This update is going to be fairly short as I have not managed to knock out near the amount of books I always hope to.
I finished listening to Kicking and Dreaming which I found profoundly interesting. I really, really love biographies and even auto biographies and this one proved to be worth the read for me. After I finished it I immediately started Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science- and the World which was another amazing book. Some people were upset at the format, they thought it did not go in depth enough. I thought it was a perfect book to read with kids as each of the 52 women had their own synopsis. This would make it really easy to understand and talk about without losing their attention. The book did make me angry in spots, it was not the book but rather the treatment of women in the past as inferior. Once I finished this one I started listening to Three Cups of Deceit by
Jon Krakauer. He precisely points out how the book Three Cups of Tea is mostly made up. It was interesting and I filed most of the information away in case someone ever brings up the CAI charity to me. The book was only a 3 hour time commitment so as soon as I finished with it I started listening to Wisdom of Our Fathers which has made me cry continuously. I really miss my dad and the collection of stories from others about their dad's makes me cry and smile. I seriously love the fact that I am listening to this book and will never regret it.
As for print books, I finished Plantiful which since it is a gardening book did not take to much. It was ok but not one I think I will purchase. I am still reading The Girls Who Went Away which I was hoping to be done with by tomorrow so I can turn it in. Still just as heart wrenching as it was when I started it.
Somewhere in the middle of all of this another book came out on Kindle in a series I have been reading. I read Jax in almost no time at all. I skipped almost all duties at home so I could finish it that evening. It was a good light read just as you expect a vampire romance to be.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Finishing up the Month of January
I will need to hold out a little longer on that end of the month post. I visited Sprouts on Wednesday because of an amazing sale they were having but need to locate my receipt to put the stuff on here. I will go ahead and catch you up on our dinner menu.
Jan 21st: I really wanted tacos for some reason but went with tostadas since I had some shells. I heated up leftover refried beans, the rest of the carne guisada, and the queso I had made. Shredded some cheese, got out the end of the sour cream and most of the lettuce we had left and dinner was served. I made my tostadas with the shredded cheese and had queso with chips but Phillip made the choice to just put the queso on his tostada.
Jan 22nd: Baked Eggplant Parmesan served with toasted garlic bread made from a loaf of french bread.
Jan 23rd: I cooked pork chops in the crock pot but put them on high rather than longer on low so they were a little dry. I did serve this with the last of the wild rice I got in trade and garlic bread.
Jan 24th: I did not fix dinner because we had a really late lunch. We just had a snack before getting ready for bed.
Jan 25th: Spaghetti
Jan 26th: I put dried but soaked pinto beans in the crock pot with a bit of salt and served that for dinner with cornbread muffins. The muffins were made from the last box of jiffy I got in a trade.
Jan 27th: I made the chili. I used the leftover beans and the leftover spaghetti sauce I had. I do not make my spaghetti sauce with a lot of Italian seasoning so spicing the chili was sufficient to cover up the fact I was using it. I did add a can of tomato sauce and spices also.
Jan 28th: I heated up the last of the chili and we had that over tortilla chips and topped with some shredded cheese. I originally wanted to served Frito pies but discovered I only had one snack size bag of Fritos left at the house so we went with the tortilla chips.
Jan 21st: I really wanted tacos for some reason but went with tostadas since I had some shells. I heated up leftover refried beans, the rest of the carne guisada, and the queso I had made. Shredded some cheese, got out the end of the sour cream and most of the lettuce we had left and dinner was served. I made my tostadas with the shredded cheese and had queso with chips but Phillip made the choice to just put the queso on his tostada.
Jan 22nd: Baked Eggplant Parmesan served with toasted garlic bread made from a loaf of french bread.
Jan 23rd: I cooked pork chops in the crock pot but put them on high rather than longer on low so they were a little dry. I did serve this with the last of the wild rice I got in trade and garlic bread.
Jan 24th: I did not fix dinner because we had a really late lunch. We just had a snack before getting ready for bed.
Jan 25th: Spaghetti
Jan 26th: I put dried but soaked pinto beans in the crock pot with a bit of salt and served that for dinner with cornbread muffins. The muffins were made from the last box of jiffy I got in a trade.
Jan 27th: I made the chili. I used the leftover beans and the leftover spaghetti sauce I had. I do not make my spaghetti sauce with a lot of Italian seasoning so spicing the chili was sufficient to cover up the fact I was using it. I did add a can of tomato sauce and spices also.
