Food Waste Wednesday, 9/30/09

My husband cleaned out the refrigerator again (thanks!), so that means no food waste picture. There was, unfortunately, food waste.

• 1/4 large container of cottage cheese
• 1/3 large container of yogurt
• about 15 little cheese tortellini

We like all of these foods, so I am not sure why we did so bad this week. Just busy, I guess.

Get A Free Coffee at Starbucks--Oct. 2-5

According to Starbuck's website, if you stop in between October 2nd and 5th to take a taste test of their original brew versus their new instant brew, you will get a free coffee.

Mental Tricks to Make Financial Goals More Attainable

I was talking to a friend the other day about how swamped I am and how I can’t seem to get half of what I want to accomplish done in a day. The friend advised me to just take it one day at a time and not worry about what work was coming down the pipe. She said if I only focus on today and what I need to get done it won’t be overwhelming. Good advice.

Later, I started thinking that the same could be said of financial goals. It is overwhelming to think “I want to save $30,000 for a down payment on a house,” or, “I want to save 5 months of expenses so I have a safety cushion when I become a stay-at-home mom.”It is much easier to think, “How little can I spend today? I want to spend as little as possible for today.” That also helps avoid the feelings of deprivation that sometimes occur because I am only trying not to spend money for one day. Of course, over time those days and months add up to accomplishing those big goals.

Menu Planning Monday, 9/28/09

While I am grateful for our freezer meals, we need a break from them, so this week I am trying to cook easy, tasty meals.

Monday--Macaroni & Cheese and spinach
Tuesday--60 Minute Oven Sirloin Steak Stew
Wednesday--Weight Watchers Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli
Thursday--Manwich Sloppy Joes, carrots & chips
Friday--Pulled Pork Sandwiches, French fries & mixed veggies

Saturday and Sunday we will be busy and out of the house most of the day, so I am not sure what we will eat then.

Breakfasts will be french toast, oatmeal, pancakes, omelets, etc.
Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

CVS Trip, 9/27/09

Our pantry is very well stocked on personal care/hygiene items thanks to previous good sales at CVS, so I was glad to be able to stock up on some other items we were low on. I had $10 ECBs that were set to expire tomorrow, so it was an opportune time to buy laundry detergent. I spent much more OOP than I would like, but I doubled my ECBs in the process.

Tide detergent= 24.00 (-2--1.00 Qs from 8/30 & 9/27 P &G insert)
Puffs = 1.00 (earned 10 ECBs for Tide & Puffs)
Gamer razor = 9.99 (-4.00 Q from 9/27 P & G insert, earned $5 ECBs
Vaseline lotion = 7.99 (-1.50 Q, earned 7 ECBs)
panti liners = .99

I paid $24.92 OOP (Yikes, I know!) after coupons and my 10 ECBs
I earned 22 ECBs
I saved 59% (the original total was $60.53)

I shared this post at Money Saving Mom, Saving Cents with Sense and Cha Ching Queen.

Mexi-Mac Skillet

I found this recipe in Light and Tasty, and it nows shows up regularly on our menu. We love it. You can find the full recipe here. (We didn't change a thing from the original recipe. It is perfect the way it is!

I shared this post at The Grocery Cart Challenge, $5 Dinners and Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.

Freezer Meals Made Easy

I always liked the idea of once a month cooking (OAMC), but I couldn’t get past the idea of buying a month’s worth of groceries, putting them all away and then cooking for a full day to make a month’s worth of food. Yes, it would be great to have all that food prepared, but the whole day of cooking sounded like drudgery, and I knew I couldn’t do it with little ones around.

Yet, when my leave of absence was drawing to a close, I knew that for the first two months back I would be too busy to cook every night. I did have one crazy day of cooking and managed to freeze about 12 meals, but that experience just confirmed that my original idea of not enjoying cooking ALL DAY was right.

After that, I found many slow cooker meals and made one every night for several weeks. All I did was double the recipe. We then took the leftovers and froze them in a large freezer bag or two. Voila. Freezer meal convenience without the cooking hassle.

I let the bags cool in the refrigerator and then flattened them out and laid them flat in the freezer so I could stack them to maximize room. Within a few weeks, I had nearly 40 meals frozen. And what a blessing they have been! As we struggle through this crazy time in our lives, these meals are helping to keep us well fed with minimal effort.

Food Waste Wednesday, 9/23/09

Food waste this week wasn't too bad. We probably wouldn't have had any if we hadn't gone away for the weekend. By the time we got back, we weren't sure it was safe to eat these items:

1 small piece of lasagna

4 spoonfuls of cheese, rice chicken bake and yes, yet again

part of a block of tofu

I think tofu should come in half size blocks. Then it could get eaten up. We did try to freeze it once, but the baby didn't like the texture after that.

