Grocery Shopping, Abbreviated Version

Last week I did not post my groceries, which is too bad, since it was one of my more frugal weeks. I spent $55.00 for groceries. (And now that week is a blur, so there are no pictures or receipts.)

This week I spent $119.97 (and I only brought $120 in cash to the grocery store with me!) to buy everything I need for the freezer meals I plan to make. (You can see details for those meals here and here.)

So, my grand total for two weeks was $174.97.

My total for the year is $1966.84 (98.34/week)

I shared this post at The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Planning, 5/31/10

I made alot of freezer meal breakfasts last week. Now, I am going to make double or triple of our meals this week to stock the freezer. It will be so handy to have breakfasts, lunches and dinners ready to go in the freezer if I need them.

Monday--dinner out
Tuesday--Freezer Burritos,
Wednesday--Crockpot Chicken, Cheese & Bean Burritos
Thursday--Cheeseburger Rolls
Friday--Chicken Quesadillas
Saturday--Weight Watchers General Tso's Chicken
Sunday--Weight Watchers Chicken Salad Wraps

We will also be making the following freezer meal snacks/desserts:
Breakfast Oaties,
Peanut Butter Honey Bars

Oven Baked Ham Sandwiches - OAMC

This is the easiest once a month cooking freezer meal ever!

My husband and I eat these frequently for lunch. To prepare:

On a whole wheat bun, add ham and swiss cheese. Wrap in foil and place wrapped sandwiches in a freezer bag. When ready, heat at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

I was worried the bread would get soggy, but when cooked in the foil wrap, it actually gets a little crispy. Yum.

I got the original recipe, which included more condiments we don't use, here on recipezaar.

I shared this post at Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays and $5 Dinners.

My Costly Four Day Mistake

I received a phone call yesterday from the hospital where I delivered telling me they were having trouble processing the bill for my daughter because the insurance company said my baby was not on their list of insured. I immediately called my place of employment and was told I needed to fill out a form to add her to my insurance. I went to my job within two hours of that phone call and filled out the form.

Today I learned that my employer has denied coverage of the baby. Why? It says in our contract that an employee must add dependents within 31 days of the baby’s birth. I filled out the form on day 35. This is a policy my employer implements; the insurance company does not. My employer can choose to waive the deadline, but chose not to. I honestly did not know I had to fill out this form. I somehow thought the insurance would just add her on based on the delivery at the hospital. Looking at it now, I can see that this was a naïve thing to think.

I understand that my employer is abiding by the laws of the contract, but I am just sick about this. We will now have to pay for hospital bills for my daughter related to the birth, four doctors’ appointments, and one blood draw. Not to mentions that she is currently uninsured and I have to scramble to find health insurance for her. (She won’t be covered by my employer’s insurance until January 1, 2011.) This is going to be a huge financial hit. We have a healthy emergency fund, but I see it being partly depleted because of this oversight.

Take Advantage of Birthday Freebies

Is it your birthday soon? Make sure to enjoy some of the freebies restaurants are offering for birthdays. Check out my article, Restaurant Birthday Freebies, to take advantage of the many offers for free restaurant food on your birthday or your birthday month.

My Freezer Cooking OAMC Plan

In just one more short week, I will be considered fully recovered from my c-section and my limit of not lifting more than my baby will be removed. (Thank goodness! I can finally pick up my 18 month old again!)

My husband has been working from home, but he plans to go to school nearly every day starting next week. That will find me alone with two kids under 19 months. It will be an experience, I am sure. I don’t want to worry about cooking, at least not my lunch when I am taking care of the girls, and maybe not our dinner sometimes.

In addition, my husband always cooks breakfast in the morning. (Yes, I love that he does this!) The breakfasts he makes usually include a fruit cut up, eggs in some fashion and oatmeal. In addition, he packs his lunch and my son’s. It is a lot for him to do in the morning. Since we are trying to get our newborn on the same schedule as our 18 month old, he has agreed to get up with all three kids at 5:30 a.m. when they usually wake up so I can sleep a bit longer since I am up nursing several times a night. To make life easier on him, I have included several breakfast entrees in my freezer meal plan this month.

I have never actually written down a plan, step-by-step for making my freezer meals, but considering the quantity I am making, I am trying a plan this month to see if it makes the process smoother.

