Frugal Friday - Living Well

Frugal Friday

I'll date myself with this, but does anyone remember the Steve Miller Band's song "Time keeps on slipping, slipping, into the future..."?  Well that's how life feels to me lately.  The days just fly right past...Then I turn and look back and I don't see that much happening to make time go by so quickly.  I suppose that is the true secret of time: it's going to pass you by whether you're doing something or whether you're doing nothing at all.  I'd much rather feel like I'd done something if time is going to be slipping away from me anyway.  What about you?

Saturday:  Dinner following our service. My dinner contributions were a huge success.  I came away with just 1 tablespoonful of dumplings, a small slice of pineapple upside down cake and a bare handful of salad.  Good thing when I packed Chance's work lunch I went ahead and gave him a serving of dumplings to heat up.  Not having leftovers isn't a bad thing.  It means I planned well.

After service I headed off to the antiques mall.  My goal was to 'see it all' something I'd wanted to do for several years now.  I had a list however, to keep my mind on what I really wanted to buy.  One of those items was an antique cake carrier.  I've come to loathe the plastic one I normally carry because it's prone to shifting and coming unlocked at inopportune moments.  I found my cake carrier, with a nifty little metal handle on top and grooves on the sides that lock the top to the bottom.  It isn't going to shift and come unlocked by accident.  I went with a budget limit to spend and kept well within it, too.  Had enough money leftover to pick up supper on my way home.

Supper: Subway sandwich for $5.  Half for my own meal and half for Chance to carry to work as his lunch. 

I was gone most of the day.  Heat was set to 60F while I was out.  Yes, it was a little chilly when I came home but why heat a house when no one is home?  It took less than an hour to bring the temperature up to 67F with the propane heater.  I turned off propane and let the heat pump keep the temperature stable after that.

Decided that really, we could go a little cooler at night.  New thermostat setting is 58F.  We reset it about an hour before bedtime.

Sunday:  No plans for this day besides bare minimum housework.  I followed my quick clean routine and was soon settled in my chair with a stack of magazines.  I planned a no-cook day and had a portion of the Sub sandwich as my lunch.  The cost of that sub per serving just got lower...

Decided to skip the Sunday paper.  I knew Mama would save hers for me and I had no real desire to leave home.  It was a long week last week just filled with going places.  Staying home and saving gasoline seemed the perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Alan called to say he was coming out to visit.  I warned him I wasn't cooking.  He offered to bring along a special treat that we both enjoy.  I accepted.  One small order of chicken livers  (I can hear 'ewww' out there but we love them) was shared between us. 

It was a beautiful day last Sunday.  I left the curtains wide open in the afternoon and let the 'solar energy' heat the rooms.  It worked beautifully.  The heat didn't come on again for hours.

All that sunshine was a great substitute for lighting, too. 

Monday:  Rain, rain, rain.  I had plans for the day which didn't include rainy skies and damp air.  Sweeping, vacuuming, mopping floors, changing sheets,  washing clothes...  It was most definitely work with what you have weather, so I got busy early in the day. 

I didn't have a full load of clothes with just the sheets, so I gathered up towels and dishcloths and dumped them in the washer, too.  Ran the load on the shortest cycle.  With clothing that is only gently used there's no need of using the heavy duty, super soaker cycle.

Mopped floors and then set up the fans to blow them dry.  It did make it a little cooler in here but then again the floors were dry in under an hour.  I've known them to stay wet for hours on a cold damp winter's day.

Looked grocery ads up online and printed out the shopping lists.  I used  the back side of previously used sheets of paper to print the lists.  Gathered coupons to match sales.

Afternoon was set aside for fun, a paper craft I wanted to try my hand at.  Turned out nicely and I enjoyed having the afternoon off from work.

Tuesday:  Long day of shopping ahead.  I started out early.  My first stop was the bank.  I'd saved $30 in one dollar bills last month.  That money went into the vacation fund.  A second deposit went into our Christmas 2011 fund. 

CVS had craisins, toilet paper, laundry detergent and granola bars on sale this week.  Walgreen's offered up salt, olives, and prunes.  I don't mind a bit shopping for groceries at non-grocery stores.  I want the best buy for the money wherever that may be.

Walmart was on the list this week.  I seldom run in there due to the potential for splurging.  However, I cannot pass up the reduced cost on over the counter medicines.  As well, I had a mission:  Susan wanted a Georgia bulldog hoodie and a bottle of cane syrup for her birthday.  Cane syrup was on my pantry shelf.  Georgia Bulldog hoodie was thankfully found at Walmart, the only one available in the exact size she wanted.  Blessing: no tag meant the manager determined the cost, which came out to $22.  Also picked up the swap items needed, stuck tight to the spending limit for those purchases.

Grocery shopping in earnest followed but first, I heeded time honored advice: don't shop hungry.  I stopped for lunch first, nothing expensive, but enough to keep hunger at bay and energy levels high.  

After my second grocery stop I pulled to the end of the parking lot and packaged up Susan's birthday items, a box for my swap partner, and a package for a friend.  I brought along packing boxes, tape and scissors, and labels.  I stopped on my way home to mail the packages. No trip needed the next day to go back to the post office.

No deli items purchased during my shopping trip this day.  I opted to make supper using what I had at home.

Wednesday:  Made blueberry muffins for breakfast, using a boxed mix bought the day before for less than $1.  The only ingredient required to make the muffins: water. 

Chance's only request: chili mac for dinner.  There's an inexpensive meal...Leftovers enough for another meal were frozen.

Chance washed clothes.  He did his usual trick of removing them when they were almost dry, then hung them up about the house to finish drying.

Thursday:  Leftover muffins have a tendency to just sit in our home and not get eaten.  I've tried freezing them but seldom does Chance want a muffin once it's been frozen.  Solution this day was to take those leftover muffins, removed the paper cups, then reheated in the oven for our breakfast.  We had only one muffin left.

Plans for the day: go out for our birthday meal in the evening hours.  A light lunch was called for instead of our usual midday dinner. 

Plans changed still further when Chance became ill.  I had only an item or two on my sick pantry shelf...Yes, I let my guard down.  It's been some time since we had illness in our home.  At least we had the important over the counter medicinal remedies on hand and a few natural ones as well.  Glad I checked the expiration dates on those items last month.

Rice packs are worth their weight in gold and are so inexpensive to make.  A mateless sock, a cup or two of rice, a microwave are all that is needed to create a nice heatpack to soothe aching muscles.

Friday:  Went through the refrigerator and determined which items needed to be used right away and which should be frozen to prevent spoilage.

Chance still under the weather, so made 1/2 a pot of coffee, just enough for myself.

Had a hair appointment this morning.  Stopped by the local grocery and picked up clear soda, saltines, and a few other necessities before heading home.   Instead of take out for lunch opted for a package of chicken tenders to oven fry while I did a few necessary chores.  One half  pound of tenders was less expensive than any take out meal option and more than enough for two servings.

Home again and I started work immediately.  I breaded the chicken tenders and started them baking, then prepped vegetables for the short ribs that I needed to cook today.  I'll freeze the shortribs dish and that will be a third 'heat and eat' meal in the freezer.

