So Winter and I went to Comic Con on Sunday. I had bought a $50 gift card from Raise.com for Subway (of which we had used $15 in January) and we planned to have lunch at Subway since there is one in the convention center. But when I went to use it I was told it had a zero balance. I had to use another form of payment. When I got home I did some detective work and found out that evidently the person who sold it had registered the card with Subway immediately after purchase, sold it, and then reported it lost or stolen. As such, the remaining balance was removed from the card.
I sent a screen shot of the evidence to Raise, and Monday morning I got a call from them saying they were refunding the amount I had paid for the card, which was $43.50. I am really mad that this person did this, and I hope Raise is able to recover the funds from that seller. They did the right thing, and I am happy to keep buying gift cards through them, but in the future I will be registering any cards I receive (which are able to be registered) immediately upon receipt.
The Con was fun, I guess, in as much as being in a huge crowd of people can be fun. Winter dressed up as Louise and I dressed up as Tina from Bob's Burgers. Quite a few people took pics of us, though I haven't seen any come up on Instagram yet.
After the convention I made soup for dinner, and then Jeremy and I went for a walk. They were having a good sale at QFC, so we decided to stock up on a few things. We got two boxes of whole wheat crackers, three boxes of whole wheat pasta, shredded cheese, frozen blackberries, reduced fat cream cheese, a lemon flavored Noosa yogurt (we plan to split it, and luckily Winter hates yogurt), and a box of cereal. Jeremy also got a diet Arnold Palmer drink. We spent about $18.
Here is what I ate Sunday:
Breakfast: smoothie made with almond milk, plain yogurt, banana, strawberry, blueberry and honey (was really good)
Lunch: six inch turkey sub on whole grain bread with lettuce, tomato, olives, oil, and vinegar (was kind of boring)
Dinner: chicken soup with carrots, celery, quinoa and wild rice blend and brown rice
Snacks/desserts: lemon ALT bar, blackberry yonanas
Beverages: water
Monday I had a busy day at work. Bought three Fage plain Greek yogurts on the way home for $3.
Breakfast: two lemon ALT bars
Lunch: leftover chicken rice soup, turkey and herb goat cheese sandwich with lettuce on GF bread
Dinner: leftover chicken deal with plain yogurt
Snacks/desserts: Easter candy at work (ugh again), wheat thins with PB and a drizzle of honey
Beverages: water
Showing posts with label saving money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saving money. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Haircut and other stuff
Yesterday I was feeling much better, though I was glad to still have a day off. I wasn't quite ready to go back to work. And I was actually wanting to eat again.
I got my hair cut, went to acupuncture, and went to Goodwill and Value Village looking for things for Winter and I to use for our Comic Con costumes. Comic Con is at the end of March. I also picked up an almost full quart of chalkboard paint from the Buy Nothing group.
I made navy bean and roasted red pepper soup in the crock pot, which I blended smooth with our new stick blender. It also had chicken bouillon, carrots, a Yukon gold potato, chili powder, mustard powder, dried onion, garlic, and cilantro.
I also made granola after dinner with a couple kinds of oats, teff, quinoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, coconut oil, honey, an egg, and pecans and almonds. It made six cups.
Breakfast: banana, banana nut muffin
Lunch: gluten free onion and chive crackers, spicy pepper hummus, clementines, dark chocolate avocado pie
Dinner: navy bean and red pepper soup
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 bar dark chocolate
Beverages: water
I got my hair cut, went to acupuncture, and went to Goodwill and Value Village looking for things for Winter and I to use for our Comic Con costumes. Comic Con is at the end of March. I also picked up an almost full quart of chalkboard paint from the Buy Nothing group.
I made navy bean and roasted red pepper soup in the crock pot, which I blended smooth with our new stick blender. It also had chicken bouillon, carrots, a Yukon gold potato, chili powder, mustard powder, dried onion, garlic, and cilantro.
I also made granola after dinner with a couple kinds of oats, teff, quinoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, coconut oil, honey, an egg, and pecans and almonds. It made six cups.
