February is a sad month for me

Even though Hubby and my anniversary this month, I still struggle to find joy during this month. Part of it is I have SAD, not good when you live in a state that has a low level of sunny days. Plus I lost my late husband during this month and I spent Valentine's day at the lawyer's office dealing with his negative estate. I do get excited about ordering the garden seeds and trying to start a few of the tomato plants myself (which usually bomb but I still try). 

So this time I decided to find something every day to make me smile.

Today I went to the grocery store. I love grocery shopping as much as I love cooking (good thing since I am a personal chef, I do not love cleaning up after myself or anyone else). Better I got several good buys. I spent 1/3rd of the month's grocery budget and figure we won't need anything other than milk, bread and eggs. Saved 25% of what I spent with matching coupons with sales and using my digital coupons loaded to my grocery rewards card. SCORE.

I bought 2 turkeys and a pork loin that was on sale, 90 % of what I did buy was veggies and fruits, most of it in season with a couple out of season for recipes we decided to try. I did buy 9 boxes of cereal which I don't normally buy cereal, but Hubby asked for some cereal and then asked me to make rice crispy treats but use Cheerios. His coworker brought some in and he liked them. I had coupons and matched the sales so I got all 9 boxes for less than a dollar a piece. I doubt if I will eat any of it for bfast but I will grab a bowl of cereal for a snack mid-afternoon.

I put veggies and fruit away in an organized way so what needs used first is in the front and what can wait until a week or so is in the back. Focusing on no more food in the back of the frig for science projects.

I decluttered the kitchen frig freezer and restocked it with bfast foods.In doing so, realized that we had more bread than I thought so I  don't plan to buy any more until we have this supply gone.

The frigs are organized that I can put together a simple lunch or snack for myself. I've always kept Hubby's lunch items together, apples and such in a drawer, his yogurt above it. Why in the world I thought I wasn't worth the same consideration, I have yet to figure out.

Flylady over at www.flylady.net has announced that February's habit is 15 minutes of decluttering each day. So I spent 15 minutes decluttering my canning area in my basement and realized I have no foil in the back up storage. Figures that I would run completely out when I fixed dinner. Guess I will be going back to the store for foil.

I am continuing to eat from the pantry, trying to pull at least 1-2 canned goods each day from what was my Mother's pantry. Tonight I used the rice I fixed yesterday to make chicken and rice casserole. Used the chicken I prepped yesterday also and a can of mushroom soup from Mother's pantry. Grabbed a jar of jam from her pantry also to go with the biscuits I baked. Fresh broccoli (bought today) along with cottage cheese( bought today), applesauce and beets from my own pantry. I pulled a can of peaches from Mother's pantry and put them in the frig. Tomorrow for bfast I can have the peaches with the yogurt and granola I have.

What makes you smile?

Blessed Be Juls

Feb 3rd GOD's Day of Rest

I am one of those that struggles with resting. I try to picture GOD on Saturday night. He looks and sees what he has done all week and what still needs to be done. He says "this is good" and takes a day of rest....key words ...good ... not perfect and not even great...simply good; the other word is rest.

What is rest? I don't think it's running to the stores to shop, playing catch up on the house cleaning and laundry, or slaving away in the kitchen all day.I don't think it's doing all the paperwork that has sat all week either.

So what is rest? According to Webster dictionary, part of the definition is the following:

Freedom from activity or labor.....Okay that is pretty well clear, couch here I come for napping...

Peace of mind or spirit....That's not always clear especially if you are sitting them free from the activity or labor and you see everything that still needs done...

This is when I ask myself  "is it good?"

I did spend some time in the kitchen today, I made a large pot of rice as I am making fried rice for dinner tonight( chicken stir fry, fried rice and pot stickers all from pantry) and a casserole with rice later this week. I had enough left for me to have rice, dried cranberries and warm milk or cream for a snack a couple times.Cook once use for at least 2 meals.

After I was done cleaning up after cooking it I thought I should have made it yesterday to  have freedom from activity or labor of the meal today.Some Amish that I grew up with do not cook on this day but serve cold foods or something simple such as soup or popcorn,apples and grape juice.

I remember my aunt always serving cold fried chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, applesauce and pickles or pickled beets.

I am going to try to start practicing that. Either something cold or something simple such as soup, crock pot meal, or a meal in the oven prepped the night before for Sundays and leave the dishes for Monday morning and treasure GOD's day of rest

Groundhog's day

He might be forecasting an early spring here in Ohio but it's pretty nasty outside today.

I spent the day giving the 1st floor (it's the main living areas) a good cleaning. Haven't did much more than a kiss and promise since Christmas with Hubby and me both sick since then.

I fixed a steak and split it between us, neither of us eat as much as we used to before getting sick,might try to keep that as a habit...the eating less not the being sick.

Opened a can of potatoes and a can of corn from the canned goods that was Mother's. Sliced up some fresh mushrooms to go with it and called it dinner.

Thawed some chicken breast. There was several in the package and they were frozen together. I freeze my separately so I don't have to use the whole package but I don't turn food away. I prepped 3 meals out of it for this week.

Going to call it a night and do some pleasure reading.

Blessed be

The start of February

We are under a winter weather advisory for the next couple days. I checked the groceries out of habit. We had just decided 2 days ago we didn't need to go until Tuesday when we would be already in town.

We had sausage that I mixed in with canned potatoes, eggs and canned sausage gravy as a skillet meal. I served toast with it and added apples on the side for fruit. The canned goods came from Mother's pantry and the rest from our own.

Today we ate leftovers and canned fruit (again from Mother's pantry). Friday is our piece day if hubby doesn't work the weekend. Good day to use up leftovers.

I finished going through my Mother's stuff we had brought home, kept what I would use (which was less than what I wanted to keep) and divided out the rest between my 3 children.

Thoughts rolled around as I washed 6...yes 6 Tupperware containers for  veggie trays. She wasn't using them, they were buried where she could no longer get to them.  

So here's my thought...it's frugal to take care of what you have,but if you aren't using what you have you are no longer frugal but a spendthrift wasting your time (housekeeping and maintenance) and money (especially if you have to rent a storage unit). As I scrubbed the bottom of her pots and pans, I can remember her lectures of if you don't keep the bottoms of your pots and pans clean, it takes longer for the heat to reach the food and cook it so you are wasting energy. So true but somewhere along the line she stopped caring if she was wasting energy.Still these pans are over 55 yrs old and still in great shape so I will be using them. I already pulled my old ones to pass on to one of my kids.She has have that set already anyways.

Have a Blessed Day

Lessons I have learned from the Pantry Challenge

Lessons I have learned from the Pantry Challenge.

  If I tell Hubby it has to come from the pantry he doesn't walk around the store and do the "oh,look, let's try this" line with me.

 We had to make a run to the store today to get more supplies for the cookies I was doing for Operation Thank You to send to the deployed troops. I ran out of brown sugar anyways. Lesson learned, I don't stock brown sugar after Christmas baking is done. I need to put back a Cookie fund for the times I bake for OTY.

 I need to do more baking of our breads. I've gotten lazy in this area even though most of everything else is made from scratch.

I need to focus on eating more of our squash.

We saved more money than I thought we would and used it in areas that we would have struggled to get the money around.

Both of us has been sick and neither of us felt like cooking. I need to prep some meals for those times and keep that in stock.

We have decided to do the Pantry Challenge during February to use up what canned goods came from my Mother's pantry. It will be interesting because there is plenty of canned gravy and we don't really eat that much gravy. Probably will have "blue plate specials" to use it up. And that statement of "blue plate specials" just showed my age. Oh well...SMILE

Been dealing with a horrible migraine for 2 days so calling it a nite

Blessed Be

Day 28 of Pantry Challenge.

Jessica over at goodcheapeats http://goodcheapeats.com/2013/01/pantry-challenge-link-up-4/ has decided to end the Pantry Challenge today.

Like me, she actually started in December. Check out her blog for how she has done.

