The Homemaker's Week of Savings: June 8-14

 

Thursday:  Honestly no trip to the grocery feels like a savings anymore, does it?  Even with sales and in season produce the costs are higher than we've seen since the last visit.  But one does the best one can.  

I compare prices across several stores.  I note what I might do myself to net us the lowest price overall on what we consider staple items.  I can bake and do.  I try to back basic items and not pre-made anything.  The more an item is handled and processed, quite often the more it costs.  There are exceptions to that rule, but not so often that it's always an option.  

There are a few things that I do buy pre-made and processed and that is because in the whole product I've found contain one pesky allergen ingredient.  So, I buy the store brand fat free frozen whipped topping instead of whipping cream on rare occasions when we want whipped cream. 

This is what I purchased today: Lactose free milk, whole milk (for my use and for baking/cooking), half and half for my coffee, flavored creamer for Katie, cheese, eggs.  I picked up the frozen whipped topping from the freezer section.  Last year, this ran around 79c for an 8-ounce tub.  This year, the store brand runs 99c for the same.

Bone in skin on Chicken breasts were $2.49/pound in a family pack.  I've seen some mention much lower prices on boneless skinless breasts but the lowest I've seen in my area is $2.99/pound.  I know well enough how to bone and skin breasts.  This nets me the boneless skinless product for a 50c/pound savings.

I bought hot dogs (buy one get one) and luncheon meat (deli).  That's all the meat I bought.  I purchased lettuce, strawberries (also a buy one get one), corn (5/$1.99), 1 pound of carrots.  1 loaf of bread.  Mayonnaise (buy one get one).  2 8-packs of flavored carbonated water also buy one get one.   And I bought two boxes of fried chicken.  Some will go into the freezer; some will be for Sunday dinner.  We also had a bit for our lunch when I came home.

All of this came up to a bit over $100.  Yes, that is over my hoped for $25 a week.  You'll note that nothing I bought today is for storage purposes.  I'm thinking though that I'll have enough for two weeks easily with the milk and fresh stuff.  

What I haven't included here is flowers and the Matchbox cars I bought for Caleb or the cookies I purchased that are pricey but a big favorite of mine.  Those don't go into the general food area, and we dole those out a bit at a time for those days that have been beyond the realm, lol.  

With the late lunch and putting away groceries, I didn't make soup as planned.  What I will do is open a couple of cans of tomato soup, and we'll have sandwiches for our meal tonight.  Tomorrow night, I'll have a meal prepared in the slow cooker.  John convinced me that heating soup would mean I'd 'cooked' and to skip it.  

I have leftovers from last night's supper that I plan to turn into a leftover makeover.  I'd hoped to get to that today, but it will happen tomorrow.  

Meals:  Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Fried Eggs

Fried Chicken, 'roni n Cheese

Turkey and Swiss Sandwiches, Chips, Fresh Fruit

Friday:  Today has been productive.  I sorted out breakfast in my head last night before I went to bed.  Always helps to start the day knowing what that meal will be.  It only took minutes to prepare.  That was a good reminder to me to 'work ahead' as much as I can.

After breakfast and housekeeping was done, Caleb and I went outdoors.  The rosebush that has been planted in the big, huge planter for a few years now had grown tall and lovely this year, but I noted it was looking a little peaked the other day.  I fertilized and watered it.  Looked out today and nearly 2/3 of the leaves were brown.  Looking online I found it likely was desperately in need of a deep watering.  So I put the hose on mist and let it just sit in the pot and water it deeply.  

I rescued the tomato(es) from the compost bin.  Caleb had to see and say "Hi" to the lizard that hangs out in that bin.  

I deadheaded and scattered seeds of a wildflower that came up in the shed bed this year.  It was pretty and I'd like to cultivate it in that bed.  

In the kitchen we used an item I found in the freezer for breakfast.   I started supper in the slow cooker, then split the last breast into four equal slices.  Oddly enough I was thinking of Katie with that fourth portion.  I thought I'd fry those for sandwiches.  Glad I thought of Katie because she came home just about lunch time and ate one of the pieces on a salad.  

After lunch, I took the leftover rice, last bit of cooked breakfast sausage, taco meat, chopped tomato and last of the jar of salsa and mixed well.  Then I grated cheese and made burritos for the freezer.  These will do as enchiladas as well. I can just unwrap and add sauce and more cheese for another yummy low-meat meal.  

John did two full loads of laundry and hung towels to dry on the line outdoors.  I ran a full load of dishes.  I'm so happy I found that one hour wash setting on the machine because it takes far less time to do a load of dishes including the drying period.  Since I always rinse dishes well before putting them into the machine, I feel they don't need a 2-hour wash and a 1-hour drying period.  Caleb loves helping to unload the dishwasher and it is a help.  I just hand him things and he runs to the counter they belong on.  He's started putting things into the proper cupboards.

