You'd want to check out <a href="http://makedoandmend-stuff.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rhonda</a>
who often freezes baked goods with success. She makes up biscuits to
freeze and I believe that she freezes them unbaked. She also freezes
cookies after they are made and will make several pies. Please check
her blog for these posts, or drop her a comment. I believe that Clarice
at <a href="http://www.storybookwoods.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Storybook Woods</a> freezes muffin batter in cupcake papers and bakes right from the freezer. <br />
<br />
I have made eggrolls and burritos (as well as breakfast burritos),
sausage and biscuits, uncooked biscuits, mac and cheese, lasagna,
enchiladas, etc from scratch and frozen before and after cooking.
Cooked rice will freeze well for a time, but does tend to lose moisture
and dry out, so plan to use it within a few weeks time. I know many
cooks who freeze cooked dried beans to keep on hand for casseroles,
soups and stews. Not quite as convenient as a can, but you can control
the seasoning yourself when you prepare at home and thaw as needed to
reheat.<br />
<br />
I guess about the very best advice I can give you is to check the store
freezer aisle and look at what they have frozen as entrees and if you
can make it yourself, go on and give it a try! You could keep a notebook
handy and jot down what you liked and what didn't work for you,
something I began to do earlier this year. Good luck!<br />
terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-77272673426641396202013-03-09T10:22:00.000-08:002013-03-09T10:22:28.921-08:00Week 1 Menu Pantry Freezer Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNu-vtCCKE/USreJw3yryI/AAAAAAAACjo/rb1nT7DR2Ik/s1600/pantryfreezerchallenge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNu-vtCCKE/USreJw3yryI/AAAAAAAACjo/rb1nT7DR2Ik/s320/pantryfreezerchallenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm a little late this week. One of my March goals was to be cyber free
during Monday DAYS...but I just didn't have time to do all I wanted to
do online last night. I'll plan better next week. For now, here's the
menus, some meals already eaten and some to be prepared still.<br />
<br />
I haven't finished my inventory of foods quite yet, but what an eye
opener! The little freezer in the closet? I found a whole chicken and a
pint of homemade chili in there I didn't even realize I had. I won't
tell you how many packets of chocolate chips I have either, but it's
enough to last me a little while, lol. That's the good part of
inventorying your foods. The bad: finding that foods have expired,
sigh. And discovering that the little freezer is roughly half full of
fruit that I have been storing for far far too long in the hopes of
making jelly or jam. Apparently it's not going to happen and if it
does, I'll definitely want fresher fruit than the freezer burned ice
encased bits I found.<br />
<br />
The third advantage: I've caught a few foods that are nearing expiration
or which I've a quantity greater than usual that will expire in a few
months. Like 6 cans of pineapple. Hello? Guess whose eating pineapple
at least every other week for the next couple of months?<br />
<br />
Well here's to planning meals with what you have.<br />
<br />
<b>Baked Chicken, Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans</b><br />
I found a container of dressing from Thanksgiving (our dinner was in the
first week of December). The mashed potatoes left from corned beef
dinner end of last week. I added half and half and piled in a dish to
reheat in the oven. Even the green beans went into a pan to heat in the
oven. I thawed a package of two chicken breasts and discovered one XL
breast and one XXXL breast. I halved the biggest one and put in a heavy
stainless skillet with a little butter after seasoning with paprika,
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sage. <br />
I put the breasts in skin side down so they browned and crisped up, then turned after 25 minutes to finish cooking.<br />
<br />
In the back freezer I also had chicken broth, and I thawed a packet
planning to make potato soup...but I lack the ingredients to make a
Reuben sandwich (like Rye bread and Swiss cheese). So I made gravy with
some of the broth and the rest was used to poach the XL chicken
breast. That will show up in another meal.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicken and Dumplings, Peach Salad</b><br />
Ta Da! Breast #2, broth, leftover mashed potatoes, leftover
gravy...It's all in the pot waiting on an addition of mixed vegetables,
milk, and light fluffy dumplings. For milk in this dish, I'll use an
about to expire can of Evaporated Milk. With the salad, I think I've
covered all necessary food groups in this meal.<br />
<br />
<b>Chili Mac, Green Salad, Cornbread Croutons, Pineapple Upside Down Cake</b><br />
Freezer chili, about to expire macaroni, cornbread muffins from the
freezer, and the first use of the glut of pineapple that will expire in
May. How's that for a meal from the Use It Up aisle? John loves chili
mac, but I've more than enough macaroni in this box to make that dish
and have leftover pasta. I'll cook to just al dente, make a thick
cheese sauce and put a casserole of Mac N Cheese in the freezer for a
future ready to cook entree.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Pepper Steak, Rice, Green Salad, Tangelos</b><br />
I'll use leftover roast beef for this meal, though I normally use
sirloin steak. I'll slice the cooked meat into strips and toss with my
cooked bell peppers (from the freezer) and onions. The rice is in my
pantry, the lettuce one of two heads in the fridge and the tangelos,
sitting on the counter where they've been for three weeks.<b> </b>They are still nice and fresh, one of the bonuses of citrus fruit.<br />
<br />
<b>Leftovers</b><br />
I have some of nearly every single meal made leftover, 1 serving here, 2 servings there. We'll add salad<b>, </b>a bread and fruit and call whatever we choose a meal.<br />
<b> </b><b> </b><br />
<b>Quiche, Asparagus, Orange Rolls</b><br />
I know it's a pantry/freezer challenge week but here's the deal: it's
spring...well almost, close enough that we're getting fresh asparagus in
our area already and last time we were at Aldi I was able to buy some.
If I see it in the market when we go in to pick up eggs and milk and
lettuce this week...Well I'm buying more. Love the stuff. And it's so
good with quiche, which is a good excuse to buy the Swiss cheese I'd
like for the Reuben sandwiches<b> </b>we didn't get to eat last week.<br />
<br />
<b>Reubens, Potato Soup, Apple Pie</b><br />
I've been looking forward to this meal and a grocery trip is my excuse
to have it. We'll buy apples anyway, as we've no fresh fruit at home. I
only need Rye bread (small loaf) and some Swiss cheese to complete the
meal otherwise. I expect to add a nice chunk of money to my 'beef fund'
this pay period.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Corn Muffins, Orange Wedges, Rice Pudding</b><br />
Does it sound odd to have rice pudding following baked beans? I
thought, since it's essentially a meat free meal that the rice would be a
nice addition to the beans to make that complete protein. I'm not sure
how John will greet this meal. He may have me break out the hot dogs
to boil to go alongside, but I'll try him and see. The beans are in my
pantry and I figure if I bake them and then freeze the leftovers I will
be more inclined to using them. That's the theory...terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-75509086407072148192013-03-01T18:55:00.000-08:002013-03-01T18:55:35.402-08:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Feb. 25: </b>We spent the day watching it rain...and doing very
little else. I read that Sunday paper that we bought the day before,
made dinner and watched it rain. There doesn't seem to be any savings
in a day like this but there was. We RESTED. Rest is very underrated.
It boosts the immune system, it relieves stress, and it allows the body
to go into deep sleep at night. I could buy vitamins and supplements
and energy drinks and take them day and night but nothing restores
energy like rest.<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 26: </b>I doubled up today and planned two meals from one. I
had a corned beef in the freezer that I put in the crockpot and then I
doubled the amount of potatoes. That's one corned beef dinner and one
meal later in the week of Reubens and Potato Soup for the weekend
ahead. I'm willing to wager that we get two meals off the second meal.
The corned beef dinner cost us about $10 which some non-frugal sorts
might think is pretty good, since it's still less than take-out for two,
but getting three meals means we're down to $3 per meal. That suits
my frugal self very well. <b>Savings of two future meals: $16</b><br />
<br />
I wanted a simple dessert. John and I discovered our apples were no
longer crisp but leaning toward the soft/mushy side. I know he won't
touch them when they get to that stage of ripeness, so I cut one of the
apples in half and cored it. Filled the center with a pat of butter and
a tablespoon of brown sugar and then used wonton wrappers from the
fridge (using what I had) to wrap the apples. I put in a dish and
poured a 1/2 cup of apple cider around the 'dumplings' and baked them in
the oven. They were soooo good and the whole amount of sugar and fat
was minimal. I'd priced apple dumplings in the freezer section a few
weeks ago and decided not to purchase. My homemade version used what I
had on hand and made good on an item that might well have ended up being
wasted. I think my version might have cost $1 to make. Compare that
to $4 for two. <b>Savings: $3 </b><br />
<br />
After last month's electric bill hike I was determined it would go no
higher.We used the dryer a little less, used the propane heat a little
more, cut off any unnecessary lights no matter how dull and gray it was
outdoors. All to the good. The last bill decreased, <b>a savings of $25.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 27: </b>Mama and I skipped the usual shopping part of our day
out, but I can't say I saved money today either. It was my turn to buy
lunch. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Feb. 28: </b>I started planning for the new month today and began
work on the inventory of the pantry and freezer. I 'found' a whole
chicken I didn't know I had, plus a pint of homemade chili and a big
container of chicken broth with vegetables and meat bits suitable for a
future chicken dumpling day. That was the good side of the day. The
bad: I had some expired items. Namely one bottle off cheap syrup and 1
can of baked beans. They weren't recently expired items either, like
the box of macaroni that we will use tomorrow to make chili mac. <b>Losses today: -$2.25</b><br />
<br />
I organized things while I was in the back pantry and put them in order
of need to use. I thought about it all afternoon long and decided what I
need is a package of bright colored round labels. I can put a label on
each item that needs to be used FIRST. <b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I made a good dinner today of leftover fried chicken, hashbrown
casserole and peas. Cooked the peas in the oven, letting them steam
alongside the chicken and casserole. <br />
<br />
We didn't need all the casserole recipe for one meal, so I put up three
smaller casseroles for future meals. I like having these sorts of
things in the freezer for future use. You can buy these little side
dishes in catering and cafeteria type restaurants already frozen but
gracious goodness it cost next to nothing to make it here at home.<br />
<br />
Decided to rework the budget based on a no overtime/no holiday
pay/increase in taxes took all of our raise basis. It's a tight budget,
what is known as a Zero balance budget, meaning every single penny is
accounted for, but it's do-able. I'll have to toe the line with my
grocery budget that's for sure. <br />
<br />
When we were at the hotel this past weekend, they put out single serve
pod packs of coffee for our use. As we left Sunday morning, I picked up
the decaf packs (just two) and put in my food bag. I thought they
might come in handy and so they did. John wanted a cup of coffee late
in the afternoon, after I'd emptied the big carafe. I used one of those
courtesy pod packs to make him a cup of coffee. <b>Savings: $.25</b><br />
<br />
<b>Savings: <u>$42.00</u></b><br />
<br />
<b><u>Total February 2013: $ 1,580.85</u> </b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-66591355776956582632013-03-01T18:54:00.002-08:002013-03-01T18:54:34.367-08:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Feb. 15: </b>What a busy day in my kitchen. We washed a full load
of clothes this morning and hung the bulk of the load to dry. That
meant the dryer had to run only half the time it might otherwise.<br />
<br />
I washed a dishwasher full of dishes this evening. I ran on a shorter
cycle, since I rinse the dishes well when loading. And I turned off the
heat/dry mode and let them air dry.<br />
<br />
Was that all? Nope. I washed out my bras by hand using watered down
shampoo. Shampoo is gentle, as gentle as those 'special' cold water
detergents meant just for hand washables. And using that watered down
shampoo instead of the 'special' stuff <b>saved me $2.99.</b><br />
<br />
I made a loaf of bread, but I've already given that savings last week
when I said I would make bread. I also made up a batch of hot dog
buns. The good sort from the deli bakery are closest to my homemade
ones, so I'm upping the <b>savings to $2.99</b> to reflect that rather than the mass produced big name bakery buns that don't even begin to resemble homemade ones.<br />
<br />
Made a big pot of soup for Sunday dinner. I used some leftovers from
the fridge, canned vegetables and a bit of leftover roast. I ended up
with easily 2 gallons of soup and for pennies! There is no canned
vegetable beef soup half as good as homemade, but I reckon using what I
had compared to cans of soup at the grocery is a rather substantial <b>savings</b> <b>$9.45 </b>figuring ten cans of soup at $1.29 minus the cost of the canned veggies I used.<br />
<br />
Put bell peppers into the freezer today, <b>savings $3.00</b>.<br />
<br />
Opted to rethink the meal plans I had in mind for the weekend meals. I
'saved' myself one meat meal with that bit of thinking. <b>Savings: $4.99.</b><br />
<br />
I really have found a trick for 'saving' bananas from ripening too
fast. We bought a very green batch of bananas last week at Aldi.
