wow. no one is reading. and i haven't really done any work on our diet as a family. and we haven't really settled our budgetary conflicts. but i've decided to go ahead and start making plans to get gastric sleeve surgery. i cannot lose weight, i'm having too many health issues and i want to be around for a while, so i can see my daughter grow up.
and i am tired of living in dullsville. i want to be active. swim. ski. hike. again. all that stuff i used to be able to do. but now i can't. so goodbye dullsville. see ya later. i have much more important things to live for and to figure out. like....why didn't i know about post partum girdles? i wouldn't have this flap if i had. boo.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
revisionist thinking?
corey booker is doing the food stamp challenge, and being mocked by FOX news. i use the word news, because that's what they call themselves, they're anything but news. but it got me thinking, when i was reading the article. if he qualifies for $133/mo as a single person, why do we, a family of 3, only qualify for $230? something has to be wrong in this calculation. we get less per person thank a single person? shouldn't we qualify for MORE per person? because it's supplemental, and the costs associated with having a family are GREATER than that of a single person, so why the penalization of supplemental nutritional funds? i'm more than a bit confused.
needless to say, we've gone WAY over budget. how far, i don't know. i'm having a difficult time getting my husband to sit down with me and add up the food bills. he tends to be a "shop as you go" type of person, and i'm trying to break that habit. we need to plan and purchase accordingly. i can't get him on track with this. it's frustrating and causing all kinds of friction, and yes, more than a few fights.
i almost gave up. but i'm trying to push forward. we're only purchasing meat when it's on sale. i'm scouring sale flyers for the best deals, i've almost gotten all processed foods out of the house. but the budget is the biggest sticking point. i want to stick to a set amount, my husband keeps saying it's , "supplemental" and we can spend what we need. well, that's not the point of this exercise, is it? if we do that, why bother?
so i need help, suggestions, ideas. i need to get him back on board, the man that was so gung-ho about this project. the first month was a disaster, not a huge one, but we didn't stick to any sort of budget. i didn't get any help with that. our second month needs to improve. so if you can give me some ideas, i'd appreciate them. i'm just about researched out. i can only spend so much time looking for answers to questions, and getting a stonewall back as an answer. it's so frustrating. so i'm reaching out to anyone that is reading for ANY ideas. help me cut our food budget, stick to the budget, save money, ANYTHING. i don't want to give up, because i think there is a valuable lesson to be learned in this project. i just feel like i'm being sabotaged. and it's really beginning to get old, and hurt.
post script: after much more researching, the original site that i used to calculate our SNAP allowance has been taken down. this was run by the state of Nevada, where we reside. i went to the USDA SNAP website, and by their guidelines, we could receive up to $526/mo. now THIS makes much more sense. we've had a very brief discussion, and we've talked about putting $121/wk aside, and keeping track of our spending in this manner. we still need to finish our pantry inventory, the fighting just wasn't worth it at the time. at this time, i'm more angry that the information i initially had was SO incorrect, and such a source of discord in our family. we all thought that it was just a ridiculous sum, but that was the information the state was supplying. now, i wish i could find that website, so i could prove that i'm not crazy! a sigh of relief, as i know i can make $526/mo go much further. anything left over will go into savings. and i am hoping we will have money left over. but i'm sticking to my guns. no "shop as you go" strategy. we have to plan very carefully and think about every purchase we make. some will be more popular than others, but our daughter is just going to have to expand her taste experiences and try new things. personally, i'm a bit tired of broccoli!
needless to say, we've gone WAY over budget. how far, i don't know. i'm having a difficult time getting my husband to sit down with me and add up the food bills. he tends to be a "shop as you go" type of person, and i'm trying to break that habit. we need to plan and purchase accordingly. i can't get him on track with this. it's frustrating and causing all kinds of friction, and yes, more than a few fights.
i almost gave up. but i'm trying to push forward. we're only purchasing meat when it's on sale. i'm scouring sale flyers for the best deals, i've almost gotten all processed foods out of the house. but the budget is the biggest sticking point. i want to stick to a set amount, my husband keeps saying it's , "supplemental" and we can spend what we need. well, that's not the point of this exercise, is it? if we do that, why bother?
so i need help, suggestions, ideas. i need to get him back on board, the man that was so gung-ho about this project. the first month was a disaster, not a huge one, but we didn't stick to any sort of budget. i didn't get any help with that. our second month needs to improve. so if you can give me some ideas, i'd appreciate them. i'm just about researched out. i can only spend so much time looking for answers to questions, and getting a stonewall back as an answer. it's so frustrating. so i'm reaching out to anyone that is reading for ANY ideas. help me cut our food budget, stick to the budget, save money, ANYTHING. i don't want to give up, because i think there is a valuable lesson to be learned in this project. i just feel like i'm being sabotaged. and it's really beginning to get old, and hurt.
