A long receipt for Senior Discount Day

I think this may have been my largest grocery shopping trip at Fred Meyer. I've bought more than this at Cash & Carry, but the carts are different there (flatbed style), so it never seems as much. The four indications that this was a big shopping trip:

1. I filled the cart above the top edges, and was hanging on to a few items so they wouldn't topple out.
2. My purchases completely filled the car's trunk, and I had to put several bags into the back seat.
3. I think this may be the longest receipt I have ever received, over a yard long -- 38 inches.
4. I completely filled both the garage fridge and the kitchen fridge.

I only deviated from my shopping list for a couple of items: some oyster crackers to use in soups (less expensive than the saltines that I buy, and at least part of the time that we eat crackers it's to crumble into soup); 2 extra loaves of bread, as they were marked down; asparagus because it was on sale for $1.49/lb; and 2 half gallons of chocolate milk, because they were marked down. I spent $111.48 on food. The other day I spent $91.97 at Cash & Carry. oh boy, this is not good -- $203.45 and it's only early March. The good news is that we won't need to shop for several weeks. Between the 2 stores, I think I bought just about everything we could need for the month of March. Maybe some of this will last into next month, but I don't like to count on something so unknown. I may be increasing our monthly grocery allotment.

Keeping a monthly log of what I buy is a money and time-saver

So, this month, this is how I have changed things just a little bit and I believe I will save both money and time.

Taking the most advantage of Senior Discount Day
I copied and pasted my "what I bought" section from February's journal into a Word document. Then, I went through the list, item by item, determining if I bought too much, too little, or just the right amount of each item. For the items that I buy at Fred Meyer, if they are house-brand, I save 10% if I buy them on the first Tuesday of the month. If I don't buy enough of the item, then I find myself back at the store paying that 10% extra. So, after going through my list, I adjusted the amounts accordingly, so that I can buy closer to the right amount, and take advantage of sales and discounts on specific items. Here's an example, I save 10% on soy yogurt at Fred Meyer on Senior Discount day. Soy yogurt is expensive stuff, so that can add up to a couple of dollars of savings if I buy enough to get through the entire month. On Senior Discount day in February, I did buy some soy yogurt, but not nearly enough to get through till March. I subsequently bought more at the full price. Misjudging how much I would want cost me 93 cents.

Comparing prices between what I paid this past month and Cash & Carry's online info 
After adjusting amounts (and deleting any items that I don't want for March), I used my price paid info for Fred Meyer in my journal and the product/price search on Cash & Carry's website to see which store sold each product at the best price. Cash & Carry is not always the best-price store, even when buying in institutional sizes. I noted on my list where I would be buying each item. My list now entails 1 stop at Cash & Carry, 1 stop at Fred Meyer, and 1 stop at Dollar Tree.

By doing just these two things, adjusting amounts to what we actually need for the month, and sourcing the better store for each item, it looks like I will save about $10. This is on top of savings that I already realize each month through sticking to a mostly "basics" shopping list, and shopping at the low-cost stores and shopping loss-leaders.

Saving time making my list
The time-saving aspect is that 80% of my list was generated by my previous grocery journal. The other 20% will be items which come up on sale in March, and the few items of which we completely ran out. How simple is that for making out a shopping list -- cut/paste into a Word doc -- easy-peasy done.

I made my stop at Cash & Carry, as they had items on sale through yesterday that I wanted to be sure to pick up. Tomorrow is Senior Discount Day at Fred Meyer. My list is long, but at least I am organized. Up and out early it shall be!

While waiting for Senior Discount grocery day . . .

I am making do with what is in the kitchen, including:

• stretching the remaining decaf black tea by drinking herb tea, made with herbs cut and dried from my garden 2 summers ago (if only I kept bees, the honey would be free, too). I am drinking mixed mint tea and lemon balm tea. Both very good, and I can drink them right up till bedtime with no after effects.
• making steel cut oats in the crockpot overnight a couple of nights per week. I add dried blueberries in the morning for "gourmet" oatmeal.
• ran out of white flour, so I'm substituting sifted whole wheat flour (to remove some of the bran) for all-purpose in some simple baking. BTW, this was horrible in a lemon mug cake, but worked well in a chocolate one. The wheat-y taste overwhelmed the lemon, but was disguised by cocoa powder.
• scrounging the freezers for overlooked items, I found a 3-lb box of frozen spinach, hot dogs, bacon, cream puffs, and smoked salmon. A few special items to get us through the last few days till Tuesday.
• using mint syrup that I made and canned 2 summers ago from my mint plants, when making chocolate-mint cocoa.
• used some milk that was a week past the sell-by date to make chocolate pudding. I packed the leftovers into a small canning jar for my daughter's lunch (this one loves pudding!).  BTW, small peanut butter jar lids fit some, but not all, canning jars. The narrow opening, pint and half pint-sized canning jars must be a tad larger where the threads are, than the small, squat 4-oz jars and the globe-shaped, fruit-embossed 8-oz jars. Those latter two jars work well with plastic lids from commercial jars, like peanut butter ones.
• scraped out a jam jar and blended with plain cream cheese for a flavored cream cheese spread. Really delicious on saltine crackers.

There is still plenty of food in the kitchen. These are just some of the treats that I've made to make what we have left seem "special." You know how it is, the "good" stuff gets gobbled up quickly after shopping. What remains is all of the ordinary foods, or basic ingredients. I find that if I make extra efforts in that last week before a major shopping trip, then we don't feel deprived of any of that "good" stuff that we had earlier.

Senior Discount day is this coming Tuesday. I've been putting together my list and will refrain from buying anything that I plan on getting at Fred Meyer where my discount would apply, until then. The big challenge will be this weekend, with everyone home. I'll have to put on some creativity.

February 2018 Grocery Journal

A new month, a new budget. I have $158.18 in the grocery budget for February. It's a short month, so that should help.

