Since we had to take Butterscotch our cat (11 years old) to the vet this afternoon, we stopped at the local pizza place and made a take out order. What a bunch of lemmings.....LOL. I have to be at work for 6 for a mandatory meeting, and start my shift at 645....
Pizza it is, and pay day tomorrow AM!!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Thanks for reading....
I gotta say to everyone, thanks for reading my blog. When I started this adventure, I was telling my husband that since I read a lot of blogs, I should start one and see how it goes. It was a little project to keep me accountable, something I would have access to when I needed some motivation to keep my head up and keep going. I just want to say thanks for reading.
I mentioned to someone the other day that I was "tired", and wishing that my mortgage was paid off. The person I mentioned this to was not very empathetic, knows the family, and understands that my husband does not work. There's five of us, three cats, and a dog....life gets hard sometimes.
I work three 12 hour shifts in a row, all nights, get paid every two weeks (YEAH it's tomorrow ASAP after clocking out in the AM), and I manage with my obligations and am disciplined for the most part. The person I mentioned this to was responding to me in such a way that I was taken back, as they are supposed to be my friend. I was told "A lot of people would like to have a mortgage, and be in your shoes, so stop complaining". WOW!!! Really, I was amazed.
Let me put it to you this way. I am tired because I work hard, keep my family going, make sure that the kids are taken care of, and that my husband is able to maintain his mental health without having any schitzophrenic moments (meds are very expensive, but work wonders). Yes, he does stay home to care for the kids when I'm working. He does clean up the house, makes dinner occasionally, washes clothes, etc etc etc when I'm working. Our lively hood depends on my income!!
When I am off work, we do things together. We clean the house, make meals, have time with each other and the kids, and we do go on dates (even if it's to a walk downtown). My friend spends a lot of her money. She is only supporting herself, as her kid is gone and living on her own. She's not married, and lives with several four legged babies.
Empathy form my friend, non existent....
I mentioned to someone the other day that I was "tired", and wishing that my mortgage was paid off. The person I mentioned this to was not very empathetic, knows the family, and understands that my husband does not work. There's five of us, three cats, and a dog....life gets hard sometimes.
I work three 12 hour shifts in a row, all nights, get paid every two weeks (YEAH it's tomorrow ASAP after clocking out in the AM), and I manage with my obligations and am disciplined for the most part. The person I mentioned this to was responding to me in such a way that I was taken back, as they are supposed to be my friend. I was told "A lot of people would like to have a mortgage, and be in your shoes, so stop complaining". WOW!!! Really, I was amazed.
Let me put it to you this way. I am tired because I work hard, keep my family going, make sure that the kids are taken care of, and that my husband is able to maintain his mental health without having any schitzophrenic moments (meds are very expensive, but work wonders). Yes, he does stay home to care for the kids when I'm working. He does clean up the house, makes dinner occasionally, washes clothes, etc etc etc when I'm working. Our lively hood depends on my income!!
When I am off work, we do things together. We clean the house, make meals, have time with each other and the kids, and we do go on dates (even if it's to a walk downtown). My friend spends a lot of her money. She is only supporting herself, as her kid is gone and living on her own. She's not married, and lives with several four legged babies.
Empathy form my friend, non existent....
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Dinner 8/6
I'm working three nights in a row. This is night two of three. I woke up at 4, had a bowl of raisin bran, and a cup of tea. My husband and kids are going to have some left over Shepard's pie. Last night at work, I brought some Shepard's pie and the last of the salad that I made earlier in the day. That's dinner folks.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Dinner 8/5
I still have ground beef in the fridge from when I made meat balls the other night. I'm going to make a Shepard's pie this morning to serve for dinner tonight. Since I am working, this is an easy prep ahead meal.
I am go cook the ground beef with half an onion, some soy sauce (those take out packets remember) and two cloves of garlic. I will drain this into a container in my fridge to harden (I don't drain meat into the kitchen sink, it will clog the drains). When the fat hardens, it goes into the trash and out to the landfill. After this cooks, and drains, I will put it into a casserole dish. I have half a bag of corn opened in the freezer that I will use to place over the ground beef. I will boil a few potatoes and them hand mash them to place on top of the corn. I will add some spices (basil, paprika, onion and garlic powder), and top with some cheese (I think all I have is sliced, in which case, I won't top it). I will bake this in the oven at 325 for an hour until it's warmed up. We will have a small salad on the side (the last of the green leaf lettuce, some grape tomatoes, a small amount of sliced onion, and some shredded carrot).
