Easter Dinner

I had a cut up chicken in the freezer that I bought on mark down for 3 dollars at Food Lion. I made sticky chicken for Easter dinner in the crock pot. I added several carrots, onion, and green beans to this. I also have in the oven a nice homemade carrot cake with a thick rich cream cheese frosting that I made for pennies. This meal would cost a fortune to eat in a restaurant, and I did it at home.


Cream Cheese Frosting
 1/2 cup butter, softened
 8 ounces cream cheese
 4 cups confectioners' sugar I used two cups of powdered sugar.
 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.


Roast Sticky Chicken Rotisserie Style
 4 teaspoons salt
 2 teaspoons paprika
 1 teaspoon onion powder
 1 teaspoon dried thyme
 1 teaspoon white pepper
 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
 2 onions, quartered
 2 (4 pound) whole chickens I used one cut up chicken.

Directions I used my crock pot instead of the oven.

In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.


Carrot Cake
 2 cups self-rising flour
 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 2 cups white sugar
 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
 4 eggs
 3 cups grated carrots
 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon and sugar. Add the oil and eggs, mix until blended, then stir in the carrots. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven. A toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean. Cool cakes on wire racks before removing from pans.

April's pantry Listings Updated

Going into April with the following items in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. My grocery budget is 300.00 a month to provide for a family of five, a moderate sized dog, and three cats. The items with the asterisk in front have been used previously, bulk purchases, and are considered lurkers. I will work on using up the items I marked. I would like to get through this week without going to the grocery store. I am finishing up my vacation at home, but will return to work on Wednesday night. I may go to the grocery store on Friday morning. I shop at Aldi, Sharp Shopper, and CVS. I work hard to stay out of the mainstream stores. There are higher prices, and too many people to have to hassle with. I go to CVS to get our prescriptions, and pick up loss leaders.

2 cans tomato sauce
1 can diced tomato
onions
garlic*
pickles*
ketchup*

1 frozen squash
one pound sour kraut
one pound bag of frozen peas*

Brussels sprouts*
1 pound fresh green beans*
5 pounds potatoes*
carrots*

tea bags*
veggie oil*
olive oil

blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup*
garlic powder*
onion powder*
basil*
beef bouillon
yeast*
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar*
honey
a pound of salt*
one container of BBQ sauce*
pancake syrup*
dry non fat milk*

1 noodles and sauce packets
1 box generic cereal*

2 pound cream cheese*
10 eggs
2 pounds stick margarine


2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
2 lb thick sliced ham*

Dinner 3/30

Today's meals consisted of cereal for three kids, with skim milk. I had a banana. Our lunch was a package of hot dogs, with the two last cans of baked beans. Dinner tonight was a bunch of snack stuff (aka cheese, crackers, fruit).

I am not feeling well. I'm very tired and have zero energy. We did all dye eggs for Easter.

On going dentist

I had my appointment this week for the dentist. My daughter went on Wednesday. The cost for her was 106.00 after my insurance picked up their part. My other daughter has to go, but that is coming out of April's budget. Her appointment is on the 8th.

what's cooking??

I made french toast yesterday for the kids breakfast. I had a small package of pepperidge farm cinnamon brown sugar swirl bread. I used a few eggs, and reconstituted dry milk, and a little veggie oil to coat the pan. It became french toast.

Dinner last night was BBQ meatballs. I ended thawing out a pound container of ground beef. i found two whole wheat hamburger rolls in the freezer. I put them in the blender and made crumbs. I used two eggs, some garlic, onion, basil, and two packages of take out soy sauce in the fridge. I made meat balls and baked them in the oven. In the crock pot, I put about 1 cup of grape jelly, and half a container of BBQ sauce together. When the meat balls were done, I put them in the crock pot to simmer for two hours with the sauce. OMG, the whole thing was a huge hit.

My husband didn't know I made dinner. He came home with a few frozen pizzas. So, he cooked those and we included them into our snack type dinner.

My kids were looking for a dessert yesterday. I made apple crisp. I had a bowl of apples (about 10) and used around 5 or 6 of them. I peeled them, diced up in a small baking pan. I added a little butter to the apples, lots of cinnamon, the last of the raisins (they were hanging out in the pantry far to long), and the last of some lurking granola. I baked it in the oven for 25 minutes, and it was YUMMY!!

