Grocery Spending Week 4

This week I knew we were going to have to spend more money, but it was much lower than I expected.

W needed half & half for his morning coffee. I prefer to buy the larger container which was finally in stock. That was $5.19 and should last him 2-3 weeks.

Our main grocery shop was $13.  We bought:

bacon bits
celery
cream of chicken soup
coffee filters
cheese slices
frozen mixed vegetables
sour cream
lettuce

Then I fell victim to a coupon deal on 20oz sodas.  W has a habit of picking one up while he is out running errands.  I decided it was better to buy them ahead of time at a deal.  We got six of those for $6.40.  Not super cheap, but much better than $1.79-$1.89 each.

Total for the week:  $24.59

Total for the year:  $80.41

I am just over my hoped for $20/week spending.  I am hoping to keep February's budget low since we still have quite a bit in the pantry and freezer. 

Garden Update Week 3

The seedlings are coming along well.  The first picture has a new addition.  I got a banana pepper from my mom's plant and started those seeds.  They will be a few weeks behind, but I will have free plants.

Picture two has the mini sweet peppers in the back which have their first set of true leaves.  That means I will be fertilizing the plants starting this week.  I have opted not to buy fish fertilizer and will be watering them with water from the aquarium.  I am also excited that the dwarf tamarillo seeds have sprouted.  They are the third tray from the left.  The seeds were so tiny.  I just hope I can keep the little seedlings alive.

Back to Basics

This year the focus is on saving money.  Now that we are both self-employed I find it is more necessary than ever to keep a close eye on our spending and look for ways to cut back.

I baked bread!  This is something I used to do on a weekly basis.  I simply must make time for that again as it is a big money saver.  I am just going to have to take two days a week to do the extra baking/cooking to help with the grocery budget.

I needed to order some yarn to use for a baby mobile.  I tried everything to make the thicker yarn work, but it just was not happening.  I did find a coupon code that took off 20% on top of the sale prices.  It saved more than the free shipping code I was planning to use.  I also ordered a few small things of yarn for making baby shoes.

We ate leftovers.  It is not the most exciting thing and something many people turn up their nose at.  I love it for two reasons.  1) It is like having a free meal.  2) It is a meal that generally requires warming and not cooking from the start.  Many of our leftovers go into the freezer either for single serve meals or an entire meal.  In fact many of the meals on my upcoming weekly menu are from the freezer.  It is great for those times when I am especially busy.

I applied our credit card rewards to the bill.  Every penny helps as we work to pay it off this year.

I got my secret sister at church Valentine gifts on clearance.  I found air plants in fancy containers marked down and picked out the best one. It is living in my kitchen window until this weekend.  I also got a box of candy on clearance.  It was in with the Christmas candy even though the packaging does not hint at Christmas at all. 

Goals Update Weeks 3 & 4

1.  Save All of our Change (coins) for the Year

W thinks we have about $5 saved up so far.  This one has been a bit hard for me.  I like to pay for cash purchases with exact change especially if I know it is in my purse.  I am trying to get more exited about filling the jar.  I think starting in February that I will round up my online purchases and at the end of the month stick the money in the jar.

2.  Plan Ahead for My Business
I have not added anything to my shop in two weeks.  Ugh!  I am not sure why other than the items I am currently making to sell locally are all over Etsy.  I need to keep my eye out for a few unusual but popular items.

I am working on some orders and have started on Easter baskets which definitely counts as planning ahead.  For the shop it was requested that I make some baby shoes.  I  also ordered plastic shoe pieces to help the shoes hold their shape and look a bit more professional.

I did add a couple of loveys to my shop booth including the dragon pictured above. 

3.  Get Back to Basics

I think I am going to start doing a separate post for this one on Tuesdays (starting tomorrow).  I will come up with a third goal to swap out with this one for next week. 