Jan 28th: I heated up the last of the chili and we had that over tortilla chips and topped with some shredded cheese. I originally wanted to served Frito pies but discovered I only had one snack size bag of Fritos left at the house so we went with the tortilla chips.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Internal Battle over Staying Home
For the rest of the post to make sense you will need a little background. Phillip and I currently keep our bank accounts separate even though he
is on mine and I am on his. We have always divided the bills and just
paid "our" bills out of "our" check. If either of us needs anything
extra we just transfer between the accounts. I make a budget based on
just what I bring home and so the figures I am using for my post are
just those.
I have been waging a war with myself. Phillip has gone back to work so the kids are back at the sitter which is not an issue in itself. Our sitter is an amazing woman who loves both boys as if they are her own and I truly appreciate her and her family. The issue is really the expense with 2 kids there. She is less expensive than traditional day care programs and I appreciate her care but if I continue to send the boys there over the summer when Logan is not at school it will be more than my house payment. Coupled with this the payments on my student loans went up. Just these 2 items on my budget equal 78% of my take home pay. By the time you add gas going to and from work and lunches I am at 84%. This is before I have even purchased groceries for the house, paid the electric, water, life insurance, netflix, hulu, or internet service. Adding these items in puts me at 112% of my bring home pay. I could make some adjustments in our benefits that I pay for but I am not compromising on carrying health insurance for the family. You can see where the war with myself is coming in, do I stay home to save on most of these bills and we figure out a way to make it on Phillip's salary which is honestly not much more than mine. Would I still be able to figure out a way to pay the bills I currently pay while saving us the cost of daycare, gas and lunches? There is also the mental aspect of this choice. I have always worked and been independent. I want my boys to understand a woman can do anything she wants just as they can. I want them to see a working spouse is natural and they can be equals. I also need adult stimulation on a daily basis and dread the park scene.
The choice has not been made, really we keep putting it off but it will have to be hashed out before the end of this school year.
I have been waging a war with myself. Phillip has gone back to work so the kids are back at the sitter which is not an issue in itself. Our sitter is an amazing woman who loves both boys as if they are her own and I truly appreciate her and her family. The issue is really the expense with 2 kids there. She is less expensive than traditional day care programs and I appreciate her care but if I continue to send the boys there over the summer when Logan is not at school it will be more than my house payment. Coupled with this the payments on my student loans went up. Just these 2 items on my budget equal 78% of my take home pay. By the time you add gas going to and from work and lunches I am at 84%. This is before I have even purchased groceries for the house, paid the electric, water, life insurance, netflix, hulu, or internet service. Adding these items in puts me at 112% of my bring home pay. I could make some adjustments in our benefits that I pay for but I am not compromising on carrying health insurance for the family. You can see where the war with myself is coming in, do I stay home to save on most of these bills and we figure out a way to make it on Phillip's salary which is honestly not much more than mine. Would I still be able to figure out a way to pay the bills I currently pay while saving us the cost of daycare, gas and lunches? There is also the mental aspect of this choice. I have always worked and been independent. I want my boys to understand a woman can do anything she wants just as they can. I want them to see a working spouse is natural and they can be equals. I also need adult stimulation on a daily basis and dread the park scene.
The choice has not been made, really we keep putting it off but it will have to be hashed out before the end of this school year.
Thursday, January 21, 2016
2 More Stops at the Store...Hoping for No More
I can not even tell you why I stopped at the grocery store on the 19th, we did not "need" anything. I am beginning to think I was going through withdrawal.
Winco Trip (19th):
1 box honey buns
4 Terry's chocolate oranges (clearance rack)
1 can baked beans
~1/2 lb black forest ham sliced lunch meat
1 package slice turkey lunch meat
Total: $7.08
Last night I did run by Sprouts because of their produce sale
Sprouts Trip:
1 pint blackberries
3 pints blueberries
~1&1/2 lbs pink lady apples
1 pint raspberries
~1/2lb yellow onion
1 container Greek yogurt
~1/4lb pistachios
~1/16lb raisins
3 muffins
Total: $14.95
Grand Total: $178.51
I did receive a $20 rebate check yesterday from one of the app I use. I have chose to put the $20 somewhere else in my budget rather than back in the grocery fund.
Jan 19th: Baked Corn Dogs, the last time I made these I did not use a box mix cornbread and they held up better. I had received some jiffy in a trade so I decided to use it and I am not sure if that was the issue or we should have allowed them to cool more. They fell apart but still tasted good. Served with baked beans.
Jan 20th: The boys voted for grilled cheese or girl cheese as Logan thought they were called so that is what we had.
I bought all the blueberries because Clark really likes them. I threw in some raspberries this time thinking he would like them also but he would not even try them. I even mixed them in with his blueberries but he picked them out and lined them up on his tray and would not eat them. Rather than waste them as they are not my favorite either I put them on to dehydrate last night. This morning I put them up to use in baking or granola. I tried one and it was not horrible, because I tried it Clark decided to but after a little bit in his mouth he spit it out.