Brought them home and I divided the bunch in half. I put three to ripen
next to our apples. The other three went into a sealed plastic bag. I
used the bag the bananas came in, making sure the bananas were
thoroughly dry (and bag, too) then I closed up the bag tight, wound a
rubber band around the top of the bag. This morning we ate two ripe
bananas from the first batch. My second batch? Not quite as green as
when we brought them home, but still not quite ripened either, 8 days
later. That little trick <b>saved $.98</b> the cost of half that batch of bananas.<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 16: </b>I spent all day long researching family history. I
have so enjoyed this hobby and I must say that so far it's cost me $5
for a big notebook where I write down information. I thought, towards
the end of last year, that I'd join one of the websites that specialize
in documentation and connections, but I confess that looking at the
prices I just couldn't bring myself to spend money on it right now, not
when I can and do find so much information free. I won't count it
savings since I haven't spent it and was only considering it, but the
least expensive website I've come across so far is $80 a year. Compare
that to my $5, but it is worth mentioning that if you dedicate TIME to
research you can find information. If you don't have time to devote to
long hours of reading and seeking then by all means, join up. It's one
of the least expensive hobbies I can think of!<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 17: </b>No savings today...and no spending either. It was
plenty cold, perfect soup and cornbread weather. John brought home the
paper and we played with the crossword puzzle. I found two coupons to
use towards grocery shopping this week, which will cover the cost of the
paper. Others went into my coupon stash. I spent time with my
daughter (the reason for the soup) and finished the day off with that
final episode of Downton Abby. It was a good day.<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 18: </b>Cleaned out the refrigerator. There were losses but
minor ones, 1/3 of a bag of spinach, some packets from take out (duck
sauce, ketchup) (WHEN did we last eat takeout?!). Cleaned and
organized, I know for sure that nothing will spoil or is lost and
lanquishing. I'll take my loss on the spinach (<b>-$.49</b>).<br />
<br />
Dinner plan for tomorrow is takeout fried chicken. I know my husband
prefers KFC but honestly I'm into savings this week. I made potato salad
and black eyed peas tonight. Tomorrow I'll just heat when I come in
with the chicken. A 1/2 pint of potato salad at the deli (another
favorite of that husband of mine) is $2.99. Homemade cost me $.85 for a
pint and a half. That's quite a savings, five times as much potato
salad for less than 1/3 of 1/2 pint! My <b>savings: $14.10</b><br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 19: </b>I love the internet. Trudy has a cough. She feels
fine, you can see that in her bright gaze, shiny fur, perky ears, lack
of fever, and complete and total interest in every meal and treat put
before her, not to mention loving to run the fields with Maddie. But
that cough... I looked up doggy coughs online and sure enough I found
one that sounded exactly like my Trudy's. It seems that this particular
sort of cough is produced after a bit of grass or a tiny leaf gets
lodged in the lung. All that was needed per the online vet, was an
expectorant (NOT a cough suppressant nor a decongestant) and I know of a
really good one that is safe. Since Trudy weighs 55 pounds a child's
dose would work just great for her. I picked up a store brand
expectorant<b>. </b>That cost me $4 and is more medicine than she'll
require. It just so happens it's safe for humans as well and is a
common cold medicine ingredient so we can use it as well. That sure
beats the basic Vet visit of $65. <b>Savings $61 </b> (update on
Trudy: The cough is looser and more productive just 36 hours into
dosing her. Go internet!) (later note as of 2-24: still a little cough
now and then but <b><i>worlds</i></b> better. She can now bark and growl without coughing).<br />
<br />
I had a plan today that involved a lot of stops and a few hours away
from home. Well rain puts me off errands and I don't mind saying so. I
had a hair appointment and initially meant to leave home just in time
for that but I realized that if I left early, cut out two or three stops
and streamlined my morning, I could be home in two hours instead of
four. So I went to the bank, hurried into the dollar store with a 24
minute drive and 10 minutes to shop. Knowing you have a limited amount
of time to be in a store is a HUGE savings. I never walk out of the
dollar store with less than $40 of stuff. I got two items (the cough
remedy and a mascara) for $12. Saved $28 simply by not walking around
and 'just looking'. Those two items I picked up may have cost me $12 at
the dollar store but they would have cost $20 at any other store. I
saved <b>$8.</b><br />
<br />
I changed hairdressers in the past couple of months. I really really
like working with this young lady and she works hard to give me a great
experience in her chair. She listens to every thing I say, tries to
work on any problems I might have had with the style, etc. The bonus of
this is that she's $5 less expensive than my former stylist. My former
stylist was good but was a bit afraid to 'cut'. She preferred to do
your hair every two weeks. That <b>doubled</b> my costs. What a choice to have to make! A decent haircut for <b>$44</b>
a month or look shabby for two weeks a month and pay $22. New stylist
knows how to cut hair just right. I pay the lesser amount, can easily
go four weeks without a cut (she even suggested I might go five!). I'm <b>saving $60 a year, $5 a month.</b><br />
<br />
Skipped going into the local grocery. I'd meant to go in to purchase a
certain brand of shredded cheese that was on sale. I don't normally
buy shredded cheese, but this brand has a shredded Gouda. I never pick
up just the Gouda because I buy into that sales promo of Two for $4.
As I scanned my memory for any other items I might want, I knew that I
was only going in for the cheese. I can buy an 8 ounce package of Gouda
for$2 at Aldi. That's 3 ounces MORE than the sale promo cheese. That
would be a <b>savings of $2.40</b> at the<b> </b>cost per ounce of 1 package of the other brand.<br />
<br />
Picked up chicken at the local diner. It costs $8 for 8 pieces, which is a <b>savings of $6</b>
over the 4 pieces of KFC. They threw in an extra breast today. We'll
get 3 meals off that box of chicken. I've frozen and reheated this
before with very good results. So for $8 I get a meat entree for today
and two future meat entrees. We never have leftovers of KFC to make a
second meal. <br />
<br />
Today was Harvest Day, when we pay our tithes and bills from John's
paycheck. The propane truck came to refill the tank yesterday but we
didn't need any gas this month. I budgeted $30 a pay period for
propane. That's <b>$60</b> we can apply to our car loan which will mean we make <b>an extra payment</b> on that loan amount. <br />
We'll save some interest. Don't ask me how much, I don't figure such, but it's a little money that adds up.<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 20: </b>We moved up our grocery day to coincide with some
errands John needed to run today. It just made sense to save the
gasoline by combining the trips. I went into one grocery while he got
his hair cut next door. The grocery has a Starbucks and because I
registered a gift card that Katie gave me at Christmas I qualified for a
free coffee this month. I got the coffee today. <b>Savings $4.35.</b><br />
<br />
Although I went over the grocery and Target fliers repeatedly dog food
was not on sale in any of them. I was really disappointed. I was out of
dog food. I looked over the shelves really well and discovered that
while the brand wasn't on sale, the particular flavor they prefer WAS
and for the same price I paid January 4. I figured then that buying
four bags essentially netted me a free bag. I bought four bags today. I
should have dog food enough for 6 weeks and hopefully will find another
sale at that time. I <b>saved $10.99</b>, the cost of the fourth bag and a single mfr. coupon for that brand.<br />
<br />
Walked around the deli cheese section and I'm glad I did. I found a 5 ounce block of good blue cheese for $1.79. <b>Savings of $1.29 </b>over the okay cheese I normally buy to make dressing.<br />
<br />
We bought a 12 pack of water for a future trip. I realized as we headed
home that I was really thirsty. John offered to stop and buy me
something to drink. I asked if he'd just stop and take a bottle of
water from the trunk. <b>Savings: $1.49</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 21:</b> John and I planned a trip for this weekend. We've
traveled enough in the past year or so that we've about got packing down
to a science. The hotel we'll be staying in serves a continental
breakfast but the place is packed out from 6a until 9a when it closes.
We picked up cinnamon rolls and string cheese for breakfasts and I
brought along our own coffee to brew in the room coffee pot. We'll save
the cost of breakfast two mornings (<b>savings $12).</b><br />
<br />
I cooked a rump roast for dinner. It weighed four pounds. I knew we'd
be gone this weekend but the roast had been thawed and needed to be
cooked. It served us for dinner, and then I sliced and divided up the
remaining meat and put into the freezer. I could have safely left in
the fridge over the next couple of days <b>but</b> I happened to think
of the two kids meeting us at the house on Sunday. They rummage through
the fridge and eat things sometimes. I left just enough for them to
make a sandwich or two. <b>Savings: two meat entrees for four for future meals, about $12. </b><br />
<br />
While I was packing foods away, I decided it might be best to freeze
half of the two packets of luncheon meat we'd bought. That allows us to
have sandwiches NEXT pay period and insures we don't have leftovers to
spoil.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Feb.22:</b> I made a homemade rendition of a popular breakfast sandwich and served prior to our journey. <b>Savings $6</b>.
I used super sale priced English muffins, thin turkey ham, a slice of
cheddar and a single cooked egg. I think my version cost us a whole
$.30!<br />
<br />
We booked our room via online 'bargaining site' that lists prices from
the hotel website and several other travel sites at once, allowing you
to choose the best price. This <b>saved</b> <b>$20</b> for our stay.<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 23: </b>We had to balance our budget on this trip since we were
staying an extra night and so we did what we could. We packed
breakfast foods and snacks. We bought a pack of bottled water at the
grocery. At convenience stores, we'd have paid $1.49 a bottle. The
packet of 12 bottles cost us only $2.99 and we had enough water to last
us all weekend long, even to share with family for the trip to the zoo
we made. That's a <b>savings of $15.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Feb.24:</b> The two youngest kids were waiting for us here at the
house. Katie's car needed a repair and her brother was doing the work,
using dad's tools. A meal would be needed and after five hours driving
home? Not likely to be a happy moment for me, lol. We noted at the
grocery earlier this week that hot dog buns were just $.35 a pack. We
have hot dogs in the freezer, canned chili on the pantry shelf, sweet
potato fries in the freezer...A meal. <b>Savings $20</b>, the cost of a take out meal for four.<b> </b> <br />
<br />
<b>Savings this week: <u>$337.55</u></b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-10279743375461346152013-03-01T18:52:00.002-08:002013-03-01T18:52:56.826-08:00Why a Pantry/Freezer Challenge?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<i><b>Terri,
I really enjoy reading your blog!!
