Updated Pantry Listings going into 2013

Updated Pantry Listings


one pound  ground turkey
1  package of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
several open condiments in the fridge*
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
various baking ingredients*
two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
2 one pound bags of frozen peas
5 one pound bags of frozen corn
2 cans of tomato soup
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
2 whole chicken
2 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
parmesean cheese*
a gallon of milk*
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
blueberry pancake sryup*
pancake mix*
one nine lb ham
2 boxes of cereal*
5 lb sugar*
powered sugar
honey
2 lb rice*
1 box hot chocolate*
a pound of salt
pineapple
3 lb elbow pasta
18 count eggs
ketchup*
spinach
2 bags of bagels
2 bags of english muffins
lettuce
1 loaf of white bread
5 lb potatoes*
2 lb onions*
sliced cheese

This is an updated list. The asterisks mean that the items are opened.

Very frugal day

I have a five pound whole chicken that I defrosted in the fridge. I watched a you tube video on how to cut the chicken into pieces...well, I did it. I put the cut up chicken in a baking pan with our last four carrots, one onion, four stalks of celery, and four potatoes....some spices and a bouillon cube.

The chicken frame and all the veggie peelings went into a soup pot on top of the stove. I'm making stock for a meal in the future.

Overall, a very frugal day.

Dinner 12/30/2012

We had three chicken thighs thawed in the fridge. My husband baked these, my daughter made some long grain rice in her rice steamer. We are having corn and peas with dinner. Since there are only three thighs and we have five of us, two opted to have some fish sticks instead of chicken.

Updated Pantry listing

Updated Pantry Listings 12/30/2012




Updated Pantry Listings


one pounb  ground turkey
3 chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
several open condiments in the fridge*
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
various baking ingredients*
two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
2 one pound bags of frozen peas
5 one pound bags of frozen corn
1 lb carrots*
2 cans of tomato soup
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
3 whole chicken
2 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
parmesean cheese*
a gallon of milk*
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
blueberry pancake sryup*
pancake mix*
one nine lb ham
2 boxes of cereal*
5 lb sugar*
powered sugar
honey
2 lb rice*
1 box hot chocolate*
a pound of salt
pineapple
3 lb elbow pasta
18 count eggs
ketchup*
spinach
two whole chickens
2 bags of bagels
2 bags of english muffins
lettuce
1 loaf of white bread
5 lb potatoes*
2 lb onions*
fish sticks
sliced cheese

This is an updated list. The asterisks mean that the items are opened.

Dinner 12/29

Tonight for dinner we are having shepard's pie, it's a casserole using a pound of ground beef, corn, mashed boiled potatoes, and some cheese topping. We also use onion in the ground beef, some garlic powder, a little basil, and some essence.

Dinner 12/28

We had left over bean soup, and scalloped potatoes from Christmas dinner. Both are gone!!!

Dinner 12//27

I made pinto bean soup with our ham bone from Christmas. We used thee diced potatoes, three diced carrots, an onion, three 36 oz cans of pinto beans, and the meaty ham bone. I let this simmer all day, and we had nice hearty thick soup at 430 yesterday afternoon.

Pet food

I have all ready been to the store this morning. I got paid, and sent out a few checks to my monthly bill people. I paid some money on my kids school ring, and graduation.

I went to the store and bought a 18 lb bag of cat food (I didn't  know that three cats could eat so much). I bought a 18 lb bag of dog food (since she doesn't appear to care for the one I bought last).
I also bought to jugs of clumping cat litter.

Total 27.50

My plan for 2013.

December expenses Updated

Since the holidays are over....

car taxes   PAID
daughters class ring Paid part of this bill 12/05, 12/19, 12/27   25.00 each pay period
daughters graduation package Paid part of this bill 12/05, 12/19. 12/27 25.00 each pay period.

I am waiting for a email that states how much I owe on the two above purchases...

inspection for one car
and maybe two tires (depending if the vehicle passes inspection without them)
My inspection will be called for today, and hoping to get this in today or tomorrow at the dealership.

The only way to manage to get these things done, is to watch my finances very carefully. My husband does not work and has limited income (he sells things), and I can't count on any of that income to be steady. So, the best thing I can do is watch all income that comes into the house (mine is steady), and keep our expenses as low as possible.

Bills


Well, I made a payment to KIA, I only owe 281 left!!!!!!!
I made normal scheduled payments to JCP, Target, and my other listed bills.



I am going to list my debt, and my plans to get rid of this:

KIA 277.11 a month  I got my new statement, and I owe 288.22 total!!!!

JCPenny 281 total.l....100 a month (when KIA is paid off, the money rolls into my JCP account 277.11 plus 100.00) I just made a payment today 12/27/12!!

Target 2680.31....150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150). This is my newest statement. I made a payment today 12/27/2012

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES!!!!!! 90 a month at the moment (when Target gets paid off, then the money will roll into this account 572.11 a month) Paid miminum 12/27/2012

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes!!!! 167 a month...will keep this amount until Wells Fargo A is paid off. (when the above is paid off, then I will put 572.11 a month and the normal 167 towards this loan). Made December's payment!!!!

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month....I was paying 200 dollars a month extra...thinking that will change, as I need an emergency fund.

I just paid January's mortgage....I added the regular payment, along with one hundred dollars.


Emergency Fund: 00000000


Essentially, I could have my bills paid, and mortgage free come 2023....is this a reasonable plan??? Yes, provided I can stick to it.

Updated Pantry Listings 12/27/2012

Updated Pantry Listings


2 packages of ground turkey
5 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
several open condiments in the fridge*
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
various baking ingredients*
two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
7 one pound bags of frozen corn
1 lb carrots*
2 cans of tomato soup
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
3 whole chicken
2 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
parmesean cheese*
a gallon of milk*
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
blueberry pancake sryup*
pancake mix*
one nine lb ham
3 boxes of cereal*
5 lb sugar
powered sugar
honey
2 lb rice*
1 box hot chocolate*
a pound of salt
pineapple
3 lb elbow pasta
36 ct eggs*
ketchup*
spinach
two whole chickens
2 bags of bagels
3 bags of english muffins
lettuce
1 loaf of white bread
10 lb potatoes*
3 lb onions*
fish sticks
sliced cheese

Our Christmas Ham

We fed seven yesterday with a 9 lb shank ham. I have one plate of sliced meat in the fridge, along with the ham bone from soup in the freezer. We have some left over green beans, and some scallopped potatoes hanging around, along with some cookies my daughter made. That is going to be dinner tonight. A clean out of all the left overs.

Tomorrow, I will make bean soup, using the carrots that are left in the frdige, two chopped onions, a few diced potatoes, the ham bone, and three 36 oz cans of pinto beans.

Christmas Day dinner was a baked ham, some scalloped potatoes, green beans with garlic. It was awesome. My husband and kids did all the work while I took a nap to catch up on some sleep.

Christmas Eve

I worked Christmas Eve (my last night before five shifts off). We just had a bunch of snack items. I laid out some cheese, pepperoni, and crackers. We had some hot chocolate, and a bunch of small items. We opened a package that was sent to us (a family gift of chocolate, cookies, and tea) and shared that with the five of us before I went to work.

what's been cooking...

My husband was looking for some extra money. He sold some of his comic books. His thought process was to have a nice dinner for the five of us, since I was working four night shifts in a row. He is such a sweetheart. Since my last posting which was a meal of hot dogs, and french fries (which was our Friday dinner), he bought a lasagna and Italian bread for Saturday meal.

On Sunday, we had baked chicken thighs, with sliced carrots baked in the oven.

Dinner 12/22

My husband cooked the last package of hot dogs that were in the freezer. He boiled these, baked a half a bag of french fries, and offered ketchup, relish, and onion for topping the hot dogs.

Breakfast for the kids 12/21/12

Since the kids are on Chrismas break, they were treated to omelets at home. Since there's three of them, I made omelets with two eggs each, and some cheese, and a little butter to coat the pan. It went over well. I made hot chocolate, and apple crisp to go with their breakfast.

Dinner 12/21/12

My husband sold some of his "collections" today. He decided while I was sleeping that we were going to have tacos. He bought some ground beef, a pound of cheddar cheese, and refried beans.

He didn't look in the freezer though. We had ground beef, and Colby cheese in the freezer.

All though I am thankful that he took some of his stuff to sell, and take the initative to make dinner. Less stress for me prior to going to work tonight.

Donating to CCAP

I try and donate every week for the local food pantry. Today, my daughter dropped off some baby food. I dropped off 6 containers of juice, and 24 cans of veggies...hoping these go to a family with kids.

December expenses Updated

December expenses Updated

Besides the holidays that are looming, I have a few extra expenses that I'm looking at.

car taxes   PAID
daughters class ring Paid part of this bill 12/05 and 12/19
daughters graduation package Paid part of this bill 12/05 and 12/19
inspection for one car
and maybe two tires (depending if the vehicle passes inspection without them)

The only way to manage to get these things done, is to watch my finances very carefully. My husband does not work and has limited income (he sells things), and I can't count on any of that income to be steady. So, the best thing I can do is watch all income that comes into the house (mine is steady), and keep our expenses as low as possible.