Winco Trip (19th):
1 box honey buns
4 Terry's chocolate oranges (clearance rack)
1 can baked beans
~1/2 lb black forest ham sliced lunch meat
1 package slice turkey lunch meat
Total: $7.08
Last night I did run by Sprouts because of their produce sale
Sprouts Trip:
1 pint blackberries
3 pints blueberries
~1&1/2 lbs pink lady apples
1 pint raspberries
~1/2lb yellow onion
1 container Greek yogurt
~1/4lb pistachios
~1/16lb raisins
3 muffins
Total: $14.95
Grand Total: $178.51
I did receive a $20 rebate check yesterday from one of the app I use. I have chose to put the $20 somewhere else in my budget rather than back in the grocery fund.
Jan 19th: Baked Corn Dogs, the last time I made these I did not use a box mix cornbread and they held up better. I had received some jiffy in a trade so I decided to use it and I am not sure if that was the issue or we should have allowed them to cool more. They fell apart but still tasted good. Served with baked beans.
Jan 20th: The boys voted for grilled cheese or girl cheese as Logan thought they were called so that is what we had.
I bought all the blueberries because Clark really likes them. I threw in some raspberries this time thinking he would like them also but he would not even try them. I even mixed them in with his blueberries but he picked them out and lined them up on his tray and would not eat them. Rather than waste them as they are not my favorite either I put them on to dehydrate last night. This morning I put them up to use in baking or granola. I tried one and it was not horrible, because I tried it Clark decided to but after a little bit in his mouth he spit it out.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Trades and Making Use of Promos
I had several trades this weekend that netted me several items off my grocery list which will save me money. I traded 2 unused blankets and stuffed animals for 32 ounces of dried pinto beans, 1 pound of white rice ( I double checked this when I got home and it was a 5 lb bag of rice) and 1 quart of plain yogurt. I traded some firewood for a Lincoln log set for Logan and some bottled water I had on hand for a bottle of children's Allegra. I had another trade set up for more off my list but she just left cash for an old blender I had. Trading really supplements my budget as well as helps me purge unwanted/needed items from the house.
As for promos, I received a $10 off $10 purchase at World Market for being in their reward program. They have a wide selection of ethnic groceries and teas which is what I will use my $10 on. I can get a couple of packages of gnocchi and a box of tea with my $10 and have nothing come out of pocket.
As for promos, I received a $10 off $10 purchase at World Market for being in their reward program. They have a wide selection of ethnic groceries and teas which is what I will use my $10 on. I can get a couple of packages of gnocchi and a box of tea with my $10 and have nothing come out of pocket.
Long Weekend With a lot Worked On
It was a 3 day weekend for the boys and I which was super nice although dada had to work so not nice for him. Friday night was a mad scramble since I was hosting an event on Saturday to put together bags for the homeless. I wanted the house to look as put together as it could with the 2 mess makers still in residence. After picking up the boys from the sitter I buckled and went through the drive through for dinner. Logan started to whine that he wanted to go inside not through the drive thru and I nearly lost it. Given the option of eating Rosa's at home or not eating Rosa's at all he came around to getting drive thru. Once home we had dinner, got baths early and I started cleaning up as much as I could. It really involved cleaning the floors and making sure no obvious messes were visible. Saturday was semi easy going as I worked on laundry, the floors again and getting the stuff together for the event. I really did not stress too much that my craft projects were still on the table waiting to be completed, I have got past that in self judgement. After everyone left I cleaned up from the event and sat on the couch for a little bit. Then it was time for dinner and baths. Sunday was church and a treat of lunch with Phillip's mom and grandma. I try to let the boys spend as much time as possible with their great grandmother while she is able. Once we got home I piddled around the house working on cleaning out my closet and organizing it. My half looks great and Phillip's a bit sketchy. I have long since given up cleaning out his stuff for him, he will have to sort his own items and let me know what he wants to part with. Monday was pretty relaxing which was just what I needed. The boys and I hung out in our jammies for most of the morning while Logan played his x-box and Clark "helped" me do some more laundry and clean up. He was pretty worn out early so he went down for a nap and I worked on their bedroom. Once he woke up we headed out for errands which involved Target for diapers and bath stuff for them and then a treat of McDonalds for them. I completed a couple of trades and then we came home. While Clark was down for a nap I had put dinner in the slow cooker ( the people at CrockPot are trying to keep their brand from becoming the common term). Phillip was already home when we got back so we had dinner and baths pretty quick. Clark went down early and so I finished cleaning our bathroom and putting up the laundry before sitting down with Logan so we could snuggle before he went to bed. We were going to read but he wanted to watch a youtube video instead so I just read while he snuggled and watched on his phone.