Feb. 3. Saturday mornings have become a time for one daughter and I to do a little grocery shopping. She chooses foods that she wants to eat for the weekend, and I pick up foods for my other daughter for her to make quick lunches. (The other daughter has been busy on Saturdays, in rehearsals, so I pick foods for her.) Fred Meyer is my low-cost option. What I bought this week -- 3 marked down apples ($1), 6 bananas (49 cents/lb), 1 small bunch celery (99 cents/lb), 3 lbs onions ($1.49), 1 green pepper (79 cents), 1 English cucumber (69 cents), 1 box of granola bars ($2.19), 1 loaf of whole wheat bread ($1.50), about 5.5 lbs of petite sirloin steak, beef ($2.97/lb), 2 regular yogurts (40 cents each), 2 soy yogurts ($1.39/each), 1 lb box of strawberries ($1.97), 1 gallon milk ($2.59), 1 package hot dogs (89 cents). I also bought a marked down individual spinach, bacon, cranberry, parmesan salad bowl for $1.99 -- my lunch after shopping. Tuesday will be Senior Discount Day, so I didn't want to buy a whole lot today, just enough to get through a few days. Total spent today -- $37.05

Feb. 6. Senior Discount Day at Fred Meyer. I bought 3 lb container vegetable shortening (4.47), 3 jars peanut butter (1.61 ea), organic raspberry spread (3.17), 2 large jars applesauce (1.79 ea), 2 cans tuna (72 cents ea), 3 half gallons milk (89 cents ea), half gallon soy milk (2.25), 2 frozen orange juice concentrate, 12 oz (1.34 ea), 24 oz string cheese(4.49), 4 8-oz bricks sharp cheddar (1.50 ea), 5 lbs carrots (2.69), 3 lbs onions (1.49), marked down onion, 1/2 lb (10 cents), 2 marked down avocados (45 cents ea), 2 yams (99 cents/lb), 2 English cucumbers (69 cents ea), bundle celery (99 cents/lb), 1 lb tofu (1.52), 5 soy yogurts (1.25 ea), 12 yogurts (36 cents ea), 2 boxes whole wheat saltines (1.35 ea), box graham crackers (1.79), box granola bars (2.06), 2 packs ramen soup (25 cents ea), 2 packs flour tortillas (89 cents ea), 5 oz bag cooked bacon bits for salads (2.18), 2 14-oz chicken Polish sausage (2.49/ea), 2 18-ct eggs (1.87 ea), 5 lbs potatoes (1.59), turkey bacon (2.24), 1/4 lb dried blueberries (3.10), .11 lb pepita seeds (67 cents), .12 lb dried cranberries (44 cents), 3 marked down apples (66 cents/lb), bag of spinach (1.79), large bag salad kit(3.79), 3 marked down bananas (39 cents/lb), marked down meat, cheese, veggie and dip tray (5.39), whole wheat hot dog buns (1.12), 5 loaves whole wheat bread (1.35 ea). Total spent --$106.67

Total spent for the month, so far -- $143.72

I think that we're pretty well set for the month. I'll make one more stop at Fred Meyer later in the month, hopefully spending $20, to pick up produce and whatever else my daughter wants for weekends. I think the milk, bread, cheese and egg situation is good for the month. Those are staples that I need to keep on hand. If a great sale on another regularly-used item comes up, then I will spend more and go over budget. But that can't be helped, if it's something I need.

Feb.10. One-day sale on butter at Fred Meyer, $1.99/lb, limit 5 lbs (w/ coupon). I buy my 5, and 3 loaves of bread, marked down to 79 cents/loaf, package of 2 donuts, marked down to 49 cents total, 3 marked down apples (about 66 cents/lb), a large jar of salsa (2.50), 1 Clif bar for my daughter (1.25) and my freebies for the week of a 2-pack of aluminum foil baking trays and 1 box of Valentine's candy hearts. Total spent $17.56

The butter sale came at just the right moment, as we had run out of butter earlier in the week. Unfortunately, this was a one-day, limit 5 per household, with downloadable coupon type of sale. No wiggle room for buying any more than the limit. Provided we don't do a lot of baking, I think we can make this stretch for 2 months. The salsa and Clif bar were items that I could have picked up on Tuesday, and received a discount, but I forgot them. I would have saved 38 cents if I had remembered. Oh well. I can't fix that now. The package of 2 donuts will be divided into 4 portions for Sunday or Monday's breakfast. A fun treat, and only 25 cents per donut.

Total spent so far -- $161.28

Feb. 14. Valentine's Day. Went to Fred Meyer to pick up some asparagus ($1.67/lb), mushrooms $1.89/lb) and strawberries ($3.49/lb) for the special day.  I'll use steaks from earlier this month, and shrimp from the freezer (bought in December), potatoes, and bake a small cheesecake for tonight's special dinner.
Spent today --$7.23

Feb. 21. Last shopping of the month. I bought 1 box of 8 donuts on markdown (99 cents), 4 individual yogurts on markdown (19 cents each), 3 lbs of strawberries ($5 for 3 boxes), 3 marked down apples (about 66cents/lb), 3 bananas (49 cents/lb), almost a quart of soy yogurt ($6.49), 1 Hershey's candy bar (freebie). Total spent -- $14.75


Total for the month -- $183.26


I've added information on what I buy from markdown racks to the list below, after such items. I add this to show how I shop, in a sense.

• When I first enter the grocery store I head straight for the markdown produce rack. The rack is filled early to mid-morning every day, and is reloaded throughout the morning. I plan shopping for that time period. I always find something I want on the rack. 
• In addition, there is packaged produce in the cooler/sprayed area, like bags of salad, veggie trays, mushrooms that are marked down in their regular area of the store. Those items are more hit and miss. 
• After checking the marked down produce, I next head to the milk, bakery, and general merchandise marked down racks (all adjacent to one another).  
• After markdowns, I check for the freebie of the week (often limited amounts available).This does mean a little extra leg work, as I survey all of the marked down racks/areas, and freebie items before buying the rest of the groceries. The marked-down produce makes fresh produce in winter affordable for our budget. 
• When I have finished my shopping, I circle back to the produce department to see if the produce markdowns have been reloaded. They often have been. 
• At Fred Meyer, I find better prices on meat as loss leaders, than on markdown. But I do know that many other stores have great prices on marked down meat.

For the time being, we are feeding 3.5 people almost all meals per week. One family member is receiving about half the week's meals in a treatment program for an illness. I don't have a lot of time for chasing sales right now, and less time/energy to cook from scratch. My garden is dormant, and I preserved extraordinarily little from last years garden (some herbs, blackberries, and 2 pumpkins). I had some meat in the freezer and staples in the pantry from fall shopping, but no large stashes of canned goods.So, what I am buying this winter is a good indication of what we are living off. I've splurged on several occasions. It's just been that sort of month. I went over my budgeted amount by $25.08. March should bring us closer to the $200/month allotment.