Breakfast: banana, banana nut muffin
Lunch: gluten free onion and chive crackers, spicy pepper hummus, clementines, dark chocolate avocado pie
Dinner: navy bean and red pepper soup
Snacks/desserts: 1/4 bar dark chocolate
Beverages: water
Saturday, December 6, 2014
On Winter spending her own money on food
Winter gets a regular allowance while she lives here. As a rule, I pay for anything she needs (her material needs are few, if I'm being honest), and her allowance is hers to spend or not spend as she likes. She is very independent, and goes many places by herself since we do not own a car. She walks most places, and takes the bus to some. I don't want her to have to always ask me for money for a snack, or for this or that, because she is usually not with me when she is buying something she wants. She is usually alone or with friends.
Initially she used her allowance on snacks on occasion, like a soda or an energy bar, or something along those lines. Recently she has been using some of her money on food though. Like, food for regular meals that she brings home and prepares herself. At first my compulsion was to tell her to hang onto her money, and let me buy all her food. But I held back. Sometimes it was a matter of it being near the end of the month, and I had to watch the budget too closely to buy anything unplanned for, so I told her "if you want X, you may buy it yourself, because we don't have much left in the budget right now." Sometimes she did, and other times she decided it wasn't worth it.
Now I have realized, in watching what she decides to buy and not buy, that this is an important step for her in becoming an independent functioning adult. She told me once that she likes to buy groceries for herself sometimes because it makes her feel grown up. She gets to sometimes eat exactly what she wants instead of being limited just to what I buy and make. I see her carefully weighing her options before purchasing something. Looking for the best price. Learning how to make mashed potatoes from scratch because it costs less than buying them premade. She asks me for my opinions and advice. She is learning things about how much food costs, and how that varies depending on what you buy and where you buy it. She has a more experiential appreciation for the choices I make when buying food.
One thing I am proud of her for is that even though she is spending her own money, she is still generous. She shares the food she buys with friends, and almost always offers me some if I am around.
I have struggled a bit over whether or not I should include the food she buys in our monthly budget. In the past, I have sometimes. Going forward I don't think I will. My reasoning is that the money she gets for her allowance is budgeted desperately and accounted for, and also because it is always 100% her choice to buy food or not. There is always enough food here for her to get plenty to eat without it. The food she buys is more for her spirit than for her body.
Initially she used her allowance on snacks on occasion, like a soda or an energy bar, or something along those lines. Recently she has been using some of her money on food though. Like, food for regular meals that she brings home and prepares herself. At first my compulsion was to tell her to hang onto her money, and let me buy all her food. But I held back. Sometimes it was a matter of it being near the end of the month, and I had to watch the budget too closely to buy anything unplanned for, so I told her "if you want X, you may buy it yourself, because we don't have much left in the budget right now." Sometimes she did, and other times she decided it wasn't worth it.
Now I have realized, in watching what she decides to buy and not buy, that this is an important step for her in becoming an independent functioning adult. She told me once that she likes to buy groceries for herself sometimes because it makes her feel grown up. She gets to sometimes eat exactly what she wants instead of being limited just to what I buy and make. I see her carefully weighing her options before purchasing something. Looking for the best price. Learning how to make mashed potatoes from scratch because it costs less than buying them premade. She asks me for my opinions and advice. She is learning things about how much food costs, and how that varies depending on what you buy and where you buy it. She has a more experiential appreciation for the choices I make when buying food.
One thing I am proud of her for is that even though she is spending her own money, she is still generous. She shares the food she buys with friends, and almost always offers me some if I am around.
I have struggled a bit over whether or not I should include the food she buys in our monthly budget. In the past, I have sometimes. Going forward I don't think I will. My reasoning is that the money she gets for her allowance is budgeted desperately and accounted for, and also because it is always 100% her choice to buy food or not. There is always enough food here for her to get plenty to eat without it. The food she buys is more for her spirit than for her body.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Last day of November wrap-up
We ended November having spent $448.39 with a budget of $450, so we made it in at $1.61 under goal! To be honest I wasn't sure we were going to squeak in under the line, but we still have tons of food left in the house.