Saving Money Painlessly--Sharing Expenses

My mom had a sudden loss of income two years ago, so she had to find some creative ways to make her dollars stretch further. One of the ways she made a painless cut in her budget was to share resources.

She likes to read the paper daily, but the price was affecting her budget. So, she began sharing a subscription with my aunt. Now, once or twice a week my aunt comes to her house and picks up all of the papers and reads them. She also shares a garbage plan with her. My aunt just comes by to drop her garbage in my mom’s container. Instantly my mom cut her paper and garbage costs in half.

Are there any expenses you could be sharing?

I shared this post at Life as Mom.

Grocery Shopping Sunday, 9/21/09 (Late edition)

They had a great sale at Jewel this week, so I was able to stock up cheaply.

Jewel-Osco:

I was able to buy all of this for $21. Plus, I have a coupon for $5 OYNO. Yeah.

Then I went to Meijer, but I forgot to take a picture. I spent $21.09 and bought:
1 pkg broccoli = 1.69
2 lbs. baby carrots = 2.99
4.64 lbs. bananas = 1.35
1.69 lbs. pears = 1.67
1.90 lb. peaches = 2.24
1.17 lbs. black plums = 1.38
1 pkg. tortillas = 1.19
1 bag spinach = 2.99
1 box cereal = 3.59
1 loaf bread = 2.00

Total = 42.09

To see the meals we will make for the week, go here.

I shared this at The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Planning Monday, 9/20/09

Well, it is good to be back blogging. Thanks for your patience while I had my break!

I have four more weeks of craziness at work before things settle down considerably. I can't wait! In the meantime, we will continue to put a dent in our freezer meals. (While I am very glad to have freezer meals, I am excited to start cooking again next month when life gets more normal.)

Monday--Santa Fe Chicken
Tuesday--Slow Cooker Kielbasa Sausage Bean Soup
Wednesday--Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup
Thursday--grilled cheese & canned soup
Friday--Tacos
Saturday--Stuffed Manicotti
Sunday--Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin, spinach, mashed potatoes

To see the groceries we bought for the week, go here.

A Blogging Break

Work is getting very busy. In addition to my regular work day, I am planning on several hours working at home this week in the evenings. It doesn't leave much time for much else, so I am taking a blogging break. I outlined my priorities here before I returned to work, and now it is time to implement them.

I plan to be back next Sunday, 9/20. Thanks for understanding and hope to see you then!

CVS, 9/13/09

I went to CVS on a tip from Money Saving Mom's post that Huggies Little Swimmers were dirt cheap in the summer clearance section. I didn't find those, but I did get some great summer clearance deals.

1 rigid wall wader swimming pool = 1.69
bathtub boat toys = .29
1 baby floaty boat = .39
1 tire swimming inner tube = .39
1 Horton Hears a Who coloring book = .39

Total OOP = 3.90.
Total saved = 32.40

I shared this post at Money Saving Mom .

Do You Check Your Receipts?

When I had my No Spending Month back in June, I started looking very carefully at my receipts. (Every penny counts!)

I had a stack of coupons at Jewel, but only a few scanned. I did not notice this until I had the groceries and my daughter in the car, so it would have been easy to just let it slide. I probably would have if we weren’t on such a tight budget. Instead, I took my daughter and the groceries back out and went to the customer service desk. For my effort, I received back the $2.75 I should have been credited for the coupons.

At a little local store, I got ½ pound of cheese from the deli. I noticed that they charged me $1.00 more per pound than was advertised. That was another .50 saved.

I bought apples at the store that were supposed to be $2.50 per bag, but I was charged $3.49. I didn’t catch this mistake. It cost me .99.

I went to Jewel and bought 3 packages of tortillas which were priced at 3/2.00. They scanned at 1.99 EACH! I went to the customer service desk and got back $4.02.You have probably heard that you should check your receipts, and before my No Spending Month I did do it casually. Now I see over time the savings can really add up.

Food Waste Wednesday, 9/9/09

No picture today. It was too gross!

Our waste was 1/8 of a round pan of quiche, a diced onion in the fridge that was turning brown, and about 1/2 cup of some mystery item my husband found in the back of the refrigerator. By the time he found it, it wasn't even identifiable. Yuck.

Thanks, Mom!!

As I mentioned before, my mom is a clean freak. That is not such a great quality when I try to clean the whole house before she comes and she doesn't notice any of the clean parts, just the parts I didn't get to. It is a great quality when my husband and I are swamped and way over our heads with all of our responsibilities.

My mom came to visit and help us this weekend. It was wonderful! She helped watch the kids so we could tackle our work that we were both behind on and she mopped the kitchen and cleaned the bathroom, chores that hadn't been done in three weeks. (Gross, I know. It was driving me crazy.)

Thanks, mom!!!

Grocery Shopping Sunday (Late Edition)

Finally, an easier-on-the-pocketbook week.

