We Are THAT Family is running a themed Works for Me Wednesday today - the Frugal Edition!

I thought I'd just do a link round up of past tips and tricks.

8 Ways to Save on Produce

Powdered Milk? Yuck!

Girl's Birthday Party for Under $40

How Much Do You Save By Baking Bread? In my case, almost $10 a week!

Holiday Travel with the Dollar Store

Save Money By Eliminating Invisible Clutter

Don't forget to check out my Food Stamp Challenge on my right sidebar! Feeding all 10 of us for less than $140 a week - $2 per person, per day!

Which article is YOUR favorite?

For more frugal posts, check out Works for Me Wednesday this week!

Labels: cooking, Frugal, Works For Me Wednesday

We ended up having some friends over on Saturday, and the car broke down so I made a quick run to the store and hope it holds out! Also, this meant that I had to do my shopping at the more expensive grocery that is right next to our house.

I spent $174.34
Average weekly total: $119.00
(My weekly goal is $140, but some weeks I spend a lot less and some weeks I spend a lot more. I operate on cash, so if I spend $98 one week, I'll have $42 leftover to add to the next week's budget. Although often the cash gets eaten in the form of Sonic Happy Hour drinks.)

It often seems that all of the groceries run really great sales on the same week, and that's when I spend more money.

This week, we had some friends over for a cookout on Saturday so I bought some extra things I usually never get, like 12 pk of Dr. Pepper. I set out a lot of veggie and fruits, but I think I should have bought more junk food (potato chips).

Cookout menu: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, fruit plate (strawberries, kiwis, and bananas), veggie plate (green pepper strips, baby carrots), homemade pico de gallo and chips, pretzels, pineapple upside down cake, lemonade, limeade, tea, and sodas.

I got:
11# bananas, 15# apples, 16 organic apples, 2.8# yellow squash, 2# green beans, 2# baby carrots, 1.5# red onion, 1 bunch green onions, 6 green bell peppers, 1 bunch cilantro, 3# strawberries, 6# tomatoes on the vine (for 99 cents a pound!), 3 giant oranges, 1.5# jalapenos
21# frozen veggies,

24 slices American cheese (with Triple the Calcium!), 3 gallons milk

9# ground beef, 6 pkgs. Bar S hotdogs, 1 rotisserie chicken

32 hamburger buns, 16 hot dog buns, 32 oz. tortilla chips, 2 bags Lender's bagels, 2 boxes R-friendly Ritz type crackers, 100 corn tortillas, 2 loaves WW bread, 2 bags pretzels

3 bottles of ketchup, 2 jars dill pickle chips, 1 jar pepperoncinis, 4# white rice, 4# dried pinto beans, 2 cans sliced pineapple

4 boxes cereal, 1 bottle sparkling Pelligrino water (I was thirsty!), 3-12 packs of sodas (friends came over Saturday), 3 cans juice concentrate, 21# ice, 24 pk bottled water


We're eating:
Sunday: Frosted mini wheats, milk
leftover hotdogs, carrots, green peppers, strawberries, kiwis
potato tacos w/ leftover hamburgers

Monday: oatmeal, kiwis
lentil sloppy joes, green pepper strips, apples
Macaroni and cheese w/ white beans and broccoli

Tuesday: bagels and cream cheese, apples
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit
Ham, mashed potatoes, yellow squash

Wednesday: oatmeal
lentil soup (made waaaayyy too much lentil sloppy joes!)
Scalloped potatoes (w/ ham), fresh green beans

Thursday: oatmeal
chickpea, rice, veggie one pot something or other. With curry powder!
taco bar (black beans, probably)

Friday: waffles (If I get around to making them!)
pasta w/ white beans and white sauce, or leftovers
hambone soup w/ black eyed peas and chard (from garden), cornbread

Saturday: oatmeal
leftover soup, or polenta (it was really good!), or both!
Not sure. I never know on Saturdays. Our plans are usually open; I often go to the store on Fri. or Sat.; things come up.

What do you do to entertain on a budget?

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, menu

Life in a big family means that we look out for the earth everyday. The fact that it's good for the pocket book might also have something to do with it.


Here's how Mama's family saves the earth, one day at a time:

Reduce: We limit a lot of things.

• TVs - We have one. Can you imagine if we let the kids have a TV in their room? Who needs 5 TVs?
• Other electronics - Same goes for gaming systems, we don't have one, because we only have one TV. We have one cell phone for the family, because someone's almost always home. The kids don't get one. Their brothers and sisters will tattle on them if they leave their boundaries and my children run in a gang together.
• Shoes - they have 2 pair each, play and church. That's 28 shoes, people, which is plenty!
• Juice- we just buy a quart instead of the little pouches. Much easier than unwrapping 7 little straws, then picking up 7 little straw papers before the vacuum clogs. Same goes for little oatmeal packets, little bags of crackers, and so on. We just all dive in to the big bag and share our cooties all around.
  
• Happy meals - don't buy these at all. If we go out, we force the children to share a large fries - cutting neon printed greasy cardboard waste by 90%.
• There are 9 people in house, which works out to 244 sq. ft. of living space per person. Our previous home clocked in at 144 sq. ft. This is less than a family of 4 living in a 1000 sq. ft. - and we have one set of appliances (contrasting 2 families of 4).
• We carpool. Always. Unless Mama is fleeing the scene grocery shopping.
• My children also reduce water waste by never flushing the toilet until Mama catches them and forces them to flip the lever. My older boys contribute by pretending to wash their hair but not actually using water or shampoo.

Reuse
What mom hasn't folded a paper towel in half and then used the other side?

We don't throw away the vacuum the 9 yo dropped down the stairs. A little duct tape, and it's as good as new!

Empty jars are saved for catching bugs, storing leftovers, holding guppies, pantry storage, and catching lizards. Not a day goes by without a Miracle Whip habitat creation!



I also have a large Rubbermaid tub with "tweener toys" - toys that Mister X has outgrown, but the new baby will use. However, since we own everything Fisher Price ever created, it does make birthday gifts difficult. On the other hand, my boys are quite happy with natural toys. Rocks and sticks, anyone?

Everything gets passed along or repurposed!

Recycle
They're called hand-me-downs. And leftovers.

And because I'm a cheap-o, I put all of the kids' workbooks into page protectors so they can use a dry erase marker -and then I can recycle the very same book for the next kid. This also solves the problem of the obstinate child who is playing dumb and messes up the worksheet on purpose. Oh, that never happens to you? Uh, never mind, then.

What did you do for Earth Day?

Our neighbors celebrated Earth Day by lacing their yard with mothballs (an illegal use of pesticide, BTW). It stinks and is so dangerous to pets and children. A single mothball, which looks like a big white Lemonhead, can put a toddler in the hospital. Not sure what to do about that... they are our "cranky" neighbors that are hard to talk to and stole our cat (before abandoning it a few months later).

Labels: Frugal, Mama Says

My goal? Spend $2 per person, per day on food ($140 a week.) Check out my sidebar for previous weeks.

