January 2015 Grocery Money Journal: making progress!

Oh boy, I've got a large deficit coming into the new year. $117.41 in the hole to carry into this month, leaving me only $42.59 for the entire month. I know I'll likely spend more than that, but I should be able to bring the deficit down quite a bit, anyway.

Here goes:

January 1. First day of the new year. It even feels lighter and brighter now that we're into January. Perhaps this is a good omen for our financials for 2015. Anyway. . . stopped in Dollar Tree and picked up 4 quarts of soy milk, enough to get through the month. Spent $4

January 6. Bartell's, the local drugstore chain in the NW, has a large electronic board right at a major intersection on my drive to and from local errands. They're advertising Seattle's Best Coffee, $3.99/12-oz bag. A bag of decaf would be very nice to have. I pick up 1 bag. Also, they're advertising Guittard chocolate chips for $1.99/12-oz bag. This is a brand that I find to be quite good -- very creamy. And they often have the white chocolate, as well as milk and semi-sweet. I buy 2 bags of white chocolate chips (good melted, for dipping cookies, or for drizzling over the tops of desserts), and 4 bags of semi-sweet. I spend $15.93

Also on January 6, just down the road is Dollar Tree. If I'm gong to make my favorite oatmeal-cranberry-pecan cookies, I'll need some pecans. They've been carrying small bags of pecans halves all fall and now into winter (I don't have one of the bags in front of me, but I think the price per pound was about $10-something, decent enough for our area). I buy 2 bags and a box of baking soda (59cents). Spent $2.59

January 8. Walgreen's has eggs on for $1.49/dozen. This is not a stellar price, but we are needing eggs, and this may just be the new normal on egg sales, for the time being. I decide to buy 4 dozen. While there, I find markdowns on lunch meat ham, milk, and turkey bacon. The turkey bacon and lunch meat ham are 99cents/package. The milk is $1.99/gallon. I buy 10 packages of turkey bacon, 9 packages of Oscar Meyer ham and 1 gallon of 1% milk. I also peruse the leftover Christmas candy section and find both Special Dark Hershey's Kisses and the regular Milk chocolate Hershey's Kisses, 8.5-oz bags for $1.04 each. I buy 2 Special Dark and 1 milk chocolate. Total spent at Walgreen's today -- $29.88

January 24. We are really needing some produce these days. The transit center where I have to pick up one daughter is near the Cash and Carry wholesaler, so I swing by there, and buy 3-lb box of frozen spinach ($2.49), almost 6 lbs of bananas for 49cents/lb, 5-lb bag frozen peas ($3.54), large bag of medium-sized avocados, 16-count ($6.98 -- that's about 44cents for each avocado, great deal for our area), a 5-lb bag of carrots ($2.15), 1 head of green cabbage ($2.00), 1 19-oz package of firm tofu ($1.54), and 3 large cans of party peanuts (56-oz cans, for $5.95 each, that's $1.70/lb). Total spent today, $39.47

So far, we're up to $91.87. I won't need much more in these last few days of the month. But still I will carry another deficit into the next month.

January 28. Dollar Tree to pick up some flour tortillas and a box of crackers for the gang at home, for when I'm away over the weekend. Spent $2.

Well, well, well. I didn't need another single thing this month. Total spent for the month of January, $93.87. I reduced my deficit from $117.41 to $51.28, going into February!! Whoopee! Yeah, yeah, if I hadn't bought the chocolate chips or clearance Christmas chocolate, I'd have done better. But those treats will be welcome in the coming months, and will prevent me from buying other, more costly treats. (That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.) I've already used some of the white chocolate for dipping my favorite oatmeal cookies. And I'll be using some of the dark chocolate for dipping strawberries for Mother's Day, and making English toffee for Father's Day. If I get to it, I'd like to make truffles for Valentine's Day. And of course, some good old chocolate chip cookies sound like a plan sometime in the next month. See, at least I have a plan!

And a bit of good news on income. My husband received a cost of living raise, effective in January. This means I can raise our grocery budget a smidgen. Next month, we'll have a budget of $175 for groceries, instead the $160 we've been living on. I know we can do this!

How are grocery prices in your area? Are you seeing any relief on some of the basics, like eggs, milk and meat? Or are prices remaining high?

Wishing you all well.
warmly,
Lili

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Chasing the sun for a couple of days!

Once again, I am off chasing the sun. Yeah, I do this nearly every winter. It's part of how I deal with my seasonal affective disorder. Way more fun that my special "happy" lamp.

But before I leave, I always fix a bunch of edibles for whoever stays behind. I suppose it's "guilt food", as I get to have a getaway for a long weekend. Anyway, for this trip, I've been fighting a cold all week, so had minimal energy to cook much.

basic brown sugar-cinnamon granola

Still, I did make a new container of granola.

And a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Plus some homemade refried beans and Spanish rice, for making quick burritos.

And a pot of rich Minestrone soup.

I also left some bread, lunch meat, crackers, carrot sticks, nuts, avocado and fresh fruit. I'm sure they'll be able to put together meals for a couple of days.

Have a great weekend! I'll be back on Monday.
warmly (and I do mean "warm-ly"),
Lili

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How to fit 20 muffins into a 30-inch oven, on one rack, at the same time

I could make 20 muffins in one go, with this trick

Don't you sometimes wish you had Mary Poppin's magical tapestry carpet bag?

If I did have such a magical bag, I could reach deep and pull out the assorted necessities for life's conundrums. Lacking the magical nanny's tricks, I have resorted to my own contrivances, solving a few of those head-scratching household puzzles.


A question for you -- how many cups does your muffin tin have? Mine has 12. In fact, I have 3 muffin tins, each with 12 cups. Now, how many muffins does your favorite muffin recipe yield? My favorite recipes all seem to yield between 15 and 18 muffins. Hmmmph!

I have a few choices, when baking more than just 12 muffins in a spell. I can move the oven racks, so that one rack is 1/3 up from the bottom, and the other rack is 1/3 down from the top of the oven. Bake my muffins in two tins, at the same time, but swapping places halfway through baking, so that neither batch top-burns or bottom-burns.

I can leave my one rack in its current position and bake 12 muffins, remove from oven, then bake the remaining muffins.

Or, I can do this -- contrive my own 20-cup muffin tin from 2 separate muffin tins.

Most of the time, I just need enough cups for 15 to 18 muffins. I fill one muffin tin, completely (12 muffins). In the second tin, I leave a strip of 4 empty cups, then fill the middle section of 4 cups, and any I might need in the far strip of 4 cups.

Once filled with batter, I place the partially filled muffin tin to the left of the oven rack.

And I place the completely-filled muffin tin to the right side, but with 4 of the filled cups sitting directly in 4 of the empty cups of the partially filled tin. Does that make sense?

I can now bake up to 20 muffins in one go, with no swapping of tins to ensure even browning.  I save time and electricity by baking the muffins in this manner.



What's that saying? Necessity is the mother of invention. Or is it this? Where there's a will, there's a way.

We're all a creative bunch, here. What sort of contrivances have you managed, to solve a household conundrum?

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In the kitchen, this past weekend: onions, garlic, mac and cheese, and cocoa

you'd never guess that this is a low-cheese Mac & Cheese casserole

Wintry days find me in the kitchen, a lot.

I'm back to  streamlining some of my cooking prep. I now use my food processor to slice several onions at a time, then store in the fridge for the week. And with the garlic, I've been chopping an entire head or two, at once, to store in the freezer. (I blogged about this here, a loooong time ago). So, on Saturday, I pulled out a couple of heads of garlic, minced them fine, and now have them tucked away in the freezer for easier meal prep.

