Thursday, I am off, Thrifty Thursday

 I can't believe I am ready to go.  I have to stop and get stamps and then mail a few bills and get some cash out of the bank!

We will be at eldest daughters for the weekend, the two younger girls are flying in to Boise where the eldest will pick them up so we will be with all 5 grandchildren for Halloween.  We are stopping in Nampa to pick up Hub's mom and she will go with us.  Then hubs will return her home and come home on Sunday.

  HE will return to pick me up around the 10th of November.

I am very excited. This has been on my bucket list, plus I get to mark another state off my 50 states!

Yesterday, I took some of the money challenges to the bank.  I took the savings envelopes for the 100 envelope challenge and the save a $1, $5,$10,$20 bill challenge, and the $5 dollar bill savings.  It was for the last 10 weeks and was almost $2000.00.  These saving really add up.  My pig bank is getting so heavy and I will get to find out how much is in it in a little over a month!  Plus I have my penny for the day can, which I have robbed a few times, so I am not sure how accurate it will be.

Thrifty Thursday:

1.saved all my spare change

2. saved a $1,$5,$10,$20 bill for the week

3. saved all my $5 dollar bills now up to$2,300.00 so far with $70.00 towards the next $100 or $55.00 this week in $5's.

4. saved money in two of my 100 envelope challenge.

5. put over $100 in my save a penny a day can for the month of November.

6.cooked all meals from home from pantry foods

7. used points to get a free lb of butter

8. stocked up on sugar from the restaurant supply where it is the least expensive.

9. download recipients to fetch

10. only found .1 this week

11. only bought loss leaders at store, cheese, brats and marked 50% off beef.

What did you do to save money this week? Are you trying to stock up on anything?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

 

Kim

Wednesday, getting things done!

 Well I kept my nose to the grindstone yesterday and it is a little bit tender today.  As in I have a slight headache, but maybe if I eat something I will feel better.

Hubs is out hunting today, which is good as I can get through the work that needs done faster without him here, but I am also worried he will get a big buck and then as we are leaving, where will he store it.  It is too warm here to leave it hanging long and he will have to process it himself and my poor house.... Okay not going to think about that.

I only have two piles of things to get done and I believe that will take me an hour, so I am on track with the sewing.

Kelsa was good yesterday and I was able to get through the list in pretty good order.

Hubs had saved me two slices of bacon and I was able to make my chowder.  I usually use a lot more and it just goes to prove that we use too much meat in many dishes we make. Nathan came to pick up the kids at about 5:30 so had dinner with us and that was nice.  I thought we would have the kids until about 8:00 and we did not. Also Hub's took Kelsa with him when he went to pickup SCHMILLS AND ALSO TOOK HER FOR AN HOUR WALK IN THE STROLLER. I had more free time to get sewing done. So good of him.

This morning, I got a few important errands done, like stopping to get a prescription I needed as would run out on the trip.  Also put a check in the bank and paid a bill and picked up a bank statement so I can pay other bills.  All things that needed to be done.  SO LESS OFF MY MIND. I also called the family that takes care of the chickens and cat and asked them to cover the days both Hubs and I will be gone. Hubs should be back next Monday.

Now I just have to concentrate on the things that are left to do.

1. finish missionary pants (I started them last night)

2. get a pile of alterations done

3. pay bills

4. get the last of the laundry done

5. what's for dinner?

6. get the ironing done

7. make a list for packing myself

8. make a list for packing the car ( we need to take some gifts down)

9. pack myself.

10. make sure hub's has cash

11. take saved cash to bank, (business bank)

12. get last two in town missionary apartments visited ( we did two last night)

SO right now I am going to get something to eat, and then get those few sewing things done. After that I will decide what to do next. 

Leaving town for a vacation is a lot of work.  But don't you think it is worth it? I still can't beleive I am going to Hawaii. I am getting excited.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are int the negative.

Kim

Tuesday, Ashamed of myself, I am

 So Kim, that's right Kim being Kim, has been just a having a good time, really not paying attention to the shop.  It has been really slow and no real demands, just not paying attention? I don't pay attention really well, I AM VERY GOOD AT THIS.

So now she has herself in a rough place because of her lack of attention paying skills. 

We are leaving Thursday for Twin Falls to meet all the girls for Halloween. Our younger two are flying down with the kids and the Eldest is picking them up at the airport in Boise on Thursday.

We will pick up mom in Nampa and take her with us to Twin Falls so she can enjoy Halloween with her grand kids and great grand kids.  Hubs will take her back home and go back to our house while I am in Hawaii and then back down to pick me up.