What I Bought:

Meat
2 packages hot dogs
5.5 lbs beef steaks
2 large "ropes" Polish sausage
1 package turkey bacon
2 cans tuna
container cooked bacon bits

Dairy Case
2.5 gallons milk
25 individual containers yogurt (4 marked down)
not quite qt of soy yogurt
1 lb tofu
2.5 lbs cheddar
1.5 lbs string cheese
1/2 gallon soy milk
3 dozen eggs
5 lbs butter

Produce
5 lbs strawberries
2 bunches celery
1 green pepper
3 cucumber
12 apples (markdown rack)
12 bananas (3 markdown rack)
1 single serving salad (markdown rack)
6.5 lbs. onions (1/2 lb markdown rack)
2 large jars applesauce
2 cans orange juice concentrate (enough for 98 oz juice)
2 avocados (markdown rack)
2 yams
5 lbs potatoes
dried blueberries
dried cranberries
bag of baby spinach
large bag of salad kit
large meat, cheese, veggie and dip tray (markdown rack)
1 lb mushrooms (markdown rack)
1.12 lbs asparagus

Pantry
2 boxes granola bars
9 loaves bread (3 markdown rack)
1 package hot dog buns
2 boxes whole wheat crackers
1 box graham crackers
20 flour tortillas
vegetable shortening
3 jars peanut butter
1 jar raspberry spread
2 packs ramen soup
pepita seeds
1 package Valentine's candy (freebie)
1 Clif bar
2 donuts (markdown rack)
jar of salsa
1 box of 8 donuts (marked down)
1 Hershey candy bar (freebie)

January 2018 Grocery Journal

I didn't post an itemization of December spending at the end of last month. In totaling the receipts, I spent $330. Yeah -- a lot for me! But, we entertained guests on two occasions and had an additional two nice meals for our family, within that $330. I had an entertaining and holiday meal budget of $80 for those four events, so, only $250 came out of the grocery budget. That amount was still over by about $70, and I had overspent the previous month by $62 -- sooooo, I begin the new year $132 in the hole.

Jan. 2. Senior Discount Day at Fred Meyer. I did well. 2 lbs of whole wheat pasta (90 cents/lb), whole wheat saltines ($1.34), 4 loaves of day old bread (79 cents/each), 2 jars of peanut butter (1 free, 1 for $1.25), 2 jars of applesauce ($1.79 each), 2 gallons milk ($2.33/gallon), 7 bananas (49 cents/lb), 12 marked down apples for about 50 cents/lb, 1 head of green cabbage (49 cents/lb), 1 lb marked down mushrooms ($1.89), 1 green bell pepper (50 cents), 3 protein bars (90 cents each), 2 lbs of cashews ($4.04/lb), 2 cans tuna (71 cents each), 1 lb tofu ($1.61), 1/2 gallon soy milk ($2.24), 5 lbs potatoes ($1.59), 5 lbs carrots ($2.69), box of 8 donuts (99 cents), 24-oz jar salsa ($2.25), 2-pack fruit cups (freebie). I had a $5 off any purchase coupon on top of the deals and sales. My total spent on food was $51.42.

Jan. 4. WinCo for some ice cream and cocoa toppings (they've got a great bulk bin selection). I remembered cash and my own bag -- woo hoo! Small amount hot/cold chocolate milk mix (48 cents), instant dry milk ($1.13), coffee creamer (45 cents), chocolate sprinkles ($2.30), 2 candy canes (6 cents each), mini marshmallows (98 cents), rainbow sprinkles ($1.92), peanuts (81 cents), plus some baking cocoa for brownies (65 cents), 3 lbs onions (98 cents), 2 cans olives (88 cents each), olive oil ($5.06). 6 cent refund for bringing my own bag. Spent $16.58. I bought lots of many ingredients, enough extra for decorating birthday cakes this spring, and Easter fairy cakes.

Spent so far -- $68.00

Jan. 13. One daughter needed to pick up a few things for herself at Fred Meyer, so I gave her a ride and checked out the produce while there. I bought 1 large, marked down veggie tray for $4.49, 16 marked down apples for about 50 cents/lb, and 2 half gallons of milk for 99 cents each. The apples will be great for lunches and the veggie tray is for an after church lunch on Sunday. we don't need as much milk as we used to. I think the 2 half gallons will get us through the end of the month. Total spent -- $10.47

Jan. 8. Daughter picked up ice cream for the family, and I reimbursed her. $2.50

Spent so far -- $80.97

Jan. 20. Fred Meyer for produce and to use "freebie" coupons. I bought 1 head green cabbage (49 cents/lb), 1 large cucumber (79 cents), 1 27 oz bag Asian salad mix ($2.29), 2 marked down bananas (39 cents/lb), 5 bananas (49 cents/lb), 6 marked down apples (about 66 cents/lb), 1 loaf whole wheat bread($1.50), 1 package hot dogs (89 cents), 2-pack Chobani yogurt (freebie), 1 Lara bar (freebie), 1 bag kettle corn (freebie). Spent $9.74

Spent so far -- $90.71

Jan. 27. More produce and bread at Fred Meyer. I bought 6 marked down apples (about 66 cents/lb), 1 large cucumber (69 cents), 2 lb bag of carrots ($1.29), 5 bananas (49 cents/lb), 3 small yogurts (40 cents each), 1 soy yogurt ($1.39), 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese ($2.99), 1 loaf of whole wheat bread ($1.50), 1 Epic Bison and Cranberry protein snack bar (freebie -- was super delicious and I might buy this sometime in the future). Spent $11.63.

Spent so far, for January -- $102.34

Jan. 30. A splurge for my lunch -- I stopped at Safeway while getting supplies to repair a broken tail light lens. I bought a large cup of mixed berries and a vegetable and cheese tray. Total spent $7.48.

Spent for the month of January -- $109.82

We're living off of frozen and pantry foods, supplemented with smaller purchases of produce, bread, and dairy. In addition to buying "regular" foods, I also picked up a few treats for our family, including cocoa mix and sprinkles/marshmallows, ice cream, cashews, and donuts. These treats keep us from buying more expensive take-out snacks, like coffee shop cocoa, donut shop pastries, or ice cream cones, yet we still have the satisfaction of a nice treat.


So, $109.82 -- I think I did a great job keeping grocery spending down this month. I had $68 in the grocery budget at the beginning of the month (after subtracting the amount I had overspent in December). I am still over, but now only by $41.82. I'll carry that overage into February's budget. For February, I'll have $158.18 for groceries.