After a week of soup for dinner, Friday night we had made-from-scratch, macaroni and cheese. As usual, I was low on the cheese part. When someone is requesting mac and cheese, but I don't have much cheese left, this is what I do. I make a low-cheese cheese sauce. It's quite good, better for us (less fat, less dairy for me), and seeing as how cheese is sooooo expensive these days, this version is economical.

low-cheese cheese sauce

For how to make a low-cheese cheese sauce, see this post.
(I was out of carrots, this week, so I used 3 tablespoons of canned pumpkin puree in this particular pot of cheese sauce.)

Don't marshmallows simply belong in a cup of cocoa. I found a few marshmallows in the pantry the other day. They're leftover from making s'mores this past summer.

I don't buy those little packets or larger canisters to make cocoa by the cup. I make mine in the microwave, one cup at a time.

In a microwaveable mug, I heat about 1/8th cup of milk for 20 seconds. Then I stir in 1 & 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder plus 2 tablespoons sugar, until it's a nice paste. Next, I stir in more milk, till the mug is about full, and microwave for an additional minute. Finally, I add the extras, such as vanilla extract, almond extract, flavored coffee syrup, a mini candy cane, a sprinkling of cinnamon, or a couple of marshmallows. And for me, being mostly dairy-free, I just use soy milk for my cup.

This particular cup of cocoa has hazelnut coffee syrup, found at the back of the cabinet, needing to be used up. Topped with a couple of marshmallows, and I'm a happy camper, enjoying a cozy winter afternoon.

How did you spend your weekend? Any mugs of cocoa? Building snowmen? A cozy chair and favorite book?

Do you scrape burnt toast?

Okay all of you frugal divas out there, when you burn the toast, do you scrape off the burnt portion, but consume the rest? Or if you burn the bottoms of a batch of cookies, slightly, do you scrape the cookie bottoms, then place the cleaned-up cookies in with the rest of the batch?

How about scorching a pot of something, on the stove? Do you try to salvage that, as well? I suspect many of us do these things.

after I picked out the burnt pieces

Yesterday afternoon, while resting on the sofa after a morning of playing with a 4 year old for several hours, I was "multi-tasking" (hardly so, as I was technically on. the. couch.) with a batch of candied orange peel cooking on the stove. "Mmmm, what's that delicious, savory smelling thing cooking in the kitchen," I thought to myself. I leapt off the sofa, into the kitchen, to find the bottom of the pan of candied orange a bit scorched. I quickly dumped the whole batch onto a sheet of waxed paper, leaving the scorched mess in the pan. Tasting it, all but the burnt pieces tasted just fine.

I use the same technique my mother always employed, when scorching a sauce or custard. Here are her "rules":

• stop stirring!! You want to minimize the incorporation of scorched matter into the non-scorched. If you catch it early enough, the scorched flavors have not yet mingled with the fresh flavors.
• empty the contents of the pot into a fresh container, without disturbing the scorched matter left in the pot. (In other words, this one time, do not try to scrape everything out of the pot.)
• taste
• if there remains a hint of smokiness to the sauce, you can try "fixing" it. If it is a sweet item, such as a custard, an additional 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, or a sprinkling of nutmeg, plus a spoonful of sugar will often mask any lingering scorched flavor. If it is a savory item, a bit more crushed herbs, some minced garlic or onions, or a spoonful of ketchup, will often cover up any tell-tale flavor. But I'd like to share with you one savory item that I left just as it was, after a bit of scorching. It was a batch of salsa. The hint of smokiness, I thought, enhanced the resulting flavor, and I left it just as is. It wasn't badly scorched, and I "attributed" the smokiness to the "chipotle peppers" (there weren't any chipotles).

Most of the time, as the cook, we're hyper-sensitive to any imperfections in the finished product. I've found that my family either has no taste buds whatsoever, or else they're very forgiving. For this little mishap, I simply won't mention the scorching of the candied orange peel. They'll devour it all, even so.

And as for the few pieces of orange peel that were actually burnt, I was still in desperate need of either rest or caffeine. I brewed myself a cup of tea, adding those slightly burned pieces of orange peel to my cup. And I tried to convince myself that I was sipping a nice cup of Lapsang Souchong (smoky-flavored tea).


Have a lovely weekend.
Warmly,
Lili

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Scrap lovelies

Do you know what this is? It's reproduction Victorian scrap. In the early days, original scrap was first printed in black and white, sometimes embossed with relief, then hand-tinted with color. Victorians saved these beautiful bits of paper and cards, often pasting favorite pieces into scrap albums.

In more recent years, Victorian scrap has mostly been used in decoupage craft projects, holiday decor, and card-making.

I have my own collection of reproduction Victorian scrap, that I've secreted away, to pull out for special projects or gift cards. If my daughters got their hands on my scrap, there's no telling what would be left!!

You can buy books or sheets of scrap, or nowadays, with home printers, you can print images directly off your computer. The book in these pictures is titled Old-Time Romantic Vignettes (Dover Books). If you google it, you would find it still available for purchase.

With a book of scrap, you first, roughly cut around the image you wish to use, then with fine point scissors, cut carefully up against the image. (The piece on the far right has only been roughly cut, and next I shall carefully trim away all of the white background.) It can be glued with glue stick to paper (for cards or stationery), or Mod Podged onto painted surfaces for crafting.

I searched and searched, but could not turn up some collage-style Valentines that I made many years ago. (You'll just have to take my word for it, but they were charming.) I cut small cards out of white heavy stock paper, used scissors which make a scalloped edge to trim out the edge of the cards, then collaged pieces of scrap to the front of the cards.

I've also used some of the scrap for craft projects. This is a jacket/sweater rack, which shall be repurposed to the kitchen, shortly, to hold my apron and a few other hanging bits and bobs. The rack was painted with acrylic paints, then the scrap Mod Podge-d onto the front, and finally the entire front was "varnished" with more Mod Podge.

I retrieved my collection of scrap this afternoon, to work on a Valentine decor piece for this year. I'll show you my finished project soon.

Until then, happy scrapping! I'm off to find my good scissors. . . . .

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This week's lunch round-up with illness in the family

Italian turkey-noodle soup

One of my kids has been see-sawing with illness for several days. One day doing better, the next, sick as a dog. Yesterday was one of the "bad" days. You know how those go, right?

Anyway, my first thought, when one of us is sick, is a big pot of chicken soup. But what I had was turkey, so turkey soup it was/is.

On Friday, I had roasted a turkey. So I had the remains of that in the fridge. Yesterday morning I pulled the legs and wings off and simmered in water for a couple of hours. We're not huge turkey soup fans, so ours probably doesn't look like your standard turkey soup. I make mine Italian-style. I add lots of garlic, onions, herbs, tomato paste, leafy greens and pasta to the broth and meat. The leftovers were packaged up in screw-top containers for grab-and-go lunches today and tomorrow.

I also had 5 leftover baked potatoes in the fridge to work with this week. I halved them, scooped out the insides, mashed with butter, cream cheese and a some leafy greens, refilled the potato shells, then baked the halves once more. Quick, easy and yummy!

Here's what's on our lunch menu this week:

• Italian turkey-noodle soup
• twice-baked potatoes
• mixed fruit sauce, using frozen rhubarb, blackberries and leftover cranberry sauce
• pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins (I was craving chocolate, so the family gets these this week!)
• peanut butter sandwiches
• fresh oranges
• ham sandwiches

With Monday a holiday, its a short work and school week, so I didn't put a lot of effort into making these lunch items. Our oranges are beginning to run out, now, so I'm adding in some fruit sauces, made with frozen fruit from last summer. And I am very grateful to have the supply of ham lunchmeat, picked up on sale earlier this month -- makes for easy lunch prep.

