My one paying job, childcare, doesn't exactly provide a holiday party for me. The ladies whose children I take care of on Thursday mornings, all enjoy a holiday party while I watch the kiddos. Hmmm, yeah, not quite fair, right? Oh well, it's all part of that job.
Anyway, as my son and husband were heading out the door, one day last week, they mentioned office holiday parties. "Holiday party?" I exclaim in a rather disgruntled tone, every year. "Nobody provides a holiday party for meeeeee". (Think whiny voice, here.)
So, what's a lonely housewife to do, with no holiday party? Well, make one for myself, that's what!
And, as circumstances would have it, a good friend of mine, is currently working just down the street from me, at her boss's home, and is the only employee there, with, you guessed it, no holiday party either. Plus, there are my 2 daughters home during the days, on winter holiday break from classes.
That's one plus two plus me, equals four for this holiday party!
My daughters are helping me plan and prepare a nice little luncheon for the four of us, on Tuesday (with much appreciated input from another good friend -- :-) thanks friend!).
Here's our menu:
Tomato-basil soup (made with canned tomato paste and frozen basil from summer)
Toasted cheese sandwiches, cut into stars using a star-shaped cookie cutter
Pumpkin bread with cream cheese (made the pumpkin bread over the weekend)
Curried pea and peanut coleslaw
Fruit salad (using whatever fruit we have on hand, canned, fresh and dried)
Nuts
Chocolates
Frosted Christmas sugar cookies (made those on Sunday afternoon)
Orange-spice tea (black tea infused with fresh orange slices, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks)
When my kids were younger, the day that my husband had his office party, the kids and I would put on our own party. Some years, we had enough cash to do a lunch out, other years we just put together fun and festive foods to enjoy here at home. This year, we're doing lunch, using only food items we have here on hand.
We even happen to have the chocolates "on hand" this year! "How does a frugal person happen to have chocolates on hand?", you ask. Thursday afternoon, after I got my good medical news, I asked my girls what we should do to celebrate. One daughter exclaimed, "See's!!!!!!!" (She was rather vocal about wanting to hit up the candy shop.) But it was mid-afternoon and the mall parking lot would be jammed. So I suggested that we go to the drug store and buy a box of Russell Stovers (which happen to be on sale this week, for $3.99 a box). We chose a box of all dark chocolates, brought them home and each picked 1 to eat, then and there. The rest of the box has been stashed in a cupboard for our "office" party.
If you don't get an office party, either, consider throwing your own party. Those of us who hold the fort down during the day really do deserve a holiday party, too!!!
Cheers!! (raising my cup of tea to all of us who make our own holiday parties)
___________________________________________________________
Monday, December 22, 2014
Friday, December 19, 2014
"I found a lump"
(before you read any further, I AM fine)
The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, I rolled over in bed and felt something I'd not felt before. It was a medium-sized lump. Women over 35 all seem to know what I mean, when I say, "I found a lump". This was a sizable lump, solid-feeling, distinct from any other tissue and it terrified me.
The next morning (the day before Thanksgiving), I woke early, and as soon as I could call the doctor's office, I did. My tightened throat choked out the sentence, "I found a lump". I asked for the soonest possible appointment, but unfortunately, they could not get me in until the following Wednesday.
I tried not to worry about the lump too much, but just get through the holiday weekend. However, you need to understand my family history with cancer, to understand why finding a lump would be so terrifying for me.
My mother and father both died from cancer. My uncle (my mother's brother) and my grandfather (my mother's father) also died from cancer. Cancer had also taken my step-sister when she was in her 30s, and another uncle on my father's side of the family. When you say "cancer" in my family, the next question is always, "is this the big C or the little C".
My mother was diagnosed at age 41 with an aggressive form of breast cancer, and her brother also died from the male version of breast cancer. These weren't people that you would look at and think, "cancer -- I guess that makes sense". These were fit, active, otherwise healthy people. They did not fit the standard profile for cancer risk.
When I met with my doctor, she was concerned. So much so that her office called me the following morning to make sure I had made my diagnostic appointment (which I had).
The soonest I could get into the breast care center at the hospital was 2 weeks. These next 2 weeks would be excruciating for me to endure. I spent a lot of time online, reading all I could about both malignant and benign breast tumors.
This past Tuesday, I went in for my diagnostic appointments (mammograms and ultrasound). I expected the appointments to reveal that I was worried over something needlessly.
The mammogram technician was bubbly and friendly. Then she went to talk with the radiologist, to make sure she gotten the images the radiologist needed. She came back quiet, said they needed another angle, and proceeded. Afterward, she took me back to a waiting area where she said the ultrasound technician would be there to get me in a minute.
I was still doing okay, having expected both mammo and ultrasound work to be done. Once again, the ultrasound technician was friendly and talkative, until . . . She told me to just rest and enjoy the peaceful music while she conferred with the radiologist.
This is where I became more alarmed. The radiologist came into the room, put her hand on my arm, let out a sigh, and had that sad/concerned ("I have to be the bearer of bad news") face on. The radiologist wanted to look at the mass herself.
Meanwhile, I was trying to get a handle on any subliminal information I could. I was studying faces, analyzing whatever the 2 of them were doing, etc. While we chatted about our children and universities, I studied the radiologist's face. At one point, she did display that sad/concerned face again. So I thought, "maybe that's just her facial expression".
Then the ultrasound tech was checking my underarm, I presume for signs of lymph node involvement. You see, I've been through 3 biopsies, 2 of which were for breast masses. This combined with my mother's cancer, and I know what they look for, and when.
At that point the radiologist told me that I needed a biopsy. We discussed the merits of surgical vs core needle. And it was decided that a core needle biopsy could get us information sooner. I got dressed and met with the nurse for scheduling. The nurse told me that they could get me that afternoon. At this point, I'm thinking, "they've red-flagged my file and are squeezing me in, in a hurry."
A core needle biopsy takes between 4 and 8 samples of mass tissue, under local anesthesia, and takes about 1 hour for the procedure itself. By the time this was over, I was a wreck.
I was given my aftercare instructions and informed that I would get a phone call with results sometime Thursday. The paper said the call would come from either my doctor, the nurse (who did the scheduling at the breast care center), or the radiologist. I had already arranged with my doctor's office for me to get any results directly from the breast care center. This speeds up the delivery of information. So, I had it figured in my mind that a call from the nurse would likely be good news. And a call from the radiologist would be either definitely bad news or inconclusive information requiring a surgical consultation and biopsy.
Thursday morning was difficult to get through, for me. But I tried to distract myself as best as possible. When the phone finally rang in the early afternoon, I answered to a friendly and upbeat nurse. I just knew at that point that the news was good. And it was. My mass is benign, but will be followed up in another 6 months.
So, that's where my head has been for the last few weeks. I have second-guessed everything in my life. Did I eat enough veggies? Should I have only bought organic? Did I have too much soy? Did I take the right supplements? Did I get enough exercise?
And I've been asking myself, "what can I do, now, to get all 3 of my kids fully launched into this world?"
I have not been able to even think about writing a blog post all week, but now, wanted to just let you all know I'm still here, and I'm fine.
While breast cancer is not my diagnosis, for now, I do feel a connection to those women who stare down this disease. They are a courageous bunch of women. I've been training for a local 5K/10K that benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation, set later this next spring. I am always touched by the stories of these brave women's lives, and their family and friends who support them.
Thanks for checking in with me, and have a lovely weekend before Christmas!
The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, I rolled over in bed and felt something I'd not felt before. It was a medium-sized lump. Women over 35 all seem to know what I mean, when I say, "I found a lump". This was a sizable lump, solid-feeling, distinct from any other tissue and it terrified me.
The next morning (the day before Thanksgiving), I woke early, and as soon as I could call the doctor's office, I did. My tightened throat choked out the sentence, "I found a lump". I asked for the soonest possible appointment, but unfortunately, they could not get me in until the following Wednesday.
I tried not to worry about the lump too much, but just get through the holiday weekend. However, you need to understand my family history with cancer, to understand why finding a lump would be so terrifying for me.
My mother and father both died from cancer. My uncle (my mother's brother) and my grandfather (my mother's father) also died from cancer. Cancer had also taken my step-sister when she was in her 30s, and another uncle on my father's side of the family. When you say "cancer" in my family, the next question is always, "is this the big C or the little C".
My mother was diagnosed at age 41 with an aggressive form of breast cancer, and her brother also died from the male version of breast cancer. These weren't people that you would look at and think, "cancer -- I guess that makes sense". These were fit, active, otherwise healthy people. They did not fit the standard profile for cancer risk.
When I met with my doctor, she was concerned. So much so that her office called me the following morning to make sure I had made my diagnostic appointment (which I had).
The soonest I could get into the breast care center at the hospital was 2 weeks. These next 2 weeks would be excruciating for me to endure. I spent a lot of time online, reading all I could about both malignant and benign breast tumors.
This past Tuesday, I went in for my diagnostic appointments (mammograms and ultrasound). I expected the appointments to reveal that I was worried over something needlessly.
The mammogram technician was bubbly and friendly. Then she went to talk with the radiologist, to make sure she gotten the images the radiologist needed. She came back quiet, said they needed another angle, and proceeded. Afterward, she took me back to a waiting area where she said the ultrasound technician would be there to get me in a minute.
I was still doing okay, having expected both mammo and ultrasound work to be done. Once again, the ultrasound technician was friendly and talkative, until . . . She told me to just rest and enjoy the peaceful music while she conferred with the radiologist.
This is where I became more alarmed. The radiologist came into the room, put her hand on my arm, let out a sigh, and had that sad/concerned ("I have to be the bearer of bad news") face on. The radiologist wanted to look at the mass herself.
Meanwhile, I was trying to get a handle on any subliminal information I could. I was studying faces, analyzing whatever the 2 of them were doing, etc. While we chatted about our children and universities, I studied the radiologist's face. At one point, she did display that sad/concerned face again. So I thought, "maybe that's just her facial expression".
Then the ultrasound tech was checking my underarm, I presume for signs of lymph node involvement. You see, I've been through 3 biopsies, 2 of which were for breast masses. This combined with my mother's cancer, and I know what they look for, and when.
At that point the radiologist told me that I needed a biopsy. We discussed the merits of surgical vs core needle. And it was decided that a core needle biopsy could get us information sooner. I got dressed and met with the nurse for scheduling. The nurse told me that they could get me that afternoon. At this point, I'm thinking, "they've red-flagged my file and are squeezing me in, in a hurry."
A core needle biopsy takes between 4 and 8 samples of mass tissue, under local anesthesia, and takes about 1 hour for the procedure itself. By the time this was over, I was a wreck.
I was given my aftercare instructions and informed that I would get a phone call with results sometime Thursday. The paper said the call would come from either my doctor, the nurse (who did the scheduling at the breast care center), or the radiologist. I had already arranged with my doctor's office for me to get any results directly from the breast care center. This speeds up the delivery of information. So, I had it figured in my mind that a call from the nurse would likely be good news. And a call from the radiologist would be either definitely bad news or inconclusive information requiring a surgical consultation and biopsy.
Thursday morning was difficult to get through, for me. But I tried to distract myself as best as possible. When the phone finally rang in the early afternoon, I answered to a friendly and upbeat nurse. I just knew at that point that the news was good. And it was. My mass is benign, but will be followed up in another 6 months.
So, that's where my head has been for the last few weeks. I have second-guessed everything in my life. Did I eat enough veggies? Should I have only bought organic? Did I have too much soy? Did I take the right supplements? Did I get enough exercise?
And I've been asking myself, "what can I do, now, to get all 3 of my kids fully launched into this world?"
I have not been able to even think about writing a blog post all week, but now, wanted to just let you all know I'm still here, and I'm fine.
While breast cancer is not my diagnosis, for now, I do feel a connection to those women who stare down this disease. They are a courageous bunch of women. I've been training for a local 5K/10K that benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation, set later this next spring. I am always touched by the stories of these brave women's lives, and their family and friends who support them.
Thanks for checking in with me, and have a lovely weekend before Christmas!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Frugal Holiday Cookies : Gingerbread Men
I have a couple of super-frugal holiday cookie recipes that I like to bake each year. This one is a favorite in our house -- frugal as it only uses 1/4 cup of butter and no eggs. The "no eggs" part is rather significant for my larder these days, as I'm metering out the use of my final dozen eggs.
I mentioned baking our gingerbread men on facebook on Tuesday, and was asked for the recipe. I thought it would be easier to post the recipe here, where I have more space (and I can link to the recipe for facebook readers).
Gingerbread Men
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water
up to 3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (I rarely need this much flour, but add it 1 cup at a time, until dough is the right consistency for rolling out)
Cream butter and sugar.
Blend in molasses until uniform consistency. Stir in cloves, cinnamon, ginger, salt and baking soda.
Add flour 1 cup at a time, alternating with some of the water, until all water is used and dough is of good rolling texture (won't stick when rolled out on a floured surface). Chill dough for about 30 minutes.
Lightly butter baking sheets. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Break dough into 2 portions. Roll out 1 portion on a floured surface, to about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into men/ladies. Place on buttered baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, depending on thickness of dough, and how crisp you like your cookies.
Repeat with other portion of dough. (You'll need to very lightly butter baking sheets between uses.)
Press all scraps together and continue rolling out/cutting until dough is used up.
Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on baking sheet, then remove to rack for remaining cooling. Frost after cookies have cooled.
Monday, December 8, 2014
One of the things about living a frugal life . . .
is that you need to know when to go easy on yourself, and not be quite so frugal.
This past weekend is one such example for my family's life. It was an incredibly busy weekend. Saturday AM my 3 kids and I had to be up at our church, preparing in one way or another, for our church's annual Christmas cantata. We didn't return back home until mid-afternoon, leaving little energy or time for me to do more than lie down for a couple of hours, then get back up to make a dinner for the family. The time at the church really exhausted me, and a nap seemed to take priority over doing laundry.
Early Sunday AM, my 3 kids had to be back at our church for rehearsals, sound-board work, and performing at both regular worship services. We raced home as soon as we could, so my daughters could study for their final exams, I could squeeze in some cooking time, and get everybody back out the door at 2 in the afternoon, to ready for the two evening performances of the cantata. It was a tight, tight squeeze, especially for my daughters.
The cantata itself, took up the entire afternoon and evening, leaving no time for me to do any laundry. The laundry sat in a huge pile on the floor. Yet my family was needing clean things for the coming week. Saturday is my usual laundry day. And when I can't fit it in on Saturday, then I push it to Sunday. This weekend, there was no time to do laundry the frugal way (hanging it all to dry). So, I decided for this week that clean laundry was more important than saving a few quarters on the dryer.
Life's demands come in spurts. One weekend there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. The next, I'm leisurely hanging and folding laundry. For me, with frugality, I need to know when it's "okay" to take a short-cut, and when I should use my extra time to do something that will save us money. Balance is key, in all things in life.
This past weekend is one such example for my family's life. It was an incredibly busy weekend. Saturday AM my 3 kids and I had to be up at our church, preparing in one way or another, for our church's annual Christmas cantata. We didn't return back home until mid-afternoon, leaving little energy or time for me to do more than lie down for a couple of hours, then get back up to make a dinner for the family. The time at the church really exhausted me, and a nap seemed to take priority over doing laundry.
Early Sunday AM, my 3 kids had to be back at our church for rehearsals, sound-board work, and performing at both regular worship services. We raced home as soon as we could, so my daughters could study for their final exams, I could squeeze in some cooking time, and get everybody back out the door at 2 in the afternoon, to ready for the two evening performances of the cantata. It was a tight, tight squeeze, especially for my daughters.
The cantata itself, took up the entire afternoon and evening, leaving no time for me to do any laundry. The laundry sat in a huge pile on the floor. Yet my family was needing clean things for the coming week. Saturday is my usual laundry day. And when I can't fit it in on Saturday, then I push it to Sunday. This weekend, there was no time to do laundry the frugal way (hanging it all to dry). So, I decided for this week that clean laundry was more important than saving a few quarters on the dryer.