Continuing to attend to my husband who 'isn't sick' but is most definitely not well.  Thank goodness we had popsicles in the freezer! 

Much discussion this year about tax prep we'll opt for.  We've decided we'll definitely not be using the bookkeeper we've used in the past.  All our other options range from FREE to $50 at most.  We'll save $110 this year.

Living Well

I had the best time walking around that antiques mall Saturday and have already planned my next excursion to another antiques store in the same general area.  It was fun to see what people 'collect' because that's pretty much what most of these little booths consist of, overflow of home collections.  What was even more fun was how many times I thought of someone while I was looking things over.  Ricksfarmwife was with me in each booth that had red handled kitchen utensils,  Rhonda with me each time I saw collections of Pyrex, Manuela was with me in each booth that had toile or transferware, Tracey and Tracy when I came across those lovely romantic white furnishings with that Shabby Euro Chic look.  Now the truth is I don't 'know' these women, yet they are most assuredly friends courtesy the wonders of the internet.

My husband is very adamant that when I'm going out to do grocery shopping or doing chores in the household  I am doing a 'job',  and it is work...But what joyful labor it is to know that I have the opportunity to provide a service for my household.  As is any job in my home. I like mopping floors and cleaning baths and the aroma of freshly washed clothes and the tactile feel of clothing that I'm folding.  At the end of the day, I look around and see the neat clean rooms, smell the good aromas coming from my kitchen and I don't think of it as work at all, but as a blessing.

Interesting note from a friend of my husband's this past week:  "What would you do if you had to join the poor and live on less than $50,000 a year?"  That generated a lot of laughter in our household, the idea that anyone would consider that annual wage as 'poor'...And so apparently did any number of other who replied as my husband did, 'No problem, we do it now!'  I daresay to some our annual household income might well look poor, and certainly the government leads us to believe that it is impossible to live well at the same income level we have, but we truly believe that living well is a matter of adjusting your expectations to what you value most and living accordingly.  We are essentially debt free.  We have an emergency fund and we're now focused on another financial goal.  We've raised our children and sent them all out into the world capable of managing their own households on a budget.  The older they get the more sound their decisions are.  An annual income is just a figure we fit our lives into, not something we see as a hindrance to a life well lived.

So seldom do I take time for a craft project anymore...I can't name the number of ideas I lose because I fail to act on them while the idea is fresh.  This week I decided I should apply that "If you do stuff, stuff gets done" motto of Rhonda's to the craft/fun side of my life, just as I do to the work side of my life.  The pay-off came after the crafting session when I sat down Monday and realized that I'd enjoyed the project as much as I did my walk through the antiques mall.  The end result was the same, I had something pretty to add to my household, only the crafting session allowed me to use what I had on hand already.

How To Eat Groceries - ABCs of Breakfast

We're breakfast eaters in our home...but I wasn't always.  There were many years I went without breakfast and wondered why I felt so starved, tired, and moody,  almost out of control, by noon each day.  When I began to eat breakfast I soon realized that I was better able to concentrate and had more energy in the mornings.  Later, I realized that the name of this meal says it all: break fast, literally to break the fast between supper (early evening) hour and the end of the night hours.

I've always been an avid reader of vintage and old fashioned books.  At one time I was engrossed in a certain New England author (no idea who now) and what I recall most of her books was the description of breakfast on a New England farm.  Laura Ingalls Wilder has a very good description of such meals in the book Farmer Boy.  Apple Pie, Oatmeal, Baked Beans, Eggs...

I love breakfast so much now it's my favorite time of day to eat out.  Breakfast may be an expensive proposition if care is not used.  When Chance and I first combined our two households, we fed six at breakfast every single day.  It took just about two mornings to prove that the sugary boxes of cereal (1 whole box for all of us to have just one serving and 1/2 a gallon of milk) were going to be a very VERY expensive proposition.  And so, I learned to cook breakfast.  We still follow this habit of cooked breakfasts in our home.

The best breakfast, the one most suited to energy and nourishment is a combination of protein and carbohydrate.  So some protein is required in this first meal of the morning.

The best sources of protein: eggs, meat, yogurt, nut butters, cheese
Carbohydrates: whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, fruit or fruit juice

How these are combined truly is up to you and your time limitations.  And yes, I do have a few ideas about those time issues.  I used to have them as well, especially when my job required a long commute between home and work. 

Convenience breakfasts:
Nut Butter on Toast or Bagel with or without fruit.  I generally stock up on jars of store brand peanut butter even now that it's just Chance and I and with good reason.  It's a versatile source of protein and great for breakfast, snacks or sandwiches.  This is such a quick and easy meal and one most kids will happily eat.  Sliced banana, apples, peaches or pears are good on top of the peanut butter.

Cold cereal is an option, but look for the best value in cold cereals.  Usually corn flakes are very inexpensive and served with a slice of toast spread with a peanut butter,  you do get that balance of carb/protein required.  Other options that are filling and worth purchasing: shredded wheat (whole biscuits not pre-sweetened mini wheats), bran flakes with or without raisins. You could make your own granola from oatmeal and serve as a cold cereal.   Keep a variety of nuts and berries (fresh, frozen or dried) to add in to plain cereals.  I love craisins and diced dried apricots with walnut pieces in my cereals.   Almonds and blueberries are a nice combination as well. But then so is freshly diced apples and pecans.  Can you tell I like to 'dress up' my cereal?  Why pay for expensive, manufacturer combined flavors when you can do it yourself?

Milk of course, is the usual, but you have the option of hot or cold milk, did you realize that?  Hot milk is an option for heartier 'cold' cereals such as bran or shredded wheat.  Yogurt is great too, and my favorite way of eating my cereal. 

Bagels and English muffins are terrific spread with cream cheese or peanut butter.  Or mornings when you have more time, make breakfast sandwiches using these breads. Fill with eggs, cheese, ham, bacon, sausage.

For the sake of convenience, I used to take time on the weekend to make up a big batch of french toast, pancakes, or biscuits.  Then I froze them separated by folded sheets of waxed paper.  Two layers of waxed paper makes the items easier to remove from the frozen stack.  I used bread sacks to stack the french toast or pancakes.  These may be heated in toaster or microwave for a minute or two.  You could also freeze sausage patties, bacon slices.  I wrapped in paper toweling to microwave.  This allows a quick breakfast in mornings.

For biscuits, bake until just done, then cool and put in zippered freezer bags.  I preferred to fill the biscuits  
before freezing with cooked sausage or cubed steak pieces or cheese slices.  Microwave about 1 -1 1/2 minutes to heat frozen biscuits (test times with your microwave).

Breakfast burritos were one of Kay's favorite heat and take breakfasts at one time.  Flour tortilla filled with scrambled egg, cheese, a bit of salsa.  This could be frozen and heated in the microwave.

