June 2017 Grocery Spending Journal

June. 4. Picking up a daughter late on a Sunday. She needs her bus pass filled so we swing by QFC. Their bus/customer service desk is closed. Rats! I'll have to get up early tomorrow and take her to the transit center before she needs to get on a bus for class. Oh well, while here, I'll check some aisles. I buy milk, four 1/2 gals (99 cents each), 1 half gallon of almond milk (1.99), 12 "baking" bananas, 49 cents lb (I dug through all of them and found two bundles still in the okay-for-eating stage), and 1 large loaf of bread for $1.25. The price on bread is way too high, but we need bread, and I won't have time for even the simplest bread this evening. Bread, milk and bananas -- a person could live on that for a couple of days, if need be. I also bought some birthday candles for fall birthdays, on clearance. Total spent on food -- $9.26

June 6. Senior Discount Day at Fred Meyer. First thing, they brought back the coffee and cookies for seniors. They hadn't been offering that for the last several months. Having it again was a pleasant surprise. What I bought -- 10 half-gallons of milk, for 89 cents each, 1 half gallon almond milk, $2.25, 3 packages of store brand hot dogs for 80 cents each, 2 packages of Hebrew National hot dogs for $2.99 each (saving these for the 4th of July and maybe another cook-out), 1 package of hot dog buns for 80 cents, 1 16 oz can of frozen orange juice concentrate for $1.35, 15 bananas at 39 cents/lb, 1  1/4 lbs of strawberries for 99 cents, 4 dozen eggs for 89 cents/dozen, 3 packages of flour tortillas for 89 cents/package, 1 bag of sour chewy candy for free (a Friday Freebie), 4 5-ounce cans of tuna for 62 cents each, 2 bags of potato chips for $1.69 each, 3 boxes of graham crackers for $1.35 each, 1 box of saltines for 89 cents,  4 packages of ramen soup for 25 cents each, and 1 16-ct box of frozen corn dogs for $3.37.  Total spent -- $47.15

Yes, that was my shopping cart, and no, I haven't completely lost my mind. A couple of prompts for this diversion from my regular shopping. I noticed a week ago that one daughter had bought herself some ramen for a quick to make lunch. So I thought I would just keep some on hand for her. I also thought saltine crackers might be nice to have on hand to go with homemade soup or salads, or to make PPJ on crackers (always a favorite), or melted cheese on crackers, again quick lunch thought. The tuna was for easy to make sandwich dinners. I'm not a huge fan of tuna, but the rest of the family will like it, and tuna sandwiches or tuna salad on garden lettuce would be a quick and easy dinner. The graham crackers, potato chips and Hebrew Nationals were a special this week, so I thought I'd stock up for holiday BBQs (4th of July just around the corner). And the corn dogs were a great deal for super quick dinners that I know my family would love. After coupon and discount, they came out to 21 cents each. About as fast as getting any sort of take out, but a fraction of the price. A change from my regular shopping. But I think I should be able to stay within my spending allotment, even with this shopping. I'll make a run by the produce stand or ethnic market for produce soon.

June 12. Desperate for produce, but struggling with fatigue this week. I chose to go to Cash & Carry for produce as they have most of what I want, at okay prices (better than supermarkets, overall). I could have run to several stores, but the way I've been feeling, that just would not be sensible. I bought 50 lbs of yellow onions for $7.95, 10 lbs of potatoes for $1.57, 3 lbs of dried cranberries for $7.37, 18 oz of fresh blueberries for $4.28, 4 lbs of fresh strawberries for $5.98, 10 lbs of cooking carrots for $3.98, 5 lbs of baby carrots (snacking) for $3.28, 5 lbs of frozen peas for $3.99, 5 lbs of frozen green beans for $3.99, 2 lbs of frozen broccoli for $2.27, 1 head of Romain lettuce for $1.18, 2 head of green cabbage for $1.38 each, 12 bananas at 47 cents/lb, 5 lb block of mild cheddar for $11.18, and 25 lbs of salt for $4.59.

Yes, you read that last one correctly, 25 pounds of salt! For the past two senior discount days (May and June) I have had salt on my list, but somehow have spaced out and totally forgotten it. We have been using the popcorn salt, the pickling salt, the Kosher salt, all of the expensive salts, for ordinary cooking. When I got to Cash & Carry I thought I'd just pick up the salt there. But it was over a dollar for a canister (26 oz)! I'm used to paying 55 cents for a canister. So, I wondered, what's the price per pound on salt in the big bags? And how long would a big bag take us to use?  I got out my phone and used the calculator function to figure the cost per 26 oz, same as a canister. In the 25 lb bag, that much salt is 29 cents. That's a little over half price of buying salt with my discount at Fred Meyer. As for how long it would take us to use it all, I figured we would go through this much salt in no more than 3 years. I'm still in the "lots of baking and cooking from scratch" phase of life, so this is probably pretty accurate. And salt keeps indefinitely, plus I have the space.  Anyway, total spent at Cash & Carry -- $67.73

Total spent so far this month -- $124.14

June 14. My daughter suffered a concussion at work this week. The doctor recommended she eat a very healthy diet, while recovering, and especially blueberries.  She finished off the fresh blueberries bought 2 days ago, so I went out to buy frozen ones for smoothies. I went to Dollar Tree and bought 6 10-oz bags of blueberries, for $6.

June 15.  My husband and two of the kids are meeting the kids' aunt downtown for dinner. The third kid has a concussion and is resting so stayed home with me. I asked what she would most like for dinner and she agreed that burgers would be great. I picked up a large burger and large order of sweet potato fries for us to share. It's an expensive burger place but about the only fast food burgers that I like. $9.37 for our dinner.

June 16. One daughter wanted a ride to Fred Meyer after church to pick up something for her dad for Father's Day. While she was getting what she needed, I picked up a loaf of bread ($1.25) and 2 dozen eggs (79 cents/dozen). Total spent $2.83

June 23. After dropping a daughter off at work my son and I went by Fred Meyer. Eggs are on sale for 79 cents/dozen. My son got 2 dozen eggs, and I bought 2 dozen eggs, plus a loaf of bread (89 cents), 4 very ripe bananas at 39 cents/lb, 1 bottle of sparkling iced tea (freebie), 1 package of beef jerkey (freebie) and 1 large bottle of Ocean Spray juice (freebie). Total spent $4.71.

After we picked up our groceries at Fred Meyer, I went to Starbucks and bought an egg white-spinach wrap, and met my son at Five Guys where he got a burger, fries, water, and the free peanuts. Total spent $14.72. I grabbed the bottle of sparkling iced tea that I got for free at Fred Meyer and the two of us had a long lunch together on the lovely patio outside of Five Guys.

Total spent this month -- $161.77

June 24. Out running errands. I stop at Trader Joe's to buy bananas. I bought 14 bananas at 19 cents each, spending $2.66.

I also stopped at Grocery Outlet, to pick up Epsom Salts. I also bout an 11.5-oz can of vanilla-flavored coffee, for $1.58, and 3 17-oz bottles of sparkling flavored water, for 50 cents/each. (These last ones are a favorite treat of mine. I've gotten them as freebies from Fred Meyer on several occasions.) Total spent $3.08

This month, I used the grocery money to buy a couple of fast food meals to have with kids, on a one-on-one basis. It seemed like an appropriate time to do this. Financially, it worked out fine. I just hope this won't come back to bite me later.