Pantry Challenge Days 15-21

Note to self:  take a few minutes each day to write down what we ate as I have completely forgotten the Saturday meal.  In my defense things were a little hectic and uncertain that day.  I know it was something out of the freezer and apparently it was not something memorable.

Sunday we had some leftover potato and ham soup that I had frozen several weeks ago.

Monday was ribs in the slow cooker, potato salad, and peas.  This was actually my first time ever cooking ribs.  I had bought them on sale before the pantry challenge started.

Tuesday we ran errands but I planned ahead a bit.  We had Brunswick stew from the freezer and grilled cheese sandwiches (explains the bread purchase).

Wednesday was leftovers.  W ate the rest of the ribs and sides.  I had some rice and mongolian beef from the freezer.

Thursday we had chicken tortilla soup.  It used up several canned items from the pantry.

Friday was the leftover soup. 

Not an exciting week at all.  I am going to do my best to take a few pictures next week. 

Grocery Spending Week 3 & Freezing Dough

Grocery Spending first - I did skip the grocery store but we stopped at the dollar store for a loaf of bread and a bag of chips for a total of $2.86.  I will definitely have to do a bit of grocery shopping next week as we used up several items. 

Grocery Spending 2020:  $55.82

I missed doing a goal update, but I will combine the weeks on Monday for one post.  On a second note Cheryl asked about freezing dough.  I am not sure that I ever like frozen dough quite as good as fresh made.  The convenience of it means that I do occasionally freeze dough.  I generally add more yeast - maybe a couple of teaspoons extra or even double the amount - to dough that is going to be frozen.  Since I make the majority of my doughs in the bread machine, I let them go through the first rise but not the second.  If I am doing pizza dough, I freeze it before it rises.

One of my favorite frozen dough recipes is from Money Saving Mom.  I used to make her Make-Ahead Butterhorns all of the time.  It is a good way to try freezing dough.

Sunday Book Reviews

A Cup of Holiday Fear by Ellie Alexander is the tenth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series.  Jules, owner of Torte, plans a Christmas party for her staff at a local hotel.  The hotel's Dickens Feast is a holiday tradition that may be in danger as the hotel will soon change ownership.  The soon-to-be owner is also at the feast and is doing little to endear herself to the locals.  It was no surprise when she ended up dead.  I enjoy this series, and this particular book is best enjoyed if readers are familiar with the previous books.  A Cup of Holiday Fear is heavy on holiday and less so on the mystery.  I did enjoy it but am looking forward to more mystery in the next.

The seventh book in the Candy-Coated Mystery series by Nancy Coco is Fudge Bites.  Allie, owner of a local fudge shop and hotel, is all set to participate in the zombie walk when her cat discovers a fake zombie who is really dead.  She begins her own investigation and soon finds herself in the killer's cross-hairs along with members of the senior group.  Time is running out to solve the murder before the killer claims more lives.  The book has plenty of excitement and a bit of romance.  This series is becoming one of my favorites.

Carpet Diem is the fourth book in Misty Simon's Tallie Graver Mystery series.  Tallie and her cleaning crew are up against her friend Audra for a big contract at a local mansion.  When Audra ends up dead, Tallie feels the need to solve her friend's murder.  As Tallie cleans away layers of Audra's life, she learns her "friend" is not what she seemed.  Tallie continues to work part-time at her family's funeral home and juggle her new romance with Max.  Tallie is a likable character, and the supporting characters are a bonus.  This is a good, light cozy mystery.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Pantry Challenge Days 8-14

Saturday we had ham, corn (from the freezer) and macaroni and cheese.  I made a huge pot of macaroni and cheese with pantry items and the excess of cheese we had in the fridge.  Supper was snacky stuff again.

Sunday was leftovers from Saturday.  I added salads since we had eaten most of the corn.  I put two containers of macaroni and cheese in the freezer for future meals.  Supper (dinner) was pizza rolls after church.