post script: after much more researching, the original site that i used to calculate our SNAP allowance has been taken down. this was run by the state of Nevada, where we reside. i went to the USDA SNAP website, and by their guidelines, we could receive up to $526/mo. now THIS makes much more sense. we've had a very brief discussion, and we've talked about putting $121/wk aside, and keeping track of our spending in this manner. we still need to finish our pantry inventory, the fighting just wasn't worth it at the time. at this time, i'm more angry that the information i initially had was SO incorrect, and such a source of discord in our family. we all thought that it was just a ridiculous sum, but that was the information the state was supplying. now, i wish i could find that website, so i could prove that i'm not crazy! a sigh of relief, as i know i can make $526/mo go much further. anything left over will go into savings. and i am hoping we will have money left over. but i'm sticking to my guns. no "shop as you go" strategy. we have to plan very carefully and think about every purchase we make. some will be more popular than others, but our daughter is just going to have to expand her taste experiences and try new things. personally, i'm a bit tired of broccoli!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
the road to hell is paved with....sweet potatoes?
okay, i think we blew the budget today. we had such GOOD intentions. really, really good intentions. let's hope the cold snap holds for a while, because i've got everything in a box on the patio. let me explain:
we have a local pick and pay orchard here in town. it's a great place. i've been trying to get hubby to go for a while now. we decided to get up today, as next weekend is the last saturday for the year. i *think* i got some decent rest, i'm not sure. but i got out of bed without too much of a struggle, got dressed, insisted on something other than doughnut shop coffee (YUCK!) and we were off. i wanted to show little one where some of our food comes from and how we can pick and process it ourselves. she had a blast! first stop was the granny smith apples. we all love granny smith apples. everyone kept saying there were huge apples, but we went for some smaller ones, because they are great lunchbox size. and now i have to bake a pie. that's okay, we have pie crust in the freezer. remember the rules? have to use up the processed stuff first! lucky hubby, he gets apple pie. seven pounds later....we move on to sweet potatoes.
now THIS is what i came for. and we really didn't get that many. but the ones we DID get? big enough that one will fit the bill for an entire meal for all three of us. i think that's pretty efficient. they are big, beautiful, and just in time for winter. yum. next, zucchini. little one scored. she was a master at spotting the PERFECT zucchini. not too big, not too small. just the right size. she'll be rewarded with chocolate zucchini bread for sure. such a help to her mom. AND she found the eggplant. they were on the smaller size. i can't remember the name, but they are a traditional round eggplant. i am hoping i can find some recipe that hubby will try, as his experiences with eggplant have not been that great. we only picked four, as not to over do it.
total damage for the produce? $18.00. BUT, it's locally grown, pesticide free, organically grown and we're supporting a small business. that makes me feel good. then we drove over to the farm. it's actually called The Farm. another small business that sells produce, honey (raw, unfiltered, from their own hives. if i get in a pinch and i can't get it from my usual honey man, i can get it there because they are pricier.) they have chickens roaming freely, a vietnamese potbellied pig named violet that LOVES butternut squash, ethel and mabel, their two holstein cows, some horses, a llama, a few peacock families, including mama pearl and her babies. mama pearl is very protective, so when she's around, everyone has to stop moving. you don't want to get between pearl and her babies! and a HUGE rooster, who is recovering from coyote injuries. little one suggested a name for him, and i think it's going to stick. she tagged him "big murray." the owners seemed to like the name. that's my girl. we bought a dozen eggs. farm fresh eggs, i haven't had these since i was a kid! they were pricey, we won't make this splurge that often, unless they're REALLY GOOD EGGS. $5.50/dozen.
so tomorrow i have to sit down and total up what we have left of our budget. i suspect there isn't much left of that budget. i think we really blew the first month. but hey, it's a learning experience. and i've packed all the produce in a cardboard box, brown paper and old bed sheets and set it outside, so we'll have it for a while. another reason to get the *&^$ out of this city, i need a root cellar. i'm hoping we have cooler temps for a while, so we'll have produce for a while. i know the sweet potatoes will keep, and i'm going to have to use the zucchini within 2-3 weeks, if the weather holds. the apples, if this is it for the warmer weather, they'll be good for a few months, but they won't last that long!
so, do i feel bad about wrecking my budget or feel good about supporting small, local businesses and getting some really great produce into my family's diet? i'm trying to be an optimist these days. i'll go with the latter. besides, it was a great way to spend the day together, and that's what really matters.