What I bought:

Meat
2 cans tuna fish
1 package hot dogs
1 individual serving meat and fruit protein bar

Dairy Case
3 gallons milk
1/2 gallon soy milk
1 lb tofu
ice cream
6 single-serve containers yogurt (2 were freebies)
1 lb cheddar cheese

Produce
2 large jars applesauce
52 apples
19 bananas
1 green pepper
2 heads green cabbage
2 fruit cups (freebie)
7 lbs carrots
1 lb mushrooms
5 lbs potatoes
24 ounces salsa
large mixed veggie tray
2 cucumbers
large bag salad
large cup of fresh berries
small vegetable/dip and cheese tray

Pantry 
1 lb saltines
2 lbs whole wheat pasta
6 loaves bread
4 protein bars (1 freebie)
8 donuts
2 lbs cashews
2 16 oz jars peanut butter (1 freebie)
1 bag of mini marshmallows
assorted toppings, like peanuts, sprinkles, candy canes
1/4 lb of baking cocoa
ingredients for over a pint of instant cocoa mix
pint of olive oil
2 cans olives
1 bag kettle corn (freebie)

It's been several weeks. . .

since my last post. I offer my apologies. I am going through a difficult time right now -- something I have to do alone, and in my own head much of the time. This, combined with a schedule that leaves me chronically sleep-deprived, means that I have had little to say on the topic of frugal living, or anything else, for that matter. I hope you are not only well, but thriving!

About frugal living . . .

we continue to live somewhat frugally (big medical bills, but otherwise, we're keeping spending in check). The area in which I think our family does exceptionally well is discretionary spending. I am guessing that many of you excel in this area, too. Discretionary spending is an interesting topic for many of us. And it's interesting to the U.S. government, too. The Department of Labor and Statistics tracks information about consumer spending every year.

When it comes to spending, I define discretionary as non-essential and optional. I consider school costs, including required books and tuition, as non-discretionary. Here are the top 10 categories of discretionary spending that the US gov't tracks.

1) apparel products, related services of repair and cleaning (includes dry cleaning, storage and rental of clothing, jewelry and watch repair)

2) tobacco

3) entertainment equipment and services (includes sports equipment, hunting/fishing equipment, boats, and photography equipment)

4) alcoholic beverages, in home or out

5) fees and admissions (concerts, movies, live performances, sporting events)

6) vacations/leisure travel (includes lodging and travel expenses)

7) hobbies, books for leisure reading, toys, pets and veterinary care, backyard playground equipment 

8) television, radio, sound equipment and service, internet providers, computers and video games

9) gifts

10) food not consumed at home

So, for myself -- never spend in categories 2 or 4. In January, no spending in categories 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, or 9 (I don't count charitable gifts or tithing as category #9). We did pay the bill for #8, internet service (no cable or satellite TV), and 3 of us went out to lunch at Five Guys one Saturday, category #10. That's it -- aside from buying needed groceries, school supplies, and paying the non-discretionary bills (including tuition), our frivolous discretionary spending for the entire month of January consisted of internet service for the household and one lunch out. 

During this month, we also entertained guests once, at home, cooking from scratch. When out running errands/going to appointments, I have brought coffee made at home with me, or drank whatever freebies were available, and brought snacks or breakfast wrapped in a napkin to eat when hungry. I have made my own sweets, treats, and snacks from ingredients in the pantry. We watched movies on dvds or online, entertained myself with online sudoku and crossword puzzles, and leisure-traveled nowhere.  Fortunately, no birthdays this month for which to buy gifts. And I bought no clothing, jewelry, or hobby supplies. I'd say that 2018 is off to a good start. We can't really do anything about medical bills. One either needs medical care or they don't. Those bills are sinking us now; hopefully, in the near future, medical expenses will once again be next to nothing.

When I'm paying big, big bills, it sometimes helps to think of all of the ways that I am not spending.

The toppings and cocoa bar

So, those nice jars that I cleaned up last week. Here they are filled.

The kiosk where I saw something similar was selling funnel cakes or ice cream or something like that, which were topped with customer's choice from some nice jars. Those jars were filled with sprinkles, chopped nuts, granola, gummy candies, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips. My thought in that moment was "wouldn't these be fun filled with sprinkles to add to toast, bread and butter, pbj's, waffles, yogurt, cocoa, or ice cream, just to fun-tize something which is otherwise sort of ordinary."

I had to take care to not buy anything that would just be eaten by the handful, so chocolate chips would not be an option, nor would granola (otherwise I would be refilling the jars daily). And I wanted to do this on a budget, so I scoured my kitchen (leftover candy canes anyone?), then went to WinCo for their bulk bin selection and low prices.

Besides the large jar in the center back filled with cocoa mix, this is what else I chose for the jars.

rainbow sprinkles

chopped peanuts

mini marshmallows

chocolate sprinkles

broken candy canes

flaked coconut

All set on a simple tray from my pantry. Now, who would like a piece of fairy bread?

Repurposed glass jars for something special

Do you ever see something in a store or at the mall that provides inspiration for your own interpretation of an item or set of items?

Over the holidays, my daughters and I spent a couple of mornings at our local mall, where I was struck with the appeal of some filled jars on a ledge of a kiosk. I won't give away what was in those jars just yet. Anyway, I thought "gee, I need to get me some of them neato jars." My two daughters were with me that morning and agreed that my idea would be awesome. Once home I found that I had 6 of these square Lemon Curd jars, which looked to be perfect for my little project.

The obstacle (as always with repurposed jars) is the labels, front and back and very well-adhered to the glass. However, these jars are square, which means the labeled sides would rest flatly in a shallow dish of rubbing alcohol. Just before heading out to run errands I placed 4 of the jars in a glass dish with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol. When I came home I used a metal scraper to remove the bulk of the label on the underside, and then flipped the jars over. After removing the paper part of the labels I continued to soak the jars for a little longer, until I could use a cloth to rub off any sticky residue. I ran the jars through the dishwasher and I now have 6 wonderful square jars for filling.

Come back on Monday to see what these are now filled with.

The rubbing alcohol is reusable. I put what was still in the dish into a glass jar to use another time.

Happy New Year!

Greetings, friends!

I woke up to this on Christmas morning!

It has been several weeks since I posted last. I wasn't ready to come back until this week. December was a bittersweet month. Some sadness, some joy. But January is here, and a new year of hope is upon us. Even without losing a friend or providing support for a family member's illness, December is always a difficult month for me. Life feels like it gets narrower in December. In contrast, January ushers in an openness and broad expanses of possibilities. And so, I am very grateful to be in the new year.