Target trip:
Case of diapers
Baby bath soap
Total: $19.07
Grand Total: $156.48
Jan 15th: Rosa's Cafe
Jan 16th: Ro-tel dip
Jan 17th: grilled Flanken style ribs, black beans and corn on the cob from the freezer
Jan 18th: Traditional Tejano Carne Guisada which allowed me to use up some leftover flour tortillas from the 15th, the leftover black beans and some beef stew meat that was in the freezer. I worry about using stew meat because while cheap it can be tough. The cheap is always good on my budget but the tough makes dinner unbearable. This recipe was good and with a couple of tweaks will be amazing. The meat was tender so that is not an issue but it was also a bit salty and heavy on the cumin. I will cut the salt completely next time and lessen the amount of cumin I use and I think it will work better for us. If it was not already apparent we ate the meat as taco filling with black beans, shredded cheese, lettuce and sour cream. 2 tacos were filling enough that I did not want to eat any of the leftover queso (ro-tel) dip that I had pulled out.
Target trip:
Case of diapers
Baby bath soap
Total: $19.07
Grand Total: $156.48
Jan 15th: Rosa's Cafe
Jan 16th: Ro-tel dip
Jan 17th: grilled Flanken style ribs, black beans and corn on the cob from the freezer
Jan 18th: Traditional Tejano Carne Guisada which allowed me to use up some leftover flour tortillas from the 15th, the leftover black beans and some beef stew meat that was in the freezer. I worry about using stew meat because while cheap it can be tough. The cheap is always good on my budget but the tough makes dinner unbearable. This recipe was good and with a couple of tweaks will be amazing. The meat was tender so that is not an issue but it was also a bit salty and heavy on the cumin. I will cut the salt completely next time and lessen the amount of cumin I use and I think it will work better for us. If it was not already apparent we ate the meat as taco filling with black beans, shredded cheese, lettuce and sour cream. 2 tacos were filling enough that I did not want to eat any of the leftover queso (ro-tel) dip that I had pulled out.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Once Again Hit the Inspiration Wall
I was on a great roll with using up leftovers and then the inspiration just evaporated. I fell back on old boring stand bys and using up stuff that was in the back of the cabinet. I did try something new a couple of nights ago and it was a flop.
The line up looked like:
Jan 6th: We had the chicken legs I had in the crockpot. The aluminum foil in the bottom did turn out to be a good idea. I served these with baked potatoes.
Jan 7th: I ended up making pot pie with the leftover chicken legs, some frozen corn and carrots that I had put up this summer, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of seamless crescent rolls.
Jan 8th: Pigs in a blanket with wild rice
Jan 9th: The kids and I were out running errands so we picked up a pizza
Jan 10th: Pancakes!!!! I fixed some regular and some with mashed up bananas in them. I personally liked the banana pancakes but Logan and his dada were not huge fans.
Jan 11th: Hamburger helper that made me realize why I quit buying the stuff.
Jan 12th: I grilled pork chops which I had marinated in Zesty Italian dressing and made garlic bread. My mind was not really on dinner and I was getting ready to serve it when I realized there were no veggies. I just gave the tiny one some blueberries with his dinner and rolled with it.
Jan 13th: This was the night I decided to really cook for my family, something the honey would like. He likes meatballs and Salisbury steak so I thought this Salisbury Steak Meatball recipe would be a winner. It was really, really bad. I originally thought it was just me who did not like it as I am not a fan of meatballs or Salisbury steak but it turns out no one in the house liked it. I quickly filed this one on my pinned foods we did not like board on pinterest.
Jan 14th: I fell back on stir fry with the one leftover grilled pork chop that I did not want to waste. I used up some carrots, leftover corn, and broccoli as well as the pork chop sliced small and the last of the stir fry noodles I had on hand. I topped it with some Teriyaki sauce and voila dinner was served.
I honestly have no idea for dinner tonight and hope something comes to me soon. There are going to be a bunch of people at my house tomorrow to make bags for the homeless and I need to do some more cleaning before they arrive.
As for my grocery totals I am off track....Here are the newest receipts:
Winco on Jan 6th:
~2lbs bananas
2 pkgs diapers
1 bag chips
1 can refried beans
1 can cinnamon rolls
1 can biscuits
5 bags clearance candy
( I should have stayed away from everything but I needed the diapers)
Total: $19.73
Winco on Jan 7th:
2 cans crescent rolls
1 pkg corn tortillas
1 box honey buns
Total: $5.14
Winco on Jan 9th:
1 box honey buns
2 gallons milk
1 pkg diapers
1 6-pack apple juice
~1/2lb sliced ham lunch meat
4 pkgs pecan rolls
3 pkgs pudding cups
~1lb salami
Total: $25.12
Grand Total : $49.99
So as you can see I spent more than the $12.59 I had available for the week. I really need to make sure I have cash on me and pretend I do not have a debit card. I spent the $12.59 plus the $25 for the following week and $12.40 for the next week.