Avoid the 'instant' hot cereals.  I used to make oatmeal, grits and cream of wheat in the morning.  Most hot cereals will cook in five minutes or less.  The longest part of the process was bringing water up to a boil.  For me this was easy as could be.  I'd start the water heating while I took a quick shower.  By the time I was out of the shower, the water was ready for cereal (and the coffee was made).  Occasionally now I will make these cereals the night before, add a little milk or water and heat in the microwave.  It still takes about 3 or 4 minutes  to reheat the cereal though, so not a huge timesaver.

 By the way, leftover rice was one of my kids favorite hot cereals.  Alan told me the other day he still makes hot rice cereal some mornings for his breakfast.  

Oatmeal, cream of wheat, rice and yes, even grits, may be eaten with milk, sweetener (honey, brown or white sugars), choice of dried fruits, even a stir in of fruit preserves if you'd like.  In the South, we tend to think of grits as a savory cereal rather than a sweet one.  I like to stir in shredded cheese, or butter.

Traditional breakfasts are really not as time consuming as you might imagine.  Developing a morning routine is a tremendous help in preparing a quick morning meal.  I could scramble eggs, broil bacon and make toast in 15 minutes.

As a rule, I saved muffins, pancakes and waffles for weekends.  However, here again you may well find this is not a necessity.  Muffins may be made ahead and warmed in the microwave.  Just this morning I reheated muffins I made yesterday morning.  It took about 10 minutes in a warm oven, but the microwave is possible as well.  Pancake or waffle batter may be mixed the night before and then cooked the next morning.  I used to mix my pancakes in a pitcher.  In the morning, I took the batter out of the fridge, started the griddle heating, showered and everything was ready to go when I walked back into the kitchen.  My waffle iron heats in about three minutes,  making even waffles a 'quick' breakfast food.

I think it's nice to have a special set of recipes for weekend breakfasts...Yet the ingredients required in the 'special' recipes are the same as those I'd use during the week: eggs, flour, sugar, bread, etc. so no special expense is required. 

My family loved breakfast casserole; a sausage, cheese and jalapeno grits souffle (hmmm, wonder where that recipe ended up?), blueberry pancakes with blueberry syrup, cinnamon apple biscuits or coffee cake.  These were considered great treats.  While some recipes might traditionally be expensive at first glance (such as eggs benedict) I found that often I could substitute less expensive ingredients (thin sliced ham substituting for canadian bacon for instance). I even tried my hand at cheese souffle and making my own bulk sausage.
Hash browns are nice as a side dish and while they seem very special might well be prepared from a leftover baked potato.  Corned beef hash comes to mind as well, another leftover that is a very special breakfast with poached eggs on top. 

The weekend breakfast meal might well be served as a brunch meal, reducing the weekend food bill by one meal.  Don't forget that BFS per prairie farm wife Kay (Breakfast for Supper), is an economical alternative to a meat heavy meal for at least one of your weekday suppers. 

There are whole cookbooks  devoted to breakfast recipes. Bobby Flay has recently begun a new food program devoted to brunches.  My favorite cookbook, The Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook has a whole section of menus devoted to breakfasts.  Check out your local library or favorite online recipe sources for recipes that are both economical and special for these weekend meals.

Menu Monday on Wednesday

I shall apologize once more for forgetting menu posting this week.  Read my previous post for my excuse...And here I shall get on with the task at hand.  I'll start with today's menu and list through Sunday.  I promise I shall not forget next Monday!

Wednesday:   Chili Mac, toppings, Pineapple Salad, Cupcakes
A very economical meal no matter how you look at it.  I used to routinely make this when our grocery budget required a severe amount of stretching to feed 7 of us, three of the 7 being hungry, hungry teens.  I might easily have made half the recipe for Chance and I.  However, leftover are in the fridge for Saturday's meal when we come in...and if that doesn't work out as planned, I'll freeze the leftovers to heat later.

Thursday:  Short ribs with dried Cranberries and vegetables, Mashed Potatoes, Mixed Greens Salad, Cornbread
One of my favorite recipes is this one for short ribs of beef.  I'll try to remember to get a picture of this, but I'll definitely post the recipe to PennyRecipes so you can try if you'd like.  The original recipe called for dried cherries, which I bought especially to make the recipe.  One night I was out of cherries and so used the cranberries instead.  Oh my goodness!  Kay and I both loved the sweet tart taste of the cranberries.  Usually we serve big ladles of short ribs, vegetables and broth over a bowlful of mashed potatoes. Very good and comforting on a chilly, rainy, winter day which tomorrow promises to be.

Friday:  Oven Fried Chicken, Carrot and Raisin Salad, Baby Lima Beans, Biscuits
I've been craving fried chicken...Usually I buy takeout but it seemed to be especially high priced this week.  No matter...I can fry my own, but to avoid the grease and mess, I'll use the oven fry method.  I season my chicken with a bit of cinnamon, cayenne, lemon pepper, salt mixed into the flour I dredge the chicken in.  I may use that method or I might use another.  The alternate is to smear the chicken good with mayonnaise and then used crushed potato or corn chips to coat the chicken.  Either method is very good and makes a nice crisp chicken without all the oil to be disposed of after. 
Carrot and raisin salad is a favorite of mine.  A little bit of lemon and a little bit of sugar added to mayonnaise makes a tasty dressing.  I don't use much of either lemon or sugar, just enough to keep the shredded carrots from turning dark.  I have added shredded coconut (a 1950's recipe variation) or chunks of pineapple to this salad.  I think I'll use pineapple this time since I have a couple of pieces left after making Upside Down Cake last week and salads today.

Saturday:  Leftovers:  Chili Mac, Cornbread, Carrot Raisin Salad

Sunday:  Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Creamy Tomato Soup, Baked Apples with Cream
Chance works an extra shift this day.  I'll likely put the same basic ingredients in his work lunch: cheese sandwich, a container of prepared soup, a fresh apple and a granola bar for his meal.  Not much different from what I'll have for my own meal at home.

Uh Oh! I forgot my menu! What Penny has been up to lately...

My apologies to all of you who look forward to Menu Mondays...I do have an excuse and it's not the best, but it's the truth.  I'd been bitten by inspiration on Sunday while reading "The Simple Dollar".  There the author had posted the picture he was using as his wallpaper that week: Van Gogh's Sunflowers  which was a study in yellows and ochres, almost a monochromatic color scheme.  I didn't know until this morning that the version featured as the wallpaper was actually the FOURTH version Van Gogh did of this particular painting. 

As said, when I saw the painting, I immediately had a vision of the picture in a variety of strong, bright colors and determined that it was a paper craft project I would enjoy doing with some of the scrap papers I'd recently purchased.  When I went to pull out those colors Sunday evening I laid aside a variety of greens and browns and had a second vision of yet another version.  That was the color wave I worked with on Monday, though I still have the bright hot colors ready to work with later this week.  Interestingly enough, this color wave is similar to one of the first versions that Van Gogh did. 

So Monday morning I worked very hard and very fast, determined to have time to do my own example of the picture.  Here is my particular viewpoint next to a black and white copy of the original.

I thought I had covered all my work bases and went right to work.  I'll confess, I kept having a feeling I'd forgotten something, but couldn't imagine what it was.  It wasn't until this morning  as I began prepping for our dinner, that I realized I'd forgotten to make out menus!

