Grocery Shopping, 3/28/10

When I am having the baby and recovering, my mom and aunt will be here to help take care of our other kids. After that, my mom will be here for another week. You'll see, as items go on sale, that I am specifically buying things that I know they eat and drink regularly. It is my small way of saying thank you! for all of the help.


I know this month my grocery bill will be up as I buy those things and prepare to feed two extra adults.

Dominick's:


5 12 pks. Pepsi = $9.98 (Specifically for my mom and aunt)
1 bag Pirate's booty = 2.99
1 carton eggs = .99
2 gallons milk = 3.98
2 pkgs. salmon = 5.07
1 5 lb. box clementines = 4.99

Total = 29.30


Tony's:

Most of my items here were for my freezer cooking day. But (*blush*) I can't find the receipt right now. When I do, I will update this post.

Total = 83.00

Total for the week = 112.30

Total for March = 323.49

Total for the year = 987.84 (82.32/weekly average)

To see the meals we have planned for the week, go here.

To see the freezer meals I am cooking, go here.

My April Freezer Cooking Plan

Being 36 weeks pregnant, I knew I could not do all of my freezer cooking in one day, so I have been doing a little every day since last week. This past weekend I tried to do one large final burst, which turned out to be a mistake. Not only did it make me tired, but I had the unfortunate luck of tripping over a baby gate I was trying to step over (stupid idea when you are my size). My daughter had pulled out the dining room chair so it was right in front of the gate, and yes, down I went, belly directly hitting the back frame of the chair. The chair fell and luckily I landed on my back on the floor. (I also already had an ultrasound scheduled for the next day, and thank goodness, everything looks fine.)

I decided after that graceful incident that I really should listen to my body and slow down until the baby is born. So, here are the freezer meals I have planned. Keep in mind that this is a modified list. I am going to make a few more of them this week and then just be content with what I have in the freezer.

Chicken Pot Pie
Meatballs
Freezer Burritos
Turkey Croquettes
Sloppy Joes
Chicken Enchiladas
Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup
Shredded Salsa Beef

I shared this post at Money Saving Mom.

My Favorite Freezer Cooking OAMC Recipe Resources

Many of you may be planning to join Crystal at Money Saving Mom and Jessica at Life as Mom for their upcoming freezer days. I thought I would share a few of my favorite sources for obtaining freezer cooking recipes.

My favorite, free, option is Recipezaar. I simply type if OAMC (once a month cooking) and up pop literally hundreds of recipes. I try to only pick the recipes that are rated with 4.5 to 5 stars. The nice thing is that each month when I go back, more recipes have been added, so the options are never stagnant. There is always something new to try.

I also turn to my cookbooks sometimes. One of my favorites is Holly Clegg’s Trim & Terrific Freezer Friendly Meals.

This book is great because not only do the recipes taste good, but all of the recipes containing the nutritional information. I find that some freezer cooking sites are not concerned with fat and calories. This cookbook, however, offers both tasty and health conscious meals.

My other favorite cookbook is Don’t Panic—Dinner’s in the Freezer.

I just bought this book in January, and so far I have enjoyed all of the meals I have cooked. The beginning of the book offers a detailed guide for preparing a freezer cooking day from shopping, to cooking to storing. In addition, each recipe contains the ingredients for making just the original recipe, or the recipe x3, x6, x9. They make all of the measurement adjustments for you, which is great. One less thing to think about during crazy cooking days.

These are the sources I use to get 90% of my recipes for freezer cooking. Do you have other resources you use?

I shared this post at Works for Me Wednesdays.

Menu Planning, 3/28/10

While going through my freezer a few days ago, I found several freezer meals I made back in August (!!!) that we need to eat up to make room for the new freezer meals I am making this week. So, here is the menu plan for the week:

Monday--Beef & Cheese Lasagna and salad
Tuesday--Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage Gumbo
Wednesday--Mustard Chicken, Cheddar Twists and salad
Thursday--Cheeseburgers, Oven Potato Wedges & sugar snap peas
Friday--Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup & Cheddar Twists
Saturday--Beef Quesadillas & a veggie
Sunday--dinner out

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Breakfasts will be omelets, french toast, smoothies, toast, etc.

