Counting Your Resources

This month marks my 4^th year of being home.  I have had a few little jobs along the way, the last was working at the local library for a few hours a week.  I quit that job to devote my time to being a grandma. 

Now my husband and I are facing our biggest financial challenge since I’ve been home – paying for the next 18 months of our youngest son’s college education.  We had enough money saved up to pay for his first two years of college and then we knew we would have to get creative.  We would prefer not to take out any student loans, but we may have to take out a small one.  In the meantime, we have to tighten our belts if we are going to avoid borrowing more money for his education.

The biggest way to save money, is not to spend money.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Well, honestly that is the best way to save money by not spending money.  So in an effort to not spend money, I have taken the time to inventory our resources.  You have to know what you have in your home (your resources) otherwise you end up spending money on food items you already have on hand (as an example). 

Beginning 4 years ago I became a person who stocks up on sales.  The summertime is the best time in our area to find meat prices at their lowest of the year.  I know that I can count on frozen vegetables to be at their rock bottom price in January or February.  When I have the money, I keep stocking up on sale items until I feel that enough is enough.

There are some decisions to be made when you are stocking up.  When is enough, enough?  Well my freezer was pretty stocked when they had an in store sale on 85% lean ground beef last week for only $1.99 lb.  Even though I already had plenty on hand, this was too great of a deal to miss out on.  I bought 40 lbs.  By reorganizing my freezer I was able to find space for it.  I know that I will not see that price on meat for a long time, if ever again.

It has taken a few weeks to inventory all the food in my freezer and pantry, toiletries, paper products, cleaning and laundry products.  Yes, it was time consuming BUT I now know all of the resources that we have on hand and I now have an idea as to how long I can make these resources last.  When I say make these items last, I am not going to sacrifice nutrition by only eating what I have on hand.  I will supplement our food resources with perishables as I go along.  I am also back to baking all of our bread products.

I will share over the next few days what I have in each category and the challenge will be on to see how long I can make everything last. 

The following is a list of items that I have in my large freezer and the freezer above the fridge in our kitchen.  Yes, it is quite a bit for two people but we do have family over to eat a couple times a week.  I enjoy cooking for my family. 

I was able to get everything on sale at rock bottom prices.  The only thing that I would like to add is some chicken hind quarters if I find a good sale.  There has not been a sale on chicken hindquarters for over 9 months.  By the way, I have never had a problem with freezer burn as I am very careful about double wrapping my meat. 

Beef:

Beef Roasts – 3 roasts at 3 to 4 lbs.

Italian Meatballs – 1 lb.

Hamburger – 80% lean – 3 lbs.

Hamburger – 85% lean – 72 lbs.

Hamburger – 93% lean – 3 lbs.

Sloppy Joes – 2 pkgs – enough for 2 meals

Pork:

Shredded Cooked Pork – 1 lb.

Pork Loin Roasts – 2 roasts at 3 lbs. each

Pork Cushion Roasts – 2 roasts at 3 to 4 lbs.

Iowa Chops – 6 chops

Pork Loin Slices – 12 slices

Pork Broth – 1 cup

Boneless Ham – 2 lbs.

Bacon – 5 – 1 lb. pkgs.

Bratwursts – 17 brats

Ground Pork – 11 lbs..

Smoked Polish Sausage – 3 ½ lbs.

Little Smokeys – 1 ½ lbs.

Ham Loaf – 5 lbs.

Ham Deli Meat – 1 lb.

Canadian Bacon – 2 pkgs.

Hot Dogs – 13 pkgs.

Shaved Ham – 4 lbs.

Chicken:

Bone in Chicken Breasts – 2

Breaded Chicken Patties – 3

Chicken Thighs – 10 thighs

Split Chicken Breasts – 2 packages

Boneless Chicken Breasts – 4 breasts

Ground Chicken – 3 lbs.

Turkey:

Ground Turkey – 2 lbs.

Turkey Patties – 12

Turkey Deli Sandwich Meat – 2 lbs.

Cooked Turkey Breast Slices (From a turkey I cooked last month)

Cut up cooked turkey meat – 3 lbs. (From a turkey I cooked last month)

Turkey Broth – 8 cups

Cheese:

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – 20 – 8 oz. packages

Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese – 8 – 8 oz. packages

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese – 2 – 8 oz. packages

Shredded Swiss Cheese – 1 ½ cups

String Cheese – 4 – 12 oz. packages

Fruits and Vegetables:

Mixed Vegetables – 7 – 1 lb. pkgs.

Corn – 10 - 1 lb. pkgs.

Peas & Carrots – 1 – 1 lb. pkg.

Peas – 3 – 1 lb. pkgs.

Broccoli – 2 – 1 lb. pkgs.

California Blend – 1 – 1 lb. pkg.

Green Beans -1 – 1 lb. pkg.

Hash Browns – 2 lbs.

Small assortment of vegetables – 1 ½ pkgs.

Tomato Paste – 11 – 6 oz. plastic containers

Strawberry Freezer Jam – 9 – 1 ½ cup containers

Whole Strawberries – 3 – 2 cup containers

Cranberries – 4 – 10 oz. packages

Raspberries – 1 cup

Bananas - 7

Orange Juice – 7 Containers

Other:

Unsalted Butter – 3 sticks

Oyster Crackers – 5 – 12 oz. packages

Instant Yeast – 1 lb. 

Tomorrow's post:  My list of what I have in my pantry.