My total for the month is $137.41 so I have $62.60 left for the month with 2 weeks to go. I can redeem myself still and hope that I do! I also hope I get better about dinner for the family.
The line up looked like:
Jan 6th: We had the chicken legs I had in the crockpot. The aluminum foil in the bottom did turn out to be a good idea. I served these with baked potatoes.
Jan 7th: I ended up making pot pie with the leftover chicken legs, some frozen corn and carrots that I had put up this summer, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of seamless crescent rolls.
Jan 8th: Pigs in a blanket with wild rice
Jan 9th: The kids and I were out running errands so we picked up a pizza
Jan 10th: Pancakes!!!! I fixed some regular and some with mashed up bananas in them. I personally liked the banana pancakes but Logan and his dada were not huge fans.
Jan 11th: Hamburger helper that made me realize why I quit buying the stuff.
Jan 12th: I grilled pork chops which I had marinated in Zesty Italian dressing and made garlic bread. My mind was not really on dinner and I was getting ready to serve it when I realized there were no veggies. I just gave the tiny one some blueberries with his dinner and rolled with it.
Jan 13th: This was the night I decided to really cook for my family, something the honey would like. He likes meatballs and Salisbury steak so I thought this Salisbury Steak Meatball recipe would be a winner. It was really, really bad. I originally thought it was just me who did not like it as I am not a fan of meatballs or Salisbury steak but it turns out no one in the house liked it. I quickly filed this one on my pinned foods we did not like board on pinterest.
Jan 14th: I fell back on stir fry with the one leftover grilled pork chop that I did not want to waste. I used up some carrots, leftover corn, and broccoli as well as the pork chop sliced small and the last of the stir fry noodles I had on hand. I topped it with some Teriyaki sauce and voila dinner was served.
I honestly have no idea for dinner tonight and hope something comes to me soon. There are going to be a bunch of people at my house tomorrow to make bags for the homeless and I need to do some more cleaning before they arrive.
As for my grocery totals I am off track....Here are the newest receipts:
Winco on Jan 6th:
~2lbs bananas
2 pkgs diapers
1 bag chips
1 can refried beans
1 can cinnamon rolls
1 can biscuits
5 bags clearance candy
( I should have stayed away from everything but I needed the diapers)
Total: $19.73
Winco on Jan 7th:
2 cans crescent rolls
1 pkg corn tortillas
1 box honey buns
Total: $5.14
Winco on Jan 9th:
1 box honey buns
2 gallons milk
1 pkg diapers
1 6-pack apple juice
~1/2lb sliced ham lunch meat
4 pkgs pecan rolls
3 pkgs pudding cups
~1lb salami
Total: $25.12
Grand Total : $49.99
So as you can see I spent more than the $12.59 I had available for the week. I really need to make sure I have cash on me and pretend I do not have a debit card. I spent the $12.59 plus the $25 for the following week and $12.40 for the next week.
My total for the month is $137.41 so I have $62.60 left for the month with 2 weeks to go. I can redeem myself still and hope that I do! I also hope I get better about dinner for the family.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Books from Jan 8th Through Jan 14th
Typing has been painful as I burned the tip of my finger cooking. Per instructions I am working to not pop the blister and just letting it heal on its own. Even with this injury though I wanted to get a post finished with the books I have listened to/read recently.
Since the last post I did finish Why Not Me which honestly I did find funny in spots but made me really not like the author. I know parts of it were tongue in cheek and an attempt at humor but I found her pretentious and self absorbed. As soon as I finished listening to it I started a book I ended up loving. Notorious RBG was a really great book. I was not aware of a ton of information that was in this book and did enjoy the way it was presented. I am now a RBG fan. Notorious was a quick listen and I immediately went into Kicking and Dreaming which is a history of Ann and Nancy Wilson read by them. It has been really enjoyable so far and I can not wait to finish it.
In the realm of print I am still reading the same 2 books as the last post. The Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener became available again at the library so I checked it back out and have been reading a little each evening while the kids are in the bath. This book has some good information in it and I really love the illustrations. This may be one I purchase to keep for further reference. I am also reading The Girls Who Went Away on my lunch break. It makes me sad to hear first hand accounts of this point in our history. We have always been a judgmental nation even while saying we are not.