An update...the car taxes have been paid in full. they will not be due again until June 2013. The class ring and graduation package, I just paid 25 dollars each on them last Thursday. I still owe about 200 dollars on each. My car has not been inspected yet, hoping to get this done next Thursday when I get paid.

Dinner 12/20/12

Our meal tonight consisted of some angel hair pasta with sauteed veggies and sausage. We had angel hair pasta from the pantry that was opened. I cooked some of this about 3/4 pound in some boiling water. I heated up some olive oil with basil, three cloves of garlic, and a sliced onion that was lurking in the fridge. I had various sweet peppers from two months ago that were frozen. I sliced and chopped these small and put them into the olive oil. I added the lurking can of mushrooms (after draining and chopping them small) into the pan. I let this saute for a while. I browned and cooked on the stove top some italitan turkey sausage and added this to the veggie mixture. After that, I opened a can of diced tomatoes, drained some of the juice and added this. I let it all simmer until heated through and served this over some pasta.

Updated Pantry listing 12/20

Updated Pantry

one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
2 packages of ground turkey
5 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
8 ox sour cream*
lb of Colby cheese
several open condiments in the fridge*
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
cupcake mix
various baking ingredients*

two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
7 one pound bags of frozen corn
2 pounds of green beans
1 lb carrots*
2 cans of tomato soup

pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
3 whole chicken
2 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
graham crackers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
a taco kit
parmesean cheese*
a gallon of milk*
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
a lb apples
blueberry pancake sryup*
pancake mix*
one nine lb ham
3 boxes of cereal*
5 lb sugar
powered sugar
honey
4 pk popcorn*

2 lb rice*
generic crackers townhouse
1box hot chocolate*
5 ramen noodles for kids*
a pound of salt
pineapple

3 lb elbow pasta
3 clementines
35 water bottles*
36 ct eggs*
ketchup*
spinach
two whole chickens
3 bags of bagels
3 bags of english muffins
a pound of pepperoni
lettuce
tortilla shells*
1 loaf of white bread
10 lb potatoes*
3 lb onions*
fish sticks
sliced cheese

Updated Pantry Listing 12/19

Updated Pantry

one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
2 packages of ground turkey
5 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
8 ox sour cream*
lb of Colby cheese
several open condiments in the fridge*
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
cupcake mix
various baking ingredients*
two boxes mac and cheese
two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
7 one pound bags of frozen corn
2 pounds of green beans
1 lb carrots*
2 cans of tomato soup
one can of mushrooms
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
3 whole chicken
3 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
graham crackers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
a taco kit
parmesean cheese*
a gallon of milk*
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
a lb apples
blueberry pancake sryup*
pancake mix*
one nine lb ham
3 boxes of cereal
5 lb sugar
powered sugar
honey
4 pk popcorn*
marshmallow creme*
3 lb rice
generic crackers townhouse
1box hot chocolate
6 ramen noodles for kids
a pound of salt
pineapple
half a bag of marsh mellows
3 lb elbow pasta
3 clementines
35 water bottles
36 ct eggs
ketchup
spinach
two whole chickens
3 bags of bagels
3 bags of english muffins
a pound of pepperoni
lettuce
tortilla shells
2 loaves of white bread
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onions
fish sticks
sliced cheese

dinner 12/19

We are going to have meat loaf, long grain rice, green beans, and a salad for dinner.
I took out a lb of ground beef that I bought on mark down to thaw. I have a few eggs that I can mix into it. I have the left over bread ends (from my homemade bread attempts) that I froze as to not waste them. These will be made into bread crumbs (using my awesome blender), and mixed with garlic, onion, and Italian seasonings to me added into the ground beef mixture. I will top the meat loaf with a small amount of BBQ sauce and bake this.  The salad will be a sort of mixture of a sliced onion, some hard boiled egg, a few trimmings of cheese, some leaf spinach and lettuce. We have frozen green beans in the freezer that need to be used up. I may make another apple crisp, as I have a few apples that need to go. The long grain rice was bought in a three pound package, and is not the instant brand. The longer cooking time for regular rice makes this an affordable alternative to instant.

Dinner 12/17

I served five kids and two adults. I made some apple crisp, using 6 apples, some ground granola, cinnamon, butter and baked this in the oven...it was a huge hit. I also used a pound of ground turkey, some corn (about a pound bag), and seven potatoes and fixed shepard's pie.

Updated Pantry Listings 12/17

Updated Pantry

one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
5 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
8 ox sour cream*
lb of Colby cheese
cheese ends*
several open condiments in the fridge*
1 pound of sugar
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
cupcake mix
various baking ingredients*
two boxes mac and cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce*
two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
2 pounds of green beans
1 lb carrots*
4 cans of tomato soup
one can of mushrooms
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
two packs of gum
a few potatoes
one whole chicken
3 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
graham crackers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
a taco kit
parmesean cheese
2 gallons of milk*
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
3 lb apples
18 ct pads
blueberry pancake sryup
pancake mix
one nine lb ham
3 boxes of cereal
5 lb sugar
powered sugar
honey
1 6 ok popcorn*
nutella generic*
marshmallow creme*
5 lb rice
generic crackers townhouse
3 boxes hot chocolate
10 ct ramen noodles for kids
a pound of salt
pineapple
2 bags marshmallows
3 lb elbow pasta
8 clementines
70 water bottles
36 ct eggs
ketchup
spinach
two whole chickens
3 bags of bagels
3 bags of english muffins
a four packs of jello
a pound of pepperoni
lettuce
tortilla shells
3 loaves of white bread
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onions
fish sticks
sliced cheese

Saturday's dinner

My daughter made pancakes with blue berry syrup..it was an adventure.

Dinner 12/16

We had pasta and sauce, using the left over sauce that was in the fridge. Nothing spectacular, but filling.

Bills

Well, I made a payment to KIA, I only owe 281 left!!!!!!!
I made normal scheduled payments to JCP, Target, and my other listed bills. 



I am going to list my debt, and my plans to get rid of this:

KIA 277.11 a month  I got my new statement, and I owe 555.30 total!!!!

JCPenny 600 dollars total....100 a month (when KIA is paid off, the money rolls into my JCP account 277.11 plus 100.00)

Target 2780.31....150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150). This is my newest statement.

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES!!!!!! 90 a month at the moment (when Target gets paid off, then the money will roll into this account 572.11 a month)

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes!!!! 167 a month...will keep this amount until Wells Fargo A is paid off. (when the above is paid off, then I will put 572.11 a month and the normal 167 towards this loan).

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month....I was paying 200 dollars a month extra...thinking that will change, as I need an emergency fund.

Emergency Fund: 00000000


Essentially, I could have my bills paid, and mortgage free come 2023....is this a reasonable plan??? Yes, provided I can stick to it.

Dinner 12/14

We have some lurking sliced cheese (even though I bought more yesterday), so the girls are making grilled cheese sandwiches. They are going to heat up two cans of tomato soup for two of us, and three cans of bean with bacon soup for the three who don't like tomato. This will be a filling dinner for those hungry bellies.

Updated Pantry listing 12/14

Updated Pantry

one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
5 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
a pound of ground beef
8 ox sour cream*
lb of Colby cheese
cheese ends*
several open condiments in the fridge*
1 pound of sugar
box of tea bags*
various spices (dried)*
cupcake mix
various baking ingredients*
two boxes mac and cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce*
two pounds of pasta*
1 rice roni
veggie oil*
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
2 pounds of green beans
1 lb carrots*
4 cans of tomato soup
one can of mushrooms
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal*
one box of cream of wheat*
two packs of gum
a few potatoes
one whole chicken
3 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers*
graham crackers*
a muffin mix
bagged flour*
a taco kit
parmesean cheese

The starred items are opened. The above items are what we had on hand prior to going to the grocery store. The items below are things I bought yesterday. 

2 gallons of milk

one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)

3 lb apples

3 lb bananas

18 ct pads

16 lb dog food

blueberry pancake sryup

pancake mix

one nine lb ham

3 boxes of cereal

5 lb sugar

powered sugar

honey

1 6 ok popcorn

3 eight ox bags of organic chips

nutella generic

marshmallow creme

5 lb rice

generic crackers townhouse

8 lance snack crackers

4 boxes hot chocolate

12 ct ramen noodles for kids

a pound of salt

pineapple

4 cans bean soup

3 bags marshmallows

3 lb elbow pasta

8 clementines

70 water bottles

36 ct eggs

ketchup

spinach

two whole chickens

3 bags of bagels

3 bags of english muffins

2 four packs of jello

a pound of pepperoni

lettuce

tortilla shells

3 loaves of white bread

10 lb potatoes

3 lb onions

fish sticks

frozen pizza

sliced cheese

Shopping

At the end of last month, I had 46 dollars left of my 300.00 limit and put that towards my December shopping. Bringing my limit to 340.00. Looking back over my amount from the last time I shopped, I spent 222.24 and had 120 dollars left.