November is Stock Up Month

By this time most years I have stocked my pantry with enough baking supplies for an entire year.  This year has been pretty much the same except that I have had to be really savvy when it came to sales.  Over the past few years, beginning at the end of October and through the second week in December, we were flooded with all sorts of sales on chocolate chips and other types of baking chips.  This year there were two weeks of sales on these items and that was it.  I'm glad I went ahead and  bought plenty during that time frame.  

Not only have baking items been on sale but there have been the sales on canned and frozen vegetables, canned fruits, canned broths, soups and of course turkey.  I have also been fortunate to snag some good deals on beef roasts and hamburger.  My freezer is stocked, my pantry is stocked and I have plenty of paper products too.  I have enough laundry products to last a year.  I even have two hams in the freezer for Christmas.  

So what's the big deal?  In three weeks we will be "empty nesters."  In other words, it will be just me and my husband.  My goal is to buy very few groceries over the next 3 months.  The only groceries I will be purchasing will be perishables.  The rest I have on hand and will make meals from these ingredients.

I need to do a complete inventory of what is in my freezer and pantry and I will post that inventory.  Then I will post what we are eating and what groceries I purchase.  I'm excited about doing this because I have saved money on buying items on sale and stocking up, and I will be saving time by not having to buy a lot of groceries each week.  Planning and actually buying groceries can take up some time if you are using coupons, searching the ads and then planning a trip.  I'm also looking forward to the convenience of having the majority of what I need right here in my own home.

Struggling with the Budget

I have struggled for the past 5 weeks with our budget. I have overspent and have chastised myself to get back on track. Since May 1st I have diligently been getting back on track.

With a new puppy in the house I haven't had much time for planning meals, planning my schedule or anything else. So with lack of planning, goes spending money on things that I normally wouldn't buy such as convenience foods or ordering pizza. It did make my life a little easier over the past few weeks though.

Molly trying to get our other dog, Griffey, out of the wading pool.

I have pondered a challenge for myself. I am not going to have a no spend day, week or month. What I have come up with is turning into two challenges. One challenge will be regarding food. I will be eating from my pantry and freezer and only buying what is necessary. Hopefully it will only be produce and other perishables that I will be purchasing. 

The second challenge will be for other purchases - non-food. Both of these challenges will be "need" based. In other words, do I actually "need" this? Pretty basic isn't it, but I want to take it another step further. For the non-food challenge it isn't enough to determine if it is a need, I will ask the question, is it essential? Aha. That puts things in a different perspective. 

Asking if something is essential is really the basic question to saving money. Anyone can take a want and put it in the need category if they really try to justify it. It's not so easy to make something essential.

The other day I spent a total of $5.84 on 6 lbs. of fresh strawberries. Yummy strawberries just to eat right out of the fridge. Necessary - you betcha!! We needed some fresh fruit and these were on sale for only 94 cents a lb. 

But - and you knew there was going to be a but -- I looked at the grocery ads for this week. I wanted to check on prices of fresh produce and milk. They are having a sale on 85% lean ground beef for only $1.99 lb. In order to get the $1.99 price, you have to purchase it in 10 lb. tubes. 

I only wanted to add this "dilemma" to this post as when you are consistently purchasing items on sale, it is hard to pass up a bargain. I am still pondering this one and I have until Tuesday to make a decision as that is when the sale ends. This is an incredible sale and I could buy 20 lbs. (the limit) and I would be set for a very long time and for a lot of burgers on the grill.

Need or want??? Never thought I would ask this question about ground beef.

Freezer is Full

She's cute and she keeps me moving!

It has been 12 years since we had a young puppy in our house but I never forgot how much time a puppy took to raise.  Right now my life revolves around house breaking our little pup.  I miss posting and I finally found some time.  


Meat prices have been going sky high.  Imagine my delight when over the past 2 weeks our two local grocery stores ran some really great deals on meat.   When I say really great deals, I mean really great deals such as boneless skinless chicken breasts @ $1.69 lb. and ground beef @ $2.38 lb.  Also one week frozen vegetables were on sale for 69 cents for a 1 lb. bag.  These were definitely the kind of deals to get you into the store and I know that the store managers were hoping that it would mean that once they got me into the store that I would purchase other items and spend a lot of money. 


Well, I am not one of those kind of people.  I have my list on an app on my phone and I stick to my list, period.  That's it.  I stick to the list with the only exception of an unadvertised in store special on something I use.  Then and only then do I deviate.  The special had better be a necessity too and it always is.  


I purchased a lot of meat, vegetables and mozzarella cheese in the last 2 weeks.  The cheese was on sale for 99 cents for an 8 oz. bag and for every 5 bags you purchased you also got a $2 coupon towards your next grocery purchase.   I bought 30 bags.  

My freezer is stocked to the brim.  I have 50 lbs. of ground beef, 8 chuck roasts, 10 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, 30 lbs. chicken hindquarters, 9 pkgs of bacon, 6 pork roasts, 6 lbs. ground chicken, 2 whole chickens and pork chops, boneless pork ribs, ham loaf, ground pork, ham, breakfast sausage, mozzarella cheese, butter,  frozen vegetables and frozen fruit.  All of the above were purchased at rock bottom prices.  


I'm in my "happy place" and I'm ready. 


Ready for what? 


To sit back and purchase minimal groceries for as long as possible and to stretch the food that I have on hand for as long as possible.  That's right, stretch it.  Just because I have a freezer stocked to the brim doesn't mean that I will be serving meat and potato meals every night.  My goal is to get as many hearty, healthy meals as possible from this stockpile.  How long can I stretch this food and make it last?  I serve an average of 6 people each evening so this will be a fun challenge.


