Frosted brownies for an October treat

These are some brownies that I made for an event last year. I thought I'd post the photos, in case you're looking for anything cheap and easy, but with wow! factor. I used  this recipe for the scratch brownies, but baked them in a conventional oven at 350 F, for about 22-25 minutes.
As you can see by the photos, you don't even need to pipe straight lines!

When brownies had cooled, I frosted with scratch
orange-colored buttercream frosting

I made a small bowl of dark cocoa icing and put it into a small
ziploc bag. I snipped a tiny bit off the corner of the
baggie to make a "piping" bag.

I piped concentric circles on the orange-colored frosting.

Then I "drew" out from the center in all directions,
using a toothpick. 

After creating this weblike design, I piped a
spider in the center of the web. See top photo.

September 2017 Grocery Spending Journal

Aug. 31 (I'd already tallied August when I decided to go out to Cash & Carry. So here it is in September.) I've wanted strawberries for the last few days, and avoided buying any at the regular grocery store, so those will be on my list today. We need other produce, too, plus mayo, ketchup, and I'll pick up some other sort of prepared or almost prepared supper item, for later fall and winter. So what did I end up buying? I bought 16 bananas (49 cents/lb), 12-ct bag of hoagie rolls ($2.72), 12.5 lb bag of popcorn ($5.87), 2 5-lb bags of frozen peas ($3.89 each), 1-qt frozen cranberry juice concentrate, to make 1 gallon ($1.99),  13 oz chili powder ($3.99), institutional-size bag Uncle Ben's cornbread stuffing mix, enough to make 47 servings ($13.49), #10 can refried beans, it's about 110 ounces, or just over 7 lbs ($5.15), 1 gallon mayonnaise ($6.79), 5-lbs shredded mozzarella ($10.77), 10-lbs carrots ($3.59), three 106 oz cans of crushed tomatoes ($2.90 each), two 19-oz blocks firm tofu ($1.59 each), box of 2 gals milk ($4.87), head of Romaine lettuce ($1.49), head of cauliflower (88 cents), 114-oz can of ketchup ($3.15), 4-lbs strawberries ($6.28), 15-dozen case of large eggs ($12.98). Total spent -- $106.39

You probably don't have a calculator in hand right now, so I'll do some math for you, to give you an idea of the price per "normal" package on a few of these.

peas-- 78 cents/lb
juice concentrate to make 64 oz cranberry juice cocktail -- 99 cents
chili powder -- $4.91 lb
refried beans -- 75 cents for 16-oz can
mayo -- $1.59/ 30-oz jar
ketchup -- 66 cents for a 24-oz bottle
large eggs -- 86 cents/dozen

I didn't always get my "best" price per unit on the items I bought (like milk, I can do better buying on Senior Shopping Day at FM), but overall I got very good prices on most items, compared to my best prices, and definitely saved over running to the local grocery store for an item we are out of. I can make refried beans from scratch for about half the price of canned. But this purchase is for convenience, at a time when I don't have freezer space to big-batch cook beans. My one splurge item was the cornbread stuffing mix. If I pick up some chicken or turkey sausage, the stuffing mix and sausage combo will make a quick supper.

Sept. 5. Senior Shopping Day at Fred Meyer. I bought a lot (long cash register receipt), but my spending wasn't too terrible. Here's what I bought: 5 half-gallons whole milk (89 cents each), 4 one-lb boxes whole wheat pasta (90 cents each), 5 15-oz jars natural peanut butter ($1.34 each), 10 new-crop gala apples (88 cents/lb), 2 46-oz jars of natural, unsweetened applesauce ($1.70 first jar, $1.97 second jar -- worked out to 63 cents/pint), half-gallon organic soy milk ($2.25), 3 packages of meat hot dogs (80 cents each), 2 8-oz cartons of marked down mushrooms (99 cents each), RXbar snack bar (free with coupon), Oreo candy bar (free with coupon), 7 loaves of bread (80 cents each), 3 packages of flour tortillas (89 cents each), 1 can decaf and 1 can regular coffee ($5.39 each), 5 marked down bananas (39 cents/lb), 17 non-marked down bananas (49 cents/lb). Total spent -- $50.86.

Coffee is still expensive this month. October and November usually see coffee priced at $4.99 a can. I will stock up my winter supply when I see that price. Most of the bread went into the freezer. 7 loaves is about what we use in a month. If I run out of bread, I will bake some from scratch. I use both whole wheat and white flour pasta. When I find whole wheat pasta below $1/lb I buy some. For white pasta, I look for 66 cents/lb or less. Last winter I bought a bunch of white flour pasta for 50 cents/lb. We're still using that buy.

Sept.9. A Saturday, out running errands with one daughter. We stop to pick up a rx at Fred Meyer, and buy 12 more gala apples, at 88 cents/lb. Spent $4.03

Sept. 10. Same daughter wants to return a purchase she made, so I give her a ride, and on the way we stop, again, at Fred Meyer, this time mostly for a gas fill-up on the car (using a 40 cents/gallon discount), but also go inside for peaches/nectarines, on sale at 88 cents/lb. I bought 12 nectarines for $5.22.

So far, I've spent $166.50. I'm thinking that I need to find money in the budget to add to my current grocery allotment. I may raise October's grocery budget to $175 or $180.

Sept. 22. We're doing okay for the month. I'm almost out of fresh produce and milk, but otherwise okay. I'm out for a meeting, so decide to stop by Fred Meyer to pick up my freebies, as well as milk and bananas. I bought 14 bananas, at 49 cents/lb, and 2 half-gallons of whole milk. There is a sign that indicates a buy 1/get 1 free deal on the milk, so I'm thinking not too bad. when I got up to the cash register I discovered that the milk deal is actually buy 1 at 49 cents, get 1 free!!! (49 cents/gallon for milk.) I also bought 2 6-packs of cinnamon raisin English muffins on markdown, and my 2 freebies -- a tea latte in a bottle, and a shelf stable single serve meal (a pasta and chicken thing). I spent $4.81 cents. The milk deal was so great that I went back in and bought 10 more half-gallons, for a total of $2.45. my 2 trips through the checkout came to $7.26.

Total spent for the month -- $173.76

Sept. 23.  I thought I would be done for the month, but we were short on produce and one of my daughters expressed a serious interest in getting more, so we stopped at WinCo (I had a bag in the car so 6 cents was deducted from my total). I bought 1 46 oz jar of unsweetened applesauce for $1.98, 72-ct package of corn tortillas for $2.18, 1 package of bologna for 98 cents (daughter's request), some kool-aid packets at 10 cents each (daughter's request), 2 packs of top ramen for 18 cents each (again, daughter's request), 1/3 lb of baking cocoa for $2.38/lb, 1 1/3 lbs of bran for bran muffins, at 43 cents/lb, 1.36 lbs of raisins, at $1.79/lb, 1 large cucumber for 58 cents, 7 black plums at 78 cents/lb, 2 heads of Romaine lettuce at $1.48 each, and 1 quart of soymilk for $1.18. As it turned out, my daughter wanted more than just produce. Ha ha! Spending-wise we did okay. This is a cash-only place, so I knew I was limited to how much I could buy. I spent $15.97.