Monday morning W left for an out of town business trip.  I had planned ahead and put several single serve meal options in the freezer.  For dinner (lunch) I had nachos using taco meat from the freezer and tortilla chips from the pantry along with various toppings from the fridge.  Supper (dinner) was tomato basil soup.

Tuesday I was still on my own.  Dinner (lunch) was Mongolian beef and rice with homemade yum yum sauce.  Supper (dinner) was broccoli cheese soup.

Wednesday, the last day on my own, I had a hamburger and chips from the freezer for dinner (lunch) and ended up eating cheese and crackers with some veggies and dip for supper (dinner) since I had snacked most of the afternoon.

Thursday we ran a few errands which took longer than normal.  Thankfully I had planned ahead.  We came home and ate Swedish meatballs (from the freezer), egg noodles, carrots, and homemade rolls (from the freezer).  Supper was snacky stuff again.

Friday we had pizza for dinner (lunch) and corn dogs with fries for supper.

I should add that breakfasts are a self serve meal here.  W generally eats an egg with either toast or oatmeal.  I have been eating a switch of pop tarts or toaster strudels - not healthy but I am not a breakfast person.

Grocery Spending Week 2

Week two had me spending a bit more at the grocery store although my plan is to stay out of the stores next week so really it is not so bad.  Also added into this is chips and dip making supplies for the first church youth group birthday party of the year.  My class has grown from 4 to 8 so I need to add in a snack to go with the cookie cake which will be two layers this year.  Still overall it is much cheaper than buying a cake and other sides ready made.

This week I spent $35.48 and bought:

gravy mix
half & half
ranch dip mix
crackers
cream cheese
crushed tomatoes
cheese for pizzas
pickles - 2
potatoes (5lb)
yogurt
pretzels - 3
sour cream
plain chips - 2
jam
trail mix
pizza rolls

W likes pickles with his sandwiches which will be on the menu as I have a turkey breast in the feezer to cook.  He and Toby love pretzels.  I found a pile of fruit in the freezer and thought yogurt, fruit, and homemade granola would make a nice snack.  If I stay out of the grocery store next week as planned, I will be under my $20 a week pantry challenge goal.

Grocery Spending 2020:  $52.96

Garden Week 2

The first round of seeds that I planted are growing nicely.  The yellow and orange peppers are the biggest.  The red ones are lagging behind but should catch up in a week or two.

As you can see I have many more trays than last week.  My seed order finally arrived.  Every year I always say that I am not going to go overboard with peppers.  Just like every other year I fail at that miserably.  In my defense W and my dad are enablers and picked out a couple while encouraging me to choose a new one or three.  I am also trying dwarf tamarillo.  I saw it while looking through the seed catalog, and I love a gardening adventure.  I am also going to try artichokes.  

Truthfully I like to grow things that fall into one of two categories.  First are the things we or the animals really like to eat so growing makes more sense than buying them.  Second are the unusual things that either I cannot find in stores here in the middle of nowhere or that no one around me grows or even knows about.  The garden may be the one place I am truly adventurous!

Goals Update Week 2

1.  Save all of our Change (coins) for the Year

More coins were added to the jar this week.  I decided to wait and do one total at the end of the year. I think it will be more of a big reveal that doing a monthly total. 

2.  Plan Ahead for My Business

I am excited to have already met my earnings goal for the month.  I know that will not happen so early every month, but I am hoping that it balances out over the year.  This week I am going to finish up at least three orders, make more things for the shop, and add flamingo cup cozies to my Etsy shop.  I want to do two more colors and wait for the sun to show up for pictures.

Another lady in the shop is offering candles and bath items.  I approached her about cross marketing some of her items with some handmade cotton spa items of mine - soap saver, facial rounds, and spa slippers.  I hope it will benefit us both.

3.  Get Back to Basics

• We ate mainly from the pantry, and I focused on eating the leftovers.

• I foraged clover and other greens for the rabbits to eat.  I also picked some extras for the chickens.

• I watched the weather forecast so I could keep up with line drying laundry.

