Sound the bells! Light the Fireworks! Break out the bubbly! We made it through our Austerity Month! We are celebrating tonight with a beautiful taco salad medley, featuring locally grown Hager Bros Farm beef from Colrain, MA. I've been saving this tasty treat, and thought it would be perfect for tonight. We are topping it with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa (that I made again), and some excitement on our success. I did have to ask Justin to go to the store tonight to get some cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. So, after that trip, here are the totals: We have $.51 left over in the grocery budget! In our emergency fund, we only had to dig in once (for the dishsoap), leaving $7.50 left over there! I do have to say, we couldn't have done this so easily, and with smiles still on our faces, if not for our community. So...yaay us! And THANK YOU all for your contributions! :)
Now I do have one small confession to make: I did buy something today. In the name of greater austerity and budget-rescuing deals, I purchased some diapers. We are a cloth-diapering family who doesn't like to change diapers in the middle of the night, so we always use a disposable for nighttime. In addition, we have a lovely vacation coming up for which I will need some diapers. So, the Pampers Sensitives that I buy for Liam cost $19.99 at Target for a box of 62. My friend and neighbor Hannah told me about Amazon Mom, and by signing up you get 15% off diapers all the time. Then if you "subscribe and save" you get another 15% off. THEN she brought me a coupon for $10 off an order. The coupon expired today, thus the 'cheating.' However, I got more than double the diapers (a box of 132) for LESS than I would have spent on a small box at Target--I paid $18.69 for the whole thing(including shipping!). So, my faithful readers, I am sure you will forgive me this indulgence, and I am pretty excited about this deal (thanks again, Hannah!).
In summary, this family has learned a lot through this project. We've learned that we can live on a lot less than we usually do, and still eat and live well. We've spent less time focused on various products, and more time focused on togetherness. We've paid our bills (yaay!), and taken a break from the consumer-go-round that seems to pull at us every moment of the day.
As I step back up to my normal budget, I am grateful for how much we have. Where my grocery budget used to seem small, now it seems ample. However, I am nervous. It is sometimes easier for me to say "no, we're not spending any money, thanks," than to prioritize the myriad of spending opportunities that come our way on a daily basis. I always strive to stick to a budget, but rarely do I succeed. We do ok, but if I stuck to my budget, we could do even better. I am taking with me some new lessons, though, (and some new recipes!), and renewing my efforts to maintain the family budget. I am going to continue to blog about my family's efforts to stick to our budget throughout the year, and the recipes we find along the way. It won't be updated daily, but it will continue. I will let you all know in the next few days whether it will be here, or started at a new address. Thank you for all your support and encouragement along the way. Enjoy the beginning of March, with it's promise of spring!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Home stretch (Day 27)
Wow. I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the Austerity Project. I'm even more amazed that we still have some cans on our shelves, and food in the freezer. I truly thought most of it would be gone, and that I would be waiting for Tuesday morning to go to the grocery store. I don't have that feeling of desperation, though. There are a few things I would like to get Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'm really not in a rush, and we've still got a few good meals to go on our list before we've exhausted the "non-menu" that I put together at the beginning of the month. Yay!
Tonight I made a pre-celebratory meal of Kabocha Squash Risotto with Sage and Pine Nuts. We substituted quite a few things in the recipe: the squash (I used butternut), the sage (I used rosemary), the sherry wine vinegar (I used balsamic), and the sherry, actually (I only had Madeira that was close). It still got a two thumbs up from us all (even Liam!). :) If you have never made risotto before, don't be intimidated. It looks like a complicated recipe, but it's not. It just takes patience (It really does take about 1.5 hours to finish), and following the recipe. Also, I have made risotto with and without wine...and I am here to tell you that even if you don't normally cook with wine, DO. Risotto is so much better with the 1/4-1/2 c. wine at the beginning. It just gives it a better, well-rounded flavor. I hope you enjoy the results of this recipe as much as we did! Just over 24 hours to go, folks...see you tomorrow on our FINAL DAY! :)
Tonight I made a pre-celebratory meal of Kabocha Squash Risotto with Sage and Pine Nuts. We substituted quite a few things in the recipe: the squash (I used butternut), the sage (I used rosemary), the sherry wine vinegar (I used balsamic), and the sherry, actually (I only had Madeira that was close). It still got a two thumbs up from us all (even Liam!). :) If you have never made risotto before, don't be intimidated. It looks like a complicated recipe, but it's not. It just takes patience (It really does take about 1.5 hours to finish), and following the recipe. Also, I have made risotto with and without wine...and I am here to tell you that even if you don't normally cook with wine, DO. Risotto is so much better with the 1/4-1/2 c. wine at the beginning. It just gives it a better, well-rounded flavor. I hope you enjoy the results of this recipe as much as we did! Just over 24 hours to go, folks...see you tomorrow on our FINAL DAY! :)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Of Gift Cards and Nights Out (Day 26)
I think we're all feeling a little antsy. Day 26 of austerity and it found us out shopping all day, but not spending money. My mom, Justin, Liam and I packed up and went to Keene to see what we could buy with no money. We had a $15 off coupon for JCPenney, and with Nana's generosity, we were able to use it to get a couple things for Liam for the summer. (Thanks, Nana!)