Jill Cataldo on Nightline

Did you watch Nightline last night? One of my favorite Chicagoland coupon bloggers, Jill Cataldo, appeared on a segment along with a man from Kentucky who has a site, We Use Coupons. Nightline challenged them to see how many groceries they could purchase with $50.

Click here to watch the clip. They have couponing finesse I could only dream of.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup

I got this recipe from the Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes that my husband got me for Christmas. I tweaked the recipe a bit because I did not have all of the ingredients, so here is my version. This soup is Yummy!

6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2.5 cups water
2 tbsp. onion dry soup mix
¼ tsp. pepper
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 – 12 oz. can evaporated milk

In a slow cooker, combine potatoes, water, onion dry soup mix, and pepper. Stir. Cover; cook on low heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or high-heat setting for 4 to 4.5 hours.

Stir cheese and milk into mixture in cooker. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 1 hour more or on high-heat setting for 30 minutes more. Mash potatoes slightly, if desired.

(I tried to take a picture of this, but honestly, the picture did not do the soup justice. Take my word for it, it is delicious.)

I shared this post at The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Food Waste, 3/25/10

We wasted two items this week. The first was a container of soup from our disaster Olive Garden like meal (that was nothing like Olive Garden's soup.) In addition to the bowls of soup we ate for the original dinner, we had three containers this size leftover. Considering none of us liked it much and that we still tried to eat it once a day to use up the leftovers, I don't feel that bad about this waste.

The other little container of soup is tomato, which we all like, but it got pushed to the back on the bottom shelf where it was undiscovered for a few weeks.

Estimated cost for this week's waste: 2.50

Total waste since February 1st: 15.08.

Beautiful Blogger Award

I received a Beautiful Blogger Award from Erin at Just a Day in the Life of This Mommy . . . (Thanks, Erin!).

The Rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

7 things about me:
1. My wavy hair turned extra curly after my children were born.
2. My favorite movie is Dead Poet’s Society.
3. My favorite book is The Grapes of Wrath.
4. I love Lost and can’t quite figure out how they are going to wrap up the show in just 7 more episodes.
5. Belly buttons gross me out.
6. On my maternal side, I have 31 first cousins.
7. I first began writing short stories in 2nd grade. (It was a story about a tornado and a family with 7 kids that went through it.)

The award goes to:

Milk Donor Mama

Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures

Life as Mom

The Frugal Girl

The Grocery Cart Challenge

Money Saving Mom

Faithful Homemaking

Jill Cataldo

Blessed with Grace

Eat Like Me Self

Money Saving Methods

Boys Don't Like Funny Girls

We are That Family

Would You Like to Guest Post?

I am looking for a few people who would be interested in guest posting on this blog (or my Dining Out Challenge blog) in late April and early May when I am having the baby and recovering.

If you are interested, please contact me at sidelinemoney {at} yahoo [dot] com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Grocery Shopping, 3/23/10

I spent WAY too much for groceries this week. Part of it was stocking up to make quite a few freezer meals for when the baby comes. Part of it was just spontaneous buying (like cheesecake mix). Part of it was spring fever. I couldn’t resist the sausage and the salad dressing; I think I had summertime barbecuing on my mind.

After the baby is born, I won’t be able to drive for a few weeks, so it will just be my husband picking up basics. Hopefully our grocery bill will drop A LOT then. Here are the damages:

Dominick’s:

3 Kraft salad dressings = 3.87
1 can tomato paste = .99
1 bottle basil = 2.07
2 cans tomato sauce = 2.70
1 pkg. Oreos = 1.99
1 box spaghetti = .88
1 dozen eggs = 1.39
2 gallons milk = 3.98
1 tub yogurt = 1.99
2 pkgs. butter = 5.98 – 2.00 Q = 3.98
2 pkgs. sausage = 3.98
1 pkg. Lil’ Smokies = 2.99
4 lbs. ground turkey = 7.96

Total = 42.39

Food4Less:

2 bottles juice = 1.98
1 10 lb. bag potatoes = 2.48
2.13 lbs. fuji apples = 2.51
2.56 lb.s pears = 2.28
2.29 lbs. bananas = 1.33
4 pkgs. cheese = 5.00
1 jar applesauce = 1.48
1 box cheesecake = 2.54
1 jar peanut butter = 1.25
3 loaves cinnamon bread = 5.00

