WIS, WWA | largely from the freezer
What I Spent
I did get a Hungry Harvest box and I made a small trip to Aldi, but I haven't done an honest-to-goodness grocery shopping trip since we got back from Hawaii!
I've done some freezer scrounging to come up with things to eat, so...yay for using up what's on hand.
I spent:
- $6.99 on Domino's pizza
- $30 on a Hungry Harvest box
- $39 at Aldi
What We Ate
Saturday
I made bacon and cheese quesadillas (all ingredients from the freezer) and I cut up some fruit.
Sunday
I found a few slices of bread in the freezer, so Zoe had some French toast plus the rest of the bacon, and I had some whole-wheat blueberry pancakes.
Monday
I found a small package of ground beef in the freezer along with some homemade burger buns so...we had burgers for dinner, topped with Swiss cheese. Fruit on the side.
Tuesday
I saw that Domino's had a good offer on a large pizza, so I got a BBQ chicken one for Zoe and me to share.
Wednesday
Zoe was out with a friend, so I ate the leftover burger from Monday night.
Thursday
I found two chicken thighs in the freezer, so I salted them for a few hours, pan-sauteed them, and sliced them on top of a green salad with various veggies.
I also found a partial bag of sweet potato fries in the freezer so I threw those in the air fryer for us to eat with our salads.
Friday
Zoe and I are gonna have a movie night, so we might get some takeout.
What I spent----
Meijer $62.81
Sam's Club $40.52
What we ate---
● teen usual snacks of popcorn & cereal & also finished off box of candy canes
● ham & cheese eggs with english muffins
● pizza
● bbq chicken wings with shells & cheese
● pancakes with scrambled eggs
● bbq chicken wings & fries
● blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs
● tonight will be beef & noodles
Have good weekend!
A cat have been added to the All-Clad collection 🙂
@K T, ...and Domino's Pizza now features a cat topping!
@A. Marie, what?? Is a cat topping
@Joy in NW Iowa, see the photos above of Chiquita in the pot cupboard (= the All-Clad joke) and on top of the pizza box (= the Domino's joke).
@Joy in NW Iowa,
Cat toppings does sound a little questionable. LOL
Ooh! I put swiss cheese on burgers this week, too! But mine were veggie burgers also from the freezer.
WIS: 174.74 @Aldi but they were out of eggs, so I went back the next day and ended up spending another 90.86 on the eggs and, um, some other things. The same day, my husband was starting to feel slightly better, so he took the kids to the farmer's market and also bought eggs. He spent 7.20 on just eggs...he also spent another 5.00 on cookies and 25.75 on a box of wine for me because I forgot to pick one up on wine Wednesday when it's 20% off. I was totally going to just drink tea until next Wednesday, but he thought it was silly of me to deprive myself over five bucks. He's probably right, but I'm glad he only got one box. I'll stock up next Wednesday. 😉
So, my grand total this week was 303.55. My second Aldi trip included several bags of frozen turkey meatballs because I realized they were in the Aldi finds section of the freezer (which means once they're gone, they're gone) and I'm just not loving the vegan ones. I'm hoping the turkey ones will taste more like the pork/beef ones we used to get, and you just can't beat frozen meatballs for a quick convenience food. I also spent about ten bucks on Valentine's Day Play-Doh for my class, and I bought the last four jars of the clearanced pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce because we really like it.
Ok, enough justifying...three hundy isn't that bad for family groceries, especially considering we eat all our meals at home, right? Also, the nine-year-old is like a bottomless freaking pit...like seriously, where does he put it all???
WWA:
Fri: salad (lettuce, chickweed, parsley, cucumber, grape tomatoes and we added spray dressing and crumbled spicy sourdough discard crackers for crunch) and pesto focaccia. It was ok, but I didn't love it. I think I prefer my pesto on pasta.
Sat: husband started feeling a bit crummy, so he made Korean BBQ noodle cup of soups that he got from his protein powder company. He jazzed them up with homemade chicken stock and added shredded chicken and gochujang seasoning. We also had a salad (artisan lettuce, cucumbers, apples, craisins, walnuts, strawberry moo tube drizzle and honey nut Cheerios).
Sun: salad (artisan lettuce, asian trail mix and a creamy dressing of sorts using an aging avocado and a bit of feta cheese), frozen holiday shaped pizzas from Aldi (why, yes they were only .49 cents each on clearance, squee!!!)
Mon: I got home from a late work meeting to discover my husband was now totally out of commission all day with this terrible cold. I grabbed some leftover salads from the fridge (all had like one serving left) and microwaved some frozen turkey hotdogs and some frozen brioche buns. My wiggly turkey dogs would not win any cooking contests, but the whole thing was on the table in less than 15 minutes, and it was reasonably healthy thanks to the salads and definitely frugal, so I call it a win on several other fronts. Also, to illustrate the bottomless pit theory, the nine-year-old ate six hotdogs...
Tue: I knew I would be cooking this time, so I was a little less haphazard. salad (I made enough for two nights-lettuce, red pepper, feta cheese and we topped it with spray dressing and crispy onions), veggie burgers on brioche buns (the smaller slider kind), and Mac and cheese. I did not make any fancy sauteed veggies like my husband usually does, but I did broil some swiss cheese on top of the veggie burgers, and I browned the butter for the Mac and cheese.
Wed: one more night of me handling dinner-leftover salad and giant sandwiches (Munster cheese, turkey lunch meat, spicy guacamole, mustard, mayo, lettuce and thinly sliced tomato on Italian panini bread from Aldi) that I made after coming home from the store.