• I won a grape leaf ornament in an online instant win game. I plan to use it as a ring holder.  Wins are fewer lately but still fun. It only costs a few minutes of my time.  It is much nicer than the picture appears.  Cloudy days are awful for photos.

Sunday Book Reviews

Two Bites Too Many by Debra H Goldstein in the second book in the Sarah Blair Mystery series.  Sarah has settled into her new home with her inherited cat RahRah while continuing to work as the receptionist at a law firm.  Her mom, Maybelle, drags her to the bank to fight Sarah's sister's loan request rejection.  When the bank manager is later found murdered, Maybelle is the only suspect.  I enjoy the southern setting but have a bit of trouble connecting to the characters.  I realize it is a fictional book, but I still expect them to act moderately reasonable.  Sarah's sister Emily needed to be sat down for a good talking to over many of her actions.  The mystery was strong.  While I had my suspicions, I was not certain until the very end.

The third book in the Beyond the Page mystery series by Lauren Elliot is Murder in the First Edition.  Addie has donated an 1843 copy of A Christmas Carol to the hospital charity auction.  When Addie stops by the hospital to give the authentication paperwork to Teresa, the woman over the auction, Addie finds Teresa dead and the rare book missing.  The mystery was interesting, but Addie comes close to completely ruining the book.  She refuses to act with any ounce of maturity, and I wondered over and over why the two men interested in her just did not cut their loses and move on.  I am confused by a grown woman who crosses her fingers behind her back when lying.  This is the first book in the series that I have read so I will give it at least one more try.

Christmas Cow Bells by Mollie Cox Bryan is the first book in the Buttermilk Creek Mystery series.  Brynn is beginning her new like at Buttermilk Creek with her three cows and a few new friends.  When her dearest friend, Nancy, dies after her home burns under suspicious circumstances, Nancy cannot help but get involved.  It soon begins to feel as if some of her new neighbors dislike not only Nancy but Brynn as well.  I have mixed feelings about the book.  On one hand it was full of various events from fires to mourning cows.  On the other the actions of the characters were a bit "off".  I get that Brynn was crushed by her husband's betrayal, but I was weary of the whole thing before I got halfway through the book.  I will take into account that this is the first book in the series and will give a second book a try before writing off the series.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Pantry Challenge - Days 1-7

Saturday we had pizza.  I make a Detroit style pizza which we settled on as being our favorite.  I use the crust and sauce recipes from the link.  The sauce makes 4-5 pizzas worth so I freeze the extra.  I mix the dough by hand, in the Kitchen Aid, or in the bread machine, and it turns out great no matter which I use.  I also made two small salads.  Neither one of us was hungry that evening and just had a snack.

Sunday was clean out the fridge day.  We had leftover potato soup and crackers for dinner (lunch).  Supper was the leftover pizza from Saturday.

Monday I needed to cook.  I tried a new to me recipe for Mongolian beef which did not impress W.  I divided the leftovers into single serve portion and froze them for me to eat later.  Our evening meal was Loaded Chicken Salad.  I had a pack of chicken thighs in the freezer so this was a good way to use them up.  We ate it on leftover hamburger buns and had chips on the side.

Tuesday we had sandwiches when we came in from running errands.  I try to have something on hand to eat soon after we walk in the door.  It prevents temptation to stop at a fast food place or grab something extra at the grocery store.  Supper (dinner) was an "on your own" type of meal.

Wednesday I put Brunswick stew in the slow cooker.  We ate it with crackers.  For supper I had a snacky plate of cheese, vegetables and ranch. W ate a ham sandwich.

Thursday was leftover Brunswick stew.  I also put two containers in the freezer for future meals.  W had a sandwich for supper.  I ate another snacky plate.

Friday I took some taco seasoned chicken out of the freezer.  I like nachos while W prefers to eat it as tacos. Supper was snacky again.  We have gotten out of the habit of eating a big supper/dinner.  I guess it really shows this week. 