Since the last post I did finish Why Not Me which honestly I did find funny in spots but made me really not like the author. I know parts of it were tongue in cheek and an attempt at humor but I found her pretentious and self absorbed. As soon as I finished listening to it I started a book I ended up loving. Notorious RBG was a really great book. I was not aware of a ton of information that was in this book and did enjoy the way it was presented. I am now a RBG fan. Notorious was a quick listen and I immediately went into Kicking and Dreaming which is a history of Ann and Nancy Wilson read by them. It has been really enjoyable so far and I can not wait to finish it.
In the realm of print I am still reading the same 2 books as the last post. The Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener became available again at the library so I checked it back out and have been reading a little each evening while the kids are in the bath. This book has some good information in it and I really love the illustrations. This may be one I purchase to keep for further reference. I am also reading The Girls Who Went Away on my lunch break. It makes me sad to hear first hand accounts of this point in our history. We have always been a judgmental nation even while saying we are not.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Books from Dec 22nd Through Jan 7th
Over the Holiday Break I did not listen to or read a lot of books. I used the time to get caught up on projects at the house which did not happen and to visit with family and friends. With that being said here are the ones I completed and started.
In the realm of audio books I managed to finish The Road to Character which I do not recommend. I did learn about some people in history that I did not know about previously. The book however was disjointed and I am not sure what it was trying to convince me to do. After finishing up on this book I started listening to Stranger than Fiction which again I do not recommend. It had some spots that made me laugh but not enough to ask someone to commit 5 hours of their life to it. I finished it while cleaning the boys room and went on to start Tuesday's with Morrie. I do not think Tuesday's is the best book ever written but I did find nuggets of wisdom in it and really ugly cried on the way to work this morning when Morrie passed away. Because I finished this one this morning I have downloaded a new book but have not started listening to it yet. Next on the list is Why Not Me? which should be a quick listen.
Print books numbered about the same as some of them were already partially finished on my currently reading list. I managed to finish How to be Idle and really appreciate the information and point of view presented in the book. I really do think we need to slow down and appreciate life. Once that one was finished I polished off Start Your Own Blogging Business because it was on my list and I wanted it to go away. It really did not have any of the information I needed in it as I am not trying to make this my full time job. After that I picked up The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener. I really like this one but it was due and so I turned it in and requested it again. While I wait on this one from the library I am reading The Girls Who Went Away which has also been on my currently reading list for a long time. It is a sad look at our past here in the US and the way pregnant unmarried girls were treated mainly in the 50s.
In the realm of audio books I managed to finish The Road to Character which I do not recommend. I did learn about some people in history that I did not know about previously. The book however was disjointed and I am not sure what it was trying to convince me to do. After finishing up on this book I started listening to Stranger than Fiction which again I do not recommend. It had some spots that made me laugh but not enough to ask someone to commit 5 hours of their life to it. I finished it while cleaning the boys room and went on to start Tuesday's with Morrie. I do not think Tuesday's is the best book ever written but I did find nuggets of wisdom in it and really ugly cried on the way to work this morning when Morrie passed away. Because I finished this one this morning I have downloaded a new book but have not started listening to it yet. Next on the list is Why Not Me? which should be a quick listen.
Print books numbered about the same as some of them were already partially finished on my currently reading list. I managed to finish How to be Idle and really appreciate the information and point of view presented in the book. I really do think we need to slow down and appreciate life. Once that one was finished I polished off Start Your Own Blogging Business because it was on my list and I wanted it to go away. It really did not have any of the information I needed in it as I am not trying to make this my full time job. After that I picked up The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener. I really like this one but it was due and so I turned it in and requested it again. While I wait on this one from the library I am reading The Girls Who Went Away which has also been on my currently reading list for a long time. It is a sad look at our past here in the US and the way pregnant unmarried girls were treated mainly in the 50s.
Menu Planning with the New Year and New Budget Plan
With the new budget plan in place I have been making a greater effort to plan out the menu at least the night before based on what ingredients I have left over. It has not been hard and fast as you will see!
I will start this thread with December 29th since that seems to be the beginning of this chain of leftovers.
Dec 29th for dinner we had Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops with steamed rice and green beans. I cooked extra rice because I had a little bit of fresh broccoli, the end of a box of velveeta and some whipping cream left in the fridge that I wanted to use up.
Dec 30th for dinner I used the leftover steamed rice, the end of the velveeta, the rest of the broccoli which I steamed, and some whipping cream. I also sweated some mushrooms and grilled up some chicken tenders that were getting freezer burned to put in the casserole. All of this was put together and then baked in the oven for about 20 minutes and served with some garlic bread. I had extra grilled chicken after this dish was put together.
Dec 31st for dinner I wanted soup since it was cold here so I used the leftover chicken tenders in Chicken Tortilla Soup. In the process of making the soup I opened a large can of diced tomatoes so I had half of that left to use up.