Thu: salad (just mixed greens, spray dressing and crispy onions), tofu and veggies with jarred Tikka masala sauce over jasmine rice. Husband felt well enough to cook! Hallelujah!
Tonight: focaccia, I believe, because I think my husband is functioning now, albeit with the help of many OTC drugs. He says he is planning to put pumpkin chipotle sauce on it...yay!
Happy weekend, everyone!
PS I just love all the pictures of Chiquita. What a goose she is!
@Becca, Unfortunately, $300 a week is becoming normal for me. It’s depressing, but with a 14yo boy and 9yo girl, they go through so much food! My teen isn’t a snacker, but he eats four big meals a day. I completely fill the fridge at the beginning of every week and it’s nearly empty before the week is over. I’m going to have to incorporate some more food related money saving measures.
WIS, WWA Kitchen Remodel Addition.
Our kitchen was demo'd a week ago, so it's been a week of adjustments for sure.
WIS
$41- Aldis
$15- Trader Joe's
$70- Takeout 5 times
WWA
Fri- Happy Hour with friends
Sat- My mom treated us to lunch, and we had the leftovers for dinner
Sun- Fish and chips at the harbor, after a nearby play we attended
Mon- CAVA, where we split a chicken & super greens bowl before attending a free college jazz concert
Tue- Split a burrito
Wed- Dinner at some very kind friends' home, who have volunteered to feed us weekly during our remodel. It was so nice to have something homemade!
Thu- Skipped, due to sharing a chicken burger & fries at lunch at an outdoor cafe at the beach, where we had walked to from the house in order to escape the chaos.
Fri- Tonight we're going to a local brewery to listen to live music and share a plate of BBQ from the food truck that will be there.
We're averaging about $15 a day for our shared take-outs, which I'm fine with during this four week period of upheaval. But even after just a week how I am sorely missing home cooked food!
@Tamara R, I just had a flashback to a whole house remodel (kitchen included) from years ago. The contractor was there so long I would come home and find him in the kitchen washing out the coffee pot. I started singing out "Honey! I'm Home! when I walked in the front door at the end of the day. Good times! (Not. Although the end result was worth it.)
@JDinNM, I sang out the same thing to my contractor! Never failed to amuse me (and him).
@MB in MN, JD in NM, I'm here with them on a day-to-day, which is exhausting in a similar way that being at work all day was (I'm retired). I know they know their respective trades, but they don't know my unique design vision, so by being here I'm able to course correct as needed with regard to design decisions. In it's own way, it's utterly exhausting, mentally. But I do value each and every one of them for sure!
This is the week I am dealing with reflux issues AND still trying to eat up some things from the freezer. I have gone back to trying to budget $50 a week, which feels impossible for three people. But I did cook:
Monday - I was off and I cannot remember what was eaten.. I think it was leftover tortellini?
Tuesday - Scalloped potatoes with ham, with the rest of the broccoli chopped into it.
Wednesday - Romaine Salad with the rest of the freezer chicken strips, some garbanzos, fresh tomato, green onion, and shredded cheddar, with Fritos. It was quite tasty!
Thursday - Oven Chicken Thighs with mini potatoes and carrots, loaded with garlic. YUM. I did this in my cast iron skillet.
Tonight - Tilapia with seasoned rice, green veggie to be determined {payday, lunch out}
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, but I have so much ham in various containers in the freezer that we need to eat.
Happy Weekend!
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
I know you're in a slightly less expensive region, but I'm gonna go ahead and say that I think 50.00 for three people feels impossible because it is. You might could do 75, but even that would be really hard.
@Gina from The Cannary Family,
My husband is in another state working approximately 12 days a month. So my food budget is technically for 1.5 people. Because he is a meat eater, I average $400 - $500 a month. This includes coffee and tea, but no alcohol, pet products or household items. I also buy very little prepared or processed food except a Costco Rotisserie Chicken and bread.
Some months are more expensive then others, because I often buy items in bulk when I see them. As of today, I have spent $293 this month. I have made it a concerted effort to use up leftover holiday food.
I think that $50 would work for one person if you are careful, but difficult for 3. Let us know how your experiment works. I’m curious.
@Bee, I have had mixed results! I think $60 is more reasonable and that is with no frills and more veggie or egg centered meals. If I add in tp or other non-meal items I subtract those, because technically not food. Also, I have lots in the freezer to supplement, and the boys don't eat every meal with me, so I can whittle down portion sizes. We'll see how it goes - I was minimally successful with it before they moved back home...
This week was vegetarian heavy as we cleared out the freezer
1. Vegan Swedish meatballs, rice and salad
2. Black bean burritos, rice and salad
3. Tofu with rice, steamed veggies & peanut sauce
4. Stuffed sweet potatoes (with vegan meatballs or ham), salad
5. Turkey chili, rice and salad
6. Dinner out at a local Mexican Restaurant
7. My husband will revolt if I serve him one more vegetarian dinner this week. So, something with chicken is likely tonight.
@Sarah, I hear you. I've gone back to adding more meat to our menus because the guys complained they were turning into Peter Rabbit. I am plucking up courage to use the six bags of "pulled beans" I bought on a whim last year, as meat alternative (they are dry and will keep). I haven't made up my mind yet if I should make a veggy meal and tell them, or just keep quiet and see if they will find out. However if they do find (me) out - they will prod suspiciously in any and all meals I serve.
WIS: $14 at Ollie's (most of which was for Hampton Farms peanuts in the shell for my birds; these are cheaper than the ones my bird food store sells), $36 at Price Chopper, and $25 at Wegmans (where I found some RFQS deals on boneless/skinless chicken thighs and boneless pork rib meat for stews).