I was just reading that groceries are supposed to take a hike again in
April due to the drought, which we are still in. I'm wondering why you
do the freezer challenge instead of constantly stocking up? I've read
of other gals who rotate their stock and keep stocking all 12 months of
the year. It just seems to me that it would be smarter to keep stocking
up while prices are as low as they are instead of waiting for them to
climb higher.
Just wondering,
Pam</b></i><br />
<br />
Pam, that is a great question. I have several reasons for doing a challenge.<br />
<br />
#1. I like to keep my stock orderly, but eventually during a quarter
(which is about the average time frame between pantry/freezer challenges
for me), I find myself pressed for time, forgetful or just plain
slacking and I don't rotate, add or remove items from my inventory list,
etc. When the pantry and freezer are burgeoning with goods it's hard
to see what we have. This brief season of slowing down allows me to get
my bearings, discover where we have failed to restock, what we need to
use, etc. For instance, just this week I discovered that I have no
instant potatoes on hand. While digging for milk in the back freezer, I
found two Cornish Game Hens...That was meant to be a holiday meal which
I'd forgotten and those items didn't make it to the inventory list. So
you see this time of a challenge benefits me in keeping the rotation of
goods.<br />
<br />
#2. If I'm taking a time out from our regular spending, I can take
better advantage of sales or set money aside to stock up in other
areas. The purpose of the March challenge is to save money to put
towards a bulk purchase of beef from the meat market. We've found this
beef to be superior to any at the stores where we shop and the prices
are comparable to non-sales prices on most items. Since the store is
some distance from home we don't go there often. We found it difficult
to manage once a month as we'd originally planned, but the cost of a two
or three month supply is a bit higher than we can manage on our usual
budget. So you see the savings the challenge will allow me to make a
bulk purchase that I might not otherwise be able to make. I hope to
make this purchase at the end of this month, just prior to that expected
price hike.<br />
<br />
#3. It's a good way of testing my supplies. What I mean by that is
that in doing a pantry freezer challenge I can see how well my stock
holds up if I'm not actively adding to it. That will give me a clearer
idea of about how long my supplies will last. I've said before that my
pantry and freezer stock are an emergency fund. My goal is to have at
least six months and up to a year's worth of food. The last time we did
a pantry/freezer challenge, I realized that I really needed to push
harder to build up my stock. That gave me the impetus to fill that small
freezer, something I'd put off doing. <br />
<br />
#4. That small freezer is my final reason for this particular
challenge. There are several items in that freezer that I've hoarded
for far too long. Odds and ends I've kept with good intention. It's
time to empty it out and make space for edible foods. And since I hate
to waste, I can any of those items that are still viable for use (like
the buried Cornish Hens which I purchased in early December) and get rid
of those that have been kept for far far too long.<br />
<br />
So long answer to a short and nicely put question.terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-64873653393256927962013-03-01T18:51:00.002-08:002013-03-01T18:51:13.100-08:00The First 2013 Pantry Freezer Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNu-vtCCKE/USreJw3yryI/AAAAAAAACjo/rb1nT7DR2Ik/s1600/pantryfreezerchallenge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pGNu-vtCCKE/USreJw3yryI/AAAAAAAACjo/rb1nT7DR2Ik/s320/pantryfreezerchallenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We've done very well here for the first two months of the year. I
stocked up on meats the first week of January at the meat and grocery
markets, we've built up our pantries. I've got enough meat to just
about carry us through the month of March...and a little extra money to
restock the freezer would come in handy in April. I think it's time to
have my first Pantry/Freezer Challenge for 2013. <br />
<br />
I'll likely buy dairy and produce during this month but will try to keep
other purchases to absolute necessities and save all I can for
purchases in April.<br />
<br />
Anyone want to join in?
terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-70096678568007095552013-02-17T12:35:00.000-08:002013-02-17T12:35:41.239-08:00A Year of Savings in 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>February 8: </b>Grocery day. I came in well under my budgeted
amount this week, as well as under the usual amount I spend. I'm sorry
to say that while I have a set budget we typically are about $30 over it
at the end of a day's shopping. So you'll understand that I'm
especially proud to have come in under the $10 under my budgeted
amount. That's a <b>savings of $40</b>.<br />
<br />
I earned enough Swagbucks the last week to acquire another $5 gift card. <b>That's $5</b> I can spend on household or personal needs that didn't come from our budget!<br />
<br />
Put <b>$3</b> into the vacation/call time fund after we returned home today.<br />
<br />
Came close to buying a bottle of French salad dressing but after
questioning John, we decided I'd make more of my own. Bottled dressing
at the store cost $2.29. I figure my <b>savings $2.00</b>.<br />
<br />
Paid $2.00 for Bleu Cheese today. The packet of cheese will make two
jars of Blue Cheese dressing. The jar of a similar dressing in the
refrigerator section goes for $4. <b>I save $ 5 </b>making two jars at home.<br />
<br />
I prefer to buy bread at Publix, but this week I just plain forgot. We picked up two loaves at Aldi ($1.29 each, a <b>savings of $3</b>) and I told John I'd make a batch of homemade bread (<b>a savings of $4.50</b>)
to make up our usual four loaves per pay period. He was agreeable to
that, as he really likes the homemade bread, just finds it a bit too
tender for making sandwiches for work lunches.<br />
<br />
<b>February 9: </b>Use it up! Found the tail end of a bag of french
fries at the bottom of the freezer. There was just enough for two small
servings so I baked them in the oven. We skipped our more usual chips
with our supper sandwich. Small savings to be sure but savings
nonetheless of <b>about $.50.</b><br />
<br />
<b>February 10: </b>I had green onions in the fridge that just didn't
get used as quickly as they ought. I stripped off the bad green
portions, trimmed the tops and then diced them down to about 1 1/2
inches above the root ends. I had about 1/2 cup of chopped green onion
that went into the freezer. Then I took those root ends and set them in
the window in a glass of water. I've been reading on Pinterest how
these roots will grow more green tops and I'm all for getting more for
my money! <b>Savings $1.29</b> for not wasting the onions and a possible future savings of the same if they grow as well as predicted.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
Today was all about using things up, too. I finished off the last of
the free full sized bottle of dish detergent sent to me via a survey
program in December, by rinsing out the bottle well. That was the last
drop and I <b>saved $2.99</b> by using all of that bottle of detergent and not buying another bottle.<br />
<br />
Took one hot dog and two baked potatoes and made up an entree for our
Tuesday dinner. That meal is from leftovers (and if I remember it will
be a Leftover Makeover feature). Served with a salad and a second
vegetable, it will make a great low meat meal for the week and I can
save meat for another meal, stretching my budget out that much further.
<b>Savings estimate:</b> <b>$3</b> the cost of 1/2 pound of meat.<br />
<br />
Made the last bits of chicken (1 breast and 1 thigh) into a chicken pot
pie for today's main dish. I put the bones, skin and fat into the
freezer to use to make broth. Incidentally, the broth used to make
gravy for today's pot pie was the liquid drained from the roasted
chicken the other day. That triples the savings from that little bird.
One chicken equalled 1 pint broth, 3 full sized meals (we have enough
pot pie leftovers for another meal) and a future quart of homemade
chicken broth from the bones and skin. I paid $4 for that chicken. The
broth alone is a savings of <b>$1.50, </b>bringing the cost of the
chicken down to $2.50. Which means I averaged $.30 a serving for
chicken dinner. Who says you can't save money by eating at home?!<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 11: </b>Employed that shop at home trick once more in my
pantry. I 'bought' mayonnaise, olive oil, butter, coffee, juice, and
peanut butter. All bought on sale at best prices. I <b>saved</b> <b>$10</b>
over the usual store prices buying on sale. I saved even more by not
having to go to the store and steer through the impulse laden shelves...<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 12: </b>I so love cell phones. Yes, they cost you to use but I
have to say this for sure, the built in long distance is a huge bonus
to a mom with kids who all live in the distance.<br />
<br />
Of concern to me has been the responsibility of protecting the music
that John has written. He's seen to copyrights, but the physical pages
with lyrics and chords represent 10 years of work and really concerned
me, since the copyright process was merely recorded CDs. We've had the
discussion a number of times about this for three good reasons. First
was a book I'd begun writing on floppy disk, only to discover that was
obsolete before I'd finished. When our computer died, so did the book,
since there was no physical copy. Then John began recording his music
on CDs. However, the latest machines now use flash drives. I feel
strongly two things will not be obsolete: pen and paper. So we decided
to make copies, but safe storage was a big concern. We finally settled
on our safety deposit box...and then when the copies were made we
realized we didn't have enough room in it.<br />
<br />
We upgraded to a larger size. Honestly the savings here can't even be
calculated at this point but peace of mind knowing his work is safe is
priceless.<br />
<br />
We got our tax refunds back this week. First we tithed, then we put money in <b>savings ($1,000)</b>
and finally we splurged. Our big splurge was a trip to the grocery
where we limited ourselves to a $20 splurge fest. Our favorite snack
food (one salty and one sweet each) and steaks for dinner. We <b>saved $1.89</b>, what we had left of that $20. Just call us big spenders. <br />
<br />
Only 1 item in this week's sale paper for the local grocery seemed
worthwhile. I bought green bell peppers for $.50 each, a savings of
$.19 over the best price I've seen anywhere. <b>savings $1.14.</b> I
have a plan for them. I'll make up a batch of stuffed peppers and put
them in the freezer for future easy prep meals. I'll chop the other two
peppers and freeze to use in other recipes.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 13: </b>A refund was due us on the smaller safety deposit box. I had it applied to our new box rent. <b>Savings: $6.46.</b><br />
<br />
A trip to Walmart used to mean pointless items tossed into the buggy.
