2024 Buying and Eating: August 16-31

Remaining Allocation:   $372.43

Cushion:   $815.13

YTD   224 days

Total:  $1641.44

Groceries:  $1139.29

Eating Out    $502.15

What We Bought:      

Dollar Tree     Pretzels       $1.25

Salvage     Honey bunches of oats (3), Raisin Bran, saltines (5), coffee (15#) Kraft Mac and cheese (4), oatmeal, cake mix (6),whole wheat flour (20#), self rising flour, dried beans (2#), applesauce , almond butter (2) , pizza sauce (6), rice a roni (2), peanut butter (3), jalapeño olives (6), dried cherries (2), corn starch, salsa, maraschino cherries, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, black pepper, horseradish, red curry paste, pad Thai sauce, tahini (2), peaches (3), mustard, evaporated milk (3), shelf stable milk, curry seasoning, green beans ( 9), wax beans, zucchini, peas (2), mango (2), diced tomatoes (9), tomato sauce (3), whole tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, crushed tomatoes (3), carrots, nutmeg, lasagna noodles, thyme, stuffing mix (3), dates, pineapple slices (2), fried onions, digestive biscuits(2), peanuts (4#), jello (2).    $176.43

Produce stand     Corn   $2

Price Rite:  Pam (2), varied pasta(8), canned corn  (6), salad greens (2), tomatoes (2), cabbage, cucumber, clementines (3#), watermelon, deli meats (6#)     $43.56

Two week grocery:  $223.24

What We Ate:  lamb Thai curry over rice, homemade flat bread, yogurt and mandarins;     Homemade hummus, falafel, flat bread, three bean salad;     Meatloaf, baked potato, mixed vegetables, cottage cheese and fruit;     Cottage cheese Alfredo and pasta, pineapple, garlic bread;     Meatloaf sandwiches, fried potatoes, pineapple;      Cottage pie, fresh corn, fresh fruit salad;     Turkey divan, carrots, garlic bread;     Southwestern lentils and black beans with rice tacos and edamame;     Chicken on the grill, garlic couscous, green beans almandine;   Tuscan Orzo pasta, beans, beets and rice salad with bleu cheese, garlic bread;   Pittsburgh style chicken salad and watermelon  ;     Ham and cheese sandwiches with potato rounds;     Meatloaf, salt potatoes, watermelon, salad;     Eggplant parmigiana, garlic bread , salad;  hot chicken salad, stuffing with cranberries, pineapple and clementine salad;

Eating Out:

A&W       Lunch in Ohio        $8.47

Urban Kitchen       Dinner in Ohio   $18

Arby’s       Lunch in Ohio       $5.00

Lunch with the ladies group     $24

Lunch at yacht club    $37.15

Two week eating out:  $92.62

New Cushion  $881.70

YTD  240days

Total   $1957.30        $8.16/ day         4.08/ person/day

Grocery   $1362.53          $ 5.68/day      $2.84/person/day

Eating Out  $594.77          $ 2.48/ day     $1.24/ person/day

  

2024 Frugal Things in August

1.  I purchased six birthday cards at Dollar Tree for $1 each.  They were Hallmark cards that would have cost much more at a normal store.  

2.  I purchased a weekly/monthly planner and calendar for 2025 for $1.50 at Dollar Tree, much cheaper than other planners I checked out.

3.  We checked the cost of a new prescription between a local drug store and our mail order drugstore.  A couple of minutes saved us $21.

4.  I had to be at the Cleveland Clinic for an appointment at 8:00.  We stayed in their hotel free of charge using points.

5.  We used a $15 voucher at the yacht club for lunch.

6.  By searching the discounted tag items, I managed to buy 6 tops for about $12.  The original thrift store price for them was $33.

7.  We went salvage grocery shopping and found some great deals:  cereal for 80 cents a box, saltines for 50 cents a box, coffee at $3 a pound, cake mixes at 25 cents each, whole wheat flour for 99 cents for five pounds, dried beans for 79 cents a pound, almond butter for $1 a jar, soy sauce for 50 cents a jar, pad Thai sauce for 30 cents, mustard for 30 cents, evaporated milk for 30 cents, green beans for 25 cents a can, wax beans for 40 cents a can, peas for 40 cents a can, diced tomatoes for 30 cents a can, whole tomatoes for 39 cents a can, lasagna sheets for 89 cents, peanuts for 50 cents a pound  and more.  This really helps keep our grocery budget lower.

8.  We pay our dental bills directly from our checking account instead of using a credit card.  This saves us 3%.  that the dentist adds to our bill.  That can add up more quickly than you might expect.

2024. Money Saving From The Long Ago Tightwad Gazette Newsletter: Our First

 I learned these ideas about thirty years ago and they are still saving me money.  