My January "Haul" 

This morning was Senior Discount Day for me. One daughter was home with me so the two of us did the shopping together. January's grocery shopping should be much more frugal than November's and December's. I took advantage of several coupons, stacked with discount on store-brand products, and spent $51.42. I'll also need to make 1 trip to Cash & Carry for a couple of items. Even so, I don't think I will spend more than $150.00 on food for the month. I spent a lot in December, so I hope to make up for some of the overspending in the early months of 2018. We're off to a great start! On the 1st, we went to Goodwill and I spent a grand total of 28cents (something for next Christmas), one daughter bought nothing, and the other bought a jacket (her money, not mine). And today, the daughter who came shopping with me treated me to lunch out. (We split a burger and fries at our local Shake 'N Go.)

I'm back to posting on my blog, but for the next few weeks, I will likely post just a few times per week. I hope that you had a lovely holiday and are primed for 2018. Happy new year!

A Hand-crafted Christmas Item

This is one of my favorite decor items that I have made. I did this many years ago and bring it out each Christmas. I followed something that I found in a magazine, so no credit to me for the idea. Anyway, The tree is embroidered using a chain stitch and zig zag stitch on my ordinary sewing machine. My machine came with about 4 or 5 different stitch possibilities, and I used these two.

I took a square of plain fabric and pieced together the border in blue around the square. Then I ironed on some interfacing to the backside to keep the fabric stiff for machine embroidery. Using a piece of chalk, I drew the outline for my primitive tree on the fabric, overlapping onto the border slightly.

With brown thread in the machine, I used a wide, but tight, zig zag stitch to create the trunk of the tree, periodically making the width of the stitch narrower as I ascended the trunk. Switching to forest green thread and changing the stitch to a chain stitch, I used both forward and reverse stitching to create primitive branches on the tree, and some needles along the trunk.

Once the tree was complete, I added a "pot" out of a square of print fabric that it attached with a tight zig zag stitch.

The ornaments and tree topper are buttons sewn to the plain fabric. I stitched on gold thread for the "hangers" for each ornament.

Finally, I made edge-piping out of red and white striped fabric on the diagonal, then sandwiched that in between the front and back of the pillow and stitched 7/8 of the way around, turned right side out, stuffed and hand-stitched the opening closed.

I share this idea because I think the primitive tree design, without ornaments, could be used to embellish a plain fabric for a table runner, napkins, or plain stockings for the holidays. It's simplicity is charming, IMO.

DIY mailing labels

Do you buy mailing labels? I'm guessing you don't either. I just make mine out of a 3X5 notecard (or similar-sized piece of paper), glue stick, and clear package tape.

I cover the back of a card with glue stick, attach to package, and address with a Sharpie.

Then I cover the whole thing with clear packing tape. The packing tape holds the card on, waterproofs the label, and seals the package shut.

DIY mailing labels have been working just fine for me -- never a hitch. Just sayin'.

Cheap & Cheerful for a Chilly Week

Saturday
turkey-vegetable soup
biscuits

Sunday
bean, rice and cheese burritos
peas

Monday
spaghetti and meatballs
peas
green beans
garlic bread

Tuesday
scrambled eggs
smashed potatoes
cole slaw
baked squash

Wednesday
lentil, sausage, and vegetable soup
Yorkshire pudding
applesauce

Thursday
fried rice with veggies, tofu, egg, and potstickers
canned pineapple slices


I hope everyone had a wonderful week. We've been trying to get into the Christmas spirit. Last Sunday we went to a concert of carols which was lovely. One daughter narrated. The rest of the week has been a bit harried and anxiety-provoking. Seeking help for a family member. Keep us in your prayers, if you can.

Have a terrific weekend!

Lentil Love

I spent a very long afternoon in a waiting room yesterday (for a family member, not me). Fortunately. they had free coffee and tea. I think I personally emptied their pot of decaf. I meant to grab a banana on my way out the door, but got side-tracked printing out a map. All I had to eat in my purse was a tiny candy cane and a few Tums. Not exactly gourmet dining. By the time we got home it was 4:30 and I had nothing made for dinner, or even partly made, and I was pretty hungry. Lentils to the rescue.

I worked as hard and fast as I could and managed to get a lentil, sausage, and vegetable soup plus Yorkshire pudding made by 5:45. I added some applesauce for everyone, and dinner was ready for the table.

So, what I love about lentils --

• they're fast, taking about 40 minutes, or so, to cook till tender
• they don't need pre-soaking
• they're high in fiber (and we know why that's important)
• they're packed with protein -- the Harvard School of Public Health ranked them above beef, chicken and fish for a protein source, to reduce the onset of major diseases
• they're a good source of folate and iron, two nutrients important for women's health 
• they're cheap 

I have another, similar appointment to attend on Friday. I think I'll plan ahead a little better.

Senior Shopping Day for December

A very full cart once again! I spent $95.66 on food. I combined coupons with sales, clearance, and discounts as much as I could. I even picked up a package of Lil Smokies for our tree-decorating party, the turkey bacon for Christmas day brunch and the ham for Christmas dinner. I think I did pretty well. We are now stocked on sugar and coffee, enough for about 6 months, and eggs enough to get through January. I'll make a stop at Cash and Carry later this week or next week and should be well-stocked for the month. I made one mistake. I thought the sale on peanut butter was good for natural as well as regular peanut butter. It wasn't. I don't want to return this for the regular stuff as one of my kids really prefers the natural style. I had a $9 off coupon for my total sale, so in my mind I'm just figuring that $9 covered the non-sale price on the peanut butter, bringing my cost per jar down to 44 cents.

Once again, the shopping exhausted me. Does anyone else feel on edge when they buy so much? As I was loading everything onto the conveyer belt to check out I felt uneasy about spending that much money in one go, and bringing home that much food. Now that it's home I'm glad to have it all, but the uneasiness of spending a lot at once is hard to take.

Five Fabulously Free Decorating Ideas for the Holidays

We'll be entertaining a couple of times over the holidays, so I'm in decor-mode right now. I thought I'd show you 5+ things that I did yesterday afternoon, without spending a single cent. You may have similar supplies at home. My decorating philosophy -- use what you have.

