Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Another thrifty week flew right on by.  Sunday morning I was up with the chickens after a really good night's sleep.  I felt amazing.  There is just nothing quite like getting up feeling fully rested and ready to start your day.  I got up and made my bed before heading downstairs for a hot cup of coffee.  First thing I did was to check my eBay listings and then put seven more things up for sale.  Go me!

 

I took the chicken bones and skin from the deli chicken I bought the Thursday before and placed that in my largest slow cooker with a couple big carrots, some celery, an onion and some dried rosemary.  I topped it up with water and let it go on high for four hours to make a delicious pot of chicken broth.  Once cooled and strained it went into freezer containers to use later in recipes and soups.  We got a lot of mileage out of that single deli chicken.

 

Sunday afternoon I made a double batch of meatballs and put them into two containers to freeze.  I have plans for one container if the meatballs and the other one will be used in a future meal plan.

 

I also browned up a pound and a half of ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning.  We used up leftover tortillas, leftover grated cheddar cheese, leftover salsa and leftover salad mix and still had plenty of leftovers for another supper and lunches during the week.

 

Monday morning I used up about ten leftover ripe strawberries to make a gelatin dessert.  I just chopped up the berries and stirred them into sugar free strawberry flavored gelatin and let it chill.  It was delicious with a dollop of whipped cream on top.  I used some of the leftover deli chicken to make my daughter a big pot of chicken fried rice for supper.  I also made a fresh green salad to go with it.  My daughter ate off of that meal for quite a while.

 

Tuesday we finally got some much needed and very much appreciated rain.  That went a long way toward clearing out the smoke from the skies and cooling the temperature.  I opened up doors and windows to let in the fresh cool air and watched it come down.  Supper was leftover taco meat and green salad became taco salads using up more of the leftover cheddar cheese and salsa.  We had tacos the next day for lunch.

 

Wednesday morning I checked the new grocery ads to see if there were any good sales items being offered.  I found that Fred Meyer had a great sale on facial tissues and school supplies.  On my lunch break I headed over there to pick up ten boxes of tissues and some spiral notebooks for my youngest.  While I was there I also found a great buy on a 30# bag of cat food which had a $2 OFF coupon stuck on it.

 

My daughter rescued two organic bananas and an apple one of her co-workers didn't want and was about to toss in the trash.  I used the bananas and my banana bread recipe to make two batches of muffins.  My oldest took some muffins home with her as well as a dozen eggs to make her breakfasts with and I took some muffins into work to share.  The rest were for my youngest.

 

Thursday my daughter came home with a bag of cheese one of her managers gave her.  I love that instead of tossing items in the trash they will hand out goodie bags to the employees.  My girls have come home with several goodie bags over the time they have worked at the grocery store.  They also earn coupons for excellent performance that are good for free items or store credit and they've received and used plenty of those as well.

 

We ate up all of our leftovers from the four meals I made last week.  Plenty of good food that kept us well supplied for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the week. 

 

Investment Cooking = meatballs 

Prepper Pantry = eggs and chicken broth into the freezer, vacuum sealed almonds, dehydrated apples.

 

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order: 

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Dining Room - vacuumed & mopped  floor. 

Kitchen -  vacuumed & mopped floor, cleaned sink, cleaned microwave & stove. 

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Scrubbed sink, cleaned mirror.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Other - two large loads of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry.  Swept front porch, swept & tidied the garage.

 

My assistant taking a break

How was your thrifty week?

 

Wrapping Up A Thrifty August

 

I began August with a mere $5 in checking and about $30 plus change in my wallet.  The car had just under an eighth of a tank in it and the truck was pretty much full.  Plus!  I had already paid this month's power bill a week earlier in July because I had the extra money to do so.  I'd say that is a pretty decent way to start a new month!

 

My first paycheck was pretty much free and clear and it was a hefty one because not only did it have some overtime on it but it was also a longer pay period so there was an extra day of pay too.  Love those paydays!  I paid off my credit card expenses from school clothes shopping with my daughter last month and kept out a small amount before hucking the rest into savings.  Mid month I paid all of our monthly bills and the mortgage (along with some extra toward the principal) well ahead of schedule, added some more to savings and bought groceries.

 

This month I picked up the groceries we needed and stayed well under budget.  We didn't need much for our everyday use so I kept it pretty lean.  I primarily purchased sale and loss leader items which helped me keep the overall amount I spent quite low.  I used my overtime earnings again this month to invest in some items for our prepper pantry by placing an Amazon order for a few dry food bulk items and stocking up on chicken feed.

 

Right now I am doing my best to spend the least amount possible in order to sock away as much as I can into savings, stock up for the coming winter and keep us debt free.  If it means living like paupers for a while then it is completely worth it.  That sacrifice allows me to meet all of our needs while preparing for our future and that peace of mind is absolutely priceless.