I am go cook the ground beef with half an onion, some soy sauce (those take out packets remember) and two cloves of garlic. I will drain this into a container in my fridge to harden (I don't drain meat into the kitchen sink, it will clog the drains). When the fat hardens, it goes into the trash and out to the landfill. After this cooks, and drains, I will put it into a casserole dish. I have half a bag of corn opened in the freezer that I will use to place over the ground beef. I will boil a few potatoes and them hand mash them to place on top of the corn. I will add some spices (basil, paprika, onion and garlic powder), and top with some cheese (I think all I have is sliced, in which case, I won't top it). I will bake this in the oven at 325 for an hour until it's warmed up. We will have a small salad on the side (the last of the green leaf lettuce, some grape tomatoes, a small amount of sliced onion, and some shredded carrot).
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Frugal Day
So, I had a frugal and productive day. I've used a few things that were lingering around in the kitchen. I used up the blueberry/blackberry container of fruit, lingering garden veggie spaghetti sauce, motzerella cheese, and various baking supplies (flour, yeast, sugar, oil, salt), a few eggs, and even used up some reconstituted dry milk.
Now, I still have some baking supplies, and reconstituted milk in the pantry.
I went to the store and bought the following:
one gallon of skim milk 3.59
2 marked down boxes mac and cheese for the kids .99 each
7 count marked down package of pork chops (bone in) 5.27 or 1.49 lb (for the freezer, plan on using in September if possible)
loaf of sliced white bread 1.07
Total of 12.57.
I have 300.00 dollars for the month of August. I would like to be able to stretch this amount as far as possible. Meaning that I keep myself out of the stores as much as possible.
I have 287.43 left for August.
Now, I still have some baking supplies, and reconstituted milk in the pantry.
I went to the store and bought the following:
one gallon of skim milk 3.59
2 marked down boxes mac and cheese for the kids .99 each
7 count marked down package of pork chops (bone in) 5.27 or 1.49 lb (for the freezer, plan on using in September if possible)
loaf of sliced white bread 1.07
Total of 12.57.
I have 300.00 dollars for the month of August. I would like to be able to stretch this amount as far as possible. Meaning that I keep myself out of the stores as much as possible.
I have 287.43 left for August.
Updated August Offerings 8/4/2013
Updated August Offerings
August Offerings
Ok, since we are going into August, I took an inventory of what we had in the fridge, pantry, and freezer. I'm hoping to get through a good portion of the month with the items we have.Mary and Kevin are going to need some school supplies (we have a bunch left form last year though, may need to just get each a new pair of sneakers), Sarah has her third tuition payment for LFCC, and three more books to rent, and the kids are going to be going to the dentist for September. I am going to have to increase our gas usage and costs to get my kid to her LFCC classes.
Pantry:
1 box raisin bran
1 box mini wheats *
1 container of old fashioned oats
1 box bran cereal
1 container of olive oil
2 small containers of veggie oil *
1 container of pancake syrup*
5 boxes flavored oatmeal
2 small containers of honey*
2 boxes of onion soup
2 corn muffin mixes
1 lb rigatoni
1 lb rotini*
1 lb black beans and rice
1/2 lb long grain rice*
2 sleeves Ritz type crackers*
salt*
baking powder*
tea bags
flour *
sugar*
brown sugar*
powdered sugar*
10 various cans of tomatoes
1 peanut butter *
1 lb spaghetti
4 pumpkin bread mixes
hot chocolate
popcorn kernels*
ice tea mix*
1 large can kidney beans
1 can of pork and beans
Left overs:
Fruit Bowl:
Open Condiments:
Ketchup*
salsa*
blue cheese dressing*
grape jelly*
apple butter*
fudge topping*
pickles*
mustard*
mayo*
BBQ sauce*
Catalina dressing*
cream cheese*
take out soy sauce*
take out chili sauce*
take out arby sauce*
Fridge Items:
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onion
1 gallon punch*
2 yogurts
reconstituted dry milk
chip dip*
lettuce*
2 dozen eggs*
3 carrots*
grape tomatoes*
kielbasa
2 heads garlic
1/2 bag shredded carrot*
1 lb sliced cheese
6 sticks margarine
Freezer offerings:
4 packages of chicken thighs (5 lb each)
2 lb ground beef
2 hot dog rolls*
various bread crusts*
2 beef ribs
1/2 lb spaghetti sauce*
cream cheese
Frozen Veggies:
1 package of a farmer's blend
2.5 lb of Italian veggies
1/2 lb of Italian veggies*
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts*
2 lb broccoli
5 lb corn
2 lb peas
Ok, since we are going into August, I took an inventory of what we had in the fridge, pantry, and freezer. I'm hoping to get through a good portion of the month with the items we have.Mary and Kevin are going to need some school supplies (we have a bunch left form last year though, may need to just get each a new pair of sneakers), Sarah has her third tuition payment for LFCC, and three more books to rent, and the kids are going to be going to the dentist for September. I am going to have to increase our gas usage and costs to get my kid to her LFCC classes.