1) bowl of mini candy canes-- these are leftovers
that I had in the pantry, bought at Dollar Tree last year

2) cedar branches from our yard popped
into a vase for an evergreen "bouquet" table centerpiece

3) another bowl, but filled with tree ornaments--for the
living room coffee table, we'll put the tree in
a different room, but want decor for this room, too

4) a large bell tied to the door knob with a ribbon--this is
an auditory decor item, as well as visual

5) a red scarf as a table topper--this scarf is
from my own closet, something that I wear,
but due to its size and color it also makes a great table topper

bonus, I've shown this to you before, pillar candles wrapped in sheet music
 and tied with a red ribbon--I found the sheet music online
 and printed at home for the cost of ink and 1 sheet of paper

A Favorite Frugal Holiday Cookie

Our church's coffee hour servers work on a quarterly schedule. Once per quarter we each take a Sunday and prepare coffee, juice, and snacks or treats. My block comes up in December every year. Although this is a very busy month, I am always happy to work coffee hour in December. Making gingerbread men is a favorite holiday activity for me, even when I'm making them by myself.  Yesterday was my Sunday to serve. Saturday I baked the gingerbread men, then early Sunday morning I added the icing trim.

There are a lot of recipes for gingerbread cookies. Some recipes call for eggs, vanilla extract, and two to three times the amount of butter compared with the recipe that I follow. This recipe uses 1/4 cup of butter, no eggs, and no vanilla extract. As long as I have molasses in the pantry, I can always make these cookies. So, once again, I share this very frugal version of gingerbread men. Click here for the recipe.

Gingerbread men are a nostalgic holiday treat for many folks. My own grandmother was not the baking sort of grandma. Yet I still associate these cookies with a grandma's warm and fragrant kitchen on a cold December afternoon. I think several members of my church family must also have pleasant associations with them, as they were gobbled up quickly. Happy holiday baking!

Cheap & Cheerful Supers for the end of November

We did not roast a turkey for Thanksgiving, but chose to do a whole chicken instead. It was simpler and I had one in the freezer already. So our meals don't contain turkey leftovers! Scheduling-wise, celebrating on Saturday worked better for our family.

Saturday
cream of spinach soup
meatballs in thai peanut sauce
roast chicken
braised lamb shanks
macaroni and cheese
potato salad
dinner rolls
sweet potato casserole
green bean casserole
cranberry sauce
pumpkin pie
pumpkin cheesecake

Sunday
leftovers from the previous day

Monday
a mixture of leftovers combined into 1 casserole, plus leftover potato salad and mac and cheese

Tuesday
casserole of brown rice, lentils, chicken
random leftovers divided amongst us

Wednesday
chicken, rice, and pumpkin soup
cole slaw
fresh fruit

Thursday
corn and sausage souffle
oven-roasted sweet potatoes
broccoli


Today marks the beginning of the last month of the year. So much has happened in this past year. And there is so much left to do in this last month. One thing that has remained constant is home-prepared meals almost every day. I have enlisted help from other family members, and relied on more ready-made products. But in the end, we have delicious dinners on a very low budget. So I think we're doing well. I think that I'm happy with how the meals are turning out.

What was on your menu this past week? I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

November 2017 grocery shopping journal

I have $221.68 going into the month for groceries, and a pretty empty refrigerator. November will be a very busy month for me, so I will need some easy to prepare foods. That will cost me.

Nov. 3. We need produce, cheese, and some easy to prepare supper foods. Cash & Carry is the spot for cheese at a good price, and they have okay prices on many other items I need. I bought 5-lb block of sharp cheddar (11.98 ), 5-lb bag of white rice (3.29 ), 5-lb bag of gala apples (4.15 ), 10-lb bag of small red potatoes (6.60), 17 bananas (49 cents/lb), 1 head cabbage (1.42 ), 1 large head of Romaine lettuce ($1.49), 4 #10 cans of diced tomatoes (2.40 ea ), 1 #10 can refried beans (5.98 ), 12-oz dried onions (3.77 ), 16-oz garlic granules (5.29 ), 5-lb bags of green peas, green beans, mixed vegetables (4.68 each), 4-lb bag of mixed Asian vegetables (5.88 ), 5-lb bag of beef meatballs (11.89 ), 5-lb bag of potstickers (10.58 ), quart of lemon juice (2.37 ), chicken soup base (3.17 ), 10-lb bag of carrots (4.07 ), 1-lb shredded Parmesan cheese (5.73 ), 3-lb block frozen spinach (3.08)

My daughters were both home when I drove in, and when they saw what I bought they were delighted. Lunches will be easy to make, again, and full of yummy items. Both daughters like having veggies and fruits to take for lunches. I forgot to get more tofu. I'll get that another time. If I'm going to buy prepared foods, like meatballs and potstickers, Cash & Carry is a good place to buy them. What I didn't buy at Cash & Carry was a 50-lb bag of sugar and a 35-lb box of cooking oil. I don't go through that stuff fast enough anymore. So I will be picking up smaller sizes of those items at Fred Meyer.

Spent - $117.50

Nov.7 Senior shopping day at Fred Meyer (10% discount on store-brand items and housewares)
I knew going in this might be expensive, and it was. I bought whole wheat saltines crackers, 2 boxes ($1.34/16-oz), natural peanut butter, 15-oz, 3 jars ($2.06 each), store-brand canned fried onions ($2.24--I normally don't buy these but make my own for green bean casserole, but someone else will make the casserole for me if I have the canned onions for them), 5 loaves of part whole wheat bread (80 cents each), bologna (90 cents), 2 packs cheap hot dogs (80 cents each), 1 package marked down Italian hot link sausages ($1.79), 1 turkey smoked sausage ($2.99), 5 lbs of summer squash marked down to $2 total (40 cents/lb), 2 packs tofu ($1.61 each), 4 cans of Campbell's mushroom soup (coupon + sale, 29 cents each), 2 cans c of chicken soup, (49 cents each), 11 lbs of raw almonds, year supply ($3.59/lb), 4 lbs assorted pasta shapes, (49 cents/lb), 2 large cans coffee, and 2 large cans decaf ($4.49 each), 64 oz soy milk ($2.51), 3 12-oz bags Seattle Best coffee (coupon and sale, $3.90 each), 10 half-gallons milk (89 cents each), 4 large jars applesauce, unsweetened, ($1.97 each), 4 cans green beans, 4 cans corn (44 cents each), 3 48-oz bottles canola oil ($1.79 each), 1 package whole wheat hot dog buns ($1.12), Uncle Ben's Spanish rice (freebie), 5 4-lb bags of sugar ($1.61 each), box of decaf tea bags ($2.24), 4 bags of marked down apples, 16 apples total, and about 2.25 lbs each bag ($1/bag, or about 45 cents/lb), 1 bag of 3 peppers ($1),  3 bananas (39 cents/lb), 1 chocolate cookie pie crust (80 cents). I bought a lot. So much that it didn't all fit in my trunk but I also loaded the back seat. I completely fill the grocery cart, and if there had been more room, I would have bought even more, I am convinced. We just needed a lot this time around.
Spent $149.13

Spent for the month, so far -- $266.63  That's a lot, but we are super well-stocked, now. I think we could get through a couple of months, if we had to.