Sunday morning I was getting out the crock pot to make turkey soup and I dropped it and the crock part broke. I was honestly only a little sad, because we've been taking about getting a bigger/better one for a year now. We found a 5 quart programmable orange one on the Target website on sale for $27, plus I got 5% off and free shipping by using the Target red card.
So Jeremy had to make the turkey soup, and he did an awesome job, despite the lack of appropriate seasonings in our cupboard. He used the turkey bone broth we made by boiling and reducing the turkey bones an gross bits, plus added some chicken bouillon, a bunch of leftover turkey (we STILL have more!), leftover carrot sticks cut up smaller, and egg noodles. He seasoned it with garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and some kind of no salt seasoning blend. We have lots left over in the fridge.
Winter and I went to Seattle Sunday Assembly in the morning, where I had a cup of lemonade and split a cookie with Winter after service, and then I went in to work for five hours to cover for someone who left town for the weekend. When I came home there was awesome turkey soup! I am not a huge fan of turkey meat other than cold cuts and sometimes sausage, so the fact that I really like it is a huge accomplishment.
Breakfast: banana muffin with honey goat cheese
Lunch: chicken and cheddar sandwich with dijon, apple
Dinner: turkey noodle soup, leftover roll
Snacks/desserts: cupcakes, half a cookie
Beverages: lemonade, water
Sunday morning I was getting out the crock pot to make turkey soup and I dropped it and the crock part broke. I was honestly only a little sad, because we've been taking about getting a bigger/better one for a year now. We found a 5 quart programmable orange one on the Target website on sale for $27, plus I got 5% off and free shipping by using the Target red card.
So Jeremy had to make the turkey soup, and he did an awesome job, despite the lack of appropriate seasonings in our cupboard. He used the turkey bone broth we made by boiling and reducing the turkey bones an gross bits, plus added some chicken bouillon, a bunch of leftover turkey (we STILL have more!), leftover carrot sticks cut up smaller, and egg noodles. He seasoned it with garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and some kind of no salt seasoning blend. We have lots left over in the fridge.
Winter and I went to Seattle Sunday Assembly in the morning, where I had a cup of lemonade and split a cookie with Winter after service, and then I went in to work for five hours to cover for someone who left town for the weekend. When I came home there was awesome turkey soup! I am not a huge fan of turkey meat other than cold cuts and sometimes sausage, so the fact that I really like it is a huge accomplishment.
Breakfast: banana muffin with honey goat cheese
Lunch: chicken and cheddar sandwich with dijon, apple
Dinner: turkey noodle soup, leftover roll
Snacks/desserts: cupcakes, half a cookie
Beverages: lemonade, water
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Halloween costume shopping and oatmeal scotchies
Yesterday I didn't have to work. For lunch I heated up some of the left over bean, cheese, and bell pepper mixture from making pupusas and made burritos with the last two tortillas. I added sour cream and green taco sauce. I loafed around the house until Winter got home and then we went up to Capitol Hill to pick up things for Winter's Halloween costume.
We went to Value Village and found the skirt, shoes, and jacket she needed. She also used some of her allowance to buy a bag of 4 My Little Ponies, a hardcover copy of Insurgent, and some Halloween makeup. We also picked up a couple more things she needed for her costume at Walgreen's, and we bought a sugar free sparkling water for $.99 and a bag of Werther's caramel apple candies for $2.49.
On the way home we went to QFC and picked up a canister of oats for $2.99, two broccoli florets for $1.98, and a bag of purple grapes for $3.78. It was raining the entire time we were out, and I wished we had brought our own bags because paper bags fall apart in the rain.
Jeremy saved a receipt for a protein bar he bought at Rite Aid earlier for $.99. He was supposed to work out with his heavy lifting coach in the afternoon, but his coach wasn't feeling well and they rescheduled for Friday.