Now we have known this for a couple of months.  The original plan was to come in today on the 26 as it was to be Dad's 93 birthday, but he did not make it, so we are going in later.  No problem except, as I have mentioned earlier I was not paying attention and now I have 48 hours before we leave and I have discovered that there is a lot of work in the shop.....  Well as in several items and some of them time consuming. Shame on me.  I WAS SO ENJOYING THE DOWN TIME.

Well not anymore.  Kelsa is here today and Hub's just took her for a long walk in the stroller.  She keeps one very busy and I am very busy. Hubs has to pick up Schmill's this afternoon from school. I so have to get busy.  Egads, why, why, don't I think ahead?

Things to do before we leave.

1. get shop work done. 

as in 

1. fix the necklines of two ponchos

2. hem two missionary pants

3. hem a pair of jeans

4. hem three pairs of pants

5.hem two pairs of pants

6. fix a skirt and a jumpsuit

7. fix a jump suit

8. military patch's

9. straps on a bridesmaid dress

10. alter and hem two dresses for a wedding

This is a lot to do my friends in one day.  Can I get it done?  I had better as there are other worries out there.

2.Like packing.... Yes packing for our Idaho weather for 4 days and the Hawaii weather for 7 days.  If I have packing to do I also have ironing to do. 

3.Maybe getting the house cleaned up a bit.

4.Don't forget all the bills have to be paid before you leave.

5.Also you and Hub's need to get the missionary apartments checked on and paperwork sent in to headquarters.

6.You also have to cook dinner and Hub's just used the bacon you were going to use tonight for corn chowder.  Now what are you going to do? 

My head is buzzing, I need... need... I don't know.

Do any of you do this to yourself or is this just a Kim thing?  Be sure to chastise me in the comments as I need my butt kicked for reals.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are int he negative.

Kim

Monday, Food security

 Hub's and I sure had our eyes opened this week when we went to the restaurant supply store to stock up on some sugar.  I bought 50 lbs. and put it in buckets.  I will get three more ten pound bags at the grocer some time in the future.

We were talking to one of the managers there and he was we telling us about how from day to day prices were going up at astronomical rates. Restaurants in the area were worried about food costs, as they were losing money trying to keep their meals down to a level that people would come out and eat.  There  is a fine line of profit margin in the food industry.  He said they were actually selling some foods at a loss right now, in order to get people to come in and buy.  This can only go on so long before more places close.

I also noticed that one of the larger chain grocery stores (Tidyman's) we don't have one here but daughter has one in Twin Falls,has a new Christmas campaign out right now touting very expensive food choices for the holidays. As in don't make your holiday pies with just any old apples but our premium select apples, at $3.99 a pound.  It will taste better and you family deserves it.  Well I will tell you that if you make a homemade pie with any apple it will probably be good enough.  But no let's be guilted into making one with apples that are $4.00 a pound bringing the cost up to about $15.00 a pie.  I mean really do people fall for this crap?  Obliviously they must or they wouldn't be promoting it.  Also make sure your holiday dinner has non frozen $20.00 a pound beef and Alaska crab leg's which here can run $27.99 a pound. Like we are all going to run out and buy crab legs.

We have a huge sea food dinner at Christmas and it is pricey, but let me tell you if the prices get out of hand we will have shrimp, and oyster stew and that is it. We will be grateful for that.  No amount of advertising is going to guilt me into spending extreme amounts of money so my family will have the best.  Who comes up with these campaigns?  I think they need a redo.

But having said all this, I do think it is important right now that you take stock of your food pantry and perhaps try and get a few more things in case there are shortages and because I think prices are going to continue to rise.

A cheap store brand of nasty bacon was $9.99 for 12 oz this weekend at Albertson's. I am so grateful for my storage and my ability to cook good meals without breaking the bank.

I will be able to do all my Christmas baking with out buying very much.  I will have to get more butter and I am low on corn syrup.  But other than that I have everything. I even have shrimp in the freezer from sales in the past.

I plan on taking all the pumpkins I can find and that people will give me after Halloween and making them into canned pumpkin. Even though I will be gone, I have neighbor that are saving their pumpkin decorations for me.

What does your family like to eat?  DO you have these things on hand? DO you have any foods that you could store long term just in case?  Rice and beans come to mind? 

We will have leftover chicken, mash potatoes,gravy and biscuts from yesterday for dinner and I will scare up a vegetable to go with it.