Total spent for the month -- $189.73

I started the month with a budget of $150, plus $45.64 in surplus from previous months, bringing me to a total of $195.64 to spend for the month. I have just $5.91 leftover. I will have to increase our grocery budget. I will try $175 for October and see how we do.

What I bought

Produce
52 bananas
10 lbs frozen peas
1 qt. frozen cranberry juice concentrate
10 lbs carrots
3 #10 cans of crushed tomatoes
3 heads of Romaine lettuce
head of cauliflower
4 lbs strawberries
22 apples
3 large jars of applesauce
1 lb mushrooms
12 nectarines
1.36 lbs raisins
1 cucumber
7 plums

Meat
3 packages hot dogs
single-serve chicken/pasta meal (freebie)
1 package bologna

Dairy
5-lbs shredded mozzarella
38 ounces of tofu
10  1/2 gallons milk
15 dozen eggs
3/4 gallon of soymilk

Pantry
12-ct hoagie rolls
12.5 lbs popcorn
13 oz chili powder
47 servings of stuffing mix
#10 can refried beans
1 gallon mayonnaise
114 ounces of ketchup
4 lbs whole wheat pasta
5 jars peanut butter
meal replacement bar (freebie)
candy bar (freebie)
7 loaves of whole wheat bread
3 packages flour tortillas
1 can decaf and 1 can regular coffee
2 packages English muffins
tea latte in a bottle (freebie)
72 corn tortillas
4 kool-aid packets
2 packages top ramen soup noodles
1/3 lb baking cocoa
1  1/3 lb bran

I learn a lot from looking over my lists for the months. For one thing, I can look back and see how much of something I bought as a stock-up amount. But also, I can see where I may be able to trim a little, or where we really did okay.

For this next month, we are out of oil and almost out of sugar. I don't know if I will buy the institutional size packages of these items. I'm not baking as much as I used to, so this size might be too much for our family, for now. In addition to those two items, I will need produce, peanut butter, coffee and tea. I'll also be stocking up on any great deals, such as raw nuts. Last fall, I bought a year's supply of whole, raw almonds. I keep them in the freezer and only pull out a couple of cups at a time. Coffee goes on sale in the fall, too. So when I find the large cans at their annual low price I'll buy close to a year's supply of that, as well. Time to fill the pantry, I guess.

I hope your spending kept you within your budget. Have a great day!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for a glorious last week of September

Thursday's chicken
using this technique to cut a whole roasted chicken into individual servings

The weather has been very nice here, this week. I mentioned earlier that I spent a few hours at the beach on Saturday, just enjoying the quiet beauty of an autumn day. Then yesterday was so warm that I had the back door open for several hours.

Over the weekend -- I have a hard time remembering what we ate, as I'm not doing the weekend cooking. I do remember a cookout on Sunday, put together by one daughter. We had hot dogs, homemade buns, pasta salad, green salad, deviled eggs and s'mores.

Monday -- frittata topped with basil, Parmesan, sliced tomatoes, garlic, along with garlic toast and leftover pasta salad

Tuesday -- casserole made from leftovers, tossed green salad, pickles

Wednesday -- turkey breast (cooked, frozen), gravy (frozen), cranberry sauce, green beans, cornbread stuffing, pickles

Thursday -- rosemary roasted chicken, applesauce muffins (I had 2 empty jars from applesauce to rinse out, totaling about 1/3 cup of applesauce), acorn squash (from the garden), green peas

Tonight -- we'll have leftover roasted chicken with vegetable fried rice for a simple dinner


It was a week of heat and eat, and from scratch but humble meals. And although the weather said "summer," most of these meals felt like fall. I suspect the weather will feel more fall-like later next week.

I'm working on using foods from the freezer, like the cooked turkey breast and gravy, whole chicken, and frozen vegetables. It will soon be time to stuff my freezer with holiday specials. We're near the end of the month, so I'll be finishing up my grocery tally soon. I did get an amazing deal on milk this month, really amazing. So I also have containers of milk clogging up space in my freezer right now. But those should be used within the next 3 weeks.

How was your week? Anything special on the menu? Have a wonderful weekend!

Does anybody buy pen refills anymore?

This came up in conversation a week ago, about how we'd buy refills for our retractable ink pens and reuse the mechanical part of the pen.

I have a very specific pen that I like. The ink flows smoothly and dries very quickly. This makes for very fast writing for me. I can write my notes faster with a smooth-flowing pen, and I don't smear the page, as the ink dries so fast. I've gone through a couple of 5-packs of these pens in the last year, spending about $7 per package, or $1.40 per pen. The other day, knowing that my last of these pens was running low on ink, I thought to check for refills on Amazon. Sure enough, this pen that I use has multi-packs of refills for a substantial savings per pen. I ordered a 12-pack of refills for $10.55, or 88 cents each refill. That's about 40% off the price of a new, whole pen.

It just got me to thinking that we have become so accustomed to treating our everyday products as disposables, when some of them can be reused, refurbished, or refilled. Anyway, I slipped a refill into one of my used pens and I'm back in business. Less waste, lower cost -- that sounds good to me.

By the way, several brands of pens do make refills. If you have a favorite pen, check Amazon or Office Depot to see if refills would save you money, too.

Many cooks in the house lead to leftover-waste

With several cooks in the house these days we seem to have more leftovers that go unused.  A cup of rice here, some soup there -- foods get put into containers with good intentions, then the original cook never eats them.

There was a time when I prepared every food that went into my family members' mouths. If I made rice and had leftovers, I made a mental note to use that leftover rice in the next day or two. Now, I'm not the only one making rice, or soup, or pancakes. Someone else's mental note does not get added to my mental list. What's the "head" cook to do?

I started with cleaning out the kitchen fridge. One of our issues was the large one-gallon jugs of condiments for refilling smaller containers were being left in the kitchen fridge. My usual place for these containers is the garage fridge. These large jugs can block the view of other foods. I'll just have to remind others to return the large jars to the garage fridge after refilling small containers. Another issue was opaque shopping bags used as wrapping for leftovers. While this is very thrifty to use a shopping bag, the opaqueness was contributing to overlooked leftovers. I found 2 and 1/2 pancakes wrapped in a tan shopping bag. I also found the brand new, but open, package of bologna in another, similar bag. I put both of these leftover items into see-through containers, and I labeled the lunch meat for use or freeze by date. My plan is to keep sticky notes and a Sharpie by the fridge, so that other family members can label their items, and either the opening date or a use by date.