we have a local pick and pay orchard here in town. it's a great place. i've been trying to get hubby to go for a while now. we decided to get up today, as next weekend is the last saturday for the year. i *think* i got some decent rest, i'm not sure. but i got out of bed without too much of a struggle, got dressed, insisted on something other than doughnut shop coffee (YUCK!) and we were off. i wanted to show little one where some of our food comes from and how we can pick and process it ourselves. she had a blast! first stop was the granny smith apples. we all love granny smith apples. everyone kept saying there were huge apples, but we went for some smaller ones, because they are great lunchbox size. and now i have to bake a pie. that's okay, we have pie crust in the freezer. remember the rules? have to use up the processed stuff first! lucky hubby, he gets apple pie. seven pounds later....we move on to sweet potatoes.
now THIS is what i came for. and we really didn't get that many. but the ones we DID get? big enough that one will fit the bill for an entire meal for all three of us. i think that's pretty efficient. they are big, beautiful, and just in time for winter. yum. next, zucchini. little one scored. she was a master at spotting the PERFECT zucchini. not too big, not too small. just the right size. she'll be rewarded with chocolate zucchini bread for sure. such a help to her mom. AND she found the eggplant. they were on the smaller size. i can't remember the name, but they are a traditional round eggplant. i am hoping i can find some recipe that hubby will try, as his experiences with eggplant have not been that great. we only picked four, as not to over do it.
total damage for the produce? $18.00. BUT, it's locally grown, pesticide free, organically grown and we're supporting a small business. that makes me feel good. then we drove over to the farm. it's actually called The Farm. another small business that sells produce, honey (raw, unfiltered, from their own hives. if i get in a pinch and i can't get it from my usual honey man, i can get it there because they are pricier.) they have chickens roaming freely, a vietnamese potbellied pig named violet that LOVES butternut squash, ethel and mabel, their two holstein cows, some horses, a llama, a few peacock families, including mama pearl and her babies. mama pearl is very protective, so when she's around, everyone has to stop moving. you don't want to get between pearl and her babies! and a HUGE rooster, who is recovering from coyote injuries. little one suggested a name for him, and i think it's going to stick. she tagged him "big murray." the owners seemed to like the name. that's my girl. we bought a dozen eggs. farm fresh eggs, i haven't had these since i was a kid! they were pricey, we won't make this splurge that often, unless they're REALLY GOOD EGGS. $5.50/dozen.
so tomorrow i have to sit down and total up what we have left of our budget. i suspect there isn't much left of that budget. i think we really blew the first month. but hey, it's a learning experience. and i've packed all the produce in a cardboard box, brown paper and old bed sheets and set it outside, so we'll have it for a while. another reason to get the *&^$ out of this city, i need a root cellar. i'm hoping we have cooler temps for a while, so we'll have produce for a while. i know the sweet potatoes will keep, and i'm going to have to use the zucchini within 2-3 weeks, if the weather holds. the apples, if this is it for the warmer weather, they'll be good for a few months, but they won't last that long!
so, do i feel bad about wrecking my budget or feel good about supporting small, local businesses and getting some really great produce into my family's diet? i'm trying to be an optimist these days. i'll go with the latter. besides, it was a great way to spend the day together, and that's what really matters.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
lessons in budgeting 101
today was a challenge. i was good, i was bad. i had a medical appointment, and after that we wandered down the street to a farmer's market. it seemed to me that most of the produce was way overpriced, so we didn't buy any. but then i spied it. honey. not just honey, local DESERT HONEY! from all the pollens that are located naturally here in the mojave. just what you need to strengthen your immune system. okay, i blew the budget. i should have just gotten the MEGA HUGE jar, but i went with the bear and a smaller jar, which ended up costing me $2 more. i thought i could encourage little one to use the honey bear a little bit more if it was sitting there on the counter. it's cute, it's friendly, it's a honey bear, for cripes sake. spring will be here before we know it, so it's time to get some good local honey in all of us so our allergies won't act up come spring. and i bought a baguette, which really didn't kill the budget. that got divided into thirds, two thirds went in the freezer, and we had some bread tonight. little one with her pasta bolognese, and me with my brie. we'll have to add up what we've spent, but i think we've spent over half of our budget, and it's only the eighth of the month. like i said, this is going to be a long learning experience.
so now, we've got to tighten our belts EVEN MORE. i'm getting good at stretching one chicken breast so it feeds all three of us. meat is getting to be less and less of a central aspect of our meals. i've got a batch of kidney beans par boiled in the fridge, ready to be made into red beans and rice. i just found a coupon in a magazine for $1 chicken sausage. yes, i know that's not authentic, but it will be an introduction for little one, so that might be a good idea. she's not opposed to the idea, so i'm good with that.