By the way I had gotten a can of those wack a biscuits free at the grocer.  They were the crecent rolls.As they had been in the fridge for awhile I decided to bake then yesterday.  They were to be at 375 for 10 minutes.  I know my heat element is right in my oven and the eight rolls were in for 8 minutes and were burned black on the bottoms and still gooey inside.  SO glad I did not buy them.  I actually fed them to the chickens and whipped up a batch of biscuits and cooked them in 12 minutes. What a waste and people buy those?  Okay I am being critical, but learn to cook.  Have your ingredients on hand for simple cooking basics and cook them often so you become proficient at it.

2 cups flour,

4tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartat

1/2 tsp salt

t tsp sugar

2/3 cups shortening

1/2 cup milk

there keep all this at arms reach in your kitchen.  Have a pastry cutter (dollar store) and know how to use it. bake 425 10-15 minutes depending on size of cutter. Or you can buy some Pillsbury crescents and burn them for dinner.  The choice is yours.

Okay I am off my soap box.  My chickens are happy.

Have a great and productive  day staying positive while you are int the negative.

Kim

Saturday, New chart and not much rain

 I am onto chart #23.  As slow as the shop has been and the fact that I am leaving again I doubt I complete another before Christmas, but we will see. 

It drizzled all day yesterday and a pittance of rain last night.  Today which was supposed to be rainy is sunny and almost warm.  We keep getting these forecasts and then poof they are gone.  I just don't know what to think and neither does anyone else.

Yesterday felt like a Saturday to me. I don't know why.  As it was a work day and I had clients in and out. Did a little shopping for a few necessities. Hub's and I kept busy.  I also had him help me go through the food storage and the pantry cupboard.  I have wanted to do this since we moved in.

As I suspected we lost a few things to rot.  I had to throw away a jar of mayo that had turned.  It had gotten behind a box in the storage and I did not see it.  Also we lost 5 jars of peanut butter.  Two were large and three were small.  With hubs on this knew eating plan (where he has lost 45 lbs and kept it off for over 18 months) we are just not going through the peanut butter like we did.  This is a great storage item, as peanut putter is very versatile and loaded with fats and calories. I still have two small jars, but will replace some of it.  Also we are down to 20lbs of white sugar and I want at least 100 lbs. I will try and store it in buckets.

I am ashamed that I let things go to waste, but this is what happens when you are not organized. WHEN WE MOVED IN. I just threw things on cabinets and went from there.  It is very hot in the garage and I wanted to move all oils into the house. Things that would not take the heat well, such as, mayo, peanut butter, and cooking oil or crisco.  All of that storage is now in the pantry inside where it is more climate controlled. This will definitely help.

This pantry is small, but by cleaning kitchen cupboards I have a lot more space for storage items if I want them, so I fell good about this.  You can see, oil and dressings and mayo all together here. Foods that will sustain life in a starvation situation are, wheat berries,salt,honey,powder milk and some kind of fat. That is basic food storage.  The rest is just for pleasure and taste.  But I don't want to survive on ww flour bread like the Ingalls family did during the hard winter.  SO I store more things like, beans, spices,different sugars, some canned goods and pastas, baking supplies.

Here is the cleaned outside pantry storage.  I have lots of room to add to it, but I will be very selective.

We have Kelsa tonight as daughter and Nathan are going out for her birthday. The missionaries are coming for dinner tomorrow, only 2 so that will be easy.  I will have baked chicken, mash potatoes, gravy, roasted green and yellow cauliflower,a salad, and some kind of dessert.  Not sure what yet. I have some small apples that need to be used so maybe an apple dessert.  I should stop and get some icecream.

How many of you store food? If you do, what do you store?

I had a friend call an ask for food for a food bank box.  She told me what she wanted and it was all convenience foods and I don't store those.  I do have some ramen and a few boxes of mac n cheese for my grandkids and that is it.SO I can see why the food banks have problems getting rid of beans and lentils.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

 

Kim

Friday, Finally rain!

It finally started to rain here, thank goodness.  This has been such a dry, dry spring, summer and so far fall.  It is scary as it leads to poor food production in our area. Plus water is so very expensive it adds to the high cost of living.

I am so grateful for the rain and I want to see alot more of it.

I am experimenting with gluten free flour today as I am taking dinner into a friend who has Celiac disease. Gluten free mixes are outrageous, so I just bought a couple of cups of gluten free flour and even that was pricey, but much less than a mix.  I plan on doing a gluten free corn bread and a gluten free almond cake.  I have no idea how they will turn out.  But I will try.