It wasn't a lot of waste, but it was enough to be a wake-up call for me to encourage all family members to be responsible for the foods that they cook, and either consume them or freeze in a timely manner. I was able to use enough of the leftovers, along with frozen leftovers, to make a tasty casserole for Tuesday's dinner, which in the end was a time-saver for me. Nonetheless, I need to find some solutions to this "new" issue, now that there are so many cooks in the house. For breakfasts and lunches, we all seem to want something different, creating a lot of leftovers for the fridge.

Any suggestions?

From my late September garden

My vegetable garden was not terribly productive this year. However, I am finding a few things to bring in, anyway.

Two lovely orange pumpkins
These are pie pumpkins and will be cooked up later next month.

It's time to cut rosemary for flavored vinegar and drying for seasoning. I'll be baking rosemary bread in the next couple of months, too.

The basil is gorgeous. This is one plant and it looks like a bush. I've been using it as I can. But also, I have cut quite a bit for freezing. We love tomato-basil soup on a cold winter day.

Minced basil, along with garden tomatoes, was used to top a frittata for last night's dinner. Yum!

My weekend

We had such a beautiful weekend, here, in Seattle. As usual, one daughter came with me on errands. We made a detour to the beach for a couple of hours and sat in the sunshine, talked, walked along the shoreline collecting shells, and enjoyed the peace of an autumn day at the beach. Summer days at the beach are filled with lively families; but autumn days are quiet. Even the families who were also there on Saturday were quietly enjoying the sand and water.

The tide was very low which makes finding shells in good condition a lot easier. We also saw the largest jelly fish that we've ever spotted in Puget Sound waters. In addition, this particular beach seems to be a good spot for watching the harbor seals. It never fails that while we are there, we can watch at least one harbor seal bobbing through the water.

Sunday was equally peaceful and filled with sunshine. My daughters put together a cookout for the family in the evening. After dinner we made s'mores, but not with marshmallows. We used circus peanut candy instead (it's what we had). Circus peanuts are a semi-dried marshmallow. They actually do puff and soften when roasted over a fire, just not as much as a regular marshmallow. The resulting s'more is very tasty, although not at all gooey.

And today the rain is back. It's also the first day of classes for my daughters. One daughter is a part time student, primarily focusing on her senior project, which is an art show in the spring. The other daughter is completing her requirements for the other half of her major field -- education. She's taking a couple of classes and student teaching this year. And speaking of said daughter, she overslept a bit, and now I'm driving her to the transit center. I hope you all had a lovely weekend and that your week is off to a great beginning. Be back tomorrow!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers when the house feels cold!

Over the weekend we had rice and garbanzo beans, cooked carrots, chicken and cheese burritos and frozen peas.

Monday--
I had simmered the carcass of a roasted chicken last week, and frozen the broth and scraps of meat for making soup. Monday was just the kind of day where soup would be appreciated -- the skies were dark, it looked like rain could begin at any moment, and the house did not warm much at all (63 F was the warmest it got in the main areas of the house).  The menu for Monday -- chicken soup to go with leftovers from my volunteer work over the weekend (tea sandwiches, potato chips, cookies and fruit).

Tuesday--
Tuesday I roasted my last whole turkey. Roasting the turkey is a decision that no only affects the menu, but also impacts the household heat. The Friday before, I checked the weather forecasts and it looked to be rainy and cool this week. I had no idea how chilly it would feel in the house, though, so I was very appreciative of something so large that needed a long cooking period. Dinner on Tuesday was roasted turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, frozen green beans, cranberry sauce from last week.

Wednesday--
With a roasted turkey this week, Wednesday would be a good day for easy leftover cooking. There was cooked rice in the fridge, from the weekend, turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce from the night before, and frozen peas done in the microwave to round out the meal. With the turkey carcass, at this point I had pulled enough meat off of some of the bones to start a crockpot of broth overnight, with leg, thigh, and wing bones. This will reduce my work on the main turkey stock-making day, on Friday, and maybe the rest of the turkey bones will actually fit in my small-ish crockpot, and cook overnight Friday into Saturday.

Thursday--
I forgot to use up the cranberry sauce yesterday, so that's a priority to use up. Lots of leftover turkey, and a bit of gravy. I made stock overnight, so I will make a bit more gravy with a cup of it. The rest of dinner will sound a bit odd, but it works, and uses leftovers. So, Thursday dinner menu -- turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, potato chips, steamed carrots, tossed salad that included lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and cooked green beans. It was all good, even it the combo sounds strange.

I baked bread today, which helped warm the kitchen in the late afternoon, opening the oven door to release all of the heat after baking.

Friday--
I have the rest of the turkey carcass to cook up today. I think that I'll use whatever meat I can remove from it in a turkey curry, or a Moroccan wrap, using spices to help hide the heavy flavors of dark meat poultry.

What was on your menu this past week?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Parenting lessons from some distracted and privileged teen girls

One of my daughters works in housekeeping during the summers, where she cleans up after guests who have stayed for conferences and workshops. While I know that everyone can be absent-minded at times, some groups leave behind more of their belongings than others.  One particular group, while different individuals each summer but same basic group, leave behind an amazing amount of nearly-new condition belongings. The demographics for this group include, teen, female, and privileged enough to afford a couple of weeks at a dance workshop. Among the things left behind this year there was a beautiful sweater in like-new condition, a leotard, a brand-new, still in sealed packaging tube of mascara, and many other  items.

We were talking about why this group leaves behind belongings that any young girl/woman would covet. Our conclusion was that these young girls and women must feel that their belongings can easily be replaced, without any financial hardship to them individually. We are guessing that their parents pay for all of their needs, and may also provide a healthy allowance for wants. If the girls/women have summer jobs, the money they earn may be mostly for discretionary spending. To them, the amount they earn in a summer job, or is given to them by parents in the form of allowance, must be enough to cover replacing lost belongings, without any extra labor on their part. However, for their parents, I imagine having a child who left behind that sweater that they "just had to have", or the new mascara that they needed money to buy, must be confounding and infuriating at times.

On the child's part, some of this absent-mindedness is due to age, teenage distractions, and lack of having to pay for anything truly consequential, like rent, groceries, electricity. But I also think that some of this is due to being given so much, too freely. If parents will always replace a lost item, then why should a teen take any extra care not to lose belongings. I'm not bashing the parents, at least not a lot, as I had younger children once, too. I remember feeling very badly for my kids when they lost something that they cherished. And I remember patching up a stuffed toy repeatedly, after a child tore it up, through rough play. I also remember buying a replacement toy for another child, when the beloved one was lost. As the parent, we want our children to not feel the pain of loss of any kind. We want to stop the hurt.