For dinner Winter chopped up three turkey sausages, and the broccoli. I boiled a package of fettucini noodles, sauteed the sausage and broccoli, and made a cheese sauce out of milk, corn starch, and the rest of the garlic jack and one of the bags of mozzarella. After dinner we made oatmeal scotchies, but we only had one full stick of butter left, so I just did a half batch.
Breakfast: smoothie with milk, PB, frozen banana and the rest of the strawberries, peanut butter chocolate pop tarts
Lunch: bean and cheese burritos, berry breakfast shake
Dinner: fettucini with turkey sausage, broccoli, and garlic cheese sauce
Snacks/desserts: strawberry pastry crisps, caramel apple candy, oatmeal scotchies
Beverages: water, sugar free sparkling water
We went to Value Village and found the skirt, shoes, and jacket she needed. She also used some of her allowance to buy a bag of 4 My Little Ponies, a hardcover copy of Insurgent, and some Halloween makeup. We also picked up a couple more things she needed for her costume at Walgreen's, and we bought a sugar free sparkling water for $.99 and a bag of Werther's caramel apple candies for $2.49.
On the way home we went to QFC and picked up a canister of oats for $2.99, two broccoli florets for $1.98, and a bag of purple grapes for $3.78. It was raining the entire time we were out, and I wished we had brought our own bags because paper bags fall apart in the rain.
Jeremy saved a receipt for a protein bar he bought at Rite Aid earlier for $.99. He was supposed to work out with his heavy lifting coach in the afternoon, but his coach wasn't feeling well and they rescheduled for Friday.
For dinner Winter chopped up three turkey sausages, and the broccoli. I boiled a package of fettucini noodles, sauteed the sausage and broccoli, and made a cheese sauce out of milk, corn starch, and the rest of the garlic jack and one of the bags of mozzarella. After dinner we made oatmeal scotchies, but we only had one full stick of butter left, so I just did a half batch.
Breakfast: smoothie with milk, PB, frozen banana and the rest of the strawberries, peanut butter chocolate pop tarts
Lunch: bean and cheese burritos, berry breakfast shake
Dinner: fettucini with turkey sausage, broccoli, and garlic cheese sauce
Snacks/desserts: strawberry pastry crisps, caramel apple candy, oatmeal scotchies
Beverages: water, sugar free sparkling water
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Going to the dentist sucks
This morning I went to the dentist again to get my last filling done, and have impressions taken for my partial. The first impression did not turn out right, so it had to be redone, and both times I gagged on the trays badly. And for the filling they had to go back in and do more painkiller injections four times after the first one, because I continued to be able to feel the drill. I wasn't able to feel or move my mouth normally until after five pm. Thank goodness that eventually I was not able to feel the drill so they could finish. At least I got another free bag of pretzels out of the deal. I gave them to Winter.
This afternoon I used four of the old bananas we bought recently to make banana bread. I use this recipe but I reduce the sugar to half a cup and skip the salt. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla this time. It turns out nice and moist as long as you are careful not to over mix or over bake it. I also like to wrap it in tin foil while it's still cooling so the crust is moist also. That makes it much easier to cut, and you can get thinner slices.
Winter did not get a part in the main fall play at school so today she stayed after to audition for a series of shorter plays. After she got home I took her to Ross to get her a bra that will work with her homecoming dress, and also got her a cute headband with a bow, and a small shoulder bag so she can keep her phones and wallet on her, but not have to hang onto them all night. We spent about $27 there so including the dress her homecoming outfit was $37 before tax. She is going to borrow a pair of my shoes since we wear the same size. We also spent $.59 on a bag of candy corn flavored M&M's at Walgreen' s We shared.
Breakfast: English muffin with cream cheese, coffee flavored Greek yogurt
Lunch: leftover veggie alphabet soup, nine grain bread with butter
Dinner: chicken stir fried with carrots and celery, with white rice and teriyaki sauce
Snacks/desserts: candy corn M&M's, banana bread, raspberries and champagne grapes
Beverages: water
Winter took a Lunchable and a yogurt for lunch today. I'm not sure what she ate for breakfast, but she also had some banana bread when she got home.