3/28 pantry listings

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/20

 * We are working on going through the veggies in the freezer. I have a few opened bags of various items that I am hoping will be finished up during this week. i have quite a few baking and dry goods that are opened and need to be used up. We have lots of rice, pasta that also needs to go. We should be in OK shape for this week, provided I can get my meals planned out and get motivated in staying out of the stores.

2 cans tomato sauce
two cans of jelly

2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes*
onions
garlic*
pickles*
ketchup*

1 frozen squash
one pound sour kraut
one pound bag of frozen peas*
pearl onions
Brussels sprouts*
1 pound fresh green beans*
2 cans pork n beans
5 pounds potatoes*
carrots*

tea bags*
veggie oil*
olive oil
flour*
sugar*

blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup*
garlic powder*
onion powder*
basil*
beef bouillon
yeast*
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar*
honey
a pound of salt*
one container of BBQ sauce*
pancake syrup*
dry non fat milk*

2 noodles and sauce packets
1 box generic cereal*

2 pound cream cheese*
4 eggs*
2 pounds stick margarine
cheese ends*

2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
ground beef
2 lb thick sliced ham*

What's been for dinner??

My 20th anniversary was yesterday. My husband and I went to Olive Garden for lunch. I had a vegetarian pasta dish that was totally awesome. My girls came home from school and wanted a meat pizza for dinner. I ordered two cheese, and one meat pizza for them.

Today for dinner, I had some left overs in the fridge. There were two one cup servings of cous cous, three servings of plain pasta, and half a pot of potato soup, along with left over pizza.

I gave the kids the pizza for breakfast. I warmed up the pasta and added some spaghetti sauce to it. Mary and Kevin are the pasta. Sarah and Gary finished off the potato soup. I ended up with the cous cous. It was pretty good overall.

Potato Soup

Dinner tonight will be potato soup. 

 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

 1/3 cup diced celery

 1/3 cup finely chopped onion

 3/4 cup diced cooked ham

 3 1/4 cups water

 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

 5 tablespoons butter

 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

 2 cups milk

Directions

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

Monthly Obligations updated

Updates:

The radiologist bill came in for my daughter's CT scan, It was 83 dollars after insurance. I paid this off in full.

Family Therapy 100.00, paid 60 today

ER bill: This lowers my payment to 569.24....I am sending in a payment of 100.00 dollars today.

MD bill We have not received this bill in the mail yet.

Dentist bill total about 700-750 dollars total. Paid 260 3/25/2013

KIA 277.11 a month PAID IN FULL as of January 2013.

JCPenny 202.00 total.l....100 a month. PAID IN FULL AND NOW CLOSED as of February 2013!!

Target 2638.98..150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150).  March's statement came, making a payment  of 500.00. I have made aqnother payment of 200.00 on 3/25/2013

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES! 90 a month, when Target is finished, everything will snowball into this account. It works out to 40 payments total! This will be paid off sometime in the future. I don't have a timeline yet for this obligation.

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes! I pay 167.00 a month for my education. This is considered good debt as far as the government is concerned. This payment will continue until Wells Fargo A is paid off in full. When Wells Fargo A is paid off, then all the money will snow ball into this account until it is paid in full. I don't have a timeline for this obligation yet. I paid April 2013 amount today.

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month. I do pay my mortgage every month on time. I usually will add 100 dollars a month to the principle in addition to the regular payment. I have no time line when this will be paid in full.

Emergency Fund: 1400.00

My EF goal is 1,000. I have a goal of 5,000 for my 3-6 months living expenses.

Dentist

I had an appointment with the dentist this afternoon. Overall, I got scared, panicked, and ended up with some nitrous oxide for conscious sedation. I ended up paying the 163 that my insurance didn't pay for, but I also paid 102 for the gas.

I was hoping to get out of having to be sedated, but appears that I am not a big girl. On the other hand, we will be eating at home all week, and being frugal with our expenses. My daughter goes to the dentist on Wednesday to get her cavities filled.

Dinner 3/25

0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak

Dinner tonight will be the two small pork steaks I had in the freezer. I will bake these with some bbq sauce. I have the last of our white rice in the steamer (about 3/4 cup worth), and I have some cous cous on the stove. We will more than likely have some more green beans like yesterday.

I bought the two pork pieces on mark down for less than a 1.50 each!!

Weekend Dinner

Since I worked Friday, we had pasta and sauce. Yesterday, we ended up McDonalds before I went to work. Tonight, I fried some hot dogs and onions, made our last box of mac and cheese, and steamed some fresh green beans.

