2025 Buying and Eating : March 1-13

 We are traveling from March 13-April 1.  Food is included.

Allocation    $169.00

Cushion       $285.09

YTD      69 days

Total    $314.08     $4.59/ day    $2.29/person/day

Grocery    $150.34      $2.18/day      $1.09/person/day

Eating Out    $174.74      $2.21/day     $1.11/person/day

What We Ate:     Ham loaf, stuffing, fresh fruit salad, California medley;     Early St. Pat’s Day:  Reubens, snack items;         Corned beef and Swiss casserole, mixed vegetables, fruit and yogurt;     Chicken tetrazzini, butter beans, peas;     Spinach pasta, three bean salad, garlic bread;     Grilled salmon, pasta with garlic and cheese, French chickpea salad, carrots;     Potato pancakes, apple sauce, corn, kielbasa;     Southern bbq,  cheesy potato rounds, winter squash;     British fish pie, baked sweet potato, California mixed vegetables, fruit;     Pepperoni pizza and snacks;   Assorted appetizers 

What We Bought:

Giant Eagle:   Claw crab meat (4#).     $27.96.     Sale priced treat

Aldi:   Jalapeño and garlic olives (4). $11.16

Aldi:  edamame (3).   $7.47  sale item

Aldi:  salmon, shrimp.    $12.06.    Sale items 

Save a Lot:   Bananas.  $0.36.      Sale items

Giant Eagle:     Lemons (4)     $0.99    Sale Items 

Eating Out:

Avantis.      $20.14.    Breakfast with Mike 

McDonald’s.  $3.69.    Breakfast with retirees 

Remaining Allocation  $86.17

New Cushion    $371.17

YTD.   82 days

Total.   $397.91.       $4.85/day.        $2.43/person/day

Grocery.    $210.34.      $2.44/day.    $1.22/person/day 

Eating Out.    $197.97.     $2.12/day.    $1.06/person/day

2025. Frugal Things In February

 1.  A box of crackers were a little stale after sitting on the shelf.  So, I recrisped them in the oven.  Much better.

2.  I cooked a ham I got on sale and froze awhile back.  I now have lots of meat for sandwiches, casseroles, soups and salads.  I estimate that each serving will cost around twenty five cents for the meat.  I also have broth and enough meat from the bone for two batches of soup from something most people throw away.

3.  I bought one pound of flax meal to use as egg replacer in baked goods.  It comes out to an equivalent cost of ten cents/ egg.  I will save at least $60 over the cost of eggs.

4.   I purchased a gift card using Discover Card points and saved 10% off the face value.

5.   We paid our rv insurance in full and saved over $100.

6.  Found the ambition to make some homemade bagels.  They are multi step so they take extra time.

2025. Household and Personal Care: February

 Personal Care 

Body powder (3).    $3.75.    Dollar Tree 

Pedicures (2).   $60

Total:  $63.75

Household 

-0-

YTD 

Personal Care.   $99.21 over  budget 

Household.     $26.62 under budget 

2025. Buying and Eating: February 16-28

 Remaining Allocation:  $260.85

Cushion:     $186.09

YTD. 46 days

Total:  $252.23

Grocery:  $117.02

Eating Out:  $145.21

What We Ate:  chicken with cashews over soba noodles, green beans, yogurt and fruit;     British fish pie and vegetable pancakes with homemade scones;     Italian bean and sausage soup, pepperoni bread;     Korean beef with rice and cabbage, yogurt and fruit, scone;     Scalloped potatoes and ham, corn, fresh fruit and yogurt;     Chicken, pasta with garlic and cheese, peas;     Sauerkraut and smoked sausage soup, chicken sandwich ;         Chicken tetrazzini, black eyed pea salad, garlic bread;     Vegetarian haggis, cauliflower and cheese, orange and apple salad;     Spanish bean soup, fried bologna on kimilwick roll, fresh fruit;     Savory cheesecake, slow cooker onion potatoes, cauliflower cheese, salad;     Cauliflower and cheese soup, egg salad on toast;     Assorted cheeses and crackers after concert 

What We Bought: 

Sam’s:  chicken. $4.98

Tops:  broth, alouette garlic and herbs, Brie,Muenster, bananas    $12.14    All sale items

Erie Food Cooperative:  cinnamon, Italian seasoning, cilantro, chili flakes, catnip,  Himalayan  salt   $15.18    All sale but salt

