2026. Buying and Eating: June 1-30

 Allocation for June   $13x30=$390

Cushion at beginning of June   $522.19  cushion tat end of June $$651.37

YTD Days through June   165

YTD Grocery as of the end of May $714.89. June  $ 161.11=$876  as o end of June       $5,31/day            $2.65/person/day

YTD Eating Out as of the end of May  $113.08   June   $99.70=$212.79   As of end of June    $1.29/day     $0.65/person/day

YTD Total as of the end of May     $827.97    June  $260.82=1088.79  as of end of June        $6.60/day    $3.30/person/day

What We Ate:       Straomboli, Fruit salad with tahini dressing, cheesy potatoes,  broccoli (2).     Chili spaghetti, cheese bread, fruit salad (2)      Chicken fried rice and salad with cheese bread       Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, glazed carrots with apple, Raisin Bran muffins, stewed tomatoes and green            Ham loaf, potato skins,  glazed carrots and apple, tomatoes and green beans        Jambalaya , cheese grits, sautéed and seasoned corn, pears and bleu cheese         Black beans burgers, baked beans, cheesy potatoes, California medley vegetables         Spaghetti and meatballs with homemade sauce, salad, garlic bread        Chicken and biscuits with fruit salad.        Pork schnitzel, pierogie,  applesauce     Mexican pizza         Lentil curry with paneer , rice. Spinach and potatoes curry, fruit salad        Baked Parmesan chicken, peas and mushrooms, stuffing, pears and bleu cheese      Chicken divan on dressing, leaf lettuce salad. ; grilled jambalaya wrap and fruit salad,    Chicken and strawberry salad ;   Steak salad;  taco salad;       shrimp newberg, asparagus, garlic bread(2);     Pierogie and sausage casserole ;       breakfast for dinner;       Stromboli, potato rounds, grapes      Grilled salmon, zucchini and chick peas, potato salad,       Salmon and zucchini pasta, red beet salad,  savory white bean salad.            Chicken , cabbage white beans and cashew salad          bang bang cauliflower,  sautéed garlic snap peas, Asian marinated meat from freezer, Korea potatoes.          mashed lentils,  Ham and Swiss with coleslaw           

Eating Out 

Lunch with Mike     $4.24  Sam’s 

Lunch with Pat    $26.75    

Lunch with Mike  $16     Co-Op

Mike lunch in Cleveland  $4.93

Lunch with Joyce     $9.49

Lunch in Buffalo with Mike      $23..30

Breakfast in Buffalo with Mike   $15

Total$99.71

What We Bought

Sams :  olives (2)  maple syrup, feta (2#)   $39.70

Tops:   Sour cream, Muenster    $3.37^  both at sale prices

Erie Co-Op :   herbs, tomato plant. $20

Mason farms.  Quart strawberry and 6 lettuce plants.  $11.22

Aldi:  heavy cream.  $4.69

Aldi:  baby Bella’s (4), bacon(3).     $15..84  osale items

Sanders:  western ribs(4#), cab sirloin steak, (1.5#), bread.    $14. 41  all sale items

Giant Eagle:  chicken wings (4#), smoked salmon (2)   A $15 credit and $0.18 out of pocket 

Aldi:   Lemons (6), sliced cheese (2 1/2 #), plain yogurt (qt)    $13.43  cheese and lemons sale items

Tops:  asparagus (1#), pasta    $3.66  sale and items

Aldi:  red grapes  (1.55#)   $2.15  sale item

Tops:   Pasta, baked beans,, triscuits, shredded cheddar (3), cantaloupe    $13.82  all sale items

Giant Eagle:  pasta, salmon fillet (1#)   $6.66  all sale items

Country Fair:  butter (4),   Eggs (2)    $11.98

Total $161.11

2026. Linus Project and Such: April-June

 Chemo Caps. 16           YTD 26

Operation Gratitude Scarves       29           YTD 44

Linus Blankets     9           YTD 15

Chemo Squares    4          YTD 25

2026. Frugal things in June

 1.  I continued baking and not buying:  artisan whole wheat bread, Raisin Bran muffins, pineapple cake using juice drained off cans and a twenty five cent cake mix, mincemeat pinwheels using overnight potato bread and homemade green tomatoes mincemeat, Indian flatbread, bagels, bread pudding, Scottish shortbread , croutons

2.   I used a $15 credit at the grocery store and combined it with sales and bought 4# chicken wings and smoked salmon (2), for only $0.18 out of pocket.

3.  We ground a 10#boneless pork shoulder that was purchased on sale, and made 4# Italian sausage, 4#. Breakfast sausage and 2# kielbasa sausage.  Even if purchased at a good price, store made sausage would come at least double.  And I know what is in this sausage .

4. We froze strawberries, cauliflower, cabbage, and lettuce (for soups) from our CSA rather than seeing them go to waste.

5.  I have started to add dry beans to our dinners to make sure that we are getting enough protein now that we are eating smaller portions of meat.  Lots of protein and fiber for literally pennies.  If you read through the buying and eating at the end of the month you will see what I mean:  ham and cheese sandwich with garlicky mashed lentils;    Lentil curry;   Salads with added beans to the mix;   Pasta with added beans.   The possibilities are endless.  Just search google for recipes.

2026 Household and Personal Care: May

 Household $40/month     YTD as of May  $106.16 under

Air freshener for garbage cans.    $1.25.   Tops

Artificial flowers  for urns     $25.00   Thrift stores

Coffee filters (2pkg)        $5.84.         Walmart

$27.09

$9.91 under

Personal Care. $20/month   YTD as o May $64 over

Haircuts for Mike and Sandy.  $30.      