Total = 26.48

Food4Less Trip 2:

1 roll paper towel = .84
2 boxes whole wheat spaghetti = 1.76
1 container cat litter = 5.28
1 loaf bread = .98
1 bag hot dog buns = 1.88
1 jar bread crumbs = .98
2 cans evaporated milk = 1.76
1 jar olive oil = 4.28
1 4 pk toilet paper = .88
1 box garlic cheese bread = 2.28
1 pineapple = 2.00
1 pkg. coffee filters = 1.00
1 pkg. hamburger buns = 1.99
3 pkgs. tortillas = 4.05
1 pkg. brown sugar = 1.48
1 pkg. pinto beans = 1.26
2 tomatoes = .95
3 lbs. bananas = 1.76
1 avocado = .69
2 pkgs. taco seasoning = .88
3 cans cat food = 1.37
2 lbs. pears = 2.15
1 bag salad greens = 1.50

Total = 43.68

Total for the week = 118.81 + CVS trip = 6.66 = (YIKES!!)

Total for March = 211.19

Total for the year = 875.54 (79.59/week average)

To see the meals we have planned for the week, go here.

How We Used Our Tax Refund

I ran a poll on my sidebar about how people planned to utilize their tax refund. So, I thought I would share with you what we did with ours. What follows is the percentage of how we distributed our tax refund.

Savings = 86%
Paying down debt = 10%
Nice dinner out = 1.0%
My blow money = 1.5%
My husband’s blow money = 1.5%

I used my blow money to get another 3D ultrasound. We still do not have a name for our baby, so I thought seeing her again might help. After we went, it did help us settle on what we think we will name her. In just 4 short weeks we’ll see her in person!

My husband is still deciding what to do with his money. My guess is he might make it all through the summer before he decides what to spend it on.

Menu Planning, 3/21/10

My strategy for making freezer meals is just to make extra of a meal I am already making for dinner and stick some in the freezer. Now that I am 35 weeks pregnant and standing on my feet for a long time is not an option, this is also the best way I can fill the freezer with yummy meals before the baby comes. You'll notice over the next few weeks many meals that will not only make it to our table now, but also be put in the freezer for later.

Monday--Cheesy Potato Soup & Lil' Smokies, broccoli
Tuesday--Freezer Burritos, lettuce, tomato & avacado
Wednesday--Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes & Oven Potato Wedges, mixed veggies
Thursday--Shredded salsa beef quesadillas, lettuce, tomato & avacado
Friday--Grammy's Tuna Noodle Casserole
Saturday--Dinner Out
Sunday--Spaghetti with Meatballs, carrots

Breakfasts will be our usual--omelettes, pancakes, toast, oatmeal, etc.
Lunches will be leftovers or sandwiches

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

CVS, 3/21/10

I haven't been to CVS in several weeks, and I was completely out of ECBs, but just last week I received a survey from CVS in my inbox. I completed it and received $5 ECBs. Here is how I rolled it:

Transaction 1:

1 pkg. Pampers $8.97 - 2.00 Q = 6.97

used $5 ECBs, paid $2.33, earned $3 ECBs

Transaction 2:

1 Colgate Total Advanced = 3.99 - 1.00 Q = 2.99

used $3 ECBs from Transaction 1, paid $0.54, earned $3.99 ECBs

Transaction 3:

1 pkg. Pampers $8.97 - 2.00 Q = 6.97

used $3.99 ECBs from Transaction 2, paid $3.79, earned $3 ECBs

I paid a total of $6.66 OOP and saved $23.93 or 78%.

I shared this post at Money Saving Mom.

Great Huggies Coupon

See my sidebar for a $3.00 off Huggies coupon from coupons.com. This is a great one to hold onto for future diaper sales.

My Disaster Meal - Trying to Make Food Like Olive Garden

I like Olive Garden’s minestrone soup and breadsticks, but the last time my husband and I had date night there, the food seemed very salty, and we haven’t been back since. So, when I found recipes on recipezaar for Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup and another for Olive Garden breadsticks, I knew I had to try them.