Updated Pantry Listings 3/22

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/20

 * We are working on going through the veggies in the freezer. I have a few opened bags of various items that I am hoping will be finished up during this week. i have quite a few baking and dry goods that are opened and need to be used up. We have lots of rice, pasta that also needs to go. We should be in OK shape for this week, provided I can get my meals planned out and get motivated in staying out of the stores.

2 cans tomato sauce
two cans of jelly

2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes*
onions
garlic*
pickles*
ketchup*

1 frozen squash
one pound sour kraut
one pound bag of frozen peas*
pearl onions
Brussels sprouts*
1 pound fresh green beans*
2cans pork n beans
5 pounds potatoes*
carrots*

tea bags*
veggie oil*
olive oil
flour*
sugar*

blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup*
garlic powder*
onion powder*
basil*
beef bouillon
yeast*
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar*
honey
a pound of salt*
one container of BBQ sauce*
pancake syrup*
dry non fat milk*

1 lb rice*
2 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous
1 box mac and cheese

1 box generic cereal*




2 pound cream cheese*
4 eggs*
2 pounds stick margarine
cheese ends*

2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
ground beef
2 lb thick sliced ham*

dinner 3/21 3/22

I went to the grocery store yesterday. I spent a total of 118 dollars. I don't have a list, but I will let everyone know what I did buy.

For dinner yesterday, the kids had cereal, fruit, various pb sandwiches.

For dinner today, I finished off a small bag of thin spaghetti with two open jars of spaghetti sauce that I mixed together. If there is anything left, it will be placed in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. I did finish up a bag of broccoli that was lurking.

Check this out!!!

http://www.daveramsey.com/new/baby-steps/

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/20

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/20

 * We are working on going through the veggies in the freezer. I have a few opened bags of various items that I am hoping will be finished up during this week. i have quite a few baking and dry goods that are opened and need to be used up. We have lots of rice, pasta that also needs to go. We should be in OK shape for this week, provided I can get my meals planned out and get motivated in staying out of the stores.

2 cans tomato sauce
two cans of jelly
1 peanut butter
2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes*
onions
garlic*
pickles*
ketchup*
lb broccoli*
1 frozen sqush
one pound sour kraut
one pound bag of frozen peas*
pearl onions
brussel sprouts*
1 pound fresh green beans*
3 cans pork n beans
5 pounds potatoes*
carrots*

tea bags*
veggie oil*
olive oil
flour*
sugar*

blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup*
garlic powder*
onion powder*
basil*
beef bouillon
yeast*
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar*
honey
a pound of salt*
one container of BBQ sauce*
pancake syrup*
dry non fat milk*

1 lb rice*
4 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous
1 box mac and cheese
1 lb thin spaghetti *
1 box generic cereal*


 parmesean cheese*
1/4 lb real butter*
2 pound cream cheese*
4 eggs*
2 pounds stick margarine
cheese ends*

2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
ground beef
2 lb thick sliced ham*

Dinner 3/20

This afternoon we are having a very small beef chuck roast. I found it marked down at the grocery store. It weighs two and a half pounds and originally 10.50. YIKES!!! I found it with a mark down price of 7.00....it's still expensive, but we haven't had one in a long time. I bought it a while ago and placed it in the freezer.

I took it out last night to defrost in the fridge. I'm going to add three large carrots, a small onion, seven small potatoes, some beef bouillon, basil, a few cloves of garlic and let this do it's thing in the oven. I have an open bag of broccoli in the freezer that we are going to stream, and may have some steamed peas to go with it. It gets rid of some of the lurking frozen veggies that need to get used.

Dinner 3/19

Tonight we are going to have omelettes  It's an easy meal that is filling, satisfying, and the family loves. I will use two eggs each (ten total), mixed with reconstituted powdered milk, add some cheese ends that I shred myself, and a small amount of ham (frozen at the moment, will dice into small pieces), and some shredded potatoes on the side.

I will add some diced onion, and some lurking tomato that I found in the fridge to my husband's and my omelettes.

Overall, this should go over very well with the kids. They love breakfast, and this is easy to prepare, cheap to fix (using those bits of little things), and not at all time consuming.

Dinner 3/18

I had no ideas on what to feed the family last night. So we made homemade waffles, and then my kids opened a few cans of baked beans to go with it. It worked. I used flour, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, oil, reconstituted milk, veggie oil and my waffle iron.

updated Pantry Listings

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/17

 * We are working on going through the veggies in the freezer. I have a few opened bags of various items that I am hoping will be finished up during this week. i have quite a few baking and dry goods that are opened and need to be used up. We have lots of rice, pasta that also needs to go. We should be in OK shape for this week, provided I can get my meals planned out and get motivated in staying out of the stores.