WIA: The highlight was a chili I made with hamburger from my 1/4 steer, a half jar of salsa, and some canned goods that weren't getting any younger (black beans and corn, which complemented the black beans and corn in the salsa).
I worked all week, so it was a week of combining leftovers creatively . . .
Saturday: Slow-cooked pork roast, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli
Sunday: Pizza--one cheese, one with pepperoni and onion--cucumbers, ranch dip, pumpkin pie with whipped cream that used an extra pie crust I had in the freezer after the last time I made a one-crust pie, and a bag of pumpkin puree also from the freezer.
Monday: Leftover pizza, baked beans I had made the day before (I know, pizza and baked beans is a weird combination) raw radishes, and the extra pie filling that never fits in my pie crust baked as a pumpkin custard. And more whipped cream.
Tuesday: I found a small bag of shredded pork in the freezer, so I used that with some of the pinto beans I had made on Sunday, plus salsa and spices, cheese, and flour tortillas, to make quesadillas. More cucumbers.
Wednesday: A bag of elk chorizo combined with microwaved potatoes, already-cooked onion from the freezer, and cheese to make a skillet meal. The one who doesn't like chorizo had the last of the tuna salad from Friday in a tuna melt, but with tortillas instead of bread. So I tuna quesadilla, I guess. There were also raw radishe.
Thursday: I rounded out the leftover chorizo/potatoes and baked beans with scrambled eggs, bread and butter, and carrot sticks with ranch dip.
Tonight: I need to investigate the freezer for meat and then decide. I do have more pinto beans cooked, so I could make a chili. We shall see. But at least I'll be home to cook . . .
@kristin @ going country,
I inherited an 11" pie plate from my mother-in-law. Heaven knows what she had it for, because DH says she never really made pies unless it was blackberry season. However, if you like to make pumpkin pies, the 11" holds the full recipe of pumpkin pie, without overloading the pan. Just in case you ever see one running uphill, as my dad used to say.
@JD, I watch for those bigger pie plates every time I go to the estate resale shop by me, but man, everyone must like them! My husband's folks have several and although I do dread the day we will have to go through their house to downsize, and also I have a total plenty of allllll the kitchen things already, that's one thing I hope the other siblings will share with us. Your dad's description seems pretty accurate. 😉
@kristin @ going country, last time I forgot to lay something out and went looking...found pinto beans...we had bean burritos. And now they are a favorite around here 🙂
@Karen.,
I had no idea they make 11" pie plates! Interesting.
Sweet potato fries sound delicious! I got around to totaling up my January grocery spending and it's actually in much better shape than I expected, which is great because I'm in the middle of dropping almost $700 on a pig! Whew! We will not win any awards for what we ate this week. It ended up being lots of carbs and cheese. I promise I'm not pregnant! (Carbs and cheese were my pregnancy faves.)
Saturday: Skillet chicken thighs, rice, and broccoli
Sunday: Beef roast, corn, applesauce, pepper slices
Monday: The kids finally went back to school, but my son's basketball practice got cancelled that night and I saw the writing on the wall that we would cancel school the next day. Kid was sad. Mom was deflated. Under the excuse of, "Report cards came out today and everyone did great" we got Little Caesar's pizza.
Tuesday: Leftover pizza for me and the kids while my husband was at a meeting that included dinner.
Wednesday: Three cheese manicotti and peas
Thursday: Bacon cheeseburger pasta. I planned to make broccoli to go with it, but between Science Olympiad practice and play auditions, the broccoli didn't happen. It was a big win to pull off a homemade dinner, though.
Friday: Burritos! And I think I'm heading to pick up the pig today.
We are out of coffee, so our weekly groceries willbe higher than usual this week. No coffee = an emergency
WWA
Fri - leftovers and minestrone
Thu Duck cacciatore - even better than with chicken, fortunately we have leftovers
Wed - guys fended for themselves
Tue - Kale stew
Mon - runner beans, potatoes and pork
Sun - Brussels sprouts, potatoes and beef, with homemade chutney
Sat - Veggy rice/eggs/french beans with teriyaki inspired dressing
I think it works better for me to "think backwards"
@JNL, no coffee is definitely an emergency!
@Sophie in Denmark,
This.
Monday lunch with a long time friend, I had pizza with left overs so Jay and I finished that for supper.
Tuesday we had chili for lunch and a salmon salad with bacon and strawberries for supper.
Wednesday we had chili for lunch and chicken wings in the air fryer and cauliflower for supper.
Thursday we had sandwiches for lunch and pork sweet n sour on Chinese noodles for supper.
Friday?
We are retired from our jobs but we still farm. We go out occasionally when we are in Sioux Falls for appointments. With my gluten intolerance, it is a lot less stressful to eat at home! I have gotten comfortable with certain restaurants, those are usually the spots we pick. I do get tired of cooking….rather wondering what to have …. Anyone else?
When it is warm, Jay or I (usually Jay) grills on the smoker and I do the veggies. Now I gets dark so early and it’s cold and we are whimps haha
What is your membership and what food items are in it?
@Joy in NW Iowa,
Not the point of your comment, but my family and I spent a lovely couple of hours at Falls Park in Sioux Falls this past summer when on vacation. So beautiful! It was an unplanned stop, but truly a hidden gem.
@Joy in NW Iowa, Where in northwest Iowa do you live? I live by Rock Rapids
Kristen you could morph this post into a freezer cleanout post.