Jeremy was awake until after midnight last night with a bad headache and he kept vomiting. This is the second time it has happened in two weeks. I guess he'll have to ask his doctor about it.
This afternoon I used four of the old bananas we bought recently to make banana bread. I use this recipe but I reduce the sugar to half a cup and skip the salt. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla this time. It turns out nice and moist as long as you are careful not to over mix or over bake it. I also like to wrap it in tin foil while it's still cooling so the crust is moist also. That makes it much easier to cut, and you can get thinner slices.
Winter did not get a part in the main fall play at school so today she stayed after to audition for a series of shorter plays. After she got home I took her to Ross to get her a bra that will work with her homecoming dress, and also got her a cute headband with a bow, and a small shoulder bag so she can keep her phones and wallet on her, but not have to hang onto them all night. We spent about $27 there so including the dress her homecoming outfit was $37 before tax. She is going to borrow a pair of my shoes since we wear the same size. We also spent $.59 on a bag of candy corn flavored M&M's at Walgreen' s We shared.
Breakfast: English muffin with cream cheese, coffee flavored Greek yogurt
Lunch: leftover veggie alphabet soup, nine grain bread with butter
Dinner: chicken stir fried with carrots and celery, with white rice and teriyaki sauce
Snacks/desserts: candy corn M&M's, banana bread, raspberries and champagne grapes
Beverages: water
Winter took a Lunchable and a yogurt for lunch today. I'm not sure what she ate for breakfast, but she also had some banana bread when she got home.
Jeremy was awake until after midnight last night with a bad headache and he kept vomiting. This is the second time it has happened in two weeks. I guess he'll have to ask his doctor about it.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Wednesday
Yesterday I had my first acupuncture appointment ever. I went to The Pincushion in Capitol Hill. They have a siding scale based on income of $20-40 per treatment. I had a horrible headache when I woke up though, so I stopped for an iced coffee on my way there, which was $2.14. This was not the best idea because I had to use the bathroom really badly about 40 minutes into it, so we had to cut it a bit short. I felt the needles as they went in, but couldn't feel most of them after a few seconds. I'm going back next Monday. I'll give it a few weeks and see how it goes.
I also went to Goodwill. I am hard on my clothes so I try not to spend too much on them. I got three tops, two pairs of pants, and a dress. I also found a dress for Winter for homecoming for $9.99.
Winter stayed after school to try out for the fall play. She says they will email who got which parts, but she is not sure when.
For dinner I made chicken stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and brown rice, and made a sauce out of plum preserves, ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. It tasted a lot like sweet and sour sauce, just not bright red in color.
Breakfast: English muffin with raspberry jam
Lunch: pepperoni soup
Dinner: chicken and veggie stir fry with brown rice and tangy ginger plum sauce
Snacks/desserts: mango Yonanas
Beverages: iced coffee with half and half, water
I also went to Goodwill. I am hard on my clothes so I try not to spend too much on them. I got three tops, two pairs of pants, and a dress. I also found a dress for Winter for homecoming for $9.99.
Winter stayed after school to try out for the fall play. She says they will email who got which parts, but she is not sure when.
For dinner I made chicken stir fry with broccoli, carrots, and brown rice, and made a sauce out of plum preserves, ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. It tasted a lot like sweet and sour sauce, just not bright red in color.
Breakfast: English muffin with raspberry jam
Lunch: pepperoni soup
Dinner: chicken and veggie stir fry with brown rice and tangy ginger plum sauce
Snacks/desserts: mango Yonanas
Beverages: iced coffee with half and half, water
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Busy few days
Monday was our 2 year anniversary. Jeremy met me after work on Sunday and we got frozen yogurt at Menchie's on our way home. We spent $12.23 on that. Jeremy bought me a new skillet and some candy from See's, which is exactly what I asked for. I got him an UP band from Jawbone. He's been walking a lot more, trying to get as many steps in as he can each day. On our anniversary he almost made it to 20,000 steps.