I went yesterday to Sharp Shopper. I bought the following:

2 gallons of milk
one bag of frozen french fries (for when I'm working and my husband needs a quick snack for the kids)
3 lb apples
3 lb bananas
18 ct pads
16 lb dog food
blueberry pancake sryup
pancake mix
one nine lb ham
3 boxes of cereal
5 lb sugar
powered sugar
honey
popcorn
3 eight ox bags of organic chips
nutella generic
marshmallow creme
5 lb rice
generic crackers townhouse
lance snack crackers
4 boxes hot chocolate
12 ct ramen noodles for kids
salt
pineapple
4 cans bean soup
3 bags marshmallows
3 lb elbow pasta
clementines
70 water bottles
36 ct eggs
ketchup
spinach
two whole chickens
bagels
english muffins
jello
pepperoni
lettuce
tortilla shells
white bread
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onions
fish sticks
 frozen pizza
sliced cheese

I spent 110.oo out of my total budget left for December. I have ten dollars left for the month. Hoping that I can stay out of the stores and only buy milk.

Dinner 12/12

Last night we had left over chicken and carrots, with home made french fries. For the french fries, I heat up some veggie oil, peel a few potatoes, slice them thin and in strips. Overall, there was nothing left, and I made stock for the freezer, about 2 cups full.

Dinner 12/11

Chicken thighs in the crock pot, with 6 very large carrots, one sliced onion, three cloves of garlic, some celery, poultry seasoning, one bouillon cube, and a cup of water. This will cook all day and we will eat dinner around 5. The stock will be strained, meat taken off the bones of what is left, and frozen for future use.

My debt into the new year!

My debt


I am going to list my debt, and my plans to get rid of this:

KIA 277.11 a month  I got my new statement, and I owe 555.30 total!!!!

JCPenny 600 dollars total....100 a month (when KIA is paid off, the money rolls into my JCP account 277.11 plus 100.00)

Target 2780.31....150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150). This is my newest statement.

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES!!!!!! 90 a month at the moment (when Target gets paid off, then the money will roll into this account 572.11 a month)

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes!!!! 167 a month...will keep this amount until Wells Fargo A is paid off. (when the above is paid off, then I will put 572.11 a month and the normal 167 towards this loan).

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month....I was paying 200 dollars a month extra...thinking that will change, as I need an emergency fund.

Emergency Fund: 00000000


Essentially, I could have my bills paid, and mortgage free come 2023....is this a reasonable plan??? Yes, provided I can stick to it.

Dinner 12/10

It was a very frugal day. We had from scratch Belgium waffles on the waffle iron. Some flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, oil, and two eggs....awesome!

Very frugal snacks...

Ok, I gotta say that I don't know many children who love love love hard boiled eggs as much as mine do. I just boiled 12 eggs and used two of them to make some egg salad for my lunch. The rest will go towards my kids snacks today and tomorrow.

I am also making bread in the ABM. I used salt, water, oil, sugar, white flour, and a cup of wheat flour, and some yeast. Last week, when I made this bread, it didn't last two hours.

I love that I have the ability and skills needed to make healthy frugal snacks for my family.

Updates

updated list!!

Updated Pantry list. The starred items are opened and need to be worked on to get used up.  I took the pork chops and herb stuffing off our list for the month, as these are planned for today.


one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
10 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
meat ends*******
a pound of ground beef

8 ox sharp cheddar
8 ox sour cream*******
lb of Colby cheese
cheese ends********

several open condiments in the fridge*******
opened jam in fridge*******

2 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
1 pound of sugar
box of tea bags**************
various spices (dried)********
cupcake mix

various baking ingredients**********
two boxes mac and cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce*******
two pounds of pasta***********
2 rice roni
veggie oil************
pancake syrup
chopped frozen green peppers**********
2 lbs frozen sour kraut


1 pounds onions**************
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
a can of pears
2 pounds of green beans

1 lb carrots********

4 cans of tomato soup
one can of mushrooms

2 containers of peanut butter**************
5 lb carrots
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal***************
one box of cream of wheat***************
one box of cereal ************
one box candy canes
two packs of gum
 lb bananas*************
24 ct eggs**************
fat free milk gallon*************


a few potatoes
one whole chicken
4 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers***********
3 lb apples
3 half gallon juices
graham crackers

two muffin mixes
bagged flour************
two containers of hot cocoa*************
a taco kit
ketchup
parmesean cheese



Containers gone:

one with a small amount of meatballs
one with turkey and stock
one container out of two with chicken stock
two containers of meat balls

Frozen veggies gone:
mix veggies
brussel sprouts

Dinner 12/8/2012

My husband made chili yesterday in the crock pot. It was awesome  He used chopped peppers, onion, two garlic cloves, three cans of kidney beans, BBQ sauce, one pound of hamburger, three cans of diced tomatoes, the last of the grape tomatoes. Our recycling is pretty full, and using what we have is working for our finances.

Dinner 12/7

Dinner tonight will be pasta and sauce, with meatballs. I have to containers of meatballs left, and two small containers of Italian sausage with peppers, onions and garlic in the fridge. I will make some pasta to go with these, and hand this out as a meal. I also have one lurking whole wheat pizza crust, that I will fix into bread sticks with garlic, parmesean and some butter.

Dinner Update

Well, we baked the five out of seven pork chops. I put two of the pork chops back into the freezer after wrapping them well. We finished some of the brussel sprouts. I used the package of herb stuffing, and used two containers of chicken stock that was loaded with celery, onion, carrots, and spices. When I went to make the salad, the romaine lettuce had gone bad.

updated list!!

Updated Pantry list. The starred items are opened and need to be worked on to get used up.  I took the pork chops and herb stuffing off our list for the month, as these are planned for today.


one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
10 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
meat ends*******
2 pounds ground beef

8 ox sharp cheddar
8 ox sour cream*******
lb of Colby cheese
cheese ends********
4 yogurt
several open condiments in the fridge*******
opened jam in fridge*******
a whole wheat pizza crust
2 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
1 pound of sugar
box of tea bags**************
various spices (dried)********
cupcake mix

various baking ingredients**********
two boxes mac and cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
three pounds of pasta
2 rice roni
veggie oil************
pancake syrup
chopped frozen green peppers**********
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
1 heads romaine lettuce*************
a few grape tomatoes************
1 pounds onions**************
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
a can of pears
2 pounds of green beans

1 lb carrots********
quarter pound of celery****************
4 cans of tomato soup
one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans
2 containers of peanut butter**************
5 lb carrots
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal***************
one box of cream of wheat***************

three boxes of cereal*************
one box candy canes
two packs of gum
 lb bananas*************
24 ct eggs**************
fat free milk gallon*************
loaf of bread

10 pounds potatoes************
one whole chicken
4 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers
3 lb apples
3 half gallon juices
graham crackers
canned beans
two muffin mixes
bagged flour************
two containers of hot cocoa*************
a taco kit
ketchup
parmesean cheese



Containers gone:

one with a small amount of meatballs
one with turkey and stock
one container out of two with chicken stock

Frozen veggies gone:
mix veggies
brussel sprouts

I have eight containers left in the fridge to "transform" into some kind of family meal. I have green beans, and a small amount of brussel sprouts left to finish from lurking in the freezer for quite some time.

The containers have chicken stock in them, some left over taco meat, Italian sausage with peppers and onion, one has some meatballs in sauce....unsure of the others at this point.

I am trying to make due with what we have. I found some pancakes that I made last week and froze the left overs.

Dinner 12/6 (using up some of those hidden treasures AKA containers)

I am going to bake some bone in pork chops, make our last package of herb stuffing, using some of the containers of homemade chicken stock (loaded with extras like celery, carrots, and onion) to mix into the stuffing.

I hope to finish off the last of the brussel sprouts, and make a small salad with some romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, and a little cheese. Salad dressings to be offered are a bottle of generic Italian, Thousand Island or Blue Cheese.

Containers in fridge, and frozen veggies

Containers gone:

one with a small amount of meatballs
one with turkey and stock

Frozen veggies gone:
mix veggies

I have eight containers left in the fridge to "transform" into some kind of family meal. I have green beans, and a small amount of brussel sprouts left to finish from lurking in the freezer for quite some time.

The containers have chicken stock in them, some left over taco meat, Italian sausage with peppers and onion, one has some meatballs in sauce....unsure of the others at this point.

I am trying to make due with what we have. I found some pancakes that I made last week and froze the left overs.

We could always have a pick and choose night.....put everything out on the breakfast bar and have a small "snack kind of" dinner. We could just do a small bit of everything and I could add some veggies to the offerings.

Revised as of 12/5

Updated Pantry list.


one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
10 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
meat ends
2 pounds ground beef
pack of pork chops bone in
8 ox sharp cheddar
8 ox sour cream
lb of Colby cheese
cheese ends
4 yogurt
several open condiments in the fridge
opened jam in fridge
a whole wheat pizza crust
2 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
2 pounds of sugar
box of tea bags
various spices (dried)
cupcake mix
one bag of  herb stuffing
various baking ingredients
two boxes mac and cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
three pounds of pasta
2 rice roni
veggie oil
pancake syrup
chopped frozen green peppers
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
1 heads romaine lettuce
a few grape tomatoes
1 pounds onions
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
a can of pears
2 pounds of green beans
one half opened bag of brussel sprouts
1 lb carrots
quarter pound of celery
4 cans of tomato soup
one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans
2 containers of peanut butter
5 lb carrots
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal
one box of cream of wheat
one box of farina
three boxes of cereal
one box candy canes
two packs of gum
 lb bananas
24 ct eggs
fat free milk gallon
loaf of bread
5 lb sugar
10 pounds potatoes
one whole chicken
4 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers
3 lb apples
3 half gallon juices
graham crackers
canned beans
two muffin mixes
bagged flour
two containers of hot cocoa
a taco kit
ketchup
parmesean cheese

Dinner 12/5

I had an ACLS class today, ekg and pharmacology review.....from 8-430.