WIS was about $250 for my half of a half of a pig. I just got it last Saturday and it was frozen, plus I had my menu planned without it, since I wasn't sure how many and what cuts I was going to get, so it's all still there. My meals will be featuring pork to a certain extent for a while.
WIA: Tuna salad, made as always with shredded veggies and fruit with it. I made plenty, so I ate this twice.
Pork chops that I already had before the pig purchase. I seasoned and baked them sheet pan style with mixed root vegetables and had some spinach on the side. This was also served twice.
Farm brats also already on hand, with celery-based salad on the side and some GF bread.
Home canned veggie beef soup. Time to eat this up and preserve some fresh. It's nice to have during power outages, for sure, when I can heat it on my little propane stove.
Penne cassava pasta mixed with kale (I dislike kale, but make myself eat it a few times a year for variety) and olive/basil pesto. An apple for dessert.
Tonight I'll be grocery shopping, so TBD. It largely depends on how late I get home.
Saturday - out to dinner at black bear diner, it’s getting easier each time we take the kids to a restaurant, we actually can sort of enjoy ourselves now haha
Sunday - Trader Joe’s orange chicken, steamed broccoli and carrots
Monday - potato basque soup and corn muffins from the freezer
Tuesday - salmon for adults, popcorn shrimp for kids, balsamic roasted mushrooms with spinach mashed potatoes (3 year old suddenly loves cooked mushrooms so this recipe was a hit!)
Wednesday - variety of soup from the freezer, turkey corn chowder and alphabet soup and more corn muffins from the freezer
Thursday - Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, steamed broccoli and green beans
Friday - I have book club at a restaurant so they are on their own at home!
For the first time in years, I went and had some slices of pizza on the pizza parlor's lunch buffet. I wanted to test out my theory of no longer having certain food allergies. I was shocked that the price had gone up to $15, but the slices of pizza were delicious. Only very mild itching later on and that could've been from dry skin, I keep telling myself. Will have to cut back on trying foods that could trigger itching, but it was a fun lunch.
Meanwhile (and this has nothing whatsoever to do with frugality, food or anything else we talk about), I just have to share: I played my 500th daily Wordle game today. It took 4 tries to guess the word, but I did it! I am maintaining a score of 90% correct! (Well, it IS free and fun, so I suppose that counts as being frugal. )
@Fru-gal Lisa,
I have had itchy skin (with no rash) off and on for years, and your comment is making me wonder if some kind of food allergy is to blame….. sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night itching, literally, from head to toe.
@Robyn S, The way I discovered mine was food allergies was to take a blood test called a RAST test. It's an acronym for a mile-long medical word.
My allergy doctor, now retired, had developed it along with another M.D. elsewhere in the country and the test was super accurate.
His nurse performed a demonstration that showed me that those skin tests for allergies don't work. She did the screwdriver thing in my skin (They make circles on your arm with what looks like the working end of a regular screwdriver). Instead of applying allergen drops, she put only distilled water on every one of them; as she predicted, the first ones did not show any redness but the further along you got, the more your skin showed a reaction.
Here's the thing: Instead of being allergic to the drops, it merely indicates your immune system is reacting to being "attacked" by the screwdriver thing. Dr. Fadal called those skin tests "19th Century medicine," meaning the 1800s, but said a lot of docs still use(d) it. (This was several years ago, so maybe things have changed by now. )
Anyway, all this is saying: be sure and make the doctor do a blood test and don't believe them when they say there's no such thing.
PS -- since I had my hysterectomy, I haven't had yeast infections and I think that all had something to do with my allergies. (One of the things I was allergic to was yeast.) Not sure how it all ties in together, maybe I just "outgrew" my allergies as I aged, but anyway.....
@Fru-gal Lisa, Oh, this is interesting, my son and I were diagnosed with varying allergies from a skin test years ago. Now, bear in mind this happened after both of us suffered anaphylaxis, and just after exposure to certain foods/environmental things. And once we eliminated those things, no more allergy symptoms. So.
But now I wonder if it's worth getting a RAST test, only because I seem to be having severe allergic reactions apparently to foods I've never been allergic to before.
@Fru-gal Lisa,
That's a great Wordle run! I play every day, but I never check my stats. Now I think I must! Lol!
@Karen A., I have had some exposure to food allergies/sensitivities in my family. It is similar to my experiences with skin sensitivities. It's an inflammation issue. The more my immune system is ramped up against X, the more likely it is to start fighting anything it mistakes for X. Or, if it's just in fighting mode, it lashes out at whatever. I have to eliminate the irritant(s). My uncle eliminated the offenders from his diet for several years; now his body has healed enough that he can enjoy those foods in moderation.
Another thing that you may want to check into is MTHFR. My doctor suspected that for me because of my body's crazy responses to things (3 weeks of hives and itchiness because of wearing a disposable face mask for a couple of hours). I was tested, and my doctor was right; I was homozygous for one of the variations. So now I take methylated vitamin B since my body is sloppy about processing the vitamin all by itself. So far, so good.
You might also look into other way to reduce inflammation in your body.
WIS: $59 at Aldi, $17.04 at Kowalski's (after using a $50 gift card)
Friday: Aldi’s BBQ Chicken Flatbread – husband was out of town and my son was with his dad so I hit the easy button for myself
Saturday: frozen burrito and fruit – husband was out with friends and my son was with his dad so another easy dinner night for me
Sunday: Baked cod with chipotle butter sauce, spicy black bean cakes, lime crema
Monday: Pasta with sausage, collard greens, and mushrooms
Tuesday: Chicken Wild Rice Soup – I tried a new slow cooker recipe and I was disappointed
Wednesday: Honey Sriracha Salmon Bowls
Thursday: Leftover night
@Geneva, Kowalski's Markets are so lovely.