 

My Thrifty Grocery Budget 2020 - August

 

I haven't posted a monthly grocery budget in a very long time and I apologize for that.  I know a lot of you really like these posts and admittedly I have dropped the ball on these.  I've been so focused on establishing my prepper pantry that my regular grocery shopping hasn't been much to write home about.  But this month I got my rear in gear, printed out my pantry list, did an inventory, did a meal plan and made a nice big shopping list.  Then I perused the grocery ads, downloaded a heap of digital coupons and even clipped a few paper ones to use too.

 

Not a big haul, but it was a start

My normal grocery budget for a family of three is $150.00 for food and $25.oo for our non food items.  I was able to keep to my budget coming in way under so that makes me super happy.  I spent $15.98 at the beginning of the month on some nonfood items - toilet paper, light bulbs and some laundry supplies.  I got the toilet paper on sale at Albertsons and the rest of my purchases came from Dollar Tree so it was pretty easy to stay within budget that way.

 

Combined shop at Cash & Carry, Fred Meyer & Albertsons

It took me four stores and two evenings after work to complete my big monthly grocery shop but I got it done.  I almost feel like I don't shop anymore as much as I go hunting for good.  I did do a couple smaller shops a week prior purchasing sales, markdown and loss leader items.

 

My Winco haul

Here is the list of food I bought this month:

 

$108.48 ÷ 31 days ÷3 people = $1.17 per person per day!!  Way under budget!!!

I'm not unhappy at all with my final totals.  We are very well stocked so moving on into September my plan is to pick up more items I find on sale and markdown.  I'll check online for digital and printable coupons too.  I should be able to keep my grocery spending pretty low.

 

I got this yogurt smoothie and the Pop Tarts for FREE!

Are you noticing some higher prices and shortages in your area?  How did you do with your grocery spending?

A Glimpse At A Two Week Meal Plan

 

Last week I sat down and mapped out a two week meal plan.  I based  my plan off of items I already had on hand in our freezer, fridge and pantry.  Since I was already planning a trip to the grocery store the next day I was able to add a few items to my list to help me complete these meals.  I just needed a little bit of fresh produce.

 

Last Thursday I had purchased a whole roasted deli chicken I had come across that had just been marked down for a quick sale.  I incorporated that into my meal plan as well as making sure I used the leftover bones to make a nice pot of broth.  Some of that broth will be used in this meal plan too.

 

The chicken was originally used for a quick supper with a tossed green salad.  The next day my daughter made a chicken sandwich for her lunch.  Then I removed all of the remaining meat from the bones and used some of that for chicken Caesar salads.  After that the rest of the meat went into a batch of chicken fried rice with still a little bit leftover for another sandwich.

 

Bones and veggies to make broth

A delicious Chicken Caesar salad

The bones, skin and even the drippings that had accumulated in the bottom of the bag ended up in the slow cooker with carrots, celery and onion to become a nice broth.  Some of the broth will be used for egg drop soup and the rest will stay in the freezer to be used in the future.  That is a lot of mileage out of just one chicken.

 

This little cutie even got in the action fixing Sunday brunch

I know from experience that if I make four large meals each week we will have plenty of leftovers to keep us in suppers and lunches throughout the week so I planned eight meals plus an extra one to make sure we are well covered.  I also made a short list of items I could make to supplement breakfast and snacks.  I even included a couple dessert ideas.

 

A double batch of meatballs for two meals, one now, one later

We are a busy family with varying schedules to work around so creating meals that can be portable and reheat able is important for us.  I also want to make sure we are using up items we have so they don't go to waste as well as make the best use of those items so we can stretch what we have as far as possible.  I love when one meal, or an item such as a whole chicken, can morph itself into several meals.

 

A big batch of seasoned taco meat, plenty for supper & lunches

Of course we want our meals to be tasty and nutritious as well.  And a variety so we don't get bored is nice too.  So a lot of different factors weigh in when I do my meal plans.  But once they are done I love having them because I don't have to think much beyond the plan.  We all know what we will be having for our meals and what is available to eat.  I don't have to worry each day about what I should fix either.

 

I spend about an hour or less to come up with my meal plans.  Over the years I've gotten much quicker about it.  Once the meal plan is posted on the side of our fridge I tell my girls to let me know if there is anything special they would like to have so I can incorporate it into our next plan.  I love having their input, although typically, they are quite fine with the meals I come up with.  So back to meal planning it is!

 

Are You Getting Ready For Winter?

 

As most of you know I began prepping back in April and I financed my prepping endeavors with money I have made working overtime at my job as well as with a few items I have sold during these past few months.  It is amazing how you can figure out a way to do something, especially as prepping was never part of my plan.