Life's demands come in spurts. One weekend there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. The next, I'm leisurely hanging and folding laundry. For me, with frugality, I need to know when it's "okay" to take a short-cut, and when I should use my extra time to do something that will save us money. Balance is key, in all things in life.
Friday, December 5, 2014
I nearly did it again!
So, I had my Thursday babysitting this week, at our church. 2 boys, well behaved, and we had a lot of fun together. Anyway, when one of the moms came to drop off her son, I noticed that her hair was a different shade. Since I knew what brand she had bought before (and it's the brand that I buy, and near to the color that I'm looking for), I asked which color she used. That's when she told me she had it done at a salon this time. Okay. Looks nice. I'll continue on my search for the perfect color for me.
When she came back to get her son, she and the other mom were talking about their iphones and the different apps available. Okay, so a lot of people have iphones. I haven't really wanted one, yet. So I'm okay with not having one.
Second mom came in to drop off her young son, holding a Starbucks red Christmas cup of something delicious, I'm sure. This mom has 7 kids. And they live on 1 salary. First mom has 4 kids, and they live on 1 salary. My green monster was welling up inside of me. How on earth do these people afford salon visits, iphones, Starbucks drinks?
And then I remembered our various conversations, here. About how comparing our situation to that of others will only lead to misery. And about how we never know how other people are managing their finances. And about how we all have different financial priorities.
And then I thought about how my family is financially secure, should the rug be pulled out from under us. And how our retirement years are nearly financed, and we still have many earning years, this decade and next. Basically, we're doing well.
And to think that I nearly let the monster of comparison get me again. I'm learning! Thanks to all of you, I am learning.
When she came back to get her son, she and the other mom were talking about their iphones and the different apps available. Okay, so a lot of people have iphones. I haven't really wanted one, yet. So I'm okay with not having one.
Second mom came in to drop off her young son, holding a Starbucks red Christmas cup of something delicious, I'm sure. This mom has 7 kids. And they live on 1 salary. First mom has 4 kids, and they live on 1 salary. My green monster was welling up inside of me. How on earth do these people afford salon visits, iphones, Starbucks drinks?
And then I remembered our various conversations, here. About how comparing our situation to that of others will only lead to misery. And about how we never know how other people are managing their finances. And about how we all have different financial priorities.
And then I thought about how my family is financially secure, should the rug be pulled out from under us. And how our retirement years are nearly financed, and we still have many earning years, this decade and next. Basically, we're doing well.
And to think that I nearly let the monster of comparison get me again. I'm learning! Thanks to all of you, I am learning.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Last week of university quarter: a yummy lunch round-up
This is the last full week of classes for my daughters. Emotions are high. Projects need completing. Exams readied for. Papers finished up (let's hope they've started!!). So, what does Mom do for her hungry brood? Make favorite foods, of course.
So, this week's lunch round-up:
On another note, it snowed here on Saturday. We got 4 inches, and it's still hanging around. Looks pretty, but it's slick on the roads in our neighborhood. Seattle is not exactly known for having a large plow/sanding/de-icing budget. But it will all be gone by the end of the week. While I complain about driving on the icy roads, I also try to enjoy the beauty we have in our yard.
The ultimate frugal Christmas decoration -- free snow!!
Have a great week!
So, this week's lunch round-up:
- cheese pizza (I made 4 large pizzas, one for dinner that night, 1 for the freezer, and 2 sliced up and ready to grab for lunches)
- sausage and egg strata (individually packaged for quick, high protein breakfasts)
- pumpkin muffins
- red ants on a log (celery filled with peanut butter, topped with dried cranberries)
- fresh oranges
On another note, it snowed here on Saturday. We got 4 inches, and it's still hanging around. Looks pretty, but it's slick on the roads in our neighborhood. Seattle is not exactly known for having a large plow/sanding/de-icing budget. But it will all be gone by the end of the week. While I complain about driving on the icy roads, I also try to enjoy the beauty we have in our yard.
The ultimate frugal Christmas decoration -- free snow!!
Have a great week!
Monday, December 1, 2014
November Grocery Money Journal
Nov. 7 Walgreens for eggs. At $1.29, they seem more expensive than I'm used to, so I just buy 1 dozen. Spent $1.29
Also, stop at Trader Joe's for bananas, at 19cents each. I buy 6 bananas, for $1.14. We still have apples, and will get oranges, so a few bananas will be a nice change of pace.
Just down the highway is the Cash & Carry wholesaler. Tomato paste is on sale in the #10 cans, case of 6 cans for $24.84. I buy 2 cases. And oranges also on sale in 40-lb case (88 oranges), for $16.98. Spent $66.66.
Nov. 9 Dollar Tree for macaroni (1), lasagna noodles (2), black tea (1), soy milk (3), and a marked down package of candy corn (50cents). Spent $7.50.
Nov. 11. Again down by Cash& Carry, so I pick up 1 more case of oranges, and a can of coffee for $5.45. Spent $22.43
Nov. 14 Albertson's for the first of my turkey deals. I buy 4 dozen eggs (4/$5), and 2 turkeys (40 lbs for $23.28). Spent $28.28
Nov. 20. Need milk, stop in at QFC. No markdowns, so I buy 1 gallon at $2.99.
Also, stop at Albertson's for 1 more turkey deal (I buy 2 more turkeys, about 36 lbs for $21.28) . Also, this week, potatoes in 10-lb bags for 99cents, limit 1,powdered sugar 2-lb bags, 99cents w/coupon limit 2 (I buy 2), canned veggies 50cents, limit 6, w/coupon (I buy 6). I spend $28.25
Nov. 22, at Fred Meyer. I check milk, again no markdowns. I buy 1 gallon for $2.99.
Nov. 22 Albertson's with 2 daughters, we each buy a bag of potatoes, for 30 lbs, and spend $2.97.
Nov. 23 Albertson's with 3 other family members. Buy 4 bags of potatoes for $3.96.
Nov. 24 one last pass at Albertson's with 1 family member, we buy 2 more bags of potatoes, for $1.98. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes for the winter.
Total spent for the month, so far, $170.44
Nov. 25. Fred Meyer. Celery is on sale for 39cents/lb. I buy 8 bundles of celery, about 17 lbs, to chop and freeze to use this winter in soups/stews/sauces. Also, buy 1 head garlic (34cents), 6 cans veggies (50cents each), 1 more gallon milk ($2.99), 3 bottles sparkling cider ($2), barbeque sauce (in markdown bin for 49cents each -- I buy 6 bottles), 1 bottle cran mango juice ($1.29, markdown bin, will save for Christmas morning), 1 small-ish sweet potato (79cents/lb), and 4 cans of pineapple ($1 each). I spend $28.18
Also, Cash & Carry, for 4 jars of peanut butter (4-lb jars, $5.39), 50 lbs of all-purpose flour ($12.97), and a 2-lb bag of yeast ($6.29). I spend $40.82.
Nov. 28. Black Friday sales. We stop at Bartell's (drug store) for canned nuts. We buy a mix of mixed nuts and just peanuts. We buy about 12 lbs of nuts, total and spend $43.92. Not as good a deal on nuts as last year, but these will be nice to have.
Black Friday, Fred Meyer, check the milk section and find lots of marked down milk. I buy 4gallons whole milk ($1.99 each), and 3 gallons 1% ($1.99 each). Our freezer and fridge are very full, so this is all I think will fit. Spent $13.93.
For the month of November, I spent $297.29. I had a surplus of $19.33 from last month, added to a budget of $160, for a total of $179.33. I was overbudget in November by $117.96. That deficit will carry forward to December. I hope to be caught up by the end of January. We'll have to see.
So, our pantry, freezers and fridges are very, very full. We could go a couple of months and only need milk and eggs (but I'd like to buy hams this month, too).
This month, we stocked up on potatoes, turkeys, canned veggies, peanut butter, tomato paste, canned nuts and fresh oranges. These items will last through the next several months, up to a year on some.
I hope your pantry is well-stocked for the holidays!
Also, stop at Trader Joe's for bananas, at 19cents each. I buy 6 bananas, for $1.14. We still have apples, and will get oranges, so a few bananas will be a nice change of pace.
Just down the highway is the Cash & Carry wholesaler. Tomato paste is on sale in the #10 cans, case of 6 cans for $24.84. I buy 2 cases. And oranges also on sale in 40-lb case (88 oranges), for $16.98. Spent $66.66.
Nov. 9 Dollar Tree for macaroni (1), lasagna noodles (2), black tea (1), soy milk (3), and a marked down package of candy corn (50cents). Spent $7.50.
Nov. 11. Again down by Cash& Carry, so I pick up 1 more case of oranges, and a can of coffee for $5.45. Spent $22.43
Nov. 14 Albertson's for the first of my turkey deals. I buy 4 dozen eggs (4/$5), and 2 turkeys (40 lbs for $23.28). Spent $28.28
Nov. 20. Need milk, stop in at QFC. No markdowns, so I buy 1 gallon at $2.99.
Also, stop at Albertson's for 1 more turkey deal (I buy 2 more turkeys, about 36 lbs for $21.28) . Also, this week, potatoes in 10-lb bags for 99cents, limit 1,powdered sugar 2-lb bags, 99cents w/coupon limit 2 (I buy 2), canned veggies 50cents, limit 6, w/coupon (I buy 6). I spend $28.25
Nov. 22, at Fred Meyer. I check milk, again no markdowns. I buy 1 gallon for $2.99.
Nov. 22 Albertson's with 2 daughters, we each buy a bag of potatoes, for 30 lbs, and spend $2.97.
Nov. 23 Albertson's with 3 other family members. Buy 4 bags of potatoes for $3.96.
Nov. 24 one last pass at Albertson's with 1 family member, we buy 2 more bags of potatoes, for $1.98. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes for the winter.
Total spent for the month, so far, $170.44
Nov. 25. Fred Meyer. Celery is on sale for 39cents/lb. I buy 8 bundles of celery, about 17 lbs, to chop and freeze to use this winter in soups/stews/sauces. Also, buy 1 head garlic (34cents), 6 cans veggies (50cents each), 1 more gallon milk ($2.99), 3 bottles sparkling cider ($2), barbeque sauce (in markdown bin for 49cents each -- I buy 6 bottles), 1 bottle cran mango juice ($1.29, markdown bin, will save for Christmas morning), 1 small-ish sweet potato (79cents/lb), and 4 cans of pineapple ($1 each). I spend $28.18
Also, Cash & Carry, for 4 jars of peanut butter (4-lb jars, $5.39), 50 lbs of all-purpose flour ($12.97), and a 2-lb bag of yeast ($6.29). I spend $40.82.
Nov. 28. Black Friday sales. We stop at Bartell's (drug store) for canned nuts. We buy a mix of mixed nuts and just peanuts. We buy about 12 lbs of nuts, total and spend $43.92. Not as good a deal on nuts as last year, but these will be nice to have.
Black Friday, Fred Meyer, check the milk section and find lots of marked down milk. I buy 4gallons whole milk ($1.99 each), and 3 gallons 1% ($1.99 each). Our freezer and fridge are very full, so this is all I think will fit. Spent $13.93.
For the month of November, I spent $297.29. I had a surplus of $19.33 from last month, added to a budget of $160, for a total of $179.33. I was overbudget in November by $117.96. That deficit will carry forward to December. I hope to be caught up by the end of January. We'll have to see.
So, our pantry, freezers and fridges are very, very full. We could go a couple of months and only need milk and eggs (but I'd like to buy hams this month, too).
This month, we stocked up on potatoes, turkeys, canned veggies, peanut butter, tomato paste, canned nuts and fresh oranges. These items will last through the next several months, up to a year on some.
I hope your pantry is well-stocked for the holidays!
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
No lunch round-up -- holiday, yay! -- but lots and lots of potatoes
With a shortened work week, we're just making do for lunches for this week. So I thought maybe we could discuss something that's been a question of ethics in my mind for years.
When there's a limit placed on a sale item, what do you think is ethical to do?
I've seen limits worded in a couple of different ways, which I do, in turn, interpret differently.
"Limit 1"
"Limit 1 per customer"
"Limit 1 per household"
"Limit 1 per transaction"
"Limit 1 per transaction" definitely implies that you may go through the check-out line numerous times, IMO., and multiple family members may make the same purchase.
"Limit 1 per household" states that you may NOT have multiple family members go through the check-out line, to purchase more of the limited item. (I've only seen this limit a couple of times. It was on turkeys at a special low price, a couple of years in a row, at one particular store.) And I also interpret their intention to mean "limit 1 per household, per sale per period". If a special price runs in 2 separate ads, one week following another, with this limitation, then I figure I am entitled to make the special purchase in the second week, as well, as the sale ads usually have a calendar at the bottom of the front page, indicating the sale period for which they are advertising. So, I feel I am may make the sale purchase once per sale period.
But the "Limit 1" and "Limit 1 per customer" have more ambiguity built in. One per what? Per transaction? Per family? Per day? What constitutes a customer? Am I a new and separate customer each time I enter the store?
I did some calling around and discovered that policies do vary from one store to the next. Some stores will allow you to go through the check-out line and buy the "limit" several times per car trip to the store, but with a stated limit, like 4 times. Other stores discourage this with wording in their ads, such as, "we reserve the right to enforce limits". Mostly, I was given the same basic explanation, along the lines of "we wish to provide enough stock of any sale item, so that all customers will have the opportunity to make this purchase." And there is some basic kindness and courtesy, here. It seems selfish to clear a shelf of all of the advertised items.
So, where do you fall on this issue? When a store imposes limits to a sale-priced purchase, what do you feel most comfortable doing?
For our family, here's how we interpret, and act on "Limit 1" or "Limit 1 per customer":
When our children became adults (age 18), they also began contributing to our household finances. I consider them all as paying rent, here. This became the age when I felt most comfortable giving them the cash to make a purchase, for our family to acquire more of a limited item. They could just as easily be renters in their own apartments, doing all of their own grocery shopping. We don't hide this in any way, but follow each other one right after the other in the check-out line. (And with identical twins, it would be pretty hard to try and "fool" the checker!) With 5 of us in the household, we can acquire 5 of a "Limit 1" item.
I figure that each time I drive into the parking lot that I am a new customer, as grocery stores encourage and hope for customers to make repeat visits throughout the week. So, in 1 week, I may go to the same grocery store multiple times, to purchase as many of an item as I need, at the special price. If they wished to only sell me the item at the special price once, then I would expect the limit to read "Limit 1 per person", and I would abide by that, one per person in my family.
So, this week, potatoes are on sale at Albertson's, 10-lb bag for 99cents, "limit 1". On several days this past week, myself, and any family members I had with me in the car, stopped at Albertson's and each bought our 1 bag of potatoes. Yesterday, I picked up our last bag of potatoes for our winter supply. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes to get through the winter months. And I feel we worked within the rules imposed by the store.
What are your thoughts on store limits?
When there's a limit placed on a sale item, what do you think is ethical to do?
I've seen limits worded in a couple of different ways, which I do, in turn, interpret differently.
"Limit 1"
"Limit 1 per customer"
"Limit 1 per household"
"Limit 1 per transaction"
"Limit 1 per transaction" definitely implies that you may go through the check-out line numerous times, IMO., and multiple family members may make the same purchase.
"Limit 1 per household" states that you may NOT have multiple family members go through the check-out line, to purchase more of the limited item. (I've only seen this limit a couple of times. It was on turkeys at a special low price, a couple of years in a row, at one particular store.) And I also interpret their intention to mean "limit 1 per household, per sale per period". If a special price runs in 2 separate ads, one week following another, with this limitation, then I figure I am entitled to make the special purchase in the second week, as well, as the sale ads usually have a calendar at the bottom of the front page, indicating the sale period for which they are advertising. So, I feel I am may make the sale purchase once per sale period.
But the "Limit 1" and "Limit 1 per customer" have more ambiguity built in. One per what? Per transaction? Per family? Per day? What constitutes a customer? Am I a new and separate customer each time I enter the store?