(The "sick" one is on the mend, though still in bed today. We're trying to keep the rest of us healthy. I set the hand sanitizer out on the kitchen counter, and have been wiping down door knobs, light switches, cabinet pulls and fridge handles, obsessively. Hopefully, we can stop this illness in it's tracks.)

So, how about your household? Have viruses gotten the better of anyone in your family? Do you cook anything "special" when someone is sick? 

Wishing you a fabulous week!

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White Chocolate-Dipped Oatmeal, Cranberry, Pecan Cookies

These are the best oatmeal cookies I have ever had -- I could gobble them up every day. 

The original recipe came from Southern Living magazine. I changed a few things and added something of my own (orange zest -- I think orange and cranberry taste divine together). Here's my version of their recipe.

1 cup butter, softened
7/8 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour
1  1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sweetened, dried cranberries
2 to 3 teaspoons grated orange zest
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1  1/4 cups uncooked oats

about 6 oz white baking chocolate chips
1  1/2 tablespoons shortening (Crisco)

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, vanilla and vinegar.

Stir together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. This makes a very stiff dough. Just keep mixing. Stir in cranberries, orange zest, pecans and oats, until well-combined.

Lightly butter a large baking sheet. Drop walnut-sized balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly to about half the original thickness of the walnut-sized ball.

Bake in a preheated oven at 365 degrees F, for 9 to 11 minutes, until they look lightly golden. Allow to sit on baking sheet for about 2 minutes to firm up, then remove to cooling rack.

Once the cookies are cool, dip them in the following white chocolate mixture:

In a microwave-safe bowl, partially melt the white chocolate chips and shortening. White chocolate has a high sugar content and scorches easily in the microwave. Heat in 20 second increments, stirring the melted bits together, then heating again for 20 seconds. When the white chocolate is dip-ably thin, dip half of each cookie into it, then place on a sheet of waxed paper to harden.

The recipe yields about 4 dozen cookies. Store in an airtight tin.

Waxed paper, plastic wrap and foil: what to choose, what to choose?

Waxed paper
I tend to use waxed paper as often as it will work in each situation. Why? A few reasons, really.

• It's biodegradable and breaks down in my compost bin. 
• It's easy to work with -- it tears off with minimal fuss (plastic wrap gets all tangled on me when I tear a sheet off), it's microwavable, and doesn't it melt when used to line a baking pan (like a cake pan).
• No worries about plastic toxicities.

talking $$  However, it is more expensive than cheapo plastic wrap. And it's not reusable, as foil and plastic wrap can be. It's a single-use item, so the price is calculated based on price per package at the store.


Plastic wrap
I do use plastic wrap for specific purposes.

• Plastic wrap is great for when I need something that is somewhat airtight. I use small squares (6 X 6-inches) of plastic wrap as "lids" for my homemade yogurt. I secure this plastic wrap with a rubber band. My used canning jar lids were either onion-y/pickle-y or scratched and vulnerable to rust/bacteria growth. Neither situation was suitable for my homemade yogurt. So, a fresh piece of plastic wrap works well for the yogurt.
• I also use plastic wrap for freezer pie dough, when flattened into pie-topping circles, and rolled around cardboard tubes. The plastic wrap keeps the dough from sticking to itself, plus it holds in moisture very well, while the dough is frozen.

talking $$  Plastic wrap is washable, so it doesn't need to be a one-use item. I used to wash plastic wrap, and hang to dry by sticking pieces onto a cabinet side, right near the kitchen sink. But I tired of the messy look to my sink area. However, I still reuse sheets that look clean enough. I simply set them aside in a corner on the counter, and use them as needed. If they don't get used within a week or so, then they get tossed. So, in talking about cost per sheet/use, you could figure your cost per use based on washing and reusing, if that's your choice.


Aluminum foil
Although it's the most expensive option between these 3 wraps, I find aluminum foil to be my choice in specific applications in the kitchen.

• Covering roasted meats during cooking time
• As parchment paper substitution when making meringue cookies

talking $$  Aluminum foil's off-the-shelf price is very misleading, if you're of a frugal mindset. Foil is so durable (for a disposable wrap) that it can be washed and reused multiple times.

I typically get about 5 uses from each sheet of foil. Some pieces I get double that, and other pieces/times, I "lose" my piece of foil when I take a dish to someone's home, and it inadvertently gets thrown away. So, we'll go on the average of 5. This winds up multiplying the value of foil, in a sense, by a factor of 5.


Comparing the cost of the 3 wraps

I'll use Dollar Tree's price per roll ($1 each) for my calculations (since that's where I most often buy these wraps).

Waxed paper -- 65 linear feet (12-inch wide)
Plastic wrap -- 155 linear feet (12-inch wide)
Aluminum foil -- 25 linear feet (12-inch wide)

A 12-inch square sheet of waxed paper costs .015 (one and a half cents).
A 12-inch square sheet of plastic wrap costs .006 (just over a half cent).
A 12-inch square sheet of aluminum foil that has been washed and reused 5 times costs .008 (just under one cent, if I wash and reuse each sheet). There is the cost of the soap and water, which probably doubles the cost of foil, per each use, to around .016 (just over one and a half cents).


My end analysis with these wraps is that the cost per use of all three are relatively close. We're talking the difference between about a penny per use, from least expensive to most expensive. So for myself, I can allow other factors to weigh in on my decision on which to choose. Although I wouldn't define myself as an environmentalist, I often choose in favor of what is better for the environment. For kitchen wraps, that would be waxed paper. I simply toss the used pieces into the compost bin.

Also, as far as health ramifications go, I prefer to minimize the risk of transferring chemicals from plastic wrap to my food, as much as possible.

With foil, it can be recycled. However, it requires energy resources for said recycling. So, I'll continue washing my foil to get as many uses per sheet as I can.

For all of the above reasons, if waxed paper can do the job, I'll choose it over plastic or
foil.


There . . . . now wasn't that a fun math problem?!!!

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3 free things I did this week, to cultivate my personal joy

The busyness of life can rob me of joy, if I don't cultivate it on my own. 

Cultivating joy is a lot like tending a garden. When I plant the seeds, I also have to clear the area of weeds, then continue keeping weeds at bay. I need to water and feed my little baby plants if I want them to flourish. If I do nothing to care for my garden, then my seeds will sprout, but the seedlings will quickly be overtaken by weeds, pests and disease. It really doesn't take a lot of time or effort to result in a satisfying small garden.

My desire for personal joy are my "seeds". As I make small amounts of time for myself throughout the week, I am tending the growth of my joy. Over time, my personal joy grows, I become calmer and more centered. And I am able to "see" with my heart, what in my life has true meaning.

It doesn't take an exceedingly long list of treasured moments to cultivate joy. Just two or three special moments each week are enough to bring my life into balance. Let the busyness of the world continue to spin around me.

Sunday afternoon, I took a few minutes to write down 3 ways I could savor life and cultivate personal joy. If I write them on my weekly to-do list, I find a way to work these items into my week.

So, here are my 3 things (free things at that) that I did this week, to cultivate my personal joy.

1. got up early, then I lounged in the bath, infused with essential oils -- lavender, lemon and spearmint
2. listened to favorite music while working out. The right music keeps me motivated and moving briskly.
3. wandered the yard looking for hopes of spring. I found the very tippy top of daffodils and crocus breaking through the ground in some of the sunnier spots of the yard. And violas and pansies still blooming in the pots on the deck which I pulled close to the house in November.

