Woe is me....

OK, so I've had this cold/sinus infection for 12 days now.  It started as a usual cold and instead of proceeding to the chest with lots of coughing, it seems to have gotten stuck in my sinuses.  I've tried just about every kind of medicine and they all seem to help relieve the symptoms a little but nothing is getting rid of it.

As a result, I have no energy as they day wears on and by night time, I'm doing good to get dinner on the table.  After that, all bets are off. 

There are so many things that I want to be working on but until this cold/sinus infection says goodbye, I don't think it's happening.

For now, I'll just start a list.....

Weekly menu and a quick trip to Publix

Sunday - Stickless K-Bobs with rice and Garlic Paprika Cauliflower
Monday - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Tuesday - Sausage Tortilini, Salad and Garlic Bread
Wednesday - Subs OR Potato Soup and BLTs
Thursday - TACOS!
Friday - French Dip

I made a quick stop at Publix this evening after work.  I needed some salad fixings to pull off the tortalini tonight.  I was surprised that my total was over $70 but when I think about what I got, maybe that's not too bad.  I picked up two kinds of deli meat, deli cheese and sub buns.  Two packages of ground beef and a medium sized London Broil.  Add to that some olives, parmasean cheese, two boxes of pasta.  For dairy, I got a large container of sour cream, some coffee cream and a pound of cheddar cheese.  In the produce section, I got romaine lettuce, a cucumber, multiple tomatoes and an avocado.  Also, I picked up two packages of tortillas. 

I only used a couple of coupons and I need to do better next time with that. 

I'm going to cook the London Broil the same way I cook a brisket.  The London Broil was $3.99 a pound versus $6.50 for the brisket.  I'll marinade it and then cook it in the crock pot.  I'm hoping the end result will be the same - tender and flavorful. 

My menu planning this week was mostly dependent on what I had on hand to start the week and then finished out with what I purchased from the store.  I plan to do better next week by using what is in the upstairs freezer first.  It's very full right now and in need of a purge.  Frankly, I'm not even sure what's in it.

I need to incorporate at least one meal each week that is a "two for" - two meals for the price of one.  Good examples include large pots of soup, chili or one dish oven meals.  I'm anxious to make the spicy chicken vegetable soup again. 

It's been a hard week....and decidely non-frugal

Last Saturday, I got a call that my grandmother was not doing well and Hospice was taking a more active role in her care - including some morphine and other drugs to calm her.  I expected this to be a slow process that would take several days or even a week.   I was surprised when I received a call from my mother early the next morning that she had already passed away. 

Plans and arrangements proceeded quickly and by Tuesday, we were in the car on the way to the visitation and funeral.  Being four hours away makes it just far enough to be a pain.  All the events went well - including my nervous speech /sharing at her service.  After the burial, my extended family enjoyed dinner out and then we filled up the car to head home.

DD and littlest grandson rode with us.  He had been sick the whole time and was particularly cranky Wednesday.  We stopped at Walgreens so she could get a pulse ox meter.  (He has asthma and his blood oxygen levels will drop from time to time.)  She checked him as I filled up the car.  After consulting with my DDIL, it was decided that a trip to the emergency room would be prudent.

To make a long story short, he is still in the hospital - four hours away.  Thankfully, I have a great family that has provided support since DH and I had to leave Thursday.  Our game plan is to head back down there if he's not released on Monday so that DSIL can get back to work on Tuesday.  We are ALL hoping and praying that he is released Sunday or Monday and we don't have to implement the contingency plan.

For now, my laundry is done and I'm trying to figure out what else should be done in case I have to hit the road.

Please keep the little guy in your prayers. 

Great New Dish

I tried a new soup tonight and it was very yummy.  I got the original recipe from the website www.barefeetinthekitchen.blogspot.com and I made some adjustments.  Here's my version:


Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, medium chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, medium chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup sliced celery
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes (mash or use a blender)
3 cups cooked chicken, bite size*
3 cups chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne (red) pepper
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp corn meal (optional)

Cook onions in olive oil over medium heat until onions just begin to turn brown.  Add garlic and cook just until fragrant.  Add chopped vegetables (there should be about 3 - 4 cups of chopped vegetables).  Cook about 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Add broth, bouillon and spices.  Add chicken.  Heat thoroughly and enjoy.

(* I used two chicken breast which had been boiled in water until completely opaque.)
For a spicier soup, 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper could be added. 