I used several bags of vegetables from my freezer that I had stored since last July. They were a bit freezer burnt, which did not enhance the flavor of the soup. It was still edible, but not Olive Garden quality.

My big fail came with the breadsticks. The recipe only required 1 tsp. of yeast, which didn’t seem like enough for 2 cups of flour. And, the recipe didn’t say anything about the temperature of water to add, so I added lukewarm water to be safe. Now, the recipe could be at fault, or perhaps it was me, or my yeast package that was already open and several months old. Whatever the cause, my sad little breadsticks never doubled in size as they rested; in fact their size never changed.

My husband was hungry, and after waiting 40 minutes for the dough to rise, he suggested I just go ahead and cook them up in the oven. They still never expanded!! They came out as hard little breadsticks that had the texture of a rock.

I was all excited about this meal and was going to post it on my Friday recipe section. I am still posting it today, but as a frugal flop.

I shared this post at Friday Fails.

Food Waste, 3/18/10

I have been reading the blog We Are That Family about the writer’s trip to Africa and all that she has seen. After having read of the poverty there, I feel especially embarrassed to share my food waste this week. We do live in the land of plenty; I should do my best not to squander it. Next week must be better.

½ package of broccoli = .75
Leftover turkey rice casserole = 2.45
1 strip leftover lasagna = 1.00½ package ham lunch meat = 1.00 (note to self—if I buy this a few days before the expiration date to save money because it is marked down, I must first make sure we will have enough time before it expires to eat it all)

This week’s waste = 5.20

Total wasted since February 1st = 12.58

Goals for the Weeks Before Baby #3 is Born

I am now officially on maternity leave, and just 34 short days from now, our third child will be born. (The only good thing about a mandatory c-section is that at least I can make firm plans and know exactly when the baby will arrive, unless, of course, she decides to come early.)

Now that I am through working, I can focus on our house, which is in sore need of attention. Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that I love lists, so here is my list of things to accomplish in the next 5 weeks:

Clean our bedroom and rearrange the furniture so there is room for the baby.

Clean out our small dresser to make room for the baby’s clothes.

Clean our living room book case. The bottom two shelves where my 16 month old daughter can reach are very neat and full of her books. The upper three shelves are a cluttered mess, and now that she is growing taller, she is starting to reach up there. I can just see everything falling on her head.

Clean our entry way.

Write several freelance articles.

Make at least 15 freezer meals for after the baby comes, which should get our freezer meal total up to 20 to 25 meals.

Declutter the house. I am going to set the goal of getting rid of 200 items in the next 5 weeks.

List all of my son’s outgrown summer clothes on eBay and sell them all.

Most importantly, decide on a name for the baby!!!!

Grocery Shopping, 3/16/10

My goal for the year was to try to average $50 per week on groceries. I am beginning to feel that that goal may be a bit unrealistic as I have diapers for two kids under two, cat food and litter and toiletries included in that amount.

Mitsuwa:

2 pkgs. noodles = 1.18
1 pkg. instant chirashi = 2.99
Dashi = 3.99
Soba noodles = 1.99
4 boxes of tofu = 5.15
1 pkg. chikuwa = 1.49

Total = 17.17

Food4Less:

1 head cabbage = .87Corned beef = 3.84
4 packages cheese = 5.00
2 bottles apple juice = 1.98
1 loaf bread = 1.88
3 loaves Cinnabon bread = 5.00
5 pears = 2.19
1 lb. bag carrots = .68
1.33 lbs. bananas = .52

Total = 22.57

Total for the week = 39.74

Total for March = 91.98

Total for the year = 756.73 (75.76 week/average)

To see our menu for the week, go here.

An Irish Meal - Corned Beef & Cabbage & Creme de Menthe Cookies

My maternal grandmother was 100% Irish, which makes me at least 25% Irish; I am assuming that there is some Irish on my dad’s side also, but I will have to wait until the kids grow up more before I can pursue genealogy research as I would like to do.

Although I am the one with Irish blood, it is my husband who craves corn beef and cabbage every year, so we decided to have an Irish meal this Sunday.
.
To make the corn beef and cabbage, all my husband did was put the beef in a pot and almost covered it with water, added the seasoning packet that came with the meat and let it simmer for about 40 minutes. He then added chopped cabbage, carrots and potatoes and let it simmer for another hour. My husband and kids love this dish; I had a piece of toast with peanut butter instead.


