Fine Tuning the Grocery Budget

I'm finally seeing the value of the PRICE BOOK I've been working on for months. I haven't been as consistent as I'd like to but I've recorded enough data from my receipts to make it useful.

I'm still haven't been able to stick to my budget of $260 for 2 people. This includes toiletries and pet food, too. I began to wonder if I'm being unrealistic and maybe I am. (I would love to hear from you! What do you spend on groceries for a family of 2?). So, this weekend I made it my goal to go over my receipts and find out if there is anything I can cut.

Thankfully I had saved all my receipts this past month. I went through each receipt and circled anything that was not essential. Guess what I discovered? I spent $65 on snacks alone. This was close to the amount that I had gone over my budget. The snacks included such things as sunflower seeds, almonds, SF cake mixes, Goldfish and other snacks for the grandchildren.

The next thing I did was to make up a monthly menu including all three meals along with a corresponding shopping list. I then used my handy dandy price book and put prices next to each item on my grocery list.  I then added up. I was way over my budget. So, I went back and cut as many items as I could until I could get it down lower. If I leave it the way it is now I will only have $30 leftover for eggs and veggies to last the rest of the month. I don't think that will be enough but I'm not sure what else to cut. At least it's a start.I'm hoping I'll find sale items on some of the items.

I know I could get the total down if we could eat more carbs but our health would suffer. My blood sugar was creeping up to the dangerous point and by cutting back on our carbs it has started to come down.  I'll continue to pray and ask that the Lord will help me find a way to eat low carb on the money He has provided.

I'm excited that I have a new plan and I have hope that I'm getting closer to living within our means.

How much do you spend on groceries per person? Are you budgeting while trying to eat healthier? I love learning from your comments!

Make it Do!

I like the old saying that goes, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!" I've read that it has it's origin from the Great Depression. I often find that I don't have to look far to meet my 'wants' by the items I already have on hand.

I've been out of bubbles for quite a few weeks. The grands enjoy them so. I picked up a bottle at the dollar store this week but then  decided to try and make some instead.

I had all the ingredients on hand. I can't remember where or when I purchased the glycerin.  Apparently I purchased it for a recipe a few years ago. Thankfully I hadn't thrown it out.

The bubbles turned out perfectly. They were larger than the store bought ones and we had the fun of making them ourselves. Here is the recipe I used:

1/4 cup liquid dishwashing detergent
3/4 cup cold water
5 drops of glycerin (available in pharmacies or chemical supply houses)

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I also found a use for an item that I normally throw away. We occasionally get a free newspaper thrown in our front yard and my employer (friend) saves her newspaper for me, too. I save the newspaper for my garden compost or place it under the kitty litter box. I've thought how I could use the plastic sleeve the paper comes in and I finally came up with an idea. 

I've been using plastic wrap to place on top of my planted seeds until they pop up their heads from the soil.  The plastic helps hold the moisture in the soil. I took the newspaper plastic sleeve and cut along the side and the bottom so I could open it. It became a nice size piece of plastic that I can now use as a mini greenhouse over my seeds in place of the store bought plastic. 

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I've been sprouting seeds in the garage this winter. This last batch of seeds were not sprouting.
 I think that the cold discouraged the seeds from sprouting so I thought a heated seed mat might do the trick. The mat's run close to $30 which is more than I wanted to pay. I found a copy cat version of the heated seed mat on Pinterest. I love Pinterest!

I looked around and found a plastic storage container along with Christmas tree lights. The lights were placed in the container. I didn't have any sand so dirt was used and it seemed to work just fine. The warmth from the heated dirt has helped my remaining seeds to sprout.

Here is a link to a DIY instruction for the seed mat:

HEATED SEED MAT

I love using items I have on hand. It's one of the best ways to stretch the money we have coming into the home. Have you found new use for something you already have on hand?

New inexpensive recipe

I bought a small package of pork cubes for $1.99 a pound. I decided to stretch it by making Chile Colorado so I went to one of my favorite recipe sites called ALL RECIPES and did a search. I use this site weekly and have made so many of it's recipes. I look for recipes that have high ratings and I normally read the reviews and take their advice if enough of them agree.

This recipe ROCKS! It was easy and very inexpensive to make. I used some dried chiles we grew a few years ago and the flavor was great. It tasted like something you'd eat in a restaurant.

There is a copyright on the recipe so I don't think I can post it here.  I've added the link. I did need to watch over the recipe as it was simmering and added more beef stock. 

Chile Colorado

Using water TWICE!