Today's trip I stayed on target by thinking hard about what I'd pick up
before we arrived. I chose to purchase OTC pain relievers and a special
brand of lotion we like. I <b>saved $6 </b>purchasing those items at Walmart instead of elsewhere.<br />
<b> </b><br />
I priced some of the items on that shopping list I have. Pillowcases
were the same price at Walmart as they were at Ross last week but the
ones at Ross were a higher count and much better quality. Quality wins
out in this case. I kept my money in my pocket for my next trip to
Ross. <b>Savings, albeit temporary: $11.00 </b>(cost of 2 sets of pillowcases).<br />
<br />
<b>Feb. 14: </b>Valentine's Day is a quiet thing in our home. We
didn't buy one another cards. For goodness sake, this man tells me I'm
beautiful right off the bat each morning and any man who can do that
doesn't need to buy me a card! And honestly? I've yet to read a single
card that says what I feel about him, so why go for second rate? We <b>saved $10 </b>right there.<br />
<br />
No flowers either, not even a grocery store bouquet. <b>Saved $10</b> there, too.<br />
<br />
What DID we do? We kissed one another and said "I love you." I made a
meal I thought he'd like and he did. We shared our usual after dinner
bite of chocolate over cups of coffee. <br />
<br />
Lest you think we are completely lacking in romance I did buy him
something. Two king sized Tootsie Rolls, his favorite candy treat which
he savors whenever I spy them and purchase them for him. And yes, I'll
have chocolates too, but not yet. At my earnest request he's buying me
a BIG box of chocolates. Tomorrow when they are half priced! What can
I say? I'm greedy when it comes to chocolate and I'm frugal, too!<br />
<br />
<b>This week's Savings: <u>$1128.27</u></b> terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-13315768680762122152013-02-17T12:32:00.002-08:002013-02-17T12:32:51.305-08:00This Week's Meals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvBv_1xJX9BB0LGKAl-BvBuQ5AHWi096ZxWYpwJ4UCe9wJdJ8IpDIPtO9Cxro6InOIC8o3uMZSMq0GpLOMzHvJmOfUpUYYUz8E7FWIajdqeWrdfS8gq7gtxiPraMTcda5Hd3N7s3_zOU/s1600/new+menu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvBv_1xJX9BB0LGKAl-BvBuQ5AHWi096ZxWYpwJ4UCe9wJdJ8IpDIPtO9Cxro6InOIC8o3uMZSMq0GpLOMzHvJmOfUpUYYUz8E7FWIajdqeWrdfS8gq7gtxiPraMTcda5Hd3N7s3_zOU/s320/new+menu.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
Brrrr! A deep cold front came in this weekend and it's about as cold as
it will get here. Yesterday the wind shook the house and rattled the
windows it blew so hard. Today, thankfully, the wind is quiet.
However, it was a perfect weekend for the meal my girl Katie requested
for her visit.<br />
<br />
One meal down...six to go for this week.<br />
<br />
<b>Vegetable Beef Soup, Cornbread</b><br />
I'd thought I'd make a dessert but John brought in boxes of chocolate
yesterday, one for me and one for Katie, so we let chocolates suffice.
The soup is a bit of leftovers (roast, some beef stew) and a few cans of
vegetables. Not a pricey meal to make but it really did hit the spot
today. Since the majority of it consists of leftovers and my family
doesn't much care for leftover soup, I expect the dogs will eat well for
a day or two, but I'm not aggrieved over that. Their food costs more
than that pot of soup did. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Tacos, Whole Kernel Corn, Green Salad with Ranch dressing</b><br />
I've been craving tacos for a week. I don't have tomatoes to top these
with but lettuce and cheese and sour cream and green onions will do well
enough, right? <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Fried Chicken, Coleslaw, Potato Salad, Black-Eyed Peas w/ tomato jelly</b><br />
I'll pick up chicken from the local diner, make the rest of the meal
here at home. I have a hair appointment this morning, it's Harvest Day
and I'll need to pay bills and pick up the local sales items while I'm
out, so I'll definitely cook ahead. <br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Leftover Chicken, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Dressing, Cranberry Sauce </b><br />
I know we'll have leftovers from the chicken. There's a pan of dressing
in the freezer so I'll just heat it up and I'll put the green beans in
alongside. I've got instant potatoes and I'll make homemade gravy from
broth I've stored in the freezer.<br />
<br />
<b>Vegetable Pizza, Salad</b><br />
Grocery day usually finds us eating hamburgers at Sonic but I think I'll
change up our 'routine' and we'll bring home a nice homemade pizza.
I'll have it prepared and in the fridge ready to just pop in the oven
when we get back from the store. I won't get all the groceries put away
before dinner will be ready.<br />
<br />
<b>Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Chips, Grapes, Chocolate Chip Cookies</b><br />
Should my husband look at me and say, "Let's go off somewhere today," as
I suspect he might do, I've got a picnic menu in mind. I can prepare
it quickly and pack it right up. And if he says no such thing and we
end up staying at home, never mind. It's still a nice easy meal to
prepare. I might go the extra pace and grill the sandwiches, add a nice
canned soup to the menu.<br />
<br />
<b>Corn Moussaka, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Warm Pita Bread, Puff Pastry Fruit </b><b>Turnover</b>s<br />
I love this recipe for Moussaka with it's rich flavors. I've been making
it for 30 years now and it never fails to wow those who eat it. And
it's so easy! I'll buy the turnovers from the freezer section at the
grocery. They aren't very expensive and taste so good for an occasional
splurge dessert.
terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-3005409482214152072013-02-10T13:54:00.000-08:002013-02-10T13:54:01.956-08:00Weekly Meal Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here it is time to plan meals all over again. I've made a pretty good
start thus far. I have at least two meals in the fridge and a third one
planned, so minimal effort on my part to finish off the week. Let's
see how well we can do with that last bit of planning.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Pot Pie, Coleslaw, Coconut Cream Pie</b><br />
Leftover chicken, broth, frozen mixed vegetables and a pourable crust.
It's an easy enough meal to put together on the first day of the week.
Mama made the pie for my birthday last week. It's homemade and tastes
pretty good, much better than that frozen one I was going to buy myself!<br />
<br />
Bones and skin from the chicken went into the freezer to make broth with later on.<br />
<br />
<b>Beef Stroganoff, Noodles, Green Salad with Beets and Egg Yolks, Russian dressing, Dark Rye Rolls</b><br />
I'm making stroganoff from scratch using sirloin I bought on sale last
month and froze. I plan to use baby Portabella mushrooms which have a
meatiness all their own that will allow me to cut down on the amount of
meat the recipe calls for. The dressing will be homemade. I've got a
recipe in my file that I plan to try, since the homemade French and the
homemade Blue Cheese dressings have been such a hit.<b> </b> <br />
<br />
<b>Twice Baked Potato, Green Peas, Green Salad, Biscuits</b><br />
Since John took me out to eat on my birthday, I didn't make the meatloaf
and twice baked potatoes I'd planned for last week. The potatoes were
baked and in the fridge, so while I made Chicken Pot pie today I went
ahead and prepared the potatoes. I had a hot leftover from supper one
night so I sliced it up and added to the potato mixture before stuffing
the shells. I think this will make a nice hearty main dish from my
leftover potatoes.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Leftover Chicken Pot Pie, Pineapple Salad, Lemon Pudding</b><br />
We had enough pot pie to serve us another meal. I think with the
addition of the salad and the pudding we'll find we've had just enough
food.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Pepper Steak over Rice, Snow Peas, Tangelos</b><br />
I should have enough steak to net us a second meal that will stretch
nicely with a trio of bell peppers (green, orange, red) and onions.
I'll serve over rice with the snow peas on the side, but they could be
tossed into the stir fry, too. <b> </b>The last of the Honeybells should be eaten this week.<br />
<br />
<b>Waffles, Sausage, PanFried Apples</b><br />
Sweet Potato or Pumpkin? That's my big question about waffles tonight.
Which will I choose? I do love breakfast for dinner and it's been a
long while since I've made it, but who says we can't have breakfast for
dinner even if we do eat dinner midday?<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Corned Beef, Steamed Cabbage, Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread</b><br />
I know my husband...a week of eating meat in bits and pieces in other
dishes won't generate complaints but he'll start to prowl the kitchen
and look 'for something'. He's a meat eater and so am I, and though I
do like to cut back here and there, we really will be ready for a solid
meat main dish. I bought a corned beef a few weeks ago and put it into
the freezer. I think it will be delicious on a cold blustery day, don't
you?<b> </b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-45227996336939973442013-02-10T13:26:00.002-08:002013-02-10T13:26:54.604-08:00A Year of Savings: February 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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February and a new month to begin saving anew. I thought I did fairly
well in January and our repayment of that car loan shows the hard work
we put into savings. We are just a few dollars shy of breaking another
'barrier'. I want to go as far below that mark as we possibly can. So
I'm looking for ways to amp up the savings. There are just 28 days this
month to make a dent, so I'll have to work a bit harder than last
month.<br />
<br />
<b>February 1: </b>I know I'll have to go to the store this weekend and
it's my own fault. I didn't buy milk nor cat food this last pay period
and I knew I'd need them both. However, I want to stay away from the
store until at least Sunday when I will go into town to buy the Sunday
paper.<br />
<br />
In the meantime...I'm out of more than milk and cat food. I haven't got
any of my favorite purchased cleaners for the bathroom. I do however,
have a decent enough substitute in three items: that powerful homemade
shower cleaner (works very nicely on tubs and sinks, too) and plain old
baking soda and vinegar to clean the toilets. Worked beautifully. Trip
to town avoided.<br />
<br />
<b>Savings: $4 </b>the cost of cleaners<br />
<br />
<b>February 2: </b>I like to have an easily prepared meal for our
Shabat day meal. The less work there is in putting a meal on the table,
the less clearing up after, the more real rest the day affords. I
planned ahead on Friday and made pizza dough. I mixed it up until it
was a firm ball of dough, then put in a zippered plastic bag to sit
overnight in the fridge. Cooked beef and onions on Friday, too, and had
the vegetables in the freezer all prepped. All I had to do today was
to 'toss' the dough until it began to feel light and stretchable, then
spread it on my pan, top with the prepared toppings and bake. It took
me a whole ten minutes today to prepare the meal.<br />
<br />
We could have gotten take out, or even frozen for the day, but home made
is always the best in my opinion and for just a few minutes work <b>I saved $10.</b><br />
<br />
<b>February 3: </b>Today was the day to go into town. Milk was gone
and the cat food bin was empty. Sunday papers were on the shelves. The
hardest part: deciding where to shop. Where was the least temptation
to overspend? Our local grocery was the spot. Their prices are a bit
higher than the stores a few miles away, but the range of products is
limited and the higher prices kept me on target. Besides the local
store had potatoes for $.29/pound about the lowest price I've seen on
potatoes in a long time. Even at Aldi they haven't been that cheap. <b>I saved $2.99</b> the cost of a five pound bag elsewhere.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
Not going into the dollar store today saved me money as well. My 'setpoint' for that store is about $35. Going to the grocery <b>saved me $8</b> off that setpoint.<br />
<br />
John is going to a super bowl party tonight and didn't want a heavy
dinner. He wanted me to pick up something for dinner today and not make
a big meal. He paid for the take out from his allowance, a <b>savings to our budget of another $5, </b>the cost of a Subway sandwich.<br />
<br />
<b>February 4: </b>I was out of French dressing today and it was
important to have it to go with my salad. I went online and looked up
recipes but found nothing quite like what I wanted. I decided to wing
it. After all most all salad dressings are based on oil and vinegar,
sugar and salt, right? It's just getting the balance right and then
adding whatever flavor is best suited to the salad. I used ketchup as
the flavoring (I wanted a paprika tomato base), mixed up my ingredients
and tasted until it was just right. It was so good, I think I might
just mix up my own from now on. <b>I saved $3.29</b>, the cost of a
bottle of dressing, and discovered that I am developing my own little
recipe file of dressing recipes to make up: blue cheese, thousand
island, and now French.<br />
<br />
Made a roast chicken for dinner and discovered as I rooted about in the
fridge that half an apple was sitting on back of the shelf, where it had
been pushed a few days before. It wasn't spoiled, just a little dried
out on the edges, which I trimmed. Then I used that apple and some
onion to fill the cavity of the chicken, which imparted good flavor and
kept it moist as it roasted slow and long. I used another apple in the
salad which polished off that batch of apples. Using <i><b>all</b></i> the apples <b>saved me about $1.50</b>, because we buy apples individually per my husband's request and they are always pricey compared to bagged apples.<br />
<br />
John's birthday tomorrow. He's a man of simple tastes: yellow cake with
chocolate frosting. I made a cake from scratch, using a recipe that
makes just a 8-inch single layer. That cake didn't cost me as much as a
boxed mix and frosting nor anywhere near as much as a cake from the
bakery! I <b>saved about $4</b>. <br />
<br />
<b>February 5: </b>While we were up visiting with Katie we went into a
bookshop. She began to look at Bibles and mentioned that she needed a
new one. We looked and looked at the various versions, styles and
covers and finally she sighed, "What I really want is my old Bible!"
