Friday, July 22, 2022

2022 Frugal Things in June

 1.  I have started to whip a pound of butter until light and airy.  I add one half cup oil to stop it getting hard again.  It's easier to spread and we use less.  Money and calories saved.

2.  Two free donuts on donut day.  Yum!

3.  When it came time to stock the RV with food, I used food from my cupboards and freezer that I have purchased on sale cheaply.  We could have shopped as we went, but that would have been more expensive since we can't count on sales.  More work but worth it.

4.  I gratefully accepted the gift of three dozen eggs from a friend who raises chickens.

5.  I have been revisiting frugal recipes from early in our marriage.  Bread, rice, potatoes , pasta and beans are showing more often.

6.  A free 8x10 of the cats from Walgreens.

Saturday, July 16, 2022

2022 Buying and Eating: July 1-15

 Allocation  $310

Cushion:  $651.71

YTD Groceries:    $521.04

YTD Eating Out:  $306.71

YTD (147 days) :  $827.78.     $5.63/day     $2.81/person/day


What We Ate:  Spanish seafood paella, green beans, salad, peaches; curried rice, pineapple, green beans; hamburger, potato, salad;  BBQ chi, coleslaw, baked beans; Prime rib sandwiches, peaches; pasta with clam sauce, cheesy garlic bread, peaches; sausage in a bun, salad; the lake with Mike's family for a week; pork fried rice


What We Bought:

Price Rite:  peaches, sweet pepper   $1.43

Tops:  cantaloupe, BBQ sauce  2.98

Aldi:  grapes (1.77#)    $1.66

Salvage 2&3:  date bread mix, mFeat and cheese tray, vinegar, garbanzo beans, red beans, vegetable suet, kidney beans, cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, marjoram, caraway seed, rosemary, pinto beans, albacore tuna, green beans, baby corn, crab meat, peas, vegetable bouillon, Poppy seed, dill, cranberry jelly, fried apples, beef broth, vegall, corn, three bean salad, peas and carrots, spinach, Roger tomato, coffee, bbq sauce, cocktail sauce, bleu cheese dressing, cream of chicken soup, succotash, kraut, lentils, black eyed peas, great northern beans, tomato sauce, curry sauce, mushroom stock, oatmeal, chocolate chips, dry limas, mayo, sesame marinade, poppy seed dressing, couscous, poppadoms, tabouli, noodles and parmesan, Velveeta, jambalaya mix, dry milk, vanilla sugar wafers, flour, walnuts, gelatin, pita chips, tikki masala mix, Korean beef mix, Greek dressing, , Caesar dressing, lemon basil dressing, mango pineapple mix, mixed fruit, mandarin oranges, Pam, taco shells, tortilla bowls, shortbread ready crust, chess melt crackers, salt, brownie mix, pound cake mix       $130.28

Total Groceries:  $136.35


Eating Out:

Sweet roll a d coffee with Ginger  6.13

Aunt Cookies sub   $12.96   (yearly treat)

Total:  $19..09


Two Week Total:   $155.44

Remaining Allocation:  $154.56




Wednesday, July 13, 2022

2022 Household and Personal Care : June

 As of the beginning of June:


YTD Household:  $103.33     $150 budgeted    $46.67 under budget

Personal Care:   $$107.22     $ 100 budgeted     $ 7.22 over budget


Personal Care:

Dollar Tree:  deodorant (2), body powder (2)  $5.15

Mike hair cut  $12

Total:  $17.15


Household:

  Salvation Army thrift  $1.98  for two 8x10 frames

Salvation Army thrift    $3  for backpack for travel

Goodwill     $5.99   electric mixer

Goodwill     $16.73    seven 8x10 frames

Total:  $27.70




Sunday, July 3, 2022

2022 Salvage Shops 2&3

 Time to work on restocking the cupboard.  I paid a total of $136.24 for the following items.  Prices were somewhat higher but not as much as I had expected.  Still on the hunt for some items.