Are there a few things you could do this week, to cultivate personal joy?

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This week's lunch round-up -- need a bit extra for one family member

Just as I get comfortable with our schedule, everything changes, again. But this is a good thing. I just need to adjust.

One of my daughters is pursuing a double major -- theater and education. Ultimately, she'd like to teach, and/or work in children's theater or television. Well, she auditioned for the spring production on campus and got the part she wanted. She's very excited, as this is her first main-stage production. However, schedules need to be altered for the next 3 months, as she'll have evening rehearsals 4 nights, and 1 weekend day, per week. She won't have the opportunity to come home and get a bite to eat most of the week, so she'll need to pack extra with her, to cover lunch and dinner each day. (And since she often takes breakfast to go as well, she practically needs another backpack just to carry a day's worth of edibles!!)


Sunday afternoon I baked a large batch of pumpkin muffins and a toaster-oven full of potatoes. I also made a bunch of peanut butter sandwiches. (I don't put jelly on them, as that just seeps through the bread after sitting in the fridge for a few days.) And I put plain yogurt into screw top plastic containers. Family can add berries or fruit syrup to the yogurt in the AMs, according to their preference.

For additional items, I made a pot of tomato-basil soup, plus some mini ham buns. I was making sandwich bread on Monday, and wanted to make 1 portion of dough into small buns, so I added an egg and some milk to the whole batch of dough, to make it more bun-like.


So, here's the round-up:

• tomato-basil soup
• ham buns
• peanut butter sandwiches
• pumpkin muffins
• baked potatoes
• yogurt
• fresh oranges
• prunes from last summer's harvest

Yummy, quick and inexpensive!!

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"The best dinner ever"

Do you ever finish up a meal and think to yourself, "that was the best dinner ever!" And then you realize, it was just an ordinary meal, but what made it so delicious was your own appetite.

I have that experience about once or twice per month. I'm just the right amount of hungry to appreciate even the most mundane of meals. Last Thursday was one such meal. It was homemade cheese pizza that I had in the freezer. Not even any special toppings, or even freshly made. I do reheat my frozen pizzas directly on the rack in the oven, so the bottom of the crust is crispy. That may help. And to go with the pizza, we had, now let your appetite whet .  .  .  frozen peas! And rhubarb sauce!

So, nothing super spectacular. Just an ordinary weekday dinner. The difference between having this meal on that night and any other, was our appetites.

There's an old saying, "hunger is the best sauce". Nothing more true in cooking than that.

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Freezing marked-down lunchmeat for sandwiches, to make 1 or 2 at a time

I happened into Walgreen's at just the right moment yesterday after babysitting. I was stopping in to pick up some eggs on sale, and shortly before I stopped in, a stock-hand had marked down a bunch of dairy/deli case items, to clear.

In addition to a gallon of milk ($1.99), I also picked up 10 packages of turkey bacon (99 cents), and these 9 packages of lunchmeat ham (99 cents/9-oz, or $1.76/lb -- good price for lunchmeat ham, seeing as how I had to pay $1.49/lb for bone-in, half hams in December). And of course, I bought my 4 dozen eggs at $1.49/dozen, while there.

With the lunchmeat, one package I left in our fridge for today's sandwiches. Five packages I froze, as is, for several sandwiches at a time. And the last three packages I divided into individual sandwich portions and froze.

I cut short pieces of waxed paper.

Then placed as much ham as I'd want on my sandwich onto each sheet near one end. Next I folded the waxed paper over, and stacked a bunch of these bundles,

placing all of these single-sandwich stacks in a freezer bag.

When wanting just 1 or 2 ham sandwiches, I can slide a bundle or two out of the bag, without tearing up any other lunchmeat.


It's still far cheaper to have pbj, egg salad, or bean spread on a sandwich, but ham will be a nice change of pace.

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Making our January cookies: Cranberry-pecan oatmeal cookies

I know, everyone is sick of all the treats and sweets from the holidays. I have a hard time going cold turkey off of the goodies, though. So I step my way down to healthier eating. Okay, who am I fooling?! Ha!!

I'm thinking maybe I need a 12-step program, here. First step, admitting I am powerless over a plate of cookies. But I'm not willing, yet, to admit that my life has become unmanageable because of those little yummies! Maybe I'm still in denial. Oh well . . . just one won't hurt.

These are far and away the yummiest oatmeal cookies that I've ever eaten.  I make them every January, and have to really work at not eating several in one sitting. Dried cranberries, pecans, brown sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract and white chocolate -- so maybe not the most frugal cookies that I bake, but compared to bakery or coffeehouse treats, they're quite affordable. (Every time I was at the store in November and December, I would pass the Starbuck's kiosk and eye the Cranberry Bliss Bars. I'm sure those are good, but I just kept telling myself, "my treat is coming, just hold on a couple more weeks".)

On Tuesday, everything came together. Sale on white chocolate chips at the drugstore. Bag of dried cranberries in the pantry. Pecans at Dollar Tree. And the free time to just enjoy the process of baking, eating dough, and finally, the quiet time to enjoy the first baked and dipped cookie with a cup of tea.

Do you go cold turkey off of the holiday sweets and treats when the tree comes down? Or do you have a few treats set aside just for January?


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Chocolate-Tofu Silk

I mentioned this dessert in yesterday's blog post, and Shara asked for the proportions. Here's the recipe as we make it.

Incredibly simple -- rich but still somewhat healthy, this is what we usually have for dessert around the New Year's holiday.

The original recipe came from Dr. Oz, but I've made a couple of very minor modifications.


one 12-oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
one 1-lb container of tofu, drained (silken tofu will render a soft mousse-like texture, firm tofu will result in a firmer final product -- I've done it with both types of tofu, and we've throughly enjoyed it each way)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey (alternatively 2 teaspoons sugar, optional)
1 tablespoon water

In a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate chips. When microwaving chocolate, only partially melt the chocolate pieces, then remove and stir well. The chocolate bits will continue to melt as you stir. If melting in a double boiler, stir chocolate constantly while melting, being careful to scrape the sides often.

In a food processor (or a blender), puree the tofu, add vanilla, water and honey (or sugar). Process until smooth.

Add melted chocolate and process until well-combined. Pour into individual serving dishes or a baked pie crust.

Serves 6-8

Refrigerate until chilled and firm -- overnight, if possible.

Well look-y here! I'm connected!

Not only did I get my computer yesterday, but I actually figured out how to turn it on and get it hooked up to the internet, all by myself. I'm not very tech-savvy, so that's a big deal for me. It took me 30 minutes just to figure out where the password was on the internet router! LOL!!

One of my goals for this next year is to learn to do more of these sort of things without help from my kids.

One improvement (depending on how you look at it) for this blog, will be the return to photos. I've been mostly unable to upload photos on the borrowed laptops (since June). Sometimes this hampered what I had wanted to share with you. Kinda hard to describe how some things I do have turned out. Like this yummy dessert -- 

which, actually I didn't  make, but my daughters did. It's melted chocolate chips, vanilla extract and silken tofu. Yummy!

Or what's left of a large batch of candied orange peel -- 

that I made on Friday, but we've been nibbling at for the last few days. My original plan was to chop and freeze most of the batch, to add to baking later on. Looks like I'll need to make another large batch for that to happen.

Or, these fun little cakes that we made for New Year's Eve dessert. 