Jan 1st for dinner I went with a family request instead of anything to use up the tomatoes. We had Flanken ribs, salad and Teriyaki mushrooms.
Jan 2nd for dinner we had tostadas which allowed me to use up some of the tomatoes in with the taco spiced meat but not all of them. I brought the leftover tostada fixings with me for lunch starting on the 4th.
Jan 3rd for dinner was another family request, this time the 6 year old. We had some chicken nuggets in the freezer and he asked for those with mac and cheese. I did not have the stuff to make mac and cheese so they were served with wild rice.
Jan 4th for dinner we had smoked sausage with baked sweet potatoes and for those who wanted it leftover wild rice.
Jan 5th for dinner was Creamy Spinach Sausage Pasta which used up the leftover tomatoes ( I used the leftover diced instead of the tomatoes with green chilies that it called for), the leftover smoked sausage, and more of the whipping cream I am trying to use up. This recipe did leave me with 2 cups of leftover chicken broth. I went on pinterest last night to look for recipes and cannibalized items from several for tonight's dish.
Jan 6th for dinner the plan is to eat the chicken legs I have in the crockpot. I tried an idea I came across online which was to put balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of the crock pot to keep the chicken from getting soggy. I also stole another idea and poured the leftover chicken broth in the bottom of the crockpot so it would "rain" on the chicken while it cooked and keep it moist. I did not like any of the sauces in the recipes so I just crusted the chicken with a BBQ dry rub this morning and set it in there. The plan is to serve this with mashed potatoes which should use up my last 2 baking potatoes and the rest of the whipping cream!
We will see what is leftover tonight and if I need to hit up the recipe books and blogs for ideas tonight.
I will start this thread with December 29th since that seems to be the beginning of this chain of leftovers.
Dec 29th for dinner we had Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops with steamed rice and green beans. I cooked extra rice because I had a little bit of fresh broccoli, the end of a box of velveeta and some whipping cream left in the fridge that I wanted to use up.
Dec 30th for dinner I used the leftover steamed rice, the end of the velveeta, the rest of the broccoli which I steamed, and some whipping cream. I also sweated some mushrooms and grilled up some chicken tenders that were getting freezer burned to put in the casserole. All of this was put together and then baked in the oven for about 20 minutes and served with some garlic bread. I had extra grilled chicken after this dish was put together.
Dec 31st for dinner I wanted soup since it was cold here so I used the leftover chicken tenders in Chicken Tortilla Soup. In the process of making the soup I opened a large can of diced tomatoes so I had half of that left to use up.
Jan 1st for dinner I went with a family request instead of anything to use up the tomatoes. We had Flanken ribs, salad and Teriyaki mushrooms.
Jan 2nd for dinner we had tostadas which allowed me to use up some of the tomatoes in with the taco spiced meat but not all of them. I brought the leftover tostada fixings with me for lunch starting on the 4th.
Jan 3rd for dinner was another family request, this time the 6 year old. We had some chicken nuggets in the freezer and he asked for those with mac and cheese. I did not have the stuff to make mac and cheese so they were served with wild rice.
Jan 4th for dinner we had smoked sausage with baked sweet potatoes and for those who wanted it leftover wild rice.
Jan 5th for dinner was Creamy Spinach Sausage Pasta which used up the leftover tomatoes ( I used the leftover diced instead of the tomatoes with green chilies that it called for), the leftover smoked sausage, and more of the whipping cream I am trying to use up. This recipe did leave me with 2 cups of leftover chicken broth. I went on pinterest last night to look for recipes and cannibalized items from several for tonight's dish.
Jan 6th for dinner the plan is to eat the chicken legs I have in the crockpot. I tried an idea I came across online which was to put balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of the crock pot to keep the chicken from getting soggy. I also stole another idea and poured the leftover chicken broth in the bottom of the crockpot so it would "rain" on the chicken while it cooked and keep it moist. I did not like any of the sauces in the recipes so I just crusted the chicken with a BBQ dry rub this morning and set it in there. The plan is to serve this with mashed potatoes which should use up my last 2 baking potatoes and the rest of the whipping cream!
We will see what is leftover tonight and if I need to hit up the recipe books and blogs for ideas tonight.
First Week and Already Overthinking Things
I make a decision and then start thinking about it and 101 conditions come up that I did not consider originally. I am really the classic overthinker! My goal of $50 a week sounded great at first and then I made my first trip to the grocery store on Saturday. The adjustment to weekly shopping was hard but then I also started wondering does my week start on Sunday or is it Saturday to Saturday? Meaning was the money I spent on Saturday the 2nd all I have until the 9th? Do I "disperse" $50 more to myself on Sunday and spend it throughout the week?
