This weeks grocery shopping.

This week is a little off for my husband and I.  He is having meeting all week so all his meals will be provided by his work.  VERY nice.  All I have to worry about is his snacks throughout the day, which thanks to my small stockpile I will not have to purchase. 

Because we are having company come into town on Thursday - Sunday I am going to go to the grocery store on Wednesday and spend my allotted 50.00 for those days.  It is going to be tricky, very very tricky.  50.00 on four people? 

Here is what I am eating until Thursday.  Scraps, odds and ends and more scraps and odds and ends.  :) 

This will consist of Oatmeal, homemade granola bars - with ingredients from my stockpile, vege burgers, and smoothies.  I have not yet decided on what I am making to serve our family this coming weekend so stay tuned and watch my creativity come to life!  I will try to post this by Tuesday, after I have time to go through the advertisements and coupons.

Have any ideas for cheap healthy meals?  PLEASE share!  I need all the help I can get this week!

Happy savings! 

5 things to do with an old T-shirt and Day 1 of the Wear All Challenge

I know I know, this post sounds so exciting! :)  Well your right it is!  I am in the process of going through ALL my clothes, pajamas, socks, work clothes, play clothes.  You name it, and I have tried it on and sorted it in the last 24 hours.  After several hours of sorted my clothes I realized I have way to many for one, and for two that some of them were worn past the point of use.  So that gave me an idea.  How can I reuse these old T-Shirts for a different purpose?

This is what I came up with :
1) Packing material - this is probably the least glamorous of my ideas, but give it chance!  If you live far away from family like me and need to ship gifts home, cut up a bunch of different colored shirts and use it as cushion for the breakables.  And as added bonus is that it will slightly speed up the decomposition process.

2) Dust rag or Car wash rag.  Who needs to spend money on those fancy schmancy official dust rag and car wash mitts when you have a perfectly nice holey T-shirt that is dyeing to be all sudsy and put to use again?  Not me.

3) Grocery bag.  This will take a little elbow grease and some imagination but I know you can do it!  And I apologize I have misplaced my camera, but I will take pics and post especially this one to give you some motivation.  Lay the shirt on table or flat surface and cut off the sleeves, then turn inside out and sew the bottom together.  Than fold down a seem in the arm holes and do the same.  Then turn it right side out and look what you have created.  The arm holes act like handles and the neck hole is the place to put the food.  Many grocery stores give discount for bags, so put the old shirts to use!

4) Arts and Crafts for children.  Give them some child safe scissors, glue and glitter and let htem create a masterpiece, or pajamas.  :)

5) Use as added insulation during colder months.  I have done the for years - and I'm sure others do as well.  Take an old shirt - wad it up and put it in between the screen and glass for an extra layer of protection. 

Also, while going through my clothes I noticed many things that still has tags on.  While I purchased these with the best of intentions I have never been able to wear them.  That brought me to my next challenge...Are you ready?  I am calling it the "Wear All Challenge".  I am going to see what I can wear in a months time.  If I don't wear it, it is immediately going into the garage sale or donate bin.  There are a few things I will wear many times, for example I only own 7 pairs of dress pant, so the shirts are really what I am concentrating on with this challenge.  I will keep you posted on my progress.  Anyone want to join my challenge?

Happy Weekend!

First time making my own laundry soap.

In the recent years I have noticed more discussion than usual about making your own laundry soap.  In the spirit of saving money I decided to give a whirl!  Guess what..its pretty darn simple!  I can not talk credit for this recipe though, I would have no idea to where to start.  I got it from one of my favorite bloggers.  Go here....http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money/ to find out the exact instructions.

Here is what I recommend you have.
A large spoon, I actually used a big paint stirrer that a large lumber store gave me
1 5 gallon bucket, or three 1 gallon buckets to make it easier for handling
1 bar of soap, any kind you like
Borax
Washing Soda

The basic idea is to melt a shredded piece of soap, any kind you like and melt it in 3 cups of nearly boiling water.  I used a cheese shredder, but a knife would work just fine as well. 

Then you put 3 gallons of hot water in a 5 gallon bucket, add the soapy water once the soap has melted, 1 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup of borax.  SO EASY!  Plus, its actually kind of fun, and you can make a new scent every time if you wish.

Again, check out the simple dollar blog for the exact recipe and instructions I used.

Happy Cleaning!

One week down!

I have been on this journey I am calling the financial fast for one complete week now.  Yay for me!  So far I have contributed 650.00 towards my loan I want to pay off, and only 50.00 to savings.  Savings, well....yea, I am doing something kind of reverse.  Since I already have a generous savings I am concentrating more on paying off debt.  Makes since to me.

I stuck to my grocery budget, and spent no unnecessary money this week!  I call that a success!  :)

My in-laws are coming in next weekend for 4 or 5 days, so sticking to 50 dollars may be absolutly impossible.  Lets see what I can do here....Any tips?

I need alot of help, so follow me so I can get your help anytime!  :)

Happy Savings!!

My homebread recipe - without a bread machine

I have read many recipes online and in books and I have compiled what I think is the best recipe.  Although, I do not eat it anymore because there is milk and butter in it my husband still happily eats it.  As well as my boxer who ate half the loaf last night when I turned my back.  Ugh - that little rascal.

This is what you will need. 
1/4 cup of milk
.5 tablespoons of sugar
1.5 tablespoons of butter or a little less you do not like butter
2 tablespoons flax meal (optional) 
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (optional for topping)
A Pinch of salt
1 package of Dry active yeast or about a tablespoon of it from can jar.
3 cups of flour.  Plus more for the counter.

1)  Mix the yeast and water together according to the package directions.

2) Add the butter (melted), sugar and milk.  Stir until you reach an equal consistency. 

3) Add the rest of the ingrediants.  Add the flour slowing, about 1 cup at a time and make sure there are no bubbles. 

4)  Knead for 20 min.  Put a towel over it and let rise for 45 min.

5) After rising for 45 min, knead again for 30 min.  Let it rise once more for another 45 min.

6) Set the oven at 400 and cook for 30-40 min, checking it near the end to make sure it doesnt over cook.

7) Immediately put it on a cooling rack, and slice when ready to eat!  It slices better when cool.   

You can really have a lot of fun with this.  It really isn't a recipe but rather guidelines cause you can add whatever you want!  Have fun.

Week 1 off Grocery shopping - Financial Fast

Okay I had a WILDLY successful day grocery shopping!!  Here is was I bought, and then below is what I plan on making with it - aka this weeks menu!

Store 1
2 Kraft Mayo's 32oz each.  --1.98 each -- I had a coupon for 1.00 off two, and then the store was running a special for an additional .35 off each one.  So for two Mayo's I paid 1.13 each.
1 bottle of sweet relish - 1.22
1 bag of dried cranberries - 1.48
1 bag of 12 whole wheat taco wraps - 1.00
Kraft BBQ sauce .78

Store 1 total - 7.28

Store 2
Newmans own salsa - 2.00
Organic Chicken Breast - 6.19 (3 breasts)
Bag refund .05

Store 2 total - 8.14

Store 3
2 boxes of granola bars - 2/5
2 boxes of Suddenly Salad - 1.98
Vegan Granola bars - 2.98
San Pelligrino - 1.50
Celery - 1.18
2 ears of corn - .76
2 - .50 coupons

Store 3 total 12.40

Store 4
2 Raspberries fruit bars - 1.10
1 2 pound bag of organic apples 2.49

Store 4 total - 3.59

Complete weekly shopping total - 31.31

Side note - My state does not charge sales tax on food items, so I am able to know exactly how much I will spend before leaving the house! 

Since I have so much left in my budget I am going to be going out again and getting food to donate.  After all, if I have the money to do so I should do it!  I will not be going over 50.00 per week, but I will spend up 50.00 in order to donate items.  Speaking of which - one of those Mayo's will be donated, Since my husband is the only one that will be eating it it will go bad before we can use it.

Menu - Week of June 19th-June 25th

Sunday Breakfast - Cereal, yogurt, bananas, oatmeal, granola, raspberries ( all left over from last week )
            Lunch - Odds/Ends - was out shopping so the hubby was left to fend for himself.
            Dinner - Tacos.  Chicken, salsa, lettuce, red and yellow peppers, onions ( all but the chicken is                                 leftover from last week) and the whole wheat wraps I purchased today.
Monday Breakfast - Cereal, yogurt, granola, oatmeal, smoothies, raspberries, bananas, apples.
              Lunch - Leftovers
             Dinner - Finish off the leftovers and if needed Tuna noodle casserole

Tuesday Breakfast - Same ole - Same ole
             Lunch - Left over Tuna noodle casserole
             Dinner - Chicken Salad (lettuce, red and yellow peppers, onions, edamame, cheese)

Wednesday Breakfast - Same as always
                  Lunch - Left over Chicken Salad
                  Dinner - Salad again, but I am going to try to find a different kind. 

Thursday Breakfast - Same as always
               Lunch - PB&J and apple ( I will make the bread)
               Dinner - Grilled BBQ Chicken, and a wonderful corn on the cob concoction, suddenly salad.

Friday Breakfast - Same as always
          Lunch - Left over chicken, corm and pasta
          Dinner - baked chicken with seasoning, sauteed peppers and onions, brown rice and Quinoa.

On weekends we eat scraps.  Whatever needs to be eaten we eat - so nothing goes to waste.  With only two of us we can do this, we are not too picky!  :)

Hope this helps you!  I look forward to hearing feedback, and of course tips on how I can shop better!

Happy Shopping and Savings!

Fifi   

Day four of the Financial Fast

Alas, it is Friday!  Thank goodness!  My husband was lucky enough to have a half day off of work today so we went for a walk with the boys - our two dogs.  A 1 year old brindle boxer, and a 2.5 year old German Shepherd/Dane mix.  It is very warm here today, about 85 so we decided to take the dogs to their favorite place on earth....the pond a block away from our house.  Unleash the boys and let 'em run!  They love bouncing around and playing in the water.  It is a nice way to get a little exercise in for the adults while not over extending ourselves in the heat.

My husband and I both had lunch supplied by work today so that was a wonderful surprise and no money needed! :)

I did have to go to the store today and buy a new collar for my boxer, his - after 2 years of use on my other dog finally broke.  In my opinion going without a collar and tag identification is just not an option.  If I lose my babies, I want someone to be able to find their home.  So, I bought the cheapest cute one.  I spent $5.88.  Because I have not set up a fun money section in the budget I will be taking this out of our grocery fund.

Lucky for us, when it gets warmer out we do not feel like eating a whole bunch, so I think I will be able to swing it this week.

Stay tuned!!  Tomorrow I will be posting my weekly grocery list, complete with coupons used and stores shopped.  I will also include the recipes I will be making in case you have any interest.  Keep in mind I will only spend $50.00, and I am only feeding 2 people - although those 2 people eat completely different.  I think I have found some good deals this week so this should be a great week! 

I will also be posting an update on what we have contributed to the Car loan.  Only 5 months and 2 weeks to have half of it paid off!  We can do it!

Stay cool and happy savings!