We picked up a few things here and there at QFC spread out over the last few days:
5 Lean Cuisines ($2.00 ea) $10.00
celery (lost the receipt) about $2.00
pint of half and half $1.49
Oatmeal Scotchie cookie dough $2.99
Morningstar Farms BBQ riblets and ground beef style (BOGO with a $1.00 coupon) $3.99
Sparkling water $.79
Cherry cream cheese danish $1.50
Total $22.76 (minus 3% from using gift card purchased on Raise) grand total $22.08
On Monday we took Joey to the walk in vet clinic because he has lost a couple of pounds. They ran some labs on him and our total for that visit was $152. They called yesterday and said that his thyroid is a little elevated so they want to do another test to determine if he needs treatment, which will cost around $80. We will have to figure out when we will both be free to take him in while they are open.
After that we went to IHOP for lunch. I had a buy one entree get one free coupon. I also bought a $10 gift card off of raise for $9.30. All together, including tax and tip, we spent $23.98. Jeremy got chicken fried steak and a bowl of baked potato soup. I got jelly donut pancakes.
That was the only real meal we had on Monday. It was pretty filling. We also went back to Menchie's that evening and spent around $11.50. Initially we intended to go to Yogurtland since I have coupons for there, but their machines were not functioning. I also ate a lot of the chocolates from See's.
Yesterday I worked from 6 am to 11:30 am at the airport. I bought a Pepsi from the vending machine for $1.65 because I had not slept well at all. I decided to go to JC Penney's on my way home to use two 10$ off of 10$ coupons I had gotten in the mail that were expiring. Unfortunately I got on the wrong bus and it took me forever to get there. I had to use them in two different transactions. I decided on getting some underwear for Winter, and socks for Jeremy. Two things they've been needing. After the coupon and tax I got four pairs of underwear for under $4.00. The mens socks were all buy one get one half off, so I was able to get 12 pairs for $17.00 plus tax. I also bought some dacquiri ice sherbet at Baskin Robbins while I was there. My breakfast and lunch had been pretty light, and it took me much longer than I expected to finish my shopping trip. I spent about $5 on that. Jeremy spent 75 cents on a Diet Coke while we did laundry as well.
Here is what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: peanut butter and honey sandwich, nectarine
Dinner: scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese
Snacks/desserts: See's chocolates, oatmeal scotchies, dacquiri ice sherbet
Beverages: Pepsi, water
Unless I am missing something that means we spent $77.18 on food in the last few days. It's easy to see how this can get out of control quickly. I need to start planning better and reign this in.
We picked up a few things here and there at QFC spread out over the last few days:
5 Lean Cuisines ($2.00 ea) $10.00
celery (lost the receipt) about $2.00
pint of half and half $1.49
Oatmeal Scotchie cookie dough $2.99
Morningstar Farms BBQ riblets and ground beef style (BOGO with a $1.00 coupon) $3.99
Sparkling water $.79
Cherry cream cheese danish $1.50
Total $22.76 (minus 3% from using gift card purchased on Raise) grand total $22.08
On Monday we took Joey to the walk in vet clinic because he has lost a couple of pounds. They ran some labs on him and our total for that visit was $152. They called yesterday and said that his thyroid is a little elevated so they want to do another test to determine if he needs treatment, which will cost around $80. We will have to figure out when we will both be free to take him in while they are open.
After that we went to IHOP for lunch. I had a buy one entree get one free coupon. I also bought a $10 gift card off of raise for $9.30. All together, including tax and tip, we spent $23.98. Jeremy got chicken fried steak and a bowl of baked potato soup. I got jelly donut pancakes.
That was the only real meal we had on Monday. It was pretty filling. We also went back to Menchie's that evening and spent around $11.50. Initially we intended to go to Yogurtland since I have coupons for there, but their machines were not functioning. I also ate a lot of the chocolates from See's.
