Updating the Food Budget

The more frugal blogs I read, the more I know and understand that I can cut down my food budget dramatically. Today I read the blog of a mother who has a family of 8 and spends between $65 and $75 a week on food, paper goods, diapers and personal items! You can view her blog here: A Life at Home. This is a great blog because she lists her weekly menu's (breakfast, lunch and dinners) along with recipes. Well worth a visit.

The key to the success of many of these bloggers seems to be learning to use the Walgreens and CVS drugstore rewards and rebates programs. I've used the Walgreens' rebate program off and on for about two years, but haven't been as diligent as I should be. I recently signed up to receive the CVS rewards card, which came in the mail this week. The second key to success is matching coupons with these rebate and rewards programs, which enables you to get items for free or close to free. Free is good :)

However, I see a bit of buying items just to get items for free. Some of these blogs (no, I'm not going to name names) show photos of what they've bought and I'm thinking, "Just how many Aveeno handcreams can one person use??" If you're "stocking up" just to show you can do it, to me that's not only wasteful but contributing to the clutter of your home. You have to store all that "stuff" somewhere!

I don't want to invest several hours a day in all this, nor do I want to buy items I wouldn't normally use just because I can get them for free. What I want to do is come up with a plan to use coupons, rebates and sale flyers to lower my grocery bill (which includes paper goods and personal care items) to $60 a week.

I'm thinking that more homemade foods is going to be the key to my success. Homemade soups and breads, homemade meatballs and meatloaves, homemade pizza*. Some prepared foods, however, cost less to buy than to make from scratch -- spaghetti sauce (I buy a large can of Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti sauce for .99) comes to mind, as does cheese sauce and alfredo sauce (Ragu sauces are $1.69 a jar, and these last for at least two meals when added to noodles or in a casserole). So there are times when prepared foods have their budgetary place and I guess the lesson is to learn when they are or are not the frugal way to go.

Just a note about meatballs. I posted a meatball recipe in an earlier post (a few months ago), and to me, meatballs are one of the most diverse items you can have on hand in your freezer! I pre-cook them (in the oven), put 8 to 12 in a freezer bag for meal-sized portions. (I also use the same mixture to make meatloaf, so if I buy 5 lbs of ground beef, I usually make two meatloaves, then get another 15 or so meals from meatballs.) Here's what I do with meatballs:

-- Slice in half and use as topping for homemade pizza
-- Spaghetti and meatballs (obviously)
-- Meatball subs (meatballs, spag sauce, rolls)
-- Faux Swedish meatballs (cream of mushroom soup, milk, sour cream for a sauce)
-- Meatballs in gravy (can of beef gravy, serve over rice or noodles)
-- Meatball soup - (drop meatballs into homemade beef or vegetable soup)
-- Meatballs and noodles -- cook noodles in beef broth, do not drain, add meatballs and leftover veggies, heat again until meatballs are warmed
-- Meatball rollups (husband's favorite) - Tortilla, meatballs, a dab of spagh sauce, some grated parm. cheese - nuke for 30 seconds or so)

If you purchase ground beef on sale (as low as $1.29 a pound here), and get 21 meals from it (two meatloaves give us four meals plus two lunches), that's about .30 per meal for meat (for two people). That's just about as frugal as it gets!

Live and Learn

I don't normally cuss, swear, use bad language, etc. I haven't since my kids were babies and I knew what I said was going to be coming out of their mouths at the most inopportune time. It's a lesson every parent needs to make note of. There are occassions (stubbing a toe, dropping a favorite cup...) when a cuss word slips. Yesterday was babysitting day. Brayden Lee was here bright and early and we had a nice day. The morning was spent doing some housework because the rain kept us inside. In the afternoon the sun came out but the yard was wet and muddy, so I took him out on the back deck and patio to play for awhile. Jeff came home and he and I sat and had coffee while Brayden played nearby. One of Brayden's favorite things to do is have me fill a small squirt bottle with water, and let him spray anything he wants outside. Anything but ME, of course... Jeff and I were talking and Brayden was squirting and all was well. Brayden suddenly appeared at my side with the first "evil grin" I've seen on his precious little face...and said, "Spray Umma..." and promptly got me full-spray square in the face! Yes, it was funny and we laughed but my knee-jerk reaction was "S - H - I - T!" as I mopped my face off. Lest you think I let the word slide in front of my grandson... I SPELLED IT OUT. I got my word out, got my reaction released...safe and sound. A minute later Brayden is climbing up into one of the patio chairs, turns to lean on the patio table, reaches for his car...and says.... S - H - I - T. LOL!!! I mean, that kid SPELLED OUT THE WORD LETTER BY LETTER! He did it in a way that made it sound like a word... "EsssAitchEyeTea". And, as he is prone to do when he's focusing on learning a new word... promptly repeated it over and over! To my daughter (whom I am always chastising about swearing in front of Brayden), I apologize. (I didn't actually tell her about all this in hopes that if she heard him say "EssAitchEyeTea" it wouldn't be clear enough for her to understand what he was saying.... LOL.. OK, I'm bad.) You know what's going to happen next week when I take him to Story Hour, right? Grandparental lesson learned.