Grocery Spending - Week 1

I thought it might be interesting to keep track of my grocery spending this year.  I try to keep my grocery budget at $50 per week.  January should be much lower since I am doing a pantry challenge.

This week I spent $17.48.  My purchases were:

Half & Half
Coffee Creamer - 2
Bread
Chocolate Chips
Toaster Strudel - 3

The coffee creamer was on sale, and I had a coupon.  That should last me a month or more.  I am slowly getting over the Christmas rush but have yet to get back in the habit of baking bread.  The toaster strudels were cheap with a sale and coupon making an easy (if not healthy breakfast). The chocolate chips are for a birthday cookie cake for one of the youth in my Bible class at church. 

2020 Grocery Spending:  $17.48

Garden 2020

I know many of you are freezing with absolutely no thoughts of a garden yet.  Here in the south I am actually a bit behind.  My seed order should be arriving this week.  I did have a few pepper seeds on hand.  When my peat pellets came in yesterday, I immediately got the first three trays started.

I am using some mini foil trays my aunt picked up on clearance to keep the varieties separate.  These are three different colors of mini bell peppers.  I have them under some led lights in our living room. 

To get them closer to the light for right now, I am using a box.  I had good luck starting pepper seeds under these lights last year.  I decided to see if having them closer to the light would help them grow better.

I also decided to start cleaning in the garden while the weather was nice.  I got two tires cleaned out.  The wood bed around the stevia rotted, but W found a tire to put around it just to keep the chickens from completely scratching the dirt away from the roots.  It is not much, but at least it is a start to 2020's garden.

Goal Update

Goals first...

1.  Save all of our Change (coins) for the Year
I found a large jar in our pantry to put all of our coins in.  I can easily count the change right now, but I hope in a month or two it is less obvious how much money is inside.

2.  Plan Ahead for My Business
I have spent the past few days working on items to put in my shop.  I am focusing on more general items rather than a specific holiday.  These are things that could be used for any occasion.  I am working with yarn leftover from other orders to make these items.  I am still plugging away on orders too.  I am listing a unicorn coin purse on Etsy later today.  The sun is finally out so I can take some decent pictures.

3.  Get Back to Basics

• I started a pantry challenge and planned meals based on what is in the pantry/freezer.

•  I found a forgotten Amazon gift card that I used to buy peat pellets for seed starting and a set of smaller crochet hooks for some projects. 

• I waited a day to order yarn needed for January orders and cut my shipping charges in half.  The closest craft store is at least an hour one way.  It is much cheaper for me to order online even if I have to pay a bit of shipping when I factor in the time and cost of gas.

Sunday Book Reviews

Death by Jack-o'-Lantern by Alexis Morgan is the second book in the Abby McCree Mystery series.  Abby is on the planning committee for the upcoming Halloween festival.  While out picking up an order of pumpkins, she finds the farmer dead instead.  The police immediately zero in on a homeless veteran as the suspect, but Abby has her doubts.  The mystery in this book was strong.  Even though I have not read the first book in the series, I had no trouble following along with this one.  I appreciated that the author brought a focus on a social issue without coming across as forcing an agenda on the readers.  I will be reading more in this series!

The first book in the Cajun County Mystery series by Ellen Byron is Fatal Cajun Festival.  The local Cajun festival promises to be the event of the season.  B&B owner Maggie is thrilled that her friend Gaynell will be taking the stage along with her band The Gator Girls.  The main attraction is a local girl who hit the big stage.  Tammy has an attitude to go along with her singing voice.  When Tammy is murdered, Gaynell tops a long list of suspects leading Maggie to start her own investigation.  This is a wonderful start to a new cozy series.  The mystery was strong, and I look forward to reading more about the characters in future books!