I didn't get around to shopping until Tuesday night. And since this is also my backwards Works for Me Wednesday Post - I'd love to know what everyone spends on groceries! Or if you have a great tilapia recipe! (Check out We Are That Family for more WFMW dilemmas!)

I spent $82.73 on food; my weekly average is $111.29, which absolutely astounds me!



I got:
5# ground beef, 7# boneless chicken breast, 4# tilapia filets

24 oz. ranch dressing, tub of shortening (trans fat and BHT free), 18 oz. generic Cheerios, 14 oz. granola w/ berries, raspberry zinger tea bags, grape jelly, 24 oz. picante sauce, 8 oz. No Yolks noodles, 16 oz. mini farfalle

12# apples, 15# oranges, 5# sweet potatoes, 2 3/4# grapes

2 gallons milk, 2# butter, 1 frozen Kashi meal (lemongrass coconut chicken - see the link for a free coupon on my right sidebar?)

Can of smoked oysters, 8 ct. sushi rolls (didn't shop alone tonight... $8.50 for grocery store sushi???)

The Menu:
Sunday -eggs, fruit
macaroni and cheese w/ peas and carrots
went to Denny's (entertainment budget, not food. Yeah, we're blowing the tax money as fast as we can, LOL!)
Mon. Mar 30 - oatmeal
tostadas
Pasta primavera w/peppers, onions, and tomatoes; asparagus
Tues. Mar 31 - oatmeal, oranges
girls at leftovers, boys at ranch style beans w/ hominy
Frozen pizza, broccoli
Wed. Apr 1 - Cheerios w/ milk
Egg salad sandwiches, celery and carrots, cantaloupe
black beans and sweet potato concoction... probably with curry, and spanish rice
(I bought the sweet potatoes planning to have them with pork chops, but the store was out of the sale pork so I ended up with no meat. So I'll make something up and the family will either love it or hate it. It won't kill them. I'm vaguely thinking of a ropa vieja type dish but with carribbean flavor and no meat.)

Thurs. Apr 2 - granola (homemade, this recipe. It tastes good, but I like granola clusters and chunks and this more like flavored oats.)
split pea soup w/ barley and carrots
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes,

Fri. Apr 3 - oatmeal
burrito bowls (If Chipotle can do it, so can I!)
Tilapia something - I'm really bad at cooking fish. We rarely have it and I don't like fish all that much - anyone have any really great recipes? Leave it in the comments!

Sat. Apr 4 - oatmeal (when I don't make oatmeal, the littles beg for it. Mr X's morning is not complete unless he's had a bowl)
leftovers or lentil soup
Chicken/broccoli w/ white sauce, served over rice (you know, that Campbell's chicken and rice casserole, but deconstructed because I have to limit my rice.)

A word about snacks. Snacks at our house are almost always fruit. My boys like to split a can of Ranch Style beans when I let them. This is why I buy pounds and pounds of apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes. You'll notice most "snacky" food doesn't appear on my grocery receipts - if I don't buy cookies, potato chips, and Hot Pockets, the kids have no choice but to eat healthy food!

It also really helps keep my budget in check. For example, I bought 15# of oranges for $6 - the cost of two bags of Oreos or two 6-packs of Danimals yogurt. 15# of oranges = over 30 fruits, or 5 times as many snacks as the yogurt.

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, menu, Works For Me Wednesday

We need to restock the pantry in a bad way. I plan to buy a month's worth of food (shelf stable staples), and make weekly grocery runs for the perishables (milk, produce) and loss leaders.

But how much to buy? There are many online calculators you can check, but they weren't specific enough for *my* family. Fortunately, I know how much we eat at a meal, how many meals we eat, and how often we serve certain foods.

So, if I figure out how much it takes to make one meal's worth of a food, and multiply it by how many times per week or month we eat that as part of our meals, I'll know about how much I need in a month.

This is the part where 5th grade word problems come back to haunt you!

Breads, Rolls and Baking:
I make my own bread, and use 3/4 c. AP flour, 2 c. WW flour, and 1/4 c. bran for each loaf. Each bag of flour contains 16-17 c. 5# of AP flour will make 20 loaves of bread, give or take; 5# of WW flour makes about 8 loaves of bread.

We eat about 8 loaves of bread per week (including making pitas, rolls, and pizza crust which use a similar ratio), so I need 5# of WW flour each week to make bread, or 20# a month. 2 bags of AP flour will make bread for the month, plus a little extra for birthday cakes, treats, and gravy making. I'll also need 8 c. of oat or wheat bran, but it weighs nothing so I'm going to eyeball it.

We seem to go through 4# of sugar a week. I know, it's a terrible amount! I blame Texas Sweet Tea, which I can't stand but husband lives off of. So, 16# sugar. (I'll break that up to 12# white sugar, 4# brown sugar)

Oil - 48 oz. canola oil every two weeks, or 96 oz. a month.

We also use about 5# of cornmeal per month.

(How do I know the oil and cornmeal? I saved my receipts and looked back to see how much I bought!)

Rice, Grains, other starches:
We generally eat rice at least 5 times per week, whether it's in soup or stir fry for lunch, or as a side at dinner. My family eats 3 c. of uncooked rice per meal, approximately 2#. So, I need 10# per week, or 40# per month.

We eat oatmeal almost every day. One 42 oz. carton contains 30 servings, and I make 10 servings per day. So, we'll go through 2 cartons per week, 8 per month.

Pasta (whole wheat or fiber enriched) - 2 boxes per meal; eat 4-5x per week. So, 10 boxes per week, or 40 boxes per month.

Other misc. grains: Barley, maybe 1-2 times per month; popcorn, 1 1/2# per week or 6# per month; quinoa, maybe 1x per month.

Beans
We eat beans at least once a day, whether it's split pea soup for lunch, roasted chickpeas for a snack, or a side of pintos with enchiladas. I'm guesstimating 30# for the month (although I really thinks it's probably higher!)

I use white beans a lot, because they are so versatile, the kids love garbanzos, pintos are great because we eat a lot of Mexican based dishes. So we'll get a variety.

Seasonings and Extras
These are the key to making those from scratch staples taste delicious!
Salt, pepper, spices, vinegars, chiles, onions, and garlic all need to be stored, as well. We use 12-15# onions a month, and they keep well. I usually buy a giant jar of already minced garlic - it keeps better and is often cheaper per oz. than the equivalent amount of fresh garlic.

Peanut butter - 36 oz. a week, or 144 oz. a month. Jelly - two large jars. Powdered milk (to have on hand, right now fresh milk is cheaper per gallon!), 10 qts., 100 ct. tea bags, and don't forget coffee!

If we were in a dire situation, I'd just stick with rice and oatmeal, but it's nice to have variety!

We also eat a lot of unsweetened applesauce. Mr R won't swallow pills, so we mix it into a cup of applesauce, and I also try to use it in place of oil when I bake sweet breads. I'll guesstimate a large jar per week - it really depends on if I baked or not.