Once I thought through things I decided that the money I spent on Saturday the 2nd counts for this week, as if I had taken it out on the 3rd. The weekend is just a convenient time for me to shop so either weekend day counts toward the next week. I am also going to take the money out in cash to make sure that is all I spend.
It was really hard to pass on some great clearance deals I came across since they would have been great to have for the rest of the month. I did stock up on some sale items at one of the stores though and think the future weeks will have to have a cushion for staples that I can get at a good price.
I did overspend my first week's budget because I did not stick with the cash only rule and it will have to come out of next week's money. I also can not find my receipt from Albertson's so will round up the total which was close to $30, once I find the receipt I will update the post.
Albertson's $30.00
Target: $25.60
Dishwasher Detergent
2 bags M&M's
2 6-packs of juice
1 bottle pasta sauce
1 pkg chicken legs
2 boxes of yogurt
2 containers of greek yogurt
2 pkgs sliced cheese
1 pkg erasers
3 Christmas clearance items
Winco: $17.62
1 bottle juice
1 pkg pepperoni
2 pkgs smoked sausage
1 6-pack juice
2 boxes snack cakes
1 pkg tostada shells
4 pkgs ramen noodles
Mrs. Baird's bread outlet: $7.85 ( this one really will last most of the month)
Trip to Target on Jan 5th: $8.12
1 bunch spinach
2 pkgs cheese sticks
Total: $89.19
That leaves me with $10.81 for next week. Admittedly several of the items I purchased will last over the 2 week period and I have many items in the freezer to use but this is not an easy task!
Update!!!!!
I found the receipt at home from the Albertson's trip and the total was $28.22 so pretty close to $30.00 as I remembered.
Items purchased were:
2 6-packs of Pepsi
1 Gerber baby snack
1 pkg cashew halves
2 bottles of juice
2 cans tomatoes with green chilies (mild)
5 cans of petite diced tomatoes
2 bags tortilla chips
5 Lean Cuisine meals
2 pkgs frozen corn
1 pkg frozen broccoli
This makes my total for the week actually $87.41 with $12.59 available for next week.
Once I thought through things I decided that the money I spent on Saturday the 2nd counts for this week, as if I had taken it out on the 3rd. The weekend is just a convenient time for me to shop so either weekend day counts toward the next week. I am also going to take the money out in cash to make sure that is all I spend.
It was really hard to pass on some great clearance deals I came across since they would have been great to have for the rest of the month. I did stock up on some sale items at one of the stores though and think the future weeks will have to have a cushion for staples that I can get at a good price.
I did overspend my first week's budget because I did not stick with the cash only rule and it will have to come out of next week's money. I also can not find my receipt from Albertson's so will round up the total which was close to $30, once I find the receipt I will update the post.
Albertson's $30.00
Target: $25.60
Dishwasher Detergent
2 bags M&M's
2 6-packs of juice
1 bottle pasta sauce
1 pkg chicken legs
2 boxes of yogurt
2 containers of greek yogurt
2 pkgs sliced cheese
1 pkg erasers
3 Christmas clearance items
Winco: $17.62
1 bottle juice
1 pkg pepperoni
2 pkgs smoked sausage
1 6-pack juice
2 boxes snack cakes
1 pkg tostada shells
4 pkgs ramen noodles
Mrs. Baird's bread outlet: $7.85 ( this one really will last most of the month)
Trip to Target on Jan 5th: $8.12
1 bunch spinach
2 pkgs cheese sticks
Total: $89.19
That leaves me with $10.81 for next week. Admittedly several of the items I purchased will last over the 2 week period and I have many items in the freezer to use but this is not an easy task!
Update!!!!!
I found the receipt at home from the Albertson's trip and the total was $28.22 so pretty close to $30.00 as I remembered.
Items purchased were:
2 6-packs of Pepsi
1 Gerber baby snack
1 pkg cashew halves
2 bottles of juice
2 cans tomatoes with green chilies (mild)
5 cans of petite diced tomatoes
2 bags tortilla chips
5 Lean Cuisine meals
2 pkgs frozen corn
1 pkg frozen broccoli
This makes my total for the week actually $87.41 with $12.59 available for next week.
Monday, January 4, 2016
2016 in Books Begins
Goodreads always prompts you to make a resolution for the year in regards to how many books you want to read. This year I set the goal the same as last year at 200 books. I include books I read to the kids in that number although I do not post those books on here. My true goal is also the same as last year and that is to get all the books off my currently reading list. I shaved the number from 41 to 30 with some leaving and some more coming in. These books all deserve to be finished and moved onto my read list!
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