 I saved 50% of what we normally spend. We ended up adding non-food and eating out into the total also so we really did good. We cut down eating out by 50% also and I can actually say except for the Chinese Buffet I haven't missed it until I got sick. I always crave fast food when I am sick...figures that's when I can eat it anyways.

 We spent the savings on garden seed and some other odds and ends we would have been scrimping to pay. I even bought some foaming hand soap from Back and Body that Ree over at Pioneer Woman had talked about for myself as a birthday present. Better late than never I thought.

 As for the Pantry Challenge, Hubby and I have decided to go at least until the end of February. We decided this on the following reasons: 
  #1, we will save enough money to finish paying for the garden supplies.

  #2 we will be able to clean the pantry without moving a lot of food in March/April when I do the spring cleaning.

 #3 we won't be wasting our resources buy throwing away food that went bad because it wasn't eaten.

 The last reason really hit home this weekend when my step brother and I cleaned out our parents pantry. By today we counted up the food that had went bad and realized that my kids and their families (total of 21) could have been fed for 2 weeks with what we threw out.

That makes me very sad because our parents didn't have money to waste like that. I do understand that they forgot what they had because nothing was organized and it was all shoved in different cabinets and some was even in boxes and sacks in bedrooms and the hallways. What was still good I have split between my kids and us.

So now I have more in my pantry than I did when we started the pantry challenge...Guess that is reason #4.

We are going to think about some RULES for ourselves for the Pantry Challenge in February.

 Tonight is leftovers or smoked sausage and mac and cheese if Hubby decided to cook because I have had a horrible migraine since last night and it isn't going away. Have a good day. Blessed Be

Day 26 and 27 of Pantry challenge

Yesterday we spent the whole day across state to our parents. We ate bfast on the road, Subway steak,egg and cheese on flat bread , we worked through lunch at my step dad's trailer with my step brother. Since Mom died in Nov I've been doing what I can to help get the trailer around so my stepbrother can live with my step dad who has Alzheimer's. For dinner we ran through a Mc D's drive thru so we could see my brother for a few minutes before he left Dad's. Not a very healthy day for the menu.

We did clear out Mother's pantry. The shame of it is we had to throw away enough food that would have fed my daughter's family of 9 for 2 weeks. BUT that's not all. My step brother kept enough groceries to feed him and Pop for 2 months. We brought home enough canned goods to fill the bed of our full size truck. I've sorted out the canned goods and split it between us and the kids. Still our share (which was basically what the kids won't eat, can't figure out why none of them eats beets.) filled 2 shelves in the butler's pantry. We will use that up before going back to use our own.

Today was leftover steak,egg and cheese on flat bread, we just snacked for lunch and dinner was the odds and ends of leftovers in the frig.

Day 24 and 25 Pantry Challenge, running low of favorite tea.

I side tracked last night after dinner dishes was done to work on a puzzle we are doing as a gift for another family member.

 We had the meat loaf from the deep freezer, mashed potatoes (potatoes were bought in Nov for Tday dinner) and corn from the deep freezer.Bread, butter and jam rounded out the meal.

 I pulled a container out of the freezer in the mudroom frig. I could tell it have chicken pieces and carrots and potatoes, other then that I was clueless as to what it was. This morning I checked it, it was thawed enough to transfer to casserole dish. I think it's what was left from chicken and dumplings but I don't know what it has potatoes in it if it is.

 Oh well, right now it's in a casserole dish to warm for dinner tonight, I will add bread, butter and jam or apple butter to go with it, maybe cottage cheese,applesauce and beets. I might make a fruit crisp to go with it also. Depends on the puzzle.

 I had a friend ask me what was my point of doing the pantry challenge, I wasn't really going without anything. I am but I just don't acknowledge it because I know how to substitute pretty well in the kitchen. That was knowledge that I had before becoming a personal chef.

We ran out of chips and we are low on chocolate bars. Those are hubby's two junk foods. He eats peanut butter on his chocolate bars before going to work.I got him 2 small bags of chips at Aldi's the other day and that's all until next month.

I am running out of my favorite flavored tea. I have enough for 2 more tea pots. I've been tossing in some home made teas from my herbs.

 I have an herb and spice pantry of over 100 different kinds.My apple mint that I also use for tea is real low and my plant died so I am really having to be careful of how often I use it until I get a new plant in and producing.

 I am out of some types of pasta.I am out of some types of rice.I am out of chuck roast and don't have any roasting chickens.I am out of sub buns, hot dog buns, ciabatta bread and Texas toast garlic bread.
Because there is only the two of us I put our breads in the freezer and only pull out what we need as we need it. I do bake, I used to make all of our bread except for one loaf of sliced bread a month. We don't eat bread as much now days.

I am out of tomato sauce and fire roasted tomatoes that I make tomato bisque out of. Need to plant more tomato plants this year.

I am low on some dried fruits that Hubby favors and he has acknowledged that he is going to have to use the others up. YEP, he asked for them and then hasn't used them. He adds them to his yogurt for his lunch/snack at work.

I am out of eggrolls, I use that for lunch a lot of times or snacks. I am almost out of  pot stickers, that hubby likes for snacks when he isn't working.

I am out of Italian green beans until the season comes back in. Yes I noted to plant more of that type of bean.

There are bare spots in the pantry, in the freezers and in the frigs. That's okay. In fact I changed where I stored a couple things.

I used the last of the onions we raised last year. So I will have to buy onions until next fall...so I need to plant more than I did last year.

I don't look at the grocery ads. I don't go to the store for milk or bread, hubby does that because he drives past the local small store on his way home from work and he gets just exactly what I say we need. If he sees a good sale and thinks I might be interested he will call and ask...not just buy like I would.

I am using things that would have sat longer if not got used at all. I don't want to use up the favorites and then be stuck eating a bunch "why in the world did I buy this" type of food.

I know we have eaten out or bought take out food 4 times since Jan 1st. I know tomorrow we will eat out also. So my thoughts are on that is 5 times in 31 days (as I know we will eat home the rest of the time). That is half of what we have been eating out. So that money has been saved and we have ate healthier also which helps when we both got the flu and I got 2 different flues.

My goal for next month is to do the Pantry challenge again, to drop the eating out down to 2 or 3. I would just say 2 but Valentine's day and our anniversary is in Feb and if I say 2 then I will feel bad if it is 3. Since we didn't eat my birthday dinner and it's in the freezer maybe I will talk Hubby into just eating it instead of us going out.

I know I need to make some pizza crusts for the freezer for those times it's "I want a pizza".

Puzzle calls,

Blessed be
Juls

Day 23 Pantry challenge and grocery store

Felt better today, not well but better.

 With the weather forecast saying it's going to get worse we made a small grocery list of perishables we needed. I checked the grocery budget and realized with eating from the pantry this month that not only was I able to order half of our garden seeds but I could buy ingredients to make cookies for Operation Thank You to send to the deployed soldiers.

I don't keep cookie making ingredients on hand, flour yes but that is about it because we don't eat many cookies...well we would but we over do it when we do. I don't buy store bought cookies very often either. We do make over 100 dozen cookies for the kids and grandkids and Operation Thank You at Christmas time.

So today while at the store I got our perishables, about $10 worth, some personal items, dogs treats and the cookie dough ingredients. AND still had money left in the food budget.

I pulled canned corned beef from the pantry, plopped it in a casserole dish, topped it with what was left of the jar of kraut in the frig to nuke in the microwave for dinner. I will top it with the shredded Swiss cheese I pulled from the freezer and serve it on the deli rye bread that was in the freezer also.  I will serve it with cottage cheese, pickled beets and applesauce. The standard 3 things that is usually on the table, some times it's pickles instead of beets.

While out in the garage I pulled a meatloaf out of the deep freezer to thaw for tomorrow.

If we hadn't been eating from the pantry this month I wouldn't have had the garden seed like I did and I definitely wouldn't have been able to  buy ingredients to make cookies for our deployed soldiers. Just a little reminder to myself of what I can do when I manage our resources better

Day 22 Pantry challenge

tea and popcorn from the new air popper hubby bought me for Christmas.

Yep that's what I had for dinner. Back to being sick and that's what I was craving. At least this morning I made us cream of Wheat for bfast.