Here is the plan for the next few days as I attempt to restock the freezer:

Day One
Make pancakes and freeze
Cook 8 cups of black beans and 4 cups of pinto beans
Cook brown rice
Assemble No Meat Burritos
Start Crockpot Chicken Beans & Cheese Burritos
Make French toast sticks
Bake eggs for breakfast sandwiches

Day Two
Marinate meat for steak & egg burritos
Cook sausage for breakfast sandwiches
Assemble breakfast sandwiches
Scramble eggs for steak & egg burritos & breakfast burritos
Shred & cook potatoes for breakfast burritos
Cook bacon for breakfast burritos
Assemble breakfast burritos
Cook steak
Assemble steak & egg burritos

Day Three
Make cheeseburger rolls

I’ll report back with my progress in a few days!

My Best Life Summer - Part One

I always hear Oprah referring to “Your Best Life.” I have decided this summer to focus on living my best life. In the next few weeks, I will outline some of the changes I am making.

The most important change for me personally is losing weight. I am nearing 40, and I now have three small children depending on me and my husband. I want to lose weight not because I will look better (although that will certainly be a nice perk), but because I want to stay healthy. By the time my littlest one graduates from high school, I will be close to 60. (That seems crazy to even think about!) I want to be healthy.

It is also important because my own father died of cancer at 38. I know personally how that loss can affect a child, and I would like to do all I can to prevent my children from suffering that same loss.

To this end, I have taken two important steps. First, I have signed up for Weight Watchers online. I chose the online format because I don’t really have time to go to a meeting with a 1 month old and a 19 month old. Also, it is cheaper in the online format--$5 per week. I also read about E-Mealz and signed up for a three month subscription. I used the code “Dave” and received $2.50 off, so it ended up costing me roughly $1 a week. I signed up for the points plan to coincide with following Weight Watchers. I have tried it for a week now, and I really love it. The plan takes all of the thinking out of meal preparation.

My first goal is to lose the remainder of the baby weight. I have 13 more pounds to go to accomplish this goal.

I’ll continue to update my weight loss successes and also to share more changes I would like to make to achieve my best life.

Menu Planning, 5/23/10

It is supposed to be hot here the next few days, so I picked simple meals that wouldn't heat up the kitchen.

Monday--BLT salad, garlic bread, applesauce
Tuesday--Freezer burritos, sauteed spinach
Wednesday--OAMC Baked ham sandwiches, broccoli, baby carrots
Thursday--OAMC Salsa Dump Chicken tacos, sauteed spinach
Friday--dinner out
Saturday--family picnic
Sunday--family picnic

Breakfasts will be eggs, toast, omelettes, yogurt, muffins

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Chicken Pot Pie – OAMC

This is another dish from one of my favorite once a month cooking cookbooks, Don’t Panic Dinner’s in the Freezer.

1-10 oz. pkg. frozen mixed veggies
½ cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
¼ c. butter
1/3 cup flour
½ t. salt
¼ t. sage
1/8 t. pepper
2 cups water
¾ cup milk
1 tbsp. chicken bouillon
3 cups cooked chicken

Cook veggies according to package directions; drain. Cook mushrooms in butter until tender, but not brown. Stir in flour, salt, sage and pepper. Add water, milk and bouillon granules all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more. Stir in drained cooked vegetables, chicken or turkey; heat until bubbly. Freeze. (I use this method to maximize freezer space.)

On cooking day, thaw completely. I use two store bought pie crusts. Put the mix in the bottom one and put the other crust on top and pinch the sides closed. Bake in pie shell in 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe makes two standard 9 inch pies or 1 deep dish pie.

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

It's Been a Crazy Month!

Today Delaney turns one month old. She is getting so big and has already outgrown several of her 0-3 month clothes. I am enjoying this time as I know it will be the last time we have a newborn baby.

In the month since her birth, our house has gone a bit crazy. The first two weeks were uneventful. Then, we all started getting sick. We, as a family, have not been sick in quite a long time, so it is odd we all started getting different ailments. I had strep throat, and the first batch of medicine apparently didn't kill it all because it came back and I am on medicine again.

My husband got strep throat from me.

Then, my son, who has allergies and was on Zyrtec, got pink eye from his allergies. Because Zyrtec was recalled and he couldn't take it, he started feeling miserable again. Then he got a staph infection. (He got these frequently a few years ago, but hasn't had them since he was 3.)