June 26. One daughter and I spent a good part of the day at Pike Place market, in downtown Seattle before she went to her studio to paint for the afternoon. We snacked on all of the free samples and then bought ourselves some lunch. We stopped at a specialty cheese shop and bought the smallest package we could find of the smoked flagship cheddar, then went to the bakery and each chose a pastry, and finally stopped at a stand with fresh cherries and bought a tall cup of fresh cherries to share. We picked up free cups of ice water at every place that we went. I didn't track prices, but I started with a $20 bill, and I think I have about $2 and change leftover. So, I spent about $17.50. A "meal out" with each of my kids this month.

Total spent for June -- $185.01

What I bought

Produce
57 bananas
1 large can of orange juice concentrate
5  1/4 lbs of strawberries
50 lbs of onions
10 lbs potatoes
3 lbs dried cranberries
18 oz blueberries
10 lbs cooking carrots
5 lbs baby carrots
5 lbs frozen peas
5 lbs frozen green beans
2 lbs frozen broccoli
1 head Romaine lettuce
2 heads green cabbage
1 33 oz bottle of mixed flavor juice (freebie)
60 ounces frozen blueberries

Dairy
12 half gallons 2% milk
2 half gallons whole milk
2 half gallons almond milk
10 dozen eggs
5 lbs cheddar cheese

Meat
5 packages hot dogs
4 cans of tuna
16 corn dogs
a package of beef jerky (freebie)

Pantry
3 loaves of bread
30 flour tortillas
1 bag of sour chewy candy (freebie)
2 bags of potato chips
3 boxes of graham crackers
1 box of saltine crackers
4 packages of ramen soup
25 lbs salt
1 bottle sparkling iced tea (freebie)
small can of flavored coffee
3 individual bottles of sparkling flavored water

Other
3 meals out, 1 with each kid


The meals out with my kids were expensive for my budget, but worthwhile, for them and for me. I can afford it for right now. When I can no longer afford these, I'll figure something else out for one on one time with them.

I still had a surplus of $154.76, and a regular amount of $150, giving me a total of $304.76 for June available to spend. I spent $185.01, which leaves me with $119.75 in surplus to roll over into July.

Cheap & Cheerful Meals This Past Week

I didn't record what we ate, but I can remember most of it.

Over the weekend. . .

Entrees

rice and black beans

scrambled eggs

Side dishes

cooked carrots

cole slaw

brown rice

hashbrowns

green salad

During the week. . .

Entrees

baked ham (two nights)

ham, peas, macaroni and cheese casserole

bean, rice and cheese burritos

black bean pie (bean burger mixture baked in a pie pan)

Side dishes

sweet potato souffle

green beans

broccoli

fresh strawberries and bananas

brown rice

macaroni and broccoli in olive oil and garlic

green salad

Desserts all week

chocolate ice cream

brownies

vanilla pudding

caramel popcorn

The only desserts that I made was a large batch of vanilla pudding when it looked like some milk might turn sour soon. Someone else made the brownies and caramel corn, and the ice cream is from a purchase of buckets of ice cream in spring. The ham was in the freezer for a year and a half. It was mostly okay, but parts of it tasted more porky to me. The strawberries and salad greens are from the garden. I thought I also cooked some snow peas from the garden this week, but I don't remember how I served them. 

I'm already thinking toward the 4th. I've asked one daughter to work with siblings to make dinner that night, as I've got projects that I'm working on, and frankly, I need a break. She agreed. All they'll have to do is come up with a couple of side dishes. I have hot dogs in the fridge, and I'll buy buns. I have a bag of potato chips and everything needed to make s'mores. Sounds simple enough, right? For those of you in Canada, will you be doing a cookout on Saturday, for Canada Day?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and if you're traveling, stay safe.

Successes With Making Yogurt After a Long Break

I hadn't made yogurt in at least a year. I just lost interest in making it, and my family wasn't eating it as readily. But in cleaning out the freezers, I found a few containers of homemade yogurt to use as starter. Combine that with early in the month I had picked up a gallon of whole milk. So . . .

The other day I did make yogurt, again, and had several areas of success that I thought I'd share.

• using old starter --the starter in my freezer was about one and a half years old, and it still worked! Who knew the starter would stay viable for so long?!
• chain yogurting for years -- the starter that I used this week is a direct descendant from my original container of Yoplait, bought in July of 2012. I think that's incredible. I never expected my starter to last for all of these years. Every few batches, the day after making yogurt I pack several small containers to use as starter for future batches, and keep in a 0 degree F freezer. It just keeps on going.
• incubating part of the yogurt for less time, to have some of it ready sooner -- I like to leave the yogurt to incubate overnight, but one daughter was asking if any would be ready for her to pack in her lunch, before morning. In that moment, I was thinking, well no, as I'd be leaving it in the incubator overnight, and then it would need to set up in the fridge for several hours. And then it occurred to me that I don't have to leave all of the jars in the incubator overnight. I could take one out after 3 or 4 hours and refrigerate, but leave the other 3 jars to incubate the length of time I prefer, for flavor and thickness. While this doesn't seem like such a monumental thing, it was to me as I was thinking outside of the box and doing one thing with part of the yogurt and another thing with the other part. When I think outside of my own boxes it makes me feel like I am opening up new opportunities for myself.
• adding milk powder to add extra nutrients to the yogurt -- two of my kids are not eating as much as they should (for completely different reasons), so I wanted to add a few extra nutrients to the foods that I prepare. I added dry milk powder to the heating milk. This isn't new or novel. A lot of yogurt-makers do this to thicken skim or low-fat milk in yogurt. But I've not done this before, and I was pleased with how well it worked. No noticeable change in texture or taste, except it is slightly thicker.

For anyone interested in my original attempts with making yogurt, this post covers what I did in July of 2012, along with a couple of follow-ups to that post.

Stretching a Small Can of Tuna

I know I am not the only one who does this; so tell me what do you add, to stretch a can of tuna?

The size of canned tuna that I have always thought was the "regular" can is now the 5-ounce can. It used to be 7 ounces. When I was growing up, there were three sizes, the jumbo, large family size ( I don't even know how many ounces that was), the "regular" size can, that up until a few years ago was 7 ounces, and the individual size can, which I think was about 3 ounces.  That "regular" can has shrunk over the years. A 7-ounce can used to be large enough to make 3 or 4 sandwiches.  Shrinking down to a 5-ounce size, it's pretty tough to get enough tuna for that many sandwiches. So, I stretch tuna.

Friday, I made tuna salad on beds of lettuce, to go with fresh-baked bread.  To the tuna, I added cooked rice, chopped celery, chives, lots of relish and mayo, and 1 chopped, boiled egg.  It was easily enough for 4 mounds of tuna. Obviously, we're not getting the amount of protein that we used to get from a 7-ounce can. However, I'm hopeful that by adding a chopped egg, we've added some protein.

So, what do you add to stretch a can of tuna?

Foreign Language Magazines to Use as Gift Wrap and Gift Tags

I snatched this from a free pile over the weekend.

We were returning home-I was tired-We passed a free pile in front of someone's home-One daughter asked if we could turn around-I obliged.

My daughter was after a pair of roller blades in the pile. My other daughter saw some bottles that she thought would make good sketching pieces. I just sat in the car and waited for the two of them to finish fishing through someone's trash free pile. One of them knocked on the window and said there were some cookbooks and crafting stuff. Okay. Got me. I'm not hugely keen on handling stuff that really does look like it could use a good washing up. Lucky me, though, this magazine was at the top of a stack.

Besides the fact that the photography in the magazine is truly beautiful, what makes a foreign language magazine or book so suitable for use in crafting, gift wrap or gift tags is that with text in another language, it adds to, rather than distracts from, the decorative aspect.

Do you remember the small, squat canning jars that I picked up on clearance a month ago? I mentioned they would become part of this Christmas's gifting, using some for beeswax candles. I'm thinking that maybe some of those jars would be nice filled with homemade mustard. Pages from this magazine would make nice wrapping for kitchen-inspired gifts.