Date quick bread mix     79 cents

Hillshire Farms meat and cheese tray.    $1.99

Cider vinegar (gal).    $2.39

Garbanzo beans (29 oz)    3     79 cents

Red beans (15 oz)    4     39 cents

Garbanzo beans   (15 oz)     39 cents

Cannellini beans    (29 oz)     69 cents

Diced tomatoes     (28 oz)     4     59 cents

Tomato soup  (2)     19 cents

Pinto beans     (15 oz).    39 cents

Cannellini beans    (15 oz)    4     39 cents

Albacore tuna    (5 oz)    5     99 cents

Italian green beans   (27 oz)    79 cents

Baby corn    (15 oz)     39 cents

Cut green beans    (15 oz)     3     39 cents

Crab meat     (6oz)      $1.49

Peas.    3     39 cents

Vegetable bouillon    (8.5 oz)     59 cents

Marjoram     59 cents

Caraway seed      6      59 cents

Rosemary     2     59 cents

Poppy seed     $1.49

Dill weed     $1.49

Cranberry jelly     25 cents

Fried apples     3     79 cents

Beef broth    (14 oz)      25 cents

Vegall     35 cents

Corn     35 cents

3 bean salad     59 cents

Peas and carrots     35 cents

Spinach     2     25 cents

Diced tomatoes     8    25 cents

Rotel tomatoes     3     35 cents

Coffee     (10.5 oz)     2     99 cents

Coffee.    (12 oz)     10     99 cents

Coffee   (11 oz)     2     99 cents

Coffee    (8 oz)    4     99 cents

Coffee.   (8oz).    4     49 cents

BBQ sauce     2     49 cents

Cocktail sauce     49 cents

Bleu cheese dressing    2     29 cents

Cream of chicken soup     69 cents

Succotash     39 cents

Kraut    2     39 cents

Italian green beans     39 cents

Lentils     39 cents

Blackeyed peas     2      39 cents

Great northern beans     39 cents

Tomato sauce    4     29 cents

Madras curry sauce     69 cents

Rogan Josh curry sauce     69 cents

Mushroom stock   (32 oz)     99 cents

Oatmeal (18 oz)     4       89 cents

Chocolate chips     3     89 cents

Dry kidney beans   (1#)     79 cents

Dry lima    (1#)     79 cents

Dry lentils      2     40 cents

Mayo.   2     59 cents

Asian sesame marinade     49 cents

Poppyseed dressing     49 cents

Couscous     59 cents

Pappodoms     19 cents

Tabouli     79 cents

Noodles and parmesan     59 cents

Velveeta  (2#)     $4.99

Jambalaya mix   (26 oz).    $1.99

Dry milk.    3.    $2.99

Vanilla sugar wafers     49 cents

Flour     (5#)     3     $1.19

Walnuts    (10 oz)    $1.00

Parmesan couscous.    55 cents

Gelatin   3     25 cents

Pita chips     10 cents

Tikki masala mix   3   25 cents

Korean beef mix     3   25 cents

Greek dressing     25 cents

Sesame dressing    25 cents

Caesar dressing     25 cents

Lemon basil dressing     25 cents

Mango pineapple mix     99 cents

Mixed fruit     99 cents

Mandarin oranges     99 cents

Pam  (12 oz)     $3.19

Taco shells.    2.      10 cents

Tortilla bowls.    10 cents

Shortbread ready crust     25 cents

Cheese melt crackers.    2     19 cents

Salt     39 cents

Brownie mix.    5     89 cents

Pound cake mix     49 cents

Bowl covers    2.    99 cents

Hand soap.    2     99 cents

Toothpaste     2     $1.00






Friday, July 1, 2022

2022: Buying and Eating: June 16-30

 Remaining Allocation:  $196.81

YTD Groceries:  $382.95

YTD Eating Out:  $181.62

YTD (117 days):  $564.60    

Cushion:  $614.89


What We Ate:  fried macaroni and cheese zucchini fritters, salad, garlic bread; homemade vegetarian supreme pizza; steak on the grill, bleu cheese wedge salad, salt potatoes; leftover Chinese takeout;  steak salad and cheese bread; grilled salmon, small potatoes in cream sauce, salad; bleu cheese pasta, zucchini, wedge salad; homemade pork lo mein, fresh peaches; prime rib sandwich, chips and dip; kielbasa on the grill, rice pilaf, creamed peas; madras lentils, fresh peaches, salad; kielbasa, creamed peas, creamed potatoes; cheese tortellini, garlic bread, salad


What We Bought:

Tops:  cheese (2#), mushrooms  $7.98

Market Place:  pepperoni (2#), zucchini (1#)   $7.89

Hillside Pantry:  navy beans (4.75#), Dehydrated potato (2#), ginger snaps (1#), poultry seasoning, pumpkin pie spice, fennel seed, rye flour (3#)  $15.90

Price Rite:  kielbasa (2), tomatoes, peaches, Cabot cheese (3), ice cream  $14.09q

Trader Joe:   baguette, pistachios, pork pot stickers, Mandarin Orange chicken, sweet potato fries, gnocchi am gorgonzola, 5cheese Greek spiral, spans militia  $31.72   A treat for us of things we like but don't often buy.

Two Week Total:  $77.58


Eating Out:

Breakfast with Pat:  $15.03

Father's Day dinner:  $26.86

Breakfast  $6.15 

Support of EAN fundraiser at Max and Erin's   $26.69

Lunch  $11.00

Mike lunch  $2.68

Two Week Total:  $82.41


Two Week Grand Total:  $159.99


Monthly Total Grocery:  $138.09

Monthly Total Eating Out:  $125.09

Monthly Grand Total:  $263.18     $8.77/day     $4.39/person/day


YTD Groceries:  $521.04

YTD Eating Out:   $306.71

YTD (147 days):   $827.78     $5.63/day     $2.81/person/day


A much higher month due to eating out and inflation.  Time to reevaluate.

To Cushion:  $36.82

New Cushion:  $651.71