My son and I did make Irish cookies today. I found Crème De Menthe Balls (No Bake Cookies), and knew we had to make them. These tasted like the inside of a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie. They were very good; I gave up chocolate 8 months ago, but I think they would be absolutely delicious dipped in milk chocolate instead of covered in powdered sugar.

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

Menu Planning, 3/14/10

This weekend we have several events to go to, so I am only responsible for putting dinner on the table five nights this week. That is a nice feeling!

Monday--Perfect Little Smokies, pasta, broccoli
Tuesday--Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup, bread
Wednesday--Split Pea Soup & homemade bread
Thursday--Breakfast burritos & strawberry-blueberry-banana smoothies
Friday--Dinner out at church
Saturday--Dinner out
Sunday--breakfast out, grilled cheese & tomato soup

(Can you tell this baby is starting to zap my energy? This week's menu is all about simplicity.)

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

Save $23 Eating Out

Would you like to save $23 off your next restaurant meal? If so, check out my post here on how to save that much between now and 3/16/10.

Parmesan Garlic Chicken Breasts - OAMC

One of the meals I made last week during my freezer cooking day was Parmesan Garlic Chicken on recipezaar.com. A reader asked me about it, and I have to tell you, it was delicious!

However, I did not have all of the ingredients, so I prepared them based on what we had on hand. All I did was dip a chicken breast in Italian dressing on each side and then, in a separate pan, dipped it in shredded Parmesan cheese. I wrapped each breast in plastic wrap and put them all in a freezer bag.

We have had this meal once, and we really loved them. The flavor was great, and the recipe couldn’t be easier.

If you are taking these from the freezer, bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Because I took large chicken breasts and sliced them in half to make them stretch, I didn’t even need to thaw these. I just put them in the oven frozen, and they were ready in the recommended time. (If you have thick chicken breasts, you should probably defrost them first.) Enjoy!

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

Food Waste, 3/11/10

Ah, it is a rare sight--no food waste!! Yeah!

After a few weeks of wasting too much food, we finally have a no food waste week. It wasn't even particularly hard this week. I think just trying to limit my grocery budget and bringing less food into the house helped enormously.

Also, this week my husband has been the stay at home dad taking care of our daughter because I am at work quite a bit wrapping things up before maternity leave, and he is always very good (much better than me) at finishing up leftovers.

Shopping in the Closet

My husband and I were married nearly 10 years ago. We had a registry, and as often happens, some items were duplicated such as kitchen and bath towels and toasters. (We received 3 toasters!)

While we returned one of the toasters, we kept the spare and all of the towels, even though there were more than we registered for. We put all of the extras in a plastic tub and stored them in the basement of our apartment. We have already gone through both toasters.

Last year, when our kitchen towels started to look quite worn and a few had developed holes, we didn’t go shopping at the store for new ones, we shopped in our tub in the basement. Now we have nice, new kitchen towels that didn’t cost us a dime.

I shared this post at Works for Me Wednesdays.

Grocery Shopping, 3/7/10

Dominick's:

6 frozen meals = 7.75 (on clearance)
2 gallons milk = 3.98
18 eggs = 2.19
2 pkgs. cheese = 2.49
1 pkg. hot dogs = .59
3 pack seasoned tilapia = 5.99
1 – 16 oz. lunch meat = 1.99
4 fuji apples = 1.86
8 lb. bag oranges = 3.99
1 small container ice cream = 1.00

Total = 33.00

Dominick’s Trip 2 (no picture):
2 packages Oreos = 5.00
3 cans cat food = 1.50
2 gallons milk = 3.98
1 – 32 oz. yogurt = 1.99
1 pkg. cinnamon bread = 2.19
2 loaves whole wheat bread = 3.00

Total = 19.24

Total for the week = 52.24
Total for March = 52.24
Total for the year = 716.79 (79.64/week average)

How We Have Wasted Money Over the Years

I created this blog so that I can relearn how to be frugal. My husband and I were fairly good at frugality early in our marriage, but as my income increased and we became busier, we lived a life of convenience, and, from the frugal perspective, decadence.