Even the pages which are mostly text have decorative appeal.

When You Find Yourself Walking in the Darkness, Carry a Flashlight and Grab Onto Someone's Hand

A "flashlight" can come in many forms. For a person of faith, a flashlight might be their book of faith. I know for me, reading scriptures from my faith steadies me. My Bible is my main flashlight. There can be smaller flashlights to carry in the darkness, along with the main one.  In addition to having my words of faith to hold on to, I also am spending time with my thoughts, through journaling.  I recently began a very simple and brief journal.

What makes this journal effective is:

• It is very brief, no more than 2 sentences in the morning and 2 sentences at night. In fact, they needn't even be complete sentences. I can use phrases and keywords in place of sentences, if that is all I have. 
• It is a routine of twice per day, in the morning and in the evening. The routine works for me.
• The morning entry sets up my day.  In 1 or 2 sentences, I write my hope for the day. It can be a plan for something specific that day, like ordering new socks, or spending an hour with a family member. Or it can be more vague, like trying to only say positive things for the day. Because the morning entry is so brief and simple, I can easily check with myself, as the day is progressing, as to whether or not I am or have fulfilled my hope.
• The evening entry pushes me to reflect on the good from the day. In 1 or 2 sentences, I identify either a pleasant moment, an accomplishment, or a realization from the day. It's a gratitude entry.

Anyway, this is part of what I am doing to pull myself out of a dark place. Last week, you all reached your hands out to me, and I grabbed on. Thank you. 

Hi there . . .

Hi friends,
Thank you, all, so much for your thoughts and kindness. Life still sucks, big time. I can't change what other people are doing. I'm just stuck with it. Anyway, I am trying to pull myself up.

In the past couple of weeks, I have . . .

eaten way too many mug cakes (and let's face it, chocolate is the best when it comes to mug cakes).

the following week I began watching what I was eating as the pounds were creeping on. (I'm using myfitnesspal.com to track my foods and exercise. I'm down a couple of pounds already.)

I am trying to get outside everyday. I have pretty dahlias growing in a pot on the deck outside my room. I put some birdseed on the small table next to the dahlias, so I can watch the birds and squirrels come by for a snack. I have tried to get the garden all planted, but the slugs have been mighty opponents this year.

I have spent practically nothing on groceries in the last week, but am using what we have in stock at home.

We've had our share of ailments in the house: One daughter with a concussion; another daughter, son and myself with varying degrees of colds.

I've spent some time on pinterest looking for closet organizing and bathroom storage ideas. Does anyone here actually have enough shoes to need a separate closet just for shoes?

I did some online shopping for necessities, and saved on shipping. I ordered bras from Target, got free shipping, plus I was able to get more than one of the bras that I wanted in my size. Usually I find a style/size I like, but they only have one in my size. Ordering online not only saved on gas, but I was able to get more than one at a time. I knew what I wanted ahead of time. It's the same one I bought a couple of years ago, and they still carry it now.

I bought some Epsom Salts at Dollar Tree to use in baths for their magnesium benefit.

Meals this past week:

Burritos (twice, one with beef and beans, the other beans and rice), broccoli frittata, frozen corn dogs, hot dogs, homemade French fries, sandwiches -- all easy stuff.

I hope your weeks have been pleasant! And thank you all again for your kind thoughts and prayers. I'm okay, and will someday be better.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately

I'm tired, have a lot of work to do, am dealing with some rotten stuff in my life, and I'm pretty much a downer to be around.  What I know is this . . . life won't always be exactly as it is today. I'll be back very soon.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the Beginning of June

Friday

• hot dog taquitos
• cole slaw

Saturday (husband cooks)

• rice
• beans
• eggs
• rhubarb

Sunday (husband cooks)

• pumpkin rice souffle
• cole slaw

Monday

• Asian chicken noodle salad, on lettuce, with snow peas, celery, cabbage, chive blossoms, sesame seeds, garlic, with a chive blossom vinegar, soy sauce and oil dressing
• leftover pumpkin rice souffle

Tuesday

• corn dogs
• oven fried potatoes
• roasted carrots
• leftover pumpkin rice souffle
• strawberry and banana slices

Wednesday

• spinach, chive blossom and cheddar quiche
• brown rice
• strawberries and banana slices

Thursday

• waffles, topped with blackberries, pecans, whipped cream, and maple syrup
• banana slices

That's what we ate this past week. I have to say, my favorite meals this week were the frozen corn dogs and oven fries, and last night's waffles. I've done those waffles before, just like this with frozen blackberries, toasted pecans and whipped cream. They are pretty amazing. Even using kinda expensive ingredients, like the pecans, whipped cream and real maple syrup, I estimated hat a 2-waffle serving was still only about $1, which I think is not too bad.  The frozen corn dogs I bought in a 16-ct carton, at Fred Meyer, on sale, with electronic coupon and senior discount.  They came to about 21 cents each, which blows fast food out of the water, price-wise.

I hope you had a good week, and now have lovely plans for the weekend!

Grocery Shopping in Between the Holidays

This came up in discussion, here, recently.  In my area, I have found better sales a week or two outside of the holiday week, for those special holiday foods.  This week Fred Meyer (a Kroger affiliate) had Hebrew National hot dogs, potato chips, and graham crackers/marshmallows all on sale. These items are all what I think of as BBQ foods (graham crackers/marshmallows for s'mores).

Memorial Day was over a week ago, and we're still 3 weeks out from 4th of July week. My thinking is that the stores know they "have us" just before the holiday, but want to entice us outside of the holiday period, with season-specific sales, during those weeks when we might not be thinking cook-out.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I used this week, along with my discount for Senior Day, to grab some bargains to save until the 4th of July.  If I find these same items for less than I paid this week, it won't be by much. And if I don't find them at these prices, then I'm ahead of the game. Like with other treats, the potato chips and graham crackers are hidden in my "other" pantry, and the Hebrew Nationals have been designated "do not touch" and are in the garage fridge.

For some price comparisons -- with senior discount, I paid $1.35 for each box of graham crackers. when compared to Dollar Tree's graham crackers in a 10-oz box, the equivalent amount of Kroger's grahams (in a 14.4-oz box) were 93.75 cents, over 6 cents per box cheaper.  The Hebrew Nationals I am willing to spend as much as $3.99 per package. So I saved $1 per package.  The least expensive potato chips I can buy at Dollar Tree have 6 ounces in a bag.  The Kroger ones have 11.5 ounces in each bag.  I paid $1.69, with my discount.  A 6-ounce equivalent of the Kroger brand cost 88 cents. what I did not buy -- I did not buy the marshmallows. I can get a better deal at WinCo than $1 for the small bag advertised. And I make our own ketchup and buy mustard in gallon jars, so I save on those items outside of shopping Fred Meyer's "in-between" sale.

Roses, for Me? You Shouldn't Have!

Oh, you didn't.  I can count on one hand the number of purchased bouquets that I have received in the last couple of decades.  I really do love flowers. But I'm not about to sit around waiting for someone else to send me bouquets. So what does this bouquet-loving lady do?

Every spring and summer, I cut bouquets for myself every week. I keep them on the dresser in my room, or in the kitchen next to the sink, or in the bathroom next to the tub.  I put my own home-cut bouquets in the places where I most want to look at them. It simply makes me happy to have flowers in my spaces.

Earlier this spring, I had lilacs and irises. Monday was the first day of spring that I could cut enough roses for a small bouquet. This week, I have a half-dozen pink roses to bring cheer to my daily activities. Such a frugal but beautiful thing to do for myself.