Yesterday I worked from 6 am to 11:30 am at the airport. I bought a Pepsi from the vending machine for $1.65 because I had not slept well at all. I decided to go to JC Penney's on my way home to use two 10$ off of 10$ coupons I had gotten in the mail that were expiring. Unfortunately I got on the wrong bus and it took me forever to get there. I had to use them in two different transactions. I decided on getting some underwear for Winter, and socks for Jeremy. Two things they've been needing. After the coupon and tax I got four pairs of underwear for under $4.00. The mens socks were all buy one get one half off, so I was able to get 12 pairs for $17.00 plus tax. I also bought some dacquiri ice sherbet at Baskin Robbins while I was there. My breakfast and lunch had been pretty light, and it took me much longer than I expected to finish my shopping trip. I spent about $5 on that. Jeremy spent 75 cents on a Diet Coke while we did laundry as well.
Here is what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast: protein bar
Lunch: peanut butter and honey sandwich, nectarine
Dinner: scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese
Snacks/desserts: See's chocolates, oatmeal scotchies, dacquiri ice sherbet
Beverages: Pepsi, water
Unless I am missing something that means we spent $77.18 on food in the last few days. It's easy to see how this can get out of control quickly. I need to start planning better and reign this in.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Meal planning on a shoestring
We've all been there. You have a week left before you get paid again, and your checking account has $17.42 and some cobwebs in it. If you have never had this experience or something akin to it, then GTFO. Seriously.
Don't panic. You can make this work without resorting to selling a kidney (But if you do decide to sell a kidney, LMK ok? I can Paypal you.) Here are my tips to working through a budget crunch without having to eat your cat.
1) Figure out what food you already have:
Chances are you have some. Go through your cabinets, fridge and freezer. Throw out anything that is moldy or smells bad, and isn't supposed to smell bad or be moldy. Now write down everything you have left. Everything. You might be surprised at all the odds and ends you find that have been forgotten by time.
2) Figure out what you can make with what you already have:
Paying particular attention to any perishable items you have, start brainstorming. If you are comfortable with cooking without using recipes, now is the time to bust that out. Keep an open mind. If you normally do one pot meals, consider doing a main dish and sides, or vice versa. If you don't usually do much baking, try some. Think outside the box. Can you use tortillas to make sandwich wraps instead of burritos? Can you serve some veggies and peanut sauce with spaghetti instead of rice? Yes you can.
If you have an ingredient you are not sure what to do with, Google that item + "recipes" and see if you don't find something you can work with. If you are missing an ingredient you need to make a particular dish, see if there may be something you already have that will work as a substitution. Google is your friend. Don't go crazy with the substitutions trying to make something fancy though. Keep it simple, and don't stray too far outside of your comfort range. This is not the time to screw up and wind up with a big pot of something inedible.
3) Figure out out what you still need and buy it:
Here is where you really want to maximize your tiny little budget. If you need a small amount of a particular ingredient, see if you can buy just what you need from bulk bins. If you need any seasonings, definitely buy those in bulk (which you should be doing anyway). If you only buy as much as you need to get you through the week, it will just cost you a few cents per baggie usually. Use less expensive produce. Potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, summer squash, lettuce, bananas, greens, celery, carrots, plum tomatoes. You get a lot of bang for your buck out of these. Check the sales flyer too. Something that is normally more expensive might be super cheap this week. Frozen produce can be very cost effective as well.
If you are short on protein foods at home, go vegetarian as much as possible. Eggs, peanut butter, beans, and lentils are good cheap and healthy sources of protein, and are also pretty versatile. If you want meat, check to see if there are any packages that have been reduced for quick sale. Cut up meat into small pieces and incorporate it into a larger dish (like a soup or stir fry) instead of just eating a big chunk of meat. You can get away with using less this way. These are both great ways to use up odds and ends of vegetables too.
4) If all else fails there is oatmeal, beans and rice
A canister of oats, a pound of rice, and a pound of beans or lentils will cost you around 5$ and will keep a single person alive for a week. All of these things bulk up substantially once you add water and cook them, so you get a lot of food for your money. Add a little sugar to the oatmeal, and a little salt to the beans to make them more palatable. If you have a bit more to spend, use it on some carrots and canned tomatoes to cook with the beans/lentils. And get some bananas to eat with your oatmeal.