So my "list" includes: (Prices are what I expect to pay, based on past receipts)
25# of Whole Wheat flour (a little more than I *think* I need, after all Easter is coming!) ($15)
15# of All Purpose flour ($5)
oat bran/wheat bran ($5)
5# cornmeal ($2)
12# white sugar ($5)
4# brown sugar ($2)
2# powdered sugar (in case I need to make frosting) ($1.50)
96 oz. canola oil ($5)
40# brown rice ($32)
8 cartons (42 oz.) oatmeal (I haven't found a bulk source that is cheaper than buying it in the cartons, where it costs 5¢ an ounce or 80¢ per pound) ($18)
40 boxes pasta ($50)
2# barley ($2)
6# popcorn ($6)
30# dried beans ($30)
8 sm. jars peanut butter (the small jars are cheaper per ounce than the large jars, I don't know why!) ($11)
2 jars jelly ($4)
salt (.50)
white vinegar ($2)
garlic powder ($5)
cumin ($4)
black pepper (???)
tea ($1.50)
coffee ($6)
powdered milk ($7)
15# onions ($4.50)
400 corn tortillas ($3)
garlic jar ($5)
4 jars unsweetened applesauce

I figure that all this should cost total: $240 (I'll also pick up a bunch of canned goods, TBD, and check out the meat sales. The freezer is part of the pantry!) I'm budgeting $300 total to stock a month of food (plus $100 or so for this week's groceries, produce, meat, milk, etc.)

$240? For 300 meal's worth of beans, rice, grains, and spices? That amount sounds awfully low.

I'll let you know if the planning worked, or if we ran short next month!

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal

My goal? Feed my family of 10 for $2, per person, per day. ($140 a week).

I'll admit it - we are scraping by this week until Friday (payday!)

Now, the amount I spent was a little complicated. That pork roast from the store I buy produce - never meat -from had to go back, because it spoiled before it's sell-by date. Yeah, that's why I never buy meat there... but it was such a good sale and it looked so nice on the shelf...

So I got a refund of $6.93 from last week's receipt.


I spent:
$37.71; take away $6.93 that was already accounted for last week, and the total is $30.78
Average per week - $92.81 (watch for this to go waaaayyy up next week, the pantry's bare and we've eaten through my stock of food!)

I got:
4# green cabbage, 5# carrots, 3# onions, 10# potatoes, 2 heads Romaine, 2# strawberries (wash them well!), 9 golden delicious apples, 12 red pears, 3# tomatoes, 1 large cantaloupe.

2 doz. eggs, 2 gal. milk,

8 cans Hatch picante sauce, 42 oz. oatmeal, 18 oz. peanut butter, 1# chickpeas

14# ice, a Butterfinger bar.

We ate/are eating: (for more menus than you can shake a stick at, check out Laura's Menu Plan Monday!)

Saturday, Feb. 28: b- oatmeal
l - leftovers
d- Green chile pork chops, spanish rice, salad

Sunday, March 1: b - pumpkin "cake" (it's baked in a bundt pan, but I use applesauce, whole wheat flour, and half the sugar in the recipe so it's actually healthy!)
l- taco beans and rice (another surprise kid hit - pintos, rice, tomatoes, taco seasoning cooked up and topped with cheese)
s- popcorn, chard (had to thin the garden!)
d- Chicken soup w/ onions, potatoes, carrots, and alphabet noodles

Monday, March 2: b - oatmeal
l - chicken soup
s- red pear, sprouts w/salt
d- curried bean stew (minus tomatoes) - HEB, your "hot" curry powder is shamefully mild!

Tuesday, March 3: b- chocolate malt-o-meal
l - egg fried rice (3 c. rice, 3 eggs, 2# asian style veggies)
s- strawberries
d- whole wheat pizza w/fresh tomatoes and peppers, salad

Wednesday, March 4: b- oatmeal
l - peanut butter and honey sandwiches, apples
s - carrot sticks w/ sesame garlic yogurt cheese
d - chicken tortilla soup

Thursday, March 5: b- corn muffins
l - hummus on pitas (again, but the kids love chickpeas), sprouts
s- cantaloupe slices
d- colcannon (bacon, cabbage, and potato casserole type dish)

Friday, March 6: b- oatmeal
l- macaroni and cheese
s- uh, hmmm, well... dunno. But it's payday so I'll hit the store for more fruit)
d- vegetarian gumbo (didn't eat it last week due to lack of planning on the beans. We had spaghetti with white beans last Friday instead).

Check out The Grocery Cart Challenge to see how to feed 6 on $60!

Are you a Frugal Foodie? Share how you saved money in the kitchen or YOUR food budget here!

Leave your link here and make sure to link back!

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, menu

Baby X waved hello at the garbage truck! This is a milestone. He's almost 23 months and has never waved hi or bye at any one or any thing! His sign language is ramping up, but since he still doesn't cross the midline it's a little hampered. He can say more, please, eat, drink, play, stop, no... and we're working on turtle.

He's potty training and we're suddenly cloth diapering, too (disposables for overnight, still, though.) I'm 100% sure I'm doing it wrong, but it's ridiculously easy! I've thought about cloth diapering a few times over the years, but once I start researching it I get intimidated by the cost of starting and the options and the washing instructions and the details, details, details.

Last month, a friend sent me a big box of cloth diaper pads, and some wraps (too small for X). I decided to work with what we had - size 2T underwear. Put pad in underwear (two for naptime). If wet/accident, dump it in a bucket in the bathroom (#2's washed out in toilet). At the end of the day, put in washer with a little detergent; soak in cold water. Then wash in hot water. Dry. Lather, rinse, repeat.

It helps that the boy is catching onto the Potty Game very quickly.

In my defense, I think it's ridiculously easy for me right now because he's kid #7- I've already cleaned so much poop out of clothing in my lifetime that it doesn't phase me anymore, and I already do a lot of laundry. The diapers are a tiny load comparatively and I don't have to fold them!

How annoying is it to get a pop up message? The latest one says:
Windows is unable to configure you internet connection. Please see Section 8812 on www.microsoft.com for troubleshooting information.

As much as I'd love to browse the technical support for Windows, I can't. Because my connection won't configure.

Have you seen this? A Letter From the Boss.

We finally got our tax return filed. First, we could not find last years tax return or Baby X's social security number. You have to have last year's Adjusted Gross Income or remember your 5 digit PIN, or know your AGI to use the free filing software off the IRS website. And I have to know the social so I can write that little boy off. Why have kids if not for the dedcutions?

Husband dear finally got X's number off his employee paperwork ( you have to fill it in on the insurance application). And you can call the IRS to get your AGI!

If you don't know your IRS PIN or last year's AGI, call 1-800-829-1040. Listen to the Nutcracker Suite hold music for a ridiculously long time. Answer a slew of personal questions and get your info!

I love filing our taxes. Our return is generally uncomplicated, and we get $ back. Now we can play "We Won the Lottery" and plot how to spend it. I want to buy beds for the kids, a Berkey water filter, and laminate cubbies to replace the wire ones in the closet. Husband dear wants to buy a deep freezer, half a cow, and grow to a 2 computer family and/or a 2 car family. Or at least fix the window and door lock so they open. Such a handy thing, a car window that opens! Especially when it's the Drive-Thru one.