Her dad asked where it was and she said she'd left it at the church we
left during her senior year. That was almost four years ago!<br />
<br />
John took a chance and asked our former pastor's wife to check. We told
her about where Katie thought she'd left it...and then we waited. Bless
April, she found the Bible near the area where Katie thought it might
be and offered to meet us so she could return it. <br />
<br />
I'd happily have bought Katie a new Bible, but I know how lovely it is
when you're used to a certain one and you can turn to just the book you
want and know just about where to read, when you just feel comfortable
with a certain translation, etc. I'm not counting savings here because
it's intangible compared to having something lost be found, something
loved and thought gone forever to be returned. I'm sharing only because
this was the saving this day, the opportunity for my daughter to know
that someone besides just us cares for her enough to make a little extra
effort, to take the time to go out of their way for no reason other
than love, as April has done several times now.<br />
<br />
<b>February 6: </b>Today was my husband's day to spoil me and I do love
it. I'm not a fussy person, like simple things and he knows that. We
went out to dinner at The Bullock House in Warm Springs, ate our meal
from the buffet and then John ordered a single serving of dessert which
we shared. I wandered about the grounds and into two of the gift shops
without damage to our bank account, lol. I spent my allowance on my
purchases and came out under $20. By the way, our dinner and ride up
was under $20 as well. I could have asked for a pricier meal at a chain
type restaurant without half the charm and John would have happily
provided it. However, charm costs a good bit less than chains. <b>We saved about $20.</b><br />
<br />
<b>February 7:</b> We meant to buy groceries today but the rain began
at 7am and didn't stop until 3pm. We joked about 'high water' marks on
the house but that rain was much appreciated and badly needed. And yes,
we postponed buying groceries. Extending ourselves by one more day is a
savings because it's one day less of groceries I must plan to buy. <b>Savings $14.25</b> our average daily expenses per our budget.<br />
<br />
<b>Total:</b> <b><u>$73.03</u></b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-79121143279363137442013-02-10T13:25:00.001-08:002013-02-10T13:25:13.951-08:00A Year of Savings: January 2013 Totals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>January 22: </b>Feeling splurge-y. Well I was this day at least. I
didn't feel well, didn't have an easy meal in the freezer, didn't feel
like making a meal from scratch. Take out? I opted for grocery freezer
section which is generally less expensive than take out and marginally
healthier than most options. I needed Blue Cheese dressing but at $4 a
bottle locally, I was definitely not feeling like that much of a
splurge. I came home and made my own for about $1.25 worth of
ingredients, including the blue cheese, which offset the cost of my
splurge a little. <b>Savings in making my own dressing at home: $2.25</b><br />
<br />
<b>January 23: </b>A dozen oranges languishing on the fruit
stand...Every time I walked by them I checked them for spoilage but then
I found one with the telltale soft spot. Once one goes, they all start
spoiling. I was just not going to lose my money by throwing them out.
So I spent an hour or so this afternoon, peeling long strips of zest
from the rinds. I sectioned the oranges and put them in the freezer
(along with the rind in a separate bag). I'm sure to get my money's
worth from them now. <b>Savings: $2.29</b><br />
<br />
<b>January 24: </b>There's a fact out there that 20 minutes in a store
equals $20 overspending on impulse purchases. I told John I had a short
list for Aldi and so I did. My goal: get out of the store for $20. I
spent $17. <b>Savings: $3.</b><br />
<br />
We've been using a dealership to service our cars for sometime now. It
was time to have the oil changed in the Toyota and we debated where to
go. Should we go to the dealership where Mama had the car serviced? To
the dealership where we purchased our newest Honda? To the Honda place
across the city? We finally settled upon the dealership where Mama
normally had the car serviced...After all it couldn't be much more than
what we'd been paying right? Turns out the Toyota dealership is rather
luxe. John and I were a little worried about the cost, but we'd
committed ourselves. We were used to paying upwards of $50 for
service. We crossed our fingers, settled in and waited. Humph. Turns
out this luxe treatment was just the way they treat their customers.
Service was half the cost of the other place. <b>Savings to us: $25.</b><br />
<br />
John offered to take me out to lunch and suggested a variety of places.
I know we're going out to eat this coming weekend. I suggested we go
to Sonic. <b>Savings: $20</b><br />
<br />
<b>January 25: </b>Last night I noticed as I drank my milk that it
tasted just a bit 'off'. I'd been meaning to make yogurt and decided
to do so before the milk spoiled. 2 quarts of milk made into yogurt and
incubating, I still had milk to use up. I looked up a recipe for
gingerbread after recalling my favorite Grace Livingston Hill author
mentioned sour milk in gingerbread several times.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
The yogurt did not set up. I thought it was a big loss but after
reading online I discovered that I'd essentially 'saved' my milk. Seems
that yogurt cultured milk is good for about a month even if it doesn't
'set'. I plan to freeze mine in 1cup portions to use in baking. <b>Savings: $1.50</b>, for a half gallon of milk that didn't get tossed out.<br />
<br />
<b>January 26:</b> Another rescue mission: 1/2 dozen Gala apples that
got a wee bit wrinkly. I cored and chopped them and steamed, then
mashed with the potato masher and made the best homemade applesauce.
The apples were so sweet that I didn't even need to add any sugar. <b>Savings: $1 </b>for half a bag of apples.<br />
<br />
<b>January 27: </b>Off to visit the kids and we ate our dinner out
today. Lest you think we are spendthrifty I'll share that this meal did
not come out of our bank account and no it wasn't a 'free' meal
either. John and I paid for it with allowance/gift money that we'd set
aside. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I won't list the 'savings' but
the peace of mind we had knowing we'd taken the kids out and we
wouldn't have to pinch and scrounge to make up for it is just about
priceless.<br />
<br />
<b>January 28: </b>It was a big spending day today. How much did we spend? $260.00.<b> </b>How much did we save? <b>$250.00.</b>
How's that? We didn't spend a penny that wasn't already set aside for
the services we purchased today except $10. That's right. We only
spent money that was already allocated for the services we purchased,
except that one small amount. Now that is truly savings!<br />
<br />
<b>January 29: </b>We'd contemplated new floor mats for the Honda and I
wanted new ones for the Toyota as well, until John priced the Honda
mats at $147. Wow. While he's researching Honda mats from someplace
other than Honda, he decided to clean mine. Are they perfect? No, but
the majority of the dirt and stains from spills that Mama and Granny
made in the car were removed. We hadn't gotten around to pricing them,
but I'll bet they cost at least (and very likely more) than the Honda
mats. <b>Savings $147</b><br />
<br />
Over this past week I've heard at least 6 times, from myself or John,
"Oh we're out of ----, better go to the pantry and get some." That
pantry has been the greatest boon for us. Yes, it cost a bit to get it
stocked, but we did it in increments, a little at a time. Yes, it takes
up space. But when you figure that for every twenty minutes you are in a
store you spend $2/minute, and you note that no less than <b>6</b>
times this week we had an outage, filled from our own freezer or pantry,
then you can see that is equivalent to say three trips to the store
and I'll wager we'd have spent $15-20 each time. Figured
conservatively, I'll say we <b>saved $45</b> easily.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>January 30: </b>I planted peas today. Last year I harvested two
pods but this year I'm certain they will do better. I waited a little
longer to plant them, I have a better idea of the sun requirements and
my pot has better drainage. Gardening isn't hard. It's all about
learning what you did wrong and NOT repeating the same mistakes again. I
did not purchase new seeds. I had seed left from last years packet. I
know many will tell you not to use the seeds from year to year but I
thought I'd see how they do. Ultimately, if they germinate I will have
lost nothing. Since I use the square foot method of planting (yes you <i><b>can</b></i>
do this in a pot, too), I use fewer seed. There's a savings in that as
well, since using few seeds mean I can stretch a packet to cover more
than one crop. Not a huge savings but <b>about $2.00</b>.<br />
<br />
<b>January 31: </b>Two big savings today. First, I was out with Mama
today, instead of yesterday. We visited three stores. I went into two,
but purchased in only one. My store of choice for shopping was Ross. I
had a list, looked only in those areas related to my list. I stayed
right on target and no doubt saved myself money. However my real
savings came in a bit later when we went to the two other stores. I
stayed in the car at Target. There's always something I want at
Target. I average about <b>$50 a trip</b> when I go in, so I'm counting
that as my savings today. It might sound iffy to you, but I've talked
about spending setpoints before where we condition ourselves to spend a
certain amount at a store. That is my setpoint at Target. Staying in
the car for certain saved me that much money!<br />
<br />
Second big savings was coming home and making cookies instead of
stopping in at the grocery to buy them. I haven't baked in a few weeks
since we had plenty of candy from after Christmas sales and fig bars we
bought at Aldi. However, John made comment earlier this week that we
were down to the 'dregs' of the candy and cookie jars and he was right!
There was very little left in either one. I had plenty of cookie dough
in the freezer so set two rolls in the refrigerator to thaw while I was
out today. After John left for work, I made cookies, two batches, the
equivalent of two packages. Of course, my homemade cookies taste far
and beyond better than store bought, but the savings is substantial. My
homemade cookies <b>saved us $8</b> the average price of two packets of cookies.<br />
<br />
<b>Total for this week:</b> <u><b>$557.04</b></u><br />
<br />
<b>Total for this month: <u>$1231.33</u></b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-83392331171597756542013-01-20T18:06:00.000-08:002013-01-20T18:06:30.368-08:00Weekly Meal Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvBv_1xJX9BB0LGKAl-BvBuQ5AHWi096ZxWYpwJ4UCe9wJdJ8IpDIPtO9Cxro6InOIC8o3uMZSMq0GpLOMzHvJmOfUpUYYUz8E7FWIajdqeWrdfS8gq7gtxiPraMTcda5Hd3N7s3_zOU/s1600/new+menu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvBv_1xJX9BB0LGKAl-BvBuQ5AHWi096ZxWYpwJ4UCe9wJdJ8IpDIPtO9Cxro6InOIC8o3uMZSMq0GpLOMzHvJmOfUpUYYUz8E7FWIajdqeWrdfS8gq7gtxiPraMTcda5Hd3N7s3_zOU/s320/new+menu.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
I have been so happy to spend so much of my time at home this week.