Summer is right around the corner which means higher water bills. I've been setting aside the difference between my utilities and my assigned budget throughout the winter months while my bills are lower. I'll use the savings towards the higher bills this summer.

 I continue to catch the beginning water from the tap  while waiting for it to turn hot. I throw it on flower beds or use it to flush. I have a shallow container under the faucet in the bath and catch that water when we wash our hands. Any extra water is thrown into a nearby bucket.

I've carefully examined any chance of water waste.  One day I noticed how much water was flowing down the drain from the washing machine rinse water. I researched online to find out a way to capture the water and use it to water the flowers. I also emailed my city officials to make sure there was no ordinance against it in my city. Thankfully there wasn't.

A hole cutter was put on the end of the drill to make this hole in the wall.  (A jigsaw could also be used to cut a hole).   PVC  1 1/2 " pipe was used to drain the water from the washing machine hose to the water container outside.

You can see the drain coming out of the wall into the large garbage can below. A piece of rubber from a mud flap off an old truck was used to guide the water from the PVC pipe into the garbage can.

 It's not shown in this picture but a piece of stone was later put under the opposite side of the can so the rainwater will drain into the hole on top of the lid.

I picked up a free coffee table off of FREECYCLE a while back intending to use it for a stenciled sign (which never happened). The coffee table was cut down to make the smaller table fit for the garbage can.

A hose faucet with a 3/4 inch pipe-to-pipe fitting were used at the bottom of the can where a garden hose can be attached.  The hose can be moved to any area of the garden. I had to make sure that the hose was at a slant so it would drain easily.  The garbage can will not hold an entire washing cycle of water so be sure to have it ready to drain before you start your machine. 

 I did some research to make sure my homemade laundry detergent wouldn't kill plants. I read a good article on how homemade laundry detergent is  safe to use on plants. I'm choosing to not use it on my vegetable plants but only on my flowers. I've been using it for weeks and my flowers are doing just fine. Of course.. I'm not an expert so use your own judgment! I'm not sure if it would harm animals or no so be careful if your animals have access to the water. 

This water.. that would have gone down the drain... is now keeping the plants on the side of my house nice and wet and alive.

Frugal Friday: Feb. 15

The sun is shining again. I just feel better when the sun shines. Not sure why but I do. I'm spending every spare minute in the yard getting things ready for my vegetable garden.  A lot of the seeds I planted have sprouted. I'm putting them out in the sun and turning off the plant light during the day. I planted tomatoes, eggplant and peppers this past weekend and hope to plant cilantro and some lavendar seeds tomorrow.  Maybe I'll plant some more tomato seeds.

I'm hunting for Comfrey seeds. I read an article on how to make homemade fertilizer from comfrey seeds. I haven't found any seeds locally.. but I'm a huntin'!

My 'grey water project' is almost complete. I purchased a large garbage can tonight and hope to have the project finished this weekend.  Hopefully I'll have pictures to show you next week.

Here are a few ways I saved money this week:

1. I forgot to buy soy sauce at the dollar store but remembered I had some small packets I had saved from Chinese take out. I also used the packets of red pepper flakes that I saved from take out pizza to use in my stir fry.

2. I made homemade tartar sauce for our fish sticks. I had some left over so I used it for salad dressing.

3. I planted some free garlic bulbs that my daughter in love shared with me.

4.  I planted 2 tomato plants that my neighbor shared with me.

5.  I received a survey invite from Savemart with my receipt. I decided to give it a try. The survey only took a few minutes and I received a free $5 giftcard.  The timing was perfect because they had #10 bags of chicken legs and thighs on sale for .58 a pound. I'll definitely be doing their surveys again.

Miss Sassy! Doesn't that look on her face say it all? 

6.  I cut open an empty toothpaste tube and found there was a lot left in the creases.

7.  I finally got around to emptying the 2012 receipt files.  I had some sticky name tags so I placed it over the writing so I can reuse the files for 2013.

I always love reading how you saved money. What did you do this week in your home?


 .. aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands ..1 Thess. 4:11 ESV

Frugal Friday: How I saved money this week

The week was full and busy but not in the realm of saving money. I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen this week and it was probably a good thing. I've been cutting back my carbs to keep my blood sugar numbers low so I'm focusing on meat, green veggies and nuts.I'm hoping to make some low carb almond flour waffles this weekend.