2 cans tomato sauce
two cans of jelly
1 peanut butter
2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes*
onions
garlic*
pickles*
ketchup*
lb broccoli*
1 frozen sqush
one pound sour kraut
one pound bag of frozen peas*
pearl onions
brussel sprouts*
1 pound fresh green beans*
5 cans pork n beans
10 pounds potatoes*
carrots*

tea bags*
veggie oil*
olive oil
flour*
sugar*
beef stock
blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup*
garlic powder*
onion powder*
basil*
beef bouillon
yeast
*
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar*
honey
a pound of salt*
one container of BBQ sauce*

pancake syrup*
dry non fat milk*

1 lb rice*
4 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous
1 box mac and cheese
1 lb thin spaghetti *
1 box generic cereal*

 eggs*
 parmesean cheese*
1/4 lb real butter*
2 pound cream cheese*
2 and a half dozen eggs*
2 pounds stick margarine
2 packages of Go gurt
cheese ends*

2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
2,1 lb chuck roast
0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
lb hill shire farm cheddar brats
ground beef
2 lb thick sliced ham

Dinner 3/17

I made spaghetti and sauce, with homemade garlic bread. I took some white bread, melted some butter, crushed some fresh garlic, added some parmesean cheese, and mozzarella cheese. I baked this in the oven. We warmed up some broccoli and green peas.

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/16

March Pantry Listings


2 cans tomato sauce
two cans of jelly
1 peanut butter
2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes
onions
garlic
pickles
ketchup
lb broccoli
1 frozen sqush
one pound sour kraut
2 one pound bags of frozen peas
pearl onions
brussel sprouts
1 pound fresh green beans

5 cans pork n beans

1 quart strawberries
spaghetti sauce 24 oz

10 pounds potatoes
carrots


tea bags

veggie oil
olive oil
flour
sugar
beef stock

blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup

garlic powder
onion powder
basil
parsley
beef bouillon
yeast

baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar
honey
a pound of salt
one container of BBQ sauce

sugar 2 pounds
pancake syrup

dry non fat milk



1 lb rice*
4 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous


1 box mac and cheese

2 lb thin spaghetti

1 box generic cereal

 eggs
 parmesean cheese
1/4 lb real butter
2 pound cream cheese

2 and a half dozen eggs
2 pounds stick margarine


2 packages of Go gurt
cheese ends



2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
2,1 lb chuck roast
0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
lb hill shire farm cheddar brats
ground beef


2 lb thick sliced ham

Dinner 3/16

Dinner tonight was left over chicken. My husband shredded it, and mixed it with bbq sauce. He served this on white bread. It was pretty good.

Dinner 3/14

Marinated chicken breast (using Italian dressing for the marinade), sliced carrots, winter squash, and parmesean spinach noodles for dinner.

March Pantry Listings 3/13

March Pantry Listings


2 cans tomato sauce
two cans of jelly
1 peanut butter
2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes
onions
garlic
pickles
ketchup
lb broccoli
2 frozen squash
one pound sour kraut
2 one pound bags of frozen peas
pearl onions
brussel sprouts
1 pound fresh green beans

5 cans pork n beans

1 quart strawberries
spaghetti sauce 24 oz

10 pounds potatoes
carrots

hot chocolate
tea bags

veggie oil
olive oil
flour
sugar
beef stock
Italian dressing
blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup

garlic powder
onion powder
basil
parsley
beef bouillon
yeast

baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar
honey
a pound of salt
one container of BBQ sauce

sugar 2 pounds
pancake syrup

dry non fat milk



1 lb rice*
4 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous
white bread 0.99

1 box mac and cheese
one box whole wheat saltines
2 lb thin spaghetti

1 box generic cereal

 eggs
 parmesean cheese
1/4 lb real butter
2 pound cream cheese

2 and a half dozen eggs
2 pounds stick margarine


2 packages of Go gurt
cheese ends

one gallon of skim milk

2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
2,1 lb chuck roast
0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
lb hill shire farm cheddar brats
ground beef

5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (I usually never buy this, but get whole chicken, but thee outlet was out of whole chicken)
2 lb thick sliced ham

Dinner 3/13

We have a waffle maker, and use it pretty regularly. We made Belgian waffles with flour, two eggs, milk, salt, sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, and oil.