Hubby had chili that I had canned last month with Fritos and he talked of buying potato chips before the end of the month. I think I am not the only one craving them along with peach gummy rings...thanks to Ree over at Pioneer Woman.

Going to make more tea and call it a night. Tomorrow is another day.

Stay warm and stay safe

Blessed Be Juls

Day 21 Pantry Challenge.

10 more days this month, plenty of food , plenty of fresh produce.

10 more days until I get grocery money. Potato chips, I am craving potato chips.

10 more MONTHS of food in the pantry/freezer...but not enough potato chips....

I vacuumed bagged shredded pork and ham slices and ham chunks. Which means there are now 8 more meals in the freezer.

 Have different broths in the frig for the fat to harden for me to de-fat tomorrow and can the broth. I will strain the fat into ice cube trays and freeze it then bag it when it's frozen (and LABEL). That shout was at myself for not labeling another batch. I had to melt a cube and taste it to figure out what it was.

Tonight I cooked green beans and diced potato and ham chunks together. As a child this would have been the meal Mother put on the table with corn bread. But hubby grew up on the farm with beef and pork always in the freezer so he isn't satisfied with that type of dish so I grilled ham and cheese sandwiches to go with it. He was happy. Tomorrow I will have the leftover green beans with leftover corn bread for lunch.

I can tell you now with the weather we are having right now that we will be having chili that I canned last month for dinner tomorrow. I just looked at our weather gauge (we live on a farm in the boonies) and the wind chill is a minus 25.

I will be doing some baking tomorrow. Good way to help keep the house warm by using the oven.

Stay safe, stay warm.

Blessed Be
Juls

Day 19 and Day 20

Yesterday when Hubby got home he fixed pancakes for brunch. But come dinner time neither of us felt like eating let along cooking. So we did a run to Wendy's. He got a sandwich and I ended up sharing part of my sandwich and fries with the 2 dogs. I would say we haven't recovered from the flu yet.

 Last night I ordered the first half of my seeds and plants for my gardens. It was a great feeling because I used the money we saved from the grocery budget and we aren't robbing Peter to pay Paul or waiting for what little tax refund we get.

 The thought that crossed my mind was if we eat from the pantry the rest of the year I might actually be ahead financially...on the down side of that is I will still have to replace the pantry.

 Tonight we have left over pasta from the other night so I am adding onions,bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives and pepperoni and some pizza sauce and topping it with pizza cheese for pizza spaghetti as my youngest used to call it.

 So we are back to eating from the pantry with the goal to be able to order the rest of the garden or at least part of it with in 2 weeks. Enjoy the day. Blessed be Juls

Day 18 Pantry challenge and life style choices

Today is my birthday. Happiness in that I am older,( can't wait to turn 56 so when the kids call me an old crone, I can say YES I AM)the bills are paid, there is a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in the pantry and GOD in my heart. Even though I am sick with the flu, I am happy that I am HOME and not in the hospital like so many others. I also am still, birthday and sick going to have to do the laundry, pick up the house and make dinner.

Today I pulled pasta from the pantry, a can of tomato puree from the pantry, a garlic bulb from the garlic basket and will add some basil leaves from the plant that is struggling to survive in the planter on the dining table.There are mushrooms and broccoli in the frig. I have flat bread in the frig also so I might make a bruschetta just because it is my birthday. There is prosciutto in the freezer that I can top it with along with fresh basil, olive oil, and a little bit of shredded provolone cheese. Even with thinking what to take from the pantry that I acknowledge my kids call Mom's grocery store. I am thinking of how to make what I have last the longest possible time and yet eat well.

To me my pantry is not just come canned goods in a cabinet (on in my house on shelving units in the basement or under furniture depending on the house at the time). It's a life style.

It's a life style that reflects the importance of putting food on the table for my family (whether they are living with me or not) in good times and bad when there is no money for groceries.That choice comes from growing up without enough food and going hungry after my parents were divorced and Mom didn't handle the finances very well.

It's a lifestyle of choosing to buy $20 of groceries that can make a week's worth of food(not always balanced but filled the tummies at the table) or a delivery of pizza or fast food drive thru for one meal.

It's a lifestyle of gardening and processing that food for the pantry even when I had no place to grow anything. Containers on the porch and in front of windows during the winter and farmers markets and even the grocery stores when things were in season and cheap.

It's making food last and not wasting.It's using the little tiny bits that aren't worth a meal and turning them into casseroles, soups or in pasta or rice dishes. Or as hubby does, in to beans or eggs.

My dad who grew up during the Great Depression told me I was too frugal in my kitchen. I would be a match for his grandmother. To me that was high praise as she not only fed herself but her childrens' children and neighbors in the small community they lived in the foothills of the Appalachians in southern Ohio.

It's hoarding when you don't eat it and it goes to waste, it's a pantry when you do eat it and it doesn't go to waste.

It's making plan overs for the left overs.

It takes thought and sometimes more time then you want to give.I would rather sit and figure out how to make the food last then watch a show or movie on tv. I would rather read a cookbook than watch tv also.

But think about this..

take 40% of your grocery money and throw it directly in to the trash can...think I am crazy? The average family of 4 throws away 40% of the food they buy in a month...SAME THING.

Buy 20 lbs of potatoes and toss them in the trash can....WHAT? The average person tosses 20 lbs of food in the trash each month.

On the average of a 4 person family, $2,275 a year of food goes in the trash. That is around $189.58 cents a month.

I had some families take pictures of food left on the plates after each meal and pictures of what they threw away that went bad in the frig,freezer and pantry. Only one family had less than a plastic grocery bag of waste and it was going to the compost pile. Which means there was no meat, meat by products or oil/fats in it. The others...well lets just say that they now wrap the leftovers on their children's plates for snacks that they always ask for later and soups, casseroles etc are now served a couple times a week. The best news was the one family went from $1000 a month for groceries (no non-food) to $400 a month for groceries and was able to fully stock the freezer they were able to buy with the extra money.

If you lost your job TODAY, would you have food to serve your family a month from now WITHOUT government assistance or the local food pantry?

When we moved here, my youngest was worried we would go without food because the only thing she saw in my pantry cupboard was pickles and beets. Bills were high due to medical bills and the outlay of moving expenses(moved closer to hubby's work). My son in law that moved us started laughing at her. Informed her that yes the cupboard only had pickles and beets. Under the bed was canned beans and canned meats, under the couch was canned veggies and under the chairs and love seat was canned fruit. There was canned goods in the office closet, canned goods in the tv room closet, home canned soups was in the garage and dried goods stored in the furnace closet. We weren't going to go hungry. She immediately called and asked me if I could give her some canned soup.

Dinner time...got to go

Blessed Be Juls

Day 17 of the Pantry Challenge

Day 17 of the Pantry challenge. I like this challenge for several reasons, first because it holds me accountable, second because I focus on using what is in the pantry and not running to the store and last I can clean empty shelves a whole lot easier than shelves crammed full when I do the spring cleaning.

I have a pork roast along with the extra bones from the roasts I ground pork from yesterday in the crock pot. I will shred some on flat bread for sandwiches and serve cottage cheese,applesauce,and pickled beets.

I need to deal with the ham we had last night. It made some good broth for soups and I can package it down for sandwiches and casseroles for later. I will keep the bone and toss it back in the freezer for bean soup later.I will strain the fat off the broth and put it in ice cube trays and then in the freezer so I can make gravy from it later or use it as "oil" when making corn bread or cooking.

 I can hear those moans people...natural fats doesn't bother hubby or my cholesterol... shelled seafood sends his up through the roof and microwave popcorn (the oil used to pop it) sends mine through the roof. As long as we eat like we did as kids our cholesterol is good.Neither one of us ate processed food much as kids,coffee, tea and water was the beverages usually served. Dad hunted and fished so our protein was wild game or fish while hubby's family farmed so they had cattle and hogs to butcher. We both grew up with gardens that supplied the pantry for the winter.

I still stock my pantry that way for the year.