I also want to buy new picture frames with glass. We had an unfortunate Superman incident on our moving boxes and every one of our pictures had broken glass. For those of you without boys, a "Superman" incident generally involves capes, peer pressure, and a jumping off point.

Yeah, we dream big over here.


See everyone else's takes over at Jen's!

Labels: 7 Quick Takes, Frugal, speech, X

A lot of people think that they cannot afford to eat healthfully. I disagree. We eat a lot of fresh (and sometimes frozen) fruits and vegetables, and I fit them in our budget. Food for thought: this week I bought 5# of Red Delicious apples for $2.99, the same price as a bag of Oreos!

See this post for a picture of fresh fruit and veggies bought for under $25.

How can you save money on produce?

1. I buy through loss leaders. A loss leader is something sold dirt cheap on the front of a grocery store ad, with the intention of getting you through the door so you'll do all your shopping at that store.

2.I buy in season. In December, we ate frozen veggies (10/$10 at Kroger, they run the sale 2x a month or so), kale, cabbage, carrots. Now kale is a little more expensive, but kiwis and oranges are dirt cheap. Last week, I paid 20 cents for navel oranges, and a quarter each for kiwis, and apples are really cheap right now, too.

As we head through spring and summer, we'll eat nectarines and plums as they get cheaper. Around the end of June, corn gets cheap - 6 or 8 for a dollar.

3. I usually don't buy organic, even though I would like to. I do keep an index card in my wallet with a list of the "top 10 dirtiest" so I can avoid them, or at least be aware and make informed choices. This doesn't mean I would never buy spinach, but it does mean that I might skip strawberries except for a couple times per year, peel the peaches, and wash the bell peppers thoroughly. I don't worry as much about bananas and oranges, because they have a thick peel (I do not use zest or candy the peels, though); but I always peel the potatoes (even though *I* love chunky skins on mashed potatoes!)

My goal with organic eating is to make changes where it will have the most impact, which, for kids, means I want to start with organic milk. Wash your veggies, or use a veggie wash (make your own!) and don't stress too much.

4. Also, I always hit the markdown rack. Our local Kroger marks down produce in the evening - 4-5# bags of bananas for 99 cents, or this week I got 2 4-packs of organic bell peppers for 99 cents each.

5. I'm growing my own. I make my own organic sprouts (you need a mason jar, water, and beans - it's easy!) and planted a garden. I haven't harvested much from our little garden, but the spinach, radishes, and chard are doing well and I've started the peppers indoors. (The lettuce and beans never came up.) Note: Never sprout kidney beans!

6. I buy frozen when it's cheaper (and it almost always is, for broccoli). Frozen veggies have as many vitamins as fresh, are picked when they are at their peak, and are already prepped. When I open a bag of frozen broccoli, I don't have any waste. Kroger very often runs 10/$10 sales on their frozen veggies, and I stock up. Other stores often run similar sales; a good BirdsEye coupon + a loss leader sale can even get you veggies for free!

7. I shop off the beaten path. Ethnic grocery stores usually have rock bottom prices. When I lived in Denver, I shopped at KoMart, a Korean market. In Houston, I shop at Fiesta Mart or FoodTown, which are Mexican markets. (I usually only buy produce there, the prices on other items are much higher than other stores!) Throughout summer, farmers markets and roadside stands can offer great deals.

8. I always cruise the produce aisles of every grocery store, because you'll never know when you'll get a deal. Then, I change the menu plan accordingly. One week, I happened by a display of eggplant and did a double take. They were marked 25¢ - not per pound, but a quarter each! I bought a ton and we had eggplant in spicy tomato sauce, eggplant with white beans, and eggplant dip that week!

How do you save money on fruits and vegetables?

Labels: black thumb, cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, health

I'm glad that Pelosi met with Pope Benedict XVI. His job is to shepherd the flock, and she is obviously ignorant of Church teaching. What a wonderful opportunity to enlighten her about what an "ardent Catholic" (her words) believes! I can only hope that the Holy Spirit did find the meeting irresistible, as a few Catholic bloggers have speculated.

I'm a bad mommy. Guess what I forgot to buy this week? (That's a pineapple upside down cake, with cherries on half since Mr R can't eat them. I do love upside down cakes. I don't have to make frosting for them!)


Truth be told, it's not that I forgot to buy birthday candles, it's that I forgot to check and make sure the 1 yo hadn't eaten them before it was time for cake.

And the newly minted 5 year old has declared she has outgrown all of her 4T clothes and will only wear things with a 5 on the label. Poor, deluded, nekkid girl!

I still have not bought a new pair of shoes. And I'm a bad hillbilly wannabe, too. I could not find a roll of duct tape to save my life, and my neighbor didn't have one either (despite the fact that I bought two rolls prior to Ike, they are not in my hurricane box!). Related: electrical tape does not stick well to rubber soles, but will do in a pinch. And did I mention how much I hate shoe shopping?

I am so very irritated with our electric company's ridiculous billing policies. It's all green energy (mostly from wind, some hydro) but I have about had it and am calling around to switch. Bills are printed on the 5th of the month, and due on the 20th. But they are mailed out bulk mail and are not available online until the due date. My latest bill had a billing date of Feb. 5, but the envelope was postmarked Feb. 13th.

In Houston in the summer, the electric bill can be several hundred dollars and it can be hard to budget precisely.

They do email it but my spam almost always eats it. Why can they email the bill but not show it to me online? Enquiring Minds Want to Know! Paying online costs a fee, but there isn't enough time to mail it in. And if it's a day late, they assess another fee ($7.99)

Also, our rate went up 2¢ per kilowatt hour, so the other companies are cheaper now, too.

This graphic is way better than the stupid one the Houston Chronicle published over the weekend.

Where is the Stimulus Going?

My friend posted about Governmentium, the heaviest element ever discovered. Go read for a laugh!

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.

Is this not the cutest little house you have every seen? Can you believe it is only 382 sq. ft, and she has a toddler? It was on the sidebar of Eyes of Wonder blog.

See more Quick Takes over at Jen's blog!

Labels: 7 Quick Takes, Friday Fun, Frugal, In The News, politics, V

Slowly we're clearing out the clutter.

Invisible clutter. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it takes up no effort in your life or costs nothing.

First, we returned our Sam's Club membership. They have a full refund policy at any time if you cancel your membership. The Texas Sam's Clubs don't carry a lot of the products I used to buy in South Carolina, including bulk cornstarch, whole wheat pasta, or certain spices. Their milk was more expensive than the grocery stores, as was their produce. I used to buy whole wheat bread there for cheap, but I make my own now. They don't carry bread flour. Over, and over again I would head to Sam's Club with a long list, and leave with butter and chickens. Then, a local grocery store started carrying butter for the same price.

$35 back in our pockets!

We paid off our van in December, and switched the coverage from Full to Liability Only. Our van is maybe worth $1800.

$35 a month, back in our pockets!