Dominick's:

2 gallons milk = 3.98
1 bag Cheetos = .34
4 cans cat food = 2.40
1 loaf bread = 3.19 !!!!
1 pkg. turkey breast = 2.00
1 broccoli crown = 1.06
3 ears corn = .50
1 bag grapes = 4.58
1 bag baby carrots = 1.50
1 pkg hard salami = 2.50
1 bottle All detergent = 3.99
Total = 27.06

We also ordered fresh, organic fruit for a total of $31.06. We got watermelon, plums, nectarines, raspberries, apples and peaches.

Total for the week = 58.12

To see the meals we will eat for the week, go here.

Menu Planning Monday, 9/7/09

This is not much of an exciting week menu wise because we are going to have almost all freezer meals. I am looking forward to mid-October when works slows down so I can start cooking "for real" again. Meanwhile, I am thankful for the freezer meals.

Monday--Stuffed Manicotti
Tuesday--Paula Deen Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese
Wednesday--Robin Miller's Beef and Cheese Lasagna
Thursday--Pork Fried Rice
Friday--leftovers
Saturday--hamburgers on the grill
Sunday--Chicken Quesadillas

Breakfast will be the usual--eggs, oatmeal, toast, breakfast sandwiches
Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

Poll About My Blog

My blog has been in existence now for 5 months. In that time, I have written nearly 200 posts.

I am thinking about the direction I would like to take the blog in and would appreciate your comments on what features you would like to see. There is a poll in my sidebar, and you are welcome to leave me comments.

Thanks for your input and for reading regularly!

Seafood Enchiladas

I used to love going to Chi-Chi's restaurant. My favorite things to order were seafood enchiladas and seafood nachos. So, when I happened upon this recipe in Light and Tasty, I was very happy! They taste just like Chi-Chi's enchiladas.

Seafood Enchiladas
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. butter

8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c. shredded, reduced fat Mexican cheese blend, divided
2 cups coarsely chopped imitation crabmeat
8 flour tortialls (6 inches), warmed
1/2 c chopped tomato
1/2 c chopped green onions

In a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender. Combine sour cream and flour until smooth; gradually add to onion mixture. Stir in the broth and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 mintues or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in 1/2 cup of cheese.

Place crab in a bowl; stir in 1/2 cup sauce (I usually do just a little bit more, just until moistened). Spoon equal amounts on tortillas; roll up tightly. Place seam side down in an 11 inch x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining sauce.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mintues. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or unti cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Top with tomato and green onion.

I shared this at Life as Mom, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, $5 Dinners and The Grocery Cart Challenge.

On Exhaustion (Masquerading as Discouragement)

I have been back to work full-time for two weeks now, and I am utterly exhausted. I am big enough to admit when I have too much on plate, and now, I have way too much. For example, yesterday, I got to work by 8:30 a.m., left briefly from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to come home and see my kids, and then did not get back home until 7:30 at night. Once home, the kitchen was a mess because my husband had been taking care of the kids himself all day and had cooked dinner but didn’t have a chance to clean up. I wasn’t able to get all of the dishes done until this evening’s dinner.

I knew going back to work that the first 8 weeks would be crazy. That is when my load is heaviest, so the burden should be easing by late October. But it is like a perfect storm of craziness. My husband hopes to have the rough draft of his dissertation in by the end of October, so he needs a lot of time to work, time he is not getting right now. My eBay business gets busy in August and continues with steady sales until October. And there is something happening that I am not at liberty to discuss right now that contributes in a significant way to our exhaustion.

I feel myself wanting to lapse into old habits of eating out and buying comfort food. I don’t like my job much any more; my heart is at home. I want to be there with my kids. It is now that I have to remind myself of the long term plans, of the desire to save 5 months’ salary so I can stay home. I have to think of this every day so I don’t fritter away my money trying in vain to console myself because life in the short term is not the way I would like it to be.

My mom always says, “This too shall pass.” It will. And if I can follow the plans my husband and I have set out, hopefully this type of craziness will subside in April when I am able to quit, but that means I have to control myself now and muddle through as best I can.

Two Sales at Gymboree!!

There are two new sales at Gymboree.

The first is the Labor Day sale which they say offers 50% off select items.

The second is the Baby Sale. All items from the layette lines under $19.50 are on sale for $10, and all items $39.50 to $20 are on sale for $20.

Yes, you CAN use a coupon for this sale.

I have my 20% off coupon and am heading out shopping with the kids shortly. I'll let you know if I find anything good.

Food Waste Wednesday, 9/2/09

Food waste this week was not too bad--a nasty buch of green onions, and, can you guess what is in the baggie? Any guesses?

It is two cubes of tomato paste that have been freezer burnt and dried out beyond recognition.

How did you do this week? Check out The Frugal Girl's site for more food waste confessions.