Blessed Be Juls

Day 15 and Day 16 of Pantry Challenge

It's official, I've caught the flu that hubby had.I wasn't completely over influenza A so this round with influenza B is just a bigger drain on my system. All I can think is thank heavens I got the flu shot or it would be a lot worse and I would most likely be in the hospital like my daughter's mother in law and niece on her hubby's side.

Last night since we were sitting in the doctor's office until 4:30 and then had to wait until 5:30 to pick up my new meds. Hubby insisted we go to the Chinese buffet and eat dinner. He used the argument that I could get soup,food that had ginger cooked in it and Chinese mustard that also includes turmeric. I have taught him well. I didn't argue back at all.Just figured that was another meal that got moved on the calendar.

Tonight we are having ham sandwiches. I got a ham from Aldi's for half price and tossed it in the oven to bake tonight for sandwiches.Neither one of us feels like eating so a sandwich with an apple or some raw veggies will be plenty.

We did go to the grocery store also to pick up fresh produce,milk and it was suppose to be ground pork...well I am not going to pay $3.89/lb for ground pork when there is a pork roast sitting right by it for $1.29. I needed 4 lbs for the next 2 months so I grabbed 12 lbs of roast. (FYI a 4 lb roast with bone gives you about 2 1/2 lb ground meat)Spent the same amount if I had bought the 4 pounds of ground pork and brought it home to grind myself. I have a food processor and an old fashion meat grinder.Two of the roasts got ground up, their bones got tossed in to the crock pot with the third roast that will cook on low over night to make shredded pork. Balance of grocery budget is 1/4th of what I normally would have spent by now and we have meals on the menu that is in the pantry until March. 

Enjoy your night.

Blessed Be Juls

Day 14 Pantry challenge

Day 14, Hubby has the flu ( he had influ B and  I had influ A)for sure,Doc put him on theraflu and he is home from work. I think that maybe in the last 20 yrs he has stayed home from work maybe 3 times due to being sick. Not something that he does, let alone that he usually doesn't get sick. Just brings it home to me instead. SMILE

I had thought of the leftover salad from when we ordered pizza and some soup but realized there was some bell pepper that was going to go bad if we didn't get it used up. So instead I tossed the bell pepper, onion and leftover turkey from deep freezer together in a skillet and then tossed it in flat bread for sandwiches to go with the leftover salad. 

I also printed off a calendar for Feb. and March. As I find meals in the pantry or buried in deep freezer I am writing it on the calendar. I cross it off when we eat it. Being sick has caused a lot of issues with eating from the pantry. I made hamburger casserole the other night and normally there wouldn't have been anything left and we only ate half of it so that is going in the freezer and on the menu. 

I have started a grocery list, almost decided to go Thursday (normal grocery day) because I have a coupon for $5 if I buy $25 only to realize I didn't have $25 worth of groceries listed and caught myself thinking what I could add to it to get the $25. Kind of defeats the purpose of eating from the pantry.

By eating from the pantry I made a basic grocery list of what we eat and what I needed to make sure was stocked. Then when I sat down with the seed catalogs to start planning the garden I used that same list.That kept me focused on what we actually eat, not what looks really interesting in the catalogs. Then since we expanded the square foot gardens last year I decide to put all the gardens on spreadsheets and input where what was going. That also keeps me reined in because I have been know to have to plant pumpkins around the house because I ran out of room in the gardens. SO that also reins in the pantry next fall. 

Flu meds time. Everyone be safe and well

Blessed Be Juls

Day 12 and Day 13 of Pantry Challenge

I am feeling decent but Hubby wasn't yesterday. He decided he wanted a chef salad and pizza from our local pizza shop. Definitely a splurge because I have been making our pizzas at home. I will put part of the pizza in the freezer to have for later. We will end up making about 3-4 meals total off of it. I think it was his way of compromising since he wasn't up to eating the steak and lobster tail I had planned for my bday dinner He didn't even finish his salad and only at a couple slices of pizza...definitely didn't feel like eating much at all. He works all of next weekend which is actually my bday and we don't eat that big of meal right before he goes to work.Oh well, it will stay in the freezer until another time.

 Today we are back to eating from the Pantry. I chose hamburger pie since it would free up my casserole dish and hubby was already able to eat sloppy joe which is the base of the pie.

 I plan to put together baked oatmeal tonight for tomorrow morning. Temps here are suppose to drop from the high 50s of the last couple days to the 20-30s by tomorrow morning with Friday morning to start out at 10 degrees...lovely to be here in Ohio.A hot breakfast before we run our errands will be good.

 I walked the gardens yesterday while it was still warm and the rain hadn't come in to make notes of what needed down before I started planting. Went to the pantry and looked to see what I didn't need to plant this year.Dill pickles no, bread and butter pickles yes.

Straightened up the pantry will looking it over. Now have some empty spots.I also was able to clear off the top of the cabinet in the dining room where I keep food that is in boxes( the pantry in the basement does sometimes gets damp so what I don't transfer to other containers stays in the cabinet in the dining room). So it shows that we are eating from the pantry which helps keeps me on task with it.

Pull out some cookbooks from the Great Depression and some recipes and notes off the internet about food during W.W.1, W.W. 2 and the Great Depression. My grandpa talked to me about how things were during W.W.1 before he died. My parents lived through the other two and always talked about it.Lots of wisdom for making food last during those times.

Have a great day, stay safe and warm. Eat well.

Blessed Be Juls

Day 11 of Pantry Challenge and more flu

Sorry day 10 was scheduled to post last night but some how I messed that up... I woke up with a fever of 99.1... that is a lot lower than it has been but let me know I still was fighting the flu. Hubby came in from work and after one look I knew he now has it. Ten Bucks says he gives it back to me. Still we are eating from the pantry. We had fruit with our coffee this morning before he curled on couch and went to sleep and I went back to bed. When I woke for lunch I had him take the bed because the pup was dropping toys on him trying to get him to wake up and play with him. I had home made beef broth for lunch. Hubby woke up later and we ate an early dinner of home made sloppy joes and the last of the pears.I make my sloppy joes sauce from scratch, we like it better that way. I already put some of it in the casserole dish for hamburger pie (Sheppard's pie or Chinese pie depending on which of my kids you talk to).It's base is sloppy joes topped by veggie (usually corn for us) and then mashed potatoes. Some times I will top it with cheese. I wrote a menu for Jan and Feb from the pantry. Thought it would be a good guideline more than something that was "I must cook this tonight". It also lets me look at it to see if there is something I can fix fast when it's the "I don't want to cook tonight" or the "I forgot to thaw something" night. The bonus is it reminds me to soak my dry beans so I can use them. We eat a lot of different dried beans in a lot of different ways, not just bean soup. But like everything else I have gotten out of the habit with everything that went on last year between surgeries, Mother dying and my Crohn's putting me in the hospital. Not sure what we will be eating tomorrow since we are both sick...that kind of sucks since we were suppose to have porterhouse steak and lobster tails for my bday dinner since hubby works next week during my bday and we don't eat that big of a meal right before he leaves for work. Stay safe, stay well...Blessed Be Juls

Day 10 Pantry Challenge

I woke up feeling okay, fever is gone, in fact my temperature is now below normal. Hubby got in early from work so since I was feeling okay he agreed we could go to the store. I have been tracking what we spend, coupons and sales etc to keep us in budget. After today's buy I am still saving around 25 % (goal is to be over 30% by April) and we are below half the budgeted amount for the month. After I get a cup of hot tea and curl back up on the couch for the day I am going to write out the menu for the rest of the month. Hubby thought that would help him help me with me still recovering from the flu. We did pick up a couple things that we didn't need...steak and wine for this weekend. My bday is next weekend but Hubby has to work all next weekend so we won't be going out or me fixing a big meal when he is working so I decided to do the big meal this weekend instead. Today's meal is chuck roast (from store today but I knew I would be exhausted by dinner and hubby needs a good meal by now and he isn't going to cook it himself, it was good because I saved $2/lb on it AND I can make at least 3 meals from it. The veggies will come from the pantry along with the fruit for dessert. Blessed Be Juls