Husband changed his cell plan. He did have a supernifty one with unlimited nationwide roaming. When he realized that his company wasn't sending him to any outlying oil platforms any time soon, he changed plans.

$15 a month, back in our pockets! We can always change to the upgraded plan at any time, if we need to go out of town.

I changed our cable service yesterday. This was tricky, because we have a package deal (phone, internet, and cable.) I work from home watching TV, and I had to have certain channels for my job. The best package I could get cost $160 after taxes (including taxes, fees, and DVR.)

In January, our cable company sent us a notice that prices would be going up by $5. But, they also added several new packages and bundles. We went to a different phone plan, eliminating long distance (husband gets it for free on his cell, anyway), went to a slower internet, and lost a bunch of channels.

Truthfully, even though we "lost" about 100 channels, the only ones we'll miss are The Science Channel, Noggin, HBO, and EWTN.

Savings? $50 a month!

(But oh, how I wish they would let you pick 25-30 channels that you want for a low price. I get 100 channels still, but most we skip over. I can totally do without the Golf channel, QVC, MTV, Spike, and 4 channels broadcast in Spanish.)

Invisible clutter elimination - works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out Rocks In My Dryer!

Labels: Frugal, Journey to Simplicity, Working from Home, Works For Me Wednesday

Food Stamp Challenge - feed my family for $2 per person per day. ($140 a week).

Well, this week threw us a curve ball. Husband dear is paid by the hour, and there were some unexpected slow times plus a sick day. Add that to unexpected expense and an oopsie on my part (I thought I paid for 6 months of car insurance in December, but I actually went on the monthly plan, so we had to pay a month's worth of car insurance, too), plus rent due, and we have $75 to spend on food and whatnots until next payday (February 6).

It's feast or famine in the construction industry. Last two weeks? 35 and 40 hours. Next paycheck? 58 hours this week, scheduled for 84 hours next week (time and a half for overtime, woot!)

So. Two week's worth of meals for $50? Can it be done?

Well, yes it can. On the other hand, this is a realistic challenge. How many families run out of food stamps at the end of the month?

I stock up whenever I can (remember those 35 pounds of meat I bought last week?) so I only needed a few staples. We'll be eating less fresh fruit this week, but I'll be breaking out my "hurricane stock" of juice and canned veggies in order to make sure everyone gets their vitamins. We rarely drink juice, so a glass of pineapple juice will be a treat for the kids, instead of a sacrifice.

Here are my saving graces:

• A stocked pantry. I have rice, beans, peas, lentils, flour, cornmeal, popcorn, bulgur, quinoa... and I know how to use them. Truthfully, I could have not gone to the store at all (but the meals would have been a little meager. Plus I really did need eggs, since I plan on baking!) Thanks be to God for giving me the means to have extra money in the "fat" times so we have food for the lean times.

• The knowledge, skills, and ability to make many things myself. I didn't fret about being able to afford bread - I have flour, yeast and water at home. I have access to an oven, freezer, and refrigeration. I know how to make bland foods taste good enough that the kids ask for seconds (sometimes...) Thanks be to God for giving me understanding and providing such a nice kitchen and comfortable home!

• I have been reading frugal, cooking, and mommy blogs and been blessed by other ladie's insights, tips, tricks, recipes, and encouragement. Thanks be to God for all of the people on the Internet (and the amazing gift of the Web, as well) who freely share so that others may be helped.

• I spent an hour and a half planning our menu this week, poring through the pantry and the circulars. Thanks be to God that I have a safe place to store my food, and the luxury of time to sit and ponder recipes.

I think the real challenge will be in two weeks, when I restock!


What I spent: $36.15 on food (plus $6.25 on diapers. 30 diapers for the week? BWAH HA HA HA! Seriously, we'll be working on potty training this week!) I left some room to buy milk, oranges, and anything else that might crop up.

What I got:
7# onions, large bunch kale, 5# russet potatoes, 5# Yukon gold potatoes, 5# carrots (again. We really do eat 5# of carrots a week!), 6 0z. fresh blueberries (pregnant mama with gestational diabetes can't drink juice to get her fruit.)

42 oz. quick oats, balsamic vinegar, 1# dried black eyed peas, 2 bottles Ken's Salad dressing (paid 49¢ each for them, and they are one of the few brands that do not have MSG or artificial colors), 2 jars Pace picante (paid 76¢ for them), 2 cans Rotel (40¢ each), 100 corn tortillas.

1# cheese, 5 dozen eggs, 3# ground chuck, 24 oz. Green Giant Veggie Steamers (free after coupon).

What we'll be eating (no price breakdowns. The thought of doing fourteen of them was overwhelming. Plus, this post is already long.)
Sunday Jan 25: Baked penne with spaghetti sauce (noodles in pantry, gallon bag of meat sauce leftover from my giant vat of sauce last week.)

Monday Jan 26: Ham bone soup (which we didn't have last Monday, as my pan of lasagna was so filling it lasted for two meals!) (Which means ham bone is still in the freezer. And husband dear informed me that black eyed peas would be way better than split peas).

Tuesday Jan 27: Bangers and mash. Okay, it's really bratwurst with chunky kale/potato puree and canned green beans.

Wed, Jan 28: Beef stir fry with frozen veggies (those free Veggie Steamers) and sprouts.

Thur Jan 29: Lentil Soup, rolls

Fri Jan 30: Bean tostadas (with that salsa. Is that a vegetable?), corn/Rotel salad.

Sat, Jan 31: Birthday celebration for Miss E! She wanted hamburgers (that's why I bought the ground chuck). Hamburgers, brats, potato salad, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, popcorn, and spinach. Yeah, she got to pick the menu. I forced the potato salad on her, though. She really loves spinach, believe it or not.


Sun, Feb 1: Turkey, stuffing, broccoli and cauliflower blend (I bought an extra turkey at Christmas because they were so cheap! $2.50 for a 12# bird!)

Mon, Feb 2: Chili with red beans, cornbread

Tues, Feb 3: Turkey tetrazzini with broccoli

Wed, Feb 4: Pork chops, spaetzle or latkes, sweet and sour cabbage (Doh! Forgot to buy cabbage.)

Thurs, Feb 5: Beef and barley soup

Fri, Feb 6: I lied. I only planned 12 meals. Payday! Goin' to the store!
A word about fruits and veggies:
We eat tons of fresh fruit and fresh veggies. The kids really did eat the kale, turnips, yams, hominy, eggplant, zucchini, and did I mention we eat our way through 5# of carrots a week? However, it was simply not in the budget this week. I made a list of fruit/veggie snacks to make sure they get what they need, nutritionally. But I'm paranoid about things like that, so they'll probably be getting one of Mr R's multivitamins for the next two weeks, too.