I've accomplished something every day except Wednesday when I was out
with Mama and that was just sheer 'I don't wanna', because I had plenty
of energy and time to have done anything I wanted. January to me is the
perfect month to declutter and re-organize and re-think what isn't
working. So far I've cleaned out more stuff than I thought possible,
considering I pretty much have de-cluttered twice a year at least. I'm
not a pack rat, but...well, things do accumulate and now and then it's
good to see what you have, discover what you'd forgotten, think about
what you own and what you're letting own you, etc.<br />
<br />
I can't say I'm anywhere near done, because I've only done a bit here
and bit there, not even finished one entire room yet (scarey thought!)
but I can say that what has left the house hasn't hurt my feelings one
little bit. I look forward to continuing this project until I've been
through every room in the house. <br />
<br />
I've been more on target with my menu this week. I think because I
really thought about what I'd like to eat this past week. I didn't take
into account exactly how much some of these meals make, for all that
they were low on meat. There was enough Sweet and Sour Chicken for John
to have a portion for his dinner on Wednesday. I still have rice left
(it's very good stirred into pancake or muffin batter by the way). Then
the Shepherd's Pie we had today for dinner is definitely going to serve
us again. Instead of making Chicken Gnocchi Soup, I made Spaghetti
Diable with the second chicken breast and half that went into the
freezer for a future convenience meal. There's enough Cheeseburger Soup
for another meal despite my eating it for supper. Amazing, truly, how
food can stretch!<br />
<br />
And that leaves me with three meals I never made in any shape or form. It's like money in the bank!<b> </b>I
won't boast too hard. I'm having buyer's remorse over that huge head
of cauliflower I purchased last grocery shop and haven't used a morsel
of yet. Sigh.<br />
<br />
Here's the plan for this week. You'll note I start out with a proper
'meat' meal. I've noticed we go along fine for about six days without a
meal that focuses on the meat and then we start snacking a lot, trying
to fill that craving for Bvitamins, iron and protein.<br />
<br />
<b>Fried Chicken, Potato Salad, Black Eyed Peas with Tomato Jam, Biscuits and Gravy</b><br />
I never did make biscuits this past week...well I didn't make them but I
did buy the canned biscuits John enjoys. I like a good homemade
biscuit myself and plan to make them this week. I'll double the recipe
and put a pan or two of unbaked biscuits in the freezer for future
meals.<br />
<br />
This menu is feeding my "I'm Southern and I want MY food" craving, the
sort of meal I grew up eating. Mama always served her potato salad warm
and that's the way I like it. Leftovers go in the fridge and John
considers that a treat. No competition from me on that score, I am
loathe to eat cold potato salad!<br />
<br />
I'll cook a few extra potatoes when I'm boiling them for the salad.<br />
<br />
<b>Roast Beef Hash, Garden Peas with herb butter, Coleslaw</b><br />
I discovered a portion of roast beef in the freezer, which should be
just enough for two if made into hash with the extra potatoes I cooked.
If there are any leftover biscuits I'll add those to the menu as well.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Chili Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad</b><br />
Our favorite brand of hot dogs are on sale this week and I couldn't be
more pleased. They are pricey and only come 7 to a package but we get
two meals off a packet. John found a deal on canned chili (a good
brand) at the grocery a couple of weeks ago and we bought several cans.
I prefer canned chili on my hot dog...The leftovers of the can will
make a supper of nachos or Mexican pizza one night for us.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Mock Filet Mignons, Cauliflower Au Gratin, Tossed Salad with homemade croutons</b><br />
<b> </b>One of the meals I didn't get to make this past week was the
mock filet mignons. I think the cauliflower will be a good
accompaniment.<b> </b>If I find, as I suspect I will, that there's still
going to bea lot of leftover cauliflower, I'll blanch and freeze. I
can always use it later that way.<br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Tostados, Corn with cumin butter, Avocado slices</b><br />
One chicken breast will stretch nicely to serve two. If you need to
serve more, you could spread refried beans on the tostado. I've got a
half cup of leftover kidney beans I'll mash and toss into the meat as it
simmers in the taco sauce which isn't quite going to stretch the meat
but will help add to the proteins in the meal.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Chicken Curry with Cauliflower, Rice Pilaf, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Pita bread</b><br />
Some of the cauliflower can most certainly go in with my chicken dish.
The pilaf is just plain white rice with add-ins like a bit of green
onion, coconut, raisins and sliced almonds. It's a nice side for curry
dishes.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Leftovers Day</b><br />
This week taught me that we will have leftovers of something from most
meals, even though I've gotten very good at reducing recipes. The main
culprits are those 'meat stretcher' meals which serve far more than
two. I don't have a meatless meal this week but with a leftover day,
that's a huge savings right there. However, if I change my mind we
could do a meatless meal of bean soup, mac and cheese, etc.<br />
<br />
That's my menu plan for this week. What's yours?<b> </b><br />
terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-32029411576985893262013-01-20T18:05:00.000-08:002013-01-20T18:05:19.473-08:00Are Coupons Worth It?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh672hgqgS-FPvRrBdd51mLmhKuyyV7STBhCdZUr42HeqiiPf5htZA4RmJIQIVdDkm4z667XOr4aGVGQSkzmVNd2C7fzjAeHLJVumV_SHYBJkm5oeA7GS1aVAd7zQHx5bg155L6RnX3iLI/s1600/cents+off.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh672hgqgS-FPvRrBdd51mLmhKuyyV7STBhCdZUr42HeqiiPf5htZA4RmJIQIVdDkm4z667XOr4aGVGQSkzmVNd2C7fzjAeHLJVumV_SHYBJkm5oeA7GS1aVAd7zQHx5bg155L6RnX3iLI/s320/cents+off.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
I had a question from Karla this week:
<i><b> </b></i><br />
<br />
<i><b>I notice from your menu plan
that most of the foods you prepare/cook/plan are not processed foods
(which is very helpfully inspiring). What percentage of coupons do you
say you actually use from the paper since so much of it is processed
foods? That's the only reason I stopped getting the paper but I'm
thinking of signing back up for it to use the savings. </b></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b> </b></i><br />
You're
perfectly right that we eat more whole foods/basics than we do
processed. That's because I like knowing how to pronounce the majority
of what I eat, prefer to control our sodium and sugar (I'd rather have a
handful of homemade cookies or a handful of chips than sugar/salt I
hadn't planned to eat). But make no mistake there are many ways to save
with coupons besides food, like those other things that tend to get
lumped into our grocery budget (pet food, cleaning, paper products,
personal care items, etc.).<br />
<br />
I confess that my current interest in coupons is three-fold: #1. I'm inspired by <b>"Extreme Couponers"</b>
even though I don't think I'll ever have the stockpile that some of
those folks have. I just can't imagine it. I do understand that many
of these ladies also provide for shelters and foodbanks in their areas
or send care packages to soldiers, but I just don't believe I see a need
in my life for dental cream when I don't have dentures, etc. I can't
fathom the number of products they buy...BUT I learn a few things every
time I watch that program.<br />
<br />
I loved the rotation system a homeschooling mom of seven had in place.
It gave me ideas for a smaller scale system in my own pantry. Two of
the couponers I watched recently both bought a product with both a
manufacturer's coupon and a full rebate offer, which meant they were
being PAID to buy that product. That money was used to purchase meat in
one case and in the other, the couple reapplied the saved money to
their grocery budget.<br />
<br />
#2. Most all of these folks have a STRICT budget that is far less than
my own, but they have built their stockpiles from that budget. Nearly
all of them spent 50-75% less than I spend. I could so use an extra bit
of money each month! I have worked hard to get my budget to the place
it is now, but I would love to see it go lower still.<br />
<br />
Once upon a time, long long ago, I would write out a check to pay for my
groceries when the teller told me the total, then I'd hand over my
coupons and get 'cash' for the coupons. This was an accepted practice
as they knew they were getting their money, but it's now frowned upon.
At that time I'd take the cash and put into our vacation fund. Now I'd
like to do that again, but I'll have to 'pay myself'. And it won't go
into the vacation fund, but the repayment of our car loan. True some
weeks it might hardly seem worthwhile if I save only a dollar but I
learned with eBay that those $1 and $3 amounts add up each month. I
just have to be BELOW my usual budget for those amounts to truly be a
savings. I can't spend the same amount AFTER coupons or more than usual
and say I had savings, if you see what I mean.<br />
<br />
#3 One girl said she NEVER paid out of pocket to buy shampoo,
toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, laundry detergent, etc. And she
was strict about not buying it if she had to pay for it! The truth is,
she's not doing anything I haven't done at times in the past. I may not
have 50 coupons for the product but almost every single week there are
sales on some personal care/cleaning product that I use for which I have
a coupon. I find these sales are generally best at CVS with the extra
cash bucks program. I got $35 worth of products FREE Christmas Eve.
Mostly personal care items which we are still using. Because I also
used coupons on those ECB offers and had some ECBs to redeem I stocked
up on John's favorite candy. It cost me NOTHING. Chocolate for FREE!<br />
<br />
Which coupons do I clip from magazines/papers? Every single one that I
even remotely think I might use, even if I normally don't purchase that
product because I am only brand loyal in a few areas. Otherwise I'm
open game. I won't buy more than one of a product I've never tried even
if they are free, but if I've tried it and liked it I'll certainly
happily buy all I have coupons for at the time. And yes, even those
preservative ridden coupons get clipped too, but I confess I seldom will
use them.<br />
<br />
I recall we once picked up about ten of those Hormel shelf stable meals
that we found on sale when I had a plethora of coupons for them. We
gave them to our son who was working part time at that time, while
attending college and his roommate had just lost his job. They were
very happy to have those meals and we were happy to be able to help
out. I've often let my kids come in to 'shop' my extras when they were
in a tough patch.<br />
<br />
When Katie married she took a stockpile of groceries with her to her new
home, all bought with sales/coupons. All she had to purchase was fresh
meat and produce for her first grocery trip. She called me after to
tell me she'd wandered the aisles and looked at prices and was
astonished that I'd been able to be so generous with her. I had to
point out the power of shopping with coupons and sales was the reason
she had such full shelves at home.<br />
<br />
Our
paper costs $1.50 to $2 depending on where it's purchased. If I get
only three coupons out of it <i><b>and use them</b></i>, I've recovered my costs. I usually get far
more, but the percentage is hard for me to figure. I sometimes use
only one or two coupons in a shopping trip and other weeks I might use twenty or so. <br />
<br />
So yes, I think coupons are worthwhile and the purchase of a magazine
such as ALL YOU or the Sunday paper (and in some cities, such as our own
paper, the Wednesday edition, too) for coupons. You can also print
off coupons from online sites BUT don't print them until you see the
sales. It's not worthwhile if you waste ink printing and then don't use
unless you have a super efficient printer.<br />
<br />
I am excited to see how coupons help me in this '<a href="http://bluehousejournal.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-frugal-week-return-to.html" target="_blank">Year of Savings</a>' and in accomplishing that goal of paying down that car loan!<br />
<br />
*<i> I wrote this last night. Today I had a chance to shop earlier than
usual for my weekly groceries, taking advantage of some good sales at
Publix. One of the purchases was deodorant for John. I bought 4 and
paid just $.55 each for them. I won't have to buy deodorant for him for
a number of months now. </i>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-14353050058612031092013-01-15T16:24:00.000-08:002013-01-15T16:24:58.793-08:00A Year of Savings: 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s1600/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<b>January 8: </b>Pancakes from scratch are easy peasy to make. I do
keep pancake mix on hand (nice to have for those emergency mornings when
I have no milk or eggs) but for the most part I make them myself. I
freeze extras for other mornings when time and hunger command a super
fast breakfast. I can microwave or toast as I choose. A box of frozen
pancakes costs about $2.50 on sale. From scratch pancakes cost less
than $.75 to make. <b>That's a savings of $1.25. </b>And note that $.75 price nets us TWO meals.<br />
<br />
<b>January 9:</b> I really don't remember doing it but I did and I'm
glad, because my husband decided it proved how very smart I am. What
did I do? Last spring we had to replace the tires on the Honda. John
was working at the time and I was alone when the purchase was made.