Sesame Oil Flavor for a Salad by Toasting Hulled Sesame Seeds

(this 10-oz bottle sells for $5.53 on Amazon)

I was making a favorite Asian chicken and noodle salad for dinner last night and realized that I've been out of sesame oil for eons. At $4 or so for a small bottle, sesame oil has not been on my active shopping list since the early 2000s. It adds so much flavor to this salad, though, so I knew I'd be sad without that extra depth of flavor. To get that same sesame oil flavor I toasted hulled sesame seeds in a dry skillet until golden brown.

1/4 cup of toasted sesames added just the amount of flavor that I wanted for a family-size bowl of salad.

I was also out of green onions.

This time of year, my chive plants produce an abundance of blossoms. In addition to making flavored vinegar with the blossoms, I also add pulled apart blossoms to salads, soups and to top casseroles, for a little oniony flavor.

I don't know if you ever buy sesame oil, or if you happen across a recipe which calls for it. You can get a similar taste from toasting your own sesame seeds.  I buy sesame seeds in 1-lb bags for about $3 per pound. Sesame seeds keep in the freezer for a very long time, BTW.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the Last of May

Friday (just 2 for dinner)

• hot dogs in homemade buns 
• homemade French fries
• roasted carrot sticks
• sherbet

Saturday

• leftover pasta in sauce
• scrambled eggs
• frozen broccoli
• sherbet

Sunday (husband cooks)

• egg, cheese, and rice dish
• fried corn tortilla
• carrot sticks

Monday (Memorial Day)

• baked hot dogs in buns
• green salad (lettuce from garden), topped with olives, celery, roasted pecans, and prunes)
• sherbet

Tuesday

• black bean and cheese burritos
• roasted carrots
• olives
• sherbet

Wednesday

• baked chicken
• brown rice
• broccoli
• rhubarb pie

Thursday

• spinach frittata
• baked potatoes
• rhubarb pie
• what it really was -- waffles, whipped cream, frozen blackberries

Busy week. Life is having to take a back seat to some other situations and projects. I hope your week went well. What was on your menu this past week? Anything interesting? How do you change menus when the warm weather hits your area?

Have a wonderful weekend!

I've Got Something Major That I'm Working on Today

I'll be back tomorrow! What's on your plan for today? Happy first day of June!

May 2017 Grocery Shopping Journal

So, this is the month that I need to cut our grocery spending, even though my son is still living here. We have had a slew of heavy bills in the last couple of months. Bad, pretty bad. The only way to make the monthly budget work is to cut all areas of spending. I've set the grocery budget at $150.00 I also have a surplus that I can use of $221.17. So that brings my amount that I can spend up to $371.17. I don't want to spend all the surplus in one month, though. So I will endeavor to be careful with spending, once again.

May 2. Senior Discount day at Fred Meyer. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to save a few dollars. So, what I bought. The large box of powdered milk (makes 20 qts. least expensive per pound of the powdered), $13.76, vanilla soymilk, 1/2 gallon, $2.25, 8 oz mushrooms, 99 cents, 6 gallons of 2% and 1% milk (4 of 1, 2 of the other), $1.79 each, 5 lbs carrots, $2.69, 2 8-ct packages of cheap hot dogs, 80 cents each, 2 10-ct packages flour tortillas, 89 cents each, 80-oz jug of orange juice, $1.52, 1 dozen repackaged eggs, some large/some extra-large, 80 cents, 4 1-gallon pails of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, rainbow sherbet), $2.69 each. Yes, I know, that is a lot of ice cream. In summer, when this brand goes on sale at our Fred Meyer, the price is usually $3.99 each. So, I bought the summer's supply now. Also bought gardening supplies, for $22.72. Total spent today, $69.61

I also bought lightbulbs, feminine hygiene supplies, and a gift while there. I spent just over $100, and the checker thought I did well, considering I filled a large cart. It felt like a lot of money to me, for not a whole lot of food (except ice cream). I still need to buy some produce and an assortment of other items that I pick up at other stores.

May 5. Stopped by WinCo and bought a 72-ct package of corn tortillas, $2.18, 1.35 lbs of cocoa powder ($3.08/lb) for $4.16, a few tablespoons of chili powder, at $3.52/lb,  23 bananas, at 52 cents/lb, 10-ounce bag of grape tomatoes, 98 cents, 5-lb bag of mandarin oranges, $5.98, 1.27 lb of raisins, at $1.79/lb, a handful of circus animal cookies for 55 cents, and a small amount of double dark French roast ground coffee, for $1.47. Total spent $22.53.  (Those last two items were a treat just for me. I didn't do anything for my birthday in April, so this was a belated birthday treat for me. Hopefully, I can do something with my family to celebrate my birthday at some point. Everyone is so busy, though, I don't see when this could happen.)

Total spent this month so far, $92.14.

May 6. My husband forgot to tell me he needed a RX picked up when I went out on Tuesday. So, I swung by Fred Meyer this afternoon, and while there, I got my two Friday Freebies -- a 10 oz bag of tortilla chips and a Yoplait Yogurt Dippers. I also bought a 2-lb container of strawberries for $2.88, a bottle of flavored water for $1 and a bottle of V-8 juice for $1.34. One daughter was with me, and we were going to have lunch out together, using a giftcard, at Panera. So, we picked up our drinks while at Fred Meyer. We usually have water to drink, but we splurged this time (yeah, shocked my daughter too). Anyway, total spent -- $5.22

May.11. Getting gas at Fred Meyer, and picking up a little more gardening supplies. Spent $9.37. Then also bought 1.39 lbs of asparagus at $1.99/lb. Total spent on garden and asparagus, $12.14.

Month to date spending -- $109.50

May 14. Cash & Carry, mainly for the last day of the butter on sale for $2.38/lb. I bought 14 lbs of butter, enough to last until early fall, I hope. I also bought a lot of produce: 10 lbs carrots ($3.98), 3 bundles celery ($4.40), 10 lbs potatoes ($1.57), 2 32-oz bags of chopped frozen broccoli ($2.27 each), 3-lb block of frozen spinach ($3.08), 2 heads of green cabbage ($1.36 each), 2 5-lb bags of Pink Lady apples ($4.03 each), 23 bananas (47 cents/lb), 1 gallon canola oil ($6.37), and 1 5-lb block of mild cheddar cheese ($10.67). Total spent $82.01

month to date spent -- 191.51

May 24. My son stopped at Cash & Carry for me and picked up 5 lbs of Pink Lady apples, $4.03, and 17 bananas at 42 cents/lb, for $2.59. Total spent $6.62

Month to date spent -- $198.13

May 28. Fred Meyer to pick up a lunch to finally celebrate my birthday. One daughter came with me and we chose a chocolate-raspberry torte, a prepared Caesar salad mix, a container of strawberries, a deli Asian chicken salad. I also picked up 3 freebies, the Ritz cracker chips, a Lindt truffle candy bar, and a pint of Silk soy creamer (supposed to be almond creamer but they didn't have it, so I asked if they would sub the soy). Total spent $18.28.

Total spent for the month -- $216.41

I had a total of $371.17 to spend, and I spent $216.41. That leaves me with a surplus of $154.76 going into June. I had a couple of splurges this month. Hopefully in June everything will be more normal. At least I have a supply of butter again.


