Taking a Mini-Blogging Break

My daughter seems to have rounded a corner this morning in that her fever has been greatly reduced. She is still tugging at her ears, but she seems better. However, she was also covered in a rash this morning; apparently she is allergic to Amoxicillin, so we got a new prescription from the doctor to start tonight.

Her birthday party is to be on Saturday, and we still plan on holding it if she is up for it. However, because I have been taking care of her all week, we have had no time to plan.

So, I am going to take a mini-blogging break. I'll be back on Sunday. Have a fun Halloween!

Food Waste Wednesday, 10/28/09

Here is what I have determined--sickness and injury are not helpful when trying to reduce food waste.

I pulled a muscle in my back on Wednesday afternoon, and it was so bad I could barely stand. I couldn't go to work on Thursday. It finally started to feel better on Saturday. That same night, my daughter came down with a fever. Her fever rose through the night, and all day Sunday and Monday it hovered at 103; Tylenol and Motrin could only bring it down a degree or two. We got her into the doctor on Monday and were able to give her her first dose of medicine for her double ear infection. Meanwhile, Saturday through Tuesday, she was very lethargic and clingy. She just wanted to be held constantly, so we did that alot. And, in the process, we inadvertently wasted A LOT of food.

I cooked macaroni & cheese Sunday night and collapsed on the couch after my daughter went to bed. I woke up the next morning to find this on the stove:


It had sat out all night. Inadvertent food waste one.

The next day my husband made creamy cooked rice with little bits of chicken for my daughter. It is the Japanese version of chicken noodle soup; it is what people eat when they are sick. Once again we accidentally left it out over night. (It is the tall container in the back.)


Other waste includes one cinnamon roll, some lunch meat slices, a small container of rice, and a container of ricotta cheese that should have been thrown out a few weeks ago.

Today my daughter's fever has broken, so it looks like the medicine is working. Hopefully she will feel better soon so life can get back to normal!

A Grocery Observation

I am a bit of a grocery shopping voyeur. When I am in line, I look at what other people are buying--healthy food? junk food? expensive items?

The other day when I was at the store, a woman in front of me had two boxes of lasagna noodles, two jars of spaghetti sauce, and two pounds of shredded cheese. She threw in two candy bars for good measure. My first thought was that she was making lasagna tonight and that sounded good.

However, I was shocked to hear her total--$24.06--just for the few items I mentioned above.

I like to beat myself up about my grocery bill. (It routinely runs $350/month. I am trying to bring that monthly amount down, which is one of the reasons why I am doing the grocery spending challenge this month.)

However, this woman's order put things in perspective for me. I used to spend about $440/month for groceries. I used to just create a weekly menu and buy what I needed, regardless if it was on sale. Looking at this woman's order and thinking about spending $24 for ingredients that will feed 8 people (and she still had to supply her own meat, ricotta, eggs, etc. at home), made me realize that though it is hard to see on a day-to-day basis, I am indeed learning to be more frugal, and it is helping our finances.

Grocery Shopping Monday, 10/26/09

We ran out of many non-food items this week that hit our budget hard. Here is the damage:

Dominicks, Target & CVS

I used $5 ECBs at CVS for the wipes, so the total was $2.07 OOP.

The three boxes of crackers came from Dominick's in addition to the bread. Total there was $7.94.

The baby detergent came from Target and was $12.94 total.

Jewel (next two pictures):

Total for this order was $17.66, plus I earned a $10 off your next order Catalina that I am saving for next week.

This order came to $16.99. (I don't usually buy this much baby food, but my daughter has been sick for the last two weeks and has been very fussy about what she eats. She is on medication for a double ear infection, so hopefully her eating habits will improve as she begins to feel better.)

Tony's:

This order came to $18.80. Some of the good deals were cheese for $.99 a package, bananas for .39/pound and eggs for .99.

Total for the week = 76.39 OUCH!!

I am $36.39 over my target goal of $40 per week during this challenge. Last week I only spent $30.28, so thus far I have spent $ 106.68.