1.  Regular brand or store brand popcorn kernels can save a lot of money.  Microwave popcorn is expensive and never gives you the amount of popcorn it says it will on the box.  Popping your inexpensive kernels in a saucepan with just a tad of oil gives you more popcorn, without the additives, and costs you less.  An easy win.  And it takes about the same amount of time.  We pop a batch about once a week, sometimes more.

2.  Your cold beverage of choice can save a fortune over time.  Soda pop is one of the most expensive.  Water out of the tap is cheapest.  I am not a water person, I know, I know.  So I make solar ice tea using two teabags that I bought on sale.  Gallon to gallon you save a lot :  Pennies vs dollars.

3.  My cupboard is stocked with dry milk and canned evaporated milk.  It is extremely rare to find milk in my fridge.  Granted, I don’t have kids at home any more, but I cook from scratch for every meal and I bake a lot .  When a recipe calls for milk I use dry milk.  Sometimes I mix it with water, sometimes with vegetable juices, etc.  if a recipe calls for half and half or whole milk, I use evaporated milk.   For cream I use evaporated and some melted butter.   I always have what I need and I don’t have to throw away a partial gallon of milk.    Money and time running to the store saved.

4.  I make my own bread but even if I bought it,  I would always be ready to make croutons or bread crumbs.  I have never bought them:  too many additives and too expensive.  If you have stale bread, make French toast or bread pudding.  Never toss.  It’s like throwing money away, a lot of money when you add it up.

5.  There are only two in our family now, but I still keep track of our groceries closely.  While I am sure others do better, I am content with the, on average, $35.30 per week to feed the two of us.  And we eat well.    How?  The biggest is by bulk buying.  When something is found at a very low price I stock up, sometimes buying several month’s worth .  Another big one is by not buying convenience foods:  pre chopped, small individual servings, basically not paying for things that I can do myself.  Buying marked down items such as fruits, vegetables and meats.  All my meat is either marked down to sell quickly, or a n holiday loss leader such as hams and turkeys.  Learn to cook low meat and no meat dishes.  Soups and stir fries and other ethnic meals work great .

2024 Household and Personal Care: July

 Household 

Saucepan for rv        $3.67      Goodwill

White and lace queen size duvet and cover with two pillow shams     $13.50

Cake icing knife  $1    Salvage 

Ereasers   #1.25   Dollar Tree

Coffee Filters   $1.25    Dollar Tree 

Total $20.67    Under by $9.33 for month

YTD  over by  $39.12

Personal Care 

Chap stick. $1.25.    Dollar Tree 

Nail polish remover.  $1.25. Dollar Tree 

Total.  $2.50    Under by $27.50 monthly

YTD   Under by $85.40

2024. Buying and Eating: August 1-15

 Allocation. $403

Cushion. $815.13

YTD.  209 days

Total. $1653.87

Grocery $1107.67

Eating Out. $483.20

What We Ate:   BBQ ribs, augratin potatoes, fruit salad;     Leftover smorgasbord;      Polish sausage, mushroom rice, baked beans;     Mexican casserole, spicy Mexican bean salad;     Rosemary chicken, baked tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes Anna;     Shepherd’s pie, cheesy cauliflower, bread pudding;     Moo shu pork, homemade egg rolls, fruit and yogurt;     Zucchini boats withb meat sauce, pasta, Italian   seasoned butter beans, garlic bread (2);   Pierogi casserole with ham, cucumber salad, Brussels sprouts (2);   Hot chicken salad, glazed carrots, stuffing;    Lamb curry soup, salami and cheese sandwiches;     Turkey divan with mashed potatoes , three bean salad, yogurt and fruit;     

What We Bought:

 Aldi:  almond butter, sugar (4#). $6.64

Produce stand:  zucchini (2), green peppers (2), fresh rosemary.    $5

Produce stand:  3 huge tomatoes.   $3

Aldi:  broccoli, cottage cheese, sour cream, carrots    $6.98

2 week total      $  21.26

Eating Out:

Mike coffee with the Gannon guys.    $4.18

Ice cream.      $4.77

2 week total.   $8.95

2 week grand total.    $30.54

YTD.  224 days

Total.  $1684.44           $7.52/day          $3.76/person/day

Grocery.    $1126.29          $5.04/day        $2.52/ person/ day

Eating out.    $492.15.         $2.12/day.       $1.06/person/day

2024. Buying and Eating: July 16-31

 Remaining Allocation   $172.94

Cushion    $839

2 week total   $230.06

2 week grocery   $152.10     My yearly special shop at Trader Joe significantly upped this.

2 week eating out   $77.96    Birthday treats took this up significantly.