Saturday I visited the antiques mall as I've already shared.  I thought you might like to see my cake carrier.  It has a series of inverted lines that allow the carrier to lock and it is quite secure when in the locked position.  You can see a portion of my little countertop that I call "The Baking Center".  I dearly love this area.  Manuela mentioned she'd recently moved her Kitchen Aid mixer to a rolling cart so that she could move it to the area where she used it, while leaving counter space free.  My own mixes is to the left in this photo and is permanently plugged in.  In the past it sat on the opposite side of the kitchen and was in a deep corner of unusable space.  It stayed plugged in there too, but I had to pull it out of that corner in order to use it. 

The baking items seldom found room to be set out on that particular counter and it was all just wasted steps and time.  I have the baking supplies in the cabinets above this countertop, as well as sugars and flour in the

old canisters I bought last year.  I lined those canisters with appropriately sized plastic bags because I just didn't want my foodstuffs next to the old metal.

Yesterday was grocery day, a regular Big Shop.  While my list of needs was short, I thought it a good time to stock up on sales items that were well priced:  like craisins, salt, salad dressings and a few items that were needed but not on sale: mostly spices and seasonings.  It proved to be an awfully long day.  I left here and went by to do some banking, stopped at CVS to purchase the craisins, laundry detergent and granola bars that were on sale and discovered the very good price on their store brand bathroom tissue, also an item on my list. 

From there to a different bank to tend to business, then to Walmart.  I don't normally go into Walmart, only because I find the variety of items tempts me too much, especially when I must stick tight to my budget.  I won't go in at all if I feel I am weak to resist, but I felt relatively capable yesterday and must say I did very well. 

Susan's birthday is this weekend and in conversation she'd stated an early wish list for Christmas 2011: a Georgia Bulldogs hoodie and a bottle of cane syrup.  Well I'd recently bought the bottle of cane syrup for her (we only use Roddenberry's here and always have.  Granny told us it was the best years ago and we've found it to be truth.) when I picked up one for myself.  And it seemed to me that a hoodie wasn't such a high priced item I mightn't be able to afford it NOW. Our Walmart has a wide variety of Bulldog items.  I checked with Alan about sizes and so there I was yesterday in Walmart, attending to both Susan's birthday, our pharmacy needs, and looking for items for a Red Swap with a friend.  I knew my budget for the birthday gift and the swap items and my grocery budget, so no great fear of temptation making me overspend yesterday as all were stringent.

I found a hoodie in the exact size I needed and it was the ONLY one there!  None in any other sizes at all.  I couldn't believe my luck...and then I discovered there was NO price tag on it.  I went to a manager and asked how I'd get a price and she questioned me about what other items were in the area.  I explained there were no more of this particular brand or style.  A thin zippered type by another company was marked $22.  "Well then, we'll just charge you $22.  Go on to the register and tell them M. said the price was $22."  I felt so blessed to get that hoodie for that amount.  I'd really thought it might cost as much as $40 and was prepared to take the remainder of the cost above the birthday fund from my personal allowance.  Susan seldom asks for anything specific for herself and I wanted very much to please her.

By the time I left Walmart I'd already been out for 3 hours.  Chance called to remind me to get something to eat.  He didn't have to convince me to go eat either, because I'd skipped breakfast yesterday morning...I just plain forgotten to eat.

So a quick takeout lunch.  I opted for the Taco Bell Quad Steak Burrito.  It wasn't the best meal I've had, but it wasn't bad and I liked that it had a nice mix of carbs/protein to keep my blood sugar levels balanced. 

Then I got busy with the grocery shopping proper.  That took me roughly another 3 hours.  I stood in the parking lot at the last grocery and packaged up Susan's birthday stuff and the children's coloring books, etc, plus my Swap items so that I could stop by the post office on my way home.  Stopped off to pay a couple of bills and did the post office thing and came home.  Trudy loves to 'guard' the groceries (not that Maddie or Misu ever bothers them, but this is her job as she sees it) and did her duty very well while I unloaded the car and carried things in.  Then she came in the back door for her reward.

I didn't quite finish putting groceries away.  I was just plain tired.  This is the second time I've put off putting away all but the cold items.  I don't want to make it a habit but I just wanted three things: to change into my warm robe and slippers, put my feet up and have a cup of coffee.  Instead, I pushed ahead and fed the pets and made coffee, changed clothes, prepared a light supper and talked with Kay.  Kay's husband shipped out for Afghanistan yesterday evening and my girlie was upset.  I talked to both of them before he left, just as Chance and I spoke with them both Monday evening.  It was an emotional conversation and Kay's original intent was to come home last night.  I talked as long as they could speak to me and THEN I sat down and put my feet up and had my supper and coffee and I didn't move until I heard Chance's car come up the driveway two hours later.

And that is why I forgot all about the menu plan you see...I was just distracted by other things.

We slept in this morning (almost 8am when we rose!), then I prepared a big breakfast of Blueberry muffins, grits and cheese eggs.  After breakfast we did Bible reading and I read email.  Chance went off to practice music for worship this weekend and I got up and got busy putting away those groceries, emptying the dishwasher and dishdrainer, empting the sink of the dirty dishes, and other general household duties. 

Each week before I go shopping, I ask Chance, if there is anything special he'd like to have.  This week his reply was "Chili Mac."  I had all on hand needed to make that meal though I did find Chili-O seasoning yesterday, something else that man of mine really likes and when I do find it in stores I generally buy a packet.  I can't say I find $.99 too much to spend to please my husband, though I might trim the budget many ways.  Chili-mac is pretty much a pantry/freezer meal and a wonderful budget stretcher.  I might have made half as much for our needs, but went ahead with the full recipe (1 pound ground beef, 1 can each of tomatoes and kidney beans, 1 packet Chili-O mix, 3 cups uncooked macaroni) since I wasn't sure what time Kay might arrive.  I put the remainder of the Chili-Mac in the fridge for a meal  this weekend.

       

That's a picture of my 'pantry' meal as I call it.  Chili Mac with a Pineapple Salad as side dish.  .  I served the Chili Mac with an offering of toppings: freshly chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese and oyster crackers.  Really this isn't that much different from Cincinatti Chili  which features  chili topped spaghetti with the same choice of toppings.  I might have extended the meal a bit further by adding in a pan of cornbread, but I didn't feel we needed it.

Please ignore my messy looking counter. I hadn't refilled the bottles with water to put in the fridge for Chance.  This is a very small bit of counterspace between sink and stove and at that moment was rather crowded

Kay called a bit ago and said that due to car troubles and still more snow, she's staying put in the apartment and will come down at a later date.  We didn't mind her coming down but were both agreed that we'd encourage her strongly to go back to her home after a day or two.   We know this time is difficult for her, but fortunately she has a strong network of support with the unit wives there, and her two sisters in law who also understand deployment.  Kay's brother in law is also in Afghanistan and he was married while on leave last month.  Doug has also been deployed and Kay is close to his wife who has been a real blessing to Kay over the last few months.  I'm glad that my girl has ready support from family.