Last Pen Standing by Vivian Conroy is the first book in the Stationery Shop Mystery series.  Delta is the new co-owner of a stationery shop.  While at a crafting party at a fancy hotel, a guest is found murdered.  To make matters worse Delta's friend is the prime suspect.  Delta finds herself running the business alone while trying to clear her friend's name.  I loved the idea of a stationery shop, and the characters were well developed.    I am anxiously awaiting book two.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

January Pantry Challenge

I am joining in on the pantry challenge organized by Jessica at Good Cheap Eats.  I love that she does not set any "do this or don't join" rules.  I know I will need to do some grocery shopping for fresh fruits/vegetables and coffee creamer.  Here are my goals for this pantry challenge...

1.  Eat up the Odds and Ends in the Pantry/Freezer
I have some things that keep getting pushed to the back.  I have no intention of having a completely empty pantry.  I live too far out in the country for that.  A more organized pantry would be great.

2.  Save Some of the Grocery Budget
I ordered garden seeds earlier in the week and plan to use the grocery savings to pay for them. 

3.  Focus on Minimal Food Waste
I rarely just throw out food and if I do it is thrown out to the chickens or turkeys.  I want to do better with making sure we eat everything we can.  Although I will still save some end pieces of bread to feed Frank the turkey who will finally eat out of my hand.

4. Post What We Eat in a Weekly Roundup


Anyone else doing a pantry challenge to start the new year?

New Year's Eve Food

Each New Year's Eve my church has a little party.  The difference is that we hold it earlier in the evening and are home long before midnight.  This year we celebrated New Year's with the Azores Islands.  It is always a small crowd, but we have a great time.  We eat, talk and eat a bit more.  This year I waited until that day to decide what to contribute.

I decided that we could probably use something healthy so I made a vegetable tray.  I brought plenty to snack on throughout the week.

I balanced that with something not healthy but oh so yummy.  I made Blueberry Pie Sugar Cookie Bars a variation of these.  I have made it several times with different types of pie filling, and each one is delicious.  For some reason I had never taken it to church.  It got rave reviews and multiple recipe requests. 



My favorite part is that it uses just four ingredients, and two of those are pantry staples.  It is quick to mix together and always a favorite.  On a side note I used blueberry pie filling since that was on sale when I went shopping earlier that day.

2020 Goals

This year I decided to pare down my list of goals and focus on just a few rather than trying to do everything when I have so much going on.

1.  Save all of our Change (Coins) for One Year
This came about after W showed me a story about a man who cashed in the change he had been saving for 10 years.  I thought it would be fun to do that for one year.  I emptied our change so we can have a fresh start. I am undecided if I will count it at the end of each month or the end of the year.

2.  Plan Ahead for My Business
I ended up being stretched a bit between my Facebook page, Etsy shop, and store booth.  I want to continue to do new items but stay ahead of the seasons.  I would also like to add one item to my Etsy shop each week.  I hope to organize my Facebook page and post several times a week.  Finally I want to better stock my shop booth.

3. Get Back to Basics
This one is pretty broad, and I am sure it will change over the course of the year.  I want to focus on the garden and growing stuff to help with the food bill for us and the feathered and furry ones.  I want to focus more on savings and stretching our money.  That will probably include doing a few things to earn gift cards and get back to entering sweepstakes again.  Time will tell how this one shapes up. 

There you have it....one simple goal and two that could lead me anywhere.  Over the last two years it has felt like a bit of a roller coaster so I am hoping 2020 brings calmer days.  Although I am sure there will be some adventures along the way!

Happy New Year!

I was joking nearly a month ago when I said orders for sloth planters were going to take up all of my time.  Little did I know Christmas orders including those sloths would keep me busy past Christmas Day.  The later orders were taken with the understanding they would not be ready by Christmas.  I was blessed to be so very busy, but it meant that the holiday season basically passed me by. 

Now that we are in a new month and a new year I am hoping things get back to normal.  It is my intention to get back into the habit of writing my posts a day or two in advance so I can keep up with the blog better.  With that in mind I am off to write a goal post for 2020.  Stop back by tomorrow to see my plans for this year!