Now I just need a name for this challenge -- any ideas?

Two Freezers????

Yes, that is what my husband said when I told him I wanted another freezer.  His response was that maybe if I used up what was in the other freezer I would have enough room and wouldn't need another freezer.

Men don't get it.

Right now we have a large upright freezer.  I think it is about 15 cubit feet.  It is full of meat, cheese and frozen veggies.  I would like a separate, small chest freezer for casseroles and such that I make ahead of time and also for day old bread that I get on sale.

First of all I'm not sure that I could plug in another freezer in the same outlet in our basement.  I should be able to, but I'm not sure and would have to have an electrician check this out for me.  

Second of all, he does have a point about using up what is in the first freezer to make room for more stuff.  However, the reason that this freezer is full is because I came across an in store deal on ground beef for only 80 cents a lb. and I bought as much as I could buy at the time. This is an example of how I shop for meat.  When I come across deals such as chicken hindquarters for only 39 cents a lb., turkey for 49 cents a lb., boneless pork loin for only $1.59 a lb. I buy a lot.  These prices don't come around very often and with prices increasing, I have to be able to buy in bulk when there is an exceptional deal. 

The bottom rack of my freezer is jammed with frozen vegetables that were on sale one week for only 69 cents for a 1 lb. bag. 

You may be wondering about the freezer above my fridge.  Yes, it is packed with day to day freezer items such as lunch meat, bread, ice cream and items I use for pizza. 

I am probably preaching to the choir here but I know that I would make good use of a second freezer and in no uncertain terms there is no way I would buy a third.  I believe wholeheartedly that our economy will never be the same again and that we need to go back to living like our grandparents - simply and frugally.  Grandma had a garden and canned and she helped to butcher and process her own meat.   I have the advantage of grocery stores that offer great deals that I can buy in bulk and freeze.

A small second freezer makes sense.  Convincing my husband of this will take a few months of hard work. 

How many freezers do you have?

From the Pantry - Hungry Boys' Casserole

This weekend we attended my husband's 35th class reunion and we had a great time.  By the time you are in your early 50's, no one at a reunion cares about what you drive, what kind of house you live in or what your income is.  They just care about your kids, pets and perhaps grandchildren and want to reminisce about the good ole days in high school.  It was a lot of fun. 

But now, on to another recipe from the pantry and it is another "bean" recipe.  This is one of my favorites but I wouldn't serve it back to back with other bean recipes if you know what I mean.  This recipe is a stand by and it is really delicious.  What I like about this recipe and the recipe for the Chili Beef Casserole is that both of them are different from a baked bean casserole recipe.   

Hungry Boys' Casserole

1 lb. hamburger
1 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or substitute dried minced garlic)
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 - 1 lb. cans pork n beans, undrained
1 tomato paste can full of water

Brown the hamburger with the celery, onion and garlic til hamburger is cooked and vegetables are tender.  Drain.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together.  Pour into a casserole dish (I use an 11 x 7 inch rectangular pan).  Top with drop biscuits (recipe follows).

Biscuits:

1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk

Sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the margarine.  Add the milk and stir into a dough.  Drop by tablespoons on top of bean mixture.  Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. 

This is a hearty recipe and I love the homemade drop biscuits on top of this casserole.  My family loves this recipe and we usually don't have enough leftovers for another meal. 

When celery goes on sale, I buy it and slice it and freeze it in 1/2 cup portions for casseroles.  Just thaw and saute and use in your recipe.

From the Pantry - Chili Beef Casserole

Here's a recipe that has ingredients straight from the pantry. If I don't have an onion on hand, I use dried minced onion or I add some onion powder.  It is a hearty casserole that is very good for home and for a pot luck at church.

1 lb. ground beef (or less)
1 small onion chopped
1 16 oz. can pork n beans, undrained
1 can corn, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups corn chips OR cornbread batter
1/2 cup (or less) shredded cheese - can be optional

In skillet brown ground beef with onion, rinse or drain the fat.  Add the beans, corn, and chili powder.  Pour into a casserole dish and top with the corn chips OR make a cornbread batter from 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix OR do as I do and make your own cornbread batter from scratch.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

This is one of those recipes that I always have the ingredients on hand.  When I first made this recipe about 20 years ago I topped it with the corn chips as the recipe directed.  One time I didn't have corn chips and didn't want to go to the store so I added cornbread batter and we liked it a lot better.  I also feel is is better for you without the corn chips.

You can make a lot of casseroles out of pork n beans and that is why I stock up on these during the summer when they are on sale really cheap.  I always buy a year's supply at this time. 

Tightening the Belt Further

We have had quite a number of unplanned expenses over the past several weeks.  Everyone has them, so that is nothing new.  We are paying these unplanned expenses but we are also trying to cut back anywhere we can because we have some additional expenses coming in May.

My husband told me last week that we definitely need to keep on only spending $25 for groceries this week.  That same day my clothes dryer started to act up and I am babying it along.  We don't have money for a new dryer but the good news is that we can go without a dryer. 

Now I am going from a tight budget to an extremely tight budget for a period of about 5 weeks.  By doing this we will free up a little extra money to put towards bills and to also pay for our son's graduation party in May. 

I have said it before and I am going to say it again, having a stockpile of food has totally saved us over and over again.  We have been eating from the pantry and freezer for almost 6 weeks and I am only now noticing a dent that has been made in my stockpile. 

