Thrifty Thursday: February 23 - March 1

 

Thursday:  John asked for cereal for breakfast this morning.  Easy enough and since the bananas are perfectly ripe just now, good timing.  

I made a Leftover Makeover meal for supper tonight.  It was more labor than the original meal had been but since it netted me a casserole for supper and another for a future meal, it works fine for me.   I had leftover chicken and broccoli the other night.  I cooked rice today and made up a simple cheese sauce.  I used lactose free milk and broth to the make the sauce and cooked the rice in broth, so have boosted the flavor and the protein of the casseroles.  

Lunch was a combination of things.  Some from the fridge, some from the freezer, some made up fresh.  We all did our own thing.  

I said I was going to research and make sure I was getting best price on items we have on Subscribe and Save from Amazon.  Today I found a lower priced source for an over-the-counter item I use daily.  I had to order a 3-month supply, but the savings was $6 per month cheaper than what I've been paying.  I consider $18 a good savings!  And it ships free just like the item did on Amazon. 

I promised myself that I'd buy two books I really wanted each month.  I placed both my orders for this next month yesterday on ebay and thrift books.  I'm adding to my collection of one author's work.  I'll be happy to get these two books.  Knowing they are coming will also curb the temptation to pick up a book elsewhere.  

Meals:  Cereal, Bananas, Toast

a variety of leftovers of all sorts, each of us eating something different

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole, Green Peas, Pear Salad, Mayo Muffins

Friday:  It's dreary as can be outdoors.  I've tried to keep lights to a minimum, but we have to have a few on in the house because it's gloomy indoors without them.  And I don't 'do' gloomy very well.  Knowing that my body craves light (I think Little One has the same as he's constantly telling me it's dark and flipping on a light in a room), I feel it's wiser to use the electricity than to skimp and end up feeling moody and depressed.

I had an easy breakfast this morning, made ahead over the end of last week.  I don't know why I don't think to do this more often but seriously, cornmeal pancakes taste lovely with butter and maple syrup.  If I'd just think of it when I'm making cornbread, I could always set aside a portion of the cornbread batter and make up a few cakes for the freezer.

As I was thinking of this I was scrolling through Instagram where I came across a post that made me think long and hard.  I am a huge proponent of having multi-use items in my kitchen and I'm always researching to see what I can also use an appliance or piece of kitchenware to increase its value in the kitchen.   This post was a cookery post and the chef was using the pancake griddle to cook chicken breasts...That's when it hit me I could use mine for more than pancakes and cheese sandwiches.  I can also cook meat on it.  I've jotted that fact down in my home keeping notebook to remind myself of this fact periodically.

Meals:  Corn Cakes, Sausage

Pizza Quesadillas

Burgers, Salad, Chips

Saturday: Two haircuts, two burgers and two pillows later we come home.

Saturday is usually our day for running errands we'd typically NOT choose to take Little One.  Saturday's are always a long wait at the salon, I will say that.  And wait, we did. Never mind.  It gave me enough time to look at Pixie style haircuts (I already have one) on my phone and determine where I wanted to take mine.  We get senior discounts, though I don't personally qualify they always give it to John and me as well.   

We walked down the sidewalk to a burger place and had lunch.  That's our second visit there and as I told John the burgers are okay.  For my money I'd rather go to our usual little restaurant, where we'd pay about the same.  We get atmosphere and higher quality food in my opinion.  I have voiced my opinion.  John is not prone to keep going to a place where we know we're not getting the bang for our bucks that we want.

We've known for a long while now that we need to get new pillows for our bed.  We went into At Home today and looked.  I found two pillows but told John I'm not holding my breath for long on these.  I'm pretty sure they're going to end up replacing the two pillows we don't sleep on, but which are quite old.  But until I can drag him into Target to buy better quality pillows (my destination today but we never made it that far), I can make do. 

All in all, spending was about what it ever is when you leave the house and go into a store.  But the bonus today was that we stuck to exactly what we meant to do while out: haircuts, lunch, pillows.  Nothing more.

Meals:  Bagels, Croissants

Burgers for us, family ate leftovers here at home.