When I got home, I made some banana bread using all recipies.com, I grilled an onion, a package of hot dogs, and baked some fries in the oven....that was dinner.

We finished off the small amount of mixed veggies.

December expenses Updated

Besides the holidays that are looming, I have a few extra expenses that I'm looking at.

car taxes
daughters class ring
daughters graduation package
inspection for one car
and maybe two tires (depending if the vehicle passes inspection without them)

The only way to manage to get these things done, is to watch my finances very carefully. My husband does not work and has limited income (he sells things), and I can't count on any of that income to be steady. So, the best thing I can do is watch all income that comes into the house (mine is steady), and keep our expenses as low as possible.

An update...the car taxes have been paid in full. they will not be due again until June 2013. The class ring and graduation package, I just paid 25 dollars each on them last Thursday. I still owe about 200 dollars on each. My car has not been inspected yet, hoping to get this done next Thursday when I get paid.

My debt

I am going to list my debt, and my plans to get rid of this:

KIA 277.11 a month (only four payments left)

JCPenny 600 dollars total....100 a month (when KIA is paid off, the money rolls into my JCP account 277.11 plus 100.00)

Target 1300 total....150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150)

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES!!!!!! 90 a month at the moment (when Target gets paid off, then the money will roll into this account 572.11 a month)

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes!!!! 167 a month...will keep this amount until Wells Fargo A is paid off. (when the above is paid off, then I will put 572.11 a month and the normal 167 towards this loan).

Mortgage 72,000 total....633.21 a month....I was paying 200 dollars a month extra...thinking that will change, as I need an emergency fund.


Emergency Fund: 00000000


Essentially, I could have my bills paid, and mortgage free come 2023....is this a reasonable plan??? Yes, provided I can stick to it.

Dinner 12/4

Remember Thanksgiving when I made turkey stock??? Well, I turned it into gravy, and found that there was plenty of turkey in the container. So, I made some mashed potatoes, put the turkey and gravy over this and called it dinner. It was pretty awesome, there was nothing left! We also had some mixed veggies....

Containers gone:

one with a small amount of meatballs
one with turkey and stock

Easy exercising

Who can afford a gym membership these days?? If my finances allowed it, I may buy one, but I rest assured that it would not get used much, and would become a wasted expense. What I do instead is walk for thirty minutes a day. I would like to go twice a day but sometimes getting out the door once a day is a challenge. 

I live in a community where we have lots of grass, but limited side walk. I take our dog out on her lease, and at times without, and we have a good walk between the two of us. 

Home made bread

Flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar, oil.....in the new ABM I bought...hoping for the best. If it goes over with the family, then I won't have to buy it at the store!!

Updated pantry listings

Updated Pantry list.


one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
10 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
1 packages of Oscar Myer hot dogs

meat ends

2 pounds ground beef
pack of pork chops bone in
8 ox sharp cheddar
8 ox sour cream

lb of Colby cheese

cheese ends
4 yogurt
several open condiments in the fridge
opened jam in fridge
a whole wheat pizza crust
2 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
2 pounds of sugar
box of tea bags
various spices (dried)
cupcake mix
one bag of  herb stuffing
various baking ingredients
two boxes mac and cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce

three pounds of pasta
2 rice roni

veggie oil
pancake syrup
chopped frozen green peppers
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
1 heads romaine lettuce
a few grape tomatoes

1 pounds onions
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn

a can of pears
2 pounds of green beans
one half opened bag of brussel sprouts
1 lb carrots
a marked down 5 pound bag of french fries (opened)
quarter pound of celery
4 cans of tomato soup

one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans

2 containers of peanut butter
5 lb carrots
pearl onions
one box old fashioned oatmeal

one box of cream of wheat
one box of farina

three boxes of cereal


one box candy canes
two packs of gum
bottled water 35 ct
3 lb bananas
24 ct eggs
fat free milk gallon
loaf of bread
5 lb sugar
10 pounds potatoes
one whole chicken
4 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers
3 lb apples
3 half gallon juices
cheese it generic
graham crackers
lance crackers
canned beans
two muffin mixes
bagged flour
two containers of hot cocoa
a taco kit
ketchup
parmesean cheese

Those containers in the freezer

I have about ten different containers in the freezer that I placed into the fridge to thaw...I know for a fact that one three quart container is turkey and gravy, and one or two are chicken stock, and one may be taco meat....my goal is to use these up this week in some sort of meal for everyone. I want to work on decreasing what is in the freezer (in containers, I have to dig the rest of them out) and hope to incorporate these "hidden treasures" into some pretty nice family meals this week. I also have some older frozen veggies to use up, the last of the brussel sprouts, some green beans, and a haf a package of mixed veggies.

12/3

Dinner tonight for seven,,,my kids had friends over. So, I had a old pizza crust in the fridge, sliced into strips, mixed butter, garlic and parmesean over the strips, baked them for 10 minutes....told the kids it was garlic bread...We also had pasta and sauce.

Dinner 12/2

We gave the kids some cereal and milk or the choice of left over tacos....my husband and I had a trail package of chicken alfredo, it was just ok.

Dinner 12/1

Tonight's meal will be omelets (two eggs each for a total of ten eggs), with sliced swiss cheese that will be chopped up, and a few small pieces of deli end ham (a very few pieces).

Dinner 11/30

Dinner tonight is tacos for five, using some ground turkey, taco seasoning, romaine lettuce, a few grape tomatoes, and block cheddar cheese that will be shredded. We also have a small 8 oz sour cream that can top the tacos if desired. We will have canned pears, and refried beans to go with this.

Donating

Since October 2012 I have been donating to CCAP on a regular basis....every two weeks. I made two monetary donations online, dropped off eleven winter coats for kids after cleaning out the closet, and donated several bags of pantry and produce a few weeks ago from the pantry. This morning, I dropped off several bags of groceries to the center.

I feel that since I am able to live simply, earm money and my family has their needs met, I am able to give freely of my own choosing to help others. While I don't mind the monetary online donation, I feel that it's better to actually go to the grocery store and drop off the items (I like the feeling it gives me to walk in with a few bags of needed groceries). I would like to keep doing this every two weeks when I get paid. Of course, my finances are the first and foremost to be looked at and tended to prior to my giving to the shelter.

Updated Pantry list.

one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
10 pounds of chicken thighs
1  packages of brautworst
2 packages of Oscar Myer hot dogs
one bottle of blue cheese dressing
two whole wheat pizza crust
4 yogurts
2 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
2 pounds of sugar
box of tea bags
cupcake mix
one bag of  herb stuffing
various spices (dried)
various baking ingredients
several open condiments in the fridge
two boxes mac and cheese
1 pounds of pasta
1 package of rice and sauce
veggie oil
pancake syrup
tea bags
opened jam in fridge
chopped frozen green peppers
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
1 heads romaine lettuce
a few grape tomatoes
3 bags of pinto beans
3 bags of kidney beans
4 cans of diced tomatoes
1 pounds onions
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
two cans of pears
2 jars spaghetti sauce (one opened)
2 pounds of green beans
one half opened bag of brussel sprouts
1 lb carrots
a marked down 5 pound bag of french fries (opened)
quarter pound of celery
one box old fashioned oatmeal
one box of cream of wheat
one box of farina
6 cans of tomato soup
2 containers of peanut butter
one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans



one box candy canes
5 bottles of VO5 shampoo
Two bottles of nice and easy hair color
three bottles of body wash
two cover girl eye make up
200 count ibuprofen
q tips generic
apricot scrub generic
a generic midol
two tubes of tooth paste
18 ox peanut butter
pearl onions
two packs of gum
2 pounds ground beef
pack of pork chops bone in
8 ox sharp cheddar
8 ox sour cream
20 pack scott tissue
18 lb generic cat food
24 ct nine lives canned food
bottled water 35 ct
3 lb bananas
36 ct eggs
fat free milk gallon
loaf of bread
5 lb sugar
10 pounds potatoes
2 pizzas
one whole chicken
4 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers
3 lb apples
3 half gallon juices
cheese ends
meat ends
lb of Colby cheese
three boxes of cereal
cheese it generic
graham crackers
lance crackers
canned beans
two muffin mixes
bagged flour
two containers of hot cocoa
two taco kits
bag of flour tortillas
ketchup
parmesean cheese
three pounds of pasta
2 rice roni
5 lb carrots

Grocery Shopping

Being the end of the month, I added the 46 dollars left from this month, with the 300 dollars for next month.