I did some calling around and discovered that policies do vary from one store to the next. Some stores will allow you to go through the check-out line and buy the "limit" several times per car trip to the store, but with a stated limit, like 4 times. Other stores discourage this with wording in their ads, such as, "we reserve the right to enforce limits". Mostly, I was given the same basic explanation, along the lines of "we wish to provide enough stock of any sale item, so that all customers will have the opportunity to make this purchase." And there is some basic kindness and courtesy, here. It seems selfish to clear a shelf of all of the advertised items.
So, where do you fall on this issue? When a store imposes limits to a sale-priced purchase, what do you feel most comfortable doing?
For our family, here's how we interpret, and act on "Limit 1" or "Limit 1 per customer":
When our children became adults (age 18), they also began contributing to our household finances. I consider them all as paying rent, here. This became the age when I felt most comfortable giving them the cash to make a purchase, for our family to acquire more of a limited item. They could just as easily be renters in their own apartments, doing all of their own grocery shopping. We don't hide this in any way, but follow each other one right after the other in the check-out line. (And with identical twins, it would be pretty hard to try and "fool" the checker!) With 5 of us in the household, we can acquire 5 of a "Limit 1" item.
I figure that each time I drive into the parking lot that I am a new customer, as grocery stores encourage and hope for customers to make repeat visits throughout the week. So, in 1 week, I may go to the same grocery store multiple times, to purchase as many of an item as I need, at the special price. If they wished to only sell me the item at the special price once, then I would expect the limit to read "Limit 1 per person", and I would abide by that, one per person in my family.
So, this week, potatoes are on sale at Albertson's, 10-lb bag for 99cents, "limit 1". On several days this past week, myself, and any family members I had with me in the car, stopped at Albertson's and each bought our 1 bag of potatoes. Yesterday, I picked up our last bag of potatoes for our winter supply. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes to get through the winter months. And I feel we worked within the rules imposed by the store.
What are your thoughts on store limits?
Monday, November 24, 2014
My Thanksgiving sweater: dressing up a plain sweater with too long sleeves
(sorry for the poor-quality photo -- taken with an ipad)
I have this off-white, ribbed, cotton turtleneck sweater that I got a fabulous deal on, a while back. It fits great in the shoulders, I like the length and body fit. But . . . I don't like having to turn up sleeves on my sweaters. Extra long sleeves seem to be "in". And, turning them up makes me feel like I'm back in 4th grade, wearing my sister's hand-me-downs.
In looking through my closet, I came across another sweater that I love, love, love. It's a short-sleeved sweater, with turned up cuff on the short sleeves. The "cuff" is secured with a single rhinestone button. This gave me an idea.
I poured through my button box, hoping to find matching pearl buttons. Unfortunately, no matches.
So, with coupons in hand, my daughters came with me to the fabric store. We looked through all the pearl buttons and found some with "brass" trim that we thought would look nice. And, as both my daughters and I had our own coupons, I could use two 60% off coupons, to buy 2 cards of these buttons (2 buttons per card). The buttons cost a "whopping" $1.60!
Once home, I turned up the cuff to the right length, then sewed two buttons to each cuff, on the outside of the wrist.
*One thing to note, when adding "fancy" buttons, the back of the button card will say whether the buttons can be laundered, or need dry-cleaning.
Anyways, this is my Thanksgiving sweater. I'll be wearing this on Thursday for our family dinner.
About those mailer coupons for craft and fabric stores -- all three of my us, my daughters and myself, are on their mailing list. So, when coupons come out, we each get a set. And when the 3 of us are hitting the fabric or craft store, together, we can swap coupons. (Well, actually, I'll give a couple of dollars to one daughter for her to purchase my item with her coupon, and vice versa.) When my daughters are no longer 3-some-ing to the fabric/craft store with me, I'll probably sign my hubby up for the mailers/coupons. I'm sure he'll REALLY enjoy an afternoon at the fabric store, waiting in line at the cutting table, etc, so that I can use all of the coupons allowed for our household!! ;-)
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Friday, November 21, 2014
If the stock market is doing so awesome, why do I feel so poor?
Property taxes are up. Grocery prices are up. Utility costs are up. Insurance costs are up. The only expense that has gone down is gas for the cars.
Those are the basics for our household. And, yet, salaries are only rising modestly, if at all, for most folks.
What am I doing about the rising costs of living? I'm continuing to watch our grocery spending very closely. I am being careful as ever to make sure we turn off lights, turn down heat when we won't be home, use equipment like washers and dishwashers only when full, and taking advantage of free entertainment whenever possible. And, I am NOT allowing myself to be lured into spending more than I intend, with this Black Friday coming up.
I remember feeling this way in the 90s. I kept hearing reports about how amazing the economy was doing, yet our family seemed to be moving only slowly towards our financial goals. I guess the good news is we were (and are now) moving towards our goals, and not away from them.
And I keep repeating to myself, "stay the course", "don't give up now", "your work will pay off", "keep your head about you", etc.
Then, I remind myself of just how "rich" we are. There may be less disposable income, after paying bills. But we have a roof over our head, we are well-fed, we are warm and clothed, and we have some money for items and services that the rest of the world would determine are luxuries.
As we enter into Thanksgiving week, here in the US, I can count so many blessings for which to be thankful. As I am sure can you.
Have a great weekend!
Those are the basics for our household. And, yet, salaries are only rising modestly, if at all, for most folks.
What am I doing about the rising costs of living? I'm continuing to watch our grocery spending very closely. I am being careful as ever to make sure we turn off lights, turn down heat when we won't be home, use equipment like washers and dishwashers only when full, and taking advantage of free entertainment whenever possible. And, I am NOT allowing myself to be lured into spending more than I intend, with this Black Friday coming up.
I remember feeling this way in the 90s. I kept hearing reports about how amazing the economy was doing, yet our family seemed to be moving only slowly towards our financial goals. I guess the good news is we were (and are now) moving towards our goals, and not away from them.
And I keep repeating to myself, "stay the course", "don't give up now", "your work will pay off", "keep your head about you", etc.
Then, I remind myself of just how "rich" we are. There may be less disposable income, after paying bills. But we have a roof over our head, we are well-fed, we are warm and clothed, and we have some money for items and services that the rest of the world would determine are luxuries.
As we enter into Thanksgiving week, here in the US, I can count so many blessings for which to be thankful. As I am sure can you.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Ouchy stuff and this week's lunch round-up (or how in the world do I cook while keeping my leg elevated?)
Monday, I was doing my good-for-me thing, out for a run, when my left foot slips and down I go. It's slick in places still (and may very well be for the next few months -- ack!) I landed on my hands and both knees. I just missed hitting my head and I felt grateful for that. I was also grateful that I fell forward, to take the brunt of the fall on four limbs and not backwards, which would have likely meant a cracked tailbone. I fell that hard.
Anyway, sitting there stunned for a minute, I checked out my knees. Nothing appeared to be loose in any abnormal way. It looked like I might just be bruised. So I picked myself up and finished off my run. It was a long-run day, so I put a lot of miles on my injuries. And really, my knees weren't hurting me in any appreciable way, so I thought, "wow, I lucked out there!"
An hour after getting home, I could not bend my left knee. I took a look and it was badly swollen. Frozen peas for half an hour, and lots of advil. But I still needed to get myself into the kitchen to make something, anything, for the next day's lunches, make dinner and get ready to take my daughter to a piano concert in the evening.
So the afternoon was challenging. I could only make one item for lunches. The family will have to fend for themselves for a couple of days. But this is what I made -- a large casserole dish of Pizza-mac.
Pizza-mac is cooked macaroni, tossed with some protein (I used cooked pinto beans and a diced pepperoni-like beef hot link), some veggies (I used a can of green beans, chopped parsley and some sliced olives), and all held together with pizza sauce, and topped with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 F until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through, about 30 minutes.
Pizza-mac is NOT gourmet, but good ole comfort food, and will fill stomachs for lunches this week (and breakfasts, I had some yesterday as my breakfast).
The rest of the lunch round-up will be:
The concert was really fabulous, but I couldn't keep my leg up, or even out of the way of the folks at the end of the row who kept needing to get up and pass me throughout the evening. Grrrr -- why on earth would anyone allow their phones to be on during a lovely piano concert?! (I glared at them appropriately every time they passed in front of me.)
It's not how I planned for my week to go, but I am able to take care of my knee, and other things, like budgeting and bill paying, nonetheless. Switching gears.
The good news on my knee -- it looks and feels a lot better this morning. I've got it wrapped in an Ace bandage for this week. I won't go for my Wednesday run, but will try for a walk at the end of the week.
Hope your week is going well!
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Anyway, sitting there stunned for a minute, I checked out my knees. Nothing appeared to be loose in any abnormal way. It looked like I might just be bruised. So I picked myself up and finished off my run. It was a long-run day, so I put a lot of miles on my injuries. And really, my knees weren't hurting me in any appreciable way, so I thought, "wow, I lucked out there!"
An hour after getting home, I could not bend my left knee. I took a look and it was badly swollen. Frozen peas for half an hour, and lots of advil. But I still needed to get myself into the kitchen to make something, anything, for the next day's lunches, make dinner and get ready to take my daughter to a piano concert in the evening.
So the afternoon was challenging. I could only make one item for lunches. The family will have to fend for themselves for a couple of days. But this is what I made -- a large casserole dish of Pizza-mac.
Pizza-mac is cooked macaroni, tossed with some protein (I used cooked pinto beans and a diced pepperoni-like beef hot link), some veggies (I used a can of green beans, chopped parsley and some sliced olives), and all held together with pizza sauce, and topped with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 F until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through, about 30 minutes.
Pizza-mac is NOT gourmet, but good ole comfort food, and will fill stomachs for lunches this week (and breakfasts, I had some yesterday as my breakfast).
The rest of the lunch round-up will be:
- oranges
- pbjs
- last of the yogurt
- anything else anyone can find in the kitchen
The concert was really fabulous, but I couldn't keep my leg up, or even out of the way of the folks at the end of the row who kept needing to get up and pass me throughout the evening. Grrrr -- why on earth would anyone allow their phones to be on during a lovely piano concert?! (I glared at them appropriately every time they passed in front of me.)
It's not how I planned for my week to go, but I am able to take care of my knee, and other things, like budgeting and bill paying, nonetheless. Switching gears.
The good news on my knee -- it looks and feels a lot better this morning. I've got it wrapped in an Ace bandage for this week. I won't go for my Wednesday run, but will try for a walk at the end of the week.
Hope your week is going well!
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Monday, November 17, 2014
If you have to make a minimum purchase to buy a turkey at the best price . . .
. . . this is what I do.
Our grocery store's deal this year is spend $35, then buy 1 turkey at $1.19 per pound, and get a second turkey for free. If I find 2 turkeys that weigh about the same, then my price per pound is about 59 cents per pound.
But I have to make that minimum purchase of $35, to get that deal. For someone who only buys groceries at rock-bottom prices, this can be a challenge to spend $35 at a regular grocery store.
But I have a system/plan that works for us. The bath tissue that I regularly buy is this store's own house brand of Scott's 1000. It's not comfy tp, but I did some figuring several years ago, and this bath tissue, store brand, at the current price, is the best bargain for our family. (Here's the post I wrote on making that calculation.)
So, I let our household run very low on bath tissue in the weeks leading up to my turkey purchases each November. It got so low this month that I was redistributing tp from one bathroom to the next, so no one in the house would have one of those emergencies. Yes, it was dangerously low, in fact! I didn't mean for it to get this low, but it did.
And to make my $35 minimum spend at the grocery store, I do a major stock-up of bath tissue for the bulk of that dollar amount, buying the economical tp, as I have already calculated.
Anyway, on Friday, I made the first of our turkey purchases, buying two 19-lb turkeys, plus 40 rolls of bath tissue, 4 dozen eggs, and 1 tiny treat for myself. I was 2 cents short of the $35 minimum purchase, so I checked out the clearance racks at the grocery store and found a marked down Hallowe'en treat for myself. It was a Russell Stover's candy, very yummy, and 39 cents.
If you need to make a minimum spend in your grocery store to get the deal, look around for what else the store might carry, that is well-priced for your area. Some stores allow the purchase of alcohol or gift cards to go towards the minimum spend. I had thought of buying another bottle of vodka for making more vanilla extract. Or, if you know you would like to give a gift card to someone at some point, you could pick that up now, and have that go towards your minimum purchase. Or, perhaps a major stock-up of bath tissue would work for your household, as well.
Happy bargain shopping!
______________________________________________
Our grocery store's deal this year is spend $35, then buy 1 turkey at $1.19 per pound, and get a second turkey for free. If I find 2 turkeys that weigh about the same, then my price per pound is about 59 cents per pound.
But I have to make that minimum purchase of $35, to get that deal. For someone who only buys groceries at rock-bottom prices, this can be a challenge to spend $35 at a regular grocery store.
But I have a system/plan that works for us. The bath tissue that I regularly buy is this store's own house brand of Scott's 1000. It's not comfy tp, but I did some figuring several years ago, and this bath tissue, store brand, at the current price, is the best bargain for our family. (Here's the post I wrote on making that calculation.)
So, I let our household run very low on bath tissue in the weeks leading up to my turkey purchases each November. It got so low this month that I was redistributing tp from one bathroom to the next, so no one in the house would have one of those emergencies. Yes, it was dangerously low, in fact! I didn't mean for it to get this low, but it did.
And to make my $35 minimum spend at the grocery store, I do a major stock-up of bath tissue for the bulk of that dollar amount, buying the economical tp, as I have already calculated.
Anyway, on Friday, I made the first of our turkey purchases, buying two 19-lb turkeys, plus 40 rolls of bath tissue, 4 dozen eggs, and 1 tiny treat for myself. I was 2 cents short of the $35 minimum purchase, so I checked out the clearance racks at the grocery store and found a marked down Hallowe'en treat for myself. It was a Russell Stover's candy, very yummy, and 39 cents.
If you need to make a minimum spend in your grocery store to get the deal, look around for what else the store might carry, that is well-priced for your area. Some stores allow the purchase of alcohol or gift cards to go towards the minimum spend. I had thought of buying another bottle of vodka for making more vanilla extract. Or, if you know you would like to give a gift card to someone at some point, you could pick that up now, and have that go towards your minimum purchase. Or, perhaps a major stock-up of bath tissue would work for your household, as well.
Happy bargain shopping!
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Friday, November 14, 2014
Which financial path did you choose?
Choices. We each get to choose our financial path. We can choose living life way beyond our means, or we can choose to live within our means.
I'm close to someone who chose a very different financial path than my husband and I. They live a life that looks affluent to me. They travel a lot, eat out frequently, have not just one extraordinarily lovely home, but a second home, as well. They drive very nice cars, have gorgeous clothing and furnishings, and would shudder at the thought of "having" to live the life that I chose.
My family shops discount stores, thrift stores, clearance racks, gladly accepts hand-me-downs, makes do with what we have, and drive our cars until they just won't move any more. We rarely eat out, our travels are limited and so feel very special, and our home is almost entirely furnished with second-hand furniture, most of which was given to us by relatives who were down-sizing.
Looking at the surface, it would appear that this other couple is doing much better than my husband and I, financially. Their career paths have been far more lucrative than ours. My husband and I have always managed on about 1/3 to 1/4 of the other couple's income.
However, looks don't always tell the whole story. My husband and I don't have 1 stitch of debt, not one tiny bit. Our house is paid in full. We paid cash for our cars. We have enough comfort in our lives that life is indeed enjoyable. And we have a significant savings to ward off any unforeseen financial disaster. This other couple is in the retirement zone, but unable to retire for several more years, due to debt. They try to be upbeat, but I can hear between words that they wish that they could be enjoying retirement right now, as are all of their friends.
Over the years, I've felt envy for all they seemed to have. But now, I feel sorry for them and their financial choices. If my husband and I had to retire right here and now, we'd do okay, and find happiness regardless of our finances. If something were to happen and this other couple were to be forced into retirement, they'd be miserable with the style of life that they'd "have" to live with.
Often times, these choices are gradual. You find yourself in the fast lane and boxed in, unable to move over to a slower lane. In no time, the spending-lifestyle has escalated, and debt builds. Or in my family's case, our income was quite small, and we needed to trim costs a little bit, all those years ago. And before we new it, 27 years had passed and we had developed many frugal habits, and managed to snag a bit of financial freedom for ourselves in the process.