What I bought:

Dairy
individual yogurt (Freebie)
large box of powdered milk
1/2 gallon soy milk
6 gallons milk
1 dozen eggs
4 gallons of ice cream
5 lbs cheddar cheese
14 lbs butter
Soy creamer, 16-oz (freebie)

Meat
16 hotdogs
Asian chicken salad, prepared from deli

Produce
1 individual bottle of V-8 juice
3 lbs strawberries
8 ounces mushrooms
15 lbs carrots
80 ounces orange juice
gardening supplies for the veggie and herb garden
63 bananas
10 ounces of grape tomatoes
5 lbs of mandarin oranges
1.27 lbs raisins
1.39 lbs of asparagus
15 lbs apples
3 bundles celery
10 lbs potatoes
2 heads of green cabbage
4 lbs of frozen broccoli
3 lbs of frozen spinach
one container of Caesar salad mix

Pantry
1 individual bottle of flavored water
10 oz bag tortilla chips (freebie)
20 flour tortillas
72 corn tortillas
1.35 lbs cocoa powder
small amount of chili powder
a handful of circus animal cookies
small amount of ground coffee
1 gallon canola oil
Lindt truffle bar (freebie)
Ritz cracker chips (freebie)

I bought a lot of produce this month. There were few treats, too, but not a lot. $33 of the budget was spent on butter. That butter should last through the summer. I'll be shopping again in just a couple of days. I seem to have fallen into a pattern of a big one or two shops at the beginning of the month, and then not a whole lot for the rest of the month. Anyone else find they do that, too? My thinking is it is in part a mental thing of not wanting to overspend the budget, as the month progresses, combined with the Senior Discount day which is early in the month, and I typically buy a large share of our food that day.

I feel like I didn't do a very good job of cutting spending.

Shopping for Vintage Dishes

I think that I've mentioned my obsession with dishes before. Yesterday was Value Village's Memorial Day 50% off sale. One of my daughters needed a ride to their store. So, I went, found myself some new stretchy, black casual pants, an ice cream scoop, and this platter.

The pattern is Wood & Sons "Summer Spray." It's ironstone, excellent condition, and I paid $4.99.

When I shop for dishes, I keep 4 things in mind:

• no chips, cracks, or crazing (if I really, really like a dish, I'll accept a little crazing, but no chips/cracks); also I check the surface for knife scratches. Knife scratches will give a good indication of previous use.
• they don't have to be the exact pattern that I already have, but similar in feel 
• the label on the back can give indications as to how old a dish might be, which is important for things like whether or not it's microwaveable
• I make guesstimates about resale value for items -- I like to pay about half of what I think it might currently sell for, on ebay or at a garage sale

I gave those considerations thought when shopping yesterday. No cracks or chips. I even turned down one bowl that I really liked because it had a chipped edge. For the most part, a chip would hinder my ability to resell a dish.

The platter has no crazing whatsoever, a good sign; and few knife scratches. Platters generally don't receive a lot of use, in comparison to plates, bowls, cups or mugs. 

It's not a match for any of my patterns but it carries some of the feel of the patterns I use, such as the color palette is brown and burgundy on ivory. In addition, it's a transferware pattern, which means that a print has been transferred from an engraved copperplate onto a sheet of paper, then onto the unfired clay dish. The clay absorbs the design from the paper, and the dish is glazed and fired. This process gives transferware dishes a distinct look, like an engraved ink print. My Rose Chintz, Friendly Village, and Liberty Blue (the dinner plates that I use for 4th of July) patterns are all transferware. I find myself drawn to their look. This platter picks up both the browns of Friendly Village and burgundy of Rose Chintz, so I'll use it with either pattern.

The labels are always amusing to me. This one says that it is "detergent proof." I would hope so!! I checked the label, online, once I got home. This plate is likely from the 1960s. Yes, folks were using detergents before that decade, as early as the 30s in the US and the 40s in the UK. What I believe this label refers to is automatic dishwashers, and their detergent. Electric, home dishwashers really weren't common before the 1950s. Most folks were using dishwashing soap, not detergent, until about the mid-20th century. Initial detergents may not have been uniformly produced. Some may have been more caustic than others. Subsequently, there may have been fears that detergent could harm the finish or the inks under the glaze on the plates. Some china patterns were hand-painted, and definitely could not take detergent or any harsh washing conditions. But this dish manufacturer wanted the buyer to know that the platter would be safe washed with detergents, and probably in electric dishwashers. Anyway, the label on this plate indicates that it is from the 1960s. Why does that matter to me? If I want to resell it, having more info on the platter will improve the likelihood of a quick sale at a good price. Also, knowing its age, I won't allow this to go into the microwave.

For resale value, in the store I had guessed that I might be able to sell it for as much as $20 on ebay. I wasn't too far off. I think I could get $15 on ebay, which would still get me three times what I paid for it. If I were to sell it at a garage sale, in my neighborhood I'm sure I could $15 for it, if I set up my sale to look like one of my neighbors does. She sets up her garage sales to look like nice shops -- no junk, just nice vintage items.

I know that I buy a lot of dishes. I'm okay with that for two reasons: 1) it's one of very few passions (that cost money) that I have, 2) by keeping my frivolous spending to one category of items, I am creating a stockpile of a collection with which I could set up a shop, online. A collection of similar items gives me a genre, which in turn attracts a specialized customer base. It's something that I keep in mind when I'm shopping for dishes.

Anyway, that was my fun for the morning yesterday. And it didn't break the bank! 

Using Bottled Lemon Juice That Has Gone Off

I had this jug of lemon juice in the pantry from a purchase I made a little over a year ago. I think that I had calculated that we would need more lemon juice soon, when I found it on sale at Cash & Carry. And then an odd thing happened and no one was drinking homemade lemonade any more in our house. Years of everyone drinking the homemade lemonade, then suddenly no one wanted any. As a result, I didn't go through the bottle in the fridge as quickly.

The other day I did finish off that original bottle, and went to open the one from the pantry. Inside the jug it looked dark. I poured a little bit into a glass container, and it was definitely darker than normal. It smelled not quite as lemony, and maybe a little off. But, of course, I'm not sure. I'm not about to drink it; however, I didn't want to pour it out.

So . . .

Lemon juice is an acid and a good degreaser. I can attest that along with a little scrubbing, it makes a decent bathtub and sink cleaner. I also added a little to my (el cheapo) hand dishwashing liquid, to boost the degreasing ability. I'll be trying it in several cleaning applications.

Just couldn't allow myself to toss it out. If I can use this lemon juice where I would normally use vinegar, this will extend my current supply of vinegar substantially. Waste not, want not.

Cheap & Cheerful Supper Menus for Late May

Friday

• leftover pizza
• cole slaw

Saturday (husband cooks)

• tomato and vegetable sauce over linguini

Sunday (husband cooks)

• scrambled eggs
• carrot sticks
• hashbrowns

Monday

• turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce sandwiches (the turkey sandwiches were leftovers from a luncheon for which I volunteered on Saturday. I added the cream cheese and cranberry sauce.)
• tortilla chips and salsa
• carrot sticks and celery sticks
• canned pineapple

Tuesday

• baked chicken
• brown rice with chicken gravy
• dinner rolls topped with chicken gravy
• sauteed kale and onions in ham fat
• rhubarb pie

Wednesday

• vegetable-beef soup using pot roast from the freezer, carrots, celery tops, kale, onion, barley
• drop biscuits
• salad of cucumber and cabbage in blue cheese dressing
• rhubarb pie

Thursday

• homemade pizza, using scratch dough, spaghetti sauce from the freezer, cheese and olives
• green salad from the garden
• rhubarb sauce from the garden

Sorry I wasn't here yesterday. I had something major that I was working on all Wednesday and into Thursday. It took over my life! It's a long weekend this weekend, here. Anyone have plans? I think we'll do a cook-out on Saturday night, with hot dogs and s'mores. If no one has discovered them, I have graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate pieces in the pantry. I have homemade hotdog buns in the freezer, and a package of hotdogs in the fridge. Tonight, it might be just me and one daughter for dinner, or it might just be me. Whatever, it will be low-key. 