When I was in middle school, I had a brand-new pair of blue jeans to wear at the beginning of seventh grade. This was the first year that girls could wear blue jeans to school in my district. I was running to lunch to meet my friends and I tripped and fell, and tore a hole in the knee. I was so upset about that hole -- my brand-new jeans! Even so, I still thought that my mom would replace them with a new pair. But she didn't. Instead, we went to the fabric store and she bought a patch in the shape of an orange. It was the only decorative patch large enough to fit over the hole. I'm sure that I begged and pleaded for new jeans, but she was firm. She probably wanted to make my hurt go away, but she was wiser, and likely on a tight budget, herself. I continued to wear the patched jeans, with the big orange, until I outgrew them. And the patch was a reminder of the loss I had felt when my new jeans were no longer pristine, and urged me to be more careful. This type of lesson was repeated throughout my childhood. A broken thermos meant that I had to bring a clunky old thermos with my lunchbox, instead of the cutesy one that was its original companion. A lost game token meant that we had to use a penny in the game set, when playing with three other friends, instead of the fun plastic token the game came with. If something was repairable, like grease stains on my pants from the bicycle chain, then my mother showed me how to repair or remove a stain. She didn't just do it for me. My mother was compassionate, generous, loving, but she was also wise enough to know that I needed repeated lessons on taking care of my belongings.

I do wonder about the young girls/women that my daughter cleaned up after. Will their parents let them feel the loss of the forgotten items? Or will the parents rush out to buy replacements? Perhaps the girl/woman won't even notice she left behind her like-new American Eagle sweater, or leotard, or tube of mascara she just purchased and didn't even own long enough to take it out of the packaging. Maybe I'm just being too hard on a age-group that is inherently distracted and forgetful. What do you think?

Roasting a whole turkey when I don't have a crowd to feed

Whole turkeys are a steal for meat, when bought during the holiday season, and stored in the freezer, even at the higher price per pound that we've seen in recent years. (I paid about 50 cents/lb last year for each of my turkeys.) But after the holidays, with only a small family to feed, we're not as thrilled with leftovers that last for weeks (I can get 8-10 family meals from a 20 lb turkey).  The last of the turkey is often the bits and scraps that we don't care for as much, like back meat, or the wings.

All that aside, I like the savings of having an extra whole turkey or two, for roasting during non-holiday periods. In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, I clear some space in the freezer for one or two extra turkeys. Then when the turkey deals come out, I buy three turkeys, roast one for the holiday and freeze the others, raw in their packaging from the store, with no extra attention to wrapping. Over the years, I've only had one turkey ever have signs of freezer burn, and that was one small-ish patch on a turkey that had been stored up against a frost-free freezer wall (where the heat cycles on and off to keep the freezer frost-free), for over a year. I typically roast the last of my extra whole turkeys in September each year, just after the weather has cooled and heating the kitchen with the oven is welcome, but still long enough before our Thanksgiving that the whole turkey, then, still feels novel.


This week I roasted my last turkey from Thanksgiving 2016. To circumvent my dislike for several meals of what we think of as the inferior parts of the turkey in the freezer-leftovers repertoire,  I actually cut off and froze what we think are the best parts -- the breasts.

When the turkey was roasted and ready to carve, my first step was to carve off one and a half breasts, as close to the bone as I could. I wrapped these pieces and tucked them in the freezer. For our family, one and a half breasts is about 3 family meals, with lunch leftovers. I kept the breast pieces in half-breast slabs, to hold in juices and flavor.

When I made the gravy, I also froze 3 containers of it, ready to go. What tackling the turkey this way does is force me to use the less-palatable portions of the bird, in the early days, when we're still happy-enough to be having so much turkey. And it gives me ready to go options for some of the leftovers, like simple, sliced turkey in gravy. (Basically, I made three convenience meals for our family, with little extra work.) I will still have some of the smaller bits of meat to use in pot pies or soups, but we will plow through much of that today, tomorrow and Friday.

I thought I would pass this on in case you have some of the same sentiments concerning roasting a whole turkey in the non-holiday season.

My advice if you buy extra turkeys for the freezer, keep them in an interior spot in the freezer, away from a wall, floor or ceiling of the freezer, where the temps can be more variable. According to the USDA, a whole, uncooked turkey will be safe to eat, if kept at 0 degrees F, indefinitely -- "Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage." The agency goes on to say that, for best quality, however, use within one year. (for more info on food safety, visit the USDA site)

Putting up with a cold house now, so that we can have more heat when it's really cold out

I try to keep the furnace off until about the 10th of October. Last week I could hear it coming on, so I had to reset the thermostat even lower. I have a set amount of money to pay for heat for the entire winter. If this ends up being a colder winter than usual, I'll use all of that allotment, and have to divert funds from other areas of the budget. The last two years have not held any surprise extended cold spells, which meant that we did not have to go beyond what was set aside for heat. This doesn't mean that we are completely freezing these weeks. We are staying warm enough, with the help of basic frugal-living tactics. We are:

• putting extra layers on the beds
• wearing fleece sweatshirts and jackets around the house (and shoes indoors for me, too -- keeps my feet warmer)
• cooking soups more often -- adds a little heat to the kitchen while simmering, and heats our tummies when we eat
• drinking copious amounts of tea during the day
• using a portable electric heater for one room, when I am the only one home (electricity is expensive to heat with, but heating just one room with electricity is cheaper than running the furnace for an entire family-size home)
• I'll be using the self-cleaning feature on the oven next week. I'll time it so that it is in operation for the hours just before dinner. The oven is right next to the kitchen table, so it will heat the breakfast nook up well.

So far, we're doing well, but we haven't gotten to the colder days and nights, yet. Do you turn your furnace on later, to postpone shelling out a lot of money for heat, for as long as possible? Or is heat one of those priorities for your household. There are definitely circumstances where heat would be a priority. What tricks do you employ to save on your heating bill?

My weekend exhausted me, but I did take a few photos of my Dollar Tree autumn decorating

I volunteered, along with one daughter, on Saturday. We serve at these fund-raising teas/luncheons. My daughter is a waitress, and I am kitchen help. The two of us are typically part of the clean-up crew, too, so it is a full day for us. I come home pretty tired, and need to just have some tea and relax for a bit. But I did have work to get to, after a few minutes and some tea.  Sunday, I was still tired, so after church again I just sat and drank a pot of tea. In the late afternoon I put myself to work again.