Country Fair:  egg(2)      $6     Sale

Eating Out:

Mike lunch Cleveland.   $2.58.   Sam’s 

Breakfast with Mike.    $25.95.  Avantis

Remaining Allocation:  $199.00

New Cushion:  $285.09

YTD. 69 days

Total. $314.08.       $4.59/day.    $2.29/ person/day

Grocery.  $150.34.         $2.18/day.        $1.09/person/day

Eating Out.   $174.74.       $2.21/day.     $1.11/person/day

2025. Household and Personal Care: January

 Household   $30 budget

Efferent to clean coffee cups (2).    $2.50.    Dollar Tree 

Mop     $9.99     Menards

Smoke/CO  detector     $44.99     Menards

Bamboo cutting boards  $6.99     Aldi

Total:   $65.46         $35.46 over budget

Personal Care    $30 budget

Colgate toothpaste. (3).    $3.75.     Dollar Tree 

Kleenex (12).  $14.98.    Sam’s 

Mike haircut.   $14.    Great Clips 

Qtips.  $1.25

Total:  $33.38.      $3.38 over budget

2025. Buying and Eating: February 1-15

 Allocation:  $364    $13 / day

Cushion:   $186.09

YTD.  31 days

Total     $149.08

Grocery.    $86.06

Eating Out.    $63.02

What We Ate:     Melt in your mouth chicken, apple and orange salad, pesto and cheese florentine rice;     Ham, hubbard squash, black eyed pea salad;     Tuna chowder, Raisin Bran muffins;     Chicken piccata, florentine rice, salad, garlic and cheese bread;     Vegetarian bean curry, yogurt and fresh fruit, homemade flatbread;     Chicken piccata, zucchini, Italian rice balls;     Ham loaf, mixed wild rice, banana and yogurt ;     Stuffed pepper soup, chicken sandwich ;      Pasta with spinach , sautéed cauliflower, garlic cheese bread , fruit and yogurt;     Leftovers;     Tacos, guacamole, beans and rice;     Valentines Day:   Savory Italian cheesecake, baked Parmesan zucchini, yogurt and fruit, vanilla wafer cake;     

What We Bought:

Giant Eagle:  Parmesan, provolone, sharp cheddar cheese (3#)   $10.95     Sale items 

Erie Food Cooperative:  flax meal ( replace eggs in baking)   1# equal to 70 eggs   $6.29

Sanders:   Cauliflower, zucchini, yogurt, donuts   $7.95     All sale items.

Auldi:  cheese (2#),  avocado (2)     $5.77     Sale items

Total:  $30.96

Eating Out:

Butchs Diner   $9.01  lunch with the ladies 

Sam’s Club    $3.66 lunch on way to dc

Italian Restaurant  $32.02     Dinner with Mike and Gail

Frederick Social   $22.00   Lunch with kids

Pizza for national pizza day   $15.50

Sam’s Club    $2.80 lunch on way home 

Total:   $82.19

Our trip to dc really added to the cost, but I am fine with that. 

Two Week Total:  $103.15

YTD:  46 days 

Total:   $252.23.         $5.48/day.         $2.74/person/day

Grocery:  $117.02.         $2.54/day.       $1.27/person/day

Eating Out:     $145.21.         $3.16/day.        $1.58/person/day

Remaining Allocation:   $260.85

Cushion:  $186.09

2025. Frugal Things in January

 1.  I set myself a bit of a challenge with the food budget this year.  So I have to keep frugality firmly in mind.  Ergo, soup making.  A great way to vary flavors with minimal cost.  I made tomato basil from bits and pieces in the freezer;  Greek egg and lemon with juices left over from New Year’s Day;  beef  bourguignon with beef left over from Christmas; Spanish bean with dry garbanzo beans;  tuna chowder;

2.  I saved quite a few dollars by making our bread products:: artisan whole wheat, English muffins, corn muffins,   Rye bread, regular white bread, bagels, pizza crust, croutons,   Irish soda bread .   I can make them for cents on the dollar and it is very satisfying.

3.   We got a pork shoulder roast for $1.69/# and used it to make breakfast sausage.  The small amount of bone was used to make stock.  

4.  We needed to stay in a hotel room one night and, as usual, we used credit card points to pay the bill.

5.  We used a $15 gift card to help pay for a lunch out.