Little One: Chicken nuggets, sweet potato, corn, apple.   John and I had a big salad each after LO went to bed.  Eating a meal with complete quiet and peace: PRICELESS

Sunday:  We usually try to fill up the car while we're in the same area where we go to church.  It's not a lot cheaper than here in our hometown but it is about 20c a gallon less even though we visit a premium station.  There are cheaper places we might go but John likes the station that is clean and quietly out of the way of traffic patterns so that's where he fills up.

I wanted to ask to go to the grocery store.  We're low on milk and eggs and fruit, out of lettuce but I bit my tongue and said to myself "Wait."  Yes, there are decent sales at two or three stores and true they won't be the same sales as later in the week, but I am right at my budget limit.  In three days, I have a new month of budget to work with.  Surely, I thought, we can make do for three days?  

When we got home, I planned out meals and I can do this for at least 5 days without going into the store.  I'm going to do my best to avoid buying these first few days of March ahead.

Home to make up a quick Pizza.  Take out pizza runs roughly $22.  Homemade is something nearer, $3 with pepperoni, sausage, and marinara atop homemade dough.

At this point in time, I've no clue what we'll have for supper.  I have a menu plan, yes, but nothing thawed at present, though all the meat is out to start thawing for the week ahead.  

I am off to refresh my flowers from last week's store visit.  They need fresh water and a fresh trim, and a few pieces need to be trimmed out.

Meals:  Toast

Pizza

Carnita Tacos, Red Cabbage, Corn, Pineapple.  The carnitas were so good.  I used the last package of discounted pork cubes.  I seasoned with the last La Tortilla Factory Taco Al Pastor sauce mix that I'd picked up from a clearance table at Publix.  Online prices for these $3.99 each.  My price was 80c or less.   We added a bit of the drained pineapple juice to help moisten the mixture further.  Really excellent.  I'll look for these on sale or clearance again in the future.

Monday:  My biggest savings for today has been to take time to prep foods for suppers this week.  As I'm writing I've made the base to my Shepherd's/Cottage Pie, have a meat loaf and a Round Roast in the oven cooking at present.  I'm very pleased to have this much done.  That means that supper will be that much easier to put together each night of this week.

Yesterday's pizza netted me leftover Italian sausage and Spaghetti sauce.  I took those today, plus a smaller bag of cheese ravioli and made a quick Ravioli Lasagna which I put in the freezer for a future meal.  I lined my pan with foil, sprayed it well and will slip it into a freezer bag once it's frozen, freeing my pan once more so that I can use it.  

Right now, my inventory for ready meals include: Brunswick Stew, Spaghetti a la Diable, Ravioli Lasagna and Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole.   These are all homemade, required no special purchase.  I'm simply using what I have to create my own convenience foods.

Took time to jot down receipts from the weekend in our checkbook and then start the page for the March register.   I need to take time today as well to review what checks have come through the bank and see where we stand.  I should be doing this more often than I have of late.  I've allowed my sense of overwhelm to push aside duties I should have been attending to all along.  I need to set a routine day to do such as this, as well as I do other routines on set days.

Meals:  Eggs, Muffins

Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Chips

Roast Beef, Armenian Potatoes, Green Beans, Cranberry Upside-Down Cake.  If you compare my original meal plan to the one I'm sharing you'll see how the main dish may be more or less what I'd intended but the sides change up.  Armenian potatoes include tomatoes (and garlic, parsley and paprika) in the seasoning so no need to serve a tomato salad as I'd planned.    

John asked me at the end of the meal how much the roast cost and I couldn't tell him, but I thought it was right at $16.  He felt that was good value to get 8 servings from it.  I'll do my best to stretch the second half into two more meals and get even more value for our spending.

Tuesday:  Sigh.  Today is the day I realize that I'll be going grocery shopping again sooner rather than later.  We are officially out of eggs, bread, low on lactose free milk and lettuce.  

I had decided to make pancakes this morning but Little One quickly stated his preference for Waffles, so that's what I made.  I added fiber and filler to the batter by adding in a cup of old-fashioned oats.   Let me say just one more time how much I love my new waffle iron!  Never any mess, never undercooked and so easy to clean.

I wrapped leftover waffles to put in the freezer for future mornings.  Not enough for a full family meal but enough to please a small child for a couple of mornings at least.

