Well this was an expensive week. But one that will save us much money in the future. Keebler crackers were all on sale 50% off. And you know how Paul loves crackers. I bought some of just about every variety for him.
Groceries: $105
Date night: $5 (Hot 'n' Ready Pizza eaten at home)
Carryover: $30.50
Since I didn't go shopping until midweek, I might not have a week #8 grocery shopping. I'm not sure yet.
In case you were wondering, I've not really gotten my article written. I'm trying, but whatever I say just doesn't sound quite right.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Since it's fall and therefore apple season...here's a yummy and really easy apple butter recipe for the slow cooker. The recipe as written is fairly sweet - I've put my adaptations to make it less sweet and more spicy in parentheses. Enjoy! -jg
¾ c. brown sugar (I usually take this down to less than ½ c.)
¾ c. apple juice (I usually use about half that, and make up the rest with water)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T. ground cinnamon (I tend to add extra of each of the spices)
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
1. Combine the apples, brown sugar, apple juice and lemon juice in a 4-qt slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the apples are very soft.
2. Remove the lid, turn the heat setting to high, and stir in the spices. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring once about halfway through, if possible, until the mixture thickens.
3. Press the apples through a metal strainer to remove the peels, or process the apples through a food mill.
4. Cool to room temperature and store. (Should keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. It also freezes well.)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Expensive Weekend
Dinner Friday Night: $25
Lunch Saturday: $13
Lunch Sunday: $8
Dinner Sunday: $15
$61
96.5-61= 35.5
So not too much left in the carryover budget. But still, I'd say we're doing well with the budget if we can do a weekend like that every so often. But now it's time to start building up the surplus again.
Lunch Saturday: $13
Lunch Sunday: $8
Dinner Sunday: $15
$61
96.5-61= 35.5
So not too much left in the carryover budget. But still, I'd say we're doing well with the budget if we can do a weekend like that every so often. But now it's time to start building up the surplus again.
Friday, October 12, 2007
$60/month
I just got a chance to compile all my receipts and look at my budgeting for the past six months. The result: I averaged $50.11 on groceries - per month - without trying! If I include eating out (which I budget under 'entertainment' since it isn't an 'essential'), it would still be below $60. October looks to be even lower since I've been more conscientious.
I should note that my expenses actually varied quite widely even from month to month - 2 of those months I spent $30, and in September I hit a record $82 (for good reason: I hosted people for dinner meetings a couple of times, provided snacks for Bible study each week (we're now rotating the job!) and went to a couple of potlucks where the old students were expected to bring enough food to feed the new students!). Anyway, even my crazy month of buying food for everything still left me (barely) within the stated challenge - so I guess I'm showing here that you can even feed others well while still keeping the budget!
So how do I eat on an average of $60/month?
The big help: I very rarely go out to eat. Everyone I work with brings their lunch, so if we want to eat lunch together, we just grab our lunches out of the fridge, head upstairs or outside and enjoy the sun! Plus, one of the groups I meet with has a potluck every other week, so I can get the social and variety aspects of eating out without the cost!
I also keep two shopping lists for my Saturday shopping - one for items I need that weekend, and one for non-perishables I expect to run out of in the next month. Items on that second list I only pick up if they're on sale. I also skim the online circulars for Meijer and Kroger before heading out. While Meijer generally has the best regular price on items, Kroger tends to have some really good sale prices. Oh, and I'm not afraid to at least try off- and store-brands.
Other ways I keep expenses down:
Drink water! It's better for you than most of that other stuff out there, anyway! I do NOT buy bottled water - I just run tap water through a Brita pitcher! For times when water isn't quite enough or I'm really bored of it, I keep some Gatorade mix on hand so I can mix up a single glass.
Powdered milk - I've never been much of a milk drinker, so I've given up on keeping milk in stock - it inevitably spoils before I can use it all. Now I keep powdered milk around for when I need milk as I cook.
Frozen vegetables: if it's not in season/on sale, then I buy it frozen. The nutrients are generally well-preserved, and I actually find I eat more veggies when I keep bags of frozen veggies on hand, since it's easy to toss a handful or two into something.
Fruit: I eat fruit that's on sale/in season.
Breads: If you're careful, the discount rack can be great - you can get something that has a sell-by date of that same day at a great discount. Just make sure it's not something that gets stale (or worse) too fast.