How was your week? Anything special going on this week for you? Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Browsing Self-help Books Online

I find recommendations for a lot of books at different groups that I visit. One group in particular recommends a lot of self-help books. Before even checking the library, I pop over to Amazon to see if they have the book. I then, browse the book through the little "look inside" feature. Not every book has this, but many do. If you click on the "Look inside" the page will bring up a good chunk of the book. Sometimes, you have to hover over the upper right corner, just above the book, for the "Look inside" to appear.

Obviously, they don't show you all or even most of the book. But much of it is available this way. And depending on if you're visit Amazon.com, or Amazon.ca, or Amazon.co.uk, different amounts of the book may be available, depending on the book. I sometimes read the excerpt to a book on another's country's Amazon site.

Clearly, this sneak peak is designed for shoppers to see if they want to purchase the book. I use it to see if I want to check the book out from the library. And then, perhaps I may want to own a specific book. Most of the time, though, with self-help books, I can get the gist of the information, enough for my tastes, in just the sneak peak. It's just another frugal indulgence of mine.

I mentioned the sneak peak feature to a friend who had ordered a book from Amazon, recently, and this friend was very surprised that this even existed. So, I'm sharing, in case you don't know this either.

Two Things

I check the responses from the survey on frugal indulgences from time to time. It's really fun reading what everyone does to treat themselves. And I tend to agree on just having time to do as I please as quite a luxury. I'm not sure that I always use those moments of time wisely, though. The mindfulness aspect is something that I need to work on. If you haven't answered the survey, it's quick and easy, and you won't be judged, graded, or even known by your answers. And if you've answered it once but have thought of something you'd like to add, you can do the survey again, adding answers to specific sections. You can see others's responses at the end, if you're interested. Or, you can wait until I compile it all into a post.

On the other topic, you can sometimes teach an old dog a new trick. I've started keeping our monthly budgets on an electronic spreadsheet, with Apple Numbers, the free spreadsheet program that came with my computer. I just began this at the end of April, so we will see how this works out. It was free, and I'm just trying it out for 3 months. If I like it, I'll stick with it. If I feel it's either more work, or not as accurate because I forget to add expenses, then I can always go back to my trusty pad of paper. I dislike the idea of spending any money to track my money, if I can find an easy way to do it for free.

That's about it for today. I hope that your week is off to a great start!

Frugal Indulgences -- A Survey

As I filled my bathtub with hot water, laced with scented bath oil, I reflected on what a luxury this is. Not too long ago, a luxuriating hot bath was something  not available to many people. Before the age of indoor plumbing, baths were for Saturday night, were taken in a small portable metal tub, most often in the kitchen. Heating enough water for one of these baths was done over a stove, one kettle at a time. A bath of more than an inch or two of hot water just wasn't feasible.

Fast forward to today and all I need is a bathtub, water that's been pre-heated in the water heater, time and privacy. I make my baths extra indulgent by adding essential oil fragrances, oils, baking soda, ground oatmeal, flower and herb bath tea, dim lights, and music. I can do all of this with what I have in my house.

Here's another favorite frugal indulgence of mine. I make myself a special cup of cocoa, using whatever milk I'm currently drinking, baking cocoa, sugar/sweetening, vanilla extract, and mini-marshmallows. I make this in the microwave, just one cup at a time. I try to make the cocoa special in some way, with vanilla or almond extract, marshmallows, whipped topping, extra cocoa powder, candy canes, whatever I can dream up, using what I have in the kitchen.

Thinking about this prompted me to wonder just how many ways there are to indulge ourselves, frugally. And I thought this would make a good topic for another survey. I'll leave the survey open for a few days, then compile all of the results into one post. I plan on using your ideas as my go-to list of how to provide that needed pampering during stressful times, with little or no extra expense. I've also opened a spot for $5 and $10 indulgences, which I thought might not only be nice for ourselves, when we can afford it, but also perhaps some nice ideas to treat someone else, for an occasion or when they seem to need a little indulging.

Anyway, share your thoughts and ideas! It's completely anonymous! I'll leave this up for a couple of days in case you have more thoughts to add. You can fill this out multiple times.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Mid-May

Friday

• pork fried rice, using leftover pork roast, carrots, cabbage, asparagus and onions, plus brown rice
• scratch vanilla pudding

Saturday (husband cooks)

• black bean tacos, using kale in place of lettuce, and canned tomatoes in place of fresh
• carrot sticks

Sunday (husband cooks)

• tomato-vegetable soup
• homemade breadsticks
• leftover Boston Cream Pie (daughter made this early in the day to have at lunch)

Monday

• leftover soup
• leftover breadsticks
• leftover vanilla pudding

Tuesday

• leftover soup
• grilled cheese sandwiches
• leftover cake

Wednesday

• whole wheat penne with bolognese (a fancy name for basically spaghetti, right?)
• broccoli
• (I had my bolognese over the last of the asparagus, then had a potato on the side)

Thursday

• homemade pizza (brown rice, topped with pizza sauce for me)
• cole slaw

I'm cooking a separate dinner for myself each evening. I am temporarily "off" gluten and dairy. (The bloating and pain went away overnight; sadly, the abdominal fat did not.) So, while I make these meals for the rest of the fam, I microwave myself a potato, scramble an egg, fry some turkey bacon, slather apple wedges with peanut butter, top chopped celery with egg salad, and heat veggies. It's all working out well for me, in some ways better than usual as I can eat only when I'm hungry and not feel I need to eat as much as I serve everyone else. It's also a good excuse to eat bacon. ;-) All of the weeknight dinners have been simple ones, which makes everything super easy for me.

How about you? Anything interesting on your menu this past week? Any outdoor plans for this weekend? Is the weather expected to be nice where you live, this next week? I am volunteering in my once-per-month job with a charity luncheon, tomorrow, and hopefully seeing my daughter in a performance in the evening. It should be a busy day for me.

Have a great weekend!

My Own Piece of Victorian History

This is one of my great great grandmother's irons. She had two irons that I know of. I always wondered why she would need two irons, after all, my own mother had just one iron and that was completely satisfactory.

Watching Victorian Slum House this week filled in the blanks for me. My great great grandmother had two irons, so that on ironing day, she could keep one on the stove at all times, and have a hot one to work with for afternoon without wasting time waiting for an iron to heat up.

Words of wisdom from one of the children in the Slum House, "every penny counts when you're in Victorian times because it could be the one penny that gets you your meal." This child was telling jokes on a street corner in London, for a penny a joke. She described the work as embarrassing, but she was willing to do this for the benefit of her family.

We're obviously far removed from needing to take on humiliating or back-breaking work to feed our families, or request any of this of our children. So, it is difficult to imagine this life.

If there is a lesson to be learned from this show, for me personally, it is to work hard whenever there is opportunity, plan for tomorrow, because one never knows what difficulties may lie around the corner, to appreciate the blessings that I have today, and to be compassionate with someone who has less than myself.

How about you? What have been your thoughts on this show, if you've been following? And I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who owns one of these old irons. I see them in vintage and antique shops frequently, so there must be many of them out there. Do you have one, too? What do you use yours for? Mine is a book end for some of my cookbooks.

No-Sew Method for Making Tea Bags for Loose-Leaf Tea

I prefer if my homemade tea bags look "pretty" but sometimes speed take priority. Here's how I make tea bags for loose-leaf tea in a jiffy, for 1/4 cent each.

I use a basket-style paper coffee filter, the smaller size, bought at WinCo, or Dollar Tree, for about 1/2 cent each filter, and an ordinary stapler.

