2020 Household and Personal Care Expenses: April

Household:

Manual can opener  $15.49  Amazon


Personal Care:

Toothpaste (2)  $2.00  Dollar Tree

These Low numbers will help bring totals in line.

2020 Frugal Things In April

1.  Making homemade bagels and English muffins from stockpiled flour and yeast.

2.  After the stand mixer broke finding a no knead artisan bread recipe to make and adapting it to make bagels.

3.  Taking advantage of a one month free trial of Acorn tv 📺.

4.  Taking advantage of a #10can of roasted peppers I bought at Salvage for 99 cents and making roasted red pepper relish.  Mike loved it.

5.  A free 8x10 photo from Walgreens  $3.99v alue

2020 Linus Project Blankets and Yarn Costs: January -March

January:

 Linus Project:  3

Operation Gratitude Scarves  3

Pet Blankets:  2

4 skeins of yarn for $4.23 at Goodwill
$0.99 yarn at Goodwill
 21skeins of free yarn from the Linus Project ladies  :)



February:

Pet Blankets:  1

Operation Gratitude Scarves:  2

Linus Project Blankets:  6

19 Skein yarn for $13.90
4 skeins yarn 3.96
6skeins of yarn $5.94
21  Skeins of yarn for $8 at the thrift store
4 skeins of yarn for 3.96 from Goodwill
$1 skein of cotton yarn
1 large spool of cotton yarn  $1.99
16 skeins of yarn for$18.48  more than I like to spend but yarn is getting harder to find  and I have looked in many stores and come away empty handed
34 skeins of yarn for $22.59
11 skeins of yarn for $11.73
25 skeinsi of yarn from my friend Marge

March:

Operation Gratitude Scarves:  5
Linus Project Blankets:  8
Pet Blankets:  1

3 skein cotton yarn  $5.94
24 skeins yarn $27.22
46 skeins yarn $30.00
21 skeins of yarn $23.00
30 skeins of yarn for $26.00 ( including 8 skeins of cotton and 2 of wool.)
35 skeins for $33.56  (including some cotton)

This yarn was purchased as we RV d around the South just before Covid19.
There was a point where I was discouraged because we weren't finding much but it all worked out well!I

All together we got 327 skeins of yarn and paid $242.49.

I am so glad I have it!  Crocheting has saved my sanity during this.

2020 Meal Plan: May 1-15

Vegetarian:  macaroni and cheese; vegetable soup over noodles; hummus (2) ; Cuban black bean soup and rice

Low Meat:  shrimp Alfredo; tuna macaroni salad; calzones; augratin potatoes and ham; vegetable egg roll, vegetable pad Thai and bacon wrapped waterchestnuts

Meat:  meatloaf;  hamburgers; Mother's Day; leftovers from Mother's Day

Vegetarian  5

Low Meat  5

Meat  4

Not a bad balance.

2020 Buying and Eating: May 1-15

Allocation:  $10.99x 31=$340.69
Cushion:  $778.21

What We Ate:  meatloaf, fried potatoes, lima beans; hamburgers, baked beans macaroni salad; shrimp Alfredo and garlic cheese bread; macaroni and cheese, three bean salad, yogurt with Mandarin oranges;  tuna macaroni salad, cheese and crackers, 3 bean salad; vegetable soup over noodles; calzones; hummus and salad; Mother's Day; leftovers from Mother's Day; augratin potatoes and ham; homemade veggie egg roll, vegetable pad Thai and bacon wrapped waterchestnuts; hummus and homemade soft pretzels; Cuban black bean soup and rice


What We Bought:

Price Rite: ham (9.5#), dried assorted beans (6#), assorted pasta ((5), lettuce, green pepper, cucumber, carrots (2#), cottage cheese, milk (gal. To make ricotta). $30.03

Co-op:  tvp chunks (1#), vital wheat gluten, fennel seed  $11.71

Save a Lot:  bacon (2), chicken leg quarters (20#)  $11.80

Total for Groceries:  $53.54   including 32 pounds of meat


Eating Out:

Mother's Day takeout from the club  $44


Total for Two Weeks:  $97.54

Remaining Allocation for the  nextTwo Weeks:  $243.15

Easy Artisan No Knead Bread

An amalgamation of several recipes , used when my mixer that I knead my bread with broke.  Because of a repaired shoulder kneading for long periods is no longer in my skill set.

This is SUPER easy.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs yeast
1 1/2cups warm water

Mix all the ingredients together.  It will form a very dry and scraggly dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place.  I use my oven with the pilot light on.
Walk away and forget about it for 12-18 hours while time does its magic.
Remove dough from oven and set oven to 450.
Place a heavy Dutch oven and cover in oven to heat for 1/2 hour.
Your dough is now magically soft and pliable!  On a piece of parchment paper, form the dough into a round ball.  Score the top with a shallow X.
Place the dough and the parchment paper into the VERY HOT Dutch oven and cover with the lid.
Bake 30 minutes covered and then an additional 15 minutes uncovered.
Remove from oven and cool.
Enjoy its crusty goodness!

2020 Clothing Expenses: January -March

January:

Two dresses for the cruise  $9.98
3 pairs of dress pants for cruise  $2.97
12 tops including camisoles  for the cruise  $28

Total:  $40.95

Due to covid19 we didn't go on the cruise.

February:
-0-

March:

2 pairs of jeans  $9.96

Grand Total:  $50.91

$16.97/month on average

2020 Household and Personal Care Expenses for the First Quarter of the Year

Household:

Total:  $157.12
Average/Month:  $52.37 or about double the budget.


Personal Care:

Total:  $75.98
Average/Month:  $25.33  Just about on budget.

2020 Meal Plan: April 16-30

Vegetarian:  shakshuka with egg and feta;  huevos rancheros

Low Meat:  clam chowder;  beef and bean burritos; lentil and ham risotto;  chicken pad Thai;  rice with beef and peppers; steak salad

Meat:  meatloaf; meatloaf sandwiches;  pork chops; grilled marinated beef; deli sandwiches

Vegetarian:  2
Low Meat: 6
Meat:  5

too much meat and comfort food.

2020 Buying and Eating: April 16-30

Remaining Allocation:  $300.69
Cushion:  $487.82


What We Ate:  meatloaf, baked potato, green beans; shakshuka and egg with feta over rice;  meatloaf sandwiches and roasted garlic potato skins; pork chops and pasta with pesto and green soybeans;  clam chowder; beef and bean burritos; lentil and ham risotto, zucchini and cheese pancakes, pears with yogurt; huevos rancheros;  chicken pad Thai; rice with beef and peppers; grilled marinated beef Caesar salad, potato rounds;  homemade deli sandwiches and salad; steak salad

What We Bought:

Save a Lot:  onion (6#)  $2.38

Tops:  eggs (4), rye bread, bananas(7.68#), $7.92

Total Groceries for Two Weeks:  $10.30
Grand Total for Month:  $39.31
Amount to Cushion: $290.39

New Cushion Amount:  $778.21