Either way, it takes just one step in the direction of choice to set a new path for yourself. Just one step. I'm grateful that my husband and I took that one step in a frugal direction.
__________________________________________________
I'm close to someone who chose a very different financial path than my husband and I. They live a life that looks affluent to me. They travel a lot, eat out frequently, have not just one extraordinarily lovely home, but a second home, as well. They drive very nice cars, have gorgeous clothing and furnishings, and would shudder at the thought of "having" to live the life that I chose.
My family shops discount stores, thrift stores, clearance racks, gladly accepts hand-me-downs, makes do with what we have, and drive our cars until they just won't move any more. We rarely eat out, our travels are limited and so feel very special, and our home is almost entirely furnished with second-hand furniture, most of which was given to us by relatives who were down-sizing.
Looking at the surface, it would appear that this other couple is doing much better than my husband and I, financially. Their career paths have been far more lucrative than ours. My husband and I have always managed on about 1/3 to 1/4 of the other couple's income.
However, looks don't always tell the whole story. My husband and I don't have 1 stitch of debt, not one tiny bit. Our house is paid in full. We paid cash for our cars. We have enough comfort in our lives that life is indeed enjoyable. And we have a significant savings to ward off any unforeseen financial disaster. This other couple is in the retirement zone, but unable to retire for several more years, due to debt. They try to be upbeat, but I can hear between words that they wish that they could be enjoying retirement right now, as are all of their friends.
Over the years, I've felt envy for all they seemed to have. But now, I feel sorry for them and their financial choices. If my husband and I had to retire right here and now, we'd do okay, and find happiness regardless of our finances. If something were to happen and this other couple were to be forced into retirement, they'd be miserable with the style of life that they'd "have" to live with.
Often times, these choices are gradual. You find yourself in the fast lane and boxed in, unable to move over to a slower lane. In no time, the spending-lifestyle has escalated, and debt builds. Or in my family's case, our income was quite small, and we needed to trim costs a little bit, all those years ago. And before we new it, 27 years had passed and we had developed many frugal habits, and managed to snag a bit of financial freedom for ourselves in the process.
Either way, it takes just one step in the direction of choice to set a new path for yourself. Just one step. I'm grateful that my husband and I took that one step in a frugal direction.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Veteran's Day week lunch round-up
Anyway, Tuesday was a holiday for 3 of the 4, so I had a bit of a reprieve on making lunch items. I'm still struggling with what to make for lunches for Wed., Thurs., and Fri. of this week. It's looking like lot of pbj's, plus some:
- tomato-vegetable soup (the garden is coming to a close with the cold temps this week, so will use what still looks good, and add it to some of the very large batch of marinara sauce that I made on Saturday. That should make a quick, easy and flavorful soup.)
- more homemade Greek yogurt (I got a deal on whole milk last week. I love how creamy Greek yogurt turns out when I use whole milk for the base yogurt -- and the higher fat content is good for my daughter who still needs to put on a few lbs.)
- pumpkin-praline granola (did you know that Dollar Tree now has pecans in stock? Not a bad price per pound, either.)
- fresh oranges and bananas (Cash and Carry has 40-lb cases of navel oranges on for $16.98 this week, or 42cents/lb -- great price.)
- more baked apples (nearing the end of the apples from our orchard -- they've been fantastic this year!)
- mini strombolis (using canned biscuit dough, marinara sauce, mozza, olives, onions and peppers)
I hope that your week is going well!
Monday, November 10, 2014
"Now there's something I didn't know that I needed!"
Picking up a few things at Dollar Tree yesterday afternoon, I noticed an end-cap on one of the aisles with Christmas-themed chair seat pads, like for kitchen chairs. I had a flash of a thought, "oooh, I don't have chair pads in a Christmas-y fabric. Maybe I need a set!"
Fortunately, it was only a flash of a thought, and my better sense took over immediately. But it did make me think about how many products are marketed, that we've never even thought we may "need", but are persuaded by marketing/advertisers that we do indeed "need" these items.
Maybe you would like some chair pads in a nice red and green poinsettia fabric. That's okay. But what annoyed me was I had never even thought I might want some sort of seasonal chair pad before. Just the sight of them made me think I could use some.
This time of year, I receive stacks of catalogs with all manner of Christmas decor items. Several years back, I saw some Christmas bed sheets that I felt I "just had to have". Fortunately, again, better sense prevailed and I skipped them altogether. I've found that it's just best to toss those catalogs into the recycle bin without ever opening them.
I must confess, I've even been tempted to buy Christmas sweaters in the past. If you like them, and will wear them, that's great. But many of these impulses to buy seasonal items are often regretted by me later. I'm really not a Christmas sweater-type of girl. (I do have a couple of nice red sweaters (plain, red sweaters), and I do wear those on or near the holidays.)
While keeping the commerce wheel spinning is important for our economy and keeping folks employed, what I feel is excess begins to bother me after a while.
I'm not against having "stuff". For myself, I only want to own the stuff that I really want to have, long term. I have a true minimalist brother-in-law. He says that "stuff" begins to "own" him after a while. "Stuff" needs to be maintained, housed, dusted, repaired, etc. He'd rather not spend his time taking care of his "stuff". He's got a point. How much time and space do we want to devote to our "stuff"?
I guess I really don't "need" those Christmas-themed kitchen chair pads. Our backsides will simply have to deal with our regular chair pads -- they are sage green, after all. Maybe our behinds will still think that they are Christmas-y. ;)
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Fortunately, it was only a flash of a thought, and my better sense took over immediately. But it did make me think about how many products are marketed, that we've never even thought we may "need", but are persuaded by marketing/advertisers that we do indeed "need" these items.
Maybe you would like some chair pads in a nice red and green poinsettia fabric. That's okay. But what annoyed me was I had never even thought I might want some sort of seasonal chair pad before. Just the sight of them made me think I could use some.
This time of year, I receive stacks of catalogs with all manner of Christmas decor items. Several years back, I saw some Christmas bed sheets that I felt I "just had to have". Fortunately, again, better sense prevailed and I skipped them altogether. I've found that it's just best to toss those catalogs into the recycle bin without ever opening them.
I must confess, I've even been tempted to buy Christmas sweaters in the past. If you like them, and will wear them, that's great. But many of these impulses to buy seasonal items are often regretted by me later. I'm really not a Christmas sweater-type of girl. (I do have a couple of nice red sweaters (plain, red sweaters), and I do wear those on or near the holidays.)
While keeping the commerce wheel spinning is important for our economy and keeping folks employed, what I feel is excess begins to bother me after a while.
I'm not against having "stuff". For myself, I only want to own the stuff that I really want to have, long term. I have a true minimalist brother-in-law. He says that "stuff" begins to "own" him after a while. "Stuff" needs to be maintained, housed, dusted, repaired, etc. He'd rather not spend his time taking care of his "stuff". He's got a point. How much time and space do we want to devote to our "stuff"?
I guess I really don't "need" those Christmas-themed kitchen chair pads. Our backsides will simply have to deal with our regular chair pads -- they are sage green, after all. Maybe our behinds will still think that they are Christmas-y. ;)
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Friday, November 7, 2014
Can you go a week without spending money?
I'm not talking about not paying your utility bill, or skipping out on your mortgage payment. I'm talking about spending that looks like a cup of coffee at the corner cafe, a tank of gas for the car, a video rental, a new toy, a quick bite out for lunch or even the cart of groceries to get through the week.
I just realized this morning that I haven't spent ANY money whatsoever, for the past week. No gas for the car, no groceries, no extras, nothing. I'm guessing this happens more often than I realize. I just don't always think about it. How about you? Do you ever go a week or more without spending a single cent?
We live in a society where money appears to flow freely from pocket to merchant. Spending money seems to be the path to life's enjoyment, for many Americans. In my area, the mall and movie theaters are packed to the gills on weekends. This may be news to some, but shopping is not a hobby.
I think it is significant when we realize that the enjoyment of our own lives is not dependent on how much or how little we spend. We can find so much satisfaction with age-old hobbies like drawing, reading, playing games (as kids, my sister and I found ourselves enormously entertained for hours, with an ordinary deck of cards), or making music. And many of these past times won't make you cringe when you open the credit card bill next month.
It's Friday. I'm making plans for our family weekend. We won't be eating out, but instead, we'll work together, and have a good time at that, making our Saturday dinner (probably homemade pizza). We may get out the Scrabble board and see who's learned some new vocabulary. There's an art gallery in my area that I've been meaning to check out. That's on my personal plan for entertainment tomorrow afternoon. We won't be going to the mall, plugging our behinds into a theater seat or screaming our dinner order into the speaker at the drive through. I probably won't think too much about how little money we spend, this weekend. But when our financial goals are someday realized, I'll be glad we made the choices that we did over the years.
I just realized this morning that I haven't spent ANY money whatsoever, for the past week. No gas for the car, no groceries, no extras, nothing. I'm guessing this happens more often than I realize. I just don't always think about it. How about you? Do you ever go a week or more without spending a single cent?
We live in a society where money appears to flow freely from pocket to merchant. Spending money seems to be the path to life's enjoyment, for many Americans. In my area, the mall and movie theaters are packed to the gills on weekends. This may be news to some, but shopping is not a hobby.
I think it is significant when we realize that the enjoyment of our own lives is not dependent on how much or how little we spend. We can find so much satisfaction with age-old hobbies like drawing, reading, playing games (as kids, my sister and I found ourselves enormously entertained for hours, with an ordinary deck of cards), or making music. And many of these past times won't make you cringe when you open the credit card bill next month.
It's Friday. I'm making plans for our family weekend. We won't be eating out, but instead, we'll work together, and have a good time at that, making our Saturday dinner (probably homemade pizza). We may get out the Scrabble board and see who's learned some new vocabulary. There's an art gallery in my area that I've been meaning to check out. That's on my personal plan for entertainment tomorrow afternoon. We won't be going to the mall, plugging our behinds into a theater seat or screaming our dinner order into the speaker at the drive through. I probably won't think too much about how little money we spend, this weekend. But when our financial goals are someday realized, I'll be glad we made the choices that we did over the years.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Early November lunch round-up
Much of what I made for lunches this week was either made Sunday evening (the baking) or were leftovers from Sunday and Monday's dinners. I've been preparing a little extra 2 nights in a row, to provide enough leftovers to get through several days' lunches. I did spend part of Monday afternoon making the pudding cups and zucchini bread and cream cheese sandwiches. My family really enjoys the ease of opening the fridge and choosing from this selection, according to what sounds appealing to them. And I like not having to think about lunches for the week, after I finish making up the selection each Monday.
Have you noticed the ads for Christmas yet? I know it's now November, and all, but I'd like to postpone thinking about Christmas for just 1 week.
I hope your week is going well.
- apple chunk muffins
- cornbread
- Asian-style turkey-tofu-noodle soup
- bean and veggie burger patties
- baked apples
- "zucchini" bread/cream cheese sandwiches ("zucchini" is a tiny, under ripe pumpkin, peeled and grated)
- homemade chocolate pudding cups
Have you noticed the ads for Christmas yet? I know it's now November, and all, but I'd like to postpone thinking about Christmas for just 1 week.
I hope your week is going well.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Bit of a set-back with grocery shopping and autumn stock-up
So, Saturday (Nov.1) was the local produce stand's clearance sale. My usual is to really stock-up on good keepers like winter squash, garlic, cabbage, oranges, apples, and some nice to have items like avocados, kiwi and pineapple. That's what I *usually* get, at rock-bottom produce prices.
This year, I had something on the calendar that I couldn't change for that Saturday, the whole day Saturday. I had thought I'd hit the produce stand in the afternoon on Friday, and see if anything had been marked down yet, and buy what I could.
I had company at lunch on Friday, so spent the morning cleaning house. Then in the early afternoon, I received a phone call from one of my daughters. There was a lock down on campus, yes, another one. After the shooting that occurred last June on campus, this was worrisome for both daughters (as well as many of the students they were in lock down with). I stayed home for the afternoon, waiting for the lock down to come to a conclusion. By late afternoon, I had heard that an arrest was made, and the campus was secured. At this point, I simply didn't have the energy to drive down to the produce stand. And so, I have missed my opportunity for fall produce stock-ups.
Now, the challenge ahead of me -- finding deals on produce in other markets.
I know that there was nothing I could do about my circumstances. But still, this feels like a set-back.
This year, I had something on the calendar that I couldn't change for that Saturday, the whole day Saturday. I had thought I'd hit the produce stand in the afternoon on Friday, and see if anything had been marked down yet, and buy what I could.
I had company at lunch on Friday, so spent the morning cleaning house. Then in the early afternoon, I received a phone call from one of my daughters. There was a lock down on campus, yes, another one. After the shooting that occurred last June on campus, this was worrisome for both daughters (as well as many of the students they were in lock down with). I stayed home for the afternoon, waiting for the lock down to come to a conclusion. By late afternoon, I had heard that an arrest was made, and the campus was secured. At this point, I simply didn't have the energy to drive down to the produce stand. And so, I have missed my opportunity for fall produce stock-ups.
Now, the challenge ahead of me -- finding deals on produce in other markets.
I know that there was nothing I could do about my circumstances. But still, this feels like a set-back.
Friday, October 31, 2014
October grocery money journal -- spent $77.50 for the month
Not much to buy this month!! We need to make room in the freezers for turkeys and hams, so my shopping will reflect that.
Oct.4 QFC-- hoping for markdown milk. I find 6 gallons of whole milk for $2.29 each and a 10 oz container of mushrooms for $1.49. I spent $16.23. The mushrooms will be nice to add to vegetarian gravy. Most of the milk will go in the freezer.
Oct. 5 Dollar Tree. I pick up 3 quarts of soy milk and a 24 oz package of macaroni noodles. Spent $4. The macaroni is a regular at Dollar Tree, working out to 67cents per pound, a good price for our area.
Oct. 10 Cash and Carry wholesaler/restaurant supply. I need sugar, down to my last 1/2 cup. I buy 1 50-lb bag of sugar ($22.82), and while there find vegetable oil (soybean) in 35-lb container for $18.57. Spent $41.39.
Oct. 27 Dollar Tree to pick up 2 more quarts of soy milk. Spent $2
Oct. 28 Totally out of milk for rest of family. I had to buy a gallon of whole milk at QFC for $2.99. Only bought 1 gallon, and will hope to find marked down milk in the next few days. Spent $2.99
Total spent for the month, so far -- $66.61
Oct.30 Stop by QFC on way home from babysitting, hoping to find marked down milk, and YES!!, 11 half gallons of whole milk (what my daughter needs, and what I use for yogurt). I buy all 11 half gallons, at 99 cents each. Spent $10.89. Odd thing -- they also had gallon jugs of skim milk on markdown, but those were $2.59/gallon. By buying the half gallons, I only spent $1.98/gallon.
Some months, it's funny to look back at the month of grocery shopping and see what I actually bought. This month, I bought various milks, macaroni, mushrooms, vegetable oil and sugar. Doesn't sound like a whole lot of variety for the month, does it?
So, last month, we went over our budget, used up the surplus, and spent $63.17 into future months, for a carry forward deficit. Our budget for October is $160, less this deficit of $63.17, for a remaining amount of $96.83.
For the month of October, I spent $77.50. I finished the month with a surplus of $19.33. back on surplus territory -- that always feels so much more comfortable for me!
Oct.4 QFC-- hoping for markdown milk. I find 6 gallons of whole milk for $2.29 each and a 10 oz container of mushrooms for $1.49. I spent $16.23. The mushrooms will be nice to add to vegetarian gravy. Most of the milk will go in the freezer.
Oct. 5 Dollar Tree. I pick up 3 quarts of soy milk and a 24 oz package of macaroni noodles. Spent $4. The macaroni is a regular at Dollar Tree, working out to 67cents per pound, a good price for our area.
Oct. 10 Cash and Carry wholesaler/restaurant supply. I need sugar, down to my last 1/2 cup. I buy 1 50-lb bag of sugar ($22.82), and while there find vegetable oil (soybean) in 35-lb container for $18.57. Spent $41.39.