Hmm...I think that's all. And yes, you can use my name if you want to quote me.
-jg
P.S. Yes, I realize the irony of giving permission for my name to be used in print while pretty much refusing to use it online, even in a forum where everyone pretty much knows who I am. I have my reasons...they may not be entirely logical, but I do have them!
I should note that my expenses actually varied quite widely even from month to month - 2 of those months I spent $30, and in September I hit a record $82 (for good reason: I hosted people for dinner meetings a couple of times, provided snacks for Bible study each week (we're now rotating the job!) and went to a couple of potlucks where the old students were expected to bring enough food to feed the new students!). Anyway, even my crazy month of buying food for everything still left me (barely) within the stated challenge - so I guess I'm showing here that you can even feed others well while still keeping the budget!
So how do I eat on an average of $60/month?
The big help: I very rarely go out to eat. Everyone I work with brings their lunch, so if we want to eat lunch together, we just grab our lunches out of the fridge, head upstairs or outside and enjoy the sun! Plus, one of the groups I meet with has a potluck every other week, so I can get the social and variety aspects of eating out without the cost!
I also keep two shopping lists for my Saturday shopping - one for items I need that weekend, and one for non-perishables I expect to run out of in the next month. Items on that second list I only pick up if they're on sale. I also skim the online circulars for Meijer and Kroger before heading out. While Meijer generally has the best regular price on items, Kroger tends to have some really good sale prices. Oh, and I'm not afraid to at least try off- and store-brands.
Other ways I keep expenses down:
Drink water! It's better for you than most of that other stuff out there, anyway! I do NOT buy bottled water - I just run tap water through a Brita pitcher! For times when water isn't quite enough or I'm really bored of it, I keep some Gatorade mix on hand so I can mix up a single glass.
Powdered milk - I've never been much of a milk drinker, so I've given up on keeping milk in stock - it inevitably spoils before I can use it all. Now I keep powdered milk around for when I need milk as I cook.
Frozen vegetables: if it's not in season/on sale, then I buy it frozen. The nutrients are generally well-preserved, and I actually find I eat more veggies when I keep bags of frozen veggies on hand, since it's easy to toss a handful or two into something.
Fruit: I eat fruit that's on sale/in season.
Breads: If you're careful, the discount rack can be great - you can get something that has a sell-by date of that same day at a great discount. Just make sure it's not something that gets stale (or worse) too fast.
Hmm...I think that's all. And yes, you can use my name if you want to quote me.
-jg
P.S. Yes, I realize the irony of giving permission for my name to be used in print while pretty much refusing to use it online, even in a forum where everyone pretty much knows who I am. I have my reasons...they may not be entirely logical, but I do have them!
Grocery Shopping Week #6
I attempted to go to one of those wholesale type food places where you can only buy your beans in a 6 pound can. I thought it might save some money on things like flour and sugar. Unfortunately, that was not the case. It turns out that Meijer prices are better on those things anyway. Although they did have good prices on cheese. And crackers.
So grocery shopping today: $60
I really feel like I am getting the hang of this budget. I think we are all eating healthier. I think it's about time to start making some more casseroles to freeze, so we can have convenience food after the baby comes.
So grocery shopping today: $60
I really feel like I am getting the hang of this budget. I think we are all eating healthier. I think it's about time to start making some more casseroles to freeze, so we can have convenience food after the baby comes.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Grocery Shopping Week #5
Since tomorrow is grocery day I'm obviously getting behind on posting our expenses.
groceries: $45
Paul's lunch out: $9 (I don't remember exactly, but this is pretty much typical)
Dinner Date: $12
Ice Cream at zoo: $4
Gatorade: $2.50 (I was sick mid-week, and was getting dehydrated)
Total: 45+9+12+4+2.5 = 72.5
So are total carryover is 105-72.5+20= 52.5
This week is going to be more expensive, we're running pretty low on staples. Plus Paul and I will be heading to wedding in Illinois and will have to eat a couple of meals out.
How is everybody else doing so far on the budget? I am trying to compose my rebuttal for the newspaper, and I'd like to have some feedback from you guys. Also, let me know if I can use your actual names if I quote you (you don't have to print your full name online, I probably already know it).
groceries: $45
Paul's lunch out: $9 (I don't remember exactly, but this is pretty much typical)
Dinner Date: $12
Ice Cream at zoo: $4
Gatorade: $2.50 (I was sick mid-week, and was getting dehydrated)
Total: 45+9+12+4+2.5 = 72.5
So are total carryover is 105-72.5+20= 52.5
This week is going to be more expensive, we're running pretty low on staples. Plus Paul and I will be heading to wedding in Illinois and will have to eat a couple of meals out.