Photo of the Day

My Newest Grocery Self-Challenge

I went into my chest freezer this morning to grab some hamburger for tonight's dinner, and I have to say, my freezer is FULL. A little later, I went into the freezer of the refrigerator, and guess what? That's full too. Cupboards in the laundry room (right off the kitchen) where I keep my baking items (flours, sugar, etc.)? Full. Canned goods cupboard? Full. Cereal and snacks cupboard? Full. And yet yesterday I was wondering if I needed anything at the grocery store. I do need a quart of milk, 1 dozen eggs, 1 can of coffee and 2 cans of cat food. Now my challenge: With the exception of that small list, no more grocery shopping until the first of next month. The point? What's the use of "stocking up" on grocery store bargains if you just continue to go grocery shopping each week? If I challenge myself to do no more grocery shopping, I'm going to be forced to find out exactly what's in my freezer, what's in my cupboards, and what I can do with it to make decent meals! Automatic savings of at least $200 for the month. This weekend I will do a freezer inventory and write down the contents of both freezers. I'm pretty sure I have beef soup bones and turkey carcases in there, which by itself can account for a dozen meals. I'll do the same with canned goods and baking goods. I know I have plenty of flour, yeast, etc. to make homemade breads, waffles, pancakes. I have plenty of frozen and canned vegetables. The one area we'll be lacking in is lunch items for Jeff, but I will just make enough food at dinner for him to take the leftovers to work the next day. What if I could do this every four or six months? If I purchase stock up items with coupons, rebates and sale items, and do a grocery inventory every four or six months, can I go one, two or even three months of the year without buying any groceries? What a savings that would be! I'll keep you posted on how this goes.

Free $25 - Weird but absolutely true

OK, the MoneySavingMom blog this morning has a "too good to be true, but is" posting about a bank that's opened up what they hope will be competition for PayPal. It's called Revolution Money Exchange and (here's the "too good to be true" part), just for opening an account, they give you $25.00. That's right -- $25 free. No strings. No depositing money of your own. Poof! $25.00.

I've done it, I've created an account. But I didn't do it until I got online and did some research on the parent company and, to the best of my knowledge and researching skills, it's legit. They are the First Bank and Trust in Brookings, SD, have 8 branch offices, are FDIC insured, etc. I do not fill out forms lightly on the internet, so you know I had to feel pretty secure to fill this form out. If you're so inclined to receive $25.00 free, use the button here in my post because I will get a $10 referral fee. Then go put it on your blog and do the same! Once you sign up, go to MY ACCOUNT and somewhere on there you'll see the word ACCEPT with a blue check mark - click on that to have the $25 put into your account. Once you do that, you can withdraw the funds!! Hey, free money is free money! ADDED LATER IN RESPONSE TO ANONYMOUS' COMMENT: I agree to ALWAYS be leary. However, can you actually give me the names of the web sites that called this a scam, because I don't find them (try doing a Google search for INTERNET SCAM "REVOLUTION MONEY EXCHANGE" ). Not only do I not find posts calling this a scam, I find the opposite. Here's what I find (and I'm not trying to push this on anyone!!! I'm just trying to make sure that something *I* signed up for is not a scam!!) Washington Post – "Former AOL chairman Steve Case is at it again, this time using his Revolution LLC investment firm to start a new credit card company he's calling Revolution Money…AOL vice chairman emeritus Ted Leonsis will chair the new company…the board also will include former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, former Mastercard CEO Russell Hogg, and former Charles Schwab chief executive David Potruck." USA Today - "Leonsis predicts the service will have 1 million merchants and 1 million customers signed up within a year." ReadWriteWeb - "The company recently announced a $50 million Series B round of funding from Citi, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and others." Bloomberg - Case's Revolution Introduces Credit Card With Lower Fees - Case, 49, has invested $100 million of his own money in Revolution. Computer World - CEO Jason Hogg says, "At the same time, you have greater security. I think there are opportunities for a better model, and an Internet-based payment platform affords us that opportunity." Wall Street Journal – "Revolution Money is also offering the first anonymous credit card with PIN-based encrypted technology. There is no name or account number on the card, 'drastically reducing the risk of identity theft, fraudulent charges and other consequences of cards being lost or stolen,' the firm said." TechCrunch - "Of course, if they want the money, they have to sign up for the application, and link it to their bank account. But that's exactly how PayPal went viral....In truth, Revolution Money sees MoneyExchange as a loss leader for its real business, which is the RevolutionCard, its credit card that undercuts Visa and Mastercard. It has no intention of making money off of MoneyExchange by charging for transactions because in its eyes the online payment service is just a way to build up a valuable network of potential credit card customers. You can be sure that every MoneyExchange member will get an offer for the RevolutionCard. Steve Case is just seeding the market."