Day 9 pantry challenge

Hubby had the last of his Hot sausage chili with Fritos. He took the last of the pork chop, beef roast and the navy bean soup to work for lunch. I had a fried egg sandwich. We are out of bread, out of dog food, and out of hamburger for meatloaf etc. Still have the flu but the fever is mostly gone Blessed Be Juls

Day 8 Pantry Challenge

I have influenza A....my immunity system is way down due to a bout of Crohn's so I am glad I got the flu shot so this isn't hitting so hard that I am back in the hospital. I am glad I have a "good to sleep on" couch also. Still , with me being down and Hubby not cooking from the menu we are eating from the pantry. He had leftovers last night and I snacked on odds and ends of crackers, cheese and fruit through the day.Wished I had canned more poultry broth in pints. Tonight I hope to be able to eat a little more. Hubby said he will either eat what is left of the beef roast or the bean soup and that what he doesn't eat for his lunch tonight at work. The grocery stores inserts arrived in the mail yesterday. I tossed them directly into the bin.If I don't look at them I don't think I need to hit the sales. The garden catalogs are coming in pretty think. I made a list of what I do NOT need in the pantry before I started looking at what I did need.I have a lot of dill pickles and hot peppers of assorted kinds but I am out of bread and butter pickles.That tells me I eat pickles and Hubby doesn't. I made note of that also. Going back to the couch....doc said rest rest and sleep along with all the other drink plenty of fluids and take the meds advice. Blessed Be Juls

day 7 of Pantry challengeT

Today was easy, navy bean and ham soup from the deep freezer and white corn bread from the other deep freezer. Sliced up some potatoes to fry to go along with it and it was a done deal. Have a little bit of soup left but I have plans for that in a couple days. Had plenty of corn bread left, plans for that also in a couple days. In the past 9 days we have eaten our meals from the pantry (we started on the 30th)for 8 days. We have done fine.Went to the store and got perishables and part of what was on the list I didn't buy because I thought of other things in the pantry that could be used instead. AND for the first time ever that I can remember....there was nothing...not one thing...in either frig to throw away in the trash tonight( which goes to the road tonight). That is better yet. Check over to goodcheapeats for more information. http://goodcheapeats.com/2013/01/pantry-challenge-link-up-1/ Blessed be Juls

Day 6 pantry challenge

Yesterday I planned to have pork chops...Hubby decided it was time to go out and grab a hamburger at the local restaurant. So tonight we had baked pork chops, scalloped potatoes,corn, green beans, cottage cheese,pickled beets,apple sauce,clafoutis and hot bread. Tummies are full. I checked the food supply and we don't need anything. That's really good. So here it to week 2 of the pantry challenge. Blessed Be Juls

Day 5 Pantry challenge

Last night I did the sliced ham, garlicky mushrooms and kale, creamy cheese polenta and citrus fruit salad. It was an okay meal considering neither hubby or I like kale. Since the kale was slightly sauteed instead of steamed until soggy I am going to say it's the method of cooking instead of the kale. Today is going to be oven baked pork chops, scalloped potatoes, green beans, corn and something to use up the pumpkin pie filling that is sitting in the frig. I have kale to use up and creamy cheese polenta to use up also. So I went looking for ideas for those ingredients. Even though Hubby wonders where my mind some times go I wandered off on the internet (had the ickies anyways) and researched menus and recipes from W.W. 1,W.W. 2 and the Great Depression. (it's a recession when your neighbor loses their job, it's a depression when you lose your own.) ANYWAYS....Dad preaches not throwing food away. Mom didn't throw food away either until it molded and then it went to the field for the critters to eat. (Dad lives in the city, Mom and step dad lived in the country). I have always tried to not throw food away...then Dad suggested instead of tossing food here and there in the trash to put it all on the table and look to see what we are wasting including the skins and peelings of food like potatoes,carrots and such. SO I am back to focusing on not only eating from my pantry but making it last longer that I think it can and not throwing any food in the trash can or the field. I wouldn't throw money there that Hubby has worked hard for to begin with, throwing food there is the same thing. Blessed be Juls

Pantry challenge day 4

I was sick last night so didn't cook. Hubby had a ham sandwich and some raw veggies and I had Ramen noodles (no broth) with butter and garlic powder and went to bed. Still the food was from the pantry and not the local fast food shop which I normally send hubby to when I am sick. So tonight, even if I am not feeling well I am fixing ham slices,garlicky mushrooms and kale, creamy cheese polenta and citrus salad with creamy Italian dressing. I don't like kale, but like my Dad I am going to start eating what is good for me not necessarily what I like.Besides I think the garlic will cover the taste. SMILE. Heading to the couch now with a pot of ginger tea and hopefully feeling better. Blessed be Juls

Day 3 and the grocery store

Day 3 and I went to the grocery store. Started to get perishables and ended up talking myself out of picking up most of it with the thoughts I can use something else out of the pantry.I spent less than 50% of our normal budget and racked up over 21% in savings with mark downs,coupons and sales. Plus we are pretty sure we won't need anything except eggs,milk and bread through the rest of the month. Fingers are crossed Pulled out mystery meat last night out of frig freezer, figured out this morning it was ham. So along with ham slices I am making cheesy polenta(pantry) and garlicky mushrooms and kale and a citrus salad The kale was bought today. I don't have enough green veggies in the pantry and I do try to use a rainbow of colors on our plates for veggies and fruit. I also picked up kiwi,pineapple and pears to add to the apples,oranges,limes and lemons we have. Blessed Be Juls

I cleaned out both frigs last night. A few things got shoved to the back when I shoved all the kids candy in the frig of the mudroom. I have a rule of NO leftovers in the mudroom frig but when all the condiments take over the kitchen frig that's where the leftovers go.Still it wasn't as bad as I feared. We don't plan bfast and lunch. Both of us just grab something leftover or what ever as hubby doesn't work days and the only meal we eat together is dinner. Tonight we will have sausage patties(leftover from the pizza nite) bakes sweet potatoes or I should say nuked sweet potatoes and sauteed broccoli as I still have plenty of fresh broccoli in the frig. Have a Blessed day juls

Eating from the Pantry..Jan 1st

I have to confess...I started on the 30th...after looking at both frigs, their freezers, both deep freezers and my over flowing pantry that takes up  12 x 25 room in the basement. I just couldn't talk myself into ignoring what was there and going to the store to buy what I want.

On Dec 30th I made home made pizza using up a box pizza that I bought out of memories, I used up cheese from the freezer, a couple sausage patties,onion,mushrooms and banana peppers on one and pepperoni,onion, and mushrooms on the other one. The two of us ate both of them before going to bed.

On Dec 31st  I made spinach salad. Soup using the broth I made from the leftover prime rib roast of Christmas eve along with some of the meat from that roast,(rest will show up in noodles later), added some leftover pizza sauce from the night of pizzas and sauteed onions,carrots,celery,mushrooms, and garlic. Added hot bread(from deep freezer) and called it a meal.

Today , Jan 1st we have been snacking on odds and ends in the frigs, which I need to clean out tonight for the trash to go to the road for tomorrow's pick up.

Dinner will be ribs (deep freezer from July 4th) with BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, kraut and leftover broccoli,cauliflower, carrots from a veggie tray to make California blend veggies along with what is left of the bread from last night.

It was suggested I make a menu of the meals in my freezers and pantry....that would be over 300 and I won't stay with those ideas anyways...the chef in me sees some recipe and pulls the spices and changes what was going on the table about mid morning anyways.

Have a safe and Happy New Year

Blessed Be Juls

http://goodcheapeats.com/2012/12/prepare-to-eat-down-the-pantry-2013-challenge/



Check out this challenge. This is a good way to start the New Year.

My Goals are :

To use up what I have too much of and what I shouldn't have bought to begin with.

Give my pantry and freezers a good clean out, including an easier defrosting in the end.

Use the money I save from not buying groceries for catching up back bills (thanks to medical problems),increase the savings account that has took a huge hit, buy seeds/plants for the garden and buy a new chest deep freezer to replace the upright deep freezer I do not like.