I had a jar of local honey that was a bit less than half full, but it had crystallized.  I warmed the bottle in water, then turned it upside down to drain into another jar with a wider mouth so I can use a spoon to dip it out.  I'll save this honey to use for baking purposes or mixing into warmed milk. 

Cleared the fridge.  Found a jar of rice at the back that I'd totally forgotten about.  I had all sorts of plans to use it but here we were another week gone by.  I dumped it in the trash and called it a loss.  Use it or lose it.  

I've got my Sunday dinner menu in mind and just need to figure out what supper might be for tomorrow night.  I'll let that simmer in my mind for a bit.  I prefer a fairly easy meal with little to no cleaning up in preparation or afterwards...That sounds like Pizza to me.  

I added scraps of vegetables to the other compost bin, the one I'm feeding this year.  I hate to disturb the lizards, but I will be digging down into the one that's ready.  I'll need to amend a few pots.

I watched a brief video on planting sweet potatoes and discovered I need both a slip and roots.  I have the slips, but no roots, so I tucked those into clear glass jars of water to root.  I'll plant them after I get good healthy roots.  

Saturday:  Our Sanity Saver Day was a success and done on something of a budget, too.  We decided to go back to the town in the foothills and try our favorite Steak House there.  We had two gift cards with a balance.  I brought along a baggie of cookies from home for us to have as our bite of something sweet after our dinner.  We brought half our meals home, just as we usually do. 

Happily, we found this branch of the restaurant as nice and pleasant a place as our favorite one.  It has the added bonus of being away from our usual area, so we do feel we've had a real retreat.  

We took an alternate route home.  About the same number of miles, but the change of scenery was nice.

For supper this evening, I made pizza from scratch.  

When the living room was heating up due to western sun and the oven being on, I turned on the new fan we'd bought.  That little fan really stirs air and brings the temperature down in the living room.  I'll be happy though when the stove vent hood is replaced, and we can draw some of the heat out of the house before it comes to the living room.  

It's a sure sign that it's time to return to using mostly the slow cooker, toaster oven, and stove top for meals until summer comes to an end.  

Meals:  Bagles/Croissants

everyone out

Pizza

Sunday:  Mostly meals were done today.  Though we did wash a full load of clothes and a full load of dishes.  

I used a smushy tomato to make Creole Green Beans.  It's an old recipe I've used now and then for years to just jazz up green beans now and then.  Easy: cook diced tomatoes, onions, celery and add in a can of drained green beans. Salt and pepper to taste.  Yummy.

Supper tonight will be leftovers from our dinner on Saturday.

Went through the fridge and cupboard, made up a list of Gathered Fragments and made out a menu for the week incorporating those items.  Of course, I mostly just plan out my dinners, but I will use some of those items for lunch and breakfast, as well.

I already have a plan for tomorrow's breakfast.  I need to figure out lunch and bring out meats to thaw for the week ahead.

Meals:  Sausage Biscuits/Honey Bun (shared)

Gramma's Fried Chicken, Mac n Cheese, Mashed potatoes and gravy, Creole Green Beans

Leftovers

Monday: My meal plan for today is underway.  I've got pie crust dough chilling in the fridge at present.  

While I was in the fridge, I opened a drawer and realized I had 5 ears of corn I'd purchased at the end of last week.  I took those out to shuck and cut in half, then I put them in the freezer.  I forgot to plan them into meals this week.  However, just in case I forget again, I'd rather have them frozen than to lose them.

Caleb and I went outdoors this morning, and I was so impressed with what that bit of rain we got (YES! that's one thing I can't generate that can make all the difference in plant growth) did for the plants.  The onions are standing tall, the chives shot up, as did the coleus.  The tomatoes now have five fruits hanging on them and are all in bloom.  Oregano is so tall it's threatening to bloom.  I shall have to go out and harvest herbs.  The basil seed I planted have germinated, the marigolds I thinned are set and growing in their new homes...It's looking fruitful for my little potted garden!

I noted that one of the sweet potatoes already has one tiny root.  I moved the other to a wider jar that allows more of the potato to be submerged in water.  I should be able to plant them in a week or so.

I made a new to me Quiche, using 1 cup cottage cheese in the mixture.  My take: next time I need I make this one, it could do with a little less milk, since the cottage cheese is already a wet mixture, but it added a nice tender texture to the Quiche that I rather liked.  

I had more egg mixture than would fit in my pan, so I greased muffin tins and cooked off the rest for 18 minutes in that.  Now I have a half dozen egg pucks (not hard and dry at all) to use for breakfast one morning this week.