YTD     193 days

Total     $1457.06

Grocery     $1020.36

Eating Out     $463.70

What We Ate:  vegetarian haggis, potatoes and carrots with a salad;   Egg roll filling in a bowl, homemade Chinese onion pancakes, applesauce;     Grilled bacon wrapped pork loin, potatoes Anna, peas with mushrooms and onions, cucumber salad, biscuits and honey;     Creamy Tuscan orzo pasta, peaches, onion pancakes ;     Indian curry over rice, Dahl, curried potatoes;     Pasta and meatballs, Italian beans, garlic cheese bread;     Salmon with orange glaze, rice salad with mandarins and cranberries, glazed carrots;     Asian noodles, Korean beef, raisin bread toast, fruit;     Haggis, roasted cauliflower, peas;     Shepherds pie , cauliflower cheese , fruit and yogurt;     Grilled steak, potato skins, peas and mushrooms;     Grilled tuna and cheese with cheese on crackers;     Turkey breast, baked beans, scalloped potatoes, poppy seed coleslaw, artesian bread, Rice Krispie treats, cranberry bread, pumpkin bread;     Baked ziti and salad;     Tacos with bean salad

What We Bought:

Ice cream stand:   Homemade frozen strawberry custard (pt)   $6

Salvage Shop:  peppermint chocolate granola ( to make cookies), cookies and cream kisses (2 bags), quinoa and brown rice blend, long grain and wild rice blend, garbanzo beans (#), lentils (#) (2); black beans (#), vanilla wafers ( to make a cake, hoisin sauce (3), chocolate macaroons (3), caramels (2), Earl Gray tea (2), Asiago cheese crackers, peanut butter (3), lime juice, pinto beans (#), green peas (#), baby limas (2#), medium egg noodles (2), sandwich cookies (2), flour tortillas (2), rosemary table crackers, multigrain table crackers, regular table crackers(2), assorted specialty crackers, Maria’s cookies (2), coffee (11), almond milk (2), individual snack crackers and chips (8), instant coffee ( to make cookies), Irish mustard, cumin (2), chili powder, tarragon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, evaporated milk (12), sesame oil (3), banana pepper rings, dried mashed potatoes (for making refrigerator bread), stove top (2),  tiki masala sauce, chick pea masala sauce, madras lentil sauce, albacore tuna (8), creama (6), Parmesan cheese (3), veg all, whole cranberry sauce, roasted red peppers (2), canned chick peas (4), corn, peas, three bean salad (2), crushed tomatoes (3), refried beans (2), spaghetti, angel hair pasta, diced tomatoes, Italian green beans (2), peaches, pears (2), wax beans, fried apples, plum sauce, tamari sauce (5), almond extract, rice vinegar, corned beef hash, red wine vinegar, cider vinegar (4), bleu cheese dressing, whole water chestnuts, cranberry bread mix, wheat thins, cake mix (2 to make biscotti)   $141.19

Save a Lot:  onions (2#), sugar (4#)     $5.08

Food cooperative:  turmeric, dill seed     $1.57

Food cooperative:  dill seed  $3.46

Sanders:  sirloin tip roast (2#),yogurt (4), cauliflower, bananas, dozen donuts   $17.53

Shur fine:  frozen mixed veg    $2.49!!!

2 week total:  177.30          $11.81/ day          $5.90/person/day

Eating Out:  

Costco    $1.50   Mike lunch 

Aunt Cookie sub    $18

2 week total:  $19.50       $1.21/ day       $0.60/ person/day

YTD  209 days

Total   $1653.87      $7.91/day          $3.95/ person/ day 

Grocery     $1197.67        $5.73day       $2.86/person/ day 

Eating Out      $463.20    $2.21/day       $1.10/ person/day

2024. Frugal Things in July

 1.  I made sure to redeem my birthday gift from STARBUCKS for a free vente iced coffee.  It was wonderful in this heat.

2.  In the summer I do several salvage shops to stockpile for the year ahead.  I find great prices and save a fortune.  Some examples:  granola cereal for 25 cents, Hershey kisses for 20 cents, dried beans for 80 cents/ pound, dish detergent for $1, egg noodle for $1, flour tortillas for 40 cents, evaporated milk for 30 cents, stovetop stuffing for 40 cents, large crushed tomatoes for 30 cents, canned vegetables for 40 cents, refried beans for 20 cents, Starbucks coffee for $3.99.  Some items are not amazing but I can still save a lot of money.  Shop around.  Your regular store may not be your best store, even if it is only once a year that you shop there.

3.  I went thrift shopping and found a queen sized duvet and cover, white with lace, for $13.50!!!!  It will look so nice in my bedroom.

4.  A neighbor at a campground gave me a gift of lots of cucumbers from his garden.  I now have 39 jars of pickles to eat and give away.

5.  I took advantage of a half off sale at Starbucks to buy another iced latte.