That leaves me with $53.32 for the next two weeks. It will be tight, but I am hoping the Jewel $10 catalina and a $5 Target card that I have will help.

Menu Planning Monday, 10/26/09

We are going for simple meals this week. It will be a busy week, so simple is better.

Monday--Au Gratin Sausage Skillet
Tuesday--Cheesy Chicken Biscuit Bake
Wednesday--Pork Chops over Stuffing
Thursday--Freezer Lasagna & Vegetable Barley Soup
Friday--dinner out
Saturday--birthday party & then Halloween party
Sunday--my mom's kabob (recipe coming soon)

Lunches will be sandwiches and leftovers.

Breakfasts will be smoothies, oatmeal, cereal, omelettes, toast (not all at once!)

CVS Trip 10/25/09 --Paid ZERO Out of Pocket!

I had a great trip to CVS. I had $17 in ECBs that were going to expire on Tuesday thanks to lackluster sales lately. I was able to turn over all of them and earn another $16 ECBs.

4 Campbell's tomato soups = 2.00 - 2-1.00 Qs = Free

1 Lady Speed Stick deodorant = 2.49, - 1-1.00 CVS Q = 1.49, earned $1 ECB

2 Palmolive dish detergents = 1.94
2 boxes Puffs = 1.94
1 Nova Max monitor = 9.99, earned $9.99 ECBs

1 Gillette Fusion razor = 9.99, -4.00 Q, earned $5.00 ECBs

After coupons and ECBs, my total came to $6.06. However, I had a bottle of the recalled Children's Tylenol to return. I earned a $6.53 store credit for that. I already have another (not recalled) box at home, and I didn't want to buy more when it wasn't on sale, so I used the credit today.

I paid ZERO OOP for items that retailed $83.84. That was a good trip!

I shared this post at Money Saving Mom.

Bay Scallops Gratin

I saw this recipe on the Barefoot Contessa and had to make it. We altered it a bit to suit our taste (and our budget).

I loved the recipe; it reminded me of a meal one might get at Red Lobster. My husband and son really didn't care for it. I think the taste of onion got to them.

Bay Scallops Gratin

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 medium shallots, minced
4 slices cooked bacon, minced
1 tbsp. dried parsley
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 cup panko
6 tablespoons dry white wine
2 lb. bag frozen scallops

To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, bacon, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the olive oil slowly as though making mayonnaise, until combined. Fold the panko in with a rubber spatula and set aside.

Preheat the broiler, if it's separate from your oven.

Spray a 9 x 9 pan with non stick cooking spray. With a small sharp knife, remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and place in the 9 x 9 pan . Spoon the garlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty French bread. (We served with cornbread and green beans with bacon).

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

Food Waste Wednesday, 10/21/09, Late Edition

It was not a good food waste week for us. This week we wasted:

5 peanut butter cookies. (I bought these probably two months ago, and they just weren't that good. They are soft cookies, so I am scared that they still don't have any mold growing on them.)

5 Fiber One banana muffins. (The box was on sale so we tried them, but because they caused gastrointestinal issues with more than one member of our family, well, they didn't get finished. Lesson--don't eat food with enhanced fiber. Eat fiber as it naturally occurs.)

1 head of leaf lettuce. (We nearly never waste produce, so I am ashamed of this one.)

Next week I will try to get a picture of our waste. Even better if we don't have waste next week to take a picture of!

Superior Scribbler Award

Awhile back, I received a Superior Scribbler Award from Kristin at the Frugal Girl. Thanks, Kristin!

One of the requirements is that I must now pass the award on to five of my favorite blog writers. I read many blogs, but these are the ones that I read religiously:

Boys Don’t Like Funny Girls
Milk Donor Mama
Money Saving Mom
Life as Mom
Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures

Check them out. They offer a variety of topics from cooking, to money saving, to essays about life in general.

Welcome $5 Dinner Readers

I guest posted at $5 Dinners today. Welcome to all the readers who have come to my site from there. Please feel free to look around; see my cooking section for more recipe ideas.