we're eating more rice, i've noticed. i'm going to slowly make the switch to brown rice to bump up the nutritional value in our meals. i'm going to have to reacquire my taste for it, and teach everyone else to like it, too. so i see lots of beans and rice in our future. and i'm going to have to break out the quinoa, too. you can't go wrong with quinoa as a source of protein, as far as grains go. now, if i can just get them to EAT IT.
so, 22 days left in the month, right around $100, give or take....i think it's less. we're going to have to really take stock of what's in the house (we haven't finished that inventory yet.) we have to go through the freezer and the cabinets, check what's good, bad, toss, donate, clear out, organize, you name it. we've gotten two cabinets done, and that's a good start.
now, if i could just get a good night's sleep, i'd be unstoppable!
so now, we've got to tighten our belts EVEN MORE. i'm getting good at stretching one chicken breast so it feeds all three of us. meat is getting to be less and less of a central aspect of our meals. i've got a batch of kidney beans par boiled in the fridge, ready to be made into red beans and rice. i just found a coupon in a magazine for $1 chicken sausage. yes, i know that's not authentic, but it will be an introduction for little one, so that might be a good idea. she's not opposed to the idea, so i'm good with that.
we're eating more rice, i've noticed. i'm going to slowly make the switch to brown rice to bump up the nutritional value in our meals. i'm going to have to reacquire my taste for it, and teach everyone else to like it, too. so i see lots of beans and rice in our future. and i'm going to have to break out the quinoa, too. you can't go wrong with quinoa as a source of protein, as far as grains go. now, if i can just get them to EAT IT.
so, 22 days left in the month, right around $100, give or take....i think it's less. we're going to have to really take stock of what's in the house (we haven't finished that inventory yet.) we have to go through the freezer and the cabinets, check what's good, bad, toss, donate, clear out, organize, you name it. we've gotten two cabinets done, and that's a good start.
now, if i could just get a good night's sleep, i'd be unstoppable!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
election night avoidance
okay, we caved. i had an assessment for physical therapy today, and the whole fam went with. little one was out of school for a staff development day. so my appointment ran late, we were hungry and little one wanted ramen. okay. we can get ramen. it's not that expensive, we know the staff, it's good quality, but there's that pork thing again. i'm never going to get that pig off my back. she and i split a bowl, she had some rice, hubby had his usual. lots of giggles, we were sated.
and then we caved again. we couldn't get on the expressway to go home, it was moving at a snails pace. side streets it was. and one just happened to take us past the restaurant that hubby works at. dessert, anyone? why not? we get a decent discount. and it's pumpkin season, need i say more? gelato for little one, upside down apple pie a la mode for hubby and pumpkin cheesecake (to die for!) for me. and a decade cappuccino. i know, why bother? take all the fun out of it without the caffeine. but i want to sleep at some point!
restaurants don't figure into the SNAP challenge. i'm trying to figure out if we should have a penalty for going out and off the program, that we pay back to ourselves. we found a way to waste a few more hours, came home and got little one to bed. hubby and i made musubi for her lunches. yes, i give my kid spam. very rarely. it's a hawaiian thing, and she loves it. she has it maybe once every three months, so i don't feel too guilty about it. i made her favorite croissants. i par cooked a batch of kidney beans that i'll finish tomorrow for red beans and rice. we have to pick up sausage for that, but everything else is in the house. i don't think we're doing too badly. little one is going through a growth spurt, her appetite is off the charts! she just confessed that she doesn't like tuna salad sandwiches (with the exception of subway's) in her lunch. so cue the musubi. and now we have to figure out a lot of things to start putting in her lunch. she can't take mac and cheese every day. i guess i'll have to whip up a batch of chicken noodle soup and sees if that works. she can be so picky! but the good thing is she won't eat her "treat" if she doesn't eat the main part of her lunch. we've taught her well.
so we avoided most of the election nonsense. we came home just in time to see President Obama declared the winner. and little one gave us a smile in her sleep when daddy told her. she likes President Obama. she thinks it's pretty cool that we have a president that's mixed race, just as she is. she feels a special bond, my girl does. so this day is history. we voted. and i'm glad that as many people voted as did. we still need to get more politically active in this country. and i still need to quit pork. let's hope it doesn't take another four years.
and then we caved again. we couldn't get on the expressway to go home, it was moving at a snails pace. side streets it was. and one just happened to take us past the restaurant that hubby works at. dessert, anyone? why not? we get a decent discount. and it's pumpkin season, need i say more? gelato for little one, upside down apple pie a la mode for hubby and pumpkin cheesecake (to die for!) for me. and a decade cappuccino. i know, why bother? take all the fun out of it without the caffeine. but i want to sleep at some point!