Apparently I opted to purchase a warranty/insurance on the tires.
Normally I wouldn't do any such thing.<br />
<br />
Just before my roadtrip I asked John to check air in the tires on my
car. While he was doing so, he went ahead and checked the tires on the
Honda as well. That's when he discovered a four inch slash on one of
his tires.<br />
<br />
We went to purchase a new tire this week. And that's when John
discovered I'd purchased a warranty. Yea, me! The new tire cost us
HALF what the old one cost. And yes, we purchased the same warranty for
this new tire. <b>Savings: $52.00.</b><br />
<br />
<b>January 10: </b>It pays to ask. I haven't purchased flowers in
quite a long while and I was just longing for some fresh flowers in the
house. I noticed a bevy of tulips at the grocery this week and went
over to price the cut bunches. No price, just a barcode. I asked the
florist how much they were and she came over to scan the. I figured
they were about $5.99 and determined I'd get one bunch. The florist
scanned, shook her head, "That cannot be right!" and went to the
computer to check. She couldn't get into the system to check the prices,
but printed out some labels and they printed out for $1. I was happy
as could be and purchased 3 bunches. I figure my savings at what I
expected to pay for one bunch: <b>$2.99, </b>but I might have figured it for all three bunches at $14.97<b>.</b><br />
<br />
At this particular store, I have a members rewards card, and my
purchases totaled (not including my flowers), $119. I paid $82. That's
a savings of <b>$37 </b>at that particular store where I purchased lost leaders and sales items only.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>January 11: </b>I don't know why it is so, but nine times out of
ten, our internet will go out on a Friday afternoon. The last three
times we've been told it's the same problem: ethernet cable. I figured
it was the same thing this time and knew we didn't have any spare
cables. I decided to call the free tech support service and yep, it
was determined the cable was at fault. <b> </b>Surprisingly enough,
however, the cable began working again ...I suspect it was an outage,
but I'll play along and pretend it was my cable. <b>Savings: $10.</b><br />
<br />
<b>January 12: </b>I really wanted pesto dressing with my salad today.
During the last 'Italian' week at Aldi, I purchased basil pesto in 12
ounce jar. Too much pesto for me to use up at once. I froze it in ice
cube trays and then packed the cubes into a jar. I had Italian
dressing, I had pesto. I used about a teaspoon of the pesto to about 1
tbsp of the Italian dressing. Presto! pesto dressing for one! That
little jar of pesto wasn't expensive, under $2 but the method of
freezing and using means I get to use it all. NOT tossing out pesto <b>saves me $1.50 </b>let's say, since I used only a small portion before freezing. Making my OWN pesto dressing using what I have <b>saves me another $2.50</b> over the cost of a bottle of dressing that likely won't get eaten either. <br />
<br />
<b>January 13: </b>We went to do a bit of shopping. We made out a list
before we left home. John surprised me and headed away from our more
usual shopping area and we went to Macon. We were in the same shopping
center as the place where I buy my bras. I always check whenever I'm
there for any in my favorite style that are my size. No luck today at
all. However, I'm not upset. I've been following Rhonda's
recommendations to handwash only and make sure to rotate when wearing,
so no bra is worn two days in a row. I've got five bras in rotation at
the moment, the oldest of which is almost 18 months old and still going
strong. <br />
<br />
My last purchases were made in June of this past year. I learned a
little further info about bras last year that has also helped extend the
life. When you purchase a bra, always start on the first set of
hooks. That's where it should fit you the best for your size. Adjust
the straps so that they are comfortable and don't slip. You shouldn't
need to adjust the straps ever again. As the bra ages, the straps will
start to slip down off your shoulders. Instead of adjusting the straps
(which seems the most logical thing, but truly is counterproductive),
adjust the bandwidth by moving to the second set of hooks. No more
slipping straps. When they begin to slip again, move to the third set
of hooks. It's when you're on that third set of hooks and the straps
begin to slip that you should toss the bra and buy a new one to replace
it.<br />
<br />
I thought purchasing a more expensive bra would be more costly in the
end. The price of the bras I like best are $26.50 each. I do find them
on sale buy one get one half price, which lowers the cost. Caring for
them properly and adjusting the band as needed means I can wear my bra
about two years or so before they must be replaced. I've actually <b><i>reduced </i></b>my costs buying the better bras!<br />
<br />
I save, on average,<b> about $26.50 a year</b> (the cost of two GOOD
bras per year) purchasing bras over the cost of the el cheapo bras I
used to wear ($13 each every six months or so). The back and shoulder
pain and pinching and such I used to experience is unheard of now that I
buy the right size and know how to adjust them as they age. That alone
is priceless!<br />
<br />
Picked up the Sunday paper while we were out today. Coupons almost
always offset the cost of the paper. John thoroughly enjoyed hours of
entertainment with this week's crossword puzzle and I netted enough
coupons to buy a Sunday paper for the next two months. <b>Savings: $2 </b>(just counting the cost of the paper which paid for itself).<br />
<br />
<b>January 14</b>: Mama called while I was working away at my
decluttering task and offered to bring out lunch and pay a visit. I had
a meal plan but you know the offer of company and the opportunity to
continue working for another half hour or more was very appealing. I
agreed. We saved a meal, which was pushed to tomorrow's meal plan. I
figure the cost savings to us was about <b>$5</b>, which is nice but the
best part was not having to stop work until Mama arrived and not having
to clear away dishes, so when she left I could go right back to work. <br />
<br />
<b>Calculated savings: <u>$156.74</u></b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-90563478682734100552013-01-15T16:22:00.002-08:002013-01-15T16:23:29.721-08:00Leftover Makeover: Lasagna Rolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zxrgx9q1GZU/UPHgKks8jII/AAAAAAAACf8/QZQedkARA1M/s1600/lasagna+rolls+014.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zxrgx9q1GZU/UPHgKks8jII/AAAAAAAACf8/QZQedkARA1M/s320/lasagna+rolls+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
I haven't done a Leftover Makeover post in a while. This was not my
idea, but one I found on Pinterest and in the interest of not just
pinning but DOING, I realized this would be a great way to use up a bit
of homemade spaghetti sauce.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, I made spaghetti sauce while John was sick. It was cold
and blustery outdoors and he was sick with a cold and what is better
than homemade spaghetti, loaded with vitamin C and the good carbs and
rich sauce that make a hearty meal? So while the sauce was simmering, I
was pinning...and I saw this pin on a friend's board. It occurred to
me that I had a partial box of lasagna noodles in the cabinet (a
leftover from a previous meal) and that I'd definitely have leftover
sauce because I always do.<br />
<br />
When I boiled my spaghetti for the meal, I let inspiration lead me to a
'savings'. I laid out the lasagna noodles in a 9 X 13 pan. When I
drained the spaghetti, I set the colander in the pan with the lasagna
noodles, removed my colander, covered the pan with a cookie sheet and we
had dinner while the lasagna noodles soaked in the water from the
spaghetti.<br />
<br />
After dinner the lasanga was just soft enough to roll and still al dente
enough to freeze and reheat very nicely. I layered on a bit of cottage
cheese. Here's one of my favorite tricks. I seldom buy ricotta cheese
as I find it too pricey and pretty much a lone ranger ingredient in my
home, bound to be leftover and spoil. I keep cottage cheese on hand
nearly all the time because John likes to eat it with fruit, I stir it
into mac and cheese, homemade blue cheese dressing, scrambled eggs,
etc. There's always a way to use up cottage cheese in this house! So I
use cottage cheese but to give lasagna the richness that ricotta would
lend, I dollop on a wee bit of cream cheese over the cottage cheese,
just little pinches of cream cheese. It's incredibly good!<br />
<br />
So lasagna noodle, cottage cheese, smidges of cream cheese, spoonful or
two of homemade really thick sauce, and roll up. Repeat until you run
out of lasagna noodles. I had seven. Sprinkle the top with a bit of
grated mozzarella and parm/romano blend and spoon on any extra sauce but
not too much because when you freeze these, then bake they produce
their own moisture.<br />
<br />
I kept mine covered and baked at 350 for about an hour. They were mostly frozen (I'd partially thawed in the fridge overnight).<br />
<br />
I really liked this idea and that the portion is pretty much measured
out for you. We ate two roll-ups each and that was just right in my
opinion. We'll split leftovers for a second meal sometime this week.
Next time I make these I'll freeze in such a way that I can take out
just enough for one meal. terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-86693572312146486352013-01-15T16:21:00.001-08:002013-01-15T16:21:24.604-08:00Meals This Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvBv_1xJX9BB0LGKAl-BvBuQ5AHWi096ZxWYpwJ4UCe9wJdJ8IpDIPtO9Cxro6InOIC8o3uMZSMq0GpLOMzHvJmOfUpUYYUz8E7FWIajdqeWrdfS8gq7gtxiPraMTcda5Hd3N7s3_zOU/s1600/new+menu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvBv_1xJX9BB0LGKAl-BvBuQ5AHWi096ZxWYpwJ4UCe9wJdJ8IpDIPtO9Cxro6InOIC8o3uMZSMq0GpLOMzHvJmOfUpUYYUz8E7FWIajdqeWrdfS8gq7gtxiPraMTcda5Hd3N7s3_zOU/s320/new+menu.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
I felt like such a slackard last week coming up with a menu plan so
late...and then we barely even followed it. I don't think we ate more
than one or possibly two of those meals. Some weeks it is just that
way. This week I've put more time and thought into it and I hope that
indeed we do stick to the menu plan.<br />
<br />
I didn't get to make my potato soup, but Patsy asked especially if I'd
post my recipe. It's really not a recipe per se, just my tossing things
into a pan, but here goes:<br />
<u><b>Potato Soup:</b> </u><br />
Boil four cups diced raw potato in chicken broth to cover until
tender. Salt well. Add a little minced garlic (1tsp or so), 1/2 cup
diced onion (or skip and add in green onions later) to the potatoes
while they are cooking. When potatoes are tender, add 1 can of
evaporated milk and four ounces of cream cheese. Smush and mash
potatoes around in the liquid as the cheese melts. Depending on how
thin the mixture is you can add instant potatoes to thicken slightly.