$10 over

2026. Frugal Things in May

 1.    We sent a new prescription to the pharmacy at a grocery store and received $15 credit towards food.

2.  I  mixed leftover vegetables soup and leftover beef barley soup, adjusted the seasoning and used it as a base for cottage pie.  It was easy and delicious.

3.   I made a large batch of Cuban black beans.  Part was eaten as soup and part was turned into spicy black bean burgers.    The leftover burgers became burritos.

4.     I had two containers I needed to fill with artificial flowers.   I couldn’t find any I liked at a price I wanted to afford.  So, I went to three different thrift stores and bought premade arrangements.  I then took them apart and used the flowers to fill my containers.  They look bright and cheerful and only cost a total of $25.

5.   I made rye, white and soda bread for quite a savings over store prices.

2026. Buying and Eating: May 1-31

 Allocation.    $13x31 =$403

Cushion.    $ 592.08 at the beginning of May

YTD. As of end of May.  104 + 31=135 days

YTD grocery.  $345 + 369.89=$714.89      $5.30/day   $2.65/person/day   As of the end of May.           This includes the $300 CSA cost for the summer.

YTD eating out.      $74.20 + $38.88=$113.08  $0.84/day    $0.42/person/day as of the end of May

YTD total     $499.92 + $8,27.92=$1327.89      $9.84/day     $4.92/person/day as of the end of May 

New Cushion Amount  $573.31 at the end of May.  Including the CSA, we were $18.77 over budget in May

What We Ate:  leftover quiche, dauphinois potatoes and zucchini          Leftover chicken pot pie, broccoli citrus salad, roasted beets.                 Fried bologna sandwich and cheesy potato rounds     Corned beef and noodle casserole, broccoli citrus Salad, green bean casserole       Pork schnitzel , pierogie, pears with bleu cheese ;         Tacos and bean dip with chips (2)         Beef barley soup with cheddar biscuits          Cottage pie;      Lobster roll and buttered noodles with garlic, cheese and peas;       Pasta with lobster,   Broccoli, pears, biscuits;      Cottage pie, fruit salad, cabbage salad       Vegetarian tikka masala, tortillas , rice, fruit salad.        Cuban black bean soup, crackers, fruit and yogurt      Steak on the grill, Asian spicy soy noodles,  baked beans, applesauce          Grilled pork loin,   Three bean salad, potatoes Anna.       BBQ chicken, baked beans, bean salad, baked sweet potato         Frozen pizza, chips       Huevos ranchero’s        Black bean burgers, macaroni salad, pickled beets         Tuna macaroni salad, homemade soda bread, fruit and yogurt, corn on the cob           Asian orange chicken, fried rice, onion pancakes     Black bean tortilla bowls, guacamole and chips corn        Glazed ham steak, garlic and butter asparagus, deviled eggs, potato pancakes        Angel hair pasta with clam sauce, homemade garlic bread sticks, jello with mandarin oranges        Salisbury steak with noodles, fried apples, onions and cabbage, jello with mandarin, garlic bread sticks        Hot chicken salad, roasted Brussels sprouts, applesauce  (2)      Clam Chowder, assorted salads          Mexican pizza with chips and salsa 

Eating Out:

Lunch with Joyce    $12.37        Taco Bell 

Mike lunch in Cleveland    $2.68      Sams 

Lunch with Mike         $8.47     Arby’s 

Mike breakfast with Gannon guys  b$2.53  McDonald’s 

Lunch with the ladies   $12.83

What We Bought:

Mason Farms:  15 week CSA.      $300 or $20/week. Went into the cushion to cover

Tops:   Doritos, cheese.    $4.87.     Special coupons for both 

Tops.     Italian cheese.   $0.88.      Spec sale 

Tops.     Sweet potato (6), butter, eggs (2), cream cheese, pasta, potato chips.  $9.32.  All sale items 

Aldi.       Boneless  Pork but roast  (11#), mushrooms (2), avocados (2).     $25.13.   All sale items. We will make Italian, breakfast and kielbasa sausage with the pork 

Aldi.       Carrots (2#).       $1.99

Sanders:   Potatoes,corn, onions.    $ $5.56    Two sale items 

Tops.       Bush’s beans, hamburger buns, asparagus     $6.68         All sale items

Aldi.      Chips(3), cheese (5).  13.08.    Sale items

Walmart.    Popcorn.     $2.38

2026. Frugal Things in April

 1.  I took advantage of a $0.79/# spiral ham sale to pre buy for next Easter.  I saved $17.52 off of this year’s normal price.  Who knows what next year’s price will be.     

2. Processing leftover salad veggies:  chopped and frozen sweet peppers, frozen leftover spinach, cucumbers in a vinegar brine, blanched and frozen mushrooms.  I will use most in recipes, and the cucumbers will become a salad side dish.

3.  While vacationing, we booked tours independently and saved a lot over using the pre booked tours

4. I used half of a bag of 60 cent green split peas and some homemade ham broth and meat off the bone, to make soup.  I got 8 servings, about 8 cents per serving.  I have enough broth and meat for two more batches of soup.  I see lentil and ham and beans in our future.

5, I cooked this year’s ham( purchased last year in the after Easter sale) and ended up with 4 breakfast ham steaks, ground ham to make a ham loaf and ham salad for sandwiches, and seven packs of slices for sandwiches, casseroles and salad.  Some frugal meals there.

6.   I bought a black Talbots blazer for $8.  I know I saved 90%, if not more.