Pantry:
1 box raisin bran
1 box mini wheats *
1 container of old fashioned oats
1 box bran cereal
1 container of olive oil
2 small containers of veggie oil *
1 container of pancake syrup*
5 boxes flavored oatmeal
2 small containers of honey*
2 boxes of onion soup
2 corn muffin mixes
1 lb rigatoni
1 lb rotini*
1 lb black beans and rice
1/2 lb long grain rice*
2 sleeves Ritz type crackers*
salt*
baking powder*
tea bags
flour *
sugar*
brown sugar*
powdered sugar*
10 various cans of tomatoes
1 peanut butter *
1 lb spaghetti
4 pumpkin bread mixes
hot chocolate
popcorn kernels*
ice tea mix*
1 large can kidney beans
1 can of pork and beans
Left overs:
Fruit Bowl:
Open Condiments:
Ketchup*
salsa*
blue cheese dressing*
grape jelly*
apple butter*
fudge topping*
pickles*
mustard*
mayo*
BBQ sauce*
Catalina dressing*
cream cheese*
take out soy sauce*
take out chili sauce*
take out arby sauce*
Fridge Items:
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onion
1 gallon punch*
2 yogurts
reconstituted dry milk
chip dip*
lettuce*
2 dozen eggs*
3 carrots*
grape tomatoes*
kielbasa
2 heads garlic
1/2 bag shredded carrot*
1 lb sliced cheese
6 sticks margarine
Freezer offerings:
4 packages of chicken thighs (5 lb each)
2 lb ground beef
2 hot dog rolls*
various bread crusts*
2 beef ribs
1/2 lb spaghetti sauce*
cream cheese
Frozen Veggies:
1 package of a farmer's blend
2.5 lb of Italian veggies
1/2 lb of Italian veggies*
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts*
2 lb broccoli
5 lb corn
2 lb peas
1/2 bag of blueberries....we opened these this morning to make muffins.
Hidden Suprises:
chicken stock
The starred items are things that are opened, or close to being used up. I will work hard to get these items used in a proper manner. It will help decrease my grocery costs for the month. I will buy milk, bread, and fruit for the kids
Hidden Suprises:
chicken stock
The starred items are things that are opened, or close to being used up. I will work hard to get these items used in a proper manner. It will help decrease my grocery costs for the month. I will buy milk, bread, and fruit for the kids
Dinner 8/4
Dinner tonight is going to be home made pizza. I'm going to put the ingredients for a crust in the bread maker. I have that "hidden surprise" left of homemade veggie garden spaghetti sauce that I'm going to give a whirl through the blender (to puree it, so my kids cant' tell it's that NASTY HOMEMADE STUFF THAT MOM MAKES), top the crusts with the sauce, and use the motzerella cheese that I have in the freezer. It's an 8 ounce package. It may be enough to make two cheese pizzas. SHHHHHHHHHHHH...don't tell the kids about the pizza sauce!!!
We will also have a small salad (green leaf lettuce, some grape tomatoes, shredded carrot, and sliced onion) with dressing. Dessert will be some left over ice cream cake!!!
We will also have a small salad (green leaf lettuce, some grape tomatoes, shredded carrot, and sliced onion) with dressing. Dessert will be some left over ice cream cake!!!
Muffins
One of those hidden surprises I have in the fridge that need to go is a mixture of blackberries and blueberries from the garden. I found a recipe on allrecipies.com to use them up this morning. I don't think I am going to put the "topping" on them. My kids had enough sweetness yesterday from Kevin's two day birthday celebration.
Directions
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Life Updates
I have things that have not cleared my account yet, but after they do, I will have 40 dollars until my next pay day. My vehicle has an appointment on Tuesday for a tune up, oil change, and maintenance check with the dealership. I was told this would run about 50 dollars, as I bought the car there in 2008.
My son is going to have his 15th birthday. He is a special needs kid, with autism, and has a developmental age of about 8=9 years old. We are going to Chuck E Cheese on Saturday for his party. I reserved a time and it has a cost of about 90 dollars. I made the down payment online, and will take some cash out of my savings account to pay for this.