I baked an 8-inch square pan of chocolate cake batter, cut into 6 rectangles (I wanted squares, which would have been smaller, but I was out-voted. The rest of the crowd wanted bigger pieces, which would be rectangles.) I split the little cakes and spread with plum jam, and placed the top half back on each jammed-up piece. Then I frosted the sides and tops of each with cocoa buttercream frosting and added the festive sprinkles. Oh, they were so good. After dinner, my husband looked around the table and asked, "however did you get 5 corner pieces?"

So having photos just may make blogging a little more colorful and visually appealing, being able to share images instead of text only. Now if I could just do something about my lacking photography skills!

Good morning! Some good news!

This is great news for me and my online life.

I have never had my very own computer. I've used hand-me-down laptops and desk tops from my husband. Back in June, my latest hand-me-down fried and died. Since then, I've begged and borrowed time on laptops from other members of the family. As you can imagine, mooching computer time has greatly limited my access to email, blogs, bill-paying and general internet browsing.

Well, later today, I'll be picking up my very own laptop. No more hand-me-downs. No more mooching computer access off of my family members.


Back in 2008, I began saving for my very own computer. Every month, I put aside a few dollars, specifically for this purpose. Some months it was just $5 or $10. Other months I pulled together $50 or more. This past fall, I finally had enough to make that purchase. Woo hoo!!!

Computers don't last forever. So I've already begun my next fund to buy this one's replacement. $5 to $10 a month doesn't sound like much. But in 6 years, those measly dollars could amount to over $700.


This is how our family pays for just about every major purchase we make -- we save in anticipation of needing the new item. We currently have the necessary savings to replace our water heater. And we're in the process of saving for a new furnace, a new car and a new refrigerator/freezer. Everything, paid in full, up-front. No interest, no financing. It takes time and planning, but that's how we like it.

I'll be back online just as soon as I can get my new computer up and running!

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December 2014 Grocery Money Journal

Happy New Year, friends!!!

I love the start of a new year. I don't think I've ever had a year when I thought, "oh I wish this year weren't coming to an end".  I love the hope for things to come. Perhaps that's why I enjoy planting the spring garden so much -- it's the hope of a fantastic gardening year that pulls me in.

And this new year has special meaning and hope for me. I've been suffering from extreme fatigue for the last couple of months (okay, let's face it it's been years now). I'm working on this, and this year, I have expectations of getting my energy back. So, if you can ride the waves of energy highs and lows with me, while I figure this out, I'll be blogging as much as my energy levels allow.

To the grocery money journal!

We are well-stocked for winter, now. I've been trying to organize the pantry so that I'm not tripping over things in there. I am very grateful, though, for a full pantry, fridge and freezer. However, I've got to get a handle on my spending. Again this month, I am in the hole. Here's how it panned out.


Dec. 5 Dollar Tree for soy milk. I buy 4 quarts, spending $4

Dec. 11 Cash and Carry wholesaler. I've got one of my daughters with me to help with a 50 lb sack. I buy 50 lbs of brown rice ($23.89 -- we've been out of rice for a month now and I've been missing it, not on sale this week, but who cares -- throw caution to the wind and buy it anyway, at 48cents/lb), 3 pound brick of frozen spinach ($3.08), and another 3 pound brick of frozen collard greens ($3.57). (These frozen blocks of greens may look difficult to work with for just family meals, but when I get them home from the store, they are softened just enough to use a serrated bread knife to cut each 3-lb brick into quarters. I bag up the quarters, and pop into the freezer. Problem solved.) 2 heads of green cabbage ($1.45 each), and 1 head of red cabbage ($1.58), and 1 72-count package of corn tortillas (for making chips and tacos ($1.69). I also find 1 lb blocks (not cut into quarters and separately wrapped, so I cut them for cooking and table use as I open each one) of butter for $2.48/lb. I buy 10 pounds. This may be the best price I find on butter, for a few months. Total spent at Cash and Carry, $61.51.

Also, Fred Meyer is one the way home from Cash and Carry, so when I have time, I run in and check for marked down milk. I pick up a flyer at the door, and find whole grain pasta on sale for 79/cents a 12-oz box (w/coupon, limit 4), and I buy a jar of mayo (30-oz) for $2.19, and 12-oz bag of chocolate chips (for making peppermint bark this weekend) for $1.79. Total spent at Fred Meyer, $7.14 (and sadly, no marked down milk :-(  )

Dec. 13 Dollar Tree to pick up a couple of stocking stuffers, and 2 boxes of crackers for our family tree trimming party. I was going to only buy 1 box, but I lost my head, and bought 2!! (Must have been just before lunch, and I was hungry, or hangry as the case might be.)

Dec. 18 I just got the call from the radiologist and it's good news, benign. How should we celebrate? Let's go buy a box of chocolates at Bartell's (local drug store). They have boxes of Russell Stover's chocolates on sale this month for $3.99. These boxes usually sell for $9.99 to $12.99, so this sale is a good one. I would like to stock up on these for future gatherings, but I just can't trust myself to have an extra box of chocolates sitting in the pantry. So, we buy 1 box for $3.99

While out, I remember that Walgreen's has eggs on sale for $1.29/dozen, and I am very low on eggs. So we swing by and pick up 4 dozen eggs, spending $5.16.

Dec. 19 Cash and Carry has 40-lb cases of navel oranges on sale again. W have really plowed through the last 2 cases of oranges, so I want to get more. When I check the cases, it looks like the oranges are nearing the end of their peak eating quality, so I find the best case, and only buy 1 case, for $16.98. They'll last through January, and perhaps into early February. We also really went through the cabbage, so I pick up 2 more heads of green cabbage ($1.45 each), plus about 10 bananas for $2.46 (45cents/lb), and a container of chili powder ($3.49). Spent $25.83

Still looking for marked down milk, so we stop at QFC. I pick up my 2 half hams for $1.49/lb, 2 small packages of turkey hot dogs, 5 hot dogs per package, for 49 cents, and enough almonds from the bulk bins to make holiday almond and dried fruit bread. Spent $28.70.

Dec. 28 Coming home from church, my daughters ask to stop at QFC and Rite Aid, so at QFC we find half-gallons of eggnog marked down to $1.99 (buy 1) and a 1-lb package of turkey bacon for $1.59. Spent $3.58

Dec. 29 Making a return of a Christmas gift at Fred Meyer, I pick up a flyer at the door and find half-gallons of milk on sale for $1.25 each, limit 4 w/ coupon. I buy my 4, all of whole milk, so I can make yogurt, and spend $5.

Dec. 31 Stopping in at QFC on errands, and finally find milk on markdown. Gallon jugs of 1% for $2.09. My freezer is really full, so I only buy 6 gallons, spending $12.54.


For the month of December, I spent $159.45. I know, that doesn't sound like much, but I was carrying forward a deficit of $117.96 from November. My budget this month was $160, less $117.96, leaving me with a budget of $42.04. At the end of December, I am now in the hole, $117.41. This deficit will be carried forward into January 2015's grocery budget. Perhaps I just won't need all that much, or just won't find any stellar deals. In any case, I do need to rein in my spending, and bring my budget back into balance.

Do you get an office holiday party?

My one paying job, childcare, doesn't exactly provide a holiday party for me. The ladies whose children I take care of on Thursday mornings, all enjoy a holiday party while I watch the kiddos. Hmmm, yeah, not quite fair, right? Oh well, it's all part of that job.

Anyway, as my son and husband were heading out the door, one day last week, they mentioned office holiday parties. "Holiday party?" I exclaim in a rather disgruntled tone, every year. "Nobody provides a holiday party for meeeeee". (Think whiny voice, here.)

So, what's a lonely housewife to do, with no holiday party? Well, make one for myself, that's what!