Nov. 26. Sale on butter for today only at Fred Meyer, with downloadable coupon limit of 5. I buy 5 lbs for $1.99/lb. I also pick up 2 Friday freebies, a bag of Mother's Circus Animal cookies (will use for coffee hour at church on Sunday) and a package of Mentos candy. Total spent $9.95

Nov. 29. Low on fresh produce, so while out I stop at WinCo and buy 3 Fuji apples (98 cents/lb), 2/3 lb of broccoli crowns ($1.28/lb), 1  3/4 lbs red grapes ($1.78/lb), 1 bundle of celery (88 cents), 5 bananas (52 cents/lb), 1 cucumber (48 cents). Total spent $7.43

For the month, then, I spent $284.01, which is $62.33 over my budget for the month. I did buy a lot this month, so maybe I still have quite a lot in stock to carry me through a good chunk of December. we shall see.


What I bought:

Produce
17 lbs apples
25 bananas
10 lbs small red potatoes
1 head cabbage
1 head Romaine lettuce
4 #10 cans of diced tomatoes
12 oz dried onions
16 oz garlic granules
5 lbs green peas, frozen
5 lbs green beans, frozen
5 lbs mixed vegetables, frozen
4 lbs mixed Asian vegetables, frozen
3 lbs spinach, frozen
quart lemon juice
10 lbs carrots
5 lbs assorted summer squash
4 large jars unsweetened applesauce
4 cans green beans
4 cans cut corn
3 sweet peppers
2/3 lb fresh broccoli
1 cucumber
1  3/4 lbs grapes
1 bundle celery

Meat
5 lbs beef meatballs
5 lbs pork and veggie potstickers
1 package bologna
2 packs cheap hot dogs
1 package Italian hot sausages
1 large Polish sausage

Pantry
5 lbs white rice
1 #10 can of refried beans
chicken soup base
32 oz whole wheat saltines
3 small jars natural peanut butter
1 can fried onions
5 loaves whole wheat bread
1 package whole wheat hot dog buns
6 cans of cream soup for casseroles/meatballs and noodles
11 lbs raw almonds
4 lbs pasta
2 cans reg coffee
2 cans decaf coffee
3 bags better quality coffee
144 oz canola oil
1 package seasoned rice (freebie)
20 lbs sugar
1 box decaf tea
1 chocolate cookie pie crust
1 bag frosted animal cookies (freebie)
1 package Mentos candy (freebie)

Dairy
5 lbs sharp cheddar
1 lb shredded Parmesan
2 containers tofu
5 gallons milk
1/2 gallon soy milk
5 lbs butter

Pumpkin Cheesecake

We have a new holiday favorite in our house. I made a pumpkin pie, and my daughter made a pumpkin cheesecake. I'm afraid that the pie tasted rather ordinary in comparison to the cheesecake. I think we have a new holiday dessert.  This was a New York-style cheesecake, tall, dense, and very decadent. A nine-inch New York cheesecake makes about 16 servings, so this is also a great dessert for a large gathering. Sorry, no photos as we ate the whole thing!

Cheesecake tips --

• New York cheesecake recipes often call for a water bath. A water bath helps the cheesecake bake evenly, which minimizes cracking. Wrap the springform pan in foil before filling, then set in water bath for baking. The foil prevents water from seeping through to the cake when baking in a springform pan placed in water.
• If you bake until all but the very center 2 inches are firm, but center is still a tiny bit jiggly, the cake will continue setting as it cools. Shut off the oven, crack the door open, and allow the cheesecake to sit in the cooling oven for 30 minutes. The texture will even and it will be creamy throughout.
• To prevent lumps, use room temp cream cheese, not cold.
• Allow to cool before removing the springform ring. Run a knife all around, then undo the latch on the side of pan.
• Cheesecakes freeze well, if ungarnished. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temp (70 degrees F) for 30 minutes before serving.
• Cream cheese goes on sale in November and December. You can freeze cream cheese, then use for baking cheesecake later in the year. For this cake, we used cream cheese that had been in the freezer for over a year. Still creamy and delicious.

Holiday table decor for free

from the front

overhead view

This is something that I try to do when setting the table for a holiday dinner. The "work" takes about 10 minutes for 6-8 places at the table, it costs absolutely nothing, it adds decor to the table which frees me from having to do much else for appearance, can be done ahead, it's fun to do, and it wows my family every time. My mom started me on this when I was a kid, so given a simple enough pattern, this is something that elementary school-aged and older kids could do to 1) keep them entertained while mom, dad, friends are busy in the kitchen, and 2) give them something to do to contribute to the holiday meal.

Holiday napkin folds

You can fold paper or cloth napkins. Paper holds creases better than cloth, but either work. I'll post a couple of these between now and New Year's. Some are easier than others. I think the most impressive napkin folds are the ones that stand up on their own. But there are some elaborate-looking ones that are super simple to do, as well.

This is the holiday fan. This one also resembles a turkey, so I made these for Thanksgiving dinner. It is basically an accordion-pleated napkin.

square napkin

fold in half

accordion pleat, about 1" pleats

leave about 3 inches unpleated

fold the pleated napkin in half, with the non-pleated section
 sandwiched in-between the pleated sections

fold the non-pleated section in half, on the diagonal

tuck the triangle of the non-pleated section into the
accordion pleats on the back side

Voila, 1 holiday fan (or turkey)

Hi there!

I hope you all had a great weekend! We celebrated a birthday last night at our house. I baked a cake and frosted it with cocoa buttercream frosting. I have to tell you about the cocoa powder that I used.

Has anyone here tried Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder? This was by far the best cocoa powder that I have ever used. Cook's Illustrated ranked it highly, recently.

This is not the regular Hershey's cocoa powder. It has a very intense chocolatey taste, and is very dark in color. I used less of this cocoa powder than I would normally use of Winco's baking cocoa or Trader Joe's cocoa powder, and the flavor was richer. I was very pleased. And do you know what? My daughter bought this cocoa powder for something she was making, and she said that it was on sale, at the same price as the regular Hershey's cocoa. I believe that, regularly, the Special Dark cocoa is more expensive than the regular stuff, but the sale price was a steal. I'm a fan.

Anyway, I'm finishing up a project, dealing with birthdays, holidays, and a bug. I'll be back to normal posting very soon. Have a wonderful day!