I have to go to Wal mart sometime today for a few things we are low or out of. Then I think I will try and work on the other half of the food storage or the pantry we have that just needs better organization.

I have long term items, such at powder milk, salt, pastas and baking supplies. I want to organize these things better.  The Christmas baking sales will be coming out soon and this is when I stock up on baking goods for the year.

DO any of you stock up on baking goods at Christmas?  I am wondering if the sales will be dismal this year?  I know last year I had a very hard time stocking up on butter.  Usually I will buy 40 lbs and freeze it and I was not able to do that last year.  SO I had to really watch for butter sales and get the limit that I was able to when they came out. 

I had to run to my elderly freinds house today to check on her husband who is 94 and total care.  She wanted to go to the Temple which is two hours away and I told her to go and I would check on him a couple of times and then bring over dinner when she returns at 6 so she doesn't have to cook. She txt me and said she had forgotten to take a lunchable out of the fridge and leave it by his chair and would I do that when I went to check on him.  I just went a grabbed a 1/4 pound cheeseburger and fries before I went over.  The sodium will be the same and heck he is 94 what else can happen now?  He really perked up when he saw the burger and fries! There is a home health worker coming over at 2 and I will go back and check on him later in the day.

Have any of you done any cooking with gluten free flour before?  I know I made a nut piecrust with coconut flour once. In fact I should check that flour it might go bad.  Figure out something to make with it.

Any plans for your upcoming weekend?  I have none except missionaries to feed on Sunday.  Hopefully see the grandkids.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Thursday, One ingrediant cooking, Thrifty Thursday

 Let's talk one ingredient cooking to save money. This post was inspired by SAM'S post about her $9 pantry challenge.  For which she took some flack!

There is real food insecurity in this country. I am not a hot dog or white bread eater on a regular basis. But once in a while I like a hotdog. I think you can be a purest about food, and I am just not.

What I am however is a one ingredient cook.  Not on everything, because it would take way too much time and effort and cost more.  I guess what I am saying is I have my limits.

Now not to harp on the chili I made yesterday, but let's look at one ingredient cooking.

burger ( this is ground beef with beef suet added) I would call it a one ingredient food maybe the experts wouldn't

canned beans ( they had added salt which I rinsed and drained)  But I am telling you if this had been a meal where food was short as in scarce I would not have done this as we need all the calories we can get. I will tell you that I consider all canned veggies with salt one ingredient, the experts would not. I will usually use dry beans but for the sake of convenience canned are great. I think every food storage should have canned beans.  If you can't cook you can still have protein and eat.

garlic this is a one ingredient food. Now you could used the minced garlic in a jar (not one ingredient) but I do have this on hand when I am in a hurry. 

onions ( one ingredient)

tomato sauce ( I have my own frozen) I also have cans for convenience. Canned tomato sauce is not one ingredient as it usually has spices, or modified corn starch in it and always salt. 

canned tomatoes ( I USED MY OWN) I always add1/2 tsp. of salt to my tomatoes before processing. 

You will need spices which are one ingredient but read the labels as they can have fillers

salt, pepper, cumin,chili powder, garlic powder,onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

Now I made a large pot of chili.Enough for at least 16 large bowls.  

I calculate the cost of this to be about $7.00 as I used home grown tomatoes and onions. Each bowl represents a full can of chili. 

Canned chili can be found for $1 a can, it would have a lot of sodium, not much meat and many fillers.  However I do have canned chili in my food storage. Again if you have no way to cook a can of chili would be very nice if hungry.

Corn bread:

corn meal is a one ingredient food If you read the label, some have added ingredients.

flour (not one ingredient unless you grind your own ww)  I do use processed flour

sugar (one ingredient) some would only say cane sugar as beet sugar is not non GMO

eggs one ingredient

baking powder one ingredient to me anyway

salt one ingredient

milk not one ingredient if pasteurized

butter I call this one ingredient but it will have added salt

What I am trying to demonstrate is that scratch cooking, has less ingredients and is better for you.

Now you can pick up Jiffy corn bread mixes pretty cheap and I think the cost would only be a little less cooking from scratch.  The mix would also be quicker.  But I don't know I can whip up a batch of biscuits, or cornbread in a very short period of time, so I will never use a mix.  Would I store mixes for emergency food storage?  You bet.

It will almost always be cheaper and better if you go back to the actual ingredients a dish needs rather than a mix, or a frozen version, or store bought ready made.  You will save money cooking from scratch, if you learn to do it you will become better and faster at it.

