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