I recycle the veggie oil from making homemade french fries. Sounds weird  but when the oil cools off,  place it n a container  and use as needed for other meals. it keeps my cost down. I used reconstituted dry milk for the waffles.

dinner 3/12

Tonight's dinner was the remaining hot dogs sliced, opened two cans of baked beans and warmed them on the stove, and opened a box of mac and cheese.

Working overtime tonight.

Monthly Obligations

monthly finances and obligations

I have a few health care obligations that have statements coming in. My daughter fell down the stairs a month ago. She went to the ER and had a CT of her head to make sure that she didn't suffer any ill effects. Those bills are coming in. My deductible was met with this visit, I'm waiting to see what the bills amount to. I will be paying these off very quick, as they put a dent in my planning process. The cat needs a vaccination tomorrow. My car is getting an oil change and rotation for tires tomorrow.

Updates:

The radiologist bill came in for my daughter's CT scan, It was 83 dollars after insurance. I paid this off in full.

Family Therapy 100.00, paid 50 today

Vet bill we cancelled this appointment. We will reschedule.

Oil change/tire rotation we cancelled this appointment, will be rescheduled.

ER bill. This came today in the mail. Total cost 1681.00 before insurance. My costs are 699.69. I called work (since I am an employee) and received a 10 percent discount. This lowers my payment to 569.24....I am sending in a payment of 100.00 dollars today.

MD bill We have not received this bill in the mail yet.

Dentist bill total about 700-750 dollars total.

Our HOA dues are available, I paid these off last week...total 210 for a year.

KIA 277.11 a month PAID IN FULL as of January 2013.

JCPenny 202.00 total.l....100 a month. PAID IN FULL AND NOW CLOSED as of February 2013!!

Target 2638.98..150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150). We have about 6 or 7 payments to get this paid off in full. This starts in February with this weeks pay check. (We missed this bill last month UGGGGG, waiting for the March statement to come). March's statement came, making a payment today of 500.00

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES! 90 a month, when Target is finished, everything will snowball into this account. It works out to 40 payments total! This will be paid off sometime in the future. I don't have a timeline yet for this obligation.

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes! I pay 167.00 a month for my education. This is considered good debt as far as the government is concerned. This payment will continue until Wells Fargo A is paid off in full. When Wells Fargo A is paid off, then all the money will snow ball into this account until it is paid in full. I don't have a timeline for this obligation yet. I paid April 2013 amount today.

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month. I do pay my mortgage every month on time. I usually will add 100 dollars a month to the principle in addition to the regular payment. I have no time line when this will be paid in full.

Emergency Fund: 1000.00

I would like to place 200 dollars in my emergency fund today.

Plumbing

So, the plumber came back this morning...no leak, it's water that is going into the drains...I can hear it because the wall has been cut out. I'm a complete idiot.

Plumbing

Since we live in an older house, we have QUEST plumbing. I would recommend that anyone who has this form of plumbing, please have it all taken out. We had a leak yesterday, and found another this morning after the plumber spent part of the night taken care of the first one. He will be called this morning to come back and take care of the second one. 

Meanwhile, we are looking at renovating the plumbing under the house, and throughout with copper piping. Any thoughts??

Dinner 3/11

I grilled some hot dogs on my hot plate, and served homemade french fries to the family.

Dinner 3/9

Tonight we are going easy, no hassle, and no fuss since I am working tonight.

Grilled cheese (using junk white bread, sliced cheese)
Tomato Soup (canned lurking in the pantry)

monthly finances and obligations

monthly finances and obligations

I have a few health care obligations that have statements coming in. My daughter fell down the stairs a month ago. She went to the ER and had a CT of her head to make sure that she didn't suffer any ill effects. Those bills are coming in. My deductible was met with this visit, I'm waiting to see what the bills amount to. I will be paying these off very quick, as they put a dent in my planning process. The cat needs a vaccination tomorrow. My car is getting an oil change and rotation for tires tomorrow.

Updates:

The radiologist bill came in for my daughter's CT scan, It was 83 dollars after insurance. I paid this off in full. The ER bill, and MD bill are pending. I have not received either of them yet in the mail.

Family Therapy 100.00, paid 50 today

Vet bill we cancelled this appointment. We will reschedule.

Oil change/tire rotation we cancelled this appointment, will be rescheduled.

ER bill. This came today in the mail. Total cost 1681.00 before insurance. My costs are 699.69.

