Calculating meat costs per serving

As the price of food continues to rise (and my income is not) I am being forced to re-evaluate my weekly menu and shopping list.

We've cut way back on carbs which means that I'm not able to fall back on homemade breads, tortillas or pastas to stretch my meals. Our main meals consist of meat, vegetables and limited fruits. Thankfully I can make homemade soups during the winter to stretch my meat budget. I've been collecting vegetable soup recipes that work great for lunch. I am also focusing on recipes that use small amounts of meat and focus more on the veggies.

I found this 'cost per serving' meat calculator fascinating (I know, I know.. I live a boring life! *S*). When you put in the cut of meat and the price per pound it will tell you how many servings you'll get per pound. I just bought some skinless chicken breasts (all natural) for $2 a pound. The calculator told me I could get 4 servings per pound according to US governement standards. I want to take the information  from this calculator and use it with my recipes to see if my portion sizes are correct to get the greatest servings per recipe.

Calculate Cost Per Serving

I hope this can help you, too!

Gym Workout:: FREE!

God has given a gust of grace the past few months and as a result I've been able to stick to a walking regime. I've been averaging 8-9 blocks a day .. 4-5 days a week. I have more energy and I enjoy the walk. I take my dog and listen to sermons on my IPOD. It's an awesome time.

Unfortunately, I'm having some problems with one of my feet. I started thinking that it might help this old bod if I did something different a few days a week instead of walking.

I considered joining a gym but it's $20-$30 a month. The thing about adding something to the budget is that it's hard to cut it in the future. It's just better to do without it if possible.

I called the local Senior Citizen Center and sure enough they had a gym room. I didn't have high expectations but was more than pleasantly surprised. All the equipment was updated. They had 3 stationary bikes (digital with all kinds of programs and gadgets), a weight machine, and some kind of stepping machine. There are 3 flat screen TV's on the wall which you can listen to with earphones attached to your machine.

My husband and I paid $1 each to be trained on the equipment. The best part is that we will NEVER have to pay another penny to use the equipment. The 'gym' is open M-F from 8:30-4:15pm. The gym is less than 5 minutes from our home.

You only have to be 50 years old to use the facility. I guess there are a few perks to getting old!

Frugal Fridays: How to Give a Haircut

I posted this "how-to" article on my other blog a few years ago. I was going through some old blog posts when I ran across this one. Since it received a lot of 'hits' I thought it might be a good resource for this blog.

I've been cutting my families hair for over 30 years. I first taught myself to cut hair with my youngest son when he was just a baby. I had a friend teach me a few more techniques when my children were older so I was then able to cut my husband's hair. I've saved us a ton of money. I  will oftentimes trim my own hair inbetween hair appointments just to extend my haircut a couple of weeks.

Meet my handsome assistant.... Mr K.

Step One: I started at the back of the neck. I combed most of the hair up so that there was just a thin layer of hair at the base of the neck. I made a cut for my guideline and then used that guideline to cut the hair up to the crown.



Step Two: Pull the hair straight out and cut using the baseline cut on the back of the neck as your guide.



Step 3: Make your first cut at the front. Use this cut as your guideline. Pull up a thin layer of hair behind the guideline and cut to match the guideline cut.  Continue this technique until you hit the crown.




Step 4: Decide where you want the hair over the ears and make your guideline cut. Use this as your guide and work up to the crown pulling the hair out to the side.



Step 5: Comb the hair over the ears towards the eyes and cut as shown.


Step 6: Shave the neck



Doesn't he look nice?



It helps if you can practice on a young child first. I also found instructional videos on U Tube which looked  helpful.

I hope I explained this clearly.

Low Income Dentistry: My 2nd Appt.

I went for my second appointment at the university that offers discounted dental care. I ended up paying $27.00 for my xrays from the last appointment. My cleaning (which will include some deep cleaning) for the entire mouth will cost $81.00.

My student dental hygenist gave me another exam for cancer of the mouth and updated my history. She evaluated my gums which would make the decision on what type of cleaning I would need. She was very gentle. Her professor came and rechecked the 'numbers' she had assigned each tooth. I had told her that I thought her numbers were too low on the back teeth so she passed the information onto her professor. She rechecked them and confirmed I was right.

She started cleaning one section of my teeth but was not able to finish. She said she should be able to finish cleaning the rest of my mouth at the next appointment.

Overall, it was a good appointment. I'm saving a lot of money. I was quoted $175 per quadrant compared to $81 for my entire mouth.

Free Stuff Friday

Christian Audio has another free download. Click on this link:

THINK

THINK: The Life of Mind and the Love of God  by John Piper

John Piper’s newest book will help Christians think about thinking. Focusing on the life of the mind helps us to know God better, love him more, and care for the world. Along with an emphasis on emotions and the experience of God, we also need to practice careful thinking about God. Piper contends that “thinking is indispensable on the path to passion for God.” So how are we to maintain a healthy balance of mind and heart, thinking and feeling?

Piper urges us to think for the glory of God. He demonstrates from Scripture that glorifying God with our minds and hearts is not either-or, but both-and. Thinking carefully about God fuels passion and affections for God. Likewise, Christ-exalting emotion leads to disciplined thinking.
Readers will be reminded that “the mind serves to know the truth that fuels the fires of the heart.”

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In Evil Long I Took Delight

By John Newton

---

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp'd my wild career:

I saw One hanging on a Tree
In agonies and blood,
Who fix'd His languid eyes on me.
As near His Cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look:
It seem'd to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke:

My conscience felt and own'd the guilt,
And plunged me in despair:
I saw my sins His Blood had spilt,
And help'd to nail Him there.

Alas! I knew not what I did!
But now my tears are vain:
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the Lord have slain!

--A second look He gave, which said,
"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou may'st live."

Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mournful joy,
My spirit now is fill'd,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I kill'd!

Free Stuff Friday

A few freebies are being given away today. The first is a 'give away'. You never know if you just might win. The second one on prayer is free to everyone. It's an audio download of prayers from the Old and New Testament with other prayers not found in scripture such as The Serenity Prayer.

Enjoy!


The Baker's Illustrated Bible Handbook

Prayers: A Personal Selection