Well I shall end here and go work out menus.  I do have a few ideas now, starting with today's meal, lol.

New Series! How To Eat Groceries, Pt. I: Building a Basic Pantry

This evening I was reading back through some old Xanga blog entries.  I thought this one very appropriate as a reprint and it has inspired a new series I'll post to over the next few weeks.  Some of the information here may be slightly repetitive but I really think this series is the perfect followup to "How To Buy Groceries", because after all, what's the point of knowing how to buy groceries if you don't know what to do with them when you get them home?

From February, 2009:

While eating dinner with a friend the other day, she commented on a signature salad she makes.  "I never make it the same way twice and I'm always increasing the ingredients...but it's so expensive we can't have it often!" 

Having been given the recipe, I looked over the list of ingredients.  Nothing upon the list was expensive in and of itself.  If the items were bought on sale then the costs could be reduced by about 1/3, but if, as she insisted on doing, I increased this ingredient and that, bought all the ingredients only when they were full priced,  then I'd have felt the recipe was very expensive as well.

This brings up the question of how to eat well and reduce the food budget at the same time.  It can be done, but it takes thought and care.
 
Once upon a time, when I was very poor indeed, a visiting friend having looked into the pantry and found it rather bare as it often was towards end of pay period, offered to buy our dinner from a local restaurant.  "Nonsense," I told her. "I've plenty of food here and we'll have a nice dinner in no time!"  That night's meal may not have looked like much when the raw ingredients were assembled on the counter,  but the meal that resulted  proved both delicious and satisfying.  I well remember the menu that evening: Cream of Potato Soup, Tuna Salad plates and homemade muffins.  I whipped up a pan of my famous brownies for dessert.  My friend left the table groaning about how good it had all been, and I earned my reputation for 'creating something from nothing.'

While there are many recipes which call for exotic, expensive ingredients, there are just as many that call for nothing but good basic ingredients.  I find that I still fall back on those recipes that are general, rather than fancy, when it comes to ingredients.  I have a large and varied group of recipes that I've made for my family and I rotate them, recycle them, shelf them and drag them out again, according to financial and seasonal needs. 

What do I consider basic ingredients for a pantry?  

Tuna, Salmon,  a variety of pasta shapes (spaghetti, elbow and bowties), rice, and plain old fashioned canned vegetables and fruits. Peanut butter is a must in our home. Mayo, ketchup and mustard are standard in our pantry.   A few cans of condensed soup don't hurt, but aren't necessary.  Dried beans are always welcome.

In the baking pantry: flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking powder,baking soda, yeast,  cornmeal, sugar, brown sugar, shortening, oil, raisins, dry powdered milk.

In the cereal cupboard: oatmeal, corn flakes

In the spice cupboard: cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, chives, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce.

In the fridge: butter, eggs,cheddar, parmesan and cream cheeses,  milk, carrots, celery, lettuces, bell peppers: green and any other color that is well priced, garlic.  In season: squashes, cabbage, tomatoes, green onions, grapes.

In the freezer: sale priced cuts of meat, chuck roast, chicken, ground beef.  Some fresh frozen vegetables: green beans, green peas, lima beans.  And a few bags of nuts, chocolate chips and extra butter and milk. In my freezer you will also find some frozen berries, coconut and ginger root, which I buy fresh and slice into quarter sized pieces and freeze.

For fresh produce: onions, potatoes; apples, oranges and bananas or stone fruits, all bought in season.

With these basic ingredients your family may eat well and satisfactorily.
 
Variety is the spice of life and it's herb and  spice that drives the appetite of most families. Learn to use spices and herbs to season your meats and vegetables.  Certain spices and herbs have an affinity for certain fruits and vegetables.  Just as bananas and nutmeg go together, or apples and cinnamon, then so too  tomatoes with oregano, or beef with garlic and rosemary (I have a rosemary bush at my back door).  Oregano also is excellent with mushrooms and nutmeg is a perfect pairing with spinach or cheese dishes.

Some herbs and seasonings evoke a certain food culture.  Chinese dishes for instance, usually contain one or all of the following: soy sauce, garlic, citrus juices and ginger.  And many Mexican American foods contain  chili powder, cumin and cilantro, while Italian dishes often feature oregano and garlic, basil or rosemary.

I used to use a very heavy hand when I was adding cheese to a dish.  I love cheddar cheese and my theory was always that if a little was good then a lot was better.  I've learned that in order to make our food less costly, it's best to stick to the amounts called for in a recipe or even to reduce it, but because I love the flavor of cheddar I'll use extra sharp rather than mild, which for the same cost, gives far more flavor.  Parmesan is another cheese that is often called for in pasta or pizza dishes, but Romano costs the same and has more flavor.  I can use less of the Romano and get all the flavor of twice the amount of Parmesan.

Butter is another area where you might think a heavy hand is better.  But butter has a delicate flavor and too much of it in a dish seems to kill the flavor of it somehow.  I've found that just a tablespoon or two will impart far more flavor in mashed potatoes and vegetables than 1/2 a stick. 

Whenever possible use real ingredients.  Butter is something that is standard even when the budget is knocked to rock bottom.  So is sharp cheddar.  We never substitute margarine or processed cheese for these products.  The flavor is well worth the extra cost and I'd rather have a little butter than three times the amount of tasteless margarine.  I prefer olive oil, but if necessity demanded I could substitute a good vegetable oil.

Some of my secrets for keeping food costs trimmed: 
Set a limit for the highest you're willing to pay for meat and stick to it.  At one time, no meat in our menu cost us over $2/per pound.  I've increased that to $3/pound in the past four years, because  we were relying heavily on pork, which I dislike in quantity for both health and taste reasons.  Whenever I can find meats for less than our limit I purchase them, provided I have room in my freezer.  Seldom do we purchase a piece of meat that is not reduced in price or on sale.  And don't assume that you'll never eat steak or shrimp or a good piece of fish at that limit.  Often if you look you'll find these items for $3 a pound.  Or if you're a wise shopper, you'll find enough meats at less than $2/a pound that you can easily buy a single pound of higher priced options and be well within budget! 

When my children were younger and drank lots of milk, we bought whole milk on sale and froze it.  When I thawed the milk, I mixed it half and  half with an equal amount of dry powdered milk, shook well and chilled thoroughly.  My kids never complained about the flavor of the milk nor questioned me about it. We always had two full gallons of milk in the fridge and no one ever asked how I magically made one appear as two, lol.   We used skim milk (which I made in a glass container)  to make pudding, cream soups, and any other recipe that called for milk and reserved the half and half gallons for drinking purposes.

Dry powdered milk has many uses.  It can also be made into buttermilk, yogurt or sour milk, and whipped topping.  I've attempted sour cream with it but found it too thin to suit me, but if you like 'natural' sour cream, you'll like the homemade sour cream just fine.  I have not had experience making yogurt, but have made buttermilk and whipped topping and they were suitable for our needs.