restaurants don't figure into the SNAP challenge. i'm trying to figure out if we should have a penalty for going out and off the program, that we pay back to ourselves. we found a way to waste a few more hours, came home and got little one to bed. hubby and i made musubi for her lunches. yes, i give my kid spam. very rarely. it's a hawaiian thing, and she loves it. she has it maybe once every three months, so i don't feel too guilty about it. i made her favorite croissants. i par cooked a batch of kidney beans that i'll finish tomorrow for red beans and rice. we have to pick up sausage for that, but everything else is in the house. i don't think we're doing too badly. little one is going through a growth spurt, her appetite is off the charts! she just confessed that she doesn't like tuna salad sandwiches (with the exception of subway's) in her lunch. so cue the musubi. and now we have to figure out a lot of things to start putting in her lunch. she can't take mac and cheese every day. i guess i'll have to whip up a batch of chicken noodle soup and sees if that works. she can be so picky! but the good thing is she won't eat her "treat" if she doesn't eat the main part of her lunch. we've taught her well.
so we avoided most of the election nonsense. we came home just in time to see President Obama declared the winner. and little one gave us a smile in her sleep when daddy told her. she likes President Obama. she thinks it's pretty cool that we have a president that's mixed race, just as she is. she feels a special bond, my girl does. so this day is history. we voted. and i'm glad that as many people voted as did. we still need to get more politically active in this country. and i still need to quit pork. let's hope it doesn't take another four years.
Monday, November 5, 2012
pinch a little tighter
oh, i'm becoming a penny pincher. and keeping track of every cent we're spending on food. and not doing very well on the omnivore venture. but, on a positive, we are hanging tough on the SNAP challenge. we've learned a few tricks, we're shopping smarter, i think (i hope!) and trying to expand our repertoire of dishes.
for instance, we made a MESS of fried rice today. a huge batch. we have two meals left in the fridge! and we only used on chicken breast. i've finally (FINALLY!) succeeded in getting my family to accept that meat should be viewed as more of a condiment or side dish, rather than the main dish. for the leftover fried rice, i'll toast up some peanuts, add some more cilantro (growing on the kitchen counter) and a bit of thinned down peanut butter (with fish sauce, 1 teaspoon peanut butter should do the trick) and make a more thai influenced fried rice. no one says leftovers HAVE to be boring!
and we're breaking down our purchases into meal size portions for freezing immediately. for a family of three, two pork chops (yes, pork again. i know, i know. i said i wanted off the piggie, but it's inexpensive, and we can stretch it in so many ways) are a meal. a very filling meal. and two pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs? four meals, at the very least. and it's not a big expenditure. so what did we purchase today? today's shopping trip was to Food 4 Less, and we used no coupons.
staples were:
butter, 2 pounds
eggs 1 dozen
canola oil, 48 ounces
flour 5 pounds
sugar 3 pounds
milk, 1 gallon 1%
carnation condensed milk, 2 15 ounce cans (on sale, .68 each)
juicy juice 2/5.00 on sale (plus double box tops for school)
oatmeal (we had to buy the smaller store brand, the larger store brand was sold out)
produce
cilantro for fried rice (ours isn't quite mature enough to pick yet)
green onions for fried rice (saving a few of the roots and starting a bunch hydroponically, so we'll have them when we need them
splurge purchase
vodka, 1.75 litre (this is not for drinking. this is for vanilla extract, cleaning products, laundry and to kill the tricking aphids that are eating my lovely green garden plants on the patio. at (9.98 it seems like a splurge, but it will last us about 6 or so months. really quite a bargain.)
we forgot a few things, so we had to stop on the way home to pick up:
frozen peas
stocks (beef, chicken and turkey)
these items were picked up at Albertson's on our way home, literally around the corner from our house.
total expenditures for the day $72.44
remaining budget $130.56
i didn't include the 64 ounce carton of yogurt we picked up, as that's for the dogs. our pet food expenditures are separate, as they are not allowed under SNAP.
tomorrow we have to inventory the freezer, and the remaining kitchen cabinets, we're keeping a running list of what we have, what we're using, what we need and what we don't seem to like or need. i know that it's getting to bread baking weather, so we're going to have to invest in nonfat dry milk and active yeast, not inexpensive items. but the per ounce or per use cost of each is quite small in comparison, so they do pay off in the end. we've taken stock of our flours, and fortunately i'm sitting in a good position for the start of bread baking season. i've got a lot of white bread flour, some rye, a bit of rice flour, some garbanzo flour (which also makes a great veggie frittata! a great way to use up leftover veggies in an open face omelet-type meal. you just have to be careful of the proportion of flour to water, or you'll have a rather explosive and slow cooking mess on your hands. i even found a bag of pastry flour that i didn't know was in the house. BONUS!