Tonight I was watching a couple of episodes of Extreme Couponing and while I don't coupon near the level of these individuals, I do my best to save what I can.  Unfortunately none of our grocery stores double coupons and I believe that is an absolute necessity to be an extreme couponer.  On tonight's episodes one person said that having a stockpile on hand means security if there is a job loss.  I agree whole heartedly. 

While I don't have the stockpile that the extreme couponers do, I have one that is manageable for us and has saved us money.  It does go to show that you can still get decent deals without double coupons. 

In our family we are not experiencing a job loss, just a further tightening of the belt to pay for additional expenses.  Having a stockpile has saved us and I take pride in that.  I am providing for my family and I am prepared when finances are being stretched. 

I think I'm on my way to becoming a Proverbs 31 woman. 

Dinner Tonight - March 31st and April 1st

Last night we had an italian pasta casserole with cuban bread and fruit salad.  There was cake for dessert.  Tonight we had homemade pizza.  Normally I don't have two italian type meals two nights in a row, but my husband wanted pizza for supper and it sounded good. 

I have been buying very little from the grocery store and finally the basement freezer is starting to show that I am using up some items.  But I have really only made a small dent in it and I have a ways to go before it will be time to start filling it again with great deals. 

Contents of My Freezer Update - With Prices

I had planned to post the contents of my pantry today also, but I have been having problems with blogger tonight for some reason.  Here are the contents of my freezer nonetheless.  It is almost shameful the amount of meat that is in that freezer.  However, it was all purchased at rock bottom prices and I am now going to reap the benefit of using it up and saving even more money in my food budget. 

I hope your eyes don't get cross eyed reading this boring list.  I will do my best to list the rest of my inventory of my pantry and the freezer above my fridge sometime tomorrow (or as I look at my clock, tomorrow is now today).  That's what I get for staying up late. 

One little disclaimer - yes, you will see I have a lot of Hot Dogs in the freezer.  Most of them were on sale for 50 cents (Oscar Meyer) and I had $1.00 off two, so they were free.  I, along with a friend, will be supplying a meal to our Church Youth Group next month and the plan is to serve Hot Dogs. 

Have a Blessed Sunday.

BEEF:

Ground Beef

73% lean 24 lbs.    Paid 80 cents lb.
80% lean 35 lbs.    Paid $1.19 to $1.50 lb.
85% lean 20 lbs.    Paid $1.50 lb.
90% lean ½ lb.      Paid $1.79 lb.

Total Ground Beef: 79.5 lbs.     

Boneless Chuck Roast 4 pkgs. @ 2 to 3.5 lbs.   Paid $2.28 to $2.48 lb.
Boneless Rump Roast 1 pkg. @ 4 lbs.       Paid $1.99 lb.

Boneless Sirloin Tip Steaks 4 pkgs. @ 1 lb.     Paid $2.99 lb.
Sirloin Bacon Wrapped Fillet 3 Fillets             Paid between .80 and $1.25 per fillet

CHICKEN:

Boneless Chicken Breasts 3 Breasts   Paid $1.39 per lb.
Bone-in Chicken Breasts 10 Breasts   Paid 89 cents per lb.

Chicken Thighs 22 Thighs              Paid 39 cents per lb. for hindquarters and I cut them apart.
Chicken Drumsticks 30 Drumsticks   Paid 39 cents per lb. for hindquarters and I cut them apart.

TURKEY:

Ground Turkey 7 pkgs. @ 1 lb.   Paid 99 cents per lb.
Turkey Pot Pies 2 pies     Paid 30 cents per pie.

FISH:

Salmon Fillets 2 Fillets  Paid $1.00 per fillet
Tilapia Fillets 4 Fillets  Paid $1.00 per fillet

PORK:

Bacon 8 pkgs. @ 1 lb.  Paid $1.00 to $1.50 per lb.

Ham Cubes 8 pkgs. @ 1 cup each  Paid .80 per lb.
Ham Loaf 3 pkgs. @ 2 lbs.  Paid $1.49 per lb.
Ground Ham 5 pkgs. @ 1 lb.  Paid .80 per lb.
Deli Ham 7 pkgs. @ 12 oz.   Paid between .99 and $1.25 per pkg.

Boneless Small Loin Pork Roasts 1 pkg. @ 1.5 lbs.  Paid $1.00 per lb.
Boneless Pork Loin Roasts 4 pkgs. @ 2.5 lbs.  Paid $1.59 per lb.
Pork Loin Slices 17 slices   Paid $1.50 per lb.
Ground Pork 7 pkgs. @ 1 lb. Paid between $1.00 and $1.50 per lb.

Sausage Rolls 9 pkgs. @ 1 lb.  Paid between .50 and .75 lb.
Link Sausage 2 pkgs. @ 12 oz.   Paid .99 per pkg.

Hot Dogs 16 pkgs. @ 1 lb. Paid Free, to .25 to .50 per lb.
Bologna 5 pkgs. @ 1 lb.  Paid .50 per lb.

VEGETABLES:

Corn 1 pkg. @ 1 lb.   Paid 79 cents
Mixed Veg. 6 pkgs. @ 1 lb.  Paid 79 cents
Peas 3 pkgs. @ 1 lb.   Paid 79 cents
Broccoli 2 pkgs. @ 1 lb.   Paid between 50 cents and 99 cents
Brocc, Rice & Cheese 1 pkg. @ 1 lb.   Paid 50 cents
Wild Rice, Vegetables 1 pkg. @ 1 lb.   Paid 50 cents
Stir Fry Vegetables 1 pkg. @ 1 lb.   Paid 99 cents

FRUIT/JAMS:

Blueberries 13 pkgs. @ 1 cup Paid 99 cents per lb.
Personal Fruit Pies 4 pies   Paid 30 cents per pie
Peach Pineapple Conserve 2 small containers - Homemade

CHEESE:

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 17 pkgs. @ 8 oz.   Paid $1.00 per pkg.
Shredded Cheddar/Mozzarella 6 pkgs. @ 8 oz.   Paid 75 cents per pkg.