Nearly all salad dressings and condiments may be made at home with the pantry basics.  In times when our income was severely stretched and we had more eggs than we had cents, we even made our own mayonnaise.  And we liked it very well.  However, mayonnaise as a rule may be bought inexpensively enough these days and thankfully the dollars stretch to cover it.  I prefer homemade barbecue sauce and salad dressings over most store bought varieties.

Eat seasonally.   Seasonal fruits and vegetables are always the better priced option when it comes to eating fresh produce. 

Experiment with store vs. name brand items.  For years I wouldn't touch generic or store brand products because the quality was so poor, but that has changed.  Many stores have vastly improved their store brand (which is usually a name brand that is specially packaged in the stores own label).  Try them.  Some store brands are superior to others.  I've had very few complaints, my own or from family, over store brand items.  Odds are if the packaging is similar you can easily tell which big name company has packaged the product.  And if you're really unsure, ask a store department manager.  Most have visited the plants where products are produced for the store line. 

As well, many generic items are now produced for stores under the 'best value', 'finest value', 'quality' labels.  If you don't know if you'll like it or not, buy the usual name brand, but substitute one can or box of the value priced item.  If you like it, buy more.  If you don't, you're out only a few pennies.  I bought the 'best value' butter at one store until they switched companies and I found the product quality had decreased.  Now I buy the store brand which is comparable to the big name butter company.

Learn how to properly store and keep foods so that you get full value from them. Flour, meal, and cereals are best refrigerated (or frozen for 48 hours) to kill the larvae of insects.  There's information all over the web about how to store, preserve, freeze, etc.  Use the information at your fingertips to save your food products.

Try homemade over convenience products.  You'll be amazed at the difference in flavor.  True some things are more difficult than others to prepare.  I'm not above using a cake mix bought on sale but golly there's nothing better than a homemade cake!  There are recipes online for make your own cake mix, pudding mix, etc.  One of the current culinary crazes is making homemade marshmallows.  Just about every big name  chef is making their own.  I'm told the taste is far superior to the store bought marshmallows.  I prefer the homemade version of chocolate syrup I make to Hershey's syrup.  And hot fudge sauce from scratch is so good you'll wonder why you ever settled for a jar of the stuff from the store.

Learn to make reasonable substitutions for pricier ingredients.  Remember my bought on sale cake mix?  I can't name the number of times I've skipped adding oil and added an equal amount of water instead, in addition to the water already called for.  Not one cake ever failed, either.  In fact, no one noticed the subtraction of that oil.  Now when I make a cake from a store bought mix, I always skip the oil.  Why add to the cost of an item that turns out just fine anyway?
 
Toasted nuts have more flavor punch than  untoasted so when  recipe calls for chopped nuts, use half the amount of toasted nuts.  Try making your favorite cookie recipe with half shortening and half butter instead of the full amount of butter called for.  If the recipe turns out less than ideal, then make a note that the substitution didn't work and return to the original recipe. 

Slowly decrease ingredients until the recipe results are less than good.  I've gradually reduced the sugar called for in my bread dough and starter without noticeable changes. 

Learn to provide a variety of textures, flavors and temperatures in a menu.  While my family may love a pot roast wtih mashed potatoes and gravy and steamed carrots and biscuits, they eat less and are better satisfied when I balance the roast and mashed potatoes with a crisp salad and a green vegetable and chilled fruit or dessert.  Remember that poor pantry dinner I served my friend? It was the hot creamy soup paired with the chilled tuna salad on crisp bed of lettuce that made the meal a hit.
  
And don't forget eye appeal.  Any meal plated prettily is a hit right away.  Ellie Krieger often says "We eat with our eyes first," and that is so true.  Had I served the tuna salad that day as a sandwich on white bread with that white potato soup it's doubtful my friend would have found the meal memorable.  But because the lovely inexpensive pot of soup was served in a blue enamel bowl, and the salad was presented with a surrounding of sliced tomatoes and slivers of carrot on a bed of green lettuce, it was stellar without being costly.

Frugal Friday - Living Well

Woo Boy!  Some weeks go by like they were on an icy patch of sidewalk don't they?  And here we are in a new month before we could blink twice!  Nevertheless, it's been another week of looking for ways to save in my home.  Let's see what I found I could do this week, okay?

Saturday:   Honestly, Saturday is a long blur to me.  I remember very little except that we went to synagogue and there was a business meeting following, we ate pizza, opting for takeout because it was so late.  Hmmm... Much to my surprise a medium with several toppings cost just $10 and we had enough pizza left for 1 lunch.  We were very, very hungry when we got in.

Sunday:  When his boss called late last week and asked if he'd be willing to cover a shift for a co-worker, Chance agreed to do so.  Overtime is not something we seek out too much.  We've always felt our week's between shifts were entirely busy enough without adding in lots of extra work, too.  However, this extra shift will be welcome on the check.

Typical of a 'work day' I rose early and went right to work, too.  I started by washing a load of towels.  I find that drying the dishcloths in the dryer helps eliminate the 'sourness' that develops as the cloths dry slowly.  However, I've learned a trick from that smart husband of mine as well:  I turn off the dryer about ten minutes prior to the time they are dry.  When we're doing clothes, he takes them out and spreads them to dry, but when it's towels, I leave them in the hot dryer to finish with the residual heat.

I moved the craft items into the guestroom/my office...You see I'd mentioned that I was planning to buy a table and someone said "Oh don't bother to do that, we've got several in storage and you can have one of those."  Well, no need to postpone creating my own space then was there?  Which meant I created more space in the chiffarobe, so I could move the tablecloths to hangers and hang them up...And that meant I had more room for the place mats and could lay them flat and separate the napkins into a drawer all their own.  Well there's nothing like a little rearranging to grow space you didn't have before and gracious it doesn't cost a single thing to do that!

I'd accumulated  a stack of stuff that really had no home and so I took it out to my shop...and that's where I discovered my son had left his wire shelving unit two weeks ago.  Vaguely I recalled him saying I could use whatever he left in my shed.  There was that additional shelving I'd been contemplating all morning long, planning an extended pantry where I might store dry goods in the guest room closet.  Just to be sure I asked when he stopped by later that day if I might use it.

I've had light bulbs, wood glue and a few other items on my shopping list for about a month.  I meant to pick them up but just didn't.  Now I'm glad I didn't.  After getting the chiffarobe looking neat and nice, I couldn't let the cabinet above our trash cupboard stay a wretched mess.  Guess what I found?  Light bulbs, wood glue and the other items on our list and some we'd meant to add but hadn't!  I organized that cabinet and it looks so nice I open the door at least twice a day just to admire it.  Not to mention admiring all those things I thought we needed to buy which are sitting right there where I can see them.

One pound of hamburger...I decided that I just had to have meatloaf.  And one of the vintage magazines had a recipe for a small meatloaf using just one pound ground beef, an egg, a handful or two of breadcrumbs, and a chopped onion.  Well why not?  I mixed up the ingredients and formed them into a small round loaf.  I should do this more often.  I managed to get seven nice servings of meat loaf out of that pound of ground beef.  Sure beats four hamburgers...

I chopped up a washed potato and roasted right in the pan with the meatloaf.