Cleaned the kitchen cabinet doors, countertops and the fronts of appliances.  A good old fashioned wooden toothpick is excellent for getting into those tiny crevices that accumulate grime along door handles and control panels. 

I used half a magic eraser to scrub stubborn spots.  Window cleaner worked well on the fronts of the dishwasher and stove, as well as the fridge, freezer, microwave and toaster oven.

I found a filter in the dishwasher that is easily removable and cleaned that section out.

Refilled dish soap, baking soda and dishwasher detergent containers.  Took note of my current inventory of all three.  I am out of white vinegar entirely and opened my last dishwasher detergent box.  I do find the powder seems to go further and is the least expensive option.  

It is a loathsome job, but I emptied and rinsed the reusable k-cups and refilled those that are dry.  I always make a mess.  Messes wipe up though, don't they?  It's sooo much cheaper to make coffee in this manner rather than buy k-cups.

Used leftovers to make lunches for us all.

Meals:  Waffles and Baby Sausages

Pasta with meat sauce, apple and bread for Little One.  Roast Beef sandwiches and chips for John.  I ate the last of the potatoes from last night, some of the roast beef, and slaw left from Sunday night.  

BBQ'd chicken Legs, Rice, English Peas, Peach Salad

Wednesday:  This morning as I tried to pull together a breakfast, I realized that it was inevitable.  We simply must grocery shop today.  I'd wanted to hold off until next week but the list of needs and outages was getting longer than I'd thought it might.  We used the last of the lactose free milk, the last of the apple juice, the last overnight diaper, the last slice of bread, the last of the lettuce and the last egg...Enough!  Time to go!

We set off after breakfast and John chose the store.  I pronounced any one of three was just fine and he chose the nearer of the three, which also happens to be the more expensive of them all.  However, everyone had reasonably good sales this week and I had a list of both the outages and the sales.  Most of the sales prices were similar across stores and the few items needed that weren't on sale also happen to run about the same.  This is not the case with every item, but it was today.

I bought boneless loin chops, boneless breasts, whole chickens and ground chuck.  We've spoken often of going back to the meat market that is a long drive from home.  Truth, the meat at the higher end store is about the same price and equal in quality.  So I think I'm just going to watch sales and buy what I can at this particular store in the future.  

I spent about 3/5 of my monthly grocery budget today but I can tell you honestly that I bought ingredients which will translate into meals for us.  I skipped sweet snacks. I can make those just fine here at home.  I did buy the chips we like and yes, they are more at this store, but we were also out of those as well.  We've cut way back on these items, namely because I store them in the pantry in a bin and no one removes anything from a bin unless I say so!  What's on the snack shelf in the cabinet may be a free-for-all at times, but what's in the pantry is storage until I say it's time to move items out.

I had money in my pocket.  I put most of my allowance aside this month to cover an item I purchased on the credit card, but I still had a little aside.  I offered to buy lunch for us all.  Everyone ate well today.  LO ate all he had and part of mine!  It wasn't an unreasonable amount spent at all.

I packaged up meats after I'd put away all the other items.  I divide ground meat into pound packages these days.  I don't always use a whole pound for a meal but it's the best size if we're planning burgers or Salisbury steaks.  I cut chicken breasts in half usually.  These had rib meat on them, which meant there was a thin piece of meat off to one side.  I cut off the rib meat and tucked into a bag to make my own 'mock' tenders.  The breasts were not as large as they sometimes are.  I still cut them in half and when I found one portion was particularly small, I set them aside for stir fry dishes.  

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with my purchases and with our day.

Meals:  Chicken Nuggets, Toast.  Yes, chicken nuggets.  We had no eggs, no sausage, no bacon and I didn't thaw the ham piece I'd thought briefly about getting from the freezer.  Didn't want to open another can of Spam.  So I grabbed the nearly empty bag of chicken nuggets and there we were.

McDonalds.   We don't do this often but LO was HUNGRY and he ate all his happy meal, half a 2 ounce container of goldfish and 1/3 of my burger.  Worth every single penny to feed that child!

Meatloaf, Broccoli Apple Salad, Potatoes au gratin

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