From my stash of cans and pantry staples:
Pineapple rings (frozen because it's good that way)
Pineapple juice - I have 4 cans!
oranges (we have a few left)
pumpkin bread
pineapple yogurt (can of crushed pineapple in pantry, plain yogurt, honey)
Split pea soup (a lunch standard around here)
Spaghettios (w/ tomato paste and nutritional yeast for "cheesy" flavor. I know. It sounds totally gross, but the kids like it. Or maybe they're just used to it.)
Sprouts - so easy to make, cheap way to get fresh green veggies.
Two mystery cans that Baby X peeled the labels off. Don't know what they are (I suspect crowder peas) but we'll eat 'em!

From my fridge and freezer:
Apple juice (3 cans)
Lemonade (with lemon juice and pulp in them, 2 cans)
Pumpkin soup for lunch this week
Banana muffins (frozen overripe bananas)
Smoothies (bag of frozen fruit I bought last week, yogurt)
Carrots, the ever popular snack

Kid in the Kitchen picture is Mr S, making brownies to celebrate the feast day of his patron saint. And Miss C enjoying a brownie. Because my family reads here.


Are you a frugal foodie? Leave your link here and make sure to link back!

Labels: C, cooking, E, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, health, Journey to Simplicity, Kids in the Kitchen, S

Okay, here's the weekly roundup! Stay tuned for next week - they cut husband dear's hours so my goal is to buy only fresh fruit, veggies, and milk and use up pantry stock for everything else.


I spent on food:
Kroger, husband run: $15.60
Kroger, my main run: $37.61
HEB: $81.46
Food Town: 17.95

TOTAL: $153.62 - $2.37 returned goods = $151.25
Avg. for 3 weeks: $139.32 per week.

I got:
12# boneless chuck roast, 4.5# chicken, 10# boneless pork loin, 4# bratwurst (1 per pound! Score!), 3# ground sausage, 2.5# ground chuck

8# bananas, 16# oranges, 6# apples (Gala and Golden Delicious) 1 head Romaine, 4# zucchini, 1# jalapenos, 2.5# yellow onion, 1,9# yams, 1# turnips, 2.25# Roma tomatoes, 5# carrots, 10# potatoes. (You might notice that we ate the whole 5# bag of carrots last week, as well as 18# of oranges and 30 apples!)

3 gallons milk (regular, not organic - sigh again!), 4.5# cheese, 1# ricotta, 1# sour cream, 1# cream cheese,

1# split peas, 1 jar orange marmalade, 1 can pineapple slices, 2 boxes lasagna noodles, 100ct. corn tortillas, 54 oz. peanut butter, 12# sugar, half a pound of bulk WW Pastry flour, 2 c. bulk wheat bran, and about 1/2 c. mung beans. Plus some misc. bulk spices I've been wanting to try - mace, hot curry, and Chinese 5 spice.

7 bags frozen veggies (1# each), 1# mango/papaya frozen fruit.

A bag of ice, 10 yogurt covered pretzels, and a pound of andouille sausage (impulse buys!)

Obviously, I stocked up on meat for the freezer. We aren't going to eat 35 pounds of meat this week! Some people buy exactly what they need week to week, like Grocery Cart Challenge. I prefer to have rotating stock

Our budget was tight, too, because a friend had a baby so I made a pan of chicken enchiladas and lasagna for her.Visit Laura to see tons of menus!

The Menu:
Saturday, Jan 17: Throw together of pasta carbonara w/ham and peas. $3.88
Ham - free, sister's leftovers
2 bags egg noodles, $2
1# peas, $1,
Onion, .35
2 c. milk, .40
2 T. butter .13

Sunday, Jan. 18:, spaghetti, salad.
I'm not going to price this out. I made a giant Vat O' Sauce to make 2 family size lasagnas plus some to freeze. It's 8# crushed tomatoes, 6.5# diced tomatoes, 5.5# meat (ground beef and sausage), garlic, onion, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Romaine lettuce, 99 cents.
Roma tomatoes, 35 cents.

Monday, Jan 19:ham bone soup, rolls $3.84
Ham bone - free (last week's ham)
carrots 3 large, .42
onion .35
celery 3 ribs celery, chopped .25
1# white beans, .89
1/2 # split peas .43
1# pearled barley, .85
Homemade rolls, .65

Tuesday, Jan 20: Pork Loin, mashed potatoes, zucchini $15.57
5# pork loin $8.85
1/3 jar orange marmalade .45
4# potatoes $1.92
4 T butter .13
3# zucchini $3.87
onion .35

Wednesday, Jan 21: Roasted root vegetable/pork ragout, cornbread $6.44 In other words, leftovers.
1# turnip, .83
1.9# yams, $1.86
1# potatoes .50
3 large carrots, .50
1 med. onion, .35
Leftover pork tenderloin, free
3 c. brown rice, .90
cornbread - too lazy to figure it out. Guesstimate? $1.50


Thursday, Jan 22: Beef curry $7.20
2.5# boneless chuck roast cut in strips $2.50
3 c. brown rice, $1.30
2# frozen chopped broccoli, 2.00
1# frozen Asian Stir Fry Veggies $1.00
3 oz. Kikkoman soy sauce .40

Friday, Jan 23: Lentil enchiladas, pintos, celery and carrot sticks $8.83
2 c. lentils .40
2 c. brown rice .80
Dried chiles ???Bought many moons ago. They weigh nothing, so cheap!
3 carrots, grated and cooked .42
1 lb. Roma tomatoes, diced and cooked .69
16 oz. sour cream, $1
12 oz. cheese, $2.63
corn tortillas (30?) .45
1# pintos, .50
1 onion, .35
3/4 stalk celery .75
6 carrots, cut into sticks $.84

Are you a frugal foodie? Leave your link here and make sure to link back!

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, health

Baby X has just polished off his 4th serving of oatmeal. Full, 1 c. servings. And he drank his milk + his sister's. Where is he putting it?



For the last 6 months, Miss V has spent every waking moment playing "tea party" with her plastic food. She packs it into whatever bag or container is available and carts it all over the house.


FOCA is still looming. Leaving every pro-life argument aside, it's terribly impractical and will make health care for the poor more dangerous and less available, in my opinion. FOCA will require every hospital that receives federal funds or accepts Medicare, Medicaid, etc. to perform abortions and prescribe the morning after pill. But, most doctors are not trained abortionists. Should the government be dictating that an ER doc perform a procedure they are not experts at? In addition, there is the possibility of a hospital going private rather than accept federal money, leaving fewer health care options for the poor.

For more on FOCA, please click the button at the top of my blog.

Wednesday, our local paper ran a series called "Cooking in Hard Times". They don't have a clue. The two recipes printed called for sea bass, fresh goat cheese, and asiago. A helpful sidebar noted "Lobster Now Fits in Budget" with a recipe for lobster mac and cheese and involved a total of FIVE cups of cheese (for 8 oz. of noodles). The appetizer recipes in the back? Asparagus and prosciutto. Budget food? Really? Try some lentils and rice.


I hate Monitronics alarm system. Our house is set up for it, but as renters we don't have access and it basically just acts as a door chime. Miss C set it off last week - I called the company and was put on hold FOUR TIMES and transferred to a different department THREE TIMES while the klaxon went off in the background. Then they couldn't help me because I didn't have the password. We had to unscrew everything and clip the wires to get it to shut off. Still haven't heard from the landlord about it, either.