Yesterday, my husband and 18 month old daughter came down with a funky stomach bug. Yes, all of this in the last two weeks. I think we have visited the doctor more in two weeks than we did in the last year and a half!

So, here is hoping that everything settles down and we can focus on Delaney and enjoying this gorgeous summer weather.

Food Waste, 5/20/10

Well, after several weeks of way too much waste, I am pleased to say that this week we had no food waste!

We just cooked smaller meals and did not have very many leftovers, which probably helped. I am hoping from now on that the food waste is much less than the previous few weeks or non-existant.

How did you do? Check out the Frugal Girl's blog every Friday to see how others are doing avoiding waste.

Grocery Shopping, 5/16/10

I began the year with a goal to spend only $50 a week for all food, cleaning and personal care items for two adults and three kids, cat food and litter for two cats and diapers for two kids under two. I am beginning to see that this goal was a bit unrealistic.

However, I know I can do better than my current average of nearly $100 a week. This summer, as things start to settle down at our house (and hopefully as the baby begins to sleep more through the night), I plan to tackle the grocery bill.

Right now, the steps I plan to take include clipping coupons regularly, using less convenience foods, and ordering Jill Cataldo's super couponing DVD so I can further learn how to work the sales. However, at this current time in my life, I am lucky to get a shower and fresh clothes in the morning, so I will wait a few more weeks to tackle this goal, hopefully as things settle down here.

Tony's Finer Foods:



1 pkg. salmon fillets = 4.99
2.48 lbs. pears = 2.43
Grapefruit = 1.17
1 bunch romaine lettuce = .39
5 plum tomatoes = .86
3 lemons = 1. 00
4 apples = 1.15
1 pkg. strawberries = 2.00
1 bunch broccoli = .69
1 avocado = .98
1 bunch bananas = 1.49
1 pkg. sub buns = 3.79
1 loaf bread = 1.69
1 loaf cinnamon bread = 2.29
1 bag hot dog buns = .99
1 pkg. Chihuahua cheese = 4.99
1 carton yogurt = 2.50
2 dozen eggs = 1.38
1 gallon milk = 2.19
½ lb. mozzarella cheese = 1.71
½ lb. American cheese = 1.88
1 lb. ham = 4.13
1 bottle prune juice = 3.99
1 box whole grain linguine = 1.25
Smucker's natural peanut butter = 2.99
3 cans cat food = 1.34
1 container sour cream = 1.79

Total = 58.40


Walgreen’s (no picture):
4 packs diapers = 19.96

Dominick’s (no picture):
2 – 3 packs yeast = 1.48
1 pkg. sausage = 2.50
1 pkg. ham = 3.99
1 pkg. turkey sausage = 2.50

Total = 10.71

Jewel-Osco:

5# bag potatoes = 1.99
1 cantaloupe = 1.99
2 grapefruits = 1.98
1 pkg. blueberries = 1.48
2.71 lbs. grapes = 2.66
2 pkgs. strawberries = 6.00
2 bags spinach = 5.98
1 mango = .99
1 box pancake mix = 2.99
1 container whip topping = 1.29
1 pkg. tortillas = .99
3 boxes Lean Pockets = 6.00
1 box turkey links = 2.99
1 bag butterscotch chips = 2.49

Total = 40.97 – 7.00 catalinas = 33.97

Total for the week = 123.04

Total for May = 166.70

Total for recent beef purchase =363.00

Total for the year = 1791.87 (99.55/week)

Do You Automatically Deposit Your Savings?

Last year when I returned to work and knew that baby #3 was on the way, I decided to have $250 taken out of my paycheck and automatically deposited in my savings account in a different state. That adds up to $500 a month.

I had been reluctant to do this previously because I thought I needed the money. However, knowing I wanted to stay home with my kids motivated me to finally make this change because what I really needed was a healthy emergency fund.

I’ll be honest and tell you the dip in take home pay was difficult to get used to at first, but within 3 to 4 paychecks, I adjusted to my new take home salary. Now I don’t even think about the money being sent to my savings. Meanwhile, the amount is steadily climbing, and because I do not have any access to the money unless I ask my mom to take some out and send it to me, I am not tempted to dip into it.

Have you tried to automatically send a portion of your check to a savings account? Trust me, in a month or so you will not even miss the amount and your savings will grow.

How Does Your Parent's Financial Example Affect You?