Serve as is or add finely minced green onions, cooked crisp bacon,
shredded cheddar, sour cream, etc. I usually end up with just enough
soup for three servings (we eat big bowls and very little sandwich,
lol).<br />
<br />Now, that done, let me get busy with this coming week's planned
menu. It's very warm and pleasant here in Georgia at the moment, but
supposed to turn off cold once more, so I've planned two soup meals this
week ahead. We'll see how that goes. If it remains warm we probably
won't have soup but once. I'll figure out an alternate meal using the
same ingredients.<br />
<br />
My plans are to use no more than 1 1/2 pounds ground beef and 2 chicken
breast halves this week. I'm pretty sure I can manage just fine on that
and will likely have leftovers as well, I usually do.<br />
<br />
<b>Sweet and Sour Chicken, Fried Rice, Steamed Broccoli, Clementines</b><br />
1 breast, bell peppers (2 colors) a few bits of carrot, onion and
pineapple in homemade sweet sour sauce. The fried rice may just end up
being steamed rice with extra made to make a later meal for fried rice.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Shepherd's Pie, Fruit Cocktail, Biscuits</b><br />
I don't make the standard shepherd's pie. This recipe is an old
Pillsbury or Betty Crocker mini cookbook recipe and I've made it for
year's on end, but lately every time it appears someone refers to it as
Shepherd's Pie. It's a layered casserole: green beans, cooked ground
beef with onions and tomato soup, mashed potatoes topped with cheese.
It's tastier than Shepherd's Pie in my opinion and one of MY favorite
meals. I use just 1/2 pound of beef in this dish and it will probably
serve four.<br />
<b> </b>I'll make extra biscuits for breakfasts in the week ahead.<br />
<br />
<b>Quiche, Sweet Potato Fries, Salad, Ambrosia</b><br />
I never seem to make quiche when it's on the menu and I finally figured
out why: most recipes make an 8 inch pie which is four times too much
for us. I'm going to make a mini quiche, just big enough for two this
time and see if that isn't best. Of course, leftover quiche is good for
a lonely supper for one.<br />
Ambrosia on the menu for this day will be made as I zest and then peel
and section a bag full of navel oranges for the freezer. It's my plan
to 'harvest' something in my kitchen that is seasonal every month this
year. This month I've chosen oranges. I'll buy another bag or two over
the next few weeks and freeze them too. I love ambrosia and the frozen
orange segments are so good in the middle of a long hot summer.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.copykat.com/2010/02/28/olive-garden-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/" target="_blank">Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup</a>, Parmesan Breadsticks, Salad</b><br />
The first soup meal planned for this week<b>, </b>a Pinterest recipe. I
hope to use just one chicken breast for this and some of the fresh
spinach we bought. I purchased a dried gnocchi several months ago at
Aldi and popped it into the freezer. I'll use that for this soup.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Mock Filet Mignons, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli-Cauliflower salad, Molten Lava Cakes</b><br />
This is tentatively planned as my Shabat day meal. The mock filet
mignons are nothing more than broiled ground sirloin patties with bacon
wrapped around them. A half pound of meat will net me two nice 'filets'.
I'll bake extra potatoes to use for this week's meatless meal. The
broccoli and cauliflower salad is raw florets mixed with a rich ranch
dressing and shredded cheddar cheese. I won't make a lot of this as it
is very rich.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Twice Baked Potatoes, English Peas with Mushrooms in herb butter, Spinach and Apple Salad</b><br />
The potatoes will be split and scooped out and restuffed with the mashed
potato, egg, shredded cheddar and a bit of cooked turkey bacon and
green onion for added flavor. I think this is hearty enough to allow me
to skip meat for this day.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.therecipecritic.com/2012/12/cheeseburger-soup.html" target="_blank">Cheeseburger Soup</a>, Tomato and Lettuce Salad, Corn Muffins, Crisp Apples</b><br />
A new to me recipe<b>. </b>Again, just 1/2 pound of meat is all that is required and I'm sure there will be leftovers.<br />
A second harvest from my kitchen this week if there are still a lot of
apples left at week's end. I'll probably cook this and make homemade
applesauce (not sweetened but oh so very sweet and good!) which I can
freeze or can as I choose.
terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234682891641398053.post-16032877493139878122013-01-11T17:03:00.001-08:002013-01-11T17:03:25.684-08:002013: A Year of Savings<br />
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<a href="http://www.chroniclesofathriftyhomemaker.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw3UHlN1qGEikoTWoGZK_ellrcO8DA2SNpCdbAiRV6tBH7ygESKKzWpHLtYTz36S7-66P7H18tC7iRQv6YkxWYxyULhsBWGMT7tqvaDYSBbF2Y5lbarF4jFvDRa7QaHZGmAcodC_Anos/s320/2013+savings.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></a> <br />
<br />
A few years ago, when I was still Penny Ann Poundwise, I spent a full
year totting up the savings I made. I did this for two reasons. First,
I was inspired by a January magazine article that said if I followed
every single step I could save $5000 in a year's time. I discovered
that I already DID do everything on their list. And second, I was
doubting my value as a homemaker at the time. I had to see on paper
exactly what my being at home meant to our household. There were some
huge savings that year, once in a lifetime type savings, but also lots
of little things that I didn't even count as a daily or weekly
occurrence but as a one time only thing. Still, the figure at the end
of the year surprised and delighted me and really boosted my confidence
in my skills as a homemaker and a frugalite. I saved about $27,000 by
my skewed figuring back in 2008.<br />
<br />
My friend Louise read my final post of the year in 2008 and sent this
letter to me. I'm posting my reply to her because it illustrates what I
think is the true value of saving skill in the home:<br />
<i>@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@</i><br />
<br />
<b><i>Now you got me curious.....Does your bank account really reflect that almost $27,000 saving??? Wouldn't that be awesome?? </i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i>When I quit smoking I had a quit meter that told me how much I was saving by NOT smoking but my pocketbook never showed that. </i></b><br />
<b><i>Weezie</i></b><br />
<br />
<i>Dearest Weezie,</i><br />
Does
my checking or savings balance reflect an additional $27,000? Sadly,
no. And on the other hand, YES. You see, our balance amounts remained
relatively stable over the past year, without huge drops despite major
purchases, vacations and some pretty stiff price increases courtesy
gasoline and groceries and electric. <br />
<br />
I realize the most
popular theory about savings is that if you don't actually physically
put money into an account and increase your balance you can't call it
savings is floating around in that world out there. But I'm also
aware of true facts.<br />
<br />
For the 11th year in a row I've been a
homemaker. I 'saved' more money than I've ever earned in a year's time
working outside the home. I've effectively doubled the money we
have at our disposal. We've lived, so to speak, <b>beyond our means</b><i>, </i>without
going into debt, without my going into the workaday world and without
relying on government assistance or handouts. The savings added up to a
fairly comfortable life on an income that we're repeatedly told time and
again is impossible to live upon for ONE much less three.<br />
<br />
We are
constantly being asked if we have a 'private' income from an unknown
source by people who find it necessary to work two or three jobs to
support their lifestyles. Imagine my surprise when a friend
recently shared that her college graduate son took his first job. I
asked if he'd then be moving out on his own, and was told firmly that it
would be impossible as his job only paid '$X'...an income that is
relatively the same as ours!<br />
<br />
However, I'll not take all of the
credit for our current mode of living well on little. Remember also
that we tithe faithfully and I truly believe it is the combination of my
diligence in trying to find savings in the daily living expenses, and
God's faithfulness in supplying our need, that adds up to the
comfortable life we have.<br />
<br />
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@<br />
<br />
What changed after 2009? Not a lot. We were three years into our 'no
raise' living at that time with two more to go. Prices rose, we got a
little older, our household got a little smaller, we found still more
ways to save, we paid off a car loan and acquired another, we were given
a car, we began to travel a bit more...we lived, in other words.<br />
<br />
So why return to a year of savings? Have you been listening to the
news? Yeah, me too. However, I proved once before that a woman who is
savings savvy, willing to change what isn't working, willing to be
dedicated to what does work, can stretch income and live well. I've
been doing this for years on end. I can throw up my hands and quit or I
can keep going and prove that one <b><i>can</i></b> continue to manage in this economy, too.<br />
<br />
So welcome to my version of A Year of Savings, 2013 style.<br />
<br />
<b>January 1: </b>No big party for us, no big dinner day out either.
What did we do? We ate Chinese stir fry at home. Savings: not a lot
over the cost of traditional Chinese take out, except we didn't have to
drive over and pick it up. About two gallons of gasoline as a matter of
fact, which happens to be about what we paid for our dinner so <b>we broke even</b>. No added cost <i><b>is</b> </i>a savings, too, even if it is invisible.<br />
<br />
<b>January 2: </b>My day out with Mama. I SPENT money this day and I spent a good bit. How is that 'savings'? It goes like this:<b> #1</b>
I bought some things for the house that I've been wanting for months.
In fact, two of the items I bought have been on my list of wants for two
years. I bought both at a substantial savings over previous excursions
when I priced them at discount stores and websites. I saved $20 on two
sets of flatware and $10 on a set of Corelle dishes. But is this
savings moot? Because those two items purchased, while at a substantial
savings are being paid for from my personal savings account where I
deposit Christmas and birthday gift monies given to me each year. Out
of that account I provide many of my household wants and the majority of
my annual clothing expenses. That's <b>$30 </b>I can use towards my other wants/needs and won't have to hit up our checking account for personal expenses. <b>#2 </b>While
in the store, I bought dog food. I noted that it was on sale as I
flipped through the Sunday papers. We've been paying about $13 a bag
for this particular food, which was on sale for $10. I bought four bags
for $40, <b>saving $12</b> (or a bit more than the cost of one bag of food at our usual price). <b>#3 </b>I
also picked up two 36 roll packs of toilet paper that was on sale for
the 'best price' mark. That will last us about six months, which means I
can easily wait until it's on sale for the 'best price' before buying
more. I <b>saved $14.40</b> almost the cost of a $36 roll pack.<br />
<br />
<b>January 3: </b>John's prescription was ready for pick-up at CVS.
I'd received a high value ECB reward for my annual quarterly savings and
a $4 coupon savings if I purchased $20 worth of vitamins. I looked
over the sales sheet, noting sales on items we truly needed, noted
vitamins were on sale as a b1g1 value and pulled manufacturer's coupons
as well. My total was $88 on all items with a savings of $65 in sales
prices (not including the prescription) and then I turned over coupons
and ECBs. I paid $34 out of pocket. We have about a 3 month supply of
vitamins, dish-washing liquid, facial tissues, and shampoo. I got $153
worth of products for $34. <b>I saved $119</b>. Know what? That out of
pocket amount wasn't the best I could have done. I misplaced a high
value, $20 off $80 coupon. I could have walked out with just $14 out of
pocket! Ack...You can bet I'll be a lot more careful of my coupons in
the future!<br />
<br />
<b>January 4: </b>Mama gave me an item from her freezer that she'd
purchased by mistake: a turkey kielbasa sausage. No problem for us as
we usually buy turkey sausage anyway. <b>Savings to us at the current price: $3.49</b><br />
<br />
<b>January 5: </b>Gathered the $1 bills from my purse and put them in the vacation folder. I make a deposit at the end of each month. I had <b>$5 </b>for vacation savings this week.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>January 6: </b>I didn't go anywhere yesterday nor make any
purchases. That's a great savings. This day I had to make a long road
trip...not a savings but I determined that with a full tank of gasoline
and five hours on the road I could at least make sure I didn't spend
more than $20. I only spent $10. Not calling that a savings yet...<br />
<br />
<b>January 7: </b>Trip back home. If I could manage the trip down on
1/2 tank of gasoline and $10, I figured I could do the same this day as
well. I did even better and came home with <b>$4 </b>in my purse. All $1bills went into vacation savings.<br />
<br />
<b>Total savings for week: <u>$187.89</u></b>terricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.com0