BREAD:

Bread 1 Loaf @ 60 cents
Homemade Hot Dog Buns 8 Buns - Homemade
Homemade Hamburger Buns 6 Buns - Homemade

Freezer Above Fridge Contents

I use this freezer to put in all those little bits of leftovers.  Also, I have all of the good sale butter that I purchased last month stored in this freezer.

35 lbs. – Butter (8 more lbs. in fridge)
1 Pkg. – Sliced Turkey (enough for one meal)
3 cups – Cubed Turkey
1 Pkg. – Sliced Ham (enough for one meal)
2 Pkgs. – Ham Broth with bits of Ham
2 Containers – leftovers to make soup
1 lb. – Deli Ham
1 1/2 pkgs. – Smokie link sausages
4 cups – Chicken Broth
1/2 can – Cream of Chicken soup

6 pkgs. – Pizza Sauce
5 pkgs. – Grated Swiss Cheese – 1/3 cup each

1 cup – pumpkin
3 pkgs. – sliced celery – ¼ cup each
1/2 pkg. – Corn

1/2 cup – raspberries
2 pkgs. – Banana Puree
1 1/2 bags – Cranberries
2 pkgs. – Black Raspberries – 1 cup each
1 container – Cool Whip

4 containers – Orange Juice

2 Containers - Yeast

1 lb. – Pecans
1 1/2 cartons – Ice Cream
1/2 Bag – marshmallows

1 bag – Assorted stale breads to make croutons and crumbs
1/2 loaf - bread
1 pkg. - homemade pie crust
1/3 pkg. – Pepperidge Farm Stuffing crumbs
1/2 pkg. – Oyster Crackers
1 pkg. – Homestyle Egg Noodles
1 bag – Crushed graham crackers

Pantry Contents

Here is the list of the items in my Pantry as of today, March 20th.   The majority of these items expire in 2012 and 2013. 

CONDIMENTS:

6 Bottles - Soy Sauce
1 Bottle - Teriyaki Sauce
1 Bottle - Cocktail Sauce
1 Bottle - Chili Sauce
2 Bottles - Heinz 57 Steak Sauce
1 Bottle - Italian Dressing
2 Containers - Mustard
1 Jar- Miracle Whip
1 Bottle - BBQ Sauce

PEANUT BUTTER/OILS:

15 Jars - Peanut Butter
1 Jar - Coconut Oil
3 Bottles - Canola Non-Stick Spray
5 Bottles - Vegetable Oil - 48 oz.

VEGETABLES

22 Cans - Green Beans
2 Cans - Yellow Wax Beans
5 Cans - Peas
31 Cans - Corn
6 Cans - Pumpkin
21 Cans - Pork n Beans
1 Can - Kidney Beans
8 Cans - Chili Style Beans
10 Cans - Carrots
4 Cans - Whole Potatoes
3 Cans – Mixed Vegetables
7 Cans – Sliced Beets
5 Cans – Diced Beets

MEATS:

10 Pouches – Tuna
10 Cans - Tuna

FRUIT:

4 Cans - Whole Cranberry Sauce
2 Cans - Jellied Cranberry Sauce
10 Cans - Cherry Pie Filling
1 Jar - Applesauce - 50 oz.
14 Cans - Mandarin Oranges
2 Cans - Crushed Pineapple
3 Cans - Pineapple Slices
2 Cans - Pineapple Chunks
2 Cans - Pineapple Tidbits
7 Cans - Sliced Peaches
8 Cans - Fruit Cocktail
3 Cans - Sliced Pears

TOMATO PRODUCTS:

45 Jars - Spaghetti Sauce
1 Can - Pizza Sauce
15 Cans - Tomato Sauce
19 Cans - Tomato Paste
25 Cans - Diced Tomatoes
7 Bottles - Ketchup

MIXES:

5 Boxes - Corn Muffin Mixes

2 Boxes - Brownie Mixes
3 Boxes - Chocolate Pudding Mix
2 Boxes - Jello
1 Box - Yellow Cake Mix

1 Box - Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Tub - Chocolate Frosting

BAKING SUPPLIES

2 pints - Homemade Vanilla Extract
2 Cans - Evaporated Milk

3 Large canisters - Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 pkg. - Dark Choc. Mint Chips
1 Large canister White Chocolate Chips
1 Large canister Milk Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Large canisters Butterscotch Baking Chips
1 Large canister Cinnamon Baking Chips
1 Large canister Peanut Butter Baking Chips
1 Pkg. Reese’ Pieces Peanut Butter Candies
1 Can - Cocoa
1 Can - Mixed Nuts
1 Can - Cashews
1 1/2 Large canister Mini Hershey Kisses for Baking
1 Pkg. – Regular Hershey Kisses
1 Pkg. - Caramels
3 Pkgs. - Heath Toffee Bits
2 Pkgs. - Chocolate Almond Bark
1/2 Pkg. White Almond Bark
18 squares – Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
2 squares - Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