Within the last several weeks, two of the bloggers I read regularly have written posts about their parents and how little they learned about finances from them. Each of these bloggers basically said that they were lucky to have turned out financially responsibly because their parents were woefully irresponsible.

Something about these posts bothered me. In each case, their parents earned very little money, and whenever they did manage to make extra money, they spent it on their kids to give them something they had previously not been able to afford. Each blogger routinely condemned their parents for doing this instead of saving the money.

So, I started thinking about my grandparents, who raised a family of nine children all while living off one salary, my grandpa’s factory salary, while my grandma stayed home and kept up the house and took care of the kids. They were VERY financially responsible. They both lived through the depression, and my grandma washed out baggies and foil until she was on her deathbed. My mom tells stories of her parents looking over the grocery ads together and shopping the loss leaders at several stores. They paid for a private education for each of their children even though it was a financial hardship. They invested wisely and spent conservatively. My grandpa lived to 88, my grandma to 90, and they never ran out of money in retirement. In fact, there was enough leftover to give each of their nine children a small inheritance.

Unlikely the bloggers’ whose posts I read, my grandparents set a beautiful financial example for all of their children. And you know what, I have come to think that means very little. Of their nine children, two have filed bankruptcy during their lifetime. A few are routinely late on bills and have collectors calling. Several others pay their bills on time, but don’t save a lot. Whatever extra they have, they spend. Then there are a few who are very financially responsible, just like my grandparents.

It seems to me that parents’ financial habits do affect their children’s financial habits, but ultimately, the individual has the choice of how responsible they want to be (or not be) with their money.

Menu Planning, 5/16/10

Our freezer is starting to empty out, but I think we have enough freezer meals to last us through May. Here is the plan for this week:

Monday--Chicken Pot Pie, veggie
Tuesday--Chicken Enchiladas, tomato, lettuce
Wednesday--OAMC Baked Ham Sandwiches, Oven Potato Wedges, veggie
Thursday--Sloppy Joes, salad
Friday--Polish Sausage, carrot sticks
Saturday--leftovers
Sunday--dinner out

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Breakfasts will be omelettes, pancakes, turkey sausage, fruit, oatmeal

Lighter Meatloaf

You may have noticed that on my weekly meal plan, we frequently eat Lighter Meatloaf. I found the recipe on recipezaar, and I follow it exactly. I love this recipe! I always liked meatloaf, but sometimes it can be greasy, and I am not a big fan of the ketchup on top.

This meatloaf is moist and does not have ketchup! My 18 month old daughter loves it, and it freezes beautifully. I always make a double batch and put one loaf in the freezer for later.

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

Food Waste, 5/13/10

First, the good news--we avoided quite a bit of food waste thanks to my husband's creativity. We had some leftover refried beans and taco meat, but no more tortillas. We also had some leftover flat bread. My husband turned that into the taco pizza on the left hand side of this picture. He made the other pizza with the flat bread, barbecue sauce, mozarella cheese, barbecue chicken and sharp cheddar cheese.


So, after he used up those leftovers, we were left with the following:

about 1/2 cup salsa (.75)

1 cup cottage cheese (1.00)

and 1 cup barbecue chicken (2.00)

Food waste since February 1st: $52.23

Great Deals at Gymboree!

Gymboree is having their Circle of Friends sale beginning tomorrow through 5/16. This sale gives you 30% off all items. Print this email before going to the store to get your discount.

I was able to head to the store today (rewards card members had access to the sale a day early). I bought a winter sweater for my son, a fall/winter jacket and two rompers for our new baby, and a fall/winter jacket for my 18 month old daughter.

Each jacket cost $6.09

Each romper cost under $5 ($4.87 and $4.24)

For all of that I paid $25.18. Retail price for the five items was $144.75. Best of all, since I paid no more than $6.09 for any one item, I will be able to recoup my costs when the kids outgrow them and I list them on eBay. (For more information on how I dress my kids for free or nearly free in Gymboree, see my guest post here.)

Have You Heard of Angel Food?

Several times over the past two years, my husband and I have ordered groceries from Angel Food Ministries.

They are a non-denominational, non-profit organization that strives to bring reasonably priced groceries to all people. A typical order of food costs $30 and should feed a family of 4 for a week. (They estimate the order would cost $60 on average if purchased at the grocery store.) Anyone can order, regardless of income. In addition, they take food stamps.