Grocery Shopping Monday, 10/19/09

This was week one of my grocery challenge to not spend more than $40, and I am pleased to say I came in under budget for the week.

Tony's Finer Foods:

1 box pasta = .88
1 bottle vanilla = 3.49
1 bag potatoes = .69
1-5 lb bag grapefruit = 1.99
4 tangerines = 1.34
1 cucumber = 1.50
1 green pepper = .60
1 red pepper = .46
3 pears = 1.12
1 bag lima beans = 1.69
1 bag cheese = 1.67
Total = 15.80

Aldi:

I didn't save the receipt for this one, but my total was $8.02.

Jewel-Osco (no picture)
1 box 16 count waffles = 4.19
3 boxes Kraft mac & cheese = 1.97
Total = 6.46

Total for the week = 30.28. I was saving the rest of the money for a CVS trip, but I didn't see much I wanted there this week. I hope they have good sales next week because I have $22 in ECBs that will expire.

For our recipes for the week, go here.

Menu Planning Monday, 10/19/09

I have given myself a grocery spending challenge for the next 4 weeks. I must admit, it was strange to look through cookbooks and determine that I could not afford to make some recipes. But I think I picked out some pretty good ones for the week that we can afford.

Monday--Chicken Quesadillas
Tuesday--Potato Soup (Panera Imitation)
Wednesday--Cheesy Chicken & Biscuit Casserole
Thursday--Kielbasa & Kidney Beans
Friday--California Chicken Casserole
Saturday--Spinach Minestrone
Sunday--dinner out

Breakfasts will include Apple Oat Breakfast Treats (minus the apple pie filling that I couldn't afford this week), Berry Smoothies, oatmeal, omelettes and cereal.

Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches.

Feed A Family of 4 For $4--Cheesy Chicken Biscuit Bake

Two weeks ago I featured the Pioneer Woman's macaroni and cheese. This week, I was craving my take on chicken pot pie, but I decided to use the Pioneer Woman's cheese sauce. Yum, yum, yum.

4 tablespoons butter (.25 cents)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (.10 cents)
2 1/2 cups whole milk (.50 cents)
2 heaping teaspoons mustard (more if desired) (.02 cents)
1 egg, beaten (.10 cents)
1 cup of cheese, grated (.50 cents)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
8 oz. frozen mixed veggies (.50 cents)
2 large chicken breasts, cooked (1.99)
1 container large biscuits (1.49 for a tube of 8, but only used 4--.75)

Cook frozen veggies as instructed on package. (I boiled mine for 3 minutes and then drained.)

In a small bowl, beat egg. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt.Add salt. Taste sauce and add more salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Shred cooked chicken and put in cheese sauce along with cooked veggies. Stir together and place in a 2 qt. pan coated with non stick cooking spray.
Cook in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes. The refrigerated biscuits can cook right along side on a baking sheet.

Scoop up and put a biscuit on top. (You could cook the biscuits right on top of the chicken mixture, but they tend to get soggy this way, and we don't like soggy biscuits.)

Cost = 4.72 to serve 4.

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

Food Waste, 10/15/09

No picture today. My husband cleaned it out before I had a chance to take a picture. We had very little waste though--3 slices of lunch meat and 1 small bowl of fruit salad. It was quite a good week for us.

To report your own food waste or check out other's, visit The Frugal Girl on Fridays.

Words of Wisdom

In an article, “Finding Joy in Frugality” in Parade Magazine by Alix Kates Shulman, she talks about her rules for purchases. She says, “I adopted a set of simple if stringent rules [to save money when she was a grad student] that still make sense today: If you don’t need it, don’t buy it; never buy a new one if your old one works; never buy an expensive one when a lower-priced one will do.”

New Money Challenge

I posted on my monthly goals that I would like to have two no spending months. It would be difficult to have a no spending month this month because it is both my husband's and daughter's birthday month and we are throwing her a one year birthday party. However, now that work has slowed down dramatically (aaaahhhh, deep sigh of relief), I am ready to start saving in earnest again.