We bought at CVS
one box candy canes
5 bottles of VO5 shampoo
Two bottles of nice and easy hair color
three bottles of body wash
two cover girl eye make up
200 count ibuprofen
q tips generic
apricot scrub generic
a generic midol
two tubes of tooth paste


total spent 71.98 after 19.00 taken off for coupons. YIKES!!

At Food Lion, we bought
18 ox peanut butter
pearl onions
two packs of gum
2 pounds ground beef
pack of pork chops bone in
8 ox sharp cheddar
8 ox sour cream

Cost 24.77 after 4.13 in coupons

Martins:
20 pack scott tissue
18 lb generic cat food
24 ct nine lives canned food

Spent 32.25 after 3.50 in coupons.

We went to Sharp Shopper:
bottled water 35 ct
3 lb bananas
36 ct eggs
fat free milk gallon
loaf of bread
5 lb sugar
10 pounds potatoes
2 pizzas
one whole chicken
4 turkey sausage
2 lb peppers
3 lb apples
3 half gallon juices
cheese ends
meat ends
lb of Colby cheese
three boxes of cereal
cheese it generic
graham crackers
lance crackers
canned beans
two muffin mixes
bagged flour
two containers of hot cocoa
two taco kits
bag of flour tortillas
ketchup
parmesean cheese
three pounds of pasta
2 rice roni
5 lb carrots

Sharp Shopper total 93.24


For CCAP (donations to shelter)
one whole chicken
 2 lb turnips
three lb sweet potatoes
two head of cabbage
three boxes of oatmeal
3 lb box of scallopped potaotes
5 lb carrots
24 pack can veggies

Total (not included in my budget) 27.70

Wednesday 11/28 dinner

Our last lb of ground beef, some spices, three eggs, and some "crushed kix cereal", mixed together becomes meat load. I topped this with a small take out package of BBQ sauce, and the same size marinara sauce (I mixed the two together). We also had corn, brussel sprouts, and boiled potatoes.

The crock pot chicken from Saturday

is being plugged back into the crock pot, and being cooked on low. I am going to take the chicken off the bone, and pick the veggies out in a few hours, strain the stock, and serve the chicken with the assorted carrots, and either a small amount of egg noodles, or a packet of rice and "sauce".

Pantry Offerings...Updated.

Here is a listing of what I have available in the house for the rest of November and December.  I am anticipating buying milk and eggs.


one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
10 pounds of chicken thighs
one package of 18 fish filet
1 pound ground beef
1  packages of brautworst
2 packages of Oscar Myer hot dogs


 milk
half a stick of margarine
one bottle of blue cheese dressing

two whole wheat pizza crust
6 count eggs
5 yogurts
2 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
1/4 Colby cheese

2 pounds of sugar
3 pk popcorn
 box of tea bags
cupcake mix
2 jars of gravy
one bag of  herb stuffing

various spices (dried)
various baking ingredients

several open condiments in the fridge

two boxes mac and cheese
1 pounds of pasta
2 packages of rice and sauce


veggie oil
pancake mix
pancake syrup
tea bags
opened jam in fridge

chopped frozen green peppers
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
1 heads romaine lettuce

a few grape tomatoes
3 bags of pinto beans
3 bags of kidney beans
4 cans of diced tomatoes
1 pounds onions
3 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
two cans of pears
2 jars spaghetti sauce (one opened)
2 pounds of green beans
one half opened bag of brussel sprouts
1 lb carrots
2 pounds potatoes
a marked down 5 pound bag of french fries (opened)
quarter pound of celery


one box old fashioned oatmeal
one box of cream of wheat
several half empty boxes of cereal
one box of farina

6 cans of tomato soup
2 containers of peanut butter
one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans

I also have various containers of stock, left overs, and small amounts of "frozen left overs" in the freezer.

dinner 11/25

I have been working all weekend. We had Oscar Myer hot dogs, and french fries.

11/26

Our dinner last night was easy....some chopped peppers, onion, garlic, plum tomato, in some olive oil, and diced bratwurst over pasta....kids loved it.

The crock pot chicken...

has been placed in the fridge until Monday morning....tonight we are having some hot dogs, and french fries....the Turkey is gone from thanksgiving, and the last of the sweet potatoes have been frozen.

Dinner 11/24

The crock is in use....

chicken thighs, carrots, celery, onions, poultry seasoning, and a bouillon cube...

will have let over corn, sweet potatoes , and a small salad.

Dinner 11/23

We will be pushing the Thanksgiving left overs and place what is not eaten into the freezer...

total pantry, freezer, fridge items

Here is a listing of what I have available in the house for the rest of November and December  I am anticipating buying milk and eggs.


one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
3 packages of ground turkey
15 pounds of chicken thighs
one package of 18 fish filet
1 pound ground beef
2  packages of brautworst
3 packages of Oscar Myer hot dogs
8 corn dogs for the kids

gallon of milk
half a stick of margarine
one bottle of blue cheese dressing
one pound mozzarella cheese
two whole wheat pizza crust
18 count eggs
5 yogurts
3 half gallons of juice  (half empty)
1 pound of Colby cheese

4 pounds of sugar 2.29
6 pk popcorn
 box of tea bags
cupcake mix
2 jars of gravy
one bag of  herb stuffing

various spices (dried)
various baking ingredients

several open condiments in the fridge

two boxes mac and cheese
2 pounds of pasta
2 packages of rice and sauce


veggie oil
pancake mix
pancake syrup
tea bags
opened jam in fridge

chopped frozen green peppers
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 heads romaine lettuce (half gone)

one pound of grape tomatoes (half used)
3 bags of pinto beans
3 bags of kidney beans
4 cans of diced tomatoes
2 pounds onions
3one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
two cans of pears
2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 pounds of green beans
one half opened bag of brussel sprouts
4lb carrots
3 pounds potatoes
a marked down 5 pound bag of french fries (opened)
quarter pound of celery


one box old fashioned oatmeal
one box of cream of wheat
several half empty boxes of cereal
one box of farina

2 can of ravioli

8 cans of tomato soup
2 containers of peanut butter
one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans

I also have various containers of stock, left overs, and small amounts of "frozen left overs" in the freezer.

thanksgiving

My daughter and I cooked our 11.8 pound turkey, had mashed spuds, yams, corn, turkey, gravy, two pies, cheese and sausage, and dressing....Needless to say, we do have spuds, yams, gravy, turkey and one pie left over.

The turkey frame went into the crock pot with some goodness that was left in the bottom of the roasting pan. I added two cups of water, some spices, and some left over celery leaves. I let this cook for 14 hours in low, strained it this morning, picked the meat off, and now have three quarts of turkey stock!! This went right into the freezer or another meal.

The spuds are in the fridge with the yams. The gravy is in the fridge, and one plate of turkey is waiting for let overs this evening. We have one pan of stuffing left (I made two). The pie will go fast today.

If the spuds and yams don't get eaten today, they will make be put into an appropriate container and placed in the freezer. I don't want to waste food.

Our thanksgiving fed 6 people, with 3 quarts of turkey stock and meat for the freezer, and plenty of left overs.

Giving back....

Going to CCAP with a few things....a bag full of granola bars, some hot cereal, a pound of carrots, potatoes, onions, some various bread items, my second turkey I bought, two bags of frozen peas, and cabbage....a few odds and ends that would be put to better use for a family in the community.

I also gave them the minestrone soup, and four cans of tomato soup, and several packages of oatmeal.

December Expenses

Besides the holidays that are looming, I have a few extra expenses that I'm looking at.

car taxes
daughters class ring
daughters graduation package
inspection for one car
and maybe two tires (depending if the vehicle passes inspection without them)

The only way to manage to get these things done, is to watch my finances very carefully. My husband does not work and has limited income (he sells things), and I can't count on any of that income to be steady. So, the best thing I can do is watch all income that comes into the house (mine is steady), and keep our expenses as low as possible.

Heating

Our town house has all electric heat, with a furnace and heat pump. Our heat is set at 70 during the evening and night. During the day, since the kids are at school, I turn the heating down to 68. We have several blankets on the sofa and chairs or extra warmth. I have two french windows in the living room that can be drafty, and have small thermal blankets rolled up against these windows to prevent any heat loss. We also keep the blinds open in the day time, and close them around supper time to prevent heat loss.

total pantry, freezer, fridge items

Here is a listing of what I have available in the house for the rest of November and December  I am anticipating buying milk and eggs.