FLOURS/MEALS/SUGARS

13 - 4 lb. Bags - Granulated Sugar
1 – 10 lb. Bags – Granulated Sugar
26 - 5 lb. Bags All Purpose Flour
2 – 5 lb. Bags Whole Wheat Flour
1 – 5 lb. Bag Cornmeal
2 – 2 lb. Bags Confectioner Sugar
16 – 2 lb. Bags Brown Sugar

COFFEE:

5 Large Canisters – Ground Coffee

CONVENIENCE MIXES:

4 Boxes - Scalloped Potato Mixes
6 Boxes – Stuffing Mix
3 Bags – Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Crumbs
6 Pkgs. - Ramen Noodles - Chicken Flavor
3 Pkgs. - Ramen Noodles - Oriental Flavor
4 Pkgs. - Ramen Noodles - Beef Flavor
4 Boxes - Uncle Ben's Rice - Creamy Chicken

PASTA/NOODLES:

1 Bag – Egg Noodles
½ Box – Lasagna Noodles
8 Bags - Rigatoni
2 Bags - Rotini
1 Bag - Farfalle
8 Bags - Mostaccioli
7 Bags – Penne Rigate
1 Bag - Large Shells
4 Bags - Elbow Macaroni
1 Bag - Linquine
5 Bags - Fettucine
10 bags – Long Spaghetti

RICE/DRIED BEANS

2 lbs. – Raw Rice
1 pkg. – Dried Kidney Beans
1 pkg. - Dried Split Peas

SOUPS/GRAVY

1 Jar - Beef Gravy
1 Can - Chicken Noodle Soup
15 Cans - Tomato Soup
1 Can – Cream of Celery Soup
6 Cans - Cream of Mushroom Soup
20 Cans - Cream of Chicken Soup
14 Cans - Progresso Soups
8 Cans – Beef Broth
10 Cans - Chicken Broth

HOMEMADE CANNED GOODS:

1 Quart Jar - Homemade Apple Pie Filling
8 half pints - Homemade Apple Sauce
20 half pints - Homemade Apple Butter
7 half pints - Homemade Blueberry Jam
11 pints - Homemade Strawberry Jam
7 pints – Homemade Peach Jam
6 half pins – Homemade Peach Conserve

HOT CHOCOLATE/MARSHMALLOWS:

1 Bag - Marshmallows
9 Boxes – Hot Chocolate

CEREALS:

5 Canisters - Oatmeal
68 Boxes – Assorted Breakfast Cereal
8 Boxes – Granola Bars

FRESH VEGETABLES:

10 lbs. - Potatoes
2 lbs. - Yams

Let's do Amy D. tomorrow and a Bit of This n That

I'm going to move our Amy D. reading to Monday the 21st.  Audry made a comment on my Freezer Contents post and it got me thinking that I should post some additional information on all of my food inventory sheets.  I am going to update that post and will be adding the inventory of my pantry and I will include the prices that I paid for these items. 

I have the price information as I keep a list of my weekly grocery receipts in an excel spreadsheet.  I have said this before, I believe that prices on food are going up, but I also believe that where I live I am paying a lot lower for food than many of you. 

So, it will take some extra time for me to get this information posted, but I really feel this will be a worthwhile project. 

I am happy today.  The sun has been shining, it is warm and yet it is also getting darker and will be raining soon.  The snow is gone and there is hope that soon we won't have to worry about snow storms.  But it is not just the weather that has me happy today.  I have found areas of ministry at my church and I am volunteering in those ministries. Why am I happy about this?  Well, when you go to volunteer to do anything, you should volunteer for something that you like to do.  Otherwise it will not be an enjoyable experience and over time, you will become miserable. 

First, I am working on a Youth Council that helps plan and give direction to our Middle School and High School youth programs.  I have a great concern for young people and want to be a mentor and helper as much as I possibly can. 

Second, our church will be hosting a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Program and I will be helping with the weekly seminars.  I have always wanted to work with people that need help in getting their finances in order, pay off debt and put money into savings.  I've been through the school of hard knocks when it comes to finances and I have a lot of life skills to contribute. 

All of us have God given gifts that we can use in volunteer work.  You just have to find what you like to do and then find a place/person who can use your help. 

It has been in the 70's today and we ate hamburgers off the grill with baked beans and deviled eggs.  Pure heaven.  Yesterday I baked brownies, butterscotch bars, a homemade pizza and hamburger and hot dog buns. 

Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns

Brownies

Pizza raising in the oven

Can you tell I'm in a good mood?  I really feel that it has a lot to do with finding places to volunteer that fit right in with things I like to do.  Also the weather is warmer and I have had time to bake homemade buns.

Grocery Expense for this Week - I am Stoked!!

Is the word stoked still used?  It means to be excited or energized for those who are wondering.  Well, I am "stoked" about my grocery spending this week and what I found out from doing an inventory of my pantry and freezer.

Some of my deals
BTW - Don't you like the name "Snappy" Popcorn?

Here is what I bought and spent on groceries this week. Remember I set a goal to only spend $20 per week for the next five weeks.