MD bill

Dentist bill total about 700-750 dollars total.

Our HOA dues are available, I paid these off last week...total 210 for a year.

KIA 277.11 a month PAID IN FULL as of January 2013.

JCPenny 202.00 total.l....100 a month. PAID IN FULL AND NOW CLOSED as of February 2013!!

Target 2680.31....150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150). We have about 6 or 7 payments to get this paid off in full. This starts in February with this weeks pay check. (We missed this bill last month UGGGGG, waiting for the March statement to come).

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES! 90 a month, when Target is finished, everything will snowball into this account. It works out to 40 payments total! This will be paid off sometime in the future. I don't have a timeline yet for this obligation.

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes! I pay 167.00 a month for my education. This is considered good debt as far as the government is concerned. This payment will continue until Wells Fargo A is paid off in full. When Wells Fargo A is paid off, then all the money will snow ball into this account until it is paid in full. I don't have a timeline for this obligation yet. I paid April 2013 amount today.

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month. I do pay my mortgage every month on time. I usually will add 100 dollars a month to the principle in addition to the regular payment. I have no time line when this will be paid in full.

Emergency Fund: 1000.00

Grocery Update

I went to the store this morning, bought a 24 pack of coke cola for my husband, a box of tea bags, a gallon on skim milk, and a news paper. I spent 16.82...OUCH!!

March Pantry Listings Updated 3/8

March Pantry Listings



ground beef
hot chocolate
veggie oil
olive oil
flour
sugar
beef stock
one pack hot dogs (Oscar myer)
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans of tomato soup
two cans of jelly
2 jars peanut butter
2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes
onions
garlic
pickles
ketchup
sweet potatoes
lb broccoli
2 frozen squash
one pound sour kraut
2 one pound bags of frozen peas
pearl onions
brussel sprouts
1 pound fresh green beans
Italian dressing
blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup
1 lb rice*
4 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous
garlic powder
onion powder
basil
parsley
beef bouillon
yeast
baking powder *
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar
honey
a pound of salt
rasain
one container of BBQ sauce
 eggs
 parmesean cheese
1 pound real butter
2 pound cream cheese
8 pack of oatmeal


6 boxes granola bars
5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (I usually never buy this, but get whole chicken, but thee outlet was out of whole chicken)
2 lb thick sliced ham
2 lb bananas
1 quart strawberries
one gallon of skim milk
1 box generic cereal
4 packages of Go gurt
cheese ends
sugar 2 pounds
pancake syrup
spaghetti sauce 24 oz
10 pounds potatoes
48 bottled water
peanut butter
2 boxes mac and cheese
one box whole wheat saltines
2 lb thin spaghetti
5 cans pork n beans

white bread 0.99
1 packages of generic Oreo

2 and a half dozen eggs
2 pounds stick margarine
2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage
2,1 lb chuck roast
0.95 lb pork butt steak
0.6 lb pork butt steak
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak
2.08 lb pork loin
lb hill shire farm cheddar brats
24 corn dogs

Dinner 3/8

I took the four containers of chicken stock and put them in the crock pot. I added two large carrots, chopped and added some celery to the crock pot. later, I will boil up some egg noodles and we will have soup for our dinner. It's cheap, healthy and creative way to use up those lingering items.

Those left overs

I always freeze the left over dinner items. I took everything that were in containers to place in the fridge to thaw, so we can incorporate them into meals for the five of us.




mozzarella cheese

pureed strawberries


taco meat with beans
brown rice  The kids ate the taco meat and brown rice as a snack!!



pork and sauerkraut I opened this and it is questionable, doesn't smell right. No chances here, I threw it out.

chicken stock

chicken stock
chicken stock
chicken stock

All the chicken stock went into the crock pot this morning. I chopped up some celery, and two large carrots to place in the crock pot. Later this afternoon, I will only have to boil some egg noodles.

All we have left is the cheese, and strawberries. I'm sure the berries will go, I'm going to make Belgain waffles for the kids for dinner tomorrow night.

Emergency Funds

So, I went to the local credit union and started a savings account for emergency funds. I deposited 1,000 dollars from my bank account that I had built up. Goal accomplished!!

March Obligations

monthly finances and obligations

I have a few health care obligations that have statements coming in. My daughter fell down the stairs a month ago. She went to the ER and had a CT of her head to make sure that she didn't suffer any ill effects. Those bills are coming in. My deductible was met with this visit, I'm waiting to see what the bills amount to. I will be paying these off very quick, as they put a dent in my planning process. The cat needs a vaccination tomorrow. My car is getting an oil change and rotation for tires tomorrow.