Conscious of leftovers I used the last of the slaw from Friday as a side dish.

Monday:  I had company all Sunday afternoon, followed by a phone call from Kay, which pretty much sidelined work.  Not that I minded, lol.  However, Monday morning we were right back at working and saving money.

I started a batch of yogurt in the new crock pot I'd bought a couple of years ago for $5 at an end of Christmas sale.  I didn't need a second crock pot but it was such a good buy we bought it anyway.  Glad I did. It was a nice replacement for my Little Dipper pot.  This crock pot has a lift out crockery liner which makes clean-up a breeze.

Mixed up a batch of peanut butter cookies to fill one of the snack jars.

Dinner was meant to be cubed steaks...they just didn't thaw.  I popped them right into the oven, still pretty much frozen solid and they baked up juicy and tender.  I'll keep that in mind for the future.  Sides were more leftovers and included sweet potatoes I'd baked and frozen whole, then defrosted and peeled.  I sliced one half into thick rounds and baked with butter and brown sugar. 

The whole sweet potato that was left?  I mixed up a batch of sweet potato biscuits.

Disappointed to find my yogurt didn't thicken up as it ought.  No matter, I'll use anyway.  I actually like this yogurt 'milk' over cereal and use in baking as well.

Tuesday:  Off to do errands.  We have this habit of looking for coins on the ground and we drop them in a little box to save until we have enough to buy a bag of diapers to donate to the crisis pregnancy center.  We found coins this day as well, but the big find was a neatly folded piece of green paper in the middle of the sidewalk...Which just happened to be $20!  That went into the vacation fund.

We went into the grocery store with a list...and we came out with a few more items and an addition to our food budget that puts us pretty near done for the month.  No great big splurges here, except for flowers and two videos that I couldn't pass up (a double bouquet for $5 and $8 for two classic films I'll watch many many times over).  However, those items will also be taken from my allowance this next week, pushing a little more money into the grocery fund.

We'd meant to eat out but ultimately decided to head home and heat the spaghetti sauce I'd made the day before and cook pasta.  We had dinner on the table in about 40 minutes after we got home.  Half the spaghetti and sauce were leftover.  I mixed the two and put into a foil lined pan and froze it for a future meal.

One of the items not on our list was still a good buy: a dozen donuts for $1.  Those went right into a snack jar where they will stay fresh all week long...if they last a full week, lol!

Wednesday:  Out with Mama.  She wanted to visit her favorite women's dress shop.  I knew my wardrobe was at the point where a few new tops would allow me to move slightly worn looking things to the house clothes drawer.  I figured the clearance rack was just the place to shop, too.  I came away with a pretty sweater for 1/3 the original price.

Looking over the new things displayed for Spring, one mannequin caught my eye...Because I had two pieces that looked very close to the ones on the mannequin.  What I don't have: a pretty green tee.  I didn't like the style of the one shown but the idea of combining that particular shade of green with the other two pieces hadn't occurred to me.  I snapped a photo with my cell phone to remind me of that outfit.

Out to lunch and the waitress misunderstood us when we ordered a dessert item...There was a lunch special that was one third the price and half the size of the one brought to our table.  We pointed out the error but assured the girl we would just share the one she brought us.  She came back in a few minutes and told us that because it was her mistake, the manager was giving us the dessert for free!  We were very surprised and protested but they were insistent. 

Mama wanted to stop by the grocery, a place I definitely didn't want to be.  I chose to stay in the car while she looked about.

One more clothing store.  I found one top and two pairs of pants on the clearance rack.  I never pass up pants in my size from the clearance rack if I like the style.  I paid just $11 for each pair, which is a very good price indeed.

Thursday:  I was gone almost all day long.  I left the heat cut back here at home to the nighttime temperature while I was gone.

I had a doctor's appointment and no not a thing wrong with me.  I just needed to get a prescription for occasional use refilled.  I wasn't happy about having to pay for the office visit and let the doctor know it.  I do understand his position and he understands mine.  It was agreed that I might get the prescription refilled without another office visit this year.  He even suggested I go ahead and refill it just before the year is out even if I have no immediate need of a dose.  Compromise is a wonderful thing, especially when it saves the cost of an office visit.

Starved after the LONG wait at the doctor's office I went by Chance's work shop and found he was in.  At his insistence, I raided his lunch box and had half of one of his sandwiches.  He even bought me a soda to go with it.  Not as expensive as it may sound.  The shop buys drinks by the case and sells them for $.50 each, far less expensive than a drink machine.

Came home and went by the local grocery.  Intent was to pick up two items on sale this week that would feather my pantry/snack foods for next pay period very nicely.  Also discovered two lovely Rib Eye steaks marked down to a very reasonable cost.  It really was a mistake to go into the grocery.  It took a great deal of restraint not to buy a lot of unneeded items simply because I was still a little hungry and thirsty after my morning out of the house.  I'd say it was a tie, as impulse did gain some control but I managed to stick to good sale prices on the impulses.

Friday:  A Kitchen Savings Day.  I've been busy all morning and still have a few things to do this afternoon in my kitchen to complete this savings day.  I cooked ahead for the weekend, making sausage patties for biscuits tomorrow morning.  The Biscuits are thawed and in the fridge, leftover Sweet Potato biscuits from early this week.

I raided the freezer looking for inspiration for dinner after service tomorrow.  It's cold and rainy, deserving of some sort of comfort food in my opinion.  Chicken and dumplings fit the bill.  I started the frozen chicken stewing this morning, along with the frozen onion roots and tops, celery stalk trimmings and a couple of half carrots left from salads.  Boy did that stewing chicken smell good!

I purposely cooked too much chicken so I could make up chicken salad for sandwiches.

Used one cake mix to make a dozen cupcakes and a Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

Boiled two eggs to use in salads and used the cooled water to 'feed' the violets and orchid.

Made dumplings from scratch to go into the stew pot after I'd deboned and chopped the chicken.  Had a bowl for lunch and they are soooo good!  I used this recipe:
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipes/search/onerecipe.php?number=2560 for the dumplings.  Gracious but they were good!  I could have rolled them still thinner than I did and I think this recipe would be a nice one to use to make my own dried egg noodles.  Something I shall certainly to into making soon...I just need a new drying rack.

While I was digging in the freezer this morning it seemed a good time to pull a freezer inventory and at least see how much meat I had on hand.  A lot more than I'd thought and it's always helpful to do that inventory and remind myself of just what I have to use. 

Decided to skip the ride into town to pick up that prescription.  I'll do it when I'm going through in the morning.  A small savings of gasoline is still a savings.

Discovered my yogurt was thicker on the bottom than I'd realized.  Thinking through my actions I believe I simply didn't let it 'cure' long enough.  I'll correct that next week when I make the next batch.

Followed this recipe here to make bread:
http://ifyoudostuff.blogspot.com/search?q=grandpa%27s+bread
Rhonda is well known for her good food and sensible ingredients.  My loaves are rising now and I can say honestly that this is the most beautiful dough I've worked with in a long time.