Oct. 27 Dollar Tree to pick up 2 more quarts of soy milk. Spent $2
Oct. 28 Totally out of milk for rest of family. I had to buy a gallon of whole milk at QFC for $2.99. Only bought 1 gallon, and will hope to find marked down milk in the next few days. Spent $2.99
Total spent for the month, so far -- $66.61
Oct.30 Stop by QFC on way home from babysitting, hoping to find marked down milk, and YES!!, 11 half gallons of whole milk (what my daughter needs, and what I use for yogurt). I buy all 11 half gallons, at 99 cents each. Spent $10.89. Odd thing -- they also had gallon jugs of skim milk on markdown, but those were $2.59/gallon. By buying the half gallons, I only spent $1.98/gallon.
Some months, it's funny to look back at the month of grocery shopping and see what I actually bought. This month, I bought various milks, macaroni, mushrooms, vegetable oil and sugar. Doesn't sound like a whole lot of variety for the month, does it?
So, last month, we went over our budget, used up the surplus, and spent $63.17 into future months, for a carry forward deficit. Our budget for October is $160, less this deficit of $63.17, for a remaining amount of $96.83.
For the month of October, I spent $77.50. I finished the month with a surplus of $19.33. back on surplus territory -- that always feels so much more comfortable for me!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
This week's lunch round-up: comfort food to help us slide right into fall
The daytime temps have cooled significantly, this past week. I think it's safe to say that it is fall, here, now (no more near-summer high temps, for us). The house is cooler, we're now using the furnace for several hours per day (made it to the 26th with minimal furnace use, though), and baking/cooking keeps me active and warm.
Here's what's on the lunch menu for our family, for this last week in October:
Here's what's on the lunch menu for our family, for this last week in October:
- crabapple sauce muffins (using the tail end of last week's crabapple sauce, plus some not-so-sparkling Martinelli's apple cider, as liquid)
- home-style macaroni and cheese (didn't have much cheddar left, so I added the cheddar we had, plus some shallots and ground mustard for zing, and a spoonful of canned pumpkin for that orange-y cheese color -- ;-) but don't tell my family!)
- leftover baked bean casserole
- leftover curried pumpkin-peanut soup
- carrot sticks
- blackberry-rhubarb sauce
- toasted mozzarella cheese sandwiches
- pbj sandwiches
Monday, October 27, 2014
More beauty on a budget: hair color
Most of you know that I cut my own hair (and surprise, surprise, I don't look like a cave woman!!!) I go in for a professional hair cut once per year (using a coupon -- with tip, I will only get a "real" haircut if I can come out for about $10 -- yeah, I'm a cheap old lady!) After giving myself a trim, I'll often get someone in the family to check and even up the back for me.
I've been wearing my hair plain old, ordinary, shoulder-length, for several years. So, a few weeks ago, thinking my hair needed an update, I followed my daughters, and cut bangs. Meh. . . just center-part bangs, nothing that I thought was anything special. But then, one daughter said I should sweep them off to one side, for side-swept bangs. Much improved!
Hair looking styled -- next up, color. I understand that many women love their gray hairs. Maybe when I have more of them, I will too. But for now, as I tell my sister, they just make the top of my head look dusty. Supposedly, stress = gray hair. Well, my head tells the story of the past few years of my life. A ton of grays came in. So, for the past 3 years, I've been covering the grays with a semi-permanent color. I love it. It looks very much like my natural color, and fades slowly.
I do a few things to make hair color frugal. First, the obvious one, I use a coupon (usually $2 off) to buy the color when it's on sale (often for $6.99/box). So my net cost is $4.99. Not bad. And, I only color my hair once every 3 months. For now, that works for me.
But then, I do one other thing with the boxed color to save money. I only use half of the product at a time.
The brand I use comes in two parts, the developing creme, in an applicator bottle, and the colorant, in a squeeze tube. With a sharpie, I mark the half-way point on the developing creme bottle. I take the lid off, and pour the developing creme, roughly to that mark on the bottle, into a small glass bowl. Then I eyeball the colorant, adding half of that product to the developing creme. I mix the two together with a plastic spoon, and apply to my hair. The hair color can be split for two uses this way. I wash and save the plastic gloves that come with the box. The next time I color my hair, I simply mix the remaining colorant with the remaining developing creme in the creme bottle, as instructed. You cannot mix the two, then save half.
My cost per application, then, is about $2.50. I color my hair 4-5 times per year, so my total hair color cost is $10-12. Not bad.
I have found that most of the drug store brands of hair color have enough product to divide in half for two applications, if :
When I first began splitting my boxes of hair color I couldn't find much info on whether or not this was doable. So, I'm just putting this out there, as yet another person who successfully splits boxes of hair color, for two applications.
__________________________________________________
I've been wearing my hair plain old, ordinary, shoulder-length, for several years. So, a few weeks ago, thinking my hair needed an update, I followed my daughters, and cut bangs. Meh. . . just center-part bangs, nothing that I thought was anything special. But then, one daughter said I should sweep them off to one side, for side-swept bangs. Much improved!
Hair looking styled -- next up, color. I understand that many women love their gray hairs. Maybe when I have more of them, I will too. But for now, as I tell my sister, they just make the top of my head look dusty. Supposedly, stress = gray hair. Well, my head tells the story of the past few years of my life. A ton of grays came in. So, for the past 3 years, I've been covering the grays with a semi-permanent color. I love it. It looks very much like my natural color, and fades slowly.
I do a few things to make hair color frugal. First, the obvious one, I use a coupon (usually $2 off) to buy the color when it's on sale (often for $6.99/box). So my net cost is $4.99. Not bad. And, I only color my hair once every 3 months. For now, that works for me.
But then, I do one other thing with the boxed color to save money. I only use half of the product at a time.
The brand I use comes in two parts, the developing creme, in an applicator bottle, and the colorant, in a squeeze tube. With a sharpie, I mark the half-way point on the developing creme bottle. I take the lid off, and pour the developing creme, roughly to that mark on the bottle, into a small glass bowl. Then I eyeball the colorant, adding half of that product to the developing creme. I mix the two together with a plastic spoon, and apply to my hair. The hair color can be split for two uses this way. I wash and save the plastic gloves that come with the box. The next time I color my hair, I simply mix the remaining colorant with the remaining developing creme in the creme bottle, as instructed. You cannot mix the two, then save half.
My cost per application, then, is about $2.50. I color my hair 4-5 times per year, so my total hair color cost is $10-12. Not bad.
I have found that most of the drug store brands of hair color have enough product to divide in half for two applications, if :
- your hair is somewhat short (mine is shoulder length)
- you are staying close to your original hair color, so that if any hairs don't get thoroughly saturated, it won't be detectable (the color I chose is similar to my natural hair color, but has a tad more red highlights)
- you have relatively few gray hairs to cover (I have under 10% of my total hairs coming in gray)
When I first began splitting my boxes of hair color I couldn't find much info on whether or not this was doable. So, I'm just putting this out there, as yet another person who successfully splits boxes of hair color, for two applications.
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Friday, October 24, 2014
Stretching my perfume
Have you ever had a bottle of perfume that you liked, but came off way too strong when applied?
I have this lovely tiny bottle of perfume (real perfume, oil-based stuff) that friends gave to me for my birthday.
I do like this perfume, but the fragrance is a bit heavy. Well, I came up with a solution that works for me, and allows me to still wear this perfume, without asphyxiating an elevator full of people. In fact, I have this theory on how much perfume one should wear. If you can smell it a foot away from me, then I have too much on. Only someone whose nose is pressed against my neck should be able to smell it.
My solution -- I put 1 drop of perfume into a small glass dish, then added about 1/4 teaspoon of vegetable oil (yep, ordinary vegetable oil). I stir this up with a toothpick. I apply 1 dab, and that's it. I'm putting on a fraction of the perfume that I would have used, had I just used the cap as an applicator. The fragrance wanes after about 6 hours, so I can add another dab then, if I want.
This seems to be working really well for me. A small dish of my oil and perfume mix lasts for about a week. At this rate, my tiny bottle of perfume will still be in use for the next few years.
I have this lovely tiny bottle of perfume (real perfume, oil-based stuff) that friends gave to me for my birthday.
I do like this perfume, but the fragrance is a bit heavy. Well, I came up with a solution that works for me, and allows me to still wear this perfume, without asphyxiating an elevator full of people. In fact, I have this theory on how much perfume one should wear. If you can smell it a foot away from me, then I have too much on. Only someone whose nose is pressed against my neck should be able to smell it.
My solution -- I put 1 drop of perfume into a small glass dish, then added about 1/4 teaspoon of vegetable oil (yep, ordinary vegetable oil). I stir this up with a toothpick. I apply 1 dab, and that's it. I'm putting on a fraction of the perfume that I would have used, had I just used the cap as an applicator. The fragrance wanes after about 6 hours, so I can add another dab then, if I want.
This seems to be working really well for me. A small dish of my oil and perfume mix lasts for about a week. At this rate, my tiny bottle of perfume will still be in use for the next few years.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Finding the free stuff
My rosemary plants died on me this past season. Sigh. I've now started a couple of new plants from seed, but they won't be near ready for harvest for a year or two.
In the meantime, I've been wanting some rosemary for both flavored vinegar and for drying to use in cooking.
This past Saturday, at the event I worked at our church, we picked a bunch of fresh herbs from the kitchen garden, just outside the church's kitchen door. The ladies have planted this really lovely herb garden with thyme, rosemary, mint, chives, lavender and parsley. Those of us who work in the kitchen regularly, come and go through this back door. I always run my fingers through the rosemary, to sniff it's wonderful aroma.
Well, there were more herbs clipped than actually needed on Saturday. No one else there had any interest in claiming these wonderfully fragrant stems. But I sure did!
I stuffed a bunch of the rosemary into my bottle of thyme vinegar, and have the other stems drying on the kitchen counter, to grind and use this winter.
And, I now know where I can find free rosemary while I wait for my new plants to grow!
In the meantime, I've been wanting some rosemary for both flavored vinegar and for drying to use in cooking.
This past Saturday, at the event I worked at our church, we picked a bunch of fresh herbs from the kitchen garden, just outside the church's kitchen door. The ladies have planted this really lovely herb garden with thyme, rosemary, mint, chives, lavender and parsley. Those of us who work in the kitchen regularly, come and go through this back door. I always run my fingers through the rosemary, to sniff it's wonderful aroma.
Well, there were more herbs clipped than actually needed on Saturday. No one else there had any interest in claiming these wonderfully fragrant stems. But I sure did!
I stuffed a bunch of the rosemary into my bottle of thyme vinegar, and have the other stems drying on the kitchen counter, to grind and use this winter.
And, I now know where I can find free rosemary while I wait for my new plants to grow!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Hi there!
Over the weekend, I worked (volunteered) 2 more events, one large on Saturday, and one smaller one on Sunday. I think I'm just getting too old for this! LOL! I am tuckered! But just two more events to work this month, then next month looks lighter in the volunteer department.
Even so, I still had to make up something for lunches this week. I opted for the easy route for most of it. So, our lunch selections to choose from include:
I finally finished off cooking up the crabapples. I made one more large pot of crabapple-apple sauce, and another container of crabapple juice for making jelly later this fall/winter. And I went ahead and picked the figs, although not ripe this year. I'll make these into fig jam.
Our freezer is so packed that I'm trying not to buy anything that needs freezer storage, so I'll have room for turkeys and hams next month. It's a good thing to have all this food in store!
At Saturday's event, one of the ladies brought in some beet pickles and corn relish that she had made. I didn't try the beet pickles, but did the corn relish and it was delicious. The interesting thing was that she just used canned beets and canned corn for these "preserves". The corn relish would be especially good on the Thanksgiving table. All she did was cook some vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, salt, water, red and green peppers, and onions for a few minutes, then added a can of drained corn. Very simple and it was ready the next day. I'm thinking of adding it to our Thanksgiving menu this year.
One other interesting thing I noted last night. We had a beautiful and warm day yesterday. After dinner the air was still quite warm, so I went out for an evening walk through the neighborhood. Since when did Hallowe'en become a season?! About a dozen houses were elaborately decorated for Hallowe'en. Even though I don't have trick-or-treaters in the family any more, I'm thinking it might be fun just to go out that evening and see all the decorations and kiddies.
I hope you're all having a great week! I'll be able to write more very soon! Take care, all!
Even so, I still had to make up something for lunches this week. I opted for the easy route for most of it. So, our lunch selections to choose from include:
- pumpkin muffins
- blackberry-applesauce
- egg salad for sandwiches
- pbj's
- carrot sticks
- apples
- crabapple-apple sauce
- crazy soup leftovers (all the odds and ends of cooking and salads from the last month, cooked up with a pot of lentils -- interesting flavor!)
- leftover cookies from the weekend
I finally finished off cooking up the crabapples. I made one more large pot of crabapple-apple sauce, and another container of crabapple juice for making jelly later this fall/winter. And I went ahead and picked the figs, although not ripe this year. I'll make these into fig jam.
Our freezer is so packed that I'm trying not to buy anything that needs freezer storage, so I'll have room for turkeys and hams next month. It's a good thing to have all this food in store!
At Saturday's event, one of the ladies brought in some beet pickles and corn relish that she had made. I didn't try the beet pickles, but did the corn relish and it was delicious. The interesting thing was that she just used canned beets and canned corn for these "preserves". The corn relish would be especially good on the Thanksgiving table. All she did was cook some vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, salt, water, red and green peppers, and onions for a few minutes, then added a can of drained corn. Very simple and it was ready the next day. I'm thinking of adding it to our Thanksgiving menu this year.
One other interesting thing I noted last night. We had a beautiful and warm day yesterday. After dinner the air was still quite warm, so I went out for an evening walk through the neighborhood. Since when did Hallowe'en become a season?! About a dozen houses were elaborately decorated for Hallowe'en. Even though I don't have trick-or-treaters in the family any more, I'm thinking it might be fun just to go out that evening and see all the decorations and kiddies.
I hope you're all having a great week! I'll be able to write more very soon! Take care, all!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
It's soup-tober!
I've been super swamped with stuff lately. It seems there is a dearth of potential volunteers in our church these days. I'm doing what I can to help fill some voids, but it takes it's toll. And I think I'm still finding my groove with my daughters' uni schedules, trying to balance with my own pursuits and studies. But life goes on. . .
October is the shoulder month for us. here in Seattle. It's just chilly enough that we could use a bit of heat, but not so cold that we absolutely need to turn on the furnace. Mid-October, our house hovers around 62 to 63 degrees F.
We must be the very last neighbors on our block to turn on our furnace, full-time, every fall. Each year, we challenge ourselves to wait just a little longer. Last year, we made it to October 22. This year, we're hoping to make it to about the 25th.
How do we keep from freezing ourselves silly? Besides wearing multiple layers of clothing, using lap throws and staying physically active, we eat soup for lunch and dinner almost every day. Soup is a very warming meal. Even if I'm just reheating a bowl of soup or chili in the microwave, I feel warm just holding my bowl.
To supplement both the soup meal and the heat in the kitchen, I also plan some sort of freshly baked or toasted bread product to go with dinner. I time this to come out of the oven minutes before we sit down to eat. The kitchen table is just a few steps away from the oven. We enjoy the bread, and some extra heat. Breads might include: biscuits, Yorkshire pudding, muffins, cornbread, or garlic bread, all quick and easy to put together in the late afternoon/early evening.
I'm thinking of charging rent for that chair at the kitchen table that is closest to the oven.
October is the shoulder month for us. here in Seattle. It's just chilly enough that we could use a bit of heat, but not so cold that we absolutely need to turn on the furnace. Mid-October, our house hovers around 62 to 63 degrees F.
We must be the very last neighbors on our block to turn on our furnace, full-time, every fall. Each year, we challenge ourselves to wait just a little longer. Last year, we made it to October 22. This year, we're hoping to make it to about the 25th.
How do we keep from freezing ourselves silly? Besides wearing multiple layers of clothing, using lap throws and staying physically active, we eat soup for lunch and dinner almost every day. Soup is a very warming meal. Even if I'm just reheating a bowl of soup or chili in the microwave, I feel warm just holding my bowl.