How is everybody else doing so far on the budget? I am trying to compose my rebuttal for the newspaper, and I'd like to have some feedback from you guys. Also, let me know if I can use your actual names if I quote you (you don't have to print your full name online, I probably already know it).
"Mocha" mix
1 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, as for baking)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons instant coffee
Mix ingredients. Place in a tupperware container.
To use:
Heat a cup of water (about 90 sec in the microwave). Mix in about 4 teaspoons of mix. Drink!
You may find you want more or less of some of the ingredients. That's up to you. I just made this up this afternoon, as I was having a mocha craving and there's no way I was going to buy a real one.
It satisfied the craving.
1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened, as for baking)
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons instant coffee
Mix ingredients. Place in a tupperware container.
To use:
Heat a cup of water (about 90 sec in the microwave). Mix in about 4 teaspoons of mix. Drink!
You may find you want more or less of some of the ingredients. That's up to you. I just made this up this afternoon, as I was having a mocha craving and there's no way I was going to buy a real one.
It satisfied the craving.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Tonight's Dinner
| Prego-Can-Wait Spaghetti |
So I found out that we did, indeed, have a large jar of Prego sitting in the fridge, but I was already bent on finishing off the diced tomatoes sitting in a Tupperware one shelf below. What this really is is a basic pasta toss, using:
spaghetti
frozen cooked meatballs
half a can of diced tomatoes
garlic powder
basil
oregano
shredded marble jack cheese
the less-than-a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese left in the container
I started the water for the spaghetti while I put the tomatoes and meatballs in a saucepan with about a half cup of water, so they didn't end up burning while the meatballs heated all the way through. Looked in the pan, and started shaking the spices into a small heap on top of the meatballs. (This probably amounts to a couple of teaspoons worth.) Mixed it all together, and let it get to a boil before turning the heat down to low and covering the pan to let it simmer while the pasta was cooking.
After the pasta is cooked and drained, I poured the meatball/tomato concoction over it and added a loose handful of marble jack and whatever was left of the Parmesan that we had (it wasn't much).
Derek liked it, and I liked it, so I consider it a success. Yay!
So I found out that we did, indeed, have a large jar of Prego sitting in the fridge, but I was already bent on finishing off the diced tomatoes sitting in a Tupperware one shelf below. What this really is is a basic pasta toss, using:
spaghetti
frozen cooked meatballs
half a can of diced tomatoes
garlic powder
basil
oregano
shredded marble jack cheese
the less-than-a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese left in the container
I started the water for the spaghetti while I put the tomatoes and meatballs in a saucepan with about a half cup of water, so they didn't end up burning while the meatballs heated all the way through. Looked in the pan, and started shaking the spices into a small heap on top of the meatballs. (This probably amounts to a couple of teaspoons worth.) Mixed it all together, and let it get to a boil before turning the heat down to low and covering the pan to let it simmer while the pasta was cooking.
After the pasta is cooked and drained, I poured the meatball/tomato concoction over it and added a loose handful of marble jack and whatever was left of the Parmesan that we had (it wasn't much).
Derek liked it, and I liked it, so I consider it a success. Yay!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Week #4 Grocery Shopping
Recent food purchases
Paul lunch at Thai restaurant: $9.00
Paul and Shaelin date for Chinese: $13.00 (we split an entree and still had leftovers)
Grocery Shopping: $75.00
Last minute trip to the store to buy beverages for Bible study: $5.50
Right now, we have about $20 extra floating in the theoretical budget (if I can add correctly). Obviously, we are eating very well, since we can still afford to eat out.
I think that tomorrow I will bake some bread.
Paul lunch at Thai restaurant: $9.00
Paul and Shaelin date for Chinese: $13.00 (we split an entree and still had leftovers)
Grocery Shopping: $75.00
Last minute trip to the store to buy beverages for Bible study: $5.50
Right now, we have about $20 extra floating in the theoretical budget (if I can add correctly). Obviously, we are eating very well, since we can still afford to eat out.
I think that tomorrow I will bake some bread.
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