We had Fried Green Tomatoes alongside.  Katie had said she'd make a remoulade sauce.  When she got home, she told me she had no idea how to make one.  I suggested she either look it up or wing it and she decided to wing it.  The mixture she made was delicious, peppery and a perfect counterpart to the fried green tomatoes.

Another new to me recipe today (which makes 3 in a single day's time!!) was Julia Pacheco's Chocolate Eclair Icebox Cake.  It required only ingredients I already had on hand, including canned frosting (leftover from ??? It's been in the fridge all this time).  I didn't have quite enough chocolate, but I mixed it with the leftover vanilla and made a much more palatable chocolate frosting.  I don't much care for canned frostings, but this was the option we had for that particular occasion, and I was glad for a way to use it up.   I halved the recipe, using a 9x9 pan.  That is the perfect size for us.

Meals:  French Toast, Venison Sausage

Mac n Cheese, Apple Slices, Vienna sausages for Caleb.  Sandwich Wraps, chips for John and I.

Tuesday:  Because I rose a wee bit later this morning, and Caleb had already had a first breakfast, I kept our breakfast purposely light.

After breakfast, I found myself having a hard time getting started but along about 10:30 my energy appeared, and I was off.  First, I pared the sprouted potatoes to make potato casserole for supper tonight.  I used my smaller stainless loaf pans because they will fit in the toaster oven.  I cooked one pan in there and later cooked the second pan (which will go into the freezer) in the regular oven.  

I saved the potato sprouts to plant.  I need to get John to drill holes in my container and then get it filled up.  I think I'm going to put a layer of shredded paper in the bottom of the thing and then add compost and soil to fill it up.  Then I'll hopefully be able to plant my sweet potatoes and potatoes too.

I put together the Southwestern Chicken Soup for tomorrow night.  I will add rice tomorrow afternoon when I go to cook it, just to thicken it a bit, but not until I've put at least a quart of soup in the freezer for another day.  This means supper is halfway there for tomorrow.  It will be an easy meal for a night that can be a bit crunchy time wise since we like to watch our Wednesday night church service.

I used the leftover fried chicken, the rest of that smushy tomato, onion, black beans, corn, fire roasted tomatoes and a hard squeeze of barbecue sauce for the additional smoky flavor.  I also used the tomato chicken bouillon powder from Knorr, cumin and chili powder as well as garlic.  I did all this off the cuff, vaguely recalling a chicken, black bean and rice soup I was served years ago when I was in the hospital.

I had two overripe bananas in the fridge.  After lunch today, I mixed up a loaf of Banana Pineapple bread.   When I put that in the oven, I just went ahead and slid in the second loaf pan of potato casserole.  I figured I might as well make the most of the oven energy.  I subbed in cashew pieces for the walnuts the recipe suggested.  The recipe said this bread bakes in 50 minutes, but I had my doubts.  It was pretty full.  The pan this recipe came with was half the size of the loaf pan I used to bake it in.  Two hours later...I gave up.  The very center was still sticking to my pick.  I told John I'd done all I knew to do at that point.  It was time for it to come out of the oven, period.  Hopefully it's edible.  later: it tastes delicious.  No clue if the center is done but boy is this one heavy moist loaf of nut bread.

Meals:  Cheese Toast

Corn Dogs, Orange Wedges, Chips

BBQ Pork Chops, Potato Casserole, Green Peas

Wednesday:  I toasted some of the Banana bread for breakfast this morning.  It is so good.  There is a sad streak in the bread, but it appears to be done.   Caleb and I ate the crustless quiche cups I made.  John turned his nose up and fried himself a couple of eggs.

Brought my checkbook up to date and discovered the phone payment never posted.  I paid the bill online today.  At worst if and when the check is posted we'll be paid ahead.  I've no clue why this one check hasn't posted.  Others mailed at the same time have arrived just fine.

John did a full load of laundry this morning.  It wasn't planned but we can almost always find a load of laundry and we did.  Then John vacuumed the house while I unloaded the dishwasher.

To save time, I texted Katie our short list of absolute must haves: lactose free milk, pull-ups.  She is within a half mile of a grocery and will pick this up on her way home.

Tonight's main dish for supper is cooked and ready.  I'm going to add a bit of rice to the soup and let it cook as it reheats today.  I'll make bread and a salad to go alongside.

I haven't even posted meals this week...Now, I've gone back and added them in.

Meals:  Banana Pineapple Bread, Quiche cups for me and Caleb, Fried Eggs for the man of the house

BBQ sandwiches, Fries

Southwestern Chicken Rice Soup, Mexican Cornbread, Green Salad