Fresh produce and items like milk,eggs will still be bought but not more than 2 NEW items will be included in any meal.

I will journal what meals we have, make notes of recipes used and whether that should ever show back up on the dining table again.

I will TRY to post every day what we eat and check over at goodcheapeats what others are doing...

care to join me?

Blessed Be Juls

Boxing Day

In the old days this day after Christmas would be called Boxing day. Were the landlord would box up his leftovers and what ever and give it to his workers as a present.

Today even though I am not a land owner I would love to box up the anger and violence in this world and send it to HADES.

I would love to box up the commercialism of Christmas and dump it where it belongs.

I would love to pass out boxes of love, kindness and cheer to each and every one.

But I can only give myself...and pray that it makes a difference to each and everyone whose lives I touch.

Blessed Be

Depression

We have had several deaths and serious illnesses in the family since Oct. I got diagnosed with Crohn's and have to change what and how I eat and how to deal with stress.

Our insurance changed and my treatments for my birth defect are no longer covered. So the choice it go without treatments and be in pain and not able to function in daily life or cut the grocery budget to cover the cost of the treatments.

Grocery budget is getting cut. I do plant a large garden plus 8 4 ft x 4 ft square foot gardens each spring. Right now I have one of those growing lettuces while covered with a tee pee of plastic to make a mini hot house.

So we have made the following choices

#1 we have made is to make sure that we eat daily foods that help lower inflammation and increase our immunity.

#2 that we don't waste food. I have found when I am not able to cook that the veggies in the frig get bad because hubby doesn't do fresh veggies.

#3 that we focus on eating out of the pantry which is huge as I have a year's supply of entrees in it and about 3-4 months of side dishes.

#4 that what foods we do buy are in season for our area.

My 2 deep freezers (one upright that I have a love hate relationship with) and a small chest type are full. Both refrigerators freezers are full also.

Tomorrow I will go through the 2 refrigerators and check what needs used up or if something needs pitched since trash(refuse/garbage, what every you want to call it) goes to the road Monday night for Tuesday morning pick up.

Prayers for all...
Blessed Be

September

I love this time of year. I remember the smell of burning leaves, cool crisp mornings while walking to school and warm afternoons of carrying the jacket or sweater I had to wear that morning.I love the colors of the turning leaves. I love taking down the summer decorations and lighter weight and color of table linen,curtains, blankets etc. and putting up the ones to celebrate this coming season.

This time of year also is the busiest for me. Harvest coming in,planting some fall cool weather crops, fall cleaning (yes I wash walls and woodwork, one room a week which is one wall a day), starting to put the food together for Thanksgiving and cookie dough for Operation Thank You (sends things to deployed troops) and cookie dough for Christmas in to the deep freezer to keep the work load down to manageable.

I hated seeing summer end when the kids were little, I always enjoyed being with them and the relaxed summer schedule we had BUT I enjoyed the shopping for school clothes and supplies because it meant I got some new things also.

I enjoy the foods of fall more than summer, hearty soups and sandwiches, casseroles and roasts.I even plan to go back to baking my own bread.We don't eat much sliced bread for sandwiches anyways, more of tortilla wraps, sub buns and thin bagels.

So here is to the next season coming in and this one going out.

Blessed Be

Rascal

From this at 5 weeks to this at 5 months.

We picked him up at a shelter, thinking a puppy would be good for our older dog that was starting to get a bit lazy as she hit 7. Figured she could help with the potty training and boundaries. That part has worked great. I didn't remember the amount of time a pup takes as it's been over 12 years since I've had one but it does come back. No chew, no jump, outside toy(weeds,sticks, steer crap) inside toy (stuffed toys),down, sit, stay (HA HA) etc. He has learned to beg pretty but I think that is because Kira our other dog already did it when we got her and she begs pretty.Right now he is about 20 pounds lighter than her but her size. It's amazing to watch him grow and learn and some times hard to remember he is still only a puppy when he is standing side by side to her.

I did not die

but I have been fighting my health.My son in law asked how I was doing, I told him I woke up breathing, he said that was a good thing.I told him it depends on the day. He didn't think I was funny.

I am starting the hoop jumping for what I hope is the final surgery for YEARS. I have issues with my sinus cavities being broken and not healed correctly that I have put off getting fixed for about 30 yrs. I had part of the surgery done when the youngest was one. She bashed my face the day after surgery with her hand when she was trying to crawl up on me while I laid on the couch recovering and it hurt so bad that I didn't go back and have the rest of the surgery. I know that is a really bad excuse but it's the truth. It's okay, go ahead and laugh, I do.Since it now hurts all the time like a really bad toothache, I figure I can deal with it.

In the mist of everything else, I talked hubby into letting me get a puppy with the line our older dog would help potty train it. Rascal was only 6 wks when we got him. His mom was pregnant and abandoned, starving so much she didn't have any milk to feed her 11 babies when they were born. ALL of them are fine now and His Extended Hands Sanctuary in St Paris OH has done a great job.  .Rascal has adjusted better and faster than we thought he would...as long as he sleeps against me. Since he doesn't stay "dry" all night, I have taken to sleeping on the front room floor or couch with him. I wake up faster and get him out side (saying the words repeatedly potty outside, business outside, like he understands that)hopefully in time to not have to clean the carpet. I should have stock in carpet cleaning products and steam cleaners.Our older dog, Kira has done very well with him.She's never had a litter and has spent most of her life in a shelter but has shown motherly actions towards him....until he takes her food or chews on her too much or won't let her sleep ...then she takes a FIRM stand. Oh wait that is also being a mother....SMILE. Her and I cuddle together when he finally passes out for a nap and coo over him like we are new parents. LOL.

Meantime, the garden needs to be put in (repeatedly as Rascal digs up what ever he sees me plant).There is work to do on the house, walls to paint, woodwork to refinish, more weatherization (have caulk gun, will travel) to bring those heat bills down more.

AND

I have decided I waste too much in the kitchen and the grocery budget was up to over $600 (food,non-food, and eating out) and that to me was unacceptable.

I think $225 should be good, especially with my pantry and the garden.

We will see.

Blessed Be

square foot gardens

 Dark, dreary and cold...the weather suits my mood and attitude to a tea. Even with ordering my garden supplies and planning this spring's planting.

The last year has been a roller coaster and usually that is my favorite ride but for right now I would love the ferris wheel so I can see off into the distance and see what is coming at me.I think the merry go round would remind me too much of my current recovery process.

Hubby's work was down, then up and then back down causing all sorts of financial issues.Lesson learned, saving the kids might mean drowning yourself.

I had my gallbladder removed. I've had digestion issues since birth only to figure out that 90% of them must have been tied to my gallbladder because they went completely AWAY.

My Mom had shingles with a lot of pain.

Then Dad had shingles with a lot of pain.

AND yes I went and got a shingles shot at the advice of my dad.

My step dad's mail order med company that he uses sent the wrong insulin and almost killed him. AND he was driving when the insulin kicked in and he hit several other cars before coming to a stop. Luckily no one else was hurt and his insurance covered it and the mail order company settled out of court.

Then my brother had surgery on his knee and if he doesn't continue the therapy for the rest of his life,he will lose the ability to walk.Having knee issues in your 60s is on the normal side but when you have a 12 yr old daughter, you need to keep things in good condition.

Then my cerebral palsy and fibromyalgia flared up together mimicking the symptoms of  MS and causing me to struggle to walk.So of to physical therapy that wasn't getting correcting the whole issue so I was sent to a surgeon to see if it was my knee ( both my dad and brother have knee issues)...nope, then they x-rayed my lower back, pelvic, hip and entire leg.Vertebra deformed in lumbar and unknown masses in the bladder area so a CT scan was scheduled to see if I had cancer.

I called my dad to tell him I was going for a CT scan to see if I had cancer only for him to tell me he was going in for hernia surgery.SO I kept my mouth shut about my own issues. He has recovered and changed his diet.Considering he has had throat cancer and is a survivor and has been a diabetic for over 20 yrs and has not taken more that 1 pill a day for it and most of that time 1/2 of a pill, walks 5 miles a day (even after knee surgery), rides an indoor bike, lifts weights and eat 3 balanced and healthy meals and over 35 g of fiber into his age of mid 80's...I didn't ask what he changed.He lectures enough on my eating habits and lack of exercise as it is.