And... the alarm was going off for an hour and a half. You could hear it up the block. No one came over to check on things and the police never arrived to save us, either. Some alarm system. (To be fair, I think I am the only person on the block who is home during the day.)

I may have finally found a homeschool group! I haven't attended any meetings or activities, but the people seem nice and it is very active with lots of families. Even better, the leader attends my church, but many activities are held at the church nearest to me - we can walk there! We only have one car so this opens up a lot of possibilities. If I can find the energy to walk over there with every one! The last active homeschool group I was in was in Colorado, 3 years ago. I'm excited!

I have gestational diabetes (as usual) and my blood sugars are wonky (as usual). My fasting sugars (after evening snack) are often higher than my one hour post meal sugars. This is normal for me, but my new doctor is perplexed. I get more A1C tests for the rest of the pregnancy. Joy.

7 Quick Takes is hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary/

Labels: 7 Quick Takes, Family Life, Frugal

One popular dish at our house is Salad Bar Night. (Yes, that's the remains of that gallon of coleslaw in the corner!). I try to put out a great variety of veggies, and supplement with protein rich hard boiled eggs, chick peas, white beans, or any leftover meat we have on hand.

All those veggies can get expensive. I'm going to try a garden this year!

We're starting small. I am having a baby in June, after all, and I've never gardened in this zone (9a for us.)

We're using the Square Foot Gardening method.

Husband dear built a bed. He did this last October when he was rebuilding the fence from Ike.


Lay down a weed barrier. Cardboard and newspaper, in our case.
(Dang, lady, mow that grass!)


Got some dirt. The bed is 2x12, and 6" deep, so we needed 12 cubic feet.
7 bags of humus: $9.50
2 bags of Peat Moss: $20.00
1 shovel - $10
2 purple sparkle shoes to make sure the edges are straight - priceless.


Mix and fill. I couldn't find the vermiculite or plain Perlite that SFG recommends, so we just mixed humus and peat moss.

Drive your husband crazy by taking his picture while he tries to work, insisting he move so the shadows don't get in the way.


Next steps: Lay out the grid, plan the crop layout, direct sow, and water.


I have a black thumb. Wish me luck!

Labels: black thumb, cooking, Frugal, Journey to Simplicity

My boys are hard on pants. I usually buy them at Sears, but they needed new jeans and our local Sears didn't have any in their size.

So I went to Target, and bought 3 pairs "to hold them over".


Big mistake.

Did I mention my boys were hard on pants?

These pants are three weeks old. Unfortunately, I can't find my Target receipt to take them back. I totally would - one pair busted through the knees after two days of indoor play.

Did you catch that? THREE WEEKS!


Sears has a program called KidVantage. It's free, and guarantees that if the clothes wear out before they're grown out, Sears will replace them, free. (Although Sears jeans seem to last a lot longer and I've never had to have jeans replaced.)

The KidVantage® Club offers the Wear Out Warranty. When your baby grows up and your kids clothing or kids shoes wear out before they are out grown, Sears will replace them for free.

You can only exchange for the same size, and if you buy Levi's you need to keep your receipt.

Whole-Knee Guarantee? Works for Me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday, check out Shannon!

Actually, now that I see the picture, I don't think those pants are the Target pants. The Target pants also wore huge holes on the cuffs in addition to the giant, gaping knee holes.

Labels: Frugal, R, Works For Me Wednesday

I won't post my receipts this week, because we went to four stores and I stocked up -they are really long! I'm very fortunate to have 7 grocery stores all in a row on the same road - the road that leads to the library. I can really shop around to get the best deals without wasting gas, and can afford the luxury of stopping into a couple of Mexican markets to see what they have (sometimes killer deals, sometimes...meh.)

My goal: To spend $140 / week on food. Last week I spent $105; this week I stocked up some and spent more.

I also ended up shopping with the entire family. We had some... unplanned purchases. Including Twizzlers and Coke. A 20 oz. Coke, cold, is $1.38 - a 2 liter Coke is $1.25. ???

My total for all four stores (including sales tax):
FoodTown $66.84
FiestaMart $30.50
WalMart $121.07
Kroger $13.98

Total: $232.39

However, you can only buy food with food stamps, and my $140 is for food only. I spent $45.82 on diapers, wipes, paper towels (I hate buying these but have resigned myself to my fate), toilet paper, etc.

We decided to eat in on Thursday instead of going out Friday. We went to the library, and then all the groceries. We picked up two rotisserie chickens, 1.5# hot wings, 4 lbs. macaroni salad, a Coke, and a pack of Twizzlers (see why I shop by myself?) We spent $24.58 on our picnic, but this is actually planned to come out of our entertainment budget, not food budget.

So. $232.39, minus $45.82 non-food, minus $24.58 entertainment, = $161.99 this week.

Total for two weeks: $267.71 (Some weeks we spend more, some weeks we spend less).

Among other things, I got:

• 3 cartons oatmeal, 1 box chocolate malt-0-meal, and two boxes of cold cereal (again, why I shop alone! But we haven't had cereal with milk for about a month, and they had some Mom's Best Natural at a good price.)

• 10# AP flour, 5# cornmeal, salt.

• 4 small jars Peanut butter (the smallest jar is the cheapest per ounce, even though it annoys me to have to buy so many! I paid a total of $5.44 for 72 oz. PB.), 3 cans tuna (why do my kids like this?), 28 oz. jar salsa.

• 4 boxes whole wheat pasta, 2 jars garden spaghetti sauce (good in a pinch), 2 large (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, one small can Organic Fire Roasted tomatoes (had a coupon! Paid 14 cents! Woot!)

• 3# bananas, 10# oranges, 3# bag red delicious apples, 17 individual Fuji apples, 1 large head green leaf lettuce, 2 packages radishes, 5# carrots, 4 bell peppers, 1 lg. celery, 2 lg. red onions, 1.5# jalapenos, 4# tomatoes, 2 bunches kale, 4 kiwis, 10# potatoes, and 7 yellow onions. (Note - the apples were gone by Sunday. The kiwis didn't make it past Saturday!)

• 11# shank ham, 10# sirloin pork chops, 2 pkg. bacon, 10 oz. chorizo.

• 4 gallons milk (not organic. Sigh.) 2# cheese, 3# butter, 6 dozen eggs.

• 6 cans green beans, 6 cans pintos, 4 cans Ranch Style beans, 3 cans navy beans, 3 cans crowder peas, 6 cans hominy, 2# dried pintos, 1 bottle ketchup, 1 large can Folgers ($5.44! What a deal!).

I also bought 3 cans of picante sauce which I just saw they way overcharged me for so I'm going to take them back, and also buy some split peas instead. I don't shop at WalMart for groceries often - one reason is because they don't stock everything I buy. Including split peas.

• 2# froz. brussels sprouts, 2# froz. peas and carrots, 1# froz. chopped broccoli.