To supplement both the soup meal and the heat in the kitchen, I also plan some sort of freshly baked or toasted bread product to go with dinner. I time this to come out of the oven minutes before we sit down to eat. The kitchen table is just a few steps away from the oven. We enjoy the bread, and some extra heat. Breads might include: biscuits, Yorkshire pudding, muffins, cornbread, or garlic bread, all quick and easy to put together in the late afternoon/early evening.
I'm thinking of charging rent for that chair at the kitchen table that is closest to the oven.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
This week's lunch round-up
Again, following with the idea of doing a small amount of cooking over the weekend, I made some pbj sandwiches, a container of carrot sticks, and a large batch of pumpkin muffins on Sunday, leaving me with less to make on Monday. For the week, this is what we're having for lunch:
- pbj sandwiches
- carrot sticks
- pumpkin muffins with cream cheese
- fresh apples
- turkey-noodle-vegetable soup (made a large pot of soup for dinner on Monday, with enough leftovers for a couple of days of soup this week)
- Greek yogurt parfaits (Greek yogurt, chopped nuts, granola, jam)
- toasted cheese sandwiches (will make later in the week, as we run out of the above list of items)
- tomato-basil soup (made from pureed, canned tomatoes, minced onions, basil, oregano, pepper, salt and thickened with a faux beurre manie (a paste of flour and oil instead of butter, to thicken at the last moment -- also, I'll make this later in the week, to round out the last bits for lunches)
Monday, October 13, 2014
Gaining weight on a tight budget: Power-packed oatmeal
(For a re-cap, one of my daughters is recovering from an eating disorder and is in the process of weight restoration. She requires a great deal of calories every day. However, this kind of meal could also meet the nutritional needs of someone needing to gain weight for other reasons.)
This morning, we made another power-packed shake for breakfast, with whole milk, oats, peanut butter, canned pumpkin, cocoa powder, sugar and oil. It topped 650 calories.
But yesterday, we did another weekend, power-packed favorite -- the meal-in-a-bowl bowl of oatmeal.
I make this in the microwave, for ease.
In a microwaveable casserole dish:
For the rest of the family, I make a second, larger casserole dish of oatmeal in the microwave, using water in place of milk, and omitting the addition of oils, butter, whipping cream. I still add fruit/veg, nuts/seeds, crumbled bacon, ham or sausage, and flavors/spices, for interest, variety and nutrition.
This morning, we made another power-packed shake for breakfast, with whole milk, oats, peanut butter, canned pumpkin, cocoa powder, sugar and oil. It topped 650 calories.
But yesterday, we did another weekend, power-packed favorite -- the meal-in-a-bowl bowl of oatmeal.
I make this in the microwave, for ease.
In a microwaveable casserole dish:
- bring 1 cup of whole milk, and a pinch of salt just below boiling (about 2-3 minutes in the microwave).
- stir in, 1/2 cup rolled oats, and any of the following:
- 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, applesauce, or mashed, cooked yams
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely shredded carrots or zucchini
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil
- 2 teaspoons or so of sweetener (honey, sugar, agave, jam, jelly, maple syrup, molasses)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut butter (or other nuts butters)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped nuts or seeds
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped apple, pear, sliced bananas
- cocoa powder
- pinch spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg)
- ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- extracts (vanilla, maple)
- minced, cooked ham, or, crumbled, cooked bacon, or, diced, cooked breakfast sausage
- Microwave for an additional minute or two, until the oatmeal is porridge-y consistency. Top with 1/2 cup of additional milk, if desired.
- This is 1 serving.
For the rest of the family, I make a second, larger casserole dish of oatmeal in the microwave, using water in place of milk, and omitting the addition of oils, butter, whipping cream. I still add fruit/veg, nuts/seeds, crumbled bacon, ham or sausage, and flavors/spices, for interest, variety and nutrition.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
An early October lunch round-up
So, I think it's helpful to do an audit on my routines, to see if making a couple of changes could streamline my work, or simplify aspects of other work. So I took a minute to think about how I prepare lunch items for the brown-baggers each week.
It had been feeling like my Mondays were out-of-control busy every week. And I had to scramble to find enough to put into Monday's lunches, on Sunday afternoon, anyway. So, why not get a jump start on preparing a couple of the lunch items for the week, by making them on Sunday.
I'll try this for a few weeks, and see how it goes. This past Sunday afternoon, I made a large batch of pumpkin muffins, a pot of curried pumpkin-peanut soup (thanks, live and learn, for the recipe), and extra mustard-glazed carrots for dinner, to pack into small containers to add to lunches. The rest of the lunch items I prepared on Monday.
Here's the full menu:
It had been feeling like my Mondays were out-of-control busy every week. And I had to scramble to find enough to put into Monday's lunches, on Sunday afternoon, anyway. So, why not get a jump start on preparing a couple of the lunch items for the week, by making them on Sunday.
I'll try this for a few weeks, and see how it goes. This past Sunday afternoon, I made a large batch of pumpkin muffins, a pot of curried pumpkin-peanut soup (thanks, live and learn, for the recipe), and extra mustard-glazed carrots for dinner, to pack into small containers to add to lunches. The rest of the lunch items I prepared on Monday.
Here's the full menu:
- pumpkin muffins
- curried pumpkin-peanut soup
- mustard glazed carrot slices
- carrot sticks (while peeling those carrots for the glazed ones I figured I mght as well peel a bunch more for carrot sticks)
- fresh apples
- apple-cranberry sauce
- peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (made a bunch of sandwiches to try out some new Dollar Tree sandwich containers, they're super slim, and just fit a sandwich)
- toasted pizza sandwiches (these make great breakfasts as well as lunches, at least so says my daughter!) (instructions here, if you don't know what I'm talking about)
- mixed nuts
Monday, October 6, 2014
September Grocery Money Journal
It was a BIG shopping month. I managed to get all my receipts recorded in my notebook, as I went, but not electronically, until now. We are well-stocked, and close to completing my list of "needs" for this winter.
Sept. 1 At Dollar Tree, buy 1 bag of potato chips, 1 box of graham crackers ($2 total, but used "found" money, so doesn't count against budget for month), and 1 box of baking soda -- spent 59 cents out of grocery budget.
Sept. 5 Cash and Carry wholesaler -- checked their online ad that's good for 2 weeks and found a few things I need on sale. Bought 6 gallons of white vinegar ($2.47 ea), 3 five-lb bags of frozen peas ($3.54 ea), 13 oz. container of curry powder ($4.24), 9 oz container ground ginger ($2.88) and 3-lb bag of dried cranberries for holiday and winter baking ($5.87). Spent $38.43.
Sept. 8 Albertson's for canned green beans, 14.5 oz cans for 49 cents ea, w/coupon, limit 12. I buy 12 cans of cut green beans, wax beans and French beans, spending $5.88.
Sept. 8 Dollar Tree, I pick up a box of lasagna noodles and 2 quarts of soy milk. Spent $3
Sept. 12 Cash &Carry wholesaler. This is where I spent a good chunk of grocery money this month. They had some great specials. I bought a case of chunky peanut butter (six 4-lb jars) for $35.88, three 5-lb bags of shredded mozzarella cheese for $11.98 each, one 50lb bag of whole wheat flour for $12.99, and 2 and 1/2 cases (6 #10 cans per case, so total of 15 #10 cans) whole peeled tomatoes for $14.22 per case. They just had 1 bag of whole wheat flour in stock, so I'll come back next week to pick up the other one. Total spent this day, $120.36
Sept. 15 QFC is next to the bank, so whenever I have some banking to do I park between the two buildings and pop into QFC to check for markdowns. I also was needing ground cloves for some baking, and this store has a bulk spices section. On markdown, I found tofu (freezes well -- I used some of the frozen tofu last night in a mushroom gravy over Yorkshire pudding for a simple supper), at 99cents/ lb. I bought 4 cartons. Also found beef hotlinks for $2.69 package (bought 2 packages). These are just a tad fatter than hot dogs. I buy them, freeze 2 to a pack, then when I want pepperoni for a pizza or casserole, I can slice thinly, to use as a pepperoni substitute. It works out to about $3 per pound for pepperoni, (ready sliced pepperoni runs about $5 per pound here).And I found skim milk for $2.49/gallon. They had several gallons there on markdown, but I only bought 3 gallons. I prefer higher fat milk for my kids to drink, but this will work fine in cooking. I also picked up a smidge of ground cloves for baking, at 98 cents. Total spent today, $17.79
Sept. 16 back to Cash & Carry for that second 50-lb bag of whole wheat flour, another 5-lb bag of shredded cheese and while perusing all the aisles, I find #10 cans of Libby's pumpkin for $4.25 each (I buy 4). The pumpkin is the equivalent of a little over 7 of the 15-oz cans of pumpkin each #10 can. So my price per 15-oz is about 60 cents, a great price. I spend a total of $41.97
Sept. 16 My daughters are with me today, and butter is on sale w/coupon ($2/lb) at Fred Meyer (a tip left on my facebook page). There's a limit of 2 lbs, but plenty of coupons at the door. So, my 2 daughters and I each buy our 2-lb limit. They also have whole grain pasta on sale for 79 cents/box (I buy 4 of linguine). Total spent for 6 lbs butter, 4 boxes pasta, $15.16
I'm now up to $243.18 spent for the month, and only half-way through the month.
Sept. 20 Coupon still good at Fred Meyer, and again my daughters are with me as I run errands today. So,armed with our coupons, we buy 6 lbs of butter, plus find 6 gallons of 2% milk for $1.99 each, on markdown. Total spent between the 3 of us, $23.94.
Sept. 26 We're at the fabric store, which also has a $ Tree and Safeway grocery store in the shopping center. I buy 1 bag of marshmallows at $ Tree ($1), and find 1 gallon of whole milk on markdown for $1.74 (I'll use for making yogurt). Total spent $2.74
Sept. 26 Walgreen's has canned olives on sale for 89 cents/can. We pick up 8 cans, spending $7.12
Sept. 26 Cash & Carry -- this week they have onions and carrots on sale, plus still #10 cans of pumpkin. I buy 50-lb bag of onions for $7.98 (I'll store about half of these in the garage fridge. They'll keep through December.) I also buy one 25-lb bag of juicing carrots for $7.98, 2 #10 cans of pumpkin ($4.25 each), and 2-lb bag of yeast for $6.78. Total spent $31.24
Sept. 28 Fred Meyer for eggs (4 dozen for $5, I buy 4 dozen) and find 1 gallon 2% milk on markdown for $1.50. Spent $6.50
Total spending for the month -- $314.72 !!! Wow! That feels like a whole lotta money. However, when I look at my pantry and fridge, we are pretty well stocked.
What did I buy over the month? Lot's of canned tomatoes, canned pumpkin, 15 pounds of frozen peas, canned olives, milk, butter (12 pounds, which will carry us through the holidays and into 2015), fresh carrots, onions, some spices, canned green beans, yeast, whole wheat flour (100 lbs should last 8 months), some eggs (enough for 1 month), 20 lbs of shredded cheese, 6 gallons of vinegar, 3 pounds of dried cranberries, 24 pounds of peanut butter, tofu, pepperoni substitute, and baking soda.
I still have a few items on my list to stock up on, like all-purpose flour, tomato paste and sugar. I'm hoping October won't be nearly as expensive as September.
We had a budget of $160 for groceries for September. I spent all of the $91.55 surplus from previous months, going over budget plus surplus by $63.17. That amount will be taken from October's budget, and hopefully we'll be caught up by November 1. I try not to overspend, but occasionally I have a month with a lot on sale that I want to stock up on. This was one such month!
We spent an average of $73.43 per week, for the month of September.
__________________________________________________________________
Sept. 1 At Dollar Tree, buy 1 bag of potato chips, 1 box of graham crackers ($2 total, but used "found" money, so doesn't count against budget for month), and 1 box of baking soda -- spent 59 cents out of grocery budget.
Sept. 5 Cash and Carry wholesaler -- checked their online ad that's good for 2 weeks and found a few things I need on sale. Bought 6 gallons of white vinegar ($2.47 ea), 3 five-lb bags of frozen peas ($3.54 ea), 13 oz. container of curry powder ($4.24), 9 oz container ground ginger ($2.88) and 3-lb bag of dried cranberries for holiday and winter baking ($5.87). Spent $38.43.
Sept. 8 Albertson's for canned green beans, 14.5 oz cans for 49 cents ea, w/coupon, limit 12. I buy 12 cans of cut green beans, wax beans and French beans, spending $5.88.
Sept. 8 Dollar Tree, I pick up a box of lasagna noodles and 2 quarts of soy milk. Spent $3
Sept. 12 Cash &Carry wholesaler. This is where I spent a good chunk of grocery money this month. They had some great specials. I bought a case of chunky peanut butter (six 4-lb jars) for $35.88, three 5-lb bags of shredded mozzarella cheese for $11.98 each, one 50lb bag of whole wheat flour for $12.99, and 2 and 1/2 cases (6 #10 cans per case, so total of 15 #10 cans) whole peeled tomatoes for $14.22 per case. They just had 1 bag of whole wheat flour in stock, so I'll come back next week to pick up the other one. Total spent this day, $120.36
Sept. 15 QFC is next to the bank, so whenever I have some banking to do I park between the two buildings and pop into QFC to check for markdowns. I also was needing ground cloves for some baking, and this store has a bulk spices section. On markdown, I found tofu (freezes well -- I used some of the frozen tofu last night in a mushroom gravy over Yorkshire pudding for a simple supper), at 99cents/ lb. I bought 4 cartons. Also found beef hotlinks for $2.69 package (bought 2 packages). These are just a tad fatter than hot dogs. I buy them, freeze 2 to a pack, then when I want pepperoni for a pizza or casserole, I can slice thinly, to use as a pepperoni substitute. It works out to about $3 per pound for pepperoni, (ready sliced pepperoni runs about $5 per pound here).And I found skim milk for $2.49/gallon. They had several gallons there on markdown, but I only bought 3 gallons. I prefer higher fat milk for my kids to drink, but this will work fine in cooking. I also picked up a smidge of ground cloves for baking, at 98 cents. Total spent today, $17.79
Sept. 16 back to Cash & Carry for that second 50-lb bag of whole wheat flour, another 5-lb bag of shredded cheese and while perusing all the aisles, I find #10 cans of Libby's pumpkin for $4.25 each (I buy 4). The pumpkin is the equivalent of a little over 7 of the 15-oz cans of pumpkin each #10 can. So my price per 15-oz is about 60 cents, a great price. I spend a total of $41.97
Sept. 16 My daughters are with me today, and butter is on sale w/coupon ($2/lb) at Fred Meyer (a tip left on my facebook page). There's a limit of 2 lbs, but plenty of coupons at the door. So, my 2 daughters and I each buy our 2-lb limit. They also have whole grain pasta on sale for 79 cents/box (I buy 4 of linguine). Total spent for 6 lbs butter, 4 boxes pasta, $15.16
I'm now up to $243.18 spent for the month, and only half-way through the month.
Sept. 20 Coupon still good at Fred Meyer, and again my daughters are with me as I run errands today. So,armed with our coupons, we buy 6 lbs of butter, plus find 6 gallons of 2% milk for $1.99 each, on markdown. Total spent between the 3 of us, $23.94.
Sept. 26 We're at the fabric store, which also has a $ Tree and Safeway grocery store in the shopping center. I buy 1 bag of marshmallows at $ Tree ($1), and find 1 gallon of whole milk on markdown for $1.74 (I'll use for making yogurt). Total spent $2.74
Sept. 26 Walgreen's has canned olives on sale for 89 cents/can. We pick up 8 cans, spending $7.12
Sept. 26 Cash & Carry -- this week they have onions and carrots on sale, plus still #10 cans of pumpkin. I buy 50-lb bag of onions for $7.98 (I'll store about half of these in the garage fridge. They'll keep through December.) I also buy one 25-lb bag of juicing carrots for $7.98, 2 #10 cans of pumpkin ($4.25 each), and 2-lb bag of yeast for $6.78. Total spent $31.24
Sept. 28 Fred Meyer for eggs (4 dozen for $5, I buy 4 dozen) and find 1 gallon 2% milk on markdown for $1.50. Spent $6.50
Total spending for the month -- $314.72 !!! Wow! That feels like a whole lotta money. However, when I look at my pantry and fridge, we are pretty well stocked.