We have not ordered for a while, in part because we have had no freezer space. You can order your food online; typically, food is delivered to the host location one to two weeks after the order deadline, and you must pick it up within a limited time frame (usually within a 1 to 2 hour window on a certain day).

I do not stand to gain anything by telling you about Angel Food, but I can tell you that it is a wonderful service, and my husband and I have always been pleased with the orders, which include various cuts of meat, vegetables, eggs, desserts, etc.

Great Deals at Jewel & CVS

Jewel:

I found good deals at both CVS and Jewel.

Jewel Transaction 1:
1 roll Scott paper towel = 2.00
1 roll Scott toilet paper = .89
6 jars Skippy peanut butter = 12.00 – (2) .60 Qs = 10.80

Total = 14.26; earned $7 Catalinas off next order

Jewel Transaction 2:
1 roll Scott paper towel = 2.00
1 roll Scott toilet paper = .89
8 cans Healthy Choice soup = 8.00
1 box green tea = 3.99

Total = 15.41 – 7.00 Cats from transaction 1 = 8.41; earned $7 Cats

Jewel Transaction 3:
1 roll Scott paper towel = 2.00
1 roll Scott toilet paper = .89
3 cartons Breyers ice cream = 8.64

Total = 11.98 – 7.00 Cats from transaction 2 – 4.98; earned $7 Cats

I spent $27.65 for 26 items ($1.06 each), plus I have another $7 Cats
I saved $49.87 or 64%!

CVS:

This deal did not work out quite the way I had planned.

Transaction 1:
1 pkg. Huggies = 8.49 – 2.00 CVS Q = 6.49, earned $2 ECBs
1 Bayer Contour meter = 19.99 – 10.00 Q = 9.99, earned $15 ECBs

I had $14.98 in ECBs, so my OOP was $2.71

However, when my ECBs printed, only $5 came up for the Contour meter instead of $15. I did not notice this until I paid for transaction 2 and it was much more expensive than I had planned without the additional $10 ECBs.

Transaction 2:
1 pkg Carefree liners = 1.00 – 1.00 Q = Free
1 pkg Crest = 3.50, earned $3.50 ECBs
1 pkg Kotex = 4.99, - 1.00 Q = 3.99, earned $4.99 ECBs
2 bottles 64 oz. hand soap refill = 8.98
1 dental floss = 1.99, earned $1.99 ECBs

I had the $7 ECBs from transaction 1 to use, so my OOP was $13.30, way more than I had planned. I stepped away from the register and my first thought was, “I must REALLY be sleep deprived to think this was a good deal!” Then I realized the error with the Contour meter. The cashier printed a $10 ECB for me, so I went into the store with $14.98 in ECBs and walked out with $20.49 ECBs. I would have rather caught the mistake before I did transaction 2 so I would have only paid $3 OOP, but at least I did catch the error.

We will still need to run to the store later in the week to get some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Buying Kids' Clothes on Ebay

My son outgrew every single piece of summer clothing that he had from last year. However, I didn’t rush out to buy him new clothes at the first hint of warm weather. I am taking my time building his summer wardrobe to try to get the best price available.

One resource I use is eBay. The buying season for summer clothes on eBay begins as early as February and hits its peak in March and April. Now that it is May, many people already have their children’s summer wardrobe in place. That means now is the perfect time to buy kids’ clothes at a reduced price.

I always buy brand name clothes on eBay because I know that once my kids outgrow them I can turn around and sell them on eBay for the same price (or sometimes more!) I wrote an article about how to do just that here.

I type into the search box, “Gymboree 6” because that is the size I am looking for. Then I refine the search to “Children’s Clothing” and “Boys Clothing Size 4-18” so I don’t get listings for girl’s clothes or baby boy’s clothes in size 6-12 months. Then I refine it further to size 6. All of these search limiters can be found on the left hand side of the screen.

To further refine, I choose the tab for “auctions only” (because those usually offer the lowest price). Finally, on the left hand side I choose “time ending soonest” under the sort by window. Doing this narrowed my search field from 1976 items to 135.

I usually do not buy brand new items. Instead, I read the descriptions and look for items that are in very good condition without rips, stains or tears. If my son is gentle with them during the summer, it is easy to sell them at the same price I bought them for, essentially dressing him for free.