Take one filter and fold in half.

Cut the filter into two wedge shapes, and open each up.

Place two to three teaspoons of loose tea on one side of an opened filter half.

Fold the filter over. On the straight edge, fold the edge over once, then a second time, and staple shut.

On the rounded edge, fold in two sections, over twice each section, and staple shut. There you go, one pre-filled tea bag for use with loose-leaf tea. They're not pretty, but very functional, require no sewing skills, and can be made in about one minute. I make a few at a time, for the same ease as commercial tea bags. I know, I could use tea balls, and I do. Sometimes, though, I'm too lazy to wash them out. Cheers!

Um, I'm Thinking of Christmas Already

Confessions, I am planning Christmas 2017 already.

I found these canning jars on closeout at Fred Meyer a week ago, for $6.69/dozen. That's 55 cents per jar. I know, I can get canning jars for 29 cents each at Goodwill. But, those don't have brand new lids.

To give you a cost comparison --The value of the lids and bands, alone, is about $3.59 (at Target, for a dozen regular lids and bands). At Target's price for the lids, plus Goodwill's price for lid-less jars, these jars, with brand-new lids would have cost 59 cents each (4 cents more than this case of new jars/lids), if I had bought them that way.

In addition, this particular jar size is hard to come by, second-hand. It's the 4-ounce squat jar. This size is not terribly practical for preserves for the family. However, it's the perfect size for many homemade gifts.

One of my gift plans is homemade beeswax candles. I've been acquiring beeswax from Michael's when I have 60% off coupons. I have two pounds, so far, which should be enough to make about 8 candles in these jars.

If I use some of these jars, along with my coupon-purchased beeswax, I could make beeswax candles for about $2.75 each, wicks included.

This similar beeswax jar candle sells for $6, plus $7.00 shipping, on Amazon. And that's a "good" price for beeswax candles.

Anyways, am I the only one thinking about Christmas, already?

Using a Small Bit of Time to Do One of Those Pesky Tasks

I had just put the hair color in my hair, so I had about 20 minutes to kill.

I've been meaning to repair my purse. The strap has been about to come off for the last 3 weeks. I had forgotten to fix it, and would only remember as I was picking up my purse to go somewhere.

20 minutes was just the right amount of time to take care of this nagging problem, and get my purse back into serviceable shape. Tools I used:

• embroidery needle
• upholstery thread
• Sharpie marker
• rubbing alcohol

I had all of this on hand. If I hadn't had the upholstery thread I would have tried dental floss or heavy duty quilter's thread. I stitched the strap back onto the bag, then went over the light-colored thread with a Sharpie.

I touched up some of my messiness with the Sharpie with the rubbing alcohol. Good enough, right? And when I buckled the strap on, any lack of straight stitching, or too dark Sharpie is concealed, for the most part.

The bag looks good enough to continue using, and the strap is no longer about to come off. Bonus was that this did not cost me a penny to do. I've just bought myself more time while I think about replacing this 11 year old, cheapo purse.

If you had 20 minutes to kill, what task would you tackle?

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Early May

Friday (Cinco de Mayo)

• beef and bean burritos (using leftover pot roast from the night before, black beans, cheese, and salsa that was a Friday Freebie a month ago)
• grape tomatoes
• tangerines

 Saturday (husband cooks)

• scrambled eggs
• rice and lentils
• canned tomato
• strawberries and banana slices

Sunday (husband cooks)

• noodles in peanut sauce
• fried carrots and onions

Monday

• kale and mushroom frittata
• brown rice
• sliced strawberries
• rhubarb pie

Tuesday

• lentil, ham and kale soup
• drop cheese and green onion biscuits
• rhubarb pie

Wednesday

• hot dogs in home made buns
• sauteed kale in ham fat, blended with oil
• rhubarb sauce
• baked beans
• brownies 

Thursday

• roast pork loin with gravy
• plum chutney
• oven-roasted rosemary potatoes
• asparagus

As you may have noticed, some spring fruit and vegetables showed up on my menu this week -- kale, rhubarb, green onions, rosemary, and asparagus. Not all of it grew in my garden, but having spring foods does perk up the menus. I've been working in the garden this week, and now I eagerly anticipate its bounty.

Sunday is Mother's Day. I want to wish all of you mothers a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope that you celebrate in a way that is meaningful to you. Does any one have any favorite things that they do on Mother's Day?

Have a wonderful weekend!

I Watched Episode 2 of Slum House, Got My Garden In, and Scratch Brownies Using 1/4 the Butter (and 3/4 Oil)

I watched Victorian Slum House, episode 2 last night. It was good, again, and pointed out many of our modern perspectives. There seemed to be a focus on single women and children in this episode.

We're so accustomed to single mothers capably providing for their children that it is hard to imagine a time when even if a single mother wanted to find work outside the home there simply weren't many opportunities. I did think that the single mother didn't plan for herself and children as well as perhaps she could have. But maybe that is hindsight. As we discussed the other day, she could have shared housing. I don't know if she completely understood the different attitudes toward public assistance of modern times compared to Victorian times. It is easier to feel like someone will "rescue" us should we make a poor choice, today, than would have been present then. I also feel like children today don't always understand hard work as well as they would have in Victorian times. I'm not criticizing this mother or her children, but it did seem like they brought modern values into their roles. All that aside, aren't we all so fortunate to have comfortable beds to sleep in, a hot cup of tea or coffee each day to wake up with, a decent meal to fill our stomachs, even if it's just a PBJ, and a hot shower to clean off each day?

I found myself stressed over the characters' financial situations. I really wanted the single mother to succeed. I wanted the older gentleman to find work. I wanted the Irish immigrant guy to have a bed to sleep in. I also realized that my feelings were in part due to living in a place and time where I do. In Victorian times, the struggle to survive was so intense in the slums that everyone had to focus on themselves and their own situation.

What I realized watching this episode was that I would not be able to pluck feathers off of a chicken, not and keep my lunch down. Oh my goodness. I felt so sorry for that young woman. But she did what she needed to do, and I admire that in a person. I don't know if I'll be blending milk into butter to stretch it. Perhaps. It occurred to me, though, that with modern mixers this job would be a quick one, perhaps doing this in a bowl with mixer just prior to baking something from scratch, like a cake, which could use any butter on the beaters/bowl in the batter, after scooping out the blended butter to a container. Maybe I will give this a try.

The other residual effect from watching this show was feeling guilty for wasting time. I tried a couple of times during the day to watch the show, but kept feeling like I should "make hay while the sun shines" and get the garden planted and the baking done for the day. As a result, I did get all of the garden, proper, planted, except for cucumbers (they have to wait for slightly warmer soil), and the deck pots. I even planted the carrot seeds that I saved from a carrot plant last summer, and the parsley seeds that I harvested the year prior. I need to select one plant to save seeds from this season, maybe lettuce. And I didn't watch the show until the late evening.

One other funny observation -- the women's hair. I no longer feel bad that my hair sometimes looks less than tidy, when I've been working around the house. I have many days where I jump into work before tending to those pesky tasks like brushing my hair.

In the baking, I made my favorite scratch brownies. This is a wonderful recipe that can be microwaved or baked in a conventional oven. I was using the oven for hot dog buns, so I chose a conventional oven yesterday. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of butter. I decided to try using just 2 tablespoons of butter and a scant 3/8 cup of oil, in place of the called-for amount of butter. They turned out well. No complaints at all.