What did I buy over the month? Lot's of canned tomatoes, canned pumpkin, 15 pounds of frozen peas, canned olives, milk, butter (12 pounds, which will carry us through the holidays and into 2015), fresh carrots, onions, some spices, canned green beans, yeast, whole wheat flour (100 lbs should last 8 months), some eggs (enough for 1 month), 20 lbs of shredded cheese, 6 gallons of vinegar, 3 pounds of dried cranberries, 24 pounds of peanut butter, tofu, pepperoni substitute, and baking soda.
I still have a few items on my list to stock up on, like all-purpose flour, tomato paste and sugar. I'm hoping October won't be nearly as expensive as September.
We had a budget of $160 for groceries for September. I spent all of the $91.55 surplus from previous months, going over budget plus surplus by $63.17. That amount will be taken from October's budget, and hopefully we'll be caught up by November 1. I try not to overspend, but occasionally I have a month with a lot on sale that I want to stock up on. This was one such month!
We spent an average of $73.43 per week, for the month of September.
__________________________________________________________________
Friday, October 3, 2014
Sometimes plans have to change, right?
I had planned on getting my September grocery journal posted today, but couldn't finish it up yesterday, as our internet access went out in the afternoon and didn't come back on until sometime in the middle of the night.
The downside, I couldn't do online things. The upside, no distractions in the evening, so I went to bed early, which I very much needed. There's always a silver lining to clouds, isn't there?
I'll get the journal finished up very soon, and have it posted. It's a doozy -- I spent a LOT! But, now that you understand we have some special nutritional needs in our household, when I find specific foods priced very low, I buy all I can, so I can meet those needs.
Beautiful things around here. . .
I bought 2 small mum plants on clearance (79 cents each) at the grocery store last month, planted in pots, then completely forgot to water them in our warm September. The existing blooms died, but I cut them off, and new buds have formed and are now unfolding new blooms. Even more beautiful, the violas and pansies that I got on clearance in spring, and put into pots for the deck are STILL blooming.
The tips of the vine maple trees on the border of the property are just turning autumn colors. Very pretty and a delight every time I step out the back door.
I cut some blooms from the hydrangea, and put in water for the kitchen table many weeks ago. When the water level went down (and I forgot to add more), the blooms dried and stayed their blue color, without going limp. I now have hydrangea blooms for a vase for the winter! Who knew my neglect could be a good thing?!
Our next door neighbor just this week became a grandmother of a beautiful little girl, her very first grandchild! I have a Kohl's $10 coupon to use this weekend, and will go pick out something for the new little baby.
Our car had issues this week, and needed repairs. Doesn't sound like anything wonderful could come from that, right? But, every single person that I encountered through this was soooo kind. They gave me rides places, and as soon as a loaner car freed up, they set it aside for me. And one woman even was kind enough to listen to me the day that I picked up the car, and was having a too-stressed moment. It has been a stressful week (month, year, life . . .), and these people really set my mood back in order. Now that's a beautiful thing!
Anyway,
I hope your week went well and you have a lovely weekend! Be back on Monday with the grocery journal for September!
______________________________________________________
The downside, I couldn't do online things. The upside, no distractions in the evening, so I went to bed early, which I very much needed. There's always a silver lining to clouds, isn't there?
I'll get the journal finished up very soon, and have it posted. It's a doozy -- I spent a LOT! But, now that you understand we have some special nutritional needs in our household, when I find specific foods priced very low, I buy all I can, so I can meet those needs.
Beautiful things around here. . .
I bought 2 small mum plants on clearance (79 cents each) at the grocery store last month, planted in pots, then completely forgot to water them in our warm September. The existing blooms died, but I cut them off, and new buds have formed and are now unfolding new blooms. Even more beautiful, the violas and pansies that I got on clearance in spring, and put into pots for the deck are STILL blooming.
The tips of the vine maple trees on the border of the property are just turning autumn colors. Very pretty and a delight every time I step out the back door.
I cut some blooms from the hydrangea, and put in water for the kitchen table many weeks ago. When the water level went down (and I forgot to add more), the blooms dried and stayed their blue color, without going limp. I now have hydrangea blooms for a vase for the winter! Who knew my neglect could be a good thing?!
Our next door neighbor just this week became a grandmother of a beautiful little girl, her very first grandchild! I have a Kohl's $10 coupon to use this weekend, and will go pick out something for the new little baby.
Our car had issues this week, and needed repairs. Doesn't sound like anything wonderful could come from that, right? But, every single person that I encountered through this was soooo kind. They gave me rides places, and as soon as a loaner car freed up, they set it aside for me. And one woman even was kind enough to listen to me the day that I picked up the car, and was having a too-stressed moment. It has been a stressful week (month, year, life . . .), and these people really set my mood back in order. Now that's a beautiful thing!
Anyway,
I hope your week went well and you have a lovely weekend! Be back on Monday with the grocery journal for September!
______________________________________________________
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Gaining weight on a tight budget (something most of us just don't even need to think about!!)
Sometimes, when an issue pops up within our families, we don't want to share information with others just yet, as it feels very private. Other times, the issue at hand feels so overwhelming to us, that we simply don't have the energy to deal with the comments and input from others. (People say stupid things at time, meaning well, of course. But it's draining to have to deal with inappropriate "advice" AKA criticisms.) So we work within our small group, privately, until we've reached the point that what other people say won't affect our overall approach to the issue.
I've wanted to share some of what our family has been dealing with, here on my blog, for a while. But it just wasn't the time. Presently, I feel we've reached a good place in recovery, and it's "safe" to share.
My purpose in sharing this is to 1) possibly reach out to someone else going through a similarly difficult time in their family's life, so they will not feel so alone in their struggle, but also 2) some information from the recovery process for our situation could be helpful to another family.
One of our daughters has struggled with an eating disorder for a couple of years. She is actively restoring weight right now. It's not an easy process. Many individuals who find themselves needing to regain weight also find themselves requiring an enormous amount of calories and nutrients each day. When you combine this with loss of appetite, the situation can seem daunting.
Eating disorders are just one reason an individual may need to restore weight. When my mom was sick with cancer, weight loss and appetite were a huge struggle for her. Often times, the elderly lose their appetites, and weight loss is a health risk for them, as well. Sometimes, it's just a picky eater in the family with a small appetite to begin with, that necessitates a bit of intervention to put on a few pounds.
It's so hard for us, as eager eaters, to understand the frustration of needing to put on weight, isn't it? I look at a donut, and it magically jumps onto my mid-section.
But, for those who are trying to help a child, parent or other loved one put on a few pounds, I'm going to share some of our methods and "recipes", over the coming month or two. As always, take what works and leave the rest.
The number one tip I can offer other families trying to restore weight with an individual who just doesn't seem to have an appetite, is to set up an eating schedule. For the underweight individual, it can be so easy to go through an entire day subsisting on an amount of calories/nutrients which result in further weight-loss. Before you know it, it's the end of the day, and a daunting amount of food still needs to be consumed. So, for us, having a schedule of 3 meals, 3 snacks works.
We adjust our calorie and nutrient needs based on weekly weigh-ins. The safe amount to gain per week seems to be 1-2 pounds (similar to weight loss recommendations). If we've gained the appropriate amount for the past week, then I look at the next week's activity level, and add or subtract a small amount from each day's requirements. If we over-gained, then I reduce the next week's requirements, and if we've under-gained, then I increase, but all based on the math of 3500 calories equals 1 pound of weight.
I keep this information in a small notebook, so I know for sure what I'm supposed to be doing for meals each week, and we can track progress. I'm getting forgetful in my "old-age"!!
For us, we minimize anxiety around foods and ingredients if I put together meals for my daughter, and she gets her snacks. There will come a time when we transition to more intuitive eating. This is all part of the process of recovery.
Each meal and snack has it's own calorie requirement. To give you an example of how it unfolds for us, for a week when my daughter needs 2800 calories per day, we do 750 for breakfast, 200 mid-morning snack, 700 lunch, 200 mid-afternoon snack, 750 dinner, and 200 evening snack.
Snacks can be hard for us to get in, so we set the calorie requirement for those somewhat low. Another family might do better with fewer calories at meals, and more at snack time, for 6 mini-meals each day.
When my mom was battling cancer, she had similar calorie goals for each meal. Working within these goals helped to keep her weight from slipping dangerously low.
So, one of the biggest obstacles for us with meals is getting in a nutrient-dense breakfast in a short amount of time. There are meal replacement shakes that I know a lot of families use. Working on a tight budget, I'll share what we do that packs the nutrition, while keeping our costs reasonable.
The Nutrient-Dense, High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie
I plan the next morning's breakfast the evening before, as I'm cleaning up the kitchen. If my plan is something like muffins and milk, my daughter's milk gets boosted to a smoothie. I calculate the calories of the muffin portion, and figure how many calories the smoothie needs to contain.
I set up all the ingredients for her smoothie the evening before, then in the morning, she or I dump it into the blender to whirl it smooth. She often expresses a flavor she's in the mood for, and I work with that.
I use a 1-pint canning jar, and begin adding ingredients to the jar, until I meet the calorie requirement. Cap and refrigerate overnight. Here are some ingredients that we use in our smoothies, but not all of them in the same smoothie!! :
I don't calculate ratios (the 30/30/40) on a daily basis, but every 7-10 days I do a mini-audit of one day's meals, just to see if we're on track.
A suggestion for coming up with a blend of flavors -- think about other meals/foods you've eaten and enjoyed. I make a delicious sweet potato/orange zest and nutmeg casserole. So for one smoothie variation, I add sweet potato, a couple of orange segments, nutmeg, and sweetening to the milk. Apple pie smoothies are good, too. Some applesauce, cinnamon, oats and sweetening added to the milk. And of course, we love peanut butter-chocolate. I add 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin to these, at my daughter's request. Some cocoa powder, peanut butter, sweetening, canned pumpkin added to the milk -- yum. In an issue of Prevention magazine, several years ago, I found a simple tofu and orange juice smoothie recipe. I've done these for myself many, many times. (I like a bit of sweetening in mine; I believe the Prevention recipe was just tofu and oj.) My daughter likes tofu and frozen blackberries whirled into milk.
On extraordinarily busy mornings, sometimes the smoothie IS the whole breakfast. So adding grains in the form of oats or cooked brown rice, plus fruit or vegetables, milk, tofu, peanut butter for protein, and we have a meal in a glass. I've even taken to doing these for myself, when I know I've got a demanding morning ahead of me and no time to cook or eat a hot breakfast.
There you have it -- our version of a nutrient-dense beverage, based on real foods. For a price comparison, Boost nutritional drinks retail for about $1.50 for each 8 oz serving. A nutrient dense, home-made breakfast smoothie like what I serve, containing anywhere from 400-600 calories, costs between 40 cents and a dollar, depending on just how "fancy" we're feeling that day (and how inexpensively I've obtained ingredients).
And I won't even get into some of the "added" ingredients in commercial nutritional drinks. Ugh!!!
_____________________________________________________________
I've wanted to share some of what our family has been dealing with, here on my blog, for a while. But it just wasn't the time. Presently, I feel we've reached a good place in recovery, and it's "safe" to share.
My purpose in sharing this is to 1) possibly reach out to someone else going through a similarly difficult time in their family's life, so they will not feel so alone in their struggle, but also 2) some information from the recovery process for our situation could be helpful to another family.
One of our daughters has struggled with an eating disorder for a couple of years. She is actively restoring weight right now. It's not an easy process. Many individuals who find themselves needing to regain weight also find themselves requiring an enormous amount of calories and nutrients each day. When you combine this with loss of appetite, the situation can seem daunting.
Eating disorders are just one reason an individual may need to restore weight. When my mom was sick with cancer, weight loss and appetite were a huge struggle for her. Often times, the elderly lose their appetites, and weight loss is a health risk for them, as well. Sometimes, it's just a picky eater in the family with a small appetite to begin with, that necessitates a bit of intervention to put on a few pounds.
It's so hard for us, as eager eaters, to understand the frustration of needing to put on weight, isn't it? I look at a donut, and it magically jumps onto my mid-section.
But, for those who are trying to help a child, parent or other loved one put on a few pounds, I'm going to share some of our methods and "recipes", over the coming month or two. As always, take what works and leave the rest.
The number one tip I can offer other families trying to restore weight with an individual who just doesn't seem to have an appetite, is to set up an eating schedule. For the underweight individual, it can be so easy to go through an entire day subsisting on an amount of calories/nutrients which result in further weight-loss. Before you know it, it's the end of the day, and a daunting amount of food still needs to be consumed. So, for us, having a schedule of 3 meals, 3 snacks works.
We adjust our calorie and nutrient needs based on weekly weigh-ins. The safe amount to gain per week seems to be 1-2 pounds (similar to weight loss recommendations). If we've gained the appropriate amount for the past week, then I look at the next week's activity level, and add or subtract a small amount from each day's requirements. If we over-gained, then I reduce the next week's requirements, and if we've under-gained, then I increase, but all based on the math of 3500 calories equals 1 pound of weight.
I keep this information in a small notebook, so I know for sure what I'm supposed to be doing for meals each week, and we can track progress. I'm getting forgetful in my "old-age"!!
For us, we minimize anxiety around foods and ingredients if I put together meals for my daughter, and she gets her snacks. There will come a time when we transition to more intuitive eating. This is all part of the process of recovery.
Each meal and snack has it's own calorie requirement. To give you an example of how it unfolds for us, for a week when my daughter needs 2800 calories per day, we do 750 for breakfast, 200 mid-morning snack, 700 lunch, 200 mid-afternoon snack, 750 dinner, and 200 evening snack.
Snacks can be hard for us to get in, so we set the calorie requirement for those somewhat low. Another family might do better with fewer calories at meals, and more at snack time, for 6 mini-meals each day.
When my mom was battling cancer, she had similar calorie goals for each meal. Working within these goals helped to keep her weight from slipping dangerously low.
So, one of the biggest obstacles for us with meals is getting in a nutrient-dense breakfast in a short amount of time. There are meal replacement shakes that I know a lot of families use. Working on a tight budget, I'll share what we do that packs the nutrition, while keeping our costs reasonable.
The Nutrient-Dense, High-Calorie Breakfast Smoothie
I plan the next morning's breakfast the evening before, as I'm cleaning up the kitchen. If my plan is something like muffins and milk, my daughter's milk gets boosted to a smoothie. I calculate the calories of the muffin portion, and figure how many calories the smoothie needs to contain.
I set up all the ingredients for her smoothie the evening before, then in the morning, she or I dump it into the blender to whirl it smooth. She often expresses a flavor she's in the mood for, and I work with that.
I use a 1-pint canning jar, and begin adding ingredients to the jar, until I meet the calorie requirement. Cap and refrigerate overnight. Here are some ingredients that we use in our smoothies, but not all of them in the same smoothie!! :
- milk (whole milk if possible, 160 calories per cup)
- peanut butter (90 calories per tablespoon)
- dry rolled oats (yes, that sounds weird, right? I found that ingredient on a list for body-building smoothies)
- bananas
- tofu
- frozen and fresh fruit (chopped for items like orange segments or apple slices)
- cocoa powder
- sugar, honey, molasses, agave
- canned pumpkin
- applesauce
- leftover cooked winter squash
- cooked sweet potato
- dry milk powder
- whipping cream, oils
- spices (cinnamon is a favorite for us, but also nutmeg is good) and flavorings (vanilla and maple are both yummy in smoothies)
- leftover cooked brown rice
- homemade Greek yogurt (300 calories per cup, adds a lot of protein and calcium, and good with frozen berries)
I don't calculate ratios (the 30/30/40) on a daily basis, but every 7-10 days I do a mini-audit of one day's meals, just to see if we're on track.