Today, I still woke up tired, but am more like myself this afternoon. I took some quick photos of some of the items that I used in decorating, and wanted to share. All of these "projects" were as fast as putting groceries away.

The window clings -- the door to the kitchen is all glass,
with no place to hang a wreath.
Window clings work pretty great for my door.

My Value Village silver bowl -- I didn't even polish it. The
 "rustic look" is intentional, or at least that's my story. I cut the
 tags off of the Dollar Tree faux apples and put them in the bowl.

The door to the kitchen, just off the driveway -- a flower pot with
  spring bulbs that will over-winter in the dirt. I tucked the faux
 mums into the soil, added some cedar branches, the ornamental
pumpkin pick, and an outdoor Christmas bow. It looks festive
 and autumnal, and took less than five minutes to complete. Once
Thanksgiving passes, I'll pull out the faux mums and tuck in some clippings
 from my yard of holly and other winter greenery, for a Christmas pot.

When I find a suitable tray for the trio of candles, I'll show you what I did with those, too. Easy decorating on a dollar store budget.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for an early September week

Again, trying to remember what we had from last weekend.

All I remember from Saturday was cole slaw, because I remember the bowl on the table.

Sunday -- lentil and cheese quesadillas, with carrot sticks
Monday -- pasta, meatball, marinara, spinach, mozzarella layered casserole, with steamed cauliflower core juliennes, and a tossed green salad (with lettuce cores, too)
Tuesday -- leftover pasta casserole (I made a lot), nectarine slices, frozen green beans
Wednesday -- pumpkin soup, French bread pizza sandwiches (using hoagie rolls)
Thursday -- family dinner: roasted chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce, frozen peas, pumpkin snack cake (this cake, with the pumpkin variation) with butterscotch chip icing

The cake from last night was so tasty. I was in a hurry to get it finished and chose to use a butterscotch chip topping, by dumping a cup of butterscotch chips on top of the hot cake out of the oven. Only, butterscotch chips don't melt like chocolate chips do (see the sad photo of unmelted chips on the cake).

So I scooped them off the cake, and into a custard cup, and along with some Crisco shortening, melted them in the microwave in short 15 second bursts, for a total of about 30 seconds. Then stirred like mad until it was a nice melty mess.

I quickly spread the melty mess on the cake, and it set up very quickly. It was a little extra work, but it smelled and tasted autumnal.

What was on your menu this past week? The weather is definitely cooler, here. How fast it all changed! I'll be volunteering all day tomorrow. I hope you have nice plans for the weekend!

Mug cake to the rescue

Rough days call for drastic measures, or at least a dose of mug cake. In case you don't know a mug cake is a single serve cake, baked in the microwave, with or without eggs, and ready to eat in just a couple of minutes.

Here's what I'm eating right now:

individual chocolate cake topped with plum jam

Chocolate Mug Cake with Fruit Jam Topping

The cake:

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons butter
• scant 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING (choose one)

• 1 tablespoon chocolate chips, or
• 1 tablespoon jam, or
• 1 tablespoon nutella

In a microwaveable mug or individual-serving baking dish, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces as you add to the dry ingredients. Microwave for 10 seconds, so the butter can me stirred into the dry ingredients.  Stir in oil, milk, and vanilla.  Microwave for 1 minute on HI. Immediately top with chocolate chips, nutella, or fruit jam. Share with someone you love (or hog for yourself, whichever).

Okay, I feel fortified enough to get back to work. Onward and upward!

Using the central core from heads of lettuce

Along the lines of using cauliflower cores and leaves . . .

You know the core of a head of leaf or Romaine lettuce? That, too, is edible.

After peeling off all of the leaves, I trim any unsightly oxidation rust marks. Then I slice the core in half lengthwise (to make half-moon pieces, once sliced). Finally, I slice the long core pieces, thinly, across the grain. I add these to a tossed salad and no one is the wiser (or else they are just accustomed to my quirky ways in the kitchen, and this is no surprise).

Dollar store autumn decorating

I mentally need something to get me geared up for fall. A good place to start is a quick trip to Dollar Tree for a few pieces of autumn decor. I bought 20 items (spent $20 plus tax). That amount helped me spruce up the kitchen entry, front entry and living room, with very little effort.

Here's what I bought:

I thought these candles had appeal that goes beyond autumn decor.

The faux green apples looked the most realistic of all of the faux
 fruit at DT. I bought 7 for $7. Amazon sells a set of 6 for $13.99

I have a glass door at the entrance to the kitchen.
Window clings are the way to go, there.

Faux flowers and an autumnal pick for pots in the front.

I'll show you pics of what I did with all of this, soon. I hope you had a lovely weekend!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the cook who doesn't want to put a lot of effort into meal prep

So another easy week of meals around my house. I must sound like the laziest cook around! Not lazy, just prioritizing other things over cooking, for the time being. I'm writing this from memory and I can't remember what Sunday was.

Saturday -- curried vegetables and chickpeas over fry bread, blackberries
Monday -- hot dogs over a fire, potato salad, cole slaw, strawberries, s'mores
Tuesday -- lentil soup from the freezer, garlic toast using hoagie rolls, cauliflower and mushroom saute
Wednesday -- egg salad sandwiches, pasta salad, green salad, fruit cup
Thursday -- meatball subs (using frozen meatballs and marinara sauce, in hoagie rolls), frozen green beans and applesauce

Tonight? Hmmm, I'll be out all day, with one of my daughters. Dinner will need to be fast and easy. I bought a 15-dozen case of eggs a week ago, so I think I'll do an egg-based supper. It might just be scrambled eggs and toast, with bananas and frozen peas.

One of my daughters and I are exploring business possibilities. So today is fun research. I don't want to talk about it too much, just yet. We need to firm up some ideas first. But I can say this much, today will be a very fun day for the two of us.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and you are out of range of Irma, where ever you may be. If you happen to live in the hurricane's path, stay safe, and may God protect you. I'll be praying for you.

Using cores and leaves of cauliflower

Because I've had to buy a lot of vegetables this summer, my grocery costs have been higher than normal. To address this, I've made sure that nothing is wasted.

Last week I bought a head of cauliflower. A lot of folks just use the tender flowerets. The cores and leaves can also be used in cooking. They tend to be tougher, so need some special attention, but nothing too complicated.

To use the leaves, thin slice them and chop fine. To use the cores, slice them into thin "coins," then julienne the coins into slivers. With both the leaves and cores sliced/chopped thin, you can saute these pieces to add to stir-fry. To ensure they are tender, add to the stir-fry early in cooking, and cook completely, with a little liquid, if possible.