@Geneva, lucky you to have a gift card to Kowalski's!
WIS: Too Much! $57.43 at my Neighborhood Walmart Market, $38.23 at Sprouts, and $101.87 at Albertsons, so $197.53. But $63.86 was for non-food items, and another $12 was for 6 bags of Ghirardelli assorted Christmas chocolates that were marked down from $6 each (ouch!) to $2 (okey dokey!), that I bought for Valentine gifts. So … $121.67 for groceries, which wasn’t too bad because it had been a couple weeks since I shopped. Trying to keep weekly food expenditure to $50-$60. And some prices (eggs) are coming down while others (bread) seem stubbornly high. Wheat prices may be affected from continuing war and drought.
WIA: Tuscan Butter Mushrooms (Baby Bella mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and fresh spinach in a garlic, cream and parmesan sauce), chicken and wild rice soup (with extra carrots that needed to be used up), chicken and dumplings, chicken quesadillas (someone must have picked up a rotisserie chicken along the way). It’s been cold and damp, so comfort food all week seemed in order.
Bon appetit!
Impressive that you haven't been to the grocery store yet! That takes creativity for sure.
This week, we've been mostly eating out of Christopher Kimball's cookbook "Cook What You Have." All starred recipes have been delicious.
Creamy, Garlicky Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup *
Stir-Fried Cumin Tofu (with brown rice) *
Bread and Tomato Soup with Spinach and Parmesan *
Noodles with green beans, almonds and parmesan, mixed in with some quinoa that needed using up. Strange combo but good!
Taking a niece and nephew out to dinner tonight
@MB in MN, all of this sounds so good!
@MB in MN,
This was our Supper Club book last month.
I didn't love the tofu (a bit too much cumin for me) but a lot of the other recipes were very good. I forget the names but there was a bulgur and squash dish that was great. Also there was a yogurt cake w/ citrus I think. That was really good.
WWS: I spent approximately $112 this week. This is a no travel week for DH, so that means 3 meals a day are at home. It also means a lot more meat. My spending reflects a great deal that I found on ground sirloin that went into the freezer and herb tea which I stocked up on.
WWA:
Saturday - We travelled 2 hours and went to the Renningers Antique Extravaganza which is a large flea market that happens 3 times a year and features vendors that sell mostly antiques and collectibles — and lots of old tat. We brought sandwiches, water, apples, nuts and veggies with us. Flea market food is not my favorite and is rarely gluten free. Our sandwiches featured sliced Christmas ham from the freezer.
Sunday - Hamburgers and I don’t remember the sides
Monday - Steak, potatoes and salad. No potato for me.
Tuesday - used leftover roasted pork from the freezer and made a vegetable laden, gluten free version of pork fried rice.
Wednesday - potato soup using a little more ham from the freezer and salads.
Thursday - finished up the leftover pork from the freezer in bar-b-que pork sandwiches, and we had a side salad.
Friday - Definitely not pork or beef. I have a hankering for sushi. Perhaps we will have a date night.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
@Bee,
I hadn't heard of that antique extravaganza! I'll have to check into that.
@JD,
It’s the third weekend in November, January and February at their location in Mt. Dora. It is a mix of all kinds of things. Many dealers from the NE who are in Florida for the winter. The weather was perfect for poking around.
WIS: $50 and some odd cents at Food Lion.
WWA: Stuff from the freezer: Spaghetti made with ground pork sausage (freezer find) and served on a pack of buy one, get one free whole wheat spaghetti pasta. Homemade tuna burgers to which I added a can of smoked kippers as we did not have quite enough tuna and served over quinoa and veggies. Homemade chili and cheddar-herb corn muffins. And the usual rye and whole wheat crackers, Swiss and extra sharp cheddar cheese, fruit, nuts, and protein smoothies.
All Week: I made a huge salad from a 1 lb bag of Kale I bought for 3.49. I used tangerines from our tree, salted walnuts/ cranberry mix from our farm, palms of heart from the pantry, and a flavored balsamic /oil mix of lime olive oil and cranberry balsamic. I ate it for lunch all week. I microwaved leftover rice to add to the bowl. Delish and nearly free. I still have half a bag of kale. I love it lasts so long.
I bought a bunch of Anderson Soup Mixes at Christmas when they have their sale. They are one dump instapot wonders. I made Texas Black Bean. I saute bacons ends from the freezer. Removed the bacon. Dump the package in the instapot with chicken broth. Added back bacon bits and orange juice 35 mins later. No soaking. 5 meals for about $5.00 - ta da.
I made a gallon milk worth of yogurt in my instant pot and used my new Hatrigo yogurt strainer. It was really worth the money. So easy to clean and keeps the yogurt fresh.
Hubby used up Canadian ham and cheese with tortillas when I wasn't home to cook.
I am so happy I enjoy leftovers. It is great for my diet ( avoids the buffet effect of eating more because it is novel) and so cost effective.
@mary ann, Leftovers are king around here. My oldest swears he could make a big pot of his hamburger stew and eat it every night. He makes a LOT, so I end up eating it for lunch a lot. And my husband gets rather sad when there are no leftovers!
Hi there, $95 and some change this week but that also included some pet food and house items. Still though...
Anyway,
Sunday - Ham slices, sliced pineapple (it's a crime what I had to pay for a fresh pineapple but man was it good) green beans with cherry tomatoes to go with.