And, as circumstances would have it, a good friend of mine, is currently working just down the street from me, at her boss's home, and is the only employee there, with, you guessed it, no holiday party either. Plus, there are my 2 daughters home during the days, on winter holiday break from classes.

That's one plus two plus me, equals four for this holiday party!

My daughters are helping me plan and prepare a nice little luncheon for the four of us, on Tuesday (with much appreciated input from another good friend -- :-) thanks friend!).

Here's our menu:

Tomato-basil soup (made with canned tomato paste and frozen basil from summer)
Toasted cheese sandwiches, cut into stars using a star-shaped cookie cutter
Pumpkin bread with cream cheese (made the pumpkin bread over the weekend)
Curried pea and peanut coleslaw
Fruit salad (using whatever fruit we have on hand, canned, fresh and dried)
Nuts
Chocolates
Frosted Christmas sugar cookies (made those on Sunday afternoon)
Orange-spice tea (black tea infused with fresh orange slices, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks)


When my kids were younger, the day that my husband had his office party, the kids and I would put on our own party. Some years, we had enough cash to do a lunch out, other years we just put together fun and festive foods to enjoy here at home. This year, we're doing lunch, using only food items we have here on hand.

We even happen to have the chocolates "on hand" this year! "How does a frugal person happen to have chocolates on hand?", you ask. Thursday afternoon, after I got my good medical news, I asked my girls what we should do to celebrate. One daughter exclaimed, "See's!!!!!!!" (She was rather vocal about wanting to hit up the candy shop.) But it was mid-afternoon and the mall parking lot would be jammed. So I suggested that we go to the drug store and buy a box of Russell Stovers (which happen to be on sale this week, for $3.99 a box). We chose a box of all dark chocolates, brought them home and each picked 1 to eat, then and there. The rest of the box has been stashed in a cupboard for our "office" party.

If you don't get an office party, either, consider throwing your own party. Those of us who hold the fort down during the day really do deserve a holiday party, too!!!

Cheers!! (raising my cup of tea to all of us who make our own holiday parties)



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"I found a lump"

(before you read any further, I AM fine)

The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, I rolled over in bed and felt something I'd not felt before. It was a medium-sized lump. Women over 35 all seem to know what I mean, when I say, "I found a lump". This was a sizable lump, solid-feeling, distinct from any other tissue and it terrified me.

The next morning (the day before Thanksgiving), I woke early, and as soon as I could call the doctor's office, I did. My tightened throat choked out the sentence, "I found a lump". I asked for the soonest possible appointment, but unfortunately, they could not get me in until the following Wednesday.

I tried not to worry about the lump too much, but just get through the holiday weekend. However, you need to understand my family history with cancer, to understand why finding a lump would be so terrifying for me.

My mother and father both died from cancer. My uncle (my mother's brother) and my grandfather (my mother's father) also died from cancer. Cancer had also taken my step-sister when she was in her 30s, and another uncle on my father's side of the family. When you say "cancer" in my family, the next question is always, "is this the big C or the little C".

My mother was diagnosed at age 41 with an aggressive form of breast cancer, and her brother also died from the male version of breast cancer. These weren't people that you would look at and think, "cancer -- I guess that makes sense". These were fit, active, otherwise healthy people. They did not fit the standard profile for cancer risk.

When I met with my doctor, she was concerned. So much so that her office called me the following morning to make sure I had made my diagnostic appointment (which I had).

The soonest I could get into the breast care center at the hospital was 2 weeks. These next 2 weeks would be excruciating for me to endure. I spent a lot of time online, reading all I could about both malignant and benign breast tumors.

This past Tuesday, I went in for my diagnostic appointments (mammograms and ultrasound). I expected the appointments to reveal that I was worried over something needlessly.

The mammogram technician was bubbly and friendly. Then she went to talk with the radiologist, to make sure she gotten the images the radiologist needed. She came back quiet, said they needed another angle, and proceeded. Afterward, she took me back to a waiting area where she said the ultrasound technician would be there to get me in a minute.

I was still doing okay, having expected both mammo and ultrasound work to be done. Once again, the ultrasound technician was friendly and talkative, until . . . She told me to just rest and enjoy the peaceful music while she conferred with the radiologist.

This is where I became more alarmed. The radiologist came into the room, put her hand on my arm, let out a sigh, and had that sad/concerned ("I have to be the bearer of bad news") face on. The radiologist wanted to look at the mass herself.

Meanwhile, I was trying to get a handle on any subliminal information I could. I was studying faces, analyzing whatever the 2 of them were doing, etc. While we chatted about our children and universities, I studied the radiologist's face. At one point, she did display that sad/concerned face again. So I thought, "maybe that's just her facial expression".

Then the ultrasound tech was checking my underarm, I presume for signs of lymph node involvement. You see, I've been through 3 biopsies, 2 of which were for breast masses. This combined with my mother's cancer, and I know what they look for, and when.

At that point the radiologist told me that I needed a biopsy. We discussed the merits of surgical vs core needle. And it was decided that a core needle biopsy could get us information sooner. I got dressed and met with the nurse for scheduling. The nurse told me that they could get me that afternoon. At this point, I'm thinking, "they've red-flagged my file and are squeezing me in, in a hurry."

A core needle biopsy takes between 4 and 8 samples of mass tissue, under local anesthesia, and takes about 1 hour for the procedure itself. By the time this was over, I was a wreck.

I was given my aftercare instructions and informed that I would get a phone call with results sometime Thursday. The paper said the call would come from either my doctor, the nurse (who did the scheduling at the breast care center), or the radiologist. I had already arranged with my doctor's office for me to get any results directly from the breast care center. This speeds up the delivery of information. So, I had it figured in my mind that a call from the nurse would likely be good news. And a call from the radiologist would be either definitely bad news or inconclusive information requiring a surgical consultation and biopsy.

Thursday morning was difficult to get through, for me. But I tried to distract myself as best as possible. When the phone finally rang in the early afternoon, I answered to a friendly and upbeat nurse. I just knew at that point that the news was good. And it was. My mass is benign, but will be followed up in another 6 months.


So, that's where my head has been for the last few weeks. I have second-guessed everything in my life. Did I eat enough veggies? Should I have only bought organic? Did I have too much soy? Did I take the right supplements? Did I get enough exercise?

And I've been asking myself, "what can I do, now, to get all 3 of my kids fully launched into this world?"

I have not been able to even think about writing a blog post all week, but now, wanted to just let you all know I'm still here, and I'm fine.


While breast cancer is not my diagnosis, for now, I do feel a connection to those women who stare down this disease. They are a courageous bunch of women. I've been training for a local 5K/10K that benefits the Susan G. Komen Foundation, set later this next spring. I am always touched by the stories of these brave women's lives, and their family and friends who support them.

Thanks for checking in with me, and have a lovely weekend before Christmas!

Frugal Holiday Cookies : Gingerbread Men

I have a couple of super-frugal holiday cookie recipes that I like to bake each year. This one is a favorite in our house -- frugal as it only uses 1/4 cup of butter and no eggs. The "no eggs" part is rather significant for my larder these days, as I'm metering out the use of my final dozen eggs.

I mentioned baking our gingerbread men on facebook on Tuesday, and was asked for the recipe. I thought it would be easier to post the recipe here, where I have more space (and I can link to the recipe for facebook readers).

                          

Gingerbread Men

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water
up to 3  1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (I rarely need this much flour, but add it 1 cup at a time, until dough is the right consistency for rolling out)

Cream butter and sugar.

Blend in molasses until uniform consistency. Stir in cloves, cinnamon, ginger, salt and baking soda.