And two Reese's Whipps candy bars. I had a coupon for $1 off 2...they were advertising them as "less fat and fewer calories than regular candy bars" in the paper. Yes, they gave out a coupon so you could include candy as part of your New Year's Resolution weight loss!

So. Now that I've cured your insomnia, what are we going to eat?

Thursday we had the "eating out dinner", and Friday we had "miscellaneous pantry throw together". So, our new menu is:

(I just realized I forgot to link back to Laura at Orgjunkie, hostess of Menu Plan Monday!)

Sat., Jan 10 - Kolaches, sauerkraut, braised cabbage. coleslaw Husband dear also made an unplanned appetizer of jalapeno poppers. I estimate they cost $1 or so for 12. I promised to share pictures:


Sun, Jan 11 - Ham, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts $16
Ham, $11.66
4# potatoes, $1.20
2# froz. brussels sprouts $2
6 oz. bacon, chopped .75
1 med. onion - .35

Mon, Jan 12 - Salad bar night, bread $7.69
Green leaf lettuce $.99
2# tomatoes $1.60
1 c. (before cooking) chickpeas .35
9 hardboiled eggs $1.00
8 oz. radishes, chopped .59
2 zucchini, shredded .35
3 carrots, shredded .20
1/2 onion, chopped .20
4 stalks celery, .35
8 oz. cheese, $1.75
salad dressing - ??? bottle's in the fridge already
1 loaf homemade bread .66
Updated - didn't bake today but had to run and buy trash bags. Bought 2 loaves of French bread for $2.46 total, instead.

Tues, Jan 13 - Macaroni and cheese with ham and broccoli, salad or turnip greens $9.20
2 boxes WW Penne pasta, $2.50 (the elbows got eaten for lunch Fri.)
16 oz. cheese, $3.50
1 c. milk .20
handful flour - ???
2# froz. broccoli $2.00
leftover ham - free
leftover salad - free
turnip greens - $1.00

Wed, Jan 14 - Crockpot Cuban Pork w/black beans, seasoned rice, spinach $9.56
4+# sirloin chops, $4.30
3 c. black beans (dry), soaked .75
3 carrots, chopped or grated .20
1 can picante sauce $.33
28.5 oz can diced tomatoes, $.85
sour cream (in fridge from Christmas) (hope it's not furry.)
3 c. brown rice $1.00
2# frozen spinach, $2


Thurs, Jan 15 - fajitas, pico de gallo, refried beans, spanish rice $15.53 (wow, homemade pico is expensive!) (I can't believe this dinner costs as much as the ham dinner!)
3.5# beef strips, $5.56
2# frozen pepper strips, $2.00
2 onions, $.70
3# tomatoes, $2.40
1 red onion, .75
2 jalapenos, .45
corn tortillas (est. $1)
1# (dry weight) pinto beans, .50
10 oz. chorizo (best refried beans you've ever had!) .99
Another onion .35
2 c. white rice, .50
1 can picante sauce, .33

Fri, Jan 16 - lentil shepherd's pie, broccoli and cauliflower $5.50
2 c. lentils, .35
2 c. brown rice, .65
onion, .35
carrots, .20
3 stalks celery, .25
1/2 c. milk, .10
2# potatoes, .60
1# frozen peas $1
2# broccoli/cauliflower, $2


Most of my meals seem expensive - $10 or $15. But remember, they are designed to make a minimum of 10 servings since husband dear likes to take leftovers + there's a pregnant lady in da house! So it works out to $1-$1.50 per person.


Are you a Frugal Foodie? How do save money in the kitchen? Link up here!

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, menu

For background, click here.

My goal? Spend $140 a week on food for my family of 10. As I said, I do have some food in the pantry/fridge that will come into play this week.
Spent so far: $79.56 105.73
































Menu Plan: (I usually try to do my shopping on Fridays, plus payday is Jan. 9, so my menu is a little longer than a week.)

Breakfast - oatmeal or Malt-o-Meal
Lunches - simple stuff from the pantry or leftovers. No PB&J this week because we ran out of peanut butter.

Jan. 1: Beef curry stirfry. $8.15
2.5# beef, cut in strips $4.50
3 - 16 oz. bags frozen stir fry mix veggies $3.00
3 c. brown rice $.65
spices - I'm not doing the math. Garlic powder, curry powder, cornstarch, and soy sauce

Jan. 2: Lentil Sloppy Joes, cole slaw, canned green beans $4.50
2 c. Lentils .25
1 c. bulghur no idea, it's been sitting in my pantry forever. Est. $1
Buns (made w/ my roll recipe) $.50
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes $1.00
1 med. onion @ .39/lb $.40
1 head cabbage @ .19/lb. $ .50
1/3 c. Miracle Whip maybe .20?
2 cans green beans, .66
vinegar, spices, who knows?

Jan. 3: Saturdays... are not well planned around here. I'll let you know.
Update: We met with some friends for a picnic at the park. Spent $26.17 on sandwich
fixings, ice, drinks, and 8# of oranges. Because we don't eat enough fruit as it is.

Jan. 4: Pork Chops, latkes, spinach $7.90
Pork Chops, $5.00
2.5 # potatoes, .50
1 med. onion @.39/lb .40
2 -16 oz. bags spinach, $2

Jan 5: Penne Primavera w. marinara $5.90
2 boxes Whole Wheat pasta $2.50
2 bags frozen veggies $2
1 jar spaghetti sauce $1
1/2 bag. navy beans, soaked and cooked .40
(leftover sloppy joe sauce *might* find it's way into here if there's any left)

Jan 6: Potato Soup, rolls $4.10
2.5# potatoes, .50
1 qt. milk, .75
3 carrots, .20
1 med. onion .40
1/2 stick butter .25
8 0z. shredded cheese, $1.50
Rolls, .50
Maybe I'll make a King Cake for the Epiphany. Cost? Probably under $1 if I do it myself.

Jan 7: Crockpot Swiss steak, peas, rice $10.10
3.5# boneless steak $5.60
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes $1
1 -16 oz. bag frozen peppers and onions $1
3 c. brown rice .50
2 -16oz. bags frozen peas (never canned. Blech) $2


Jan 8: Kolaches, sauerkraut, braised cabbage, frozen veggies $8.29
Kolache sausages, 3 lbs $4.49
Kolache dough .50
Sauerkraut, .50
2 lb. cabbage, .40
1 med. onion, .40
2 bags frozen veggies, $2


Jan 9: Today I have my ultrasound, and we'll probably take the kids out to eat after and tell them boy or girl (if we know!). I have a killer coupon for Souper Salad that allows my entire family to eat out for $16.50. All you can eat greens, whoo-hoo!
(I don't think it makes the manager happy, but the coupon is kids eat free, up to 2 per paying adult. And children 4 and under are free. Which makes ALL of the kids free with two paying adults. I don't print the coupons, I just take advantage of it!)

You might notice we eat meat approximately every other night. Eating an abundant amount of meat for 1 meal is more satisfying for my family than trying to stretch the meat and having it at every meal. We'd rather eat a big pot roast once a week than a pound of beef stretched too thin 3 nights a week.

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Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, menu