$1.99 - 4 lbs. of granulated sugar
$0.99 – Regular popcorn
$1.49 – Head Lettuce
$2.00 – Two – 8 oz. packages of Kraft Shredded Cheese – on sale for $1.50 and
              I had a $1.00 coupon off two packages
$0.99 – 5 lbs. of Russet Potatoes
$2.31 – 3 Red Sweet Peppers (.77 per pepper)
$0.66 – 1 loaf of white bread
$1.13 – All natural hot dog buns
$1.57 – Half Gallon 1% milk
$1.76 – 2 dozen eggs (.88 per dozen)
$1.12 – Bananas (.44 lb.)
$2.49 – 1 Gallon 1% milk

$18.50 – TOTAL SPENT SO FAR

Here's a good tip.  I picked out three heads of lettuce that appeared the heaviest and then I weighed them so I could get the one that had the most lettuce.  I use this kind of lettuce as a little base to my salads.  I usually can get about 7 bowls of salad out of a head of lettuce.  In the spring and summer I switch to leaf lettuce and romaine when they come into season.
I have carrots and apples in my fridge, but I will need to purchase some more apples by Saturday. Thankfully they have Stemilt apples on sale for 88 cents a lb.

I regret purchasing the sugar, as I realized later that I had plenty on hand. This would have saved me $1.99 that I could have put towards more apples and bananas.

I have plenty of all purpose flour, rye flour and whole wheat flour on hand along with yeast, honey and molasses for bread making. I will be making up a 1 week menu plan and will note what bread items I need to bake. My DS doesn’t like homemade bread at all, however he will eat store bought wheat bread. I will look for this type of bread when it is on sale.

One thing I need to learn to do is to make bagels as my husband eats a lot of bagels. Has anyone ever made bagels before? It is a process, but it kind of looks like fun too. 

Instead of buying chips, I bought popcorn. I had to dig out my old hot air popcorn popper from my college days, dust it off and I popped a batch of popcorn. I leave the butter off or will add a very small amount sometimes.

I organized and inventoried my freezer and my pantry this week. From this information I have made the decision to eat from the pantry and freezer until the contents are almost depleted. But if I do this over the long haul, I am going to increase my weekly budget to $25 a week. I can do it on $20 a week but as we go into spring, we will see more fresh produce and such that I will want to purchase for my family.

What is the difference between what I am doing now and previous challenges?  I really believe it is the encouragement I have received from those who leave comments on my blog and also from re-reading the Tightwad Gazette.  The readings have encouraged me and propelled me to the point of really hunkering down and being more committed to living on less and saving money.

A Portion of my Pantry

My Main Freezer

Here is what I am going to do; this weekend I am going to post the entire contents of my pantry and freezer along with toiletries on a separate post. This will be the only information on the post. When you have reviewed the post, please leave a comment as to how long you think I will be able to make these things last. I will probably have to work out some details so if anyone has any ideas on how I can make this interesting, let me know.

Dinner Tonight - January 20th - and a recipe

It's breakfast night.  I try to have one night a week as a breakfast night otherwise we would probably only have special breakfast foods on holidays.

Tonight we are having Oatmeal pancakes, homemade chunky applesauce and scrambled eggs with real bacon crumbled in the eggs. 

I love oatmeal pancakes as they are very tasty and a way for me to get some whole grains into my family's diet.  They are a little heavier than a normal pancake and more filling.  As a variation I sometimes add a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup quick cooking oats (not instant)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Combine the eggs, milk, oil and lemon juice; pour into the well and stir just until moistened.  Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes.  Cook until second side is golden brown.  Yields about 12 pancakes. 

Dinner Tonight - January 19th

I've been forgetting to post what I have been fixing for dinner each night.

Tonight we had cranberry pork roast.  I made this last month and had frozen half of the sauce since I had used a small roast.  I had another small pork roast to use up and it only took 50 minutes to roast it.  I baked whole potatoes along with the roast.  The best part was that having the oven on warmed up the kitchen.  The temps here have been close to zero.

I served steamed mixed vegetables with the roast and the potatoes and I also made a tossed salad of lettuces, red peppers, cucumber and tomatoes. 

For dessert we had Skondra's Tin Roof Sundae ice cream.  This is a premium ice cream that sells for close to $5 for a 1.75 quart package.  Last week I happened to walk by the ice cream section in the local Hy-Vee grocery store and I noticed a sign posting an instore special on this flavor of Skondra's ice cream for only $1.50.  I bought two containers and probably should have bought more.  I try to make it a point to go up and down each grocery aisle in case there is some kind of instore special.  Usually things get marked down when they are close to an expiration date but the ice cream had an expiration date of October 2011.  Perhaps they are going to discontinue this flavor.

Which leads to this.  Here I am complaining about the low temps here in Iowa and I am serving ice cream for dessert.  Go figure. 

A Delicious Cake Recipe

Tomorrow our son and his wife will be joining us for lunch after church.  I always try to have something in the crockpot so we can come home and set the table and then eat.  No one likes to wait until 2:00 on a Sunday afternoon to eat. 

I keep it simple.  Tomorrow it will be sloppy joes, cheesy potatoes, steamed broccoli, fruit salad and a Cherry Coffeecake for dessert.  What makes this meal simple?  The night before prep.  I have already browned the hamburger and added the sauce ingredients and they are chilling in the fridge.  The frozen hash browns for the cheesy potatoes are thawing overnight in the fridge and I have already mixed the soup, milk, cheese and spices and poured this into a container and it is in the fridge also.  Tomorrow when I get up in the morning I will simply pour the sloppy joe mixture into one crockpot, put the hash browns and cheesy sauce in another crockpot and set them both on low. 

The broccoli is the Steamfresh kind and it will steam in the microwave.  The fruit salad is just fruit cocktail mixed with some canned pineapple.  It will be a breeze to get this meal on the table after church.

Also, in keeping with my frugal mindset, it is an inexpensive meal.  What makes it inexpensive is that the ingredients have been purchased on sale at one time or another. 