The other night I stir-fried cauliflower (flowerets, leaves and core) along with sliced mushrooms, to which I added garlic and soy sauce. It was a delicious side dish and no one was even aware that I had used the core and leaves.

Cores and leaves of cauliflower are fibrous. The key is to slice across the fibers, reducing the length of each fiber significantly, and you'll have a tasty, edible extra portion of cauliflower that might have otherwise gone into the garbage.

Doing the math will save money

There are some traditional frugal activities that will save money, if all of the circumstances are right, such as canning a bounty produce. However, this venture requires a few things, in order for it to be indeed frugal, like having the canning equipment and a source of cheap or free fruits or vegetables. Most autumns I have a free source of apples, my own backyard. This year was a poor year for our garden and fruit trees. The weather just did not cooperate. I have only a handful of apples this year. That means that if I want applesauce I either have to buy apples to make it, or buy ready-made applesauce.

The last couple of weeks I have been craving applesauce, so I thought I would buy some apples and make my own. But I needed to do a price comparison between making my own and buying ready-made.

Best price on fresh apples this week is 88 cents/lb, in my area. Although the peels and cores are waste, that cost if offset by water that is added to commercial applesauce. So, I figure those as a wash in costing this out. My estimated price per pint is 88 cents, for homemade applesauce, right now, not factoring in fuel to run the stove.

At Fred Meyer I can buy the store brand of unsweetened applesauce at 10% off on Senior Discount Day (yesterday for this month). The regular price is $2.19 for 46 ounces. My cost after discount was $2. I found a digital coupon to load to my loyalty card, bringing the cost down to $1.70. That works out to 59 cents per pint.

Buying the ready-made applesauce was the money saver, this time. I went ahead and bought applesauce, instead of doing the traditionally frugal thing of making my own.

How about you? Have you ever found that DIY didn't save money after all?

I recognize that there can be other factors to consider in one of these equations, such as flavor, or organic vs. not organic. This time around, I was satisfied with the product I would have if buying the ready-made product. And now I have an idea of the price per pound that I need to find on fresh apples, to make applesauce for less than store-bought. The bonus is that I freed up valuable time to do other frugal or income-producing activities during my work hours.

One of my daughters did something really nice yesterday . .

. . . she put together a cook-out for the family. I'm sure part of this was a bit of self-interest, as she wanted a cook-out for the hot dogs and s'mores. And I also think she really wanted an evening of the family together.

Her menu:

• hot dogs cooked over the outdoor fire ring
• buns, for those who wanted one (I skipped the bun in favor of more potato salad)
• potato salad
• cole slaw
• strawberries
• carrots (she nixed the carrots at the last minute, on my suggestion, we had plenty of food otherwise)
• s'mores, using a homemade chocolate frosting/ganache in place of chocolate candy

She surprised me with how well she thought out a menu using only what we had on hand. She even made potato salad for the very first time, and it was delicious (I had seconds). She asked about making hot dog buns, but I suggested we just use whatever we have in the freezer, which ended up being hamburger buns. Works just fine.

The cook-out was fun, just sitting around the fire afterward. Although, the mosquitos ate me alive. We're in a bit of a heat-wave, here. The forecast is 93 for today, 87 for tomorrow. When you don't have A/C, that's pretty hot. How was your long weekend? Did you BBQ or have a cook-out? Or did you use the time to get a project done, or just relax?

Have a great day!

Homemade candy bars -- this winner may make it to holiday sweets platters

Last Thursday, I did a major shopping at Cash & Carry. While I knew my flatbed cart was full, it still shocked me that I went over $100, but did not buy meat or any super-large bags of staples. So, I was feeling like I needed to keep the remaining spending for at least a day or two to nothing (or less, if that could be possible).

Later in the afternoon I had a serious craving for a candy bar. I even thought about getting in the car and driving to the nearby drugstore just for a candy bar. Then it hit me, why not just make some candy bars? I went online in search of a good recipe and found one for homemade Almond Joy. The recipe calls for minimal cooking (just melting the dipping chocolate and toasting the almonds). In addition, the ingredients could all be found in my pantry and fridge. "This could be a winner," I was thinking. And it proved me right. I had a daughter as a partner in crime, to share in the fun of making these.

My total cost was just under $2 for a batch that made 12 good-sized pieces, at least as large as 6 full-size candy bars. The chocolate coating is much thicker than a real Almond Joy bar, and the flavor of the filling is better in this homemade version compared to the commercial bar. They smell amazing. Even the next day I could smell them in the kitchen.

Here's a link to the recipe that I followed Copycat Almond Joy.
This recipe is double what I made -- just to emphasize, I made a half-batch, as I really didn't want a full batch sitting around for me to consume.

I used real butter (a must for favor, IMO), and toasted some whole almonds in the oven on a tray at 350 degrees F, until lightly toasted (if you can smell the almonds in the oven, they are done). For the chocolate coating, I used the Kroger brand of what I think is Candiquik, a dipping chocolate that is typically found in grocery stores during the fall/winter baking season.  Wilton chocolate melting wafers would also work, as would any other dipping chocolate. Although the package of chocolate did not say to add Crisco shortening, I found I needed it to keep the chocolate thin enough to coat well. (When melting chocolate pieces for drizzling or dipping, I add a tiny amount of Crisco shortening to the chocolate. It makes the melted chocolate a bit thinner, but hardens up when the chocolate is cooled.)

For future batches, I'd like to try adding a couple of drops (like 2 or 3 drops) of almond extract to the coconut filling. As an alternative, a couple of drops of vanilla extract would also be a good flavor enhancer. I also think 2 almonds per bar (instead of 1) would be nice.

After forming the coconut filling, the bars needed to be kept chilled to hold their shape, until dipping in the melted chocolate. I dipped 4 at a time, and kept the rest in the fridge while dipping those 4. After the chocolate hardens, they can be kept in a cool pantry, in a tin for probably a week or two, with no problems with remaining firm. These were delicious and gone in 3 days in my house.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers in Late August

Whole chickens were on sale this past week at several stores for 87 cents per pound. While that isn't a stellar price, this late in the summer it may be close to the best price I'll see for a while (chicken, whole or parts, seems to be at its lowest in late spring in my area). I like whole chickens for their ease of cooking. You just rinse it out, sprinkle with seasoning and bake. When running errands on Saturday I picked up 6 whole chickens. That is about how many I can fit in the freezer right now.

On Sunday we roasted 1 of the chickens, and had just plain roasted chicken, with carrots and potatoes, and fresh blackberries. Right after dinner, my husband picked the meat of the bones, and I put the bones, skin and fat into the crockpot to simmer for a day.