Updates:

The radiologist bill came in for my daughter's CT scan, It was 83 dollars after insurance. I paid this off in full. The ER bill, and MD bill are pending. I have not received either of them yet in the mail.

Family Therapy 100.00, paid 50 today

Vet bill

Oil change/tire rotation

ER bill

MD bill

Dentist bill total about 700-750 dollars total.

Our HOA dues are available, I paid these off last week...total 210 for a year.

KIA 277.11 a month PAID IN FULL as of January 2013.

JCPenny 202.00 total.l....100 a month. PAID IN FULL AND NOW CLOSED as of February 2013!!

Target 2680.31....150 a month (when JCP is paid, all is rolled into this account 377.11 plus the 150). We have about 6 or 7 payments to get this paid off in full. This starts in February with this weeks pay check. (We missed this bill last month UGGGGG, waiting for the March statement to come).

Wells Fargo  (A) 25,000 YIKES! 90 a month, when Target is finished, everything will snowball into this account. It works out to 40 payments total! This will be paid off sometime in the future. I don't have a timeline yet for this obligation.

Student Loan 15,000 total another yikes! I pay 167.00 a month for my education. This is considered good debt as far as the government is concerned. This payment will continue until Wells Fargo A is paid off in full. When Wells Fargo A is paid off, then all the money will snow ball into this account until it is paid in full. I don't have a timeline for this obligation yet. I paid April 2013 amount today.

Mortgage 72,000 (was 90,000)  total....633.21 a month. I do pay my mortgage every month on time. I usually will add 100 dollars a month to the principle in addition to the regular payment. I have no time line when this will be paid in full.

Emergency Fund: 00000000

Got paid

I got paid this morning. I sent out to monthly bills I had. One was for my kid's therapy, and the other was my student loan payment. I wrote out checks for all three kids to get their hot lunch at school. I got the cost from the dentist for the work that is needed on our teeth.

Mine 163.20
Sarah 109.00
Mary 421.60 (she is getting nitrous oxide, insurance doesn't pay)


Wow. I have some extra money in my bank account. I've been paying ahead on some of my bills, when I have extra cash available. I was thinking of getting a savings account with some of the extra. Maybe I should keep it available for the dentist instead. I'm worried that something else may happen to the money (like I would spend it). Sometimes, I have a hard time with self control.

Those containers in the fridge

I always freeze the left over dinner items. I took everything that were in containers to place in the fridge to thaw, so we can incorporate them into meals for the five of us.



chicken stock
mozzarella cheese
brown rice
pureed strawberries
taco meat with beans
sausage, peppers and onion chunky sauce
chicken stock
chicken stock
chicken stock
spaghetti sauce
spaghetti sauce
pork and sauerkraut

It does make the freezer look a little empty. It also will free up some of the containers we have to be used for new "surprise findings". Using all left overs and limiting what food is thrown away helps my family keep our budget within our monthly goals.

I am using the three containers of sauce to incorporate into spaghetti and meatballs. I am going to make meat balls with one lb of ground beef, some eggs, spices, and two hamburger buns that will be blended into crumbs. I will bake these in the oven, add the three containers of sauce, and include the sauce with peppers, onion, and sausage. We will have some pasta and that will be dinner for the family.

Breakfast/Lunch for the kids

My girls and son had a bowl of cereal. I took our last three apples and made a warm apple crisp. I offered this to the children and they love it. I also offered sliced strawberries, bananas, and colby cheese for lunch.

Dinner today

I took out the chili from the fridge and we warmed that up, served it in mugs with a little cheese. It was just so good!!

March Shopping

I went to the grocery store yesterday. I spent a total of 83.02 dollars and bought the following items.