Cakes mixes are cheaper than making a cake from scratch.  I have done the math. So don't be afraid to stock up on a few mixes and use them.  Canned frosting however is just awful.  Have I USED IT IN THE PAST?  Sure have but I do not store it.  I store powder sugar and make my own.  Again if you practice it is just not that much work.

Learn to cook with one ingredient foods and store them when the prices are at there best you will save money.

SAM used carrots as her veggie in some of her meals.  This is a one ingredient food.

Potatoes one ingredient.

Why do you think S. Morgenstern wrote that man's first meal was stew?  Potatoes, carrots, root veggies, some meat and onions and garlic.  A one ingredient dish.  Well unless it comes in a Dinty Moore can.  Have I eaten Dinty Moore?  Sure have and I would also store it for emergencies.

I am not a food snob, I AM A FOOD CHEAP.

Are you a food snob?  ARE YOU A FOOD CHEAP?  Do you want to join my club?  Well Sissie and Sluggy are not welcome right now, but everyone else can join.

Thrifty Thursday:

 1. SAVED ALL MY CHANGE IN MY PIG BANK.

2. saved a $1,$5,$10,$20 bill 

3. saved money in two of my 100 envelope challenge

4. saved all my $5.00 bills saved $30.00 in 5's this week now up to $2,230.00.  Have $15.00 toward the next 100

5.I found a boat load of change this week. .11 .11 .5 .10 .1, 1.13 It was a bang up week I tell you

6. Did some Ibotta shopping as I had no loss leaders and I needed a few things that they were carrying, so earned about $26.00 with a bonus. hair dye, root cover up, makeup, lip stick, I am not brand loyal.  as my sister in laws' would say I also have a cheap face.

7. downloaded receipts to fetch

8. cooked all but one meal from scratch at home

9. got leftover food at foodbank closing time.  Chicken breasts, potatoes, grapes, yellow squash, apples, raisins,rice krispies,butter,canned fruit, many bags of legumes and beans

10. Found chicken thighs marked down on a close out at Winco for .48 cents a lb.  So bought 4 large packages. Or 15 meals worth of meat for under $10.00  I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

11.Used zippers I had on hand to repair items and then charged customer accordingly

12.purchased gas at the least expensive station 

13. used 4 large sausage and cheese dogs I obtained in a large package that was given to me.

14. enjoyed the last of the grapes from our vines

15. still picking tomatoes and onions from the garden.

What did you do this week to save money?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are int the negative.

Kim

 

Wednesday, Blogger is driving me

 I mean really, like I have 20 minutes to download every single comment?   I thought it was my server and it turns out to be Blogger.  Still can't change any of my side bars.  I just don't need this in my life right now or ever!  Okay I feel better now.

I hope I have some hair left after this post. 

I was really interested in SAM'S post about cooking 3 dinners for $9.00. I often think about what my meals cost. I guess when you shop like I do, only buying loss leaders and hardly anything that is not on sale, you just really don't think about cost per serving.

Today I am going to run to the store as I am out of cornmeal and I want to make some cornbread to go with some chili I am making. Also need to fill a prescription.

I was trying to figure out the price of the chili. The ground beef I got on sale for $2.89 a pound and I will use 1.5 pounds. I am making enough for us for two days and for our friends for one meal.  I am using canned beans as I need to use up beans I bought a few years ago.   I know I paid 3/1 for these beans.  I will also used home canned tomatoes, and home grown onions.  SO it is hard to figure out what it will really cost me.  Then spices how do you figure those?  If I make corn bread how much is a cup of flour?  It is too much work, just know I will do it on the cheap!

Also most recipes for chili call for more meat and less beans than I will use, as in I would reverse what they call for.

I finally got all my canned good organized in the food storage and some of the canned beans need to be used as they are outdated. Not by much but I will still try and use them up. AS you can see I have plenty of tomato products and beans. Also plenty of pasta, just hasn't organized that part of the pantry yet.

I always buy my soup at Christmas time as you can get can get cream of mushroom for under $1 a can. I saw a gentleman buying it at Albertsons the other day of $1.99 a can and on sale!  Really?  How can people spend like that when there is a better way?  Or do they just not care? 

Yesterday we went to the food bank at the end of the hours and picked up, potatoes, dried beans and canned beans, they made us take packages of chicken breasts and more frozen blueberries. Now potatoes and beans are grown here so almost anyone if you look can get them free.

Anyway I am off to run to the store, and the sale adds are crap this week. SO WILL HARDLY GET ANYTHING.

Have you ever figured out what something was going to cost per serving?  Do you do it regularly?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim