Final Tally of January's Groceries

Made 2 additional trips to the grocery store here at the end of the month which pushed my total up more. I am going to work harder next month as well as start another pantry challenge.


Kroger Trip:
1 pkg diapers       $5.99
1 pkg chicken      $2.99
1 pkg fajita steak  $2.99
1 pkg sour cream  $1.25
3 gala apples         $.99
4 tulips                  $2.00
~1lb bananas         $.57

Total:       $17.44


Winco Trip:
1 apple juice    $1.98
0.15 lbs Swedish fish   $.35
.08 lbs cinnamon lips   $.15

Total:   $2.52


Kroger Trip:
1 pkg smoked sausage     $2.50
1 lb ground turkey     $2.99
2 lb pkg mushrooms   $1.49
4 yogurts       $1.56
1 lb pepper turkey   $2.99
1 lb ham     $2.99
3 gala apples    $.99
1 dozen hoagie rolls    $.99
1 pkg sliced cheese $1.99

Total:  $24.97


Jan Grand Total:::: $317.47

Meals for the Last Days of January /First Days of February

The end of the month is always creative at our house with payday looming but not quite here yet.

Sun Jan 29th:
Dinner: smoked sausage with steamed corn and purple hulled peas. I was excited to find a bag of peas that I had shelled in the bottom of the freezer!

Mon Jan 30th:
Breakfast: leftover donut from church
Lunch: taco using up all the chicken fajita meat we had at home as well as the last flour tortilla. Chips and snack cake.
Dinner:pizza ring from Kiss My Apron. This is always an easy and delicious dinner to throw together.

Tue Jan 31st:
Breakfast: more leftover donuts and then a biscuit and some fruit at work for coworker's birthday
Lunch: Treated to DQ by a former coworker who had a coupon and a gift card she wanted to use. Got the kid's meal steak finger basket which is plenty for me and comes with a free cone.
Dinner: Jolean's Cheese Potato and Smoked Sausage Casserole from Food blog. It was yummy as usual and let me use up the leftover smoked sausage and most of the potatoes I had on hand.

Wed Feb 1st:
Breakfast: donuts and a kolache with Logan
Lunch:Frozen Dinner, potato chips and a snack cake
Dinner: BBQ little smokies and creamed corn

Thur Feb 2nd:
Breakfast: donut and kolache with Logan
Lunch:ham and turkey on sourdough with chips and an apple
Dinner: Stir fry with noodles and egg rolls

Start of the Stir Fry

Finished product

Tiny One enjoying his noodles

Fri Feb 3rd:
Breakfast: Chocolate Chip Muffin and a donut
Lunch: Lunch out with coworkers
Dinner: Spaghetti with sourdough toast

Sat Feb 4th:
Nachos using up leftover refried beans

Books Jan 10th Through Jan 23rd

Starting off the post with the books I have listened to seems like a good trend as there tends to be more of those.
I finished My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and while it was not what I thought it was going to be I still found it interesting.  After Ruth I listened to Bryan Cranston narrate his book A Life In Parts. I truly enjoyed this book and was surprised to find out the number of series I watched that he was in even if it was a bit part. I was cleaning around the house and this one is fairly short so I listened to it in nearly 1 sitting. Next up was a book I have mixed feelings about again it was narrated by the author and I can see where Shonda Rhimes makes a great TV author but most of the book I was zoning out or thinking she was arrogant. I get her point that you need to be confident in who you are and what you have accomplished but I also know it can easily cross a line into arrogance and I think that is where she is. The book I was listening to was Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person.  After wading through the end of this one I started a heavy book. Currently I am listening to White Trash: The 400-Year Old Untold History of Class in America. This one is a long, history book so I may end up having to recheck it out in order to finish.

Kindle books have continued to be disappointing. I skipped great sections of Mermen by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff because it was just horrid. I have no desire to continue this series and want to warn off any other possible readers. After this one I checked out The Beautiful Ashes by Jeanine Frost who I generally like. This one was not horrible but not good enough for me to check out the rest of the series when they come out.  I am currently not reading any other kindle books.

Print books are going along at a slower pace. I finished I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything For Our Kids and liked it. Even though  I am not a teacher I found the book useful in staying aware of the kids in your life and just being there for them.  I went back to the books on my to-read list after finishing that one. I am currently reading The American Way of Eating: Undercover at WalMart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table. The review for this book will come after I finish it as I am still digesting some issues I have with it.

Meals for the Fourth Week of January

Menu plan completed for this week! Let's see how close we stick to this.

Sun Jan 22nd:
Dinner: grilled cheese at Logan's request

Mon Jan 23rd:
Breakfast: bagel brought by coworker because it is her last day
Lunch: frozen dinner with fresh fruit and some salsa also for the coworker's last day.
Dinner:Pinto beans and Cornbread!

Tue Jan 24th:
Breakfast: biscuit
Lunch:frozen dinner and an apple
Dinner: Taco Soup which enabled me to use up some leftover taco meat, black beans and pinto beans.

Wed Jan 25th:
Breakfast: donut and sausage/cheese kaloche
Lunch: leftover taco soup and a bag of chips
Dinner:  The title of the recipe is Grilled Cuban Flank Steak  from Kalyn's Kitchen but I put it in the crock pot. It always turns out great this way and I do not have to worry about grilling when I get home. I did sub paprika for the cumin as I could not get the jar with the cumin in it open.  It worked out as the steak tasted amazing and even the tiny one kept asking for more. The only issue is now I do not have enough leftover for street tacos. Served with mashed sweet potatoes.

Thur Jan 26th:
Breakfast: biscuit
Lunch:treated to Wendy's by a former coworker
Dinner:soft tacos although I ended up picking up some fajita meat when I stopped at the grocery store to get my prescription.

Fri Jan 27th:
Breakfast: donut
Lunch: Gyro out with former coworkers
Dinner: Frozen pizza

Sat Jan 28th:
Dinner: Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie from Skinny Taste. I used ground beef because that is what I had on hand. I also did not use parsnip or put in multiple pans, other than these tweaks I followed the recipe.

Took the picture after I took my serving out

Meals for the Third Week of January

Sun Jan 15th:
Dinner was Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole from Jo Cooks. I used up the leftover rice, leftover corn and leftover chicken on this recipe. I halved the recipe to match what I had left and was a little disappointed. It was really good the last time I made the full recipe but for some reason half the rice is just not enough. If I halve it again I will use 3/4 the rice called for.

Mon Jan 16th:
At Home Day with the boys!!!
Breakfast: donuts left from yesterday
Lunch: Sandwiches for the boys and a frozen dinner for me
Dinner: Spaghetti and garlic toast

Tue Jan 17th:
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Frozen dinner here at work
Dinner: I just lost motivation and so I picked up a pizza

Wed Jan 18th:
Breakfast: Early morning meeting so breakfast was provided. Bacon, French toast, and fresh fruit
Lunch: Treated to lunch by former coworker. Had raisin toast, grits and bacon.
Dinner:Baked spaghetti was on the menu using up the leftovers from Monday night.

Thur Jan 19th:
Breakfast: Donuts provided at work meeting
Lunch: Frozen dinner and banana along with a piece of cake a coworker made
Dinner: Grilled Flanken style ribs, roasted potatoes and black beans. I did not get a picture until dinner was over....here is the aftermath.

Fri Jan 20th:
Breakfast: Biscuit with butter and strawberry jelly and a banana
Lunch: pizza out with a couple of former coworkers
Dinner: hot dogs

Sat Jan 21st:
Dinner: soft tacos

Feelings

In my effort to be honest with myself and forgive myself this year I am going to document some of the feelings/thoughts I have that I usually hold against myself.

Earlier this week I went through the usual evening routine. I got off work, called Phillip to let him know I was on my way to pick up the boys and make sure he was on his way home and not on a late call. I then picked up the kids, chatted with the sitter and then headed home. Once home we unloaded the car and got the kids playing and then I went to start dinner. Even though I had made a meal plan and knew exactly what I was going to cook I just stood there staring at the stove. I just kept thinking that I do not want to do this, I am tired of planning and executing meals. I am tired of worrying about stuff getting done, tired of my time not being my own. I lived in these feelings for quite a while even while actually cooking the meal I did not want to make. It passed and I then have had to work on allowing myself to have these feelings of frustration. Once I recognize these thoughts and feelings I need to forgive myself for what I consider my short comings and move on.

Trade Items I Have Recieved This Month

I forgot to get a picture of the shave gel I received in trade last week but this is the latest batch of items I received. I traded some hair products Phillip was no longer using and 2 pieces of boys clothing for these:

The picture looks like it is haloed but I think it was just the flash reflecting off my counter.

I did not take a picture but today I received 2 rolls of paper towels and a milk crate for a project in trade for some hot rollers I have not used in years.

I traded a roll of paper towels for a jar full of old keys. I have had a couple of projects in mind using old keys so we will see if I have time to get around to it soon!

I went through a ton of craft supplies last night and decided I was not going to get to most of it. I cleaned out a lot of fabric and sewing notions. In exchange for that I received this bag of dog food and baking soda.

I also put up a t-shirt and lapel pin that Phillip did not want for trade yesterday morning. The trader left $6 cash rather than the requested items which is still ok with me!

I listed a bunch of stuff over the weekend not just on my trade group but Amazon and Ebay in an effort to clean up. I have a pending $10 value trade that will not complete before the end of the month but on Sunday I traded some books the boys were not reading for these packages of wipes

I also traded some pins and a patch for $3 cash. It looks like this will be all that comes through this month but it was a good haul and the house is a little lighter. 

Meals for the Second Week of the New Year

This week I actually made up a menu plan which was difficult as I am out of the habit.

Sun Jan 8th:
Lunch: potluck at church. I took Banana Nutella Bread which is always yummy and helps me use up the ends of the Nutella jars Logan goes through and soft bananas. I also took Bacon Pea Salad which used up the extra bacon I made from last week as well as the rest of the bag of frozen peas.

Dinner:  Grilled Cheese and Kettle Chips

Mon Jan 9th:
Breakfast: Some of the leftover Banana Nutella Bread
Lunch: Leftover Taco Soup and some fresh pineapple
Dinner: Slow Cooker Asian Chicken Drumsticks  from the blog Yellow Bliss Road with steamed rice. I did skip the red pepper flakes and cut the salt since it called for soy sauce.

After the crock pot I put them in the oven on broil to crisp the skin and thicken the sauce.

This one was a big hit at the house. Clark kept asking for more chicken and when I was cleaning up after dinner he ate all the rice left in the pot.


Tue Jan 10th:
Breakfast: Sausage and Cheese Kaloche and a chocolate coconut donut as a special breakfast for back to school. Logan requested since it was his first day back from Christmas break.
Lunch: Met a former coworker at her house for lunch. She made us salad, baked sweet potatoes and sliced cheese as well as chocolate chip cookies.
Dinner:Stir fry using some of the leftover chicken

Wed Jan11th:
Breakfast: Finished off the rest of the Banana Nutella Bread
Lunch:Wendy's 4 for $4 as I had some errands to run on lunch.
Dinner: We went off meal plan last night and I have no picture. The tiny one requested dog dogs (hot dogs) so we had pigs in a blanket with steamed corn.

Thur Jan 12th:
Breakfast: cereal in my nifty too go container. It was one of the better fund raiser purchases I have made. You can freeze the bottom portion so that it keeps your milk cold and then just attach it to the cereal cup for transport.

Lunch: The rest of the Taco Soup, some pineapple, a cutie and the rest of a snack bag of chips.
Dinner: moved Wednesday's menu item to tonight. We had Cajun Chicken Alfredo from Tastes Better From Scratch which was ok this time. I think I cut the chicken up too fine.

Fri Jan13th:
Breakfast: donuts and kaloches on the way to Logan's dr appt.
Lunch: Chick-Fil-A 4 piece kids meal on the way in to work after dropping Logan off.
Dinner: Brinner! Bacon, fried and scrambled eggs and pancakes.


Sat Jan14th:
It was a running day that ended with us eating at IHOP for a really late lunch, early dinner.

Meals The First Week of the New Year!!!

I was out of the habit of making a meal plan so the first week of the new year involved winging it! I am not including my lunches for this week as I do not remember what I brought each day.


Sun Jan 1st:
Stir Fry using a single steak we had on hand served with steamed rice

Mon Jan 2nd:
Smoked Sausage, black beans and Garlic Butter Roasted Carrots. We did not like the carrots, there just was not enough butter or garlic for the quantity of carrots the recipe calls for.