On Monday I turned some of the chicken meat into soft shell tacos, using the last of the flour tortillas, garden tomatoes, lettuce, olives, lentils, cheese and a small container of taco sauce.

Tuesday, I made a chicken soup, using the last of the chicken meat, and the stock that I had made in the crockpot, plus leftover lentils from Monday's tacos,

By Wednesday we had finished off the whole chicken and I needed to cook again. Or do I? I polled the two kids in the kitchen in the morning and they voted unanimously (how unanimous can a polling group of two really be?) for the lentil soup in the freezer. I partially thawed it in the microwave, then dumped it into the crockpot for the day. Late in the afternoon I threw together a no-mayo cole slaw, creating a dressing of soy sauce, vinegar, oil, peanut butter, ginger and sugar. I also sliced fresh figs and baked some rosemary focaccia. Focaccia is one of those low-rise yeast breads that I love for its speed. It's basically just a pizza crust without toppings. I mix and briefly knead the dough, then press out onto a baking sheet, top with oil and seasonings and bake. The only rise-time is while the oven is pre-heating.

Thursday night I pulled marinara out of the freezer, along with ready-made meatballs. I cooked some bargain spaghetti and fresh cauliflower. I also made some garlic bread, using hoagie rolls.

For tonight, I have some leftover marinara sauce, so I'll make a cheese and meatball pizza for dinner. And maybe a green salad to go with the pizza.

That was our week of suppers. What was on your menu this past week? Any big plans for the long weekend? I've got a "date" with one daughter for some clothes shopping. She needs some clothes that will be more appropriate for her student teaching this next year, and is cashing in on a birthday offer/gift from me this past spring.

Have a wonderful weekend!

August 2017 Grocery Spending Journal

Surplus from last month, $80.27.

Aug. 6. After church a quick stop in at Albertson's for a few very basic necessities. I bought 1 small jar of peanut butter ($1.99), a dozen eggs ($1.39), 1 gallon of whole milk ($1.79), a loaf of bread ($1.50), a large head of Romaine lettuce (99 cents), and 3 bunches of bananas (about 15) for $3.26. Total spent $10.92.

This should get us through several days. I hope to go grocery shopping on Wednesday and do a good stock-up.

Aug. 9. Fred Meyer -- I'm going out of town for a week and I want to leave a good stock of easy to fix foods behind. This won't be cheap! I find a large box of mixed variety donuts on markdown for $2.29, a package of hot dog buns (for tonight's dinner) for $1.25, 2 loaves of wheat bread for 89 cents each, large bag of tortilla chips for $1.25, package of hot dogs for 89 cents, package of Black Forest lunchmeat ham for $3.49, 2 dozen eggs for 79 cents/dozen, 5 jars of peanut butter (1 free with coupon, 4 for $1.49 each), 2 chicken strip frozen dinners for $1.29 each, 2 Marie Callendar frozen turkey pot pies for $2.50 each, a large veggies tray marked down to $4.99, and a smaller veggies tray with dip for $4.49, a deli bean, pepper and salsa dip bowl for $5.99, a box of frozen fish sticks for $5.79, a bottle of Ranch salad dressing for $1.67, a large bottle of vegetable oil for $2.29,  half-gallon of skim milk marked down to 89 cents, a 5-lb bag of carrots for $2.99, about a dozen bananas for 59 cents/lb. Total spent -- $57.14

A lovely facebook friend sent me a 10% off Friends and Family coupon (Thank you!) which I had every intention to use today. I printed it out (along with some other papers), put the coupon and other papers into my purse as I was getting ready to leave. At the last minute, I grabbed my purse and saw all of those other papers and thought "I don't need those with me right now, I'll leave them on the bed." Well, of course, I'd forgotten about the coupon until I drove into the FM parking lot. At that point I figured it would cost me about as much in gas as I'd save with the coupon, and I was short on time. So I missed out on using that coupon. Frustrating.

Spent for the month, so far -- $68.06

Aug. 21
When I got home there were actually a few things left from the convenience items I had bought, even a couple of donut halves -- kind of stale, but a quick zap in the microwave and a stale maple bar becomes edible. I do need to get out for a good stock-up of basics and produce. I decided to go to Cash & Carry, where I splurged on produce. I bought a 5-lb bag of frozen green beans ($3.89), 3-pack of celery ($1.32), 4 lbs of strawberries ($6.28), 3 lbs of red grapes ($4.28), 4 bundles of bananas (49 cents/lb), 2 heads of Romaine lettuce ($1.49 each), 3 pack of English cucumbers ($3.37), head of green cabbage ($1.18), 5 lb bag of baby red potatoes ($4.78), 32 oz of frozen cranberry juice concentrate, enough to make a gallon of cranberry juice ($1.99), an institutional-size can of Stagg chili ($9.87), 5 lbs of frozen beef meatballs ($11.89), 5 lb block of mild cheddar cheese ($11.69), 2 gallon box of 2% milk ($4.87), 12-pack of hoagie rolls ($2.72), 1 gallon of soy sauce ($5.69). Total spent $81.23.

What a contrast in shopping weeks, right? I came home from my week away determined to eat as healthy as I can, even if it means spending more on produce than I would normally. And I also wanted to build in some conveniences, and that's where the hoagie rolls, canned chili and pre-made meatballs come in. The chili weighs about 6 lbs. It could easily feed our entire family for 3 meals, with maybe a little leftover, and very little work for me. I have this can tucked away in a closet for now. My plan is to pick up several institutional-size cans of chili, soup or stew this summer and fall, to make for easy meals later on. The meatballs will be added to some homemade marinara sauce, pre-made in large batches, and kept in the freezer, for spaghetti and meatballs or meatball subs (with the hoagie rolls, already tucked in the freezer). The hoagie rolls will serve as buns for pizza subs, meatball sandwiches and a base for garlic bread. I froze them so they wouldn't get gobbled up as snacks.  The baby red potatoes were a real splurge for me, at almost $1 per pound. But again, these are a convenience item. They are pre-scrubbed, small, and ready to give a quick rinse, prick and microwave. One or two of them are just right for a quick addition to my lunches, or chopped and added to an otherwise meager dinner if topped with some butter, or added to a salad. And I wanted them.

I had wanted to pick up some cocoa powder, but at Cash & Carry it's overpriced unless you buy a 5-lb bag. So I also made a stop at Trader Joe's, where I bought a 9 oz canister of cocoa powder ($2.49) plus a 1 lb package of applewood smoked bacon ends and pieces for $4.49. I also enjoyed tasty samples and free coffee.  Total spent $6.98.