I always decide in my mind how much I want to pay per item. Usually, I try to pay $2 - $4 per item. However, I always figure in the price of shipping. For example, if there are 5 pieces of clothing for sale in an auction, and I determine I only want to spend $2 per piece, that gives me a limit of $10. If shipping is $5, I know I don’t want to spend any more than $5 for the auction itself, because combined with shipping, it will add up to $10.

Bid at the last minute, literally. Some people bid on auctions early; all this seems to do is drive up the price. I wait until there are only 30 to 40 seconds left in the auction before I place my bid at the designated price I have already decided is the maximum I am willing to spend. So, if the bids are at $1.95, I still enter my price of $5.00 (even though I could bid as little as $2.45) because if the other bidder has entered a final price higher than $1.95, I may be able to outbid them with my $5.00 price.

Be careful not to go above your designated bidding price. Be willing to walk away from an auction if it is above the price you want to pay.

Finally, consider looking at the seller’s other items. Often, sellers combine shipping if you buy more than one auction from them. That is a way to help keep your costs down.

Happy shopping!

I shared this post at Works for Me Wednesday.

Menu Planning, 5/9/10

Well, nearly three weeks have passed since my c-section. I am feeling much better and am antsy to get back to my normal life. However, I still have 3 weeks left before I can pick up my 18 month old. I can't wait until this recovery period is over!

Meanwhile, this week will be another easy week of freezer meals and easy slow cooker meals. Our freezer is really starting to empty out!

Monday--Chicken Pot Pie
Tuesday--Turkey and Stuffing Casserole and veggie
Wednesday--Salsa Dump Chicken Tacos (a carry over from last week)
Thursday--Tuna Noodle Casserole and veggie
Friday--Cafe Rio Sweet Pork and veggie
Saturday--Beans & Rice Tacos
Sunday--take out

Lunches will be leftovers and sandwiches.

Breakfasts will be smoothies, omelettes, muffins, pancakes, etc.

Homemade Cheesy Hamburger Helper Meal

This recipe was supposed to be for Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup, but I made some changes as I cooked it and it turned out to be a yummy version of a homemade cheesy Hamburger Helper.

Ingredients
• cooking spray
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb uncooked lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups canned chicken broth, divided
• 1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
• 8 ounces kraft Velveeta reduced fat cheese product, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 oz. pasta

-Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds.

-Add garlic and onion to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

-Place same skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes; pour off any liquid.

-In a small cup, combine flour and 1/2 cup of broth; stir until lump-free.

-Pour flour mixture into same skillet; add remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth.
-Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon, and then stir in evaporated milk, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the beef and garlic and onion back to the pan.

-Add in pasta and cook on medium for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Enjoy.

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

Food Waste, 5/6/10

I have not posted my food waste since the week before the baby was born. I don't have any pictures. Why? Because there was simply too much waste!

Before I left for the hospital, I made out a meal plan and my husband went to the store to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Thankfully, my husband is a bit of a healthy eating zealot, so he makes sure we all eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

The problem with our approach, though, was that my mom, who was watching the kids while we were in the hospital for four days, would much rather clean than cook. She abandoned our meal plan and made a few of her favorite meals. (I am not complaining because I know she was really busy taking care of our two kids at home. However, abandoning the food plan lead to quite a bit of waste.)

Another problem is that my mom is not the health food nut my husband is. For instance, when I was little, I never had fresh peaches, just canned because my mom does not like touching fuzzy fruit. (I am not joking! I even asked her while she was here why we never ate kiwi or peaches when I was little and that was her honest answer.) So, quite a bit of the fruit went to waste.

Lastly, my mom hates to eat leftovers. When I go to visit her, I clean out her refrigerator each time and find many science projects she intended to eat but didn't because she just really doesn't like leftovers.

I would honestly estimate that our food waste over the past few weeks is near $25. I hate to write this post and admit that, but it is the truth.

Food waste since February 1st: $48.48

Yearly Beef Purchase

My cousin’s husband raises Angus beef cattle, so for the second year, we purchased all of our beef for the year from him. We paid $363 and ended up with 104 pounds of beef. We were given the following cuts:

2 Porterhouse Steaks
4 Beef Round Tenderized
2 T-Bone Steaks
4 Sirloin Steaks
6 Chuck Roasts
2 Rolled Rib Roasts
4 Beef Sizzler Steaks
1 Beef Rump Roast
53 packages of ground beef (at 1.25 lbs. each)

It is true that we could get some of these cuts of meat cheaper per pound by shopping loss leaders, but I like the flavor of this beef, and I like knowing that my ground beef is comprised of the meat from one cow rather than many different ones as may occur when buying commercial beef. It is also nice to know that our freezer is filled and that I don’t have to buy beef for the entire year.