A frugal week...so far

On many aspects, I've been very frugal this week.  I took my lunch to work every day and only spent about $2 in the cafeteria.  I had two sandwiches and leftovers this week.  The lunches were delicious and filling.

Breakfasts were also frugal having either an instant oatmeal or an oatmeal bar every morning with coffee from home except today.  By some odd occurrence, DH and I were both up and ready to go early today.  We stopped by the Dunkin Donuts and had a bagel and coffee.  While we were already there, I got two boxes of K-cups for the rest of the month.

We have also been able to eat in for two Friday nights in a row.  Tonight, we had spagetti with sausage and homemade bread.  As much as I enjoy going out to eat, the savings from eating out every Friday night can add up quickly.  We do eat Saturday morning breakfast out but we can do this for about $13-15 plus a tip.  Dinner can cost anywhere from $15 - 35 plus a tip or as much as $1300-1800 a year!. (We almost always eat Sunday breakfast in.)

Tomorrow, I will be less than frugal.  I'm heading to IKEA to get a rolling cart for my kitchen.  I need some place to store and use my dehydrator and vacuum sealer.  I think it will also give me storage from my KitchenAid mixer and some other things that take up space on my counter.  I have to spend a little money to save my sanity.

Just another Tuesday

I've got several projects going on and my Christmas tree is still standing.  (I have 95% of the decorations off but some of the more fragile ones are still hanging on.  I hope to get the storage boxes down within the next day or so.)

About my projects, the biggest one is a quilt top I'm working on for DD.  It's all black and white with some red highlights.  Somehow, the red got all bunched up and I'll need to make a fabric substitution to make it less red in that area.  I think it needs one or two more rows all around and then the binding.

The next projects I'm working on are for my littlest grandson's birthday party.  He loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and that the theme for the party.  DD cut out a turtle shell from some patterned felt and I stitched it up.  She also bought some inexpensive t-shirts and I stitched a similar shell on the front and back of the t-shirts.  We still need to make some sash masks.  (next on tap)

I got all my coupons purged and a nice neat stack of new coupons to file.  (I really like the fact that I'm caught up already.)  I had a good grocery trip Sunday and I need to make a quick stop tomorrow to pick up more of the really good deals - Ragu, especially.

I have two make that three goals for this weekend:  1) get the tree and ornaments put away.  2)  get a cart and organize my kitchen appliances (dehydrator, mixer, sealer, etc.)  and 3) plant some seeds for an early crop - lettuce, peppers and tomatoes.  My kitchen has been a dis-organized mess since Christmas and I don't think I can take it much longer.  Ikea has a cart that will do the job - it's just a pain in the neck to get there.

Sunday Funnies

I did six loads of laundry today, two loads in the dishwasher plus I packed away the outside decorations.  I've started taking the decorations off the tree but it will likely take a couple of days or maybe all week to get it all done. 

My grocery shopping is done for the week.  I was able to get to Publix today and picked up the deals plus several packages of ground beef for the week.  I used some coupons and even picked up a $50 gas card.  My OOP was $109 including the gas card making my grocery purchase only $59.  I did pick up a few items from Aldi's Friday, making my total purchase just at my weekly amount of $75 per week ($300 a month).  Details on my saving amount will be forthcoming.

Now for the weekly menu.  (I'm going to try to keep up with posting my menu each Sunday or Monday.)

Sunday - Summer Picnic (hamburger steak, baked beans, salad and tater tots_
Monday - Pot of Chili
Tuesday - Salad with fresh bread
Wednesday - Chili over baked potato
Thursday - Taco Thursday!  (Back by special request)
Friday - tbd

Averting a dinner disaster!

Oh no!  What do I do?

I just prepared a homemade pizza and when I tried to slide it off the peel onto the pizza stone, it.would.not.budge!  What was I going to do?

For about 30 seconds, I didn't know.  I tried to nudge it off with a scraper but that wouldn't work either.  Then, it hit me.  I took a piece of parchment paper and laid it directly on the toppings.  Then I took a large cutting board (the same size as the pizza) and  place it on top.  Carefully and quickly, I turned the whole thing over.  Then, I put a second piece of parchment on the bottom of the pizza crust (it's now on the top) and flipped it again onto the peel.  I slid the pizza and the parchment directly on the stone without a problem.

Whew!  It's a trick I use when baking cakes and apparently, it works with pizza!

My new favorite kitchen tool

We eat a lot of potatoes.  DH loves potatoes, in fact, there's not a potato he doesn't like.  I got this little gizmo in my Christmas stocking.  I hadn't asked for it but it is w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l.