Total spent for the month so far -- $156.27

Aug. 26 Running errands, spending time with one daughter, going to the farmer's market (way overpriced, here), window shopping, we stopped by Fred Meyer to pick up whole chickens on sale for 87 cents/lb. I picked out 6 chickens, bought 1 loaf of bread for 89 cents, and got a free box of Annie's mac and cheese. Spent $28.36.

Total spent for August -- $184.63. I had $230.27 available to spend this month, which leaves me with a surplus of $45.64 to roll over to September.

What I bought

Meat

1 package hot dogs
1 lb ham lunchmeat
2 frozen dinners
2 frozen pot pies
family-size box fish sticks
5 lbs meatballs
1 lb bacon ends and pieces
6 whole chickens

Produce

3 heads Romaine lettuce
45 bananas
2 veggie trays
1 bean, salsa, pepper dip bowl
5 lbs carrots
5 lbs frozen green beans
3 bundles celery
4 lbs strawberries
3 lbs grapes
3 large cucumbers
1 head green cabbage
5 lbs baby red potatoes
32 oz frozen cranberry juice concentrate

Dairy

3 dozen eggs
3  1/2 gallons milk
5 lbs cheddar cheese

Pantry

dozen donuts
4 loaves bread
1 package hot dog buns
1 large package hoagie rolls
1 bag tortilla chips
6 jars peanut butter
1 bottle Ranch dressing
1 bottle vegetable oil
large can of chili
1 gallon soy sauce
1 canister cocoa powder
1 box of macaroni and cheese (freebie)

It doesn't look like a lot of food, does it? We're still using up all of our surpluses in the freezer and pantry, and getting a smidge out of our very poor garden. I may go shopping later this morning, or I may just try and wait this out until Senior Shopping Day on Tuesday. For the month, I stopped at stores 5 times (with 2 of those times on the same outing), which tells me that I am not spending a whole lot of my time grocery shopping these days.

I hope that summer has been easy on your grocery budget!

Foods that we are now out of, and what I am doing to get by:

• fresh milk  -- mixing up powdered milk from the pantry
• sliced bread -- baking biscuits; making pancakes; making an occasional batch of focaccia, plain and seasoned
• bananas, grapes, other purchased fresh fruit -- using wild blackberries, and figs from our trees
• mayonnaise -- making dressings with oil and vinegar instead; using individual packets of salad dressing which contain mayo
• eggs (not quite out, down to 2 eggs, so saving those last two) -- using egg substitutes

Coffee hour treats

I serve at our church's coffee hour on a rotational basis. In addition to pouring juice and making coffee, we provide the snacks for the hour. Snacks mostly come in the form of a baked good, like cookies, cupcakes, donuts, and quick breads. Sometimes there is cheese, crackers or fruit.  This past Sunday was my turn. I baked and frosted some cookies, using a mix and canned frosting that I picked up on clearance late last winter (cookie mix was 42 cents, frosting 37 cents).

The mix made 3 dozen cookies, exactly, and I needed another 2 dozen treats of some sort. I had thought I would swing by Cash & Carry early on Sunday and pick up a container of fresh strawberries to put out for the remainder of the my treats. I ran short on time and energy, and I really wanted to just use what I had on hand. In looking for something healthy in my fridge I found some red grapes and a large block of cheddar cheese. In about 15 minutes, I made 2 1/2 dozen mini-kebabs of cheese and grapes.

I saved time, energy and money by choosing to do these instead of buying strawberries. And they went over very well.

My dumb-phone life

I have a pay-as-you-go phone plan for my $4.99 cheapo phone. When I load minutes, I check online for coupon codes to enter at check-out. By doing so, I wind up with an extra 40 or 50 minutes of free airtime. It takes about 60 seconds to find a coupon code, and I get enough extra minutes for about 80 brief texts. Since I mostly use my phone for texting my daughters concerning when they'll be home each day, this is like getting a month of free end-of-day texting for my phone. I don't want to be responsible for sending someone to a "bad" site, but if you google your phone plan company + "coupon codes" your search should bring you to a site with listings of active codes, plus some reviews or comments to get an idea of whether or not the codes will work. Sometimes a coupon code is expired or only designed to be use once. When that happens, I simply back-up and try a different code. Within one or two tries I find a working code. Last Thursday I added airtime and used a code for 40 free minutes. My minutes cost me about 7.8 cents each, so I got $3.15 worth of free airtime for 60 seconds of work, or an hourly wage of $189.00. Not too shabby.

By the way, I love my dumb-phone. It does what I need it to do for under $10 per month, and I have a nice pic of my kids as my screen saver every time I turn it on. Everyone else in my household has a smartphone, but I am really okay with not having one. The money that I save by using a non-smartphone goes to things that matter more to me, like travel.

Mini-update -- after mentioning I'd added minutes to my phone to one daughter, she told me that she had wanted to buy me a smartphone as a belated birthday and Christmas present. Very sweet of her, but I declined. I honestly am just fine with my dumb-phone. By the way, I'm not trying to convince anyone else to want what I want. My point is that knowing what we want and what we don't want saves money and simplifies choices.

Preparing meals when I don't feel like it

One of the difficulties with depression is that every last chore feels like so much more work than it ever did before. For me, putting on shoes felt like a lot of work. (That's hard to imagine, isn't it?) So, for most of winter, spring and summer, if I didn't need to go somewhere I just wore slippers all day, even outside in the garden, in the yard, or on the deck. It was just simpler.

Now if this is just shoes, can you imagine what cooking feels like? It's been a struggle to make high-quality meals while not feeling myself, and while taking on some added work in the form of classes and seminars to prepare to go back to work and/or start a business. However, I do like to eat.

My solution has been to take the simple route as much as possible. We've had a lot of hot dog dinners. I have been buying bread and buns instead of baking regularly. I'm not scavenging in the garden as much, but buying produce instead. And side dishes for meals are simple but delicious foods.

Some for instances of simple but delicious sides this week. . .

fresh figs from the garden to top cut up fruit

a dressing to top a green salad -- pureed basil, cherry tomatoes, garlic and the tail end of a vinaigrette, using a stick blender in a cup to puree

blueberry coffee cake, where the tiring part was picking the blueberries; otherwise, to make coffee cake, I add less liquid and more sugar to my standard scratch pancake recipe, then top with a cinnamon crumb topping -- no recipe or cookbook to get out.

just plain strawberries, delicious, fresh, but plain. It is so unlike me to not even slice the strawberries.

I have had to be selective in how I use my time and energy. Good food matters, but fancy food does not.

Not every day has been hard. I don't go around with a glum look on my face all of the time. And I do think that I am having more positive days than I had been.

A different take on my Cheap & Cheerful menus. What was on your menu this past week? The summer fresh foods will be yielding to autumn comfort foods soon. Is there any particular summer food that you will miss? Have a great weekend!