Monday - Long gloomy rainy day and I was in the mood for breakfast so husband made a ham and cheese omelette to share, I sauteed peppers and onions for the side, also had toast. Breakfast for dinner is always good imo.
Tuesday - Monster chef salads to clear out the veggies bin and the last of the ham, toast to go with.
Wendsday - Canilli beans with lemon and capers, cucumber and onion "salad", toasted bread..(we like our bread)
Thursday - Sheet pan chicken tenders with a bunch of peppers, smash potatoes, canned peaches.
Friday - I unearthed a smallish chunk of christmas ham while spelunking through the freezer for smoothie fruit this morning so I have it on good authority that the frozen pie crust I also found with the ham, combined with the last of the chicken, peppers and leftover canilli beans will morph into a pot pie for dinner tonight, I'm thinking spinach salad for a side.
Happy weekend everyone!
I spent almost $200 at 3 different groceries this week, but it was mostly stocking up on paper products, dog food, toilet paper, cleaners, soap, shampoo, etc. Only about $70 was food. The only meat I bought was a pork butt on a good sale and a beef roast on sale (cause roast never goes on sale...it was delicious!).
Saturday: We ate pizza out...it was just so/so. Nothing great, but was $56 which is crazy for 2 people and not frugal at all. (eating out isn't part of our grocery budget).
Sunday: we went to visit family and my mom made a huge lunch for us all. I brought cookies.
Monday:pork tenderloin (from the freezer), baked potato, roasted brussels sprouts
Tuesday: 3 bean chili and hotdogs (freezer).
Wednesday: Roast, potatoes, carrots.
Thursday: bbq chicken (freezer) (my mom's recipe...I think it is probably closer to a cacciatore, but with brown sugar and not oregano or thyme) , we had mashed potatoes and salad.
Tonight: the kids are all coming over and we're doing a low country boil with crab legs/sausage/shrimp/potatoes/corn and hushpuppies. The shrimp and sausage is from the freezer.
My freezer is starting to see light at the end of the tunnel after a month of eating a lot from it! We did smoke the boston butt and divide that into meal size portions and added it to the freezer, but those always get eaten on a night we don't have time to cook...a bbq sandwich or over a baked potato or whatever gives a meal in 5 minutes.
It's still been an easy meal week due to the tendonitus in my dominant hand, though I am happy to say that it feels much better, I'd say it is 90% healed (such a long time healing process!).
In no particular order because I can't remember:
For snacking: curried chickpea and potato salad.
Sandwiches: either pastrami or ham with various condiments/ for a couple of days at least + lunches. Also grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sweet and sour meatloaf with rice, and vegetables from the freezer / leftover for the next 2 days.
Canned soup with crackers.
There was a salad in there somewhere with some of the meals, plus a side of green beans as well.
For this week I have some nice meals planned. "Planned" is the key word here, we'll see if I'm actually up to making these nice meals, motivation is low at the moment (cooking slump).
Happy weekend to all!
Yesterday was my month-and-a-halfly Winco run to The Big Town. Before going there, I went to the new Sprouts because someone gave us a $25 gift card. The prices almost caused me to need oxygen. . . after much deliberation in an attempt to not waste this, I ended up with 4 items and spent $29.
Next, I went to the new Aldi's. I had my last Winco receipt with me to compare prices, and they were very close—some higher, some lower. But I was so gobsmacked by Sprouts that it was hard to think (I really don't get out much), and I forgot to look for eggs! Weird— it also came to $29, this time for 11 items.
Finally, I went to Winco, which normally feels like an ordeal to this country girl, but after 2 new grocery stores (IN ONE DAY!), Winco felt like home. $251, which is lower than my normal every-6-weeks of about $350. This is because my husband supplements produce and milk from the local store (which is so overpriced that I choose to never look at the receipts or the checkbook register).
I think you all are heroic for all the weekly shopping you do! It is stressful out there, with all the decisions about what to buy and how much to spend. I usually do the 45 minute drive home while alternately eating dark chocolate almonds and singing to the radio in order to be functional by the time I get back to open spaces, foothills, people I know, and quiet.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, Sprouts is the cheapest grocery store near me! We don’t have a nearby Winco or Aldi though. And I do only buy produce, eggs, milk and bulk goods at sprouts. Any of their processed food (crackers, cereal etc) do seem to be much more expensive, so I get that stuff at Costco, Target or Trader Joe’s.
@LB, oh wow, you must live in a super nice place. ("Nice"? How about "rich"?) I didn't look at the produce, eggs, or bulk goods, knowing I was going to Aldi and Winco next. My goal was to finally try raw milk, but alas, their shipment hadn't arrived. So, I just wandered the aisles, feeling ridiculous pressure to not waste the gift certificate.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, San Francisco Bay Area so yes, high cost of living area. Someday I hope to visit an Aldi though!
What I ate:
Friday: a pizza slice and some salad from the supermarket
Saturday: went out for dinner with my friend. I had a roasted veggie sandwich with chips (fries) and we shared some vanilla cheesecake
Sunday: This was the day I flew back. I was travelling in the evening so 'dinner' was a disappointing sandwich at the airport
Monday: pasta with vegetables and chilli sauce
Tuesday: veggie chilli
Wednesday: leftovers with a baked sweet potato
Thursday: worked late so dinner was a scratch meal of a mushroom omelette and baked sweet potato
Friday: probably pizza
Kristen, I cannot leave the pantry door open much or else Clark gets the mistaken idea he's getting more treats or food--and will sit on top of his food bin doing his Oliver Twist bit. "Please, ma'am, may I have some more?"