Crystal at Money Saving Mom and Gayle at The Grocery Cart Challenge spend $40 and $60 respectively a week for groceries. That works out to roughly $10 a person. I, on the other hand, have been spending $350 to $400 a month on groceries. That comes out to about $25 per person per week.

Yesterday I was digging around my small freezer for chicken, and I am ashamed to admit that I found some meat I had forgotten we even had--several packages of pork chops, 1.5 lbs. turkey burger, etc. I am WAY stocked up, so much that I am forgetting what I am stocked up on. Not a good thing.

So, my goal for the next four weeks is to not spend more than $40 per week on groceries. I will report back every week and let you know how I am doing. While I can't have a no spending month this month, if I succeed at this challenge (and I plan to), I could save roughly $200 this month on groceries alone.

Update:
Week 1 = 30.28
Week 2 = 76.39
Week 3 = 36.21
Week 4 = 29.01

Menu Planning Sunday, 10/11/09

Ah, at last work is slowing down a bit. I am excited to be cooking some meals this week.

Monday--Omelet for Two
Tuesday--Pioneer Woman's Macaroni & Cheese
Wednesday--Beef Kebabs
Thursday--Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup
Friday--Beef Kebabs Pita Pockets
Saturday--spaghetti with meatballs
Sunday--dinner out

Sides for the meals will be fruit or broccoli or carrots.

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Breakfasts will be oatmeal, fruit salad, omelettes and waffles.

Shrimp & Bean Enchiladas

My favorite Mexican restaurant, which happens to be 3 hours from our home, makes yummy shrimp and bean enchiladas. So, when I was hungry for them last week, I had no choice but to try to create them myself. I admit, they are not quite as good as the restaurant's, but they were a good substitution.


1 lb. shrimp
1 can refried beans (or homemade)
tortillas
cheese sauce (I used this recipe here and made it with Chihuahua cheese)


Heat up refried beans on the stove and begin making cheese sauce. Saute the shrimp in a skillet sprayed with no stick spray. Sprinkle the shrimp with paprika, chili pepper and cumin, to taste. When all three ingredients are warm and cooked through, begin assembling.


Layer the refried beans on the bottom, then add shrimp and drizzle with some of the cheese sauce. Roll up and place in a 9 X 9 pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. When all the enchiladas are rolled and in the pan, cover with remaining cheese sauce. Cook in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes until cooked through and cheese is bubbling. Enjoy.

I shared this recipe at The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Food Waste, 10/9/09

This was a good food waste week for us. There is a little bit of macaroni and cheese which we didn't eat and about 1/4 of a Starbuck's caramel creme frappucino. I ordered it when I was doing work at the coffee shop, but it ended up being too sweet for me, so I only had half. I drank some more the next day, and then this is what remained.

CVS--Diapers 75% off!

I stopped by CVS today to get the Scott toilet paper on sale. I had to get a raincheck for that because they were out, but it was so worth my trip!

They had diapers on clearance up front. I paid $3.75 each for the Playskool packs of diapers (60 diapers in a pack) and $4.75 for the Pampers (54 diapers in the pack). I had coupons for these items which would have made the deal even sweeter, but I didn't have them with me, and I was afraid if I went home to go get them, all the diapers would be sold by the time I got back.

I ended up with 8 packs of diapers for a little over $32 ($34.75 including tax.) That comes up to less than 8 cents per diaper!

I Tried Peapod and Liked It!

I am in the last two weeks of craziness at work. That means the end is in sight, but I have A LOT of work to do before life returns to normal. I was swamped this weekend and not feeling like fighting the grocery store crowds when I saw a commercial for Peapod. I decided to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I completed my online grocery shopping within 30 minutes, and it was all delivered to our house 13 hours later. They came exactly at the midway point of the two hour delivery window they gave us. The best part was that the produce was all so fresh, fresher than I can sometimes find in the grocery store. The produce prices were overall much higher than I can find in a grocery store, but there were some good deals to be had. I bought a 4 lb. bag of organic oranges for $4.99 and an 18 pound box of mixed seasonal fruit (apples, pears, nectarines) for $19.99.