Here is what I did in my home this week:

1. Normally I take my 4 year old grandson to the library each week. He picks out a few books and DVD's and then we play at the park. This week I wanted to take him somewhere new. I searched the internet for free preschool activities but came up empty so we took a field trip to the Bass Pro Shop. He loved the huge fish tanks. We looked at the chart and read about each fish. We named each of the 'stuffed' animals around the store (poor things). I'm so happy to have 2 free places to take him. We'll visit different parks once the weather clears up. I'd like to find some time to pull together activities we can do at home, too.

2. My main focus is getting my garden ready for spring planting.  I can't believe how fast grocery prices are rising. Having a garden is one way I hope to deter the cost.  We live in the city and our backyard is normal size but we're finding lots of room to plant veggies, fruit vines and even an apple tree as we pull up the plants. I moved my Hydrangea to the front yard where it will have more shade and moved a lilac bush to the side yard. I think we will have a pretty decent size garden once we finish.


3. My son tore out a brick patio when he was putting in our sewer line. I had been slowly moving the brick but my back was not happy. My daughter and her family came last Saturday ... and bless their hearts.. they moved the bricks to make a border around the square food gardening section. I'm now making a grid inside their brick border with the remaining bricks. I hope to have it finished before March 28 which is supposed to be the last frost. The book recommends using wood but the bricks were free. :-)

 

4.  The grandson's dug a deep hole (with some help from their daddy) and we buried the leftover concrete from the patio which saved dump fees.

5. I was short one egg for breakfast so I made scrambled eggs and added a few tablespoons of water.

6. I'm saving my large clear plastic bottles (ex. large juice and oil bottles). I'll cut off the bottom and use them as a mini-green house for my seedlings when I transplant in March.  I also read that you can use canning jars if the seedlings are just sprouting.

7. My planting chart says I can plant peppers and tomatoes this week. I hope to do so tomorrow. I'd also like to plant some lettuce seeds. My green onions are doing well in the pot off the patio and are close to being harvested.  The cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, spinach and okra have sprouted and are growing fast. I keep praying and asking God to help us reap a big harvest.  

8. I placed my sprouted seeds outside (not in direct sun) this week. I turned off the plant light while they were outside to save money. 

9. Okay.. so I didn't exactly save money on this last point but I hope it will save money in the future. My daughter had a Tupperware party last night and I purchased a container that is supposed to keep your lettuce (and other veggies) fresh for up to 3 weeks. I hope it works.

10. I'm researching what kind of outside burner to use for canning this summer. I have a glass top stove and read there is a chance it can break under the weight of the canner. I found a 2 burner stove at Bass Pro for $99. I hate putting out the money but  it's less expensive than a new stove. I can also cook on it during the hot summer months to keep my kitchen cool. 

That's about it for this week. I always love hearing what you're doing in your home. I'm learning so much from you gals. What did you do in your home this week?

Frugal Friday: Making money at home

I'm now working 2 days a week for Miss Alice. I'm grateful to have the extra hours at home. I was really getting behind on my work. I'm finally getting some untidy areas organized and it's relieving some stress.

I'll be making less money so I'm thinking of ways to stretch our money farther.

This is how I think about it: If I can do the work instead of paying someone then I'm making money at home.  Does that make sense? It's like paying myself to work instead of paying someone else to do the work for me. For instance, if I wash my own car instead of paying someone then I see it as earning $7.00.

Here are just a few ways I made money at home this week:

1. I spend approx. $10 a month on canned dog food. I made homemade dog food a month ago and it was a big success. My dog really liked it. We mix it in with the dry dog food.  I've been saving scraps of meat and other food scraps to make the next batch which I did this week. Here is the list of items I saved or had on hand:

• Scraps of meat (grissle, skin, leftovers,etc.)
• leftover macaroni and cheese (grandkiddos)
• 2 cups of rice
• chicken and beef boullion
• Squash (wilted)
• Leftover veggies in the fridge

 I chose to freeze the dog food instead of pressure canning so that I could include noodles and rice in the mixture. I saved the meat scraps in recycled plastic bags which I then used for the finished dog food (using them 3 times total). I saved $10 using only ingredients I had on hand.

2.  We've cut back on carbs the past few months but my husband still likes an occasional sandwich.  I had a lot of whole wheat and bread flour on hand so I made 2 loaves of bread. I have 3 bread makers (yes 3) which helps speed up the baking process. I only use the 'dough cycle' and then place the dough in the greased loaf pans, rise again in a warm oven and then bake.  I cut the loaves in half and froze them. I made $6.00 from home.

This is just an example of how I make money from home. How about you? How did you make money from home this week?

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