Add flour 1 cup at a time, alternating with some of the water, until all water is used and dough is of good rolling texture (won't stick when rolled out on a floured surface). Chill dough for about 30 minutes.

Lightly butter baking sheets. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Break dough into 2 portions. Roll out 1 portion on a floured surface, to about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into men/ladies. Place on buttered baking sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, depending on thickness of dough, and how crisp you like your cookies.

Repeat with other portion of dough. (You'll need to very lightly butter baking sheets between uses.)

Press all scraps together and continue rolling out/cutting until dough is used up.

Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on baking sheet, then remove to rack for remaining cooling. Frost after cookies have cooled.

One of the things about living a frugal life . . .

is that you need to know when to go easy on yourself, and not be quite so frugal.

This past weekend is one such example for my family's life. It was an incredibly busy weekend. Saturday AM my 3 kids and I had to be up at our church, preparing in one way or another, for our church's annual Christmas cantata. We didn't return back home until mid-afternoon, leaving little energy or time for me to do more than lie down for a couple of hours, then get back up to make a dinner for the family. The time at the church really exhausted me, and a nap seemed to take priority over doing laundry.

Early Sunday AM, my 3 kids had to be back at our church for rehearsals, sound-board work, and performing at both regular worship services. We raced home as soon as we could, so my daughters could study for their final exams, I could squeeze in some cooking time, and get everybody back out the door at 2 in the afternoon, to ready for the two evening performances of the cantata. It was a tight, tight squeeze, especially for my daughters.

The cantata itself, took up the entire afternoon and evening, leaving no time for me to do any laundry. The laundry sat in a huge pile on the floor. Yet my family was needing clean things for the coming week. Saturday is my usual laundry day. And when I can't fit it in on Saturday, then I push it to Sunday. This weekend, there was no time to do laundry the frugal way (hanging it all to dry).  So, I decided for this week that clean laundry was more important than saving a few quarters on the dryer.

Life's demands come in spurts. One weekend there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. The next, I'm leisurely hanging and folding laundry. For me, with frugality, I need to know when it's "okay" to take a short-cut, and when I should use my extra time to do something that will save us money. Balance is key, in all things in life.

I nearly did it again!

So, I had my Thursday babysitting this week, at our church. 2 boys, well behaved, and we had a lot of fun together. Anyway, when one of the moms came to drop off her son, I noticed that her hair was a different shade. Since I knew what brand she had bought before (and it's the brand that I buy, and near to the color that I'm looking for), I asked which color she used. That's when she told me she had it done at a salon this time. Okay. Looks nice. I'll continue on my search for the perfect color for me.

When she came back to get her son, she and the other mom were talking about their iphones and the different apps available. Okay, so a lot of people have iphones. I haven't really wanted one, yet. So I'm okay with not having one.

Second mom came in to drop off her young son, holding a Starbucks red Christmas cup of something delicious, I'm sure. This mom has 7 kids. And they live on 1 salary. First mom has 4 kids, and they live on 1 salary. My green monster was welling up inside of me. How on earth do these people afford salon visits, iphones, Starbucks drinks?

And then I remembered our various conversations, here. About how comparing our situation to that of others will only lead to misery. And about how we never know how other people are managing their finances. And about how we all have different financial priorities.

And then I thought about how my family is financially secure, should the rug be pulled out from under us. And how our retirement years are nearly financed, and we still have many earning years, this decade and next. Basically, we're doing well.

And to think that I nearly let the monster of comparison get me again. I'm learning! Thanks to all of you, I am learning.

Last week of university quarter: a yummy lunch round-up

This is the last full week of classes for my daughters. Emotions are high. Projects need completing. Exams readied for.  Papers finished up (let's hope they've started!!). So, what does Mom do for her hungry brood? Make favorite foods, of course.

So, this week's lunch round-up:

• cheese pizza (I made 4 large pizzas, one for dinner that night, 1 for the freezer, and 2 sliced up and ready to grab for lunches)
• sausage and egg strata (individually packaged for quick, high protein breakfasts)
• pumpkin muffins
• red ants on a log (celery filled with peanut butter, topped with dried cranberries)
• fresh oranges

To get through this last flurry of work, I've limited the amount of sweet stuff, and increased the protein. Hoping this helps my daughters (and the rest of the family will appreciate it, too).

On another note, it snowed here on Saturday. We got 4 inches, and it's still hanging around. Looks pretty, but it's slick on the roads in our neighborhood. Seattle is not exactly known for having a large plow/sanding/de-icing budget. But it will all be gone by the end of the week. While I complain about driving on the icy roads, I also try to enjoy the beauty we have in our yard.

The ultimate frugal Christmas decoration -- free snow!!

Have a great week!

November Grocery Money Journal

Nov. 7 Walgreens for eggs. At $1.29, they seem more expensive than I'm used to, so I just buy 1 dozen. Spent $1.29

Also, stop at Trader Joe's for bananas, at 19cents each. I buy 6 bananas, for $1.14. We still have apples, and will get oranges, so a few bananas will be a nice change of pace.

Just down the highway is the Cash & Carry wholesaler. Tomato paste is on sale in the #10 cans, case of 6 cans for $24.84. I buy 2 cases. And oranges also on sale in 40-lb case (88 oranges), for $16.98. Spent $66.66.
 
Nov. 9 Dollar Tree for macaroni (1), lasagna noodles (2), black tea (1), soy milk (3), and a marked down package of candy corn (50cents). Spent $7.50.

Nov. 11. Again down by Cash& Carry, so I pick up 1 more case of oranges, and a can of coffee for $5.45. Spent $22.43

Nov. 14 Albertson's for the first of my turkey deals. I buy 4 dozen eggs (4/$5), and 2 turkeys (40 lbs for $23.28). Spent $28.28

Nov. 20. Need milk, stop in at QFC. No markdowns, so I buy 1 gallon at $2.99.

Also, stop at Albertson's for 1 more turkey deal (I buy 2 more turkeys, about 36 lbs for $21.28) . Also, this week, potatoes in 10-lb bags for 99cents, limit 1,powdered sugar 2-lb bags, 99cents w/coupon limit 2 (I buy 2), canned veggies 50cents, limit 6, w/coupon (I buy 6). I spend $28.25

Nov. 22, at Fred Meyer. I check milk, again no markdowns. I buy 1 gallon for $2.99.

Nov. 22 Albertson's with 2 daughters, we each buy a bag of potatoes, for 30 lbs, and spend $2.97.

Nov. 23 Albertson's with 3 other family members. Buy 4 bags of potatoes for $3.96.

Nov. 24 one last pass at Albertson's with 1 family member, we buy 2 more bags of potatoes, for $1.98. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes for the winter.

Total spent for the month, so far, $170.44

Nov. 25. Fred Meyer. Celery is on sale for 39cents/lb. I buy 8 bundles of celery, about 17 lbs, to chop and freeze to use this winter in soups/stews/sauces. Also, buy 1 head garlic (34cents), 6 cans veggies (50cents each), 1 more gallon milk ($2.99), 3 bottles sparkling cider ($2), barbeque sauce (in markdown bin for 49cents each -- I buy 6 bottles), 1 bottle cran mango juice ($1.29, markdown bin, will save for Christmas morning), 1 small-ish sweet potato (79cents/lb), and 4 cans of pineapple ($1 each).  I spend $28.18

Also, Cash & Carry, for 4 jars of peanut butter (4-lb jars, $5.39), 50 lbs of all-purpose flour ($12.97), and a 2-lb bag of yeast ($6.29). I spend $40.82.