so i'm hoping, if we do well, and we save enough that possibly we can get a new vitamix and retire my beautiful vintage, but not so effective model. it would be fabulous for making some highly nutritious soups, "ice creams and smoothies for little one. one more way to use up that produce that is just about to be thrown out.
hubby felt pretty good about the amount spent, i felt it was much too high for what we got. like i said, i'm really tightening the belt. there is going to be little to no waste in this house. i have to figure out a way to set up a compost bin because i just cannot stand seeing items that can help the earth go to waste. my garden is going to be my refuge. and that's one thing i'm going to need is healthy soil. i'd rather make it than buy it.
so that's our day. i still need tips/suggestions/ideas. i'm looking for good lentil/legume and rice recipes, as i have a husband that has an aversion to lentils. he'll eat beans and rice, but i need something AMAZING with lentils in it to get him to eat them. so if you're out there reading this, please give me an idea. i'll be ever so grateful!
for instance, we made a MESS of fried rice today. a huge batch. we have two meals left in the fridge! and we only used on chicken breast. i've finally (FINALLY!) succeeded in getting my family to accept that meat should be viewed as more of a condiment or side dish, rather than the main dish. for the leftover fried rice, i'll toast up some peanuts, add some more cilantro (growing on the kitchen counter) and a bit of thinned down peanut butter (with fish sauce, 1 teaspoon peanut butter should do the trick) and make a more thai influenced fried rice. no one says leftovers HAVE to be boring!
and we're breaking down our purchases into meal size portions for freezing immediately. for a family of three, two pork chops (yes, pork again. i know, i know. i said i wanted off the piggie, but it's inexpensive, and we can stretch it in so many ways) are a meal. a very filling meal. and two pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs? four meals, at the very least. and it's not a big expenditure. so what did we purchase today? today's shopping trip was to Food 4 Less, and we used no coupons.
staples were:
butter, 2 pounds
eggs 1 dozen
canola oil, 48 ounces
flour 5 pounds
sugar 3 pounds
milk, 1 gallon 1%
carnation condensed milk, 2 15 ounce cans (on sale, .68 each)
juicy juice 2/5.00 on sale (plus double box tops for school)
oatmeal (we had to buy the smaller store brand, the larger store brand was sold out)
produce
cilantro for fried rice (ours isn't quite mature enough to pick yet)
green onions for fried rice (saving a few of the roots and starting a bunch hydroponically, so we'll have them when we need them
splurge purchase
vodka, 1.75 litre (this is not for drinking. this is for vanilla extract, cleaning products, laundry and to kill the tricking aphids that are eating my lovely green garden plants on the patio. at (9.98 it seems like a splurge, but it will last us about 6 or so months. really quite a bargain.)
we forgot a few things, so we had to stop on the way home to pick up:
frozen peas
stocks (beef, chicken and turkey)
these items were picked up at Albertson's on our way home, literally around the corner from our house.
total expenditures for the day $72.44
remaining budget $130.56
i didn't include the 64 ounce carton of yogurt we picked up, as that's for the dogs. our pet food expenditures are separate, as they are not allowed under SNAP.
tomorrow we have to inventory the freezer, and the remaining kitchen cabinets, we're keeping a running list of what we have, what we're using, what we need and what we don't seem to like or need. i know that it's getting to bread baking weather, so we're going to have to invest in nonfat dry milk and active yeast, not inexpensive items. but the per ounce or per use cost of each is quite small in comparison, so they do pay off in the end. we've taken stock of our flours, and fortunately i'm sitting in a good position for the start of bread baking season. i've got a lot of white bread flour, some rye, a bit of rice flour, some garbanzo flour (which also makes a great veggie frittata! a great way to use up leftover veggies in an open face omelet-type meal. you just have to be careful of the proportion of flour to water, or you'll have a rather explosive and slow cooking mess on your hands. i even found a bag of pastry flour that i didn't know was in the house. BONUS!
so i'm hoping, if we do well, and we save enough that possibly we can get a new vitamix and retire my beautiful vintage, but not so effective model. it would be fabulous for making some highly nutritious soups, "ice creams and smoothies for little one. one more way to use up that produce that is just about to be thrown out.