Don't panic. You can make this work without resorting to selling a kidney (But if you do decide to sell a kidney, LMK ok? I can Paypal you.) Here are my tips to working through a budget crunch without having to eat your cat.
1) Figure out what food you already have:
Chances are you have some. Go through your cabinets, fridge and freezer. Throw out anything that is moldy or smells bad, and isn't supposed to smell bad or be moldy. Now write down everything you have left. Everything. You might be surprised at all the odds and ends you find that have been forgotten by time.
2) Figure out what you can make with what you already have:
Paying particular attention to any perishable items you have, start brainstorming. If you are comfortable with cooking without using recipes, now is the time to bust that out. Keep an open mind. If you normally do one pot meals, consider doing a main dish and sides, or vice versa. If you don't usually do much baking, try some. Think outside the box. Can you use tortillas to make sandwich wraps instead of burritos? Can you serve some veggies and peanut sauce with spaghetti instead of rice? Yes you can.
If you have an ingredient you are not sure what to do with, Google that item + "recipes" and see if you don't find something you can work with. If you are missing an ingredient you need to make a particular dish, see if there may be something you already have that will work as a substitution. Google is your friend. Don't go crazy with the substitutions trying to make something fancy though. Keep it simple, and don't stray too far outside of your comfort range. This is not the time to screw up and wind up with a big pot of something inedible.
3) Figure out out what you still need and buy it:
Here is where you really want to maximize your tiny little budget. If you need a small amount of a particular ingredient, see if you can buy just what you need from bulk bins. If you need any seasonings, definitely buy those in bulk (which you should be doing anyway). If you only buy as much as you need to get you through the week, it will just cost you a few cents per baggie usually. Use less expensive produce. Potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, summer squash, lettuce, bananas, greens, celery, carrots, plum tomatoes. You get a lot of bang for your buck out of these. Check the sales flyer too. Something that is normally more expensive might be super cheap this week. Frozen produce can be very cost effective as well.
If you are short on protein foods at home, go vegetarian as much as possible. Eggs, peanut butter, beans, and lentils are good cheap and healthy sources of protein, and are also pretty versatile. If you want meat, check to see if there are any packages that have been reduced for quick sale. Cut up meat into small pieces and incorporate it into a larger dish (like a soup or stir fry) instead of just eating a big chunk of meat. You can get away with using less this way. These are both great ways to use up odds and ends of vegetables too.
4) If all else fails there is oatmeal, beans and rice
A canister of oats, a pound of rice, and a pound of beans or lentils will cost you around 5$ and will keep a single person alive for a week. All of these things bulk up substantially once you add water and cook them, so you get a lot of food for your money. Add a little sugar to the oatmeal, and a little salt to the beans to make them more palatable. If you have a bit more to spend, use it on some carrots and canned tomatoes to cook with the beans/lentils. And get some bananas to eat with your oatmeal.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Glitter. The final frontier.
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| Winter made this |
I bought a couple of QFC gift cards on Raise.com recently. I found out that if they do not currently have the cards you want in stock you can set an alert and the site will email you when they get one in. I set alerts for QFC, Safeway, and Grocery Outlet, and so far I have bought around 240$ worth of QFC cards for 3% off. It's not a lot, but it's better than 0% off, and I figure we will be spending the money there either way, so I might as well shave off a few dollars where I can.
I didn't wind up with any appointments at work this morning, so I am staying home until after Jeremy's eye surgery, then I will go in from 3-7.
Starting next month I will be working 8 more hours a week at my main job, starting at 10 instead of 12. We've been able to put around 1500 a month towards paying off debt with me picking up all these extra shifts this summer, but I'm kind of wondering if I should cut way back, especially with my hours increasing Thursday through Sunday. There will be new bills coming in from Jeremy's surgeries, and I have no idea what to expect from those too. I want to try to keep the total debt as low as I can. On the other hand, I am worried about injury and/or burnout.
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