STILL LATER: Thank you, Anonymous, for your comments and your clarification. I think we're both on the same page -- I just took the dive. I do want to report back on all this. I had no problem establishing an account. One person took me up on my offer, so my account then showed a $35 balance. Tonight I went into my account and requested a check for $32.50 (they charge a $2.50 fee for issuing a check vs direct deposit, but since I didn't want to give out my bank info, I preferred a check), which they say will arrive within 7 to 10 business days. The MY ACCOUNT area does have a function to close the account. However, since I'm an Ebay seller and would actually LOVE to see PayPal have some competition (their fees have grown enormously), I'm going to stay with it for a bit and see how many people join up. I have read several blogs that tell me Ebay Sellers are excited about the possibilities. I'm going to hang on and see. IF the check arrives I will post here. I will also watch my credit report watch dog service and make sure this hasn't in any way affected my credit report, and report back here if I see anything. The ONE drawback I see is that this new service does not pay interest on money you leave in the account, as PayPal does. When I'm actively selling on Ebay I often leave money in PayPal for months at a time (in case someone requests a refund), and I do like getting the interest on my money. We'll see!

Spring cleaning - slow but sure

I've gotten several "junk drawers" cleaned out and my coupons cut and organized (they were all stuffed in a drawer in my office), and today I'm attacking the family room. I need to remove the winter slipcovers, wash them and hang them out, plus take down the curtains, wash and hang out. If I can also get the tracks of the sliding door cleaned (it's toothbrush time!) and the windows, doors, and electronics cleaned, I'll be happy.

The weather here is just gorgeous - should be low 70's today. I've turned our furnace off completely, though it's still high 40's and low 50's at night. Hopefully we won't have to turn it on again this season, which will be a huge savings. Jeff did, however, refill and connect the hot tub, so the savings of having the furnace off is going to be counteracted by the new increase in electricity for the hot tub. Ah well...

Aside from the Spring cleaning tasks, I have some errands to run today, and I need to buy gas. I just checked GasBuddy.com and found gas prices in my errand route range from $3.12 to $3.34! I'm glad I checked as my "regular" station is in the $3.20's. Gas prices change so quickly here that I'll check one more time, just as I'm ready to go out the door.

Homemade no sugar Cole Slaw

You will be amazed at how great this coleslaw is! 1/2 bag prepared coleslaw mix (or slice and dice your own cabbage and carrots) 1/2 cup mayo (I use only Canola Oil Mayo) 1 tbsp Splenda 1 tbsp white vinegar Sprinkling of caraway seeds (optional) Mix mayo, caraway seeds, Splenda and vinegar, pour over coleslaw mix and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Option 1: Adjust Splenda and vinegar, depending on how tart/sweet you like your coleslaw. Option 2: If you want a creamier coleslaw, add sour cream. Option 3: For low-fat recipe, just use low-fat mayo.