Now for the Cherry Coffeecake recipe.  But first, back in November I purchased several cans of name brand Cherry Pie Filling for only 75 cents a can.  It was on sale and I had a lot of coupons so I was able to get about 10 cans.  Cherry Pie Filling is usually over $2.00 a can so this was an excellent buy.  My husband loves Cherry pie and I love to bake pie for him but I also love this coffeecake recipe and so does my family. 

Cherry Coffeecake

Batter:

1 egg
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
milk
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling:

1 can cherry pie filling (blueberry will work just as well)

Topping:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Break the egg in a 1 cup measuring cup and add the extract.  To this add enough milk to make 1 cup.  Set aside.  Cream the margarine (or butter) with the sugar.  Add the milk mixture and mix.  Then add the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer for about 1 minute until well blended and smooth.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Dollop the cherry pie filling over the top of the batter.   Sprinkle the topping over the cherry pie filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

For the topping:  mix the margarine (or butter) with the sugar.  Add the flour (and nuts) to form crumbs.  Sprinkle over the pie filling.

Dinner Tonight - January 13th

My daughter in law stayed home from work today as she has a bad cold.  I took supper to their house so that she could just rest and try to get better.  They moved back to our community last summer and it has been a joy to have both my sons and daughter in law living near us. 

For supper I made beef and noodles.  Sounded like a good meal for someone who is sick.  It is very cold out so I knew this would be a good choice for the rest of us also.  I made 3 loaves of honey wheat bread this afternoon along with 4 dozen peanut butter cookies.  I rounded out the meal with a simple jello salad which I knew would be a good choice for someone who is sick with a cold.

I spent the majority of the day in the kitchen baking and cooking which meant I was staying warm from the heat of the stove and oven.  Many days when it is close to zero outside I will pick that day to do a lot of baking so that we can enjoy some homemade bread or cookies along with the stove heating up the house a little more.

Dinner Tonight - January 11th and 12th

Last night I made meatloaf.  I used 1 lb. of ground turkey and 1 lb. of ground beef.  I always add a couple of shakes of onion powder to the meat along with bread or cracker crumbs or oatmeal (whatever I have on hand), some salt, two eggs, some milk and a couple of squeezes of ketchup and 1 small squeeze of mustard.  I bake it at 375 degrees for a little over an hour.  After I remove it from the oven I spread a glaze of 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons mustard and 1/4 cup brown sugar.  Then I cover the meatloaf with foil while I get everything else on the table.  We also had scalloped potatoes, peas and a tossed salad.  For dessert we had brownies with a white frosting.

Dinner tonight was leftovers.  When I reheat the meatloaf I put it in a frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of butter and let it brown on both sides.  My family loves meatloaf and especially when it is leftover and I fry it in a pan. 

It is zero degrees and the wind chill has been below zero.  Meatloaf is just one of those comfort foods that tastes especially good on a cold winter evening.

As far as eating from the pantry and freezer, we're still going strong.

Dinner Tonight - January 10th and a Little Bit of This n That

For supper tonight everyone voted on breakfast.  We had scrambled eggs, fresh cut up pineapple and little sausage pigs in a blanket.  I'll explain the latter.  I had one tube of crescent rolls leftover from the holidays that I wanted to use up.  I split them apart into a triangle and then I cut each triangle in half lengthwise to make two narrow triangles.  The result was 16 narrow triangles.  I then wrapped each triangle around a little smokie link sausage.  I sprinkled each with a little bit of brown sugar and baked them at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.  They were very, very good and a nice change from just sausage.  When I set the scrambled eggs, pineapple and sausages on the table I realized that the colors were mostly yellow.  I offered to cook some peas or broccoli to give the meal some color and my family looked at me and said "no,  that's okay."  I was kidding and couldn't believe they thought I was serious.

This morning I baked 3 dozen extra large peanut butter cookies and a batch of my chocolate caramel oatmeal bars as a prize to a local family who won the Homeowner Christmas Lighting Contest for a local news website.  I write an article for this site about twice a month and I added some homemade cookies to the prize package.  I gave them a choice of 7 different types of "homestyle" cookies and I must admit that it was kind of different baking cookies as part of a prize package. 

Early this evening I delivered the cookies to the family - a husband, wife and little baby girl.  They are such a sweet family and they recently moved to our community.

This afternoon I started to notice that I was feeling agitated and started a little bit of the OCD that I had been experiencing two weeks ago.   Not near as bad as it was before I got on Paxil but it caught me off guard.  Taking medications will not simply make everything go away, but it does make it easier to cope the majority of the time.  The interesting thing was that I decided to work out on my treadclimber and I felt 100% better after exercising.  So it is true what they say about exercising raising endorphins. 

We are in the middle of a snow storm right now.  I know it is cold and there is a lot of snow falling but it is really beautiful.  I'm sure school will be cancelled tomorrow but for an 18 year old son it isn't the same as when he was in grade school.  He'll sleep in and then be on the computer or watch t.v. tomorrow.  When he was younger he would go outside with his older brother to build a fort or play with our dog.  Still, I love when he is home for the day as he does hang around the house and he is good company. 

This week I have to get the house picked up and cleaned as next week I start on the plaster repair and painting in the livingroom.  I am on a deadline to get a lot of projects done before our son graduates from high school.  We are having his graduation party here at our house and there is nothing like a party that will push and prod you to get some projects done.  I'm having a hard time beginning as I need to do a little research on plaster repair.  But as my husband has told me over and over, I am doing this to our house and it is not like I have been hired out to do someone else's home.  In other words, it doesn't have to be perfect - nothing is perfect in this little old house.