hubby felt pretty good about the amount spent, i felt it was much too high for what we got. like i said, i'm really tightening the belt. there is going to be little to no waste in this house. i have to figure out a way to set up a compost bin because i just cannot stand seeing items that can help the earth go to waste. my garden is going to be my refuge. and that's one thing i'm going to need is healthy soil. i'd rather make it than buy it.
so that's our day. i still need tips/suggestions/ideas. i'm looking for good lentil/legume and rice recipes, as i have a husband that has an aversion to lentils. he'll eat beans and rice, but i need something AMAZING with lentils in it to get him to eat them. so if you're out there reading this, please give me an idea. i'll be ever so grateful!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
whatcha got?
today is inventory day. we're clearing out cabinets and taking stock of what we have. we think that having our seven year old help us with the inventory is a good way to get her involved and enthusiastic. right now she's fearful that we're going to starve. no, that's not the case. i'm just determined to make every penny count.
so this morning hubby is making a big batch of pancakes for breakfast. they don't cost much to make. the extras go in the freezer for weekday toaster pancakes. we're also learning how to set up a budget for this project, what is and isn't included (lucky pups and kitties, they're excluded!) luxury items? not going to be that many purchased, i can tell you that. we're getting back to basic, and trying to live as simply as possible.
so it's count, organize and toss day. lots of work to be done. i'm still looking for recipes, so if anyone wants to volunteer any, please do. no processed food. this week we're trying to get all the processed food that remains out of t he house. that's bigger challenge than you can imagine!
so it's a short post today, because i have to get busy. feel free to drop us a line, if you have a suggestion, a comment or you just want to encourage my family. we'd love to hear from you. thanks!
so this morning hubby is making a big batch of pancakes for breakfast. they don't cost much to make. the extras go in the freezer for weekday toaster pancakes. we're also learning how to set up a budget for this project, what is and isn't included (lucky pups and kitties, they're excluded!) luxury items? not going to be that many purchased, i can tell you that. we're getting back to basic, and trying to live as simply as possible.
so it's count, organize and toss day. lots of work to be done. i'm still looking for recipes, so if anyone wants to volunteer any, please do. no processed food. this week we're trying to get all the processed food that remains out of t he house. that's bigger challenge than you can imagine!
so it's a short post today, because i have to get busy. feel free to drop us a line, if you have a suggestion, a comment or you just want to encourage my family. we'd love to hear from you. thanks!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
day 1, flying blind
we start our project/experiment/challenge today. unfortunately, our sale flyers, that usually arrive in the tuesday mail didn't do so, so i'm flying without a net. i have to take stock of what we have, and watch all the in store sales. this should prove interesting.
so we're going to try to break ourselves in gently. tomorrow hubby and i have to take stock of all of our on hand foods. we need to make a list of staples, and we have to make a list of occasional indulgences. thankfully, last night (actually, just a few hours ago) was halloween, so there is plenty of candy in the house. and we happen to be very good at doling out a piece at a time as a reward, so that is a fortunate occurrence. little things are going to be going a long way for the next six months for so.
rudimentary mathematics gives us a figure of $203 per month for a family of 3. when we break that down, it equals $2.25 per meal. that all sounds fine and well, except i have an 8 year old with a taste for rib eye steak. not unless it's FANTASTIC sale, my dear! and i'm going to try to follow the nutritional guidelines and get as many fruits and vegetables on the table as possible. i'm trying to grow some vegetables on our patio, so i hope taht takes off, and i'll be able to help supplement the pantry some, with some fresh veg. and i'm going to be planting some herbs, too. they're expensive at the market, but the flavor cannot be beat. so i'm planting some parsley, rosemary, i've got basil going already, i've got a new method of getting cilantro to grow (i've never had luck with cilantro, it's one of my frustrations!) and i've got some lavender and chamomile for tea starting. i realize it's getting late in the year, so i may have to invest in some thick poly vinyl to shield the plants from the cold. i'm also researching building a cold frame for the balcony, to start planting some crops early in the spring, so we can get them going for the summer. i'm maybe getting a little ahead of myself. but i want this to be a successful experience for us all, especially little one. this could help her to appreciate what she has so much more, and help understand those that don't have what she's blessed to.
tomorrow is a long day of for me. i've got a lot to plan, research, look through and take stock of. i'm cautiously optimistic that we can make a go of this. i'm hoping that it sticks. garry was so tired tonight that we didn't even set the ground rules. i found a site that detailed what is and isn't covered by SNAP, which helps. we won't be using that $203 exclusively for all purchases at the grocery store, our pets are excluded. unfortunately, garry's soda is covered. i've been trying to get him to cut back for years, ever since a bout of kidney stones put him in the hospital.