I remember one summer we learned about an all you can eat sushi buffet. How much was this buffet? Oh, $25 a person. Despite the price, we went many times that summer. I would say at least 8 times. $400.

We used to air dry our clothes, but we gave that up because in the winter months they took too long to dry inside our apartment. At least three years we dried all of our clothes. $468.

We routinely spent roughly $440 on groceries a month for the past 5 years, when I now know we could have easily cut that down the $350 by just shopping around. $5400.

I bought an exercise bike to get in shape, but I only used it for 3 months because it was so uncomfortable. $500

We moved up to a two bedroom apartment from a one bedroom apartment a year before my son was born. We could have easily stayed in our one bedroom apartment for that year I was pregnant. The rent for the two bedroom was $900; it was $650 for the one bedroom. $3000.

My husband’s family was coming from overseas to visit after our son was born. We would have had to rent a van, and since we had been contemplating buying a mini van anyway, we went ahead and purchased one even though our little car would have worked for another year or two. Our car payment jumped from $250 to $470. Just in year’s time, that is $2640. (We did work very hard and paid off the minivan in 3.5 years instead of the 5 years on the loan.)

These are just some of the big examples that come to mind; I am sure that there were many, many little instances of squandering money that would also add up.

The good news is that now we are much more conscious of our spending. Still, it is interesting to reflect on the ways money slipped through our hands when we stopped practicing frugality.

Menu Planning, 3/7/10

This week is my last full week of work before I begin my maternity leave, and I expect it to be crazy. Luckily, I have some older freezer meals in the freezer, so we will be eating those both for the convenience and to get rid of them so I can have the freezer fully stocked with fresh freezer meals before the baby comes in 6 short weeks! (I can't believe she will be coming so soon; now if we could only agree on a name.)

Monday--Wild Rice & Turkey Soup, bread, salad
Tuesday--Slow Cooker Smoked Sausage Gumbo, broccoli
Wednesday--Quiche in a Bag, Strawberry-Blueberry Smoothies
Thursday--Creamy Turkey Rice Bake, baby carrots
Friday--Vegetable Lasagna
Saturday--Dinner Out
Sunday--Beans & Rice over Nachos with Grated Cheese

Lunches will be sandwiches, leftovers, and frozen meals I got on clearance at the store for $1 to $1.50.

Breakfasts will be oatmeal, mueseli, pancakes, toast or eggs.

Check Out My Guest Post

I am guest posting today over at Bargain Hoot about buying kids' clothes at Gymboree on the cheap and then selling them on eBay after the kids have outgrown them. Check it out.

You might want to also peruse through her site; she has great DIY info and decorating suggestions.

Our Favorite Pumpkin Bread

I never used to cook much with pumpkin, but this past fall, I made a pumpkin bread that our whole family enjoys. It is a regular staple on freezer cooking days, and my daughter inhales it. Since I have mentioned it so often, a reader asked for the recipe. I found it here on recipezaar.com and follow it exactly. The only thing I do differently is cut the recipe in half and bake it in a 9 x 13 pan since we don’t have any loaf pans. I then cut it into 4 equal pieces and freeze them in foil to enjoy later.

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

Food Waste, 3/5/10

We didn't waste much this week, but what we did waste surprised me--our favorite meatloaf. (It looks much more appetizing when it is fresh and not over a week old in the food waste pile!)

I can't really figure out how this happened except I made it last Thursday, and then we were out of town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which left us really only a day to eat it and still be in the safe window. I don't know. Usually this leftover is in hot demand. I can fairly confidentally say this won't be waste you will often see from us.

This week's waste = 1.59
Total wasted since February 1st = 7.38

Grocery Shopping, 2/27/10

Some women go through nesting before their baby is born. I am not experiencing nesting in the form of cleaning, but rather in the form of stockpiling diapers and wipes. I think something about the idea of having two little ones in diapers is freaking me out. I have a huge stockpile now both for my 16 month old daughter and the baby soon to come. It is great to have such a stockpile, but it is not helping my grocery bill’s bottom line (excuse the pun!)