 

I have always kept a good supply of food in the pantry as well as our chest freezer, especially going into winter.  This year if feels exceptionally important to continue to do that making sure we have everything we will need.  Along with food I will also beef up our non food supplies storing extra packages of toilet paper, jugs of laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and toiletries.  Even with a prepper pantry I will still make sure to do what I normally do to prepare for winter.

 

In our garage I'll make sure we have enough cat food and chicken feed to get us through until spring.  It is absolutely no fun to go to the feed store in the winter when you have a wet truck bed and it is storming.  Then to lug a 50# bag across an icy driveway in hopes you don't land on your butt, no way.

 

The other reason I like to stock up for winter is because our monthly utility bills are higher because the heat is on, my annual auto insurance bill comes due, my car will need to be registered, the holidays happen and it is birthday central around here.  All very good reasons to do what I can early to ease the pain, if you will.

 

Along with stocking up I will also make sure our house is buttoned up for winter.  Any repairs and maintenance that needs to be done will be completed.  Our vehicles will get cleaned and readied for the bad weather as well as their routine maintenance.  I will add snow chains and a blanket to the trunk for just in case as well as a few other emergency items.

 

We check to make sure everyone has a good winter coat, gloves and hats, winter boots and warm clothing.  I also check the tools in the garage to make sure they are solid and ready for whatever comes our way.  The time to figure out you need a new snow shovel is not when you have to dig out your car to go anywhere.

 

It seems crazy that when the temperatures are hovering near the century mark I am checking to make sure we have enough ice melt and pairing up gloves to make sure they all have mates.  But that is how I roll.  Getting everything put together now, before we need it, has always felt like the best practice.

 

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

 

Our week zipped by in a blink and before I knew it, it was the weekend again  It has been very hot outside and also very smoky from some wild fires we have burning in our state as well as in Oregon.  It has made for some eerie and apocalyptic landscapes lately with a blood red sun in the sky as I drive into work each morning.  Most days you can't even see the foothills.

 

School began on Monday for my youngest and they are going online for the time being.  My oldest began her sophomore year of college on Wednesday and they are online as well.  Not at all what any of us were hoping for, but we will make it work.  Along with school both girls are still working at the grocery store too.

 

Tuesday I sold one of the vintage patterns I had put up for sale on eBay.  Yay!  Now I hope the rest will sell.

 

Wednesday I sat down with my planner and my laptop to finalize a shopping list and figure out where I was going to shop. I had yet to do much in the way of grocery shopping at this point.  I perused the ads as well as the coupons.com site.  I loaded several digital coupons onto my store rewards cards and printed out nine paper coupons which allowed me to buy three boxes of breakfast cereal for the girls and six jars of Skippy Natural peanut butter for dirt cheap.  Super chunk!  You can probably guess where the peanut butter is going.  Yep, the prepper pantry.  Not at all worried it will go to waste the way my girls eat peanut butter.

 

Thursday evening I went to Cash and Carry to pick up cream for my keto coffees and a dessert I have planned as well as some rice noodles for the young one.  On the way home we stopped in at Fred Meyer and Albertsons for some sales items, the cereal and peanut butter.  I used coupons along with the sales items to shave even more off the price.  I also had paper and digital coupons for a couple FREE items.  I also grabbed up a whole roasted chicken they had marked down in the deli.

 

I went ahead and planned out a two week meal plan.  I admit I haven't been my best at meal planning lately.  I know I need to do better.  Meal planning and meal prepping make my life a whole lot easier.  I also had some good ideas of ways to use up that deli chicken I had just bought.

 

After work on Friday I went to Winco to pick up some fresh produce and fill in the gaps with a few items I was low on.  I wasn't able to get everything on my list last week simply because the stores didn't have it or the price has shot up so much I didn't think I needed it that bad.

 

Yummy breakfast!

Saturday was a quiet day for me to relax and do some planning, financial planning, writing ad just putter about the house a bit.  Nothing overly eventful, just a nice pleasant day.  I used some of the deli chicken to make chicken Caesar salads for supper.  That with a little glass of wine made for a lovely and simple evening meal.

 

Freebies!

I worked some more overtime last week.  I have another Amazon cart I'm working on so that extra money will be used to pay for my next purchase.

 

We watched free movies on Youtube and used our Amazon Prime membership to watch a few TV shows included with our membership.

 

We did not have any food waste last week.  I put up five packages of beaten eggs in the freezer.   I washed out a few ziploc bags to reuse and that was pretty much about it.

 

Prepper Pantry = eggs, peanut butter, cornstarch, chili powder, lemon pepper, pudding mix.

 

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order: 

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Dining Room - vacuumed & spot mopped  floor. 

Kitchen -  vacuumed & spot mopped floor, cleaned sink & stove. 

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Scrubbed sink.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Other - two large loads of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry.  Swept front porch & garage.

 

How was your thrifty week?