2025 Buying and Eating: October 1-15

 Allocation:   $403

Cushion:$750.81

What We Ate:     Bean and sausage soup, cheese quesadilla, pears;     Creamy crab and corn chowder, crackers, applesauce(2);     Savory bread pudding with ham, turkey and cheese ,  kimelwick cheese toast, peas(2);     Pasta with garlic and cheese, peas, applesauce;     Sauerkraut, hotdog, mashed potato and cheese casserole, blueberry bagel, yogurt and peaches;     Lentil risotto, sweet potato, peas;     Ham salad sandwiches and tomato soup with homemade pickles ;      Greek yogurt chicken, spinach and feta casserole , macaroni and diced tomatoes;     Cheeseburger meatloaf, pickles, corn soufflé , baked potato , 3 bean salad;     Fried Rice and Asian broccoli with croissants;     Homemade beefy mushroom soup, grilled tuna and cheese on rye;     Greek chicken noodle soup  and Greek salad;     Fried bologna sandwiches, homemade French fries, cottage cheese and tomato 

What We Bought:

Giant Eagle:  eggs (4)    $11.96

Aldi:   Mayonnaise  $2.99

Aldi:  sour cream    $1.73

Aldi:  cottage cheese, plain yogurt, cream cheese, romaine, tomatoes,colored peppers, carrots, cucumber, cabbage, apples, English muffins, everything bagels, blueberry bagels      $29.38

2 Week Total:  $46.06

Eating Out:

Joyce’s birthday lunch     $30

Grand Total 2 Weeks  $76.06

Remaining Allocation:   $326.94

2025 Buying and Eating: September 16-30

 Remaining Allocation   -$45.47

Cushion  $818.31

What We Ate:   Potato Salad,grilled lemon pork, yogurt, garlic and Muenster cheese bread;     Italian club sandwich, yogurt and fruit;     Lemony pasta with garbanzo, pork and spinach, cheese bread;     Kielbasa, cheesy potato rounds, green beans, pears;     Creamy crab pasta,  garlic cheese bread, yogurt and peaches (2);     Bacon, Olive and cheese bread, butter beans, yogurt and peaches (2);      Pizza and popcorn;     Grilled hotdogs, Italian rice balls, yogurt and fresh fruit;    Pasta and meatballs, cheese bread, fresh pears, broccoli;      Asian peanut noodles, yogurt and fruit;     Pasta with sausage, Brussels sprouts with bleu cheese, everything bagel, pears;     Mexican casserole, cheesy nachos, pears and bleu cheese;     

What We Bought:

Aldi:  yogurt(qt), half and half (qt)  $6.54

Aldi:    Red grapes, Bartlett pears     $4.58

2 week total   $11.12

Eating Out: 

Ricardo’s.     Lunch With Pat.      $22.40

Crepery.       Lunch with Ginger and ladies.     $20.00

Lunch with Jim and Robin.    $14

2 week total.   $56.40

2 week grand total.    $67.42

Into Cush. $67.42

New Cushion.    $750.81

YTD   As of Sept     233 days

Total     $1824.46       $7.83/day        $3.91/person/day

Grocery     $1288.78       $5.74     $2.87person.day

Eating Out     $484.21      $2.08/day       $1.04/person/day

2025 Household and Personal Care: August and September

 Personal Care 

Mike’s haircut.   $14.    Great Clips

Toothpaste. (4).    $5.     Dollar tree 

Toothpaste (6).      $6.     Salvage

Hand soap.     $1.50.        Salvage 

Total    26.50

Household 

Foil wraps (4).     $4.47.     Salvage

Bakeware :square pan and cookie sheet.    $1.78.      Salvage

Four sets of new towels.      $49.74.       Sam’s

Mouse traps and related.      $35.83.   Ollie’s 

Total.   $81.83

YTD 

Household.   $127:26 over budget 

Personal Care.    $152.38 under budget 

2025. Linus and Such: July-September

 Pet Blankets:     6

Linus Blankets:    7’

Chemo Squares:    17

Operation Gratitude Scarves:    5

Chemo Caps:   30

Dishcloths/washcloths        8

$50.     43 skeins.        Goodwill.        $1.15                                         53 skeins   Donation

$7.        8 skeins.           Amvets.      $0.90                                            43 skeins    Donation 

$6.33      3 skeins        Salvation Army      $2.11

$15.97.    8 Skeins.          Thrift store.      $1.99

$35.        37 skeins.          Thrift store.        $0.93

YTD 

Project Chemo Squares.    47

Operation Gratitude Scarves.  23

Project Linus Blankets.   29

Pet Blankets.   11

Chemo caps.    56

Washcloths/Dishcloths.    8

Yarn

281 skeins for $267.28.     $0.95/skein

Plus 104 donated skeins

2025. Frugal Things in September

 1.    I did a fourth and a fifth salvage shop.   Some of my Best Buy’s were:     Coffee on average at $3/pound, beets at $0.50, self rising flour at $1:50/5#, dry split peas at $.60/#, Thai chili sauce, plum sauce and hot sauce at $0.33, mayonnaise at $0.50, Asian vegetables at $0.50, general vegetables at $0.40, Romano cheese at $3.59/#, evaporated milk at $0.50, dry milk at $2.25, pepperoni at $1/ #, seasoned pork tenderloins at $1.89/#,  butter at $2.99/#, everything bagel seasoning at $1, lemon pudding mix at $0.25, organic peanut butter at $1.25, mustard at $0.35,  assorted cheeses at $3.50/#, ham ends and pieces at $1/#, bagels at $1.    I spent a bit of money but I’m restocked at excellent prices and it will last for a year, at least .

2.  We spent a long weekend in DC and again used credit card points to pay for our hotel room.  A few hundred dollars painlessly saved.,

3.  I have made a concerted effort to discover some new, low cost, dinners and breakfast.  My goal is a meal and a lunch for two for $5 and breakfast for two for $2.50.      We are enjoying a change of pace in our meals and saving money at the same time.

4.  We earned $15 in free food when we bought gift cards for our new freezer from Giant Eagle.  Since we paid for the cards with a credit card, we will get more points to use on hotel rooms when we travel. 

5.  I finally earned enough points for a free coffee from Starbucks.

6.  I made artisan bread again, rather than buying it for $$$ more.