It's windstorm season, again, and other stuff

Monday evening was super windy. We lost another tree. Usually the trees come up roots and all. But this one snapped off and splintered a stump, about 6 feet from the ground. It didn't do any property damage, but these trees are massive, and this will be a mess to clean up.

Then, Tuesday evening, the winds started again. It's not expected to be as windy as Monday, but with the soil so wet, and root movement in the soil after the earlier segment of this storm -- I'm a bit nervous when the wind kicks up.

Other things, I unclogged the drain hose from the dishwasher's airgap, using, of all things, picture hanging wire and boiling water. First, I took a long piece of stiff wire, made a loop at one end, and snaked it up and down the hose, through the airgap. I pulled out what look like  sticker from a piece of fruit or a piece of a label. It was coated in gunk, so hard to tell exactly.  The hose would still not allow water to flow through. So, I poured boiling water down the draining section of the airgap. If you take the cap off of the airgap, there are two sections, one for incoming drainage, and the other where the dirty water will flow back down to the garbage disposal or drain. I used the wire and poured the boiling water down the latter of the two sections, using a narrow-spouted watering can to get the water into the narrow hole. At first, the boiling water just sat in the upper part of the hose. then I heard a whoosh and I knew I'd unclogged the drain. The clog was likely a combination of fat and food particles which clung to the inside of the hose. I have to do this about once per year. Our dishwasher was only out of commission for one dinner, until I could work on it. Not bad.

What else? Lite Mock Apple Pie. This is my latest dessert-in-a-jiffy creation, using applesauce, cinnamon-sugar, saltine or graham crackers. You can see where this is heading, right? Put two saltines or one square graham cracker in a microwaveable bowl, topped with applesauce, sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar. Microwave for 15 seconds. Mug cakes are sometimes too heavy, that's when a lite apple pie is just perfect.

And now, I think I'm actually going to get a good night's sleep, after last night's wind storm. Have a great day!

I'm working on a big project, plus have some other stuff

This week and next will be super busy for me. We have birthdays, Thanksgiving, a big project for me, and all of family life's other little things to tend to. I'm still living frugally, mostly by force of not having time to actually spend much money.

• We still continue to cook all of our meals at home. 
• I made laundry soap, again, as we ran out last week, and I haven't had time to buy more. (And by homemade laundry soap I mean I melted a bar of hotel soap in a pan of water, and just use the gloppy, melted soap for the laundry.) Homemade laundry soap doesn't remove stains or whiten as well for us as commercial detergent, but it cleans the fabric (gets dirt and oil out, just not stains) well enough in a pinch. 
• I used a gift card and coupon to order myself a new fleece jacket, as my old one now has several holes and bald spots (13 years old and worn daily for 9 months of the year). I can sew up the holes, but I can't reweave the bald spots. Besides, as it is balding, it doesn't keep me warm like it used to. 
• I used the library for books that I needed, instead of buying the books. 
• My daughter used a coupon code for Redbox for a free movie that she wanted to see. 
• I made a so-so dinner on Friday; we ate it anyway, and remedied the blandness at the table with a small pitcher of soy sauce for everyone to add.
• My daughter made Monday's dinner in advance. She will be home late tonight, so she put together a casserole on Sunday, which just needs heating, and everyone can serve themselves.
• We received the gift of pumpkin-spice coffee creamer on Friday, so we've been enjoying flavored beverages all weekend, for no extra cost.
• I watched a show on my laptop, through PBS.org, for free. We don't have cable or satellite, just rabbit ears.
• I continue to use up what we have, such as face cream samples, hotel soap and shampoo samples, perfume samples, and a brand of vitamins which I don't enjoy as much as another brand, but we have them, so I'm finishing them.

What's new in your life? How was your weekend? I hope that your week is off to a great start. 

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for November busy week

Friday -- 30 minute supper
I had mentioned not having an appetite for a couple of months. I think I just needed better-tasting foods in the house. I went shopping today, and picked up frozen veggies, potstickers, and white rice, among other things. For dinner I made pot stickers and veggies over rice. I make my own sauces and keep them in the fridge. This sauce was soy sauce, ginger, garlic, onion flakes, chicken soup base, vinegar, and sugar.

While the pot stickers were sauteeing in a bit of oil, the white rice was cooking. White rice only takes 20 minutes. (We usually eat brown rice, so the white stuff was a treat, and I think tastes better with Asian foods.) After browning the potstickers I pulled them out of the pan and quickly cooked frozen veggies (an Asian mix), added some sauce, and some chopped cabbage. I tossed the potstickers back in the pan, and heated through. The whole thing was ready to serve in 30 minutes.

Saturday
Polish sausage slices and potatoes, oven-baked
carrot sticks and homemade 1000 Island dressing

Sunday
Bean, rice, and cheese burritos

Monday (daughter cooked)
carrot soup
frittata

Tuesday
sausage and lentils
smashed potatoes
sauteed zucchini
carrot sticks

Wednesday
Turkey and gravy from freezer
cornbread stuffing from mix
mixed veggies
sauteed zucchini

Thursday
Spanish rice mix that was a freebie, combined with cooked lentils, chopped zucchini, peppers, canned tomatoes, and chopped, cooked meatballs, all topped with cheese. Applesauce for anyone who wanted some.

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Tuesday's dinner had a favorite side dish of mine -- smashed potatoes. I love this not only because it's delicious but also because it is sooooo easy, and fast to make. It takes a little over 5 minutes to make, not bad, right?

No peeling, no boiling, cook in the microwave, ready in minutes

Wash several thin-skinned potatoes, like red or white potatoes, not russets (skin is too tough)

Cut out eyes, prick with fork or knife, and microwave until you can squish it. I used 6 small-ish red potatoes, and microwaved them together, for a total of about 5 minutes.

Squish the potatoes slightly with hands/fingers, and put into a bowl/dish. Add a spoon of butter, some milk, salt, cream cheese or sour cream, and a bit of minced garlic, garlic granules, or garlic powder. Mash until mixed together, about 1 minute. There will be skin pieces in the potatoes. If overly large pieces of skin remain, you can use a sharp paring knife and fork to quickly cut through the largest pieces.

This is a chunkier version of mashed potatoes. Someone with texture issues may be bothered by the lack of smoothness. I like them just as they are, though. Interestingly, these are easier and have less clean-up than regular mashed potatoes, but I've actually seen this dish on menus at restaurants.

Thought I'd share.
Have a happy weekend!