Nov. 28. Black Friday sales. We stop at Bartell's (drug store) for canned nuts. We buy a mix of mixed nuts and just peanuts. We buy about 12 lbs of nuts, total and spend $43.92. Not as good a deal on nuts as last year, but these will be nice to have.

Black Friday, Fred Meyer, check the milk section and find lots of marked down milk. I buy 4gallons whole milk ($1.99 each), and 3 gallons 1% ($1.99 each). Our freezer and fridge are very full, so this is all I think will fit. Spent $13.93.

For the month of November, I spent $297.29. I had a surplus of $19.33 from last month, added to a budget of $160, for a total of $179.33. I was overbudget in November by $117.96. That deficit will carry forward to December. I hope to be caught up by the end of January. We'll have to see.

So, our pantry, freezers and fridges are very, very full. We could go a couple of months and only need milk and eggs (but I'd like to buy hams this month, too).

This month, we stocked up on potatoes, turkeys, canned veggies, peanut butter, tomato paste, canned nuts and fresh oranges. These items will last through the next several months, up to a year on some.

I hope your pantry is well-stocked for the holidays!

No lunch round-up -- holiday, yay! -- but lots and lots of potatoes

With a shortened work week, we're just making do for lunches for this week. So I thought maybe we could discuss something that's been a question of ethics in my mind for years.

When there's a limit placed on a sale item, what do you think is ethical to do?

I've seen limits worded in a couple of different ways, which I do, in turn, interpret differently.

"Limit 1"
"Limit 1 per customer"
"Limit 1 per household"
"Limit 1 per transaction"

"Limit 1 per transaction" definitely implies that you may go through the check-out line numerous times, IMO., and multiple family members may make the same purchase.

"Limit 1 per household" states that you may NOT have multiple family members go through the check-out line, to purchase more of the limited item. (I've only seen this limit a couple of times. It was on turkeys at a special low price, a couple of years in a row, at one particular store.) And I also interpret their intention to mean "limit 1 per household, per sale per period". If a special price runs in 2 separate ads, one week following another, with this limitation, then I figure I am entitled to make the special purchase in the second week, as well, as the sale ads usually have a calendar at the bottom of the front page, indicating the sale period for which they are advertising. So, I feel I am may make the sale purchase once per sale period.

But the "Limit 1" and "Limit 1 per customer" have more ambiguity built in. One per what? Per transaction? Per family? Per day? What constitutes a customer? Am I a new and separate customer each time I enter the store?


I did some calling around and discovered that policies do vary from one store to the next. Some stores will allow you to go through the check-out line and buy the "limit" several times per car trip to the store, but with a stated limit, like 4 times. Other stores discourage this with wording in their ads, such as, "we reserve the right to enforce limits". Mostly, I was given the same basic explanation, along the lines of "we wish to provide enough stock of any sale item, so that all customers will have the opportunity to make this purchase." And there is some basic kindness and courtesy, here. It seems selfish to clear a shelf of all of the advertised items.

So, where do you fall on this issue? When a store imposes limits to a sale-priced purchase, what do you feel most comfortable doing?

For our family, here's how we interpret, and act on "Limit 1" or "Limit 1 per customer":

When our children became adults (age 18), they also began contributing to our household finances. I consider them all as paying rent, here. This became the age when I felt most comfortable giving them the cash to make a purchase, for our family to acquire more of a limited item. They could just as easily be renters in their own apartments, doing all of their own grocery shopping. We don't hide this in any way, but follow each other one right after the other in the check-out line. (And with identical twins, it would be pretty hard to try and "fool" the checker!) With 5 of us in the household, we can acquire 5 of a "Limit 1" item.

I figure that each time I drive into the parking lot that I am a new customer, as grocery stores encourage and hope for customers to make repeat visits throughout the week. So, in 1 week, I may go to the same grocery store multiple times, to purchase as many of an item as I need, at the special price. If they wished to only sell me the item at the special price once, then I would expect the limit to read "Limit 1 per person", and I would abide by that, one per person in my family.


So, this week, potatoes are on sale at Albertson's, 10-lb bag for 99cents, "limit 1". On several days this past week, myself, and any family members I had with me in the car, stopped at Albertson's and each bought our 1 bag of potatoes. Yesterday, I picked up our last bag of potatoes for our winter supply. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes to get through the winter months. And I feel we worked within the rules imposed by the store.

What are your thoughts on store limits?

My Thanksgiving sweater: dressing up a plain sweater with too long sleeves

(sorry for the poor-quality photo -- taken with an ipad)

I have this off-white, ribbed, cotton turtleneck sweater that I got a fabulous deal on, a while back. It fits great in the shoulders, I like the length and body fit. But . . . I don't like having to turn up sleeves on my sweaters. Extra long sleeves seem to be "in". And, turning them up makes me feel like I'm back in 4th grade, wearing my sister's hand-me-downs.

In looking through my closet, I came across another sweater that I love, love, love. It's a short-sleeved sweater, with turned up cuff on the short sleeves. The "cuff" is secured with a single rhinestone button. This gave me an idea.

I poured through my button box, hoping to find matching pearl buttons. Unfortunately, no matches.

So, with coupons in hand, my daughters came with me to the fabric store. We looked through all the pearl buttons and found some with "brass" trim that we thought would look nice. And, as both my daughters and I had our own coupons, I could use two 60% off coupons, to buy 2 cards of these buttons (2 buttons per card). The buttons cost a "whopping" $1.60!

Once home, I turned up the cuff to the right length, then sewed two buttons to each cuff, on the outside of the wrist.

*One thing to note, when adding "fancy" buttons, the back of the button card will say whether the buttons can be laundered, or need dry-cleaning.

Anyways, this is my Thanksgiving sweater. I'll be wearing this on Thursday for our family dinner.


About those mailer coupons for craft and fabric stores -- all three of my us, my daughters and myself, are on their mailing list. So, when coupons come out, we each get a set. And when the 3 of us are hitting the fabric or craft store, together, we can swap coupons. (Well, actually, I'll give a couple of dollars to one daughter for her to purchase my item with her coupon, and vice versa.) When my daughters are no longer 3-some-ing to the fabric/craft store with me, I'll probably sign my hubby up for the mailers/coupons. I'm sure he'll REALLY enjoy an afternoon at the fabric store, waiting in line at the cutting table, etc, so that I can use all of the coupons allowed for our household!! ;-)


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If the stock market is doing so awesome, why do I feel so poor?

Property taxes are up. Grocery prices are up. Utility costs are up. Insurance costs are up. The only expense that has gone down is gas for the cars.

Those are the basics for our household. And, yet, salaries are only rising modestly, if at all, for most folks.

What am I doing about the rising costs of living? I'm continuing to watch our grocery spending very closely.  I am being careful as ever to make sure we turn off lights, turn down heat when we won't be home, use equipment like washers and dishwashers only when full, and taking advantage of free entertainment whenever possible. And, I am NOT allowing myself to be lured into spending more than I intend, with this Black Friday coming up.

I remember feeling this way in the 90s. I kept hearing reports about how amazing the economy was doing, yet our family seemed to be moving only slowly towards our financial goals. I guess the good news is we were (and are now) moving towards our goals, and not away from them.

And I keep repeating to myself, "stay the course", "don't give up now", "your work will pay off", "keep your head about you", etc.

Then, I remind myself of just how "rich" we are. There may be less disposable income, after paying bills. But we have a roof over our head, we are well-fed, we are warm and clothed, and we have some money for items and services that the rest of the world would determine are luxuries.

As we enter into Thanksgiving week, here in the US, I can count so many blessings for which to be thankful. As I am sure can you.

Have a great weekend!