We ended up paying $3.49/lb. which is a fair price for ground beef and is certainly a great deal on some of the cuts of steak.

Guest Post--Creative Ways to Dress Your Kids and Recycle Fabric

Today’s guest post comes from Denise, one of the moms I virtually met through Frugal Moms.

So - you have growing children, and not a lot of $$$ to clothe them. I remember it all too well! Here are some of the things I did to keep my kids well clothed, yet not break the bank. If you have the basic sewing skills, you can save money and have unique clothes for your little ones.

- Think of old, adult clothes as fabric, not actual clothing items. Those 4X pants, old bridesmaid dresses, etc. will yield a LOT of fabric. I hit up yard sales, thrift stores, etc. Many times I've gotten outdated styles of bridesmaid dresses for free - tons of velvet fabric. I remake into special occasion dresses, suits, throw pillows, trims on blouses, toys, etc. Harvest all the trim too - for future projects. . . lace, buttons, zippers, appliques, etc.

- Old men's dress socks. . . full of holes? Think you need to toss them? Think again! Cut off the cuffs before you toss them, and save them. The cuffs can be used to extend the sleeves of children's shirts, that fit other than the sleeves are getting too short. You can also make the cuffs into toddler sized mittens, add some embroidery or appliques to disguise the origins of the mittens. (and we all know how hard it is to keep track of kid's mittens, so a few extra pairs would be nice to have around). Sew several cuffs together, into a long strip - add fringe to each end, and some embroidery on the end cuffs and you have a warm scarf. Open up the cuffs, and sew together to make hats, lap throws, etc.

- I had boys, then finally a daughter! I wanted my daughter to look like a girl, but I didn't want to have to purchase an entirely new wardrobe. I took lace and added it as trim to the seams and pockets of jeans. I covered pictures of footballs on T-shirts with kitten, flower, and baby doll appliques. If clothing had white trim or large areas of light colors, I grabbed a bottle of Rit dye in pink or purple and dyed the clothes to look more girly.

- Old sweaters, make great mittens - I use the hem of the sweater for the cuff of the mittens. I prefer 100% wool sweaters, then felt them in the washer. This makes a dense, warm, nearly waterproof fabric for the mittens.

- I crochet and knit a lot as well. . . old T-shirts, cut into 1 inch strips, spiral-wise can make a soft "yarn" for bulky projects like rugs, tote bags and so forth.

If you think outside of the box, I'm sure you can come up with some terrific ideas for remaking or making over things for your children too.

Denise Green is a full time RN, wife, and mom of 3. She has certainly had her share of financial crises, but has persevered and survived. .. no thrived through it all.

Freezer Cooking Day Results

My mom, who doesn't even like to bake (she would much rather clean), offered to stock us up on some baked goods before she left. Thank you mom! She actually made quite a bit, but we have already been dipping into them.

24 banana muffins (we already ate 12!)
24 strawberry muffins
4 loaves of pumpkin bread (she took one home and we already ate one)
12 peanut butter bars (not pictured)

Menu Planning, 5/2/10

Thank goodness for freezer meals!

My mom left on Friday, the same day I went to the doctor because my scratchy throat had turned into something much more painful--strep throat. I was out of commission all Friday afternoon and evening with a 101.5 fever and chills. The medicine has kicked in now, and I am feeling much better. Now I am just hoping the baby doesn't get it.

Meanwhile, we are exhausted from lack of sleep and we just don't have time to cook. However, thanks to the many meals I made ahead of time, we don't have to rely on take out. We already have all of our meals for the week.

I may not like taking the time to make freezer meals, but I sure love having them all ready in the freezer, especially during times like these.

Monday--Spaghetti & meatballs, spinach, garlic bread
Tuesday--OAMC Salsa Chicken Dump tacos
Wednesday--Freezer burritos, lettuce, tomato & avocado
Thursday--Pulled chicken sandwiches, oven potato wedge fries, corn
Friday--take out
Saturday--Smoked Sausage Gumbo
Sunday--Chicken Pot Pie

Lunches will be simple--sandwiches and leftovers.

Breakfasts will be smoothies, oatmeal, mueseli, and omelettes.