A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: More Good Eats on a Budget

I went to WinCo on Saturday and bought 4 pounds of cheese, 10 pounds of potatoes, onion powder, milk powder and coffee creamer, spending $14.89 on groceries for our household. I had planned on buying cheese and potatoes at Cash & Carry but found them for less at WinCo. With the money that I saved, I also bought a box of granola/breakfast bars to bring to a group thing where I needed individually packaged items.  

I stopped at Walmart, where I bought tofu, instant decaf, cabbage and bananas, spending $7.78. Those 2 stops brought my week's spending up to $24.35. This weeks spending plus last weeks of $31.34 comes to $55.69 of February's budget, leaving $70.25 for the rest of the month.

We're doing well with our food supplies this week. I keep finding foods that need using, such as Friday's turnips, canned tuna, and potato chips. At some point, we will have depleted our supplies of special or less usual foods. 

Here are this week's dinners:

Friday
tuna fish sandwiches, with fresh garden watercress on homemade whole wheat bread
orange wedges
potato chips
roasted root vegetables (turnips, onions, carrots)

Saturday
bean, cheese, and ham tacos in fried homemade flour tortillas
carrot sticks
orange wedges

Sunday
turkey (Thanksgiving), carrot, and potato soup
scratch biscuits
orange wedges

Monday
beef and bean chili from the freezer
fully-loaded cornbread
pumpkin pie

Tuesday (daughter's night)
scrambled eggs
boxed stuffing mix
canned green beans

Wednesday
homemade black olive pizza
cole slaw
orange wedges
leftover pumpkin pie

Thursday
cheesy tuna casserole (with beet greens from last summer)
baked Hubbard squash
fruit salad (bananas, oranges, marshmallows, coconut, pecans, and grapes -- daughter bought)


I bought Thursday's Hubbard squash on November 1st. It was likely harvested in August or September. I've been keeping it in our pantry at room temperature, and it has not developed any soft spots 5 to 6 months post-harvest. I cooked it because I wanted some variety in our veggies this week and not because it was desperately needing to be cooked. I guess it could have lasted in our pantry another several weeks.

The selection of winter squash at my local grocery stores seems to be limited to acorn squash, butternut, pumpkin, and delicata squash, all of which tend to develop soft spots by January in my house. In my experience, produce stands and markets tend to carry a wider variety of winter squash than typical supermarkets, which means long-keepers like Hubbard squash are more likely to be available in early fall at a produce stand or produce-only market than in the grocery store.

I paid 33 cents per pound for Hubbard squash. In the moment, that seemed like a good deal, but nothing extraordinary. Now in February, 33 cents per pound for fresh vegetables sounds like a real steal. If I could have done anything differently on November 1st when I was shopping the last day at the produce stand, I would have bought 1 or 2 more Hubbard squash, as I know they would have kept in my pantry (or fridge, if need be) at least until mid-March, about the time I find cabbage at a rock-bottom price per pound. This is information that I'll use next fall.

I feel like our week's meals continue to have a lot of variety. I hope to keep this up throughout this month, even as some of our stores begin to deplete. In March, we'll return to a higher budget for groceries, which will allow more variety in my purchases again.

How was your week? Anything interesting on your menu? Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

A Leap Month of Little Joys and Satisfactions: Valentine Gifts to My Daughters for Under $10 Each

I've mentioned before that I give my family members small gifts for Valentine's Day. This year, I put together a small tin of gifts for each daughter.

The heart-shaped tins I bought on deep discount after Valentine's Day many, many years ago. (I bought several of them at about 75 cents each.) Here's what I put inside:

• Brightly-colored wool socks -- from a set of 5 pairs, each knit in a different selection of colors, that I bought from Amazon -- about 2.79 each pair. 
• Body Shop bath bombs -- Dec. 26, the Body Shop had their annual sale online, with bath bombs offered for 75 cents each very briefly. I also had a coupon plus free shipping -- I paid 66 cents each. I put 4 into each tin.
• Bath & Body Works shower gel -- in early December, B&BW had a one-day sale on all travel-size products (shower gel, hand cream, body lotion, fragrance spray) for $1.95 each, limit 15. I also had a coupon, bringing my cost down to $1.55 each. (These items are regularly priced at $5 to $6 each.) I put 2 in each tin. 
• Total cost for each tin -- $9.28, including the tin.

How I shop is as important as what I buy, in order to put together gifts for under $10. I watch for special sales before and after major holidays. When I come across a spectacular deal, I think through the recipients for all of the upcoming gift-giving occasions. 

With the B&BW products, since there was a limit of 15, I thought through all of the women on my list and the appropriate upcoming occasions. I made a written list of what types of products and fragrances I wanted for each woman and what occasion I could use each for. Since these are travel-size products, some of them will be good as stocking (or gift tin) fillers, others will be good in a gift basket of related spa items, and a group of others will be bundled together in a fabric pouch or cosmetic bag like a gift set.

With the bath bombs, I knew from last year's experience that the Body Shop has a pretty great sale the day after Christmas. The bath bombs are regularly priced at $2 each. They often go on sale for $1 or $1.25 each. When I saw them priced at 75 cents each (and I knew I had a coupon code I could use to save even more), I grabbed a whole bunch of these and will be able to use them for gifts throughout the year.

I sometimes buy a set of like items to break up into individual gifts, such as the set of 5 pairs of socks. The patterns and colors of these socks are fun, making them appropriate as a gift. I have several women on my list who I know wear wool socks. The other 3 pairs will be gifted in this next year. (Okay, only 2 pairs will be gifted. One pair is for me!!)

I sometimes change my mind about who is getting what. That's okay. It all works out in the end. Other times, I find myself with an abundance of giftables. When that happens, I stop shopping for a few holidays, or until I have given all of the items away. That's okay, too, and even saves me some money for a short time. And periodically, I simply give items away. It's a way to bring cheer to others when they most need it.

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! I hope your day is filled with love and joy.