My daughter (15 year old) will not be attending the party. She is going to the beach with her friend for a week. She will need some spending money.
My oldest daughter (18 yr old) has issues with impulsive behavior. She gave her notice at McDonald's and told me that she wants to "focus on college" when she begins in August. Seriously.....I can understand that she wants to study hard, and get decent grades, but come on...
Updates:
My car got serviced with an oil change and a 45 thousand tune up mile check. Cost 126.00. Paid in cash.
Kevin has his birthday today. chuck E Cheese got cancelled, no responses to our invites. We had a friends only party last night at the playground in our development. Cupcakes and root beer, cost 22 dollars. We are going to have a family party today. He wants to go to the local pizza place for lunch, the museam, and see a movie. Cost about 60 dollars total. The two parties would have cost less than the Chuck E Cheese place.
My Mary went to the beach. I gave her 50 dollars in cash. Done. She will be home in a week.
My Sarah has one week left of her job. I have to order the second of four books online for her classes. Will do that today.
My son is going to have his 15th birthday. He is a special needs kid, with autism, and has a developmental age of about 8=9 years old. We are going to Chuck E Cheese on Saturday for his party. I reserved a time and it has a cost of about 90 dollars. I made the down payment online, and will take some cash out of my savings account to pay for this.
My daughter (15 year old) will not be attending the party. She is going to the beach with her friend for a week. She will need some spending money.
My oldest daughter (18 yr old) has issues with impulsive behavior. She gave her notice at McDonald's and told me that she wants to "focus on college" when she begins in August. Seriously.....I can understand that she wants to study hard, and get decent grades, but come on...
Updates:
My car got serviced with an oil change and a 45 thousand tune up mile check. Cost 126.00. Paid in cash.
Kevin has his birthday today. chuck E Cheese got cancelled, no responses to our invites. We had a friends only party last night at the playground in our development. Cupcakes and root beer, cost 22 dollars. We are going to have a family party today. He wants to go to the local pizza place for lunch, the museam, and see a movie. Cost about 60 dollars total. The two parties would have cost less than the Chuck E Cheese place.
My Mary went to the beach. I gave her 50 dollars in cash. Done. She will be home in a week.
My Sarah has one week left of her job. I have to order the second of four books online for her classes. Will do that today.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Updated August Offerings
August Offerings
Ok, since we are going into August, I took an inventory of what we had in the fridge, pantry, and freezer. I'm hoping to get through a good portion of the month with the items we have, I've got a birthday for Kevin to celebrate at Chuck E Cheese, Mary and Kevin are going to need some school supplies (we have a bunch left form last year though, may need to just get each a new pair of sneakers), Sarah has her third tuition payment for LFCC, and three more books to rent, and the kids are going to be going to the dentist for September. I am going to have to increase our gas usage and costs to get my kid to her LFCC classes.
Pantry:
1 box raisin bran
1 box mini wheats *
1 container of old fashioned oats
1 box bran cereal
1 container of olive oil
2 small containers of veggie oil *
1 container of pancake syrup*
5 boxes flavored oatmeal
2 small containers of honey*
2 boxes of onion soup
2 corn muffin mixes
1 lb rigatoni
1 lb rotini*
1 lb black beans and rice
1/2 lb long grain rice*
2 sleeves Ritz type crackers*
salt*
baking powder*
tea bags
flour *
sugar*
brown sugar*
powdered sugar*
10 various cans of tomatoes
1 peanut butter *
1 lb spaghetti
4 pumpkin bread mixes
hot chocolate
popcorn kernels*
ice tea mix*
1 large can kidney beans
1 can of pork and beans
Left overs:
1 serving of pasta*
Fruit Bowl:
2 apples
3 bananas
Open Condiments:
Ketchup*
salsa*
blue cheese dressing*
grape jelly*
apple butter*
fudge topping*
pickles*
mustard*
mayo*
BBQ sauce*
Catalina dressing*
cream cheese*
take out soy sauce*
take out chili sauce*
take out arby sauce*
Fridge Items:
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onion
1 gallon punch*
2 yogurts
reconstituted dry milk
chip dip*
lettuce*
2 dozen eggs*
3 carrots*
grape tomatoes*
kielbasa
2 heads garlic
1/2 bag shredded carrot*
1 lb sliced cheese
7 sticks margarine
Freezer offerings:
4 packages of chicken thighs (5 lb each)
2 lb ground beef
2 hot dog rolls*
various bread crusts*
2 beef ribs
1/2 lb spaghetti sauce*
7 containers of hidden surprises*
cream cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese
Frozen Veggies:
1 package of a farmer's blend
2.5 lb of Italian veggies
1/2 lb of Italian veggies*
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts*
2 lb broccoli
5 lb corn
2 lb peas
1 lb blueberries
Hidden Suprises:
spaghetti sauce (homemade veggie)
chicken stock
The starred items are things that are opened, or close to being used up. I will work hard to get these items used in a proper manner. It will help decrease my grocery costs for the month. I will buy milk, bread, and fruit for the kids.