It is true that in general, PeaPod’s prices were a bit more expensive (sometimes a lot more expensive) than grocery store prices (for instance, bananas at 39 cents EACH!), but it is possible to get a fairly good deal. I used the code TV2 to get $20 off my first order. They also accept coupons and offer various discounts. For instance, if you sign up for a four hour delivery period instead of a 2 hour window, they give you a $1 off your order. Likewise, they have food that is on sale just like a brick and mortar grocer. I also found that shopping online helped limit some of my impulse buying. I bought just what we needed.

I won’t shop with Peapod every week, but as I finish up this crazy season in my life, I know I will order from them again next week, and I will keep them in mind for other times when life just gets too hectic.

Grocery Shopping Monday, 10/5/09

I went shopping at just one store this week, Peapod, and I bought all my groceries in my pajamas. I was still in my pajamas the next day when they were delivered. (Luckily my husband took the order from the delivery man.)

1 avocado = 1.79

1 buch broccoli stalks = 1.99

1 lb. bag carrots = .99

1 buch green lettuce = 1.79

1 cantaloupe = 2.49

1--4 lb. bag organic oranges = 4.99

1--18 lb. box of fruit = 19.99

1 green pepper = .99

1--5 lb. bag potatoes = 1.50

1 acorn squash = 1.00

1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese slices = 2.49

1/2 lb. deli ham = 1.99

2 gallons milk = 3.98

1--32 oz. tub yogurt = 2.50

1--8 oz. bag shredded cheese = 1.99

1 tub sliced strawberries = 1.79

2 pkgs. tortillas = 3.38
1 loaf bread = 2.39

1 Eggo Mini Muffin tops = 2.99

1 bottle syrup = 2.99

1 box waffles = 1.67

1 can refried beans = 1.65

1 box baby cereal = 2.99

The total was $64.49 after $20 discount (I used the code TV2) and $7.95 delivery fee. Not too bad for not having to leave the house!

Words of Wisdom to Ponder

I was reading in Parade Magazine a few months ago about a woman, Alix Kates Shulman who made frugality a permanent feature of her life, even after she was financially secure and could have changed her habits. She states:

“Like most true transformations, becoming frugal involves a change of mind, heart and perception, not merely of spending habits.”

How true!

The Pioneer Woman's Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

I love homemade macaroni and cheese, but I had yet to find the perfect recipe, until I found this recipe for Macaroni & Cheese by the Pioneer Woman. It is ooey-gooey cheesiness at its best.

I didn't want to make a trip to the store, so I just used ingredients I had on hand. The only pasta I had was Wacky Mac, and the only cheeses I had were Swiss, Parmesan and Mozzarella, and this recipe still tasted amazing! I am planning on making it again with cheddar cheese and regular pasta.

If your family likes macaroni & cheese, try this recipe. It is amazing.

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

New Monthly Goals Update, 10/1/09

I am now back to work full-time and expect to keep my job until at least April. These are the new goals I am working on to help my dream of being a stay-at-home mom a reality.

Save 5 months’ of living expenses. I get nervous when there isn’t any money in the bank. If I am able to quit and my husband takes over as the breadwinner, our income will drop by about 1/3. I would like a cushion to help us deal with that. Thus far we have saved 12%, which is a little more than 2 weeks of living expenses.

Have 2 no spending months. Just based on my salary and our expenses, I do not have enough extra income to save 5 months’ of living expenses. One of the ways we plan to get around this problem is by having several no spending months and putting the difference away. Has not happened yet.

Pay off 50% of my business debt. Yes, I opened my business 4 years ago before I had every heard of Dave Ramsey. In the first two years, I accumulated quite a bit of debt. I want to pay off 50% (or more, if I can) of that debt. Then when I quit my job, we can use some of my eBay income to live off of instead of to repaying debt. To early to tell yet as the billing cycle is just ending.

Sell at least $500 worth of extra household items on eBay. Thus far I have sold $78, so I am 15.5% toward reaching this goal.

I’ll report back every month and let you know how we are doing!