11.8 lb turkey
11.6 lb turkey
one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas)
4 packages of ground turkey
15 pounds of chicken thighs
one package of 18 fish filet
1 pound ground beef
2  packages of brautworst
3 packages of Oscar Myer hot dogs
8 corn dogs for the kids

gallon of milk
two sticks margarine
one bottle of blue cheese dressing
one pound mozzarella cheese
two whole wheat pizza crust
18 count eggs
5 yogurts
3 half gallons of juice
1 pound of Colby cheese

4 pounds of sugar 2.29
6 pk popcorn
 box of tea bags
cupcake mix
4 jars of gravy
two bags of herb stuffing
several frozen loaves of pepperidge farm bread
various spices (dried)
various baking ingredients

several open condiments in the fridge

two boxes mac and cheese
2 pounds of pasta
2 packages of rice and sauce

20 water
veggie oil
pancake mix
pancake syrup
tea bags
opened jam in fridge

chopped frozen green peppers
2 lbs frozen sour kraut
3 heads romaine lettuce
20 count package of tortillas soft flour
one head of cabbage
one pound of grape tomatoes
3 bags of pinto beans
3 bags of kidney beans
4 cans of diced tomatoes
3 pounds onions
5 one pound bags of frozen peas
9 one pound bags of frozen corn
two cans of pears
2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 pounds of green beans
one half opened bag of brussel sprouts
5 lb carrots
10 pounds potatoes
a marked down 5 pound bag of french fries
one pound of celery
3 pounds of sweet potatoes

one box old fashioned oatmeal
one box of cream of wheat
several half empty boxes of cereal
one box of farina

1 can of ravioli
one can of minestrone soup
11 cans of tomato soup
3 containers of peanut butter
one can of mushrooms
three cans of kidney beans

I also have various containers of stock, left overs, and small amounts of "frozen left overs" in the freezer.

Dinner 11/20

I was cleaning up the pantry, and found a lurking pack of taco spices....that's it, just the taco spice...no kit with shells and sauce....so, I have flour tortillas, salsa in the fridge, lettuce, tomato and cheese....and a pound of ground turkey....

It's a soft taco night with all the trimmings for dinner.

dinner 11/19

Tonight for dinner, we are having scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, sliced pears....it's easy and requires little time in the kitchen!

Dinner 11/16 & 17

Last night I gave the kids some ravoli with yogurt for dinner before I went to work.

Tonight, I grilled hot dogs on the hot plate, warmed some corn, made french fries and salad.

total grocery expenses for November

Earlier in the month, I had spent 110.37 at Sharp Shopper, looking back in my posts, I found this amount on November 3rd. 

Total at Sharp Shopper 63.24
Aldi 61.10
Target 19.02

Goal 300.00 for month....

Total November 3rd   110.37
Total November 15th  143.36
Total spent for month 253.73
Left for month              46.27

Wow!

November 15th shopping

We went to three stores....the first being Target. We bought the following:
11.8 lb turkey 0.79 a lb cost 9.35
11.6 lb turkey 0.79 a lb cost 9.21

Total or Target 19.02.

We went to Aldi's to pick up some sale items. We bought the following:
5 one pound bags of frozen peas 0.99 each
10 one pound bags of frozen corn 0.65 each
3 bags of pinto beans 1.19 each
3 bags of kidney beans 0.59 each
4 cans of diced tomatoes 0.59 each
4 pounds of sugar 2.29
one box cheese crackers 1.29
6 pk popcorn  1.49
2 jars spaghetti sauce 0.99 each
one 9.5 pound smoked ham (for Christmas) 0.99 pound, total cost 9.45
4 packages of ground turkey 1.69 each
box of tea bags 1.89
cupcake mix 0.99
4 jars of gravy 0.89 each
two bags of herb stuffing 1.99 each
cat litter 3.99

Total At Aldi 61.10

We went to Sharp Shopper and bought the following:
one pound of celery 1.19
10 cans of cat food 0.39 each
5 pounds of chicken thighs 4.99 total
2 pounds of pasta 0.79 each
two boxes mac and cheese 0.59 each
a 24 package of corn dogs for the kids 4.99
a marked down 5 pound bag of french fries (even though I make my own, this is a quick snack for when I'm working and the kids are looking for something) 2.49 originally 5.00
2  packages of brautworst 0.99 each
2 packages of Oscar Myer hot dogs 0.99 each
1 pound of colby cheese 3.00
one pound of grape tomatoes 0.99
one gallon of milk 3.99
2 half gallons of juice 0.50 each
3 heads romaine lettuce 1.19 total
20 count package of tortillas soft flour 2.49
35 pk water 4.99
2 five pound bags of cat food 2.99 each
one bottle of blue cheese dressing 0.99


Total at Sharp Shopper 63.24....

Painless dinner

We had scrambled eggs, raisin toast, with hot chocolate.

Laundry

Did you know that you can still hang laundry when it's chilly outside??? I know this sounds foolish, but I have a drying rack in my hall way with about 200 clothes pins. When our wash in done (wash and rinse on cold), I hang out laundry up on the drying rack, and it takes about two days for things to dry completely.

If you choose to hang things outside (I do when the sun is shining, but cool), then it will take longer to dry, but it still does the job!!

When things are tight for families, then nothing is sacred....it's better to have dry clothes, and to have to wear dirty clothes and wonder when the finances will be around to be able to use the dryer, or go to the laundry mat.

We do have a dryer, but choose not to use it.

Cat litter

Since we have three cats, and two litter boxes....my kids are overzealous about how much litter to add to the duty area. In reality, since they are all indoor/outdoor animals, and they can do their work outside if needed, the animals actually only NEED about two or three inches of litter in the pans. My kids have to be broken of adding half a container every time....

Dinner 11/14

I have a pork roast marinated with herbs and garlic, about 2.8 pounds in the crock pot, with the last 4 carrots, and a pound of sweet potatoes.....This is cooking on low and will be dinner tonight, with a green veggie..choices are what is in the freezer...

An Update

The ziti has been put into the fridge for a quick snack tomorrow for the kids after school. The meat balls ended up being about a quarter size, and out of a bunch of spices, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, and a pound of ground beef, I made 24 meatballs. We used the Ragu sauce, and made salad and garlic bread.

The salad is gone, the garlic bread is gone. I put 6 meatballs in one container with two mixing spoon servings of sauce over them. I put another 6 meatballs into another bowl, and covered it with another two mixing spoons worth of sauce. Both bowls are now in the freezer for another night. This will be two meals for the five of us.

Composting

I have a nice compost pile in the back yard, next to the fence door. But it's getting colder outside, and I don't want to have to venture out far. So, I have an old planter (about 3 gallon size), with some soil in it, from a previous attempt at gardening. So, I will use this as my compost pile until spring. It has a cover on top of it, and since the soil is all ready there, it's costing me nothing. I might as well put this to use!! It has drainage holes to allow excess water from rain to escape, and needs minimal turning, maybe just a quick dig around with a hand shovel, to ensure the composting is working like it should.

Dinner 11/13

Since everyone is home, we are going to have a great meal to celebrate!! I have a pound of ziti in the pantry, with a jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce. I have a few pieces of junk white bread left, garlic, butter, and a few lingering items.

I'm going to make ziti and meat balls, a small salad, and some homemade garlic bread.

The pasta is self explanatory  The meat balls will be made with a pound of ground beef, a chopped onion, 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, and spices. Since I only have about a half cup of bread crumbs  if I need more, than I have some lurking generic cheerio's that I can crush.

Our garlic bread is very simple. I will use the lurking junk white bread, crush garlic and chop it, mix it with some butter, and spread this over the bread. I may add some mozzarella cheese to the top. After I finish topping the bread, I will put it in the oven at 350 degrees until it's toasted and somewhat brown and gooey.

The salad is also pretty simple. I have a lurking soft tomato that needs to be used, and some left over romaine lettuce that needs to go, add a sliced onion, a small bit of cheese, and there's our salad!

dish washing soap

I have a dish washer, but we use the old let the kids wash dishes trick....by hand. When we are almost finished with a container of liquid dish soap, and the kids deem that there is nothing let. I can usually unscrew the top, run the water through the plastic cap, and there's enough residue from the liquid soap that makes enough suds to wash the nightly dishes.

Just a thought, but when times are tough, everything can be a hardship when there are not enough funds.

The family is home!!

My husband and kids came home from Florida. They arrived at 230 this morning!! At the moment, they are all tucked in their beds, sleeping, and unknown that I am currently unpacking their suitcases. They bought a few things, and I am recycling their plastic bags. I don't want to throw them away, but we will use them to line the trash cans (two little ones in the bathrooms), and use the small ones for cat litter cleaning. I found a few things, such as small items in cardboard boxes (the boxes will be put into the recycling bucket), and a lot of things in plastic wrap that will be opened today and gone throw to get the real "trash" in the can, and the rest will fall into the bucket for recycling.

Dinner 11/12

It's my last night home alone, I ordered take out...but used online ordering and a coupon....my kids and hubby will be home tonight late!!

So, about the compost pile....

I have added today to it, some potato peelings, egg shells, left over cucumber peelings, and the stems of two green peppers....love it!

Sunday's plan

I'm making potato salad, because while I'm on vacation still, I need to eat!! I also had 2 peppers going soft, I chopped them up, stuck them in a produce bag, and then popped them into the freezer for a time when they would be needed. I don't want to throw away food!!

Saturday's plan

On Saturday, I spent part of the day visiting a old friend, who's daughter had a baby....I got to old a three week year old, how precious!!

I went through the sake papers, I bought the newspaper to obtain them, and made a partial list of needs for the next two weeks.

Meals yesterday were toast with peanut butter, ravioli (canned yuck!), and then let over Italian sausage, with pasta (also left over), and a small salad.

Dinner 11/9

Two scrambled eggs, a cup of tea.

Heart Healthy Breakfast

one "heart Healthy" whole grain english muffin, with old fashioned natural peanut butter on it, with a cup of tea with skim milk....

ouch....