It's made by OXO and it is a parallel or Y peeler.  I've always had the other kind and I didn't think this would work very well but I was WRONG.  This peeler is very sharp - it even works well with golden Yukon potatoes with their thin skin - but cutting yourself is less likely because of how you hold the potato and cutter.

I'm right handed and therefore I hold the potato with my left hand.  I use the peeler starting at the middle of the potato and peeling downward towards the heel of my hand.   Flip it over and peel the other half.

Much safer than an old fashioned peeler.  Since we eat a lot of potatoes (mashed, scalloped, baked slices) it's well worth it.  It even peels sweet potatoes quickly and efficiently.

Savings Tally and Grocery Budget for 2013

Just the Facts:

I just quickly entered the rest of my grocery receipts for 2012 (a stray one may show up but this should just about capture the rough figures).  Here's the numbers:

I spent $3,138.42*
Saved   $1,300.02

28.18% of value or 40.36% of OOP.  Not a bad savings percentage but I think we can reduce the spent portion even more.  This worked out to roughly $60 per week.  For 2013, I'm budgeting $75 per week plus an allowance of about 10% for bulk purchases (Zaycon, Butchers Market, Aldi, etc.)

*  Disclosure - I had budgeted $4400 so my spending was significantly less than I budgeted.  The spent amount does not include some random grocery purchases at Walmart and several small trips to Aldi.  This also did not include my Zaycon purchases.

The Bells and Whistles:

Here's the extra information.  I have a great stockpile or store bought dry goods and home canned goods.  My freezer is full with mostly meat products.  I would guess that for the two of us, we probably have six months of meals excepting perishable items.

I also have $200 in American Express gift cards and $150 in gas cards.  My plan is also to take advantage of the gas card deals at Publix this year by purchasing at least one card each time the deal is offered.  That will start this coming weekend. 

I plan to start seeds within the next few weeks for a container garden of tomatoes, peppers, cukes and herbs.  I purchased a fabulous conifer of Rosemary for Christmas decorations.  I'll be moving that outdoors over the next couple of weeks to start my herb garden.

I will be making specialty (for dipping in soups, seasoned oil, etc.) bread during 2013.  At nearly $4 a loaf, this can get very pricey.  The cost to make it myself is probably a buck a loaf or less.  Besides, who doesn't like fresh, hot bread?

The Challenges:

Gone are the days of gift cards for transferring prescriptions and super high value coupons.  Inflation is anticipated in some circles with beef, chicken and corn prices expected to drive up expenses.  With taxes on the rise (contrary to what your news anchor might be telling you), we'll have less cash in our pockets to meet our expenses. 

We must find a way to meet our needs by using what we have, can get cheaply or by carefully planning our purchases.  Saving on groceries is an important part of our debt payoff plan.  We have two, maybe three payments we want to eliminate this year.

Welcome 2013 - Happy New Year!

Today marks the first of 2013.  A new year with new goals and things to do. 

I found some shelves to retrofit the chrome shelving units I have for pantry supplies.  I found that there was too much space between the shelves and simply adding more cans was causing the shelves to warp.  I don't really have room for another shelving unit so adding shelves to what I have made sense.  The shelves were $20 each at Lowes.  I moved one shelf down and added the new one.  When I placed the shelf, I measured based on one row of quart jars and one row of pint jars.  I still have the option of adding another shelf to the very top to hold lightweight, unbreakable items. Next weekend, I will retrofit the second shelving unit.  I thought this was a good (relatively inexpensive) solution.

I also worked on a "costume" for my grandson's birthday party.  DD brought over some felt pieces that she cut and wanted me to sew and stuff.  (She and the sewing machine are not compatible.)  I thought I had some small Velcro pieces but I've not been able to find it.

Finally, my discovery for the day and my tip to you:  Stop making black eyed peas in a pot!  I cooked mine in a crock pot today and I will never go back to the pot again.  It's simple.  Pick through your dried peas and rinse thoroughly.  Drain and add 5 cups of warm to hot water and allow to soak overnight.  Drain the beans and add to your crock pot along with a carton (32 oz) of chicken broth.  Throw in a ham bone or some chunks of ham for flavoring - optional.  Cook 8-10 hours on low.  (I was late starting mine so I cooked 3 hours on high and then 4 hours on low.)  This is an excellent solution to enjoying black eyed peas on a weeknight.