WWS:
WWA:
Saturday/Sunday: homemade pizzas, which for me are a little sad as I've learned I have a true dairy allergy (as well as nut allergy). So my pizzas are sauce and meats. Tasty, but not quite the same. Better than anaphylaxis.
Monday: Burgers and a nifty new lentil veggie soup I experimented with: https://www.peanutbutterrunner.com/lentil-cauliflower-and-kale-vegan-power-soup/ Three of us (including me!) liked it quite a bit, one said he was "thinking about it", and another tried it and said it was "okay." Selective Eater was not even aware there was a soup, as he ignores the existence of all soups and stews. I couldn't find cardamom at the store, so I left it out, and I pureed the diced tomatoes before adding them. I don't like tomato chunks much in soup.
Tuesday: Hamburger stew, and I found a nice half-gone bag of chicken nuggets in the freezer for the Selective Eater, so he was happy!
Wednesday: We had company! Our landlord was in town and came to dinner. Seasoned baked chicken thighs, steamed rice, and a lovely salad bar. This is a good company dinner, I've found. Brownies were offered for dessert.
Thursday: Cat shelter night, DH made his signature tuna burgers and offered canned clam chowder on the side. We also had lots of leftovers to pick from.
Tonight is #2 Son's birthday--he doesn't really want a party, but I'm making his favorite homemade lasagna, which we haven't had in a while, and I squirreled away the salad bar fixings from Wednesday and we'll have salad bar, per the birthday guy's request. Brownies for dessert.
D'oh! I forgot the WWS: $507 at Kroger. We bought extra chicken, because I wasn't sure how much our guest would eat, and with the discovery of my new allergies I had to stock up on some new foods. Also I was replenishing and getting some new spices for the soup, so next week may be less.
@Karen A., We deal with several food allergies too, including dairy and nuts. Our family meals look different than I was used to growing up, but eventually the new way of eating feels normal. Good luck with the dietary changes and please stay anaphylaxis free!
@JenRR, Thanks, I always thought I had issues with wheat, and had gone gluten free a long time ago trying to fix those issues, but perhaps all long my body has been having *small* reactions, and I just wasn't listening.
When I had my first anaphylactic episode years ago (too many cats, exposure to mold, et cetera, was the hypothesis), the allergist explained it like this: my immune system was continually reactions, and filling up a metaphorical cup with histamines, until finally just one too many exposures (I visited an older home with a dog) sent the cup overflowing=anaphylaxis. He said often it isn't just one thing, it's a gradual building up of things. I think that's what happened recently.
The changes aren't too hard; for years I was vegan, so I got quite used to soy milk and avoiding cheese. Vegan cheese is awful, plus expensive, so I've just decided to go without. The nuts are harder; I do love peanut butter and all manner of tree nuts!
Scratch & Dent: $6, Restaurant Supply: $64.71, Costco: $46
WWA:
Sun: Refrigerator Soup, Salad & new GF roll recipe
M: Italian Sauce - slow cooked allll day, homemade cheese ravioli, roasted beans and salad
T: threw 1/2 of sauce in the freezer, used the other half for lasagna w/fresh gf noodles
used up fresh mozz pearls that neighbor gave me that she did not know what to do with them. Used various grated cheeses from the freezer. Served with green salad.
Th: Gave neighbor a dinner's worth of lasagna. We ate a big green salad with fresh radishes from the garden. Threw a large chunk of lasagna in a Pyrex casserole dish that future self will appreciate.
F: bought 30 lbs of organic pork sirloin will wrap and vacuum pack today, marinate 2 steaks for teriyaki bbq, cauliflower rice and stir-fry veggies.
S: Sausage, apple, sauerkraut casserole, peach crumble w/vanilla ice cream. This is a send off party for expectant adopting parents as their baby is to be born this week and they will travel out of state to bring their baby home.
I always feel weird about posting because what I bought this week only represents about 30% of what we ate. So I am going to summarize the meat and pantry items.
Friday: We had a GC to Dominos. (OF course before the deal)
Saturday : We had leftovers from the week before made mostly into quesadillas. Think chili/meatballs/chicken and a variety of sides. Yes cole slaw can go with meatball quesadillas.
Sunday: I made French dip sandwiches with steak rolls from Walmart and fresh French fries. And the last of the apple sauce and coleslaw?
Monday: This is soup night. Homemade Zuppa Toscano, with potatoes, 1 lb hot bulk sausage (yellow ticket 2.97) and spinach
Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas with quac and corn salad.
Wednesday: Tator Tot casserole, fresh fruit and corn salad
Thursday: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes and corn
Tonight: Dominos pizza only because of the deal. We usually mix it up more.
Lunches are mostly leftovers, soup and sandwich or meat and cheese with fruit and a couple snack items.
Breakfast is Day 1 egg and toast/bacon Day 2 oatmeal
WIS: Ollies less than 10 on spices and Reynolds wrap
Aldis: 26.74
Meat: 20.82 (We buy a half of beef, pig and a 40 pound box of chicken between Sept and Dec)
Flashfood: 12.97 for a produce box and bacon.
Pantry: Potatoes (we are almost at the end of the 50 pound bag) probably about 3.00 total
@Amy,
Don't feel weird about it. I think this is a group that pretty thoroughly understands the cycles of grocery shopping and eating. With the exception of the fresh produce and the cheese, most of what I buy is ear marked for future consumption. If I had to buy everything we were going to eat every single week, I would end up spending a whole lot more. Instead, I basically shop to restock and watch for sales to stock up, and then we plan meals and eat from what we have on hand. So, yeah, we probably actually "eat" about 30% of our purchases each week too.