we will have to see how this goes. i know of one dish that i will be making, for sure. my pasta bolognese. it doesn't sound economical, with 3 pounds of meat, 3 cups of wine, and all. but for us, breaking it down, after all the ingredients are added up, we get AT LEAST 6 meals out of it, more if i don't cook the sauce into the pasta and just top the pasta with the sauce. i roughly added up my ingredients, divided by the number of people that ate tonight, and the 5 servings that were leftover, and i came out with under $2.00 per person. the wine was a freebie from a party my husband had a work, both bottles. we had the pasta already on hand. the tomato sauce was purchased on sale (i'll be stocking up now, i'll also be clearing out space so i CAN stock up!) the big splurge was the meat and the thyme. tonight, we had 6 adults and three kids eating, and running around. there were leftovers. i brought home just enough for a dinner for the three of us. john kept some to take with his lunch to work tomorrow, steve had seconds and maureen really liked it, i cut back on the onion and garlic for her. it's a winner of a meal that makes everyone happy. when i make it just for us, i get AT LEAST 6-7 meals out of the recipe. not too shabby. now, if i could just find six months worth of recipes that were just like that, i'd be happy. i have a lot of reading and researching to do! and people are going to have to expand their palates. that's all there is to it. so we're off and like a toddler, learning to navigate this world. i wish it came with an instruction manual!
so we're going to try to break ourselves in gently. tomorrow hubby and i have to take stock of all of our on hand foods. we need to make a list of staples, and we have to make a list of occasional indulgences. thankfully, last night (actually, just a few hours ago) was halloween, so there is plenty of candy in the house. and we happen to be very good at doling out a piece at a time as a reward, so that is a fortunate occurrence. little things are going to be going a long way for the next six months for so.
rudimentary mathematics gives us a figure of $203 per month for a family of 3. when we break that down, it equals $2.25 per meal. that all sounds fine and well, except i have an 8 year old with a taste for rib eye steak. not unless it's FANTASTIC sale, my dear! and i'm going to try to follow the nutritional guidelines and get as many fruits and vegetables on the table as possible. i'm trying to grow some vegetables on our patio, so i hope taht takes off, and i'll be able to help supplement the pantry some, with some fresh veg. and i'm going to be planting some herbs, too. they're expensive at the market, but the flavor cannot be beat. so i'm planting some parsley, rosemary, i've got basil going already, i've got a new method of getting cilantro to grow (i've never had luck with cilantro, it's one of my frustrations!) and i've got some lavender and chamomile for tea starting. i realize it's getting late in the year, so i may have to invest in some thick poly vinyl to shield the plants from the cold. i'm also researching building a cold frame for the balcony, to start planting some crops early in the spring, so we can get them going for the summer. i'm maybe getting a little ahead of myself. but i want this to be a successful experience for us all, especially little one. this could help her to appreciate what she has so much more, and help understand those that don't have what she's blessed to.
tomorrow is a long day of for me. i've got a lot to plan, research, look through and take stock of. i'm cautiously optimistic that we can make a go of this. i'm hoping that it sticks. garry was so tired tonight that we didn't even set the ground rules. i found a site that detailed what is and isn't covered by SNAP, which helps. we won't be using that $203 exclusively for all purchases at the grocery store, our pets are excluded. unfortunately, garry's soda is covered. i've been trying to get him to cut back for years, ever since a bout of kidney stones put him in the hospital.
we will have to see how this goes. i know of one dish that i will be making, for sure. my pasta bolognese. it doesn't sound economical, with 3 pounds of meat, 3 cups of wine, and all. but for us, breaking it down, after all the ingredients are added up, we get AT LEAST 6 meals out of it, more if i don't cook the sauce into the pasta and just top the pasta with the sauce. i roughly added up my ingredients, divided by the number of people that ate tonight, and the 5 servings that were leftover, and i came out with under $2.00 per person. the wine was a freebie from a party my husband had a work, both bottles. we had the pasta already on hand. the tomato sauce was purchased on sale (i'll be stocking up now, i'll also be clearing out space so i CAN stock up!) the big splurge was the meat and the thyme. tonight, we had 6 adults and three kids eating, and running around. there were leftovers. i brought home just enough for a dinner for the three of us. john kept some to take with his lunch to work tomorrow, steve had seconds and maureen really liked it, i cut back on the onion and garlic for her. it's a winner of a meal that makes everyone happy. when i make it just for us, i get AT LEAST 6-7 meals out of the recipe. not too shabby. now, if i could just find six months worth of recipes that were just like that, i'd be happy. i have a lot of reading and researching to do! and people are going to have to expand their palates. that's all there is to it. so we're off and like a toddler, learning to navigate this world. i wish it came with an instruction manual!
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