Seeing that I'm still on vacation, I ended up having to pay for some of my Mom's medications, due to her lack of comprehension about how much you earn, and how much you spend.....that was 92.67, and I picked up Pepper from the vet, he was fixed and given a few vaccinations....247 dollars later.

Needless to say, the stairs are stained, I need to get the finish on them.

Lunch 11/8

Today it's lunch for one....two grilled cheese and sliced tomato sandwiches...using the last of the margarine in the wrapper, scrapped it out, enough for two sandwiches!!

November 8th dinner

I took our last package of Italian Turkey sausage, brown it in some olive oil and basil, added a chopped green pepper, a while onion sliced, chopped garlic, and a can of plum tomatoes to the crock pot....going to let this simmer all day, and make a salad.....dinner for one! The leftovers will be put into the freezer!

Breakfast for one...

Old fashioned oats made on the stove, with skim milk, and brown sugar...with some yogurt and a peach on the side.

Out of tooth paste....

Just when I think I'm out of tooth paste....an example being that the kids can't squeeze any more out for their tooth brushes....well, I cut the top off, and cut the crease open, and wow....we have more tooth paste!! just use what's left in the tube, accessing it with the tooth brush that way!! Prevents me from going to the store, and keeps my finances intact (not that a tube of tooth paste is going to break me, but in hard times, everything can be a struggle).

My family

...is leaving for Florida today!!! I am staying home, since the animals need to be taken care of. This is not a concern for me, as I have sanded the stair way, pre-treated it, sanded them again, and stained two steps. I am looking forward to getting this project done with. I have spent 24 dollars on sandpaper, and pre treatment. A friend gave me the actual stain and the gloss finish. So, minimal spent for this project. I am going to hang out at home, study for an exam I have coming up for my job, and take care of me. I'm going to eat a lot of fruit and veggies, take care of myself, and get some rest! I can't wait for them to get on the road.....I would like to push them out the door early.

November 6th

I bought two pizza crust last week, along with some mozzarella cheese. We made homemade cheese pizzas for dinner, using some old lurking pizzas sauce in the pantry, two pizza crust and marked down cheese (lb for 0.99). The left overs are put in the fridge for lunch.

What's been cooking??

On November 5th, I took the left over cicken that I pulled off the bones, made a gravy from some of the stock I made the day before. Added the chopped up chicken, cooked some rice, and served the chicken and gravy over rice. I also added a small bag of mixed frozen veggies to this....everyone ate, and the chicken is finally gone.

What to do with the left over chicken??

Well, we cooked a 5 pound bird the other night. I took the legs, and wings to make stock, and have two and a half cups in the freezer for my efforts. I have a second batch in my crock pot with the chicken frame, and back with veggies simmering in the crock pot. I'm hoping to have five or six cups of stock from this five pound bird. Plus we have a good size plate of left over meat to have for sandwiches.

November 3rd

I'm on vacation from work!! I was cleaning up the kitchen and we have a five pound roasting chicken in the freezer. I took this out, peeled 2 pounds of carrots, 8 potatoes, two onions and a clove of garlic in the crock pot. I added two boullion cubes, and some poultry seasoning...that's dinner!

November 2nd dinner

My daughter wanted to have scrambled eggs and toast...so that was dinner!

November 1st dinner

Tonight, we had tacos, using some of the flour tortillas, a lb of ground beef, half a tomato, some romaine lettuce, and some deli cheese.

Today's pay check

I got paid this morning, direct deposit into my bank account. I paid December's mortgage, a home equity payment, car insurance, cable, water bill, and went grocery shopping...it's a good day.

I also put aside money to get our cat, Pepper, to the vet next week, to get fixed.

November shopping

Four bottles of dish soap
one tube of tooth paste
one jug laundry soap

5 pounds bananas
3 pounds Rome apples
two cucumbers
3 green peppers
3 pounds tomatoes
two pounds of grapes
one pound of peaches
three pounds of oranges
3 pounds of onions
10 pounds of potatoes
three romaine lettuce
one large head of cabbage

one pound mozzarella cheese
two whole wheat pizza crust
one pound of deli cheese ends
4 half gallons of juice
1 gallon of fat free milk
2 packages of 18 count eggs
8 yogurts

one package of 18 fish filets
3 pounds ground beef
one pork roast (2 pounds)
10 pounds of chicken thighs
2 packages of Oscar myer hot dogs

2 pounds of pasta
2 packages of rice and sauce
3 cans of ravioli
one box of generic lucky charms
two cans of chicken noodle soup
one box of farina
two loaves of white bread
package of 20 tortillas (flour)
one mix of lemon bread
16 count jello cups

Spent a total of 110.37 at Sharp Shopper. My goal is 300 dollars a month. My family is going away on November 6th, so the items above with the  exception of the fruit and veggies should last a while.

Dinner 10/30....and tonight.

I've been working for the past four nights. Dinner last night consisted of egg noodles, with ragu sauce (again), and added some browned Italian chicken turkey sausage....We have 23 dollars in the bank, but we are not in the negative, and the monthly bills are paid.


Tonight, since it's halloween, I bought two cheese pizzas for 5 dollars each at Little Ceasars.

We have a pound of turkey chicken Italian sausage and a 5 lb frozen bird in the freezer.....We did it for the month!!!

It's a new month tomorrow!!

Dinner 10/29

I have been working, my husband made pancakes last night. We had three varieties of maple syrup  finished off one of them.

Dinner 10/28

I used our last lb of ground turkey, added some bread crumbs, spices, egg, and called it meat balls. We also had pasta with ragu sauce....it was awesome!!

Working AND Vacation

I work night throughout Wednesday morning, all night shift, with differential. I work nights due to the 5.00 differential and the little extra it provides in my pay check every two weeks.

My family is going on vacation to Florida November 6th until November 13th. They do this every year, all prepaid through out the year by my husband and his efforts at providing the "fun" in our home.

I begin my vacation from work on Wednesday morning, and don't return to work until November 15th, back to night shift. This is my annual vacation that I take when the family is in Florida. It gives me a much needed break from the craziness in my life, helps me readjust some of my personal goals, and I tend to hang out at home, caring for the animals, and relaxing.

I will continue to cook for myself, go or walks, take care of the yard work, and tend to some things around here. I would like to get the stairs sanded (by hand), and get them stained. Last year, I pulled up all the carpet in the stair way, pulled out all the staples, and yanked off all the filling underneath. I stopped when the kids and Gary came back from vacation, due to the potential of not having the get the stairs all messed up after I attempted to stain them. So, this is my goal for the two weeks I am off.

Dinner 10/27

We had one lurking can of sour kraut, and 2 and a half pounds of bone in pork chops, I put these in the crock pot and covered them with the sauerkraut  The can cost about 50 cents, and the bone in pork chops were marked down from 7.50 to 4.37 and placed in the freezer last month. This will be dinner tonight, if the kids want, they can have cereal since they are not fond of sauerkraut.

Dinner 10/26

Yesterday for dinner I did the following:

Warmed up two cans of Cambells Tomato soup, and one can of Cambells Bean with Bacon, divided the three between the five of us (with the kids deciding first which they prefer). One had tomato, and two had bean with bacon, my husband and I ended up with mugs of tomato.

I don't hand soup out in traditional bowls. I use mugs and it seems to make a so so meal a little better, and appeals to the kids more.

I took some sliced cheese, bread, butter and tomato...I made grilled cheese sandwiches, two for each kid, and two grilled cheese with tomato for my husband and I.

I also had two pans of banana bread that I made, one was with cinnamon chips (trying to use what has been hanging out in the pantry). This was dessert for those who wanted it. They had the option of spreading some cream cheese on the banana bread.

Dinner 10/25

We are having the last package of hot dogs and buns, with home made french fries and salad.

Dinner 10/24

We are having the left over rosemary pork tenderloin, sweet potatoes and carrots for dinner...

Cleaning out the fridge

I had made chili last week, and needed the crock pot for this evening's meal. Well, instead of throwing the chili out, I put the last two hefty servings in one serve containers, and put them in the freezer for a night I don't want to cook.

What's been cooking??

I worked all weekend, night shift. On Sunday, we had left over chili, or cereal and milk for the kids. On Monday, Sarah wanted to get some Mexican Chipolte, and she paid for the five of us with her part time job money.

Tuesday's meal will consist of a pork lion with rosemary and olive oil (249 a pound, total cost 3.24), adding into this will be some steam and mash sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and broccoli.

October goals

Well, I mentioned a while back that I needed to get Pepper to the vet. He's our 4 month old kitten that we were given from a friend in August. She had gotten his first set of shots, I just got him to the vet this week, for his second set of shots, and a date of November 8th to get him fixed. his costs for the shots and check up????? 178 dollars!!!!!

I also mentioned that my car needed an oil change, new tires, and a rotation. Well, that got done, and it cost 27 dollars for the oil change (I am not mechanically inclined, neither is my husband), and I got two new tires placed for a cost of 230 dollars...

My student loan payments came. I have to pay 167.00 a month for ten years. YIKES!! I'm hoping to have this paid off in five years.