Grocery shopping

Grocery shopping this week took me two full hours, but it was worth it. I didn't receive this week's Kroger flyer, so I went to their website and found I could make my list there from what was on sale, and print it off! They have a lot of 10 for $10 sales, plus you get $5 off if you buy 10 of these items. I used the web site and determined ONLY the items on sale that we use on a fairly regular basis, plus other sale items not in the 10/10 category. With list in hand, off I went. I paid $114. Sound like a lot? I've already sat down and made up TWO WEEKS of menu's for what I bought! YAY! That means I'm right at my target of $60 to $70 per week. I used about $9 in manufacturer's coupons (which Krogers matches up to $1), had a few freebie coupons, and then focused on the items that would get me the $15 cash back. I also bought 5 lbs of ground beef ($1.49 lb.) and 16 bone-in chicken breasts (which I will skin and de-bone myself) at $.99 cents a pound. The bones and trimmings that come off the breasts will make a good soup. Here's a look at my two week menu's: Sun - Hamburger chili casserole (Dreamfield pasta $1 coupon), salad Mon - Baked chicken, rice side dish, vegetable Tues - Manwich on 100 calorie Eng muffins, salad or soup (depending on the weather) Wed - Left over chicken in Stir Fry, veg egg rolls (from freezer) Thurs - Spaghetti w/meatballs (make xtra meatballs and meatloaf for freezer) Fri - Chicken pot pie, salad Sat - Taco salad (cooked extra meat from Sunday's casserole, freezer) Sun - Breakfast for dinner (husband's favorite dinner) Mon - Tuna casserole, salad Tues - Pork chops (freezer) w/BBQ sauce, homemade coleslaw, salad Wed - Meatballs in beef gravy served on egg noodles, vegetable Thurs - Baked chicken, baked potato, vegetable Fri - Pizza night (order in) - Donation book gives us 2 pizzas for price of one, we'll split the cost with daughter, pay $6 for large 2 topping pizza. Sat - BBQ chicken on the grill, salad Sun - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veg, crescent rolls I also bought 2 packages of lunch meat (turkey, ham), 6 cans of tuna, 2 bags of organic chips, 2 loaves of bread -- so I have plenty to make Jeff's lunch for the next two weeks. He'll have dinner leftovers for lunch the next day when available. Brayden will eat tuna casserole, spaghetti, and leftover chicken for his lunch. Breakfasts will be cereal, oatmeal or breakfast burritos. I also bought bananas and apples, which we'll all eat for lunch and snacks. Krogers had 12 packs of Diet Coke on sale 4/$10, and I have apple and orange juice in the fridge, so we're all set on drinks. Plenty of coffee on hand (always). I did buy one cake mix, and I'll make cupcakes and put them in the freezer and pull them out frozen for Jeff or Brayden's lunch, frost them at the last minute. The cake mix and canned frosting were both on sale for .50 (10/$10, less $5 cash back). I can't make them from scratch for that price. So I think those are good menu's for two weeks, on less than $60. The cashier at Krogers told me they will be having a similar sale next week, but I won't participate unless I can find manufacturer's coupons and end up with the items for free, or they are "stock up" items we use regularly. And while I was out, I got a FREE car wash. I go to a great car wash that charges $11 to clean your car inside and out, and they REALLY clean it, including washing inside windows and wiping down all inside surfaces, then vac'ing it out. Every time I go, I get a card punched, and today I got my free car wash! Made the grocery deals just that much sweeter!

Spring has sprung

Spring has hit full tilt here in southwestern Ohio, and I'm loving it. It was warm enough yesterday to hang out laundry for the first time! I did three loads of laundry, so that's three times the dryer was NOT used. I'm thinking of keeping track. I have two loads of sheets to do today, and almost can't wait to climb into bed with those fresh smelling sheets. Now that I think of it, I should probably wash the blanket and quilt that are on the bed as well -- and have a fresh start. Mmmmmm...

I spent the evening sewing last night... you can see the results on my other blog. I was more "productive" yesterday than I've been in awhile.. yay! It felt good. I hope to get back in there today for a few more hours.

Today I'm headed out grocery shopping, specials and coupons in hand. Our local Krogers is having a 10 for $10 sale, where you then get $5 back for your next grocery shopping, with a maximum of $15. I made sure to add to my grocery list ONLY those items I buy on a regular basis (I try not to be a "it's on sale so I must have it" kind of shopper), and I will still get the entire $15 off. I also went to manufacturer's websites to look for coupons for what was on sale, and found several to print off. I'll get to my grocery bill goal of $65 this week, I think.

I made a Spring wreath for the front door. The wreath was fairly low cost -- $2 for a grapevine wreath (with 50% coupon from Michaels - which is $2 too much considering I could have walked out to my garden and picked my own grapevines.. duh), 5 stems of forysthia at .65 each (Michaels, on sale) and some Spring-green ribbon I already had. So for under $6 I have a beautiful Spring wreath on my front door! (I also made a big bow of the green ribbon, but the ribbon is so thin that it just looked like a giant green dead spider on the wreath -- I took it off.)

I also need to run to the next town's local library. Our library no longer carries the free downloadable audio books (boooo!), so now I have a .wma file player without anything to listen to. Luckily, both the Mason and Cincinnati Public Libraries have them, and I can get cards at both. I do miss listening to audio books while doing housework, though I've been turning on Sirius radio and listening to that while I clean -- but it's not the same.

Spring cleaning is still ongoing, but progressing. I'm thinking I might talk to Jeff about hiring someone to come do the outside windows. We bought this house a few years before the new windows came out that allow you to clean the outside of the window from the inside -- boy, would I love those! And in the next few years we will have to replace all our windows. But until then, the dirty outside windows drive me crazy and Jeff hates climbing a ladder to wash them as often as I'd like. Talking about paying for someone to do them will accomplish getting the windows cleaned -- whether it's by actually hiring someone OR by Jeff mumbling "No, I can do it...." is yet to be seen. (Marriage tip to the newlyweds out there -- this is how you get things done without seeming pushy -- always let him think it's his idea!)

Well, off to hang more laundry, and then grocery shopping before the church crowd floods the store!