Tues Jan 3rd:
White Beans with Spinach and Sausage which enabled me to use up the smoked sausage from the night before.

Wed Jan 4th:
One Pan Pasta with Bacon and Peas which was incredibly creamy and tasty. I fried up a package of bacon to use in this recipe. I reserved some for another recipe and the boys all snacked on it while I was cooking it.

Thurs Jan 5th:
Worn out being creative and so made a frozen pepperoni pizza

Fri Jan 6th:
A "snow" storm came through town so work let us off early! I used the evening to make soft tacos!

Sat Jan 7th:
I used the leftovers from taco night as well as some canned beans to make taco soup for dinner on this really cold night.

Off and Running With January's Groceries

I am afraid I may have to up my monthly grocery amount but I am holding out for a few months to see. Phillip is taking his lunch and both boys are eating more and more as they get a little older.  Another challenge I have faced is my Bountiful Baskets co-op stopped and is in the middle of a reworking so my location has not had a pick up in almost 6 months. I am looking into just joining a nearly local CSA once the spring gets here. As it stands I have been hitting up the farmer's market and grocery stores for produce and debating items through another meat/dairy co-op.


In addition to listing the stores and amounts I am going to break my trips down into groceries and after Christmas items. I did buy several items on clearance to put back for next year and while they came out of this month's budget I am not going to put them toward my grocery totals.

Target Trip:
Grocery:
1 case diapers: $21.99
Candy: $.30
Reese's: $.50
Hershey's: $.50
Kisses: $1.79x2
Apple Juice: $2.08
Reese's Trees: $1.80

Non Grocery:

Boxed Cards: $2.10x2
Kids Socks: $.30x4


I had a gift card so the total for this trip seemingly will not add up.

Grocery Total:  $23.87

Non Grocery Total: $4.23


Winco Foods:

Grocery:
Apple Juice: $2.93x4
Champagne: $4.37
Coke Classic: $1.48
Powerade: $3.98x2
Goldfish: $1.87
Honeybun: $1.30
Oatmeal Creme Pies: $1.30
~3/4lbs sugar in the raw: $.72
~3/4lbs pasta shells: $.60
Tastycake pecan rolls: $1.28
~1/2lb penne pasta: $.45
~1 lb spaghetti: $.77
peach pie: $.88
~1/4lb gummy fish: $.47
~1/4lb gummy worms: $.35
~1/4lb gummy cinnamon lips: $.45
enchilada sauce: $1.01
raisins: $1.19x2
Dublin Root Beer: $1.28
beans: $.66
bean dip: $2.68
box of mac-n-cheese: $.48
Mandarin Orange: $1.78x2
Sliced cheese: $2.74x2
Red Baron Hawaiian: $2.48
Red Baron Pepperoni: $2.98
Spinach Bagged: $1.98
Ham Lunch Meat: $2.19
Mixed Veggies: $.98
Pepperoni: $2.98
Lean Cuisine: $1.73x3
Egg Rolls: $2.28
Velveeta: $5.41
Chips: $1.98x2
Doritos: $2.38
~3/4lbs apples: $.86
Biscuits: $1.85
Cinnamon Rolls: $1.78
Crescent Rolls: $1.68
~4lbs bananas $1.51
Kids Bath Wash: $.93x2
Dishwasher detergent: $2.95x2
Old English spread: $3.12
Bread: $.87

Grocery Total: $106.73



Albertson's Trip:

Grocery:
Dog Chow: $10.99
can corn: $.50
can beans: $.50x4
1 box spaghetti: $.49
tomato sauce: $.25x4
pasta sauce: $.99
penne pasta: $.49
 bag chips: $1.99x3
 coke: $18.36 ( just noticed this, should be $10.00)
canned tomatoes: .89x6
lighter: $2.29
Lean Cuisine: $1.67x3
cheese: $2.99
eggs: $1.99
Frozen veggies: $.88x4
liquid soap refill: $3.99
baby wipes: $2.00
Spray Cleaner: $3.99
French Bread: $1.49