I called my mom to tell her I was going in for a CT scan only for her to tell me before I told her my news that she had a mass and was going to have a CT scan to see if it was cancer.So I kept my mouth shut again.

I did tell my kids and asked that they not tell anyone else until we got mom's results and dad got thru surgery.

Yes, my dad, step dad and mom have ripped off my head for keeping my mouth shut when I did tell them.

Mom has multiple melanoma, she went in for radiation but no chemo of her own choice. Two months later she is in remission and not taking radiation. The last CT scan couldn't find any cancer. She will be taking meds for another 3 yrs.

During that time, step dad had to go on meds for his Alzheimer's caused by agent orange from when he was in Nam.

I went in for surgery to remove the masses from my bladder(no cancer) and to sling it. My doctor asked permission to fix anything he found needing repair while there. Works for me...and it really did work for me, first the shock he got was in the 6 weeks from finding the masses by x-ray to the CT scan the masses had went from the size of a pea to the size of a quarter so when surgery was 4 wks after that( I wasn't having surgery during the holidays) he figured it was going to be worse. They were GONE. Though he end up repairing my bowel while in there instead of making me go through another surgery(and more money spent).That surgery turned out a lot better than any of us planned.

Still, with a acknowledgement of the miracles that have came our way (several times a day) I struggle to recover my strength. Struggle to shake the depression and emptiness that is with in me.I read the Serenity Prayer (all verses) several times a day (okay, I taped in on the wall across from the throne) to keep myself focus that the hard times including my health are just part of the path not the whole path.

Prayers for you and yours, prayers for myself and mine.

Blessed Be Juls

Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman

Healing Hearts by Beth Wiseman
Beth Wiseman's Amish novellas are available for the first time in one collection—Healing Hearts.
This is the first Ebook I have read and I feel it affected how I felt about the book.
Beth Wiseman did a good job writing each story. I did feel that there was a lot of mundane day to day related and not enough emotions and private thoughts from her characters.
I would suggest this book to a young reader but not anyone that is familiar with the Amish and their way of life.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

getting ready for winter and saving yourself money

Even though I am a flybaby (www.flylady.net) I still do fall and spring cleaning.I just no longer try to do it in a weekend or even a week.

I do my weatherization along with my fall cleaning. While wiping down the woodwork I see where there are cracks for air to come through so I caulk. I check window seals when I wash the windows. Dirt will destroy anything if it's on it very long.

Wipe off switch plates and outlet covers, check to make sure you have foam insulators behind them, especially if they are on outside walls.

Check your attics especially if you have a chimney or attic fan.Not only for air but water leaking in.

Check your basement and crawl spaces for air and water leaks, deal with them now before winter or before you have a major expense due to damage.

In the winter,on bare floors I add throw rugs or area rugs, layer the curtains/drapes at the windows even if the drapes are insulated or lined.Move furniture to inside walls including the bed.

SEE guys, we do move the furniture around for a reason.

Add flannel sheets to the bed, layer on the blankets( preferable thermal) and thick comforter.Pull out the flannel or brushed cotton pjs.

Use the oven for entire meals to warm the kitchen.

Open curtains when the sun is shining( where the sun is shining in) to help warm the house.

Program the thermostat. Right now even though it's cool outside and the house drops to mid 60s thru the night.I don't have the furnace on yet.We changed the filter and kicked it on to make sure it worked. I cleaned out the vents while doing the fall cleaning.

Covered the central air conditioning unit and took the window AC out.

Storm door is back on the front door (we get most of the wind from that direction).I will wait awhile before I remove the back screen door.One because when it's warm the kitchen bakes and two, the dog has a opening in the screen(we put it there when Sammy came to live with us) to let herself in and out in to the mudroom.

put on a sweater, long sleeve shirt, long pants etc. instead of running around your home in warm weather clothes and complaining about being cold or cranking the heat up.Yes, daughter of mine I am thinking of you. Put on socks and shoes that are not sandels or crocs or mules and your feet will stay warmer.

If you want more ideas, just ask your parents or grandparents (or some one of those age brackets) how they kept warm in the winter.You will most likely get an ear full.

Saving money as a habit

I do it with out much thought for they have became habits through time.Others I am working on.Saving money is a habit that any one can learn. Takes more practice with some of us than others but still is doable.

It's late summer right now, the garden is producing ( not as much as I would like but every tomato counts) and the sun is starting to rise a bit later each day and set earlier.Walking the garden daily to make sure the ripe produce is picked and dealt with is a habit that I get into easily enough. Washing the produce...okay I struggle to remember to wash the onions , everything else is automatic, but to use the peelings for veggie broth, you need to wash those onion skins, they turn your veggie broth into a nice golden color.

I have a calendar that has when my bills are due.I move the due date up by 7 days so nothing is paid late thus saving late charges( and your credit score). I also put on the calendar when my library books are due a few days ahead of time, once again saving late charges. I round up in my check book register any bills paid automatically, when I balance my register with the bank, I transfer the difference to my savings.I also have an automatic transfer ever month from my checking to my savings on a certain date. This practice also saves me the cost of the checking account. I don't order my checks from the bank. So far I have found them else where for about half the price.

I only clip coupons for things I use. Not something just because it sounds or looks good.

I go to Dollar General, then Save-A-Lot, then Aldi's, then Walmart, then Kroger's and ONLY after I have looked at fliers, checked the coupons and looked on line. This line up of stores is good also for my gas mileage even though I actually pass by Kroger's and Walmart to get to Aldi's. It's not enough, a parking lot of Walmart, to make enough difference.

During the Farmer's markets I shop for veggies and fruit there. Usually cheaper, a lot healthier and keeps my money in my community.

When I shop I use a list. Okay I use 2 lists. One for food only and the other is for non-food. It isn't unusual for me to do the shopping on separate days.I only shop for non-food once a month sometimes it's 6 wks or more apart. my big shopping for food is once a month and I fill end then when I am already in town or hubby is once a week or every other week. The less you are in the store, the less you will spend.

I don't cook from boxes ( most the time that is, I do have some for hubby for when I am not there). It's simple to toss cooked ground beef with noodles or rice and a sauce with seasoning instead of hamburger helper with it's high sodium and preservatives. Or even use a can of soup instead of a sauce.Gravy is nothing more than fat ( of any kind except margarine ) and flour,salt and pepper and then water, milk or broth.I skim my fats from my meats when I am cooking and freeze it in ice cube trays I use only for this.Then bag them. One good cube of fat is enough to make 1/2 cup of gravy. If there is only 2 of you like there is of us...this is enough gravy for a meal, unless you LOVE gravy and use mash potatoes for the excuse of having gravy.

Soups and casseroles are easy and can be made out of leftovers. I make a couple soups that you can make the basic soup and then pull out a little of it each day, add a couple things and change what it is.Casseroles can start with a strained soup or can have water,broth or milk to turn into soup.

I don't by name brand because it's name brand nor do I buy cheap because it's cheap. I buy the BEST for my DOLLAR.

I don't keep the house lit up, I turn down the thermostat( use a programmable one) for the furnace and only use a window AC (instead of the central air) in the bedroom during the day when Hubby is sleeping. I use ceiling fans yr around and other fans when I am in the room except the front room, that is where the dog lays a lot when she is in the house so I keep a fan running on low for her.I have computers, stereos and the televisions and all it's gadgets like the cable box, dvd player etc on power strips that I turn OFF when they are not in use.

I checked the insulation, duct work should be insulated, you can lose 10-30 % of your heat or cooling through your duct work. Pipes and water heater should be insulated right along with caulking windows and doors.Before you even think to yourself, I rent and its the landlords problem...yes he should do it and pay for it but it's YOUR MONEY that is being wasted.Would you throw 1/3 rd of your heat bill in cash out the door or window? NO. You can take steps yourself to save YOUR money even when the landlord won't. I am lucky my landlord ( heaven Bless him) cares about his property and about us.

next ...getting ready for winter and saving yourself money.