A suggestion for coming up with a blend of flavors -- think about other meals/foods you've eaten and enjoyed. I make a delicious sweet potato/orange zest and nutmeg casserole. So for one smoothie variation, I add sweet potato, a couple of orange segments, nutmeg, and sweetening to the milk. Apple pie smoothies are good, too. Some applesauce, cinnamon, oats and sweetening added to the milk. And of course, we love peanut butter-chocolate. I add 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin to these, at my daughter's request. Some cocoa powder, peanut butter, sweetening, canned pumpkin added to the milk -- yum. In an issue of Prevention magazine, several years ago, I found a simple tofu and orange juice smoothie recipe. I've done these for myself many, many times. (I like a bit of sweetening in mine; I believe the Prevention recipe was just tofu and oj.) My daughter likes tofu and frozen blackberries whirled into milk.
On extraordinarily busy mornings, sometimes the smoothie IS the whole breakfast. So adding grains in the form of oats or cooked brown rice, plus fruit or vegetables, milk, tofu, peanut butter for protein, and we have a meal in a glass. I've even taken to doing these for myself, when I know I've got a demanding morning ahead of me and no time to cook or eat a hot breakfast.
There you have it -- our version of a nutrient-dense beverage, based on real foods. For a price comparison, Boost nutritional drinks retail for about $1.50 for each 8 oz serving. A nutrient dense, home-made breakfast smoothie like what I serve, containing anywhere from 400-600 calories, costs between 40 cents and a dollar, depending on just how "fancy" we're feeling that day (and how inexpensively I've obtained ingredients).
And I won't even get into some of the "added" ingredients in commercial nutritional drinks. Ugh!!!
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Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The harvest is almost done!! Yippee!!
My daughters are now back in classes. Yesterday was the first day of autumn quarter. I spent the day stocking the fridge with quick and easy to grab foods for the whole family, and harvesting the last of the late apples.
My daughters did a herculean job with the harvest. The three of us did what 5 of us usually do. The girls gave up their 2-week vacation and helped with harvesting and preserving. And so, I have promised them some sort of vacation this coming winter. Don't know what that will be yet, but something fun.
There are still crabapples, late pears and cranberries to harvest, later in October. I am hoping that my son and husband will have time to help with those fruits. Harvesting is a large job. But the rewards will be evident this winter, when we'll have this home-grown fruit on our table.
I am still figuring out how our schedule will work this fall. My daughters have many evening activities (requiring my chauffeuring skills), an irregular morning schedule (some days one of the earliest buses, other days the latest bus), and new Sunday obligations (both morning and afternoon -- choir related). I find that working this all out is best done on paper. I made out a schedule, and am seeing which days look more intense than the rest, so that I can figure my own around-the-house work schedule accordingly.
I have a bunch of stuff to tell you all, and will get to it over the next week. For now, here's what our family is eating for lunches this week:
Anyway, I'm looking forward to having a bit more time to keep up with all of you. Hope you're having a great week!
My daughters did a herculean job with the harvest. The three of us did what 5 of us usually do. The girls gave up their 2-week vacation and helped with harvesting and preserving. And so, I have promised them some sort of vacation this coming winter. Don't know what that will be yet, but something fun.
There are still crabapples, late pears and cranberries to harvest, later in October. I am hoping that my son and husband will have time to help with those fruits. Harvesting is a large job. But the rewards will be evident this winter, when we'll have this home-grown fruit on our table.
I am still figuring out how our schedule will work this fall. My daughters have many evening activities (requiring my chauffeuring skills), an irregular morning schedule (some days one of the earliest buses, other days the latest bus), and new Sunday obligations (both morning and afternoon -- choir related). I find that working this all out is best done on paper. I made out a schedule, and am seeing which days look more intense than the rest, so that I can figure my own around-the-house work schedule accordingly.
I have a bunch of stuff to tell you all, and will get to it over the next week. For now, here's what our family is eating for lunches this week:
- cinnamon-pumpkin-applesauce (about 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin stirred into applesauce, with a hint of cinnamon -- quite good, and packs some extra Vit. A and fiber)
- a casserole of baked beans, chipotle sausage, tomatoes and onions
- pumpkin muffins (they bake faster than pumpkin bread, saving electricity) with cream cheese
- carrot sticks and peanut butter (no kidding, my daughters like peanut butter as a spread/dip for carrot sticks)
- pumpkin-peanut smoothies
- apple cobbler
- yogurt
- apples
- toasted cheese sandwiches
- leftover refried beans and tortillas from Sunday
Anyway, I'm looking forward to having a bit more time to keep up with all of you. Hope you're having a great week!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Lately . . .
The end of last week turned extremely busy, and I'm just now catching up. A friend passed away a little while ago, and I serve on the Hospitality Team at our church. We put together a nice luncheon to accompany the memorial service on Saturday.
In addition, my daughters and I have been harvesting the apple trees and the one super huge plum tree. The apples just get picked and stored, but the plums have to be processed in some way (making jam, chutney, splitting/pitting for prunes and freezing). My fingernails are badly stained, but oh well, that's just part of the job.
Also, a big front is pushing in today, and have been picking and storing tomatoes, as I can. The first major storm front also usually brings late blight to the tomatoes, so if we want to use them, I've got to get them harvested.
I had hoped to get in a couple of side excursions this week, but we may be very busy with harvesting before the weather turns very cool and very wet, and getting last things done for fall quarter.
Still, lunches need planning. As our fridge and freezers are packed to over-flowing, meals are based first on fridge contents, and second on bits and pieces from the freezer. (You know, all those half-full containers of this and that can really take up freezer space!)
This week's lunch menu includes:
I hope that you're having a great week! And enjoying the change of seasons!
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In addition, my daughters and I have been harvesting the apple trees and the one super huge plum tree. The apples just get picked and stored, but the plums have to be processed in some way (making jam, chutney, splitting/pitting for prunes and freezing). My fingernails are badly stained, but oh well, that's just part of the job.
Also, a big front is pushing in today, and have been picking and storing tomatoes, as I can. The first major storm front also usually brings late blight to the tomatoes, so if we want to use them, I've got to get them harvested.
I had hoped to get in a couple of side excursions this week, but we may be very busy with harvesting before the weather turns very cool and very wet, and getting last things done for fall quarter.
Still, lunches need planning. As our fridge and freezers are packed to over-flowing, meals are based first on fridge contents, and second on bits and pieces from the freezer. (You know, all those half-full containers of this and that can really take up freezer space!)
This week's lunch menu includes:
- ham and egg fried rice (using squash, garlic and greens from the garden)
- Harvard beets
- beet green quiche
- vegetarian chili
- plum pie
- apple pie
I hope that you're having a great week! And enjoying the change of seasons!
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Friday, September 19, 2014
How has my grocery shopping changed over the last year?
So, we're doing "okay" with our reduced grocery budget this year (a budget of about $165 per month, for food only, for 5 of us), even with some rising food prices. But to make that happen, I've had to make even more changes in the last 12 months.
A year ago, I posted about various ways I am cutting our grocery budget/spending. One of the methods I've used is shopping at a restaurant supply and buying institutional sizes. Even at the Cash and Carry's regular prices, institutional sizes saves us a lot of money.
However, I've now moved to an even more advantageous shopping strategy. I've become a very opportunistic wholesale shopper. The Cash and Carry does have sales. Every 2 weeks they put out a new ad, and it's available for me to view online. I go through the ad very carefully and make a list of what's on sale at a great price, determine the quantity we would need to get through 6 months to 1 year, and add that to my list. Basically, this is institutional loss-leader shopping.
Shopping this way means that I can't always pick up what we're out of, but may have to wait a few weeks, instead, to find it on sale. But it allows us to pay the absolute minimum price on almost all of our basics. (I do need to occasionally buy something at their regular institutional price. Last month, I really needed all-purpose flour, to continue on with our baking. So, even without a sale price, I bought a 50-lb sack of all-purpose flour for about $12 or $13.)
Here are a few examples, with stock-up price as well as regular price:
My hope is to continue feeding my family as well as possible, while keeping our grocery budget low. I still may need to "find" more money in the budget to allocate to groceries. I'm currently working on plugging some spending holes, here and there. And I may be able to increase our grocery budget a smidge in the coming months.
I understand that for the most part, absolutely none of this is helpful to most of you. I just wanted to offer some explanations for how we can keep our grocery spending as low as we do. Anyway, with each budget crisis, or bout of inflation, I do find myself wondering just how I'm going to pull another rabbit out of my well-worn hat. And somehow . . . we manage.
Have you found any ways to reduce your grocery spending, overall, in the past year, despite the inflation that is hitting all of us? How are you handling price increases? Are you adding to your grocery budget? Eliminating the purchase of some foods? Do you have any stores that carry institutional sizes? (When we lived in Salt Lake City, we had one store that carried some #10 cans of fruits and vegetables, and many large families took advantage of these sizes.) Do you tend to stock the pantry, or buy just what you need for 1 or 2 weeks? If you stock the pantry, do you ever have a moment of feeling overwhelmed by how stuffed you pantry can look and feel? I know this might not make much sense coming from me, but sometimes, even I look in my pantry and get this feeling of being overwhelmed by it all.
_______________________________________________________________
A year ago, I posted about various ways I am cutting our grocery budget/spending. One of the methods I've used is shopping at a restaurant supply and buying institutional sizes. Even at the Cash and Carry's regular prices, institutional sizes saves us a lot of money.
However, I've now moved to an even more advantageous shopping strategy. I've become a very opportunistic wholesale shopper. The Cash and Carry does have sales. Every 2 weeks they put out a new ad, and it's available for me to view online. I go through the ad very carefully and make a list of what's on sale at a great price, determine the quantity we would need to get through 6 months to 1 year, and add that to my list. Basically, this is institutional loss-leader shopping.
Shopping this way means that I can't always pick up what we're out of, but may have to wait a few weeks, instead, to find it on sale. But it allows us to pay the absolute minimum price on almost all of our basics. (I do need to occasionally buy something at their regular institutional price. Last month, I really needed all-purpose flour, to continue on with our baking. So, even without a sale price, I bought a 50-lb sack of all-purpose flour for about $12 or $13.)
Here are a few examples, with stock-up price as well as regular price:
- whole wheat flour -- $12.99/50lb sack (regular price $13.59). I had about 25 lbs still at home. I bought 100 lbs of new flour. It should last many months. We don't have a pantry moth problem in our kitchen. But I will still re-package this flour into 25-lb bags and cycle through the freezer, to kill anything that has hitch-hiked into our kitchen.
- #10 cans (6 lbs, 10 oz) Libby's canned pumpkin -- $4.25 (regular price $8.77). I bought 4 of these large cans and will repackage into 15-oz freezer containers as we open the cans. This amount will hopefully carry us through the entire year. (Update -- We are already going through this pumpkin, and I may pick up another couple of cans near the end of the month. Sale ends on Sept 30.)
- 5-lb bags of shredded mozzarella cheese -- $11.98 (regular price $12.58). I wound up buying 4 bags (20 lbs). This cheese will be frozen as room in the freezer opens up, and should last well into spring.
- #10 cans whole, peeled tomatoes -- $2.37 (regular price is about $3.49). I bought 15 cans, a one-year supply. Canned tomatoes can be frozen after opening. So, I repackage and freeze canned tomatoes in amounts that I typically use in cooking.
- 1 gallon jugs of white vinegar -- $2.47 (regular price -- $3.29). I bought 6 gallons, again, a year's supply. We use a lot of vinegar, for hair rinsing, cleaning, making flavored vinegars for salad dressing, making pickles and for a substitution for baking powder (1 Tablespoon baking powder = 1 Tablespoon vinegar plus 3/4 teaspoon baking soda).
- 3 lb bag of dried cranberries -- $5.87 (regular price $7.37). I bought 1 bag and am saving them for holiday baking. I don't usually buy dried cranberries other than holiday/winter baking. So this should be it for the year.
- ground ginger (9 oz) and curry powder (13 oz) -- $2.88 (regular price $4.19) and $4.24 (regular price $5.17), respectively. I needed both of these, but waited until they went on sale.
- 5-lb bags frozen peas -- $3.54 (regular price $4.23). I bought 3 of these bags, for a total of 15 lbs. This should last us through most of winter and into early spring.
My hope is to continue feeding my family as well as possible, while keeping our grocery budget low. I still may need to "find" more money in the budget to allocate to groceries. I'm currently working on plugging some spending holes, here and there. And I may be able to increase our grocery budget a smidge in the coming months.
I understand that for the most part, absolutely none of this is helpful to most of you. I just wanted to offer some explanations for how we can keep our grocery spending as low as we do. Anyway, with each budget crisis, or bout of inflation, I do find myself wondering just how I'm going to pull another rabbit out of my well-worn hat. And somehow . . . we manage.
Have you found any ways to reduce your grocery spending, overall, in the past year, despite the inflation that is hitting all of us? How are you handling price increases? Are you adding to your grocery budget? Eliminating the purchase of some foods? Do you have any stores that carry institutional sizes? (When we lived in Salt Lake City, we had one store that carried some #10 cans of fruits and vegetables, and many large families took advantage of these sizes.) Do you tend to stock the pantry, or buy just what you need for 1 or 2 weeks? If you stock the pantry, do you ever have a moment of feeling overwhelmed by how stuffed you pantry can look and feel? I know this might not make much sense coming from me, but sometimes, even I look in my pantry and get this feeling of being overwhelmed by it all.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2014
A September lunch round-up: staycation time!
My daughters have a couple of weeks off before uni classes begin. We had hoped to go someplace, but as it turns out, we do have a lot of commitments in the next 2 weeks, so it just didn't work out.
We are, however, making the most of lazy mornings and sunny afternoons, with local excursions to get that "vacation feel".
So, lunches are perhaps a bit more interesting and fun, this week. Here's what we're doing for lunch:
What's on your lunch menu this week? What do you make for "fun" lunches, special occasions, birthdays, etc?
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We are, however, making the most of lazy mornings and sunny afternoons, with local excursions to get that "vacation feel".
So, lunches are perhaps a bit more interesting and fun, this week. Here's what we're doing for lunch:
- homemade "pepperoni" pizza (thin-sliced beef hot links in place of pepperoni)
- vegetarian garden lasagna (I use seasoned tofu in place of ricotta, and lots of chopped kale)
- applesauce (using apples that I pick up under the trees every morning -- thanks to the pesky squirrels)
- apple Brown Betty (I just like the name. Sounds fun, doesn't it?)
- fresh plums, apples and tomatoes
What's on your lunch menu this week? What do you make for "fun" lunches, special occasions, birthdays, etc?
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Monday, September 15, 2014
What I like about the cooler weather of September
The weather is turning in our area. While the weekend high temperatures were right around 80 degrees, the days are shorter, so the nights have a longer period to cool off. Mornings and evenings can be quite chilly. But I love this changing period of the year.
What are some of the things you love about this time of year?
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- soup makes a delicious, warming and frugal dinner
- oatmeal warms the tummy, is easy to prepare, and doesn't bust the budget
- potatoes, again! after a summer of rice, bread and pasta, potatoes make a welcome, and frugal, backbone to many cool-weather meals. Leftover potatoes with an egg for breakfast. "Cream" of potato soup for lunch (I blend in silken tofu in place of cream, for protein without the dairy). Potato and any leftover meat and veggies for a tasty hash at dinner.
- I sleep so much better when the nights are cool, but it's not so cool that we need the furnace yet
- cooking and baking doesn't overheat the kitchen (and cooking/baking from scratch saves us mucho $$$)
- because I sleep better this time of year, I have more energy during the day!
- no more need to water outdoor plants, any vegetable rinse water that's clean enough just goes into the washing machine now (not saving it for watering the garden)
- the vegetables that I will be buying in autumn, like winter squash and carrots, are so much cheaper than spring items like asparagus
- the air smells fresh, the garbage doesn't stink up the garage and the sky is incredibly blue on a clear day
- I'm almost done with garden and will soon have more free time
- we make some favorite foods: caramel popcorn, candy apples, pumpkin everything (lattes, soup, pudding, bread, pie)
- fresh, crisp russet apples -- best flavored apples IMO!
What are some of the things you love about this time of year?
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