Non Grocery:
Vase: $8.79

Totals:
Grocery Total: $75.74
 Non Grocery Total: $9.52


Kroger Trip:
Grocery:
Hot Cocoa: $.59x2
Swiss Miss: $.79
Dried Cherries: $1.79
Celery Hearts: $.79
Carrots: $.49
Smoked Sausage: $3.99

Non Grocery:
Minecraft Figures: $1.00x10
Star Wars Mini Figures: $.75x10
Thomas mini figures: $.37x10
Sunflowers: $2.99
Evergreen: $1.99
Roses: $2.79

Grocery Total: $9.03
Non Grocery Total: $31.36

Sprouts:

1 lb strawberries: $1.67
2 lbs clementines: $2.50
whole pineapple: $1.98
pkg blueberries: $1.50
1 pkg mushrooms: $1.99
Soba noodles: $1.49
potato chips: $1.50x4
cheese: $2.39
~1/8lb gummi bears: $.32
~1/8 lb gummi worms: $.22
~1/2 lb trail mix: $2.15
~1/2 lb cashew: $2.73
~1/4 lb trail mix: $.92
Bacon: $4.99x2
Ground Sirloin: $5.23
Ground Beef: $4.97

Grocery Total: $45.88


Kroger:
Grocery:
peach pie: $1.00
1 pint yogurt: $1.25
Kids vitamins: $2.99
Bibb Lettuce: $2.49
Artisan Lettuce: $1.29
1 pkg mushrooms: $1.49
~1&1/2lbs bananas: $.78

Non Grocery:
Roses: $3.19

Grocery Total: $11.29
Non Grocery Total: $3.45


Monthly Subtotals:

Grocery:  $272.54
Non Grocery : $48.56

I need to go back to Albertson's and get my $9.00 refund but I am still way over the budget for this month.

Books Jan 1st Through 9th!

This is a post I have missed most! I did not complete my goals last year of reading all of the books on my currently reading list. I finished the year with 9 books left on it which considering it started with 41 and I read almost 200 new books and a few repeats I am granting myself some grace. I however will finish off the list this year and have already knocked 2 more out this weekend.


I started the year off listening to Sully, which of course the movie is based off of. I really liked this book even though it does not follow a strict time progression and occasionally repeats itself.
After finishing that one I started listening to My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg which involves a time commitment. It is not a life story as much as a collection of essays and papers she has written over the course of her career. In some places it is tedious but over all I like it. Currently I am a smidge shy of being half way through it.

As for kindle books I have read 2 new ones this year and really wished I had skipped them. They are part of a series by author T.S.Joyce and I am not sure how they ever were published. The stories are shallow and the dialogue is forced and honestly silly. I read them as I had purchased them and my OCD would not let me stop. If you see either Gentry or Roman by this author skip the purchase.

Print books during this time include the completion of Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why which had been on my currently reading list since 2011. I felt like I needed to finish it! The book did not get great reviews and while it is not my favorite or the best thing ever I did not think it was bad. It was just an informational book but really needed more in the way of tips. After finishing that one I jumped into another one that I had been hanging on my list since 2014, Feasting on Asphalt by Alton Brown. This is a good book with a lot of good recipes and I am sad that it took me soo long to read it. Once it was completed I started on another book that was not already on my list but I had checked out from the library and it is due back next week. It is turning into a pretty quick read and I am really hoping to have it finished before it is due. The newest book is I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids.

Returning After a Painful Absense

I disappeared from the blog for a part of last year and then looked for a good time to come back. I thought the new year was as good a time as any.


Over the course of the time away a family member tried to kill herself when she found out her on line boyfriend was not real. She had been sending him money and got involved in a plot to kill off another family member for money and so we had a multitude of issues to deal with. This led to some separation in the family and I am not sure if it will ever be repaired. The family member that was plotted against is older so I have been working to check on her more often than usual and take my kids by so they can spend some time with her.

We also had several issues with my car that cropped up and had to be handled.

The latest issue was a hot water slab leak in our foundation that needed to be repaired. Luckily insurance took care of the plumbing expense but there was a lot of clean up and sheet rock repair that had to be taken care of after the plumbers were finished. I did use this time to go through everything in the cabinets and cull out what we did not need since I had to put it all up.

I am glad we are going into a new year and hope it is a lot calmer at our house.