Needing a pantry

Most say they don't need a pantry because they can go to the store or call for take out or go to a restaurant...reality does hit occasionally and then those options go away very fast.Ice storms, blizzards and tornados just to name a couple.

I always strongly suggest (my children will tell you I threaten)you to have at least 7 days of meals in your pantry. Complete meals,including breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks for each day. Have some that you can cook and some that needs nothing more than to be opened.

Cold cereal can be eaten with or without milk for a meal or a snack.

I keep popcorn that I can pop on the stove or over a grill (microwave popcorn is high in triglycerides).

I have dried fruit.Some I buy and some I dehydrate myself.

I keep assorted nuts in the freezer and we usually have sunflower seeds because I make granola bars for hubby's lunch.

I always have eggs,beans,flour,corn meal, yeast,evaporate milk, dried milk,assorted pasta and rice and some cans of meat such as tuna,chicken etc.Potatoes if you eat them regularly is also good. With these items you can make dumplings, noodles, bread,biscuits, gravy, cream sauce for pasta or rice.

My parents ate bean soup 2-3 times a day most of their childhoods.Both are in their 80s and can give the MY grandkids a run for their money on being active,I won't mention they put me to shame also.

To survive a time without income or the ability to go to the store or fast food joint you first have to have a pantry.

Next post....meals from the pantry

Great Depression II What is there left to do?

You have no cable, no phone, no internet and no gas for the car. If you are in the city you can still walk the city and window shop or to friends or family or both and visit...yes really, visit in person, talk face to face...it's amazing...snicker.

If you are in the country, it's harder, family might not be close (we are an hour away from everyone due to hubby's work) and neighbors might be a couple miles and you might not even know them.It can be very lonely.

I still write letters and send them by mail.I still read and reread books ( I buy a lot of books at thrift shops and rotate them through my girls). I play solitaire with a deck of cards. I walk around the edge of the yard and play with the dog.If you have electric you can still play games already loaded on your computer if you have one. I do crafts with things around the house or spend time reading cookbooks (I read them like a regular book especially if they are old).

Do I get "cabin fever"? Yes, but not often.Do I get lonely? Sometimes,but since I like myself and enjoy my own company it's not so bad.

Can you survive a Great Depression???

Great Depression II Utilities

A parents fear is not having enough money to keep the heat on or water. Basic utilities is something a lot of us take for granted. Lack of running water, electric and heat is quite common in other countries.Sometimes even in this country when jobs disappeared and benefits ran out.

I've been there, might be there again some day. I can offer this advice only.

Keep the roof over your head as long as you can without going under.BEFORE you get to that point, ask for help, moving in with friends, family, even strangers was common during the Great Depression.

You don't have to have internet, most libraries now have this service if it's your only way of connecting to family and friends. You can also apply from jobs there if needed.

You don't have to have cable(satellite) television.You can go digital or even without completely and just borrow DVDs/videos (yes I just showed my age). I didn't have a television for over a year when my children were young,drove my parents and brother nuts over it , later in years they realized a side effect of this. My children love to read and they can use their imaginations. If your children need to watch something on television for school(let their teacher know you don't have cable, believe me you are not alone) then ask a schoolmate or friend, family member if they can watch it at their place.

You don't have to have a cell phone and you can get a house(or a cell) phone for 911 calls only for very cheap.There are a few cell phone companies now offering limited services for very affordable prices so if you are spend $$$ you should check in to this now.We cut our cell phone bill by 2/3rds and have the same things we were using with the old service.

You do have to have water and sewage.You do have to have refuse (trash) hauled away. You do have to have electric (especially if you are in the country and have a well that uses a electric pump).You do have to have heat, not necessarily propane, nature gas or electric...but some kind of heat that is SAFE. Using your oven or toaster oven for heat is NOT SAFE.I will admit I have used the oven...to a point, cook a meal in the oven and leave the door cracked open to cool down in the morning or night or both.I have also cooked on top of a kerosene heater (with a window cracked at all times).

One of the running jokes (which regretfully did happen) in our family is there is no sense paying the cable/internet or the heat bill if you don't pay the electric to run the items( like the computer,television or furnace in the winter) to begin with. There is no sense planning on flushing the toilet or taking a shower if you don't pay the water bill. Try cooking without water for a couple days and you will understand.

Want to understand better what I am talking about, turn your main breaker off and go a few hours.I have done this once every season to make sure I am prepared for outages or storms that can wipe the basic utilities out.

Next..what is there left to do?

Meals from the pantry

You can find recipes in books, magazines and on the internet. So I won't go that route with you. I will offer suggestions

Meat patties using canned salmon or mackerel or tuna or mashed beans( toss in a tortilla wrap and you have a burrito)

Corned beef hash (you can put an egg in the middle of it) and serve it with bread ( I prefer toast)I've made hamburger hash and added carrots and celery to the mix.

I also use canned corn beef topped with 1,000 salad dressing, kraut and Swiss cheese in my crock pot for a good casserole (it can be nuked instead) that the left overs is served the next day on sub buns with more Swiss cheese.

Couscous, risotto, paella,pastas,fried rice.

Beans over rice, beans and pasta( pasta e fagioli) or as my Nonna did, beans( a pound of beans for each person) soup on Monday.Add mixed veggies on Tuesday and more water.Add small pasta on Wed and more water. Add stale bread or serve over the stale bread on Thursday and more water. Friday bake bread and have fried bread instead of the soup and be grateful. Saturday was pizza night and Sunday was always pasta and some kind of roast most times it was a chicken.

Dried beef (Or any canned meat) and milk gravy over bread/biscuits( remember that flour and yeast I mentioned...okay go ahead and get the bisquick ALSO)

Cornmeal can make porridge, polenta(when you add cheese) fried mush(which is porridge that has cooled)corn bread and tamales.

Hand me a can of green beans and a can of potatoes and I will toss it together for a one pot meal.Add corn bread or other bread to fill you up and you have a meal.

Cabbage, potatoes and some bacon or ham (or just their grease...sorry but it doesn't raise our cholesterol)

I usually have some squashes and cabbages in my basement during the late fall, winter into early spring. Usually some apples also. Crisps are good keepers if you keep them dry and cool. Cook them together add pasta, rice or bread and you will fill those tummy's up

Toss canned meat with your pasta or rice and make a white sauce with your evaporated milk . Or serve rice with red sauce(commonly called spaghetti sauce)

Casseroles are forgiving and easy. You can even nuke them and make them quickly.
I have tossed stale bread, odds and ends of cheese and diced up veggies together with an egg or even just milk and baked for a casserole.Sometimes I will serve it with gravy I make from the leftover meat grease I keep when cooking meat and freeze it.

Stuffing or dressing combined with meat and or with veggies is easy also.Whether you start with fresh bread or boxed mixes.

Go look in your cabinets and pull out what you could make your next 2 meals from. You might even get carried away and find out you have more meals than you think you do shoved in those cabinets.


Next: saving money as a habit

Great Depression II Clothes

I can sew. I can take a pattern, cut material and sew it on my machine...or by hand.

More...I can make a pattern either from laying another item down and tracing it or the person I am sewing for on paper and make the pattern.

I can mend,alter and remake old clothes.

I haven't had to spin my own thread or weave my own fabric.It's time consuming and hard work but I could do it.

I keep buttons,snaps and zippers off of clothes that are to the point of being used for rags.I have used old clothes for patches of clothes still being worn and my girls have all had jean purses made from jeans their own children couldn't wear and was no longer "worth" passing down.

I've made dresses, night gowns, shirts etc from cotton sheets. Towels, old blankets etc have gone into quilts instead of buying batting.

I have had shoes repaired, repaired them myself (glue, sew, are duct tape)or stuffed card board in them to keep them going.

Add it on, take it off,turn it inside out, tear it apart and put it back together. Anything to keep clothes on the body, keep warm( or in this hot weather cool) and still look good.

Next Utilities