CVS:

8 pkgs. wipes = 10.00 (I only have a picture of 4 of them)
(I had a $10 ECB about to expire, and I took advantage of the great wipes deal last week--$2.50 per package, so I got these super cheap.)

Babies R Us:

2 large cases of diapers = 71.25
1 large box of wipes = 12.72
Total = 83.97 (I also received a $15 Babies R Us gift card)

Meijer:

2.83 lbs. bananas = 1.25
1 pkg. taco seasoning = .49
2.11 lbs. grapes = 2.49
2 pkgs. cream cheese =3.18
1 bunch broccoli = 1.79
2 V-8 Splash = 3.98
1 jar salsa = 2.19
4 pkgs. chicken breasts = 15.84
2 boxes pasta = 1.98
1.91 lbs. pears = 2.25
1.81 lbs. apples = 2.33
1 jar salad dressing =1.49
1 – 4 lb. bag oranges = 2.99
2 pkgs. chunk cheese = 5.98
2 boxes cereal = 6.98
1 bag parmesan cheese = 2.00

Total = 57.21

Total for the week = 161.18
Total for February = 347.24
Total for the year = 664.55 (83.06/week average)

To see the freezer meals I made for March with these groceries, go here.

Monthly Goals Update - March

Our third baby is due in 7 short weeks, and in about 2.5 months, I will be without a paycheck. Here are our goals for weathering this financial storm, so to speak, and our progress:

Save 5 months’ of living expenses. Thus far we have saved 58.6%, which is almost 3 months 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. This not happened yet.

Sell at least $500 worth of extra household items on eBay. In January, thanks to some old textbooks my husband had to sell, I sold $221, (in addition to the $310 I sold in September - December) so I have sold a total of $531, making this goal 100% complete.

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

Freezer Cooking Day Wrap Up

I made a few of my freezer meals late last week knowing I would be out of town this weekend, and then I made a few more Monday evening. All in all, I am quite pleased with how stocked our freezer is now; hopefully I will see a significant drop in our grocery bill in March (especially since I am still overbudget for the year!)

Here is what I ended up making late last week:

8 Baked Ham Sandwiches


(Assembling the ham sandwiches)

A bag of Oven Wedge Fries & 10 Stuffed Potatoes Primavera (see my post here for recipe links and pictures)

2 loaves of Pumpkin Bread

1 loaf of Lighter Meatloaf

Monday I made these items:

2 pans Favorite Mac & Cheese

8 Parmesan Garlic Chicken Breasts

12 Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken Breasts

(We had the Favorite Macaroni & Cheese and Parmesan Garlic Chicken Breasts for dinner with baby carrots. They were both yummy!)

I estimate this will make 11 to 12 meals for us. That will come in handy next week as I finish up my last week of work before my maternity leave.

What To Do With 10 Pounds of Potatoes

I love potatoes, but we frequently buy 5 lb. bags that go bad. (Unfortunately potatoes entered my food waste repertoire two weeks ago.)

Ten pound bags of potatoes were on sale at my grocery store for $1.99, so I really wanted to take advantage of the deal, but I didn’t want to buy them just so they could eventually make it to my food waste pile.

Here are three things I did with all those potatoes to make sure they don’t go to waste:

First, I took 12 potatoes and sliced them into thick slices. I followed this recipe for Once a Month Cooking Oven Potato Wedges. I seasoned them with onion dry soup mix, and they were yummy. We ate some for dinner the night I prepared them, and the rest our in the freezer waiting for a busy night.


Next, I prepared Stuffed Potatoes Primavera from my Holly Clegg Freezer Friendly Meals cookbook. We have made these before and frozen them for several months; they are very good reheated.

Finally, I did some research on how to properly store potatoes as half of my five pound bag went bad two weeks ago, and a few readers also gave me suggestions.

First, I learned that it is BAD to store them in the plastic bag they come in because air can’t circulate. I had 8 potatoes left after all of my cooking, so I took a brown paper sack, cut holes in it for air circulation and put the remaining potatoes in there. Now I know to check them every week or so and take out any that have sprouted. Hopefully this will be the end of my potato waste, and we have some yummy potato side dishes in our freezer waiting for us.

I shared this post at Works for Me Wednesdays.