@Becca, mostly it's the "Oh look I spent less then $50 this week...wait I spent about 1700 for meat alone in Sept and October. " I want to be open and honest.
@Amy,
Yeah, I hear ya. Sometimes I calculate my average weekly spending by looking at about a three month period and I find that's really a more accurate picture. I average about 180 weekly, but my actual week to week spending varies greatly. This week was 303 at just grocery stores, but some weeks are 0 and some weeks are 705 because I bought a farm share. But then, I'm not going to eat any of the farm share stuff until I start picking it up in May, so it makes it hard to accurately track spending unless I think about averages and long term. I spent 303 dollars this week, but I bought 8 bags of meatballs. We might eat a whole bag with one meal or maybe half a bag with another meal, but we may or may not eat any meatballs at all this week, you know? So I generally post what I actually spent and then sort of describe what I bought a little bit. I figure that makes it a bit more clear, and that's what I mean by understanding the cycles of grocery shopping and eating. I think this group, more than the average person, understands this sort of concept of buying in bulk, stocking up at loss leader prices, etc.
@Becca,
Also, sometimes I amuse myself by trying to estimate what I paid for the individual ingredients of a meal. You know, like "hmm, ok, this is about half of the mixed greens container which was 4.29, so maybe 2.15 in salad greens plus one pepper from a three pack that was 2.59, so maybe .80 for a pepper and then approximately a quarter of the feta cheese block means this salad cost me roughly 3.50..." etc.
@Becca,
The upside of this little exercise is that it makes me think more highly of leftovers, because in my mind their cost has already been calculated in a previous meal, so if I repurpose them, I think of them as free. The downside is that it drives my family nuts. 😉
I was in NYC for work for most of the week, so my meals look a little different this week.
-We had Korean chicken one night
-Korean beef bowls & rice another night
-On Monday, I ordered room service. A burger, side salad & some fresh berries. No food was served on the flight, which was 5.5 hours, so I was pretty hungry by the time I got to the hotel. I'm so used to traveling internationally for work, that I didn't think to pack a protein bar/snacks.
-On Tuesday, I went to dinner with my coworkers ahead of a show. We had delicious Italian food.
-On Wednesday, a few of us had Spanish tapas. The place was highly rated, and I love tapas, but I thought it was just sort of "meh". I'm glad I wasn't paying (work paid).
-The hotel I was staying at had a great Asian restaurant in it, and they did room service. Win/win. I had the best chicken satay I've ever tried. And some fried rice. Delicious!
As for tonight, I hope my husband has a plan. It's either going to be Greek takeout, or something from the freezer.
WIS: Neighborhood-$18; Flashfood-$62; TGTG-$11; S&S-$25; BJs-$7.50; Milk delivery-$14 Total:$137.50 Finally a frugal week
WWA: Sat- charcuterie night: tomatoes and mozzarella, veggies & dip, truffle prosciutto, salami, red pepper cheese, grapes, camembert on crostini, Calabrian chili cheese dip on crostini
Sun- pizza w/ pistachio pesto, tomatoes, and burrata
Mon- cottage pie
Tues- salmon tacos w/ citrus and cabbage slaws
Wed- Leftover cottage pie and New Mexican calabacitas
Thurs- chicken artichoke pasta w/ cream sauce
Fri-Italian Style pork loin, lemon and mascarpone ravioli w/ cream sauce, and broccolini/green beans
I am in awe of the cooks here.
Our younger son came over last weekend but both my husband and I had to work all day Saturday so I did a pot roast in the slow cooker for Saturday dinner and then my husband and I ate the leftovers for the next two days (son ate with friends on Sunday and then drove back to Really Big City three hours away). $30 total for that; I bought an expensive cut (worth it in our opinion) and precut mini carrots along with the small potatoes and can of V-8 I dump on top (we have garlic powder and onion flakes here, and I was using up some celery from a previous meal).
Bulk carrots are much cheaper but my time was limited so mini carrots were worth it, and at least we ate at home. $30 divided by seven people-meals is better than eating out.
We finished off a Costco quiche this week also.
Forgot to add that the $30 also included a can of refrigerator biscuits to go with the roast. Again, from scratch is much cheaper but I had very little time in between the afternoon lessons and the evening concert.
I read The Tightwad Gazette early in our marriage and spent years beating myself up for not even approaching that level of frugality until I realized that my life was different, goals were different (wasn’t trying to be a stay at home mom nor did I want a big farmhouse), and frugality for me looked a lot like making better choices (cook at home) within my constraints (limited time) even if that meant precut carrots and refrigerator biscuits instead of garden carrots and home-ground flour.
@Meg in SoTX,
Yup. Frugality is not a competition, and anyone who acts like it is might be pretty unhappy with their life. I think choosing a few shortcuts that help you reach your larger goal of cooking at home makes total sense.
What is it with cats and pizza boxes?! My brothers cat does that too and it just cracks me up.
@Emily, I think they're warm(ish)? and they smell like food, and cats just love to sit on cardboard/paper! Clark always gets excited when a delivery comes because he knows it means a new box for a little while! Double excitement if it's a Chewy box.
Sliced a cooked ham 79 cents lb....barn cats love the ham fat
Mashed potatoes and ham
Sirloin steak and stuffing
Mashed potatoes and baked chicken 59 cents lb
Scrambled eggs and ham
Chili
Grilled ham sandwiches
Mashed potatoes and ground beef, brown gravy and cream of mushroom soup
Freeze garden veggies to eat with meals
Bag of russet potatoes was on sale
10 lb bag of chicken 59 cents lb