6 boxes granola bars 3 for 1.00
5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (I usually never buy this, but get whole chicken, but thee outlet was out of whole chicken) 1.99 lb
2 lb thick sliced ham 1.49 lb
2 lb bananas 25 lb
2 quarts strawberries 1,99 each
one gallon of skim milk 3.99 each
3 boxes of generic cereal 0.99 each
4 packages of Go gurt 0.99 each
cheese ends 3.49
sugar 2 pounds at 0.79 lb
pancake syrup 1.49
spaghetti sauce 24 oz 0.79 each
10 pounds potatoes 1.99 each
48 bottled water 4.99 total
peanut butter 0.99
2 boxes mac and cheese 0.59 each
one box whole wheat saltines 1.49
2 lb thin spaghetti 0.99
5 cans pork n beans 5 for 1.00
5 rolls Scott tissue 0.69 each
white bread 0.99
2 packages of generic Oreo 0.69 each
one package of generic pecan sandies 0.69
2 and a half dozen eggs
2 pounds stick margarine 0.99 each
2.8 lb of hot Italian sausage  3.56
2,1 lb chuck roast 7.10
0.95 lb pork butt steak 1.31
0.6 lb pork butt steak 1.19
0.73 lb boneless chuck steak  2.27
2.08 lb pork loin 2.48 lb
lb hill shire farm cheddar brats 0.99
24 corn dogs 4.99

Goal for month 300.00
Spent 82.03
Left over 217.97

What's happening today.

Well, I took the kids to the dentist, all three of them. We all had x rays, and cleanings. I had to get my teeth scraped (which I can barely tolerate). My son has NO cavities, my girls have two each, and I have two.

My insurance pays for x rays 100 percent every three years. I get two cleanings a year at 100 percent.

The cost for the cavities needs to be worked into my budget.
I have a cat that needs to go to the vet for a second round of leukemia vaccinations.
My car needs an oil change and tire rotation.

We have limited meat in the freezer.

Things to be thankful for:

I have a job that I love.
I have the ability to provide for my family.
Our home is warm.
We are loved and secure.
We LIKE to eat left overs.
None of my bills are late.
We are a healthy family.

March Pantry Listings updated 3/4

March Pantry Listings

13 containers of surprise findings!!!!!!!

ground beef 2 pounds
hot chocolate
veggie oil
olive oil
flour
sugar
beef stock


one pack hot dogs (Oscar myer)
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans of tomato soup
two cans of jelly
2 jars peanut butter
2 cans diced tomato
a few potatoes
onions
garlic
pickles
ketchup
sweet potatoes
lb broccoli
2 frozen squash
one pound sour kraut
2 one pound bags of frozen peas
pearl onions
brussel sprouts
1 pound fresh green beans
Italian dressing
blue cheese dressing
Hershey syrup
1 lb rice*
 egg noodles
4 noodles and sauce packets
cous cous
garlic powder
onion powder
basil
parsley

beef bouillon
yeast
baking powder *
baking soda*
baking powder*
powered sugar
honey
a pound of salt
rasain
one container of BBQ sauce
 eggs
 parmesean cheese
1 pound real butter
2 pound cream cheese
8 pack of oatmeal

 Any meals that are made and are left over will be incorporated into containers, labeled and placed into the freezer. This is how we are going to keep our budget within our goal of 300 dollars a month. I also plan to continue to donate to CCAP with each pay check (every two weeks, about 20 dollars worth of fruits and veggies from the outlet store).

Dinner 3/4

Since I worked all weekend, tonight's meal is a quick nourishing one. It's easy, requires little prep and is filling. I made the five of us some scrambled eggs.

Going through the freezer

I always freeze the left over dinner items. I took everything that were in containers to place in the fridge to thaw, so we can incorporate them into meals for the five of us.


chili
chicken stock
mozzarella cheese
brown rice
pureed strawberries
taco meat with beans
sausage, peppers and onion chunky sauce
chicken stock
chicken stock
chicken stock
spaghetti sauce
spaghetti sauce
pork and sauerkraut

It does make the freezer look a little empty. It also will free up some of the containers we have to be used for new "surprise findings". Using all left overs and limiting what food is thrown away helps my family keep our budget within our monthly goals.

What do to with some apples??

Well, make apple crisp of course. Nothing says YUMMY like warm apples, cinnamon, butter, some sugar, and granola topping baked in the oven. Chop up the apples (I used six), added some butter, cinnamon, sugar and granola. Place in oven at 350 degrees and bake until steaming warm. Even better to serve this to the kids with some ice cream...(wishing here that we had some).

Working this weekend...and dinner.

I made sour kraut and pork in the crock pot this morning. It is now sitting in a bowl on the stove waiting to cool down to place into the freezer. I have prepped (cut up) five carrots, 4 stalks of celery, a small onion, thyme, poultry seasoning, my last bouillon cube, onion powder, and a small amount of pepper in a bowl. I am going to come home from work and place the only whole chicken we have in the crock pot with the prepped veggies. When I wake up at some point tomorrow afternoon, I wll only have to make some rice in our steamer.