Ok, since we are going into August, I took an inventory of what we had in the fridge, pantry, and freezer. I'm hoping to get through a good portion of the month with the items we have, I've got a birthday for Kevin to celebrate at Chuck E Cheese, Mary and Kevin are going to need some school supplies (we have a bunch left form last year though, may need to just get each a new pair of sneakers), Sarah has her third tuition payment for LFCC, and three more books to rent, and the kids are going to be going to the dentist for September. I am going to have to increase our gas usage and costs to get my kid to her LFCC classes.
Pantry:
1 box raisin bran
1 box mini wheats *
1 container of old fashioned oats
1 box bran cereal
1 container of olive oil
2 small containers of veggie oil *
1 container of pancake syrup*
5 boxes flavored oatmeal
2 small containers of honey*
2 boxes of onion soup
2 corn muffin mixes
1 lb rigatoni
1 lb rotini*
1 lb black beans and rice
1/2 lb long grain rice*
2 sleeves Ritz type crackers*
salt*
baking powder*
tea bags
flour *
sugar*
brown sugar*
powdered sugar*
10 various cans of tomatoes
1 peanut butter *
1 lb spaghetti
4 pumpkin bread mixes
hot chocolate
popcorn kernels*
ice tea mix*
1 large can kidney beans
1 can of pork and beans
Left overs:
1 serving of pasta*
Fruit Bowl:
2 apples
3 bananas
Open Condiments:
Ketchup*
salsa*
blue cheese dressing*
grape jelly*
apple butter*
fudge topping*
pickles*
mustard*
mayo*
BBQ sauce*
Catalina dressing*
cream cheese*
take out soy sauce*
take out chili sauce*
take out arby sauce*
Fridge Items:
10 lb potatoes
3 lb onion
1 gallon punch*
2 yogurts
reconstituted dry milk
chip dip*
lettuce*
2 dozen eggs*
3 carrots*
grape tomatoes*
kielbasa
2 heads garlic
1/2 bag shredded carrot*
1 lb sliced cheese
7 sticks margarine
Freezer offerings:
4 packages of chicken thighs (5 lb each)
2 lb ground beef
2 hot dog rolls*
various bread crusts*
2 beef ribs
1/2 lb spaghetti sauce*
7 containers of hidden surprises*
cream cheese
8 oz mozzarella cheese
Frozen Veggies:
1 package of a farmer's blend
2.5 lb of Italian veggies
1/2 lb of Italian veggies*
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts*
2 lb broccoli
5 lb corn
2 lb peas
1 lb blueberries
Hidden Suprises:
spaghetti sauce (homemade veggie)
chicken stock
The starred items are things that are opened, or close to being used up. I will work hard to get these items used in a proper manner. It will help decrease my grocery costs for the month. I will buy milk, bread, and fruit for the kids.
Dinner 8/2
I put a package of chicken thighs in the oven, with some spices that I had bought at Aldi last month (poultry spices). I added our last lurking packet of gravy, and cut up three large carrots in the pan. I will bake this at 325 until it's cooked and the meat is tender, and the carrots are soft. Thinking that since we have a small package of frozen spinach that needs to go, this will be steamed, and will add some mashed potatoes for a complete meal. That's dinner folks!!
What's been cooking???
We have a few containers of hidden surprises that we are thawing out. A few of them were chili that the kids and I had for dinner last night. Two of them are spaghetti sauce (homemade), and I used one of them for my lunch at work last night with a cup of left over pasta. So, we have a cup of pasta left, and one container of spaghetti sauce to get through, along with a container of chicken stock.
The kids have managed to eat all the mac and cheese, made lots of air popped popcorn, finished off the bread, and the lunch meat I had put away.
The kids have managed to eat all the mac and cheese, made lots of air popped popcorn, finished off the bread, and the lunch meat I had put away.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Dinner 8/1
We are going to have left over frozen chili for dinner. The chili is in several containers from the freezer that have been thawed and warmed up for the family. This will help decrease my costs, and supply much needed fuel for hungry bellies.
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