Goodbye 2012

I'm winding down the year. 

I tried to get a prescription filled but thanks to changes in my coverage and limits on drug quantities, I'm still in limbo.  My drug coverage company informed me that a drug I've been taking for years will no longer be on the formulary for 2013 and offered several suggestions to replace it.  Trying to be proactive, I made my appointment with my doctor and had her write me a prescription to replace the non-covered drug with a covered one.  Apparently, there is a conflict with the old drug I'm still using and this new one that has to do with the limits of how much they will cover.  So now, I'm stuck without it until at least the end of the week.  My physician will have to contact them to explain why I need both.  (Obviously, she wouldn't have written it if I didn't need it.)

One of my main goals for 2013 is to work on my bread making skills.  I asked for (and received) the book - Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day.  I mixed up my first batch Saturday and baked the first loaf Sunday for dinner.  We ate the whole thing in a flash.  I'll be doing a full post on this along with an overview of the method later this week.  For now, here's a sneak peek at the finished product after we finished eating!  It was good.

Right now, I need to work on getting my Christmas ham sliced and vacuum sealed for the freezer.  I'm off to the kitchen.

Have a safe New Years Eve and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas ...

I took a week off from the blog to finish up my shopping and baking.  I was determined to have a stress free holiday. 

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday time.  Next on our agenda is a Happy New Year

For now, I just have my menu for the week - which at this point is mostly done.

Sunday - Crockpot Roast with Mashed Potatoes
Monday - Christmas Eve buffet with Chicken nuggets, veggies, cookies, etc.
Tuesday - Baked Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans, Sweet Potatoes, and Brussel Sprouts
Wednesday - Leftover extravaganza (roast, potatoes, beans, etc.)
Thursday - Spaghetti with Sausages
Friday - TBD (maybe homemade pizza)

I'm currently pondering my 2013 goals with respect to blogging, stockpiling, grocery budgets, and personal goals.

Ready for not, it's 9 days till Christmas

In just over a week, we'll be sitting around with family opening gifts and eating good food.  Am I ready?  Not quite yet.  Shopping got a little derailed this weekend.....

I got off work early Friday and had initially planned on running some errands and possibly going by the sausage store.  I also thought about finding a gift for my dear hubby.  As it turned out, my sister was in town and we spent several hours visiting - something we've not done in quite some time.  I enjoyed our time together.  As a result, no shopping was done.

DH and I spent Friday evening in having some leftover vegetable beef soup and watching a little tv.  Saturday we had scheduled to head a couple of hours south to buy and pick up a china cabinet I found on craigslist.  (I've been looking since I sold my old set in April!  When I found one, I jumped on it very quickly.)  We went to our usual Saturday morning breakfast and then headed south.  It was almost a two hour trip there.  Once we saw it, I knew it was a keeper.  Unfortunately, it was also very heavy and hard to get into the truck but, we did it.  We strapped it down and headed home.

DD and DSIL came by to help us get it into the house.  That was much easier than getting it loaded!  I spent Saturday evening and some of Sunday tracking down the Spode and loading it up.  I am soooo glad to have all my china (3 sets) in one place with an abundance of the Spode displayed.  It looks so pretty.

Sunday evening DH and I went to see our granddaughters in a play at church.  It was very entertaining and they did great!  It's been a good weekend.

Tomorrow, I work on: grocery lists, working on a craft project for DH's boss, and some other things.  It's going to be a long and busy week.  Several gifts to buy and things to do.

Menu Monday

I devised a menu for the week however, it was derailed before I could get the first meal on the table.
I stopped by several stores on the way home from work today looking for a specific object we need for a Christmas gift.  I still needed to go by the grocery store.  Originally, I planned to make BLTs and potato soup tonight but there was no way I could start this an hour plus later than normal AND having DH home early because of a dental appointment.

I opted to flip Monday and Tuesday's dinners and substitute some ground beef for the sausage that was still frozen.  I was able to pull this off even after three stops on the way home.  I spent just $49 at the grocery store and saved $28.  (A 36% savings!)  I could have done better - and I might stop back by on Wednesday - but I was at a different store and things are organized just a little differently.

Monday - Spaghetti with meat sauce
Tuesday - BLT and Potato Soup
Wednesday - Vegetable Beef Soup and bread
Thursday - Tacos (any surprise here?)
Friday - Leftover Soup
Saturday - Homemade Pizza

 Now, if I could just get motivated to finish some gifts and wrap them up......

I'm thinking that I will challenge myself again in 2013 to track my grocery spending.  I think I'd like to limit it to $75 per week or $300 per month.  While I'd like this to include my bulk meat purchases, I think I need to add an additional $400 for the year to accommodate my Zaycon Foods, Patak Meat, and The Butcher Shop purchases.  I'll try to incorporate the bulk meat purchases into the weekly amount but the extra $400 is there if needed.  I'm hoping that this is a generous budget since I have a pretty well stocked dry pantry and my freezer is full - mostly with meats.

Ideally, I want to continue to build my stockpile while both DH and I are working in 2013 since neither of us is sure how long this situation will last.  By doing this, our larder will hold even more should we need to fully rely on it.  I will continue dehydrating and canning where appropriate, especially when I can obtain foods at reduced prices.

Menu Monday and Shopping

Quickly, here's the menu...

Sunday - Smoked Pork Chops, new potatoes and green vegetables
Monday - Chef Salad and baked potato
Tuesday - Double Smoked Beef Sausage and rice side (leftover vegetables)
Wednesday - Beef Pot Pie (from leftover roast)
Thursday - Italian chicken, potatoes and onions, green beans
Friday - Homemade Pizza or Pizza out
Saturday - Soup ?

I stopped by Publix on the way home today.  There was very little on sale this week that I really needed or wanted.  In essence, I picked up four boxes of Luzianne tea at $1.25 each, four rolls of Brawny towels.  Johnsonville Italian Sausage was on sale for $3.99 each less coupons making them $1.99 each.  I picked up a couple of more items that were on sale and then some necessities:  milk, bread, deli meat, fresh vegetables.  I spent $54.

Over the weekend, we went back to Patak Meats.  I picked up two pounds each of mild Italian sausage and hot Italian Sausage, four large smoked pork chops, a pound of peppered bacon, a pound of hard salami, a pound of double smoked beef sausage, and half a pound of Canadian bacon.  I packaged up the Italian Sausage into two link portions and vacuum sealed for the freezer.  I also packaged up three-quarters of the salami into a vacuum packed bag for the freezer.  I spent about $42 on all the meat.  I estimate that I have approximately 10 meals plus the salami and Canadian bacon.  If we use the the pepper bacon for one meal and two breakfasts, that would bring the meal count up to 13.  (About $3 per meal for two and one meal for four.)

Right now, my freezer is full again.  This time, it is mostly meat with some fruits and vegetables.  A good "war chest" for hard times.  Given that there may be additional taxes after the first of the year or possible unemployment, this is our safety net.  I'll be working on preserving some potatoes (dehydrating both white and sweet), stocking up on more canned vegetables and dried beans.

Game plan ideas for 2013:

Starting the first of the year, I intend to take advantage of every gas card deal Publix offers to gather up a selection of gas cards.  This will allow me to pre-pay fuel expenses.

I will continue to stock up on canned goods when they are at or below best prices or I have coupons to bring them down in price.  (I must keep in mind that some items - soups - are seasonal and may not be eaten before the best by date.)

Start baking and using baking supplies on a routine basis.  Baking mixes tend to expire in a shorter period of time.  Use what you have.