Living Well

Gracious, but I am a tired woman this afternoon.  However, it is the very ,very best kind of tired, that of knowing you've been working hard and having it show.  That's right up there next to being so busy all day long that you don't even notice how utterly miserable it has been all. day. long.  And working so hard that you DO reward yourself with little things all through out the day just because you need that self pat on the back to keep going until all the things are done.  I've watched the first YouTube video of  Victorian Farm (apparently moments before it was yanked off YouTube, but that's why I have Netflix), scraped the frosting bowl clean and licked the spatula, put my feet up and eaten a bowlful of those wonderful smelling chicken and dumplings, and given myself permission to QUIT even if every single thing isn't done.

Be more adventuresome this year, I said to myself, and so this week I took no less than three roads I've never once been down before and what a surprise when I wound up right in my favorite small town (not the one I live in but the second place I ever just longed to live).

Comfort: coming in from the cold, lighting the heater, making a cup of coffee and snuggling into a housecoat even though you haven't changed your clothes.  Then drinking the coffee as you toast your chilly feet before the fire before you even THINK about doing one thing more.

I've always said I don't mind waiting, but I was frustrated at the change in my plans due to the doctor's lateness yesterday.  Now I'll look back and see the bright side.  I read about eight chapters of my book while I waited, which is more than I read all of last month.

Homemade is the best: homemade chicken salad, on homemade bread with a big Honeybell as my side and then a homemade cupcake...Yum.  Supper at it's finest.

Peace at home, when there is chaos in the world at large. 

Headaches and Such

We've had weather exactly typical of this time of year.  Warm and sunny with windows open to cool things down just a little mid-afternoon and today we're back to fog with drizzling rain and the heaters on to stay warm.  I'm not complaining.  This is February in Georgia.  Looking back through a few old posts from last year at this time, my photos record rain, snow, and stunning sunrises and sunsets.  That too is February in Georgia, lol. 

I've been struggling with one of my efforts to monetize this site.  I have a small earnings already, but the sponsor insists that I have another account and so am disapproved though their stuff continues to appear upon my site.  I've followed all their suggestions (as confusing as they are) and for my troubles I got another automated email saying the 'other' address doesn't exist in their system...and then still another stating that my 'new' address is disapproved because I have the 'other' address.  Sigh. 

I searched high and low looking for some place where I might get help.  The main site plainly states that the chances of talking to anyone via email or otherwise is nil but you can post a question and wait for answers.  Gee isn't that helpful?  I've read every single question asked and the few that relate to my issue basically state that as long as the sponsor's widget is still appearing then you are earning...but what's the point of earnings I've been disapproved to receive payment for?  And as I thought, others with the same issues have received no check for their troubles. 

Remember that menu posted yesterday?  We've deviated from it twice already.  No apologies from me about that.  Chance mentioned that what he'd really like was a big pot of spaghetti with a nice thick meat sauce.  So I thawed meat yesterday and made up a batch of spaghetti sauce to sit overnight in the fridge and 'season'.  In the meantime the meal I'd planned yesterday didn't thaw in time to cook dinner, so we had another meal entirely.  Not a bad thing as it allowed me to use up a few leftovers from the fridge and gave me the idea of using up still more of them making those sweet potato biscuits we had for supper last night.  While I was baking anyway, I mixed up peanut butter cookies.  That's taken care of at least one snack option for this week.  And the planned meals will just slide around a bit.

We were out this morning, picking up the basics at the grocery (eggs, milk, bread) and getting Chance a haircut.  We took the 'long cut' as we say when we drive more than the required distance.  It was interesting with all the fog.   It so changes the landscapes when shrouded in fog.

While in the grocery, I dug through a bin I'd noticed last week.  It was a mixed bag: lots of discounted cigarettes, and an odd or end of other things, but this week they'd tossed in videos.  I found "Emma" and "Jane Eyre" for $4 each which seemed more than reasonable to me.

I also bought discounted flowers because honestly who doesn't need flowers in February?  Chance laughed when I said I needed them.  "Not need, want..." he said, but I assured him, "No, I NEED them..."   He shook his head, but I understand perfectly why they are needed.  I don't understand why he can't understand!

I was a little shocked at checkout today at the total.  I can't blame anyone at all, and while Chance rightly pointed out that I had added to the bulk of our purchases (and he was right), I hadn't added much over $12 and that didn't account for the vast amount we'd spent otherwise.  To be fair to us, we bought nothing that wasn't on our list except a $1/1 dozen box of donuts (that went in the other snack jar) and 2 bags of coffee.  Not exactly big spends or splurges.  However, I am now near my budget limit for the month.  Needless to say, the rest of this month I shall try my utmost to do another pantry/freezer challenge (and now I'm stocked up I should have some success) buying only any fresh produce, dairy, bread required....and that means more of my 'use it up' tricks in the kitchen.  Hence this afternoon I mixed the leftover cooked spaghetti and sauce and froze.  Not quite enough for a hearty plateful of pasta but enough with rolls and salad to make a nice meal another day.  And that put me to work this evening trying to find a way to use up honey mustard I'd mixed (turkey and cheese sliders are in the oven at present and I'll have enough to put a few in Chance's work lunch for Thursday).

In honesty, I'm more interested in sticking to my budget than going over it. And yes, I'll use $12 from my allowance to actually buy some of the needed produce, dairy, and bread required if it means I can come close to being on budget for the month.

So this is where I am this afternoon...There are things over which I have no control and there's no point complaining about them, i.e. February weather patterns.  There are things I thought would be a good resource that are obviously not going to be worth the headache and so that sponsor's widget may just disappear if I don't hear something from them shortly through that non-existent question/answer system.  And finally, there are things I can control and if that means a little sacrifice on my part to do it, then I'm going to buckle down and deal with them (budget for instance!).  Which about sorts out the headaches that were concerning me today.

While we were out today I went by the thrift store to drop off my donations (and just remembered I left one of my reusable grocery bags there!  Phooey!) which the decluttering last month generated.  The next nice sunny day that comes along I plan to go out to my shed and see if I have one more donation out there and then I should be pretty well done with the majority and will just make a monthly donation drop as things are no longer wanted/needed.

The thrift store had just gotten in a HUGE donation of baby things and they were piled outside under the shelter of the porch but misting rain was getting to them.  Three workers were sorting as quickly as they could to try and prevent damp getting to the items.  And as I unloaded my box and bag, two more came up with donations as well.  What a shame they had such an overload today of all days.  I didn't even peek at anything, as I knew temptation waited for me and frankly my thrift budget for February is being set aside for the Peaches to Beaches yard sale in six weeks time.  This is the ONLY time of year when I'll hold money over from one month to the next and it's strictly for this miles long yard sale of which I travel about 50 miles.

I suppose I'd better wind up here for the evening.  It's time for me to read...I've had such a time trying to read the last few months that I'm now setting aside a time for it at the end of each day.  It's paying off.  Last month I managed to read three books.  Perhaps this month I'll build back up to my more typical 1-2 books per week. 

I spoke to Mama a little bit ago and she told me that the forecast is for sunshine tomorrow.  I'm all for that! lol  Too many of these gray drizzly days are hard to take.