In other butter news, yesterday's post was before I discovered this -- our local Cash & Carry has butter on sale through the 14th for $2.38/lb. For some of you that may sound like a fantastic price. It's a lot more than what I paid for butter when I really stocked up there, 18 months ago, so it's hard to swallow. I'm debating over how much to buy.  It won't be a huge stock-up, as that price will be repeated or beat, most likely before the fall baking sales. Some butter will be better than no butter.

What stood out to you about episode 2, if you've watched it, or episode 1 if you're catching up? Did you feel you gained anything from watching, as I did with wanting to make the most of my daytime to work outdoors before the sun set, or rain came back? How did you feel about the attitude towards what is women's work vs. "the more important" men's work? The show raised an important issue that effects today's world, too, that of devaluing the older worker. I think society shortchanges itself when we fail to recognize the value of experience and wisdom in our elder work force. (Okay, stepping off my soapbox now.) Anyways, what were your thoughts?

I Didn't Find a Butter Deal This Spring, So Now I'm Rationing the Butter

ham fat from the freezer -- not too pretty

We are down to our last couple of pounds of butter. I didn't find any stellar deals, so I am rationing what is left. I use oil wherever I can, and saved fat from meat, like this ham fat, that I keep in the freezer.

I am cutting the butter into one teaspoon portions, to "help" everyone take a smaller amount. Mostly, it just serves as a reminder to not take too much, as there is nothing stopping someone from taking 3 cubes of butter for a slice of toast. But it does seem to be working.

I'll get back to making soft butter, by blending oil and butter, later this week, I think. In the meantime, this is probably good for my own dietary fat intake.

In a Baking Mood Yesterday

The weather is still on the chilly side, here. I did a little work in the garden. Honestly, though, it's just not the kind of weather that draws me outdoors. So, in the kitchen I stayed for the afternoon.

I baked a batch of overnight cinnamon rolls, and frosted with cream cheese icing in the morning.

Then in the afternoon, I baked three rhubarb custard pies. Two of those pies went into the freezer, for future days, when I do feel like being in the garden, or am otherwise tied up.

With the pies, it makes a lot more sense to make several at a time. My pie pastry recipe makes enough for five crusts. I froze two crusts as patties, to use for quiche or other pies, on another night. Making enough filling for three pies doesn't feel like too much more work than for one pie.

I have more rhubarb than I know what to do with right now. Any good rhubarb recipes you'd care to share?


[links: pie pastry recipe, rhubarb custard pie recipe]

Perspective

I'm sharing this because I think it's an awesome show for putting perspective on modern, challenging economic circumstances. When we think we have it tough, sometimes it helps to be reminded of how fortunate we truly are. If you have a roof over your head, a comfortable bed that you only share with someone else because you want to, and enough food to keep you satisfied, you are blessed. Anyway, the show is Victorian Slum House, currently available on PBS.org, through this link.  PBS allows free viewing for only a limited time per episode, so if you're interested, check it out soon. (I believe the free viewing expires May 30, 2017.)

A peculiar after-effect for me, I was really hungry for homemade white bread after watching this episode!

If you've watched this already, what did you think? Were there any lessons learned for you? Could you see ways that people could have helped themselves better? How do you think you would fare under similar circumstances?

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Early May

Friday

• cheese, spinach, onion and olive pizza, really good (the spinach was thawed, frozen spinach)
• cole slaw

Saturday (husband cooks)

• noodles in peanut sauce
• pumpkin with almonds

Sunday (husband cooks)

• pasta with tomato sauce
• cheese biscuits

Monday

• whole wheat pasta with
• ground beef marinara sauce (made with tomato paste, onions, garlic, seasonings and ground beef)
• cheese to top the pasta
• spinach and onions sauteed in ham fat and oil
• pumpkin snack cake

Tuesday

• scrambled eggs
• garden kale, onions, garlic, sauteed in oil and soy sauce
• brown rice
• last of the pumpkin snack cake

Wednesday

• egg salad sandwiches
• canned corn, blended with last of some tomato pasta sauce
• carrot sticks

Thursday

• pot roast, with onion gravy
• mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes

I put into practice some of the ideas and inspirations from the survey a couple of weeks ago. I made a large batch of pasta sauce, and froze a bunch to have handy for future meals. (Pasta noodles were one of the quick supper ingredients to have on hand, and spaghetti made with jarred or frozen sauce was one of the top go-to meals for busy nights.) I made a quasi-breakfast for dinner on Tuesday, with scrambled eggs, some veggies and rice. Thursday, before leaving for the museum in the morning, I put a pot roast into the crockpot; then when I returned in the afternoon, I added the carrots, mushrooms and potatoes. It all worked well, this week, and gave me time to do some other things.

So, how did your week go? Any quick-cooking meals this week that you'd like to share with us? I have another survey idea. Would you be interested in answering a 1 or 2 question survey in about a week?

Have a great weekend!

Indulging My Champagne Tastes on a Tap Water Budget

So, I ran through our budget the other day. Having the roof repaired, the car repaired, a new water heater installed, 4 new tires put on the car, an unexpected medical bill paid, and a lost pair of glasses replaced, all since December, has put our budget in a tight bind. But I refuse to live like a pauper. If all I can afford is tap water, well, then, I'm going to make that glass of tap water taste fantastic!

Yesterday, I made myself a wonderful pot of tea, using a tea bag that I received free in the mail, a while ago (a Twinings offer). I also made another batch of dark chocolate almond bark, using chocolate chips and whole almonds from the pantry (yum!). In the evening, I packed a dinner and met one daughter on campus, and the two of us had dinner and a show. My other daughter was able to score two free tickets to the production she's in and gave them to daughter number one and I.

And today, daughter number one and I are going to the Seattle Art Museum together. It's the free day for the month, so no cost on admission for either of us. There are tables just outside the cafeteria there, for us to have a nice lunch together; so I've packed us a bite to eat. My daughter had to visit an art museum this week for an assignment, and she has the morning free. This worked out well.

My glass of tap water is tasting might fine, today.

Have You Noticed This?

In the last few years, many holiday or summer foods have gone on sale a bit more in advance of the holiday/season than in years past. It happened here with eggs, this year. Instead of the week leading up to Easter, eggs were on sale two weeks before Easter at one store, then not on sale in that week when they've traditionally been.

Ice cream is seen as a summer food, in many places. It's not at all summer here, yet. We won't have summer for another month. Yet, Fred Meyer advertised a bunch of ice cream products for a 4-day sale this week, long in advance of when most in my area would be buying a lot of ice cream. The Party Pails (1 gallon) were on sale for $2.99 for four days. The sale overlapped with Senior Discount day, so for me, the Party Pails were $2.69. Two years ago, we bought a Party Pail, "on sale" in summer, for $3.99 (regular price is $5.99). The $2.69 price was too good to pass up. I bought our summer's supply of ice cream, 4 pails.

My guess is the marketing works like this -- in the shoulder season leading into the traditional season for a product, retailers lure you into buying their product, with a low price. You use that product, and enjoy it. Then when the real season hits, you are hooked on their brand for that product, and you repeat purchase at a higher "sale" price. That's just my guess. I've seen this with a few other seasonal or holiday items.

Or, maybe I'm just really cynical.

Back to the ice cream. Even if it turns out that all summer long, Fred Meyer advertises their Party Pails at this same low price, I won't be out any money. I seriously doubt they would put this on sale for any less than what I paid yesterday. I did the math. The typical brick-style container of ice cream weighs 48 oz, or 1.5 qts. A Party Pail contains 2.666 of that size container. At $2.69/Party Pail, my cost per smaller 1.5 qt container is $1.01. I never see ice cream on sale for that price in my area. So, I know I got a great deal.

Of course, all of this ice cream isn't even for me, sadly. I can't eat this stuff in servings more than a spoonful. But my family will love it.