I have been paying extra mortgage payments (633.00 plus 200.00) since February of 2012. I made at least two payments a month. Well, Wells Fargo doesn't let a person be more than one month ahead on their mortgage (I didn't know this). They applied all my extra payments plus more towards interest off the end of my loan. I cut two years off my mortgage!! I paid November's mortgage this week, and will work on getting December's together, I would like to make two payments a month.

Homecoming dances for the girls.....strapless bras, shoes, dresses, dye for their hair.....about a total of 150 dollars.....

I'm finally done with October goals. I don't have anything set for November, other than getting my finances in order.

Grocery shopping

I went to Sharp Shopper on Thursday after working all night, and bought the following: It's important to note that Sharp Shopper is an outlet that carries items that are discounted.

one can of tomato sauce
3 gallons of skim milk
5 pounds bananas
2 pounds granny smith apples
1 pound postashio's
70 water bottles
one pound of Munster cheese
2 four packs of granola yogurt
4 cans kidney beans
3 pounds onions
one bag nachos
one box of cereal
2 pounds tomatoes
one bag of marsh mellows
two packages of hot cocoa
bottle of dish soap
several boxes of snack bars for the kids
one head of lettuce
one pound of deli meat ends
4 containers of juice (half gallons)
30 count soft tortillas
two garden veggie pizzas
dried mango
2 boxes mac and cheese
one pound of pasta
two cans of pears
five pounds of sugar
ketchup
several cans of bean with bacon soup
dried raspberries
20 count toilet paper
one jar of salsa

spent a total of 116.50

Odds and ends....

What can we do with ground turkey and ground chicken??

I'm glad that you asked. I cooked this on top of the stove, a pound of each, chopped some onion, two cloves of garlic, a half a tomato that was going soft, some pepper strips that were in the freezer.....

Added a can of plum tomato (I chopped them first), four cans of kidney beans, some chili powder, and a 16 ox can of tomato sauce....1 bottle and a half of BBQ sauce that was lurking in the fridge...

It's all in the crock pot!!

We will shred the last bit of colby cheese, have a little sour cream, and half a bag of nachos.....it's a CHILI night for us.

It's an easy dinner to make, gets rid of some lurking half used items, finishes up some things that needed to go, got the ground chicken out of the freezer....

I'm working tonight and tomorrow...so it's nice to know that the left overs can be for Sunday also.

Friday's dinner

I got paid on Thursday, and we went out together as a family for dinner. It was fun but expensive. We had an awesome time.

Thursday's dinner

I had some Oscar Myers hot dogs in the freezer. I grilled these, added some ketchup, chopped pickle, and onion, used some whole wheat rolls, and called it dinner....I was tired and had to go to work.

Wednesday's dinner

I have been working all week. I was tired on Wednesday and had some money in my bank account, we ordered pizza.

Dinner 10/16

I went through the freezer this morning to find items that have been lurking. What I found was two packages of turkey itialian sausage links. We have one pound of pasta in the pantry, and still have spaghetti sauce. So, I'm going to cook the links with onion and garlic, simmer it until it's done, add some pasta to it, and simmer everything with sauce. That's dinner!!

I do know that this is the second spaghetti meal within a few days, but I'm broke and using what I have at home to feed the "crew". We will have a small salad, with choice of Italian or Thousand Island dressing, and frozen green beans.

Dinner 10/15

We had hash browns lurking in the freezer (about half a package), 36 eggs, and a bunch of bread crusts (the ends that the kids don't like) in the freezer. So, this is what I did. I whipped eggs and milk and made french toast, fried the hash browns, and scrambled 12 eggs.

French toast (with choice of lurking praline syrup, blueberry syrup, or maple)
scrambled eggs
hash browns

I am officially out of milk, and have about 24 eggs left. The blueberry syrup is gone now. There is less than 1/4 container of praline to finish. We have a bottle and a half of maple.

When do I stop buying something???

I guess it's when I go into the shower, and see that there are six, yes six bottles of opened various shampoo, 15 bars of generic Irish spring unopened, 3 70 ox bottles of body wash, another opened in the shower..three opened bottles of conditioner, and two that are waiting to be used. We have two  unopened bottles of shampoo waiting also, 70 oz. There's two containers that are opened filled with Apricot Scrub.

I don't need to buy anything for bathing this week, or for the rest of October!

Dinner 10/14

Chicken drum sticks with BBQ sauce in the crock pot, egg noodles with parmesean, and broccoli ..that's dinner!!

Updates on my menu plan

My two week plan (not in any certain order):

waffles, scrambled eggs
pancakes, turkey bacon
BLT's potato salad
soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, salad
spaghetti, parmesean garlic bread, salad
chili, corn bread, salad
whole chicken in crock pot, with carrots, egg noodles
chicken soup
chicken and dumplings, veggies
English muffin pizzas (cheese, mushrooms, peppers, onion)
meat loaf (using bits of things for crumbs), mashed potatoes, veggies.

We are out of bacon for BLT's, and the dumplings didn't go as planned. We are out of ground beef for meat loaf (due to tacos). Overall, not to bad given that I worked hard not to spend any money.

My spending

I went to PetCo the other afternoon because I ran out of cat food and dog food. I found a gallon container with a filter for giving the troops fresh water. The total cost 32.00 for this. I did buy 18 lbs of Purina dog food for 12.99, and 18 pounds of Meow Mix for 10.99....This should last into November and maybe part of December.

Total spent 64.00

Dinner 10/13

I worked last night, and prior to going to work night shift, I made tacos (ground beef, seasoning, lettuce, tomato, onion, sour cream, colby cheese). I did take the left overs to work as part of my lunch. Tonight, we are having pasta  (0.79 cents lb)and sauce (ragu on sale at Sharp Shopper 1.49 for 48 ounces). The spaghetti sauce has been opened previously and lurking in the fridge. Time to get rid of the lurkers.

Dinner 10/12

Dinner tonight is going to be tacos with all the trimmings. We have a lb of ground beef in the freezer, and if we have to, I will cook it with a lb of ground chicken to stretch it. I will be chopping lettuce, a whole tomato, shred a small portion of Colby cheese, use the left over lurking sour cream, and a taco kit we have in the pantry. The kids love this for dinner, makes everyone happy, and uses up some lingering items. We also have small packets of taco sauce (my daughter works at Taco Bell, gets a meal  after her shift is over, and brings the sauce home for some unknown reason).

Dinner 10/11

I did make some potato salad for who ever would like it. I guess everyone can eat that, or have cereal and milk. I'm in a rut and tired.

bored...

I am bored, so I went out today to roam the plaza's and landing myself in a book store, and did buy a study guide for an exam that I am going to be taking in February.

Cost 49.99

YIKES!

chicken and Dumplings...

Not so much!!!! Using whole wheat flour did something gross to the batter. So we used the chicken thighs (three of them), shredded the meat, took out thee containers of stock (from previous chicken meals), warmed the stock (which contained carrots, onions), added chicken and I cooked three handfuls of egg noodles...called it soup!!

left over chicken...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/old-fashioned-chicken-and-dumplings/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=dumpling%20and%20chicken&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe

We have three left over chicken thighs in the fridge, and two cups of stock from the other night in the freezer. I'm going to incorporate these items into a chicken and dumpling dinner tonight. I don't have all purpose flour, but will use whole wheat instead...this will go pretty nice with a salad on the side. I am going to adjust the serving size, as the recipe below feeds 20 people, I am only feeding five.




Change Servings
 7 pounds cut up chicken pieces
 4 cups chicken stock
 2 onions, chopped
 3 stalks celery, chopped
 3 teaspoons salt
 1 egg
 1/4 cup milk
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
 1 cup water
 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

When we need snacks...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-banana-bread/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=banana%20bread&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

This is an awesome recipe that I have baking in my oven now...homemade banana bread! I used whole wheat flour, as I have no all purpose in the pantry.

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (I didn't add this)
5 bananas
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter ( I used margarine sticks)

I beat the eggs, margarine and bananas together in  my blender, and mixed the dry ingredients together in a bowl, added the blender ingredients, and baked for one hour.

Winter Heat

Since it's October, it does get chilly in Virginia. My husband was complaining last night that the house was cold...temp was 64 degrees inside, and 41 outside. We did put the electric heat on, changed the furnace filter, and set the temp at 68. my kids commented to me this morning that it's nice to have some warmth in the house (they are cold quite often).

This morning, the temp was over 70 in the house, I lowered the thermostat to 67 degrees, opened the blinds, and let some day light in. I have two drafty windows in the living room, and a door in the dining room that leads outside to the deck that carries a chill. Last night, I put two blankets covering the window edges in the living room, and one thick blanket covering the bottom of the dining room door way to help stop the drafts.

My girls wear sweaters, and use lap blankets to cover with when they are cold. My son will use an extra blanket in the living room when he's playing or watching television.

I tend to run on the hot side (since my hysterectomy in 2011), and like the cool. I'm hoping that with the temp set at 67 (as of right now), with the blinds open letting in the daylight, the house will be comfortable enough for everyone.

I am on the budget plan for the electric company, and hang my clothes up on my drying rack instead of using my dryer. I work hard not to run the air conditioning very high in the warmer months.