We then headed over to Target, where we were price comparing, so when I do buy some needed items, we will get the best deal possible. When we got home the walls still seemed to close in a bit, so we bundled up and walked downtown to our favorite pub for some nachos. How? Well, we were the fortunate recipients of a gift card a couple months back, and we still hadn't used it all. We figured gift cards weren't against the rules, and went out for some much-needed socializing and delicious, greasy food. I must say, it was definitely refreshing. :) The best part is, we didn't even spend any real money. Hope you all had equally wonderful, frugal Saturdays!
We then headed over to Target, where we were price comparing, so when I do buy some needed items, we will get the best deal possible. When we got home the walls still seemed to close in a bit, so we bundled up and walked downtown to our favorite pub for some nachos. How? Well, we were the fortunate recipients of a gift card a couple months back, and we still hadn't used it all. We figured gift cards weren't against the rules, and went out for some much-needed socializing and delicious, greasy food. I must say, it was definitely refreshing. :) The best part is, we didn't even spend any real money. Hope you all had equally wonderful, frugal Saturdays!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Snow Day (Day 25)
Let me just mention again...I love snow. Even when it snows at the end of February, and will only last a couple of days. It was BEAUTIFUL today, and even better...Justin got to spend the day with Liam and I because the roads were terrible! We had a great family day, really low-key since we were all tired today. As a result, I did no baking or cooking today. Justin enjoyed another leftover night (a new feature in our house!), while I headed off to work.
I hope you all stayed safe and dry today, and enjoy your cozy Friday evenings!
I hope you all stayed safe and dry today, and enjoy your cozy Friday evenings!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
More of a good thing...(Day 24)
...could be a really good thing! I know spring isn't really here yet. We live in New England, after all. I know the sunshine will eventually return and we'll have a beautiful, long summer of hikes and walks. I know there will be grilling and flowers. I know all of this, but I was so sad when it got cloudy today. I guess the little infusion of Vitamin D from yesterday wasn't enough to get me through a sun-less Thursday. Little Liam and I were both really sad about it today, but I know soon enough we'll be enjoying sunshine and wondering why it's so darn hot! :)
Today I am wondering what my life will look like after this Austerity Project. I have (mostly) enjoyed this month. I haven't had to worry about what I want at the house, and how our money will best be distributed. I've only had to think about fresh veggies for dinner, fruit for snacks, and hope I don't run out of anything really important! Don't get me wrong: I understand, if one had to live on such an extreme budget for awhile (which I know some people do!), it would be stressful. But having a month's break from buying things has just helped me take a break in my head, too. See, I constantly prioritize and re-prioritize the money we have, and find many ways a day to spend what we have. I start focusing on how little we can do, instead of how much we really do have. We pay our bills. We don't worry about if we're going to have a meal...just what we're going to have. We have a wonderful network of family and friends; farms and farmer's markets. We have a wonderful co-op that provides delicious food options that people in similar sized towns find astonishing. We are really rich. This is just one of the lessons I've been thinking about during this month, and it's one I really don't want to lose. In the case of sunshine, more is definitely better, but when it comes to filling my mind with wants, I can say that less is definitely more. I hope to be able to remember this as I step up my spending again--we really are ok, just with what we have. :)
Today I am wondering what my life will look like after this Austerity Project. I have (mostly) enjoyed this month. I haven't had to worry about what I want at the house, and how our money will best be distributed. I've only had to think about fresh veggies for dinner, fruit for snacks, and hope I don't run out of anything really important! Don't get me wrong: I understand, if one had to live on such an extreme budget for awhile (which I know some people do!), it would be stressful. But having a month's break from buying things has just helped me take a break in my head, too. See, I constantly prioritize and re-prioritize the money we have, and find many ways a day to spend what we have. I start focusing on how little we can do, instead of how much we really do have. We pay our bills. We don't worry about if we're going to have a meal...just what we're going to have. We have a wonderful network of family and friends; farms and farmer's markets. We have a wonderful co-op that provides delicious food options that people in similar sized towns find astonishing. We are really rich. This is just one of the lessons I've been thinking about during this month, and it's one I really don't want to lose. In the case of sunshine, more is definitely better, but when it comes to filling my mind with wants, I can say that less is definitely more. I hope to be able to remember this as I step up my spending again--we really are ok, just with what we have. :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Spring...is that you? (Day 23)
I am still flying high on the sunshine from the last two days. Although unlike yesterday, today Liam and I enjoyed some direct Vitamin D infusions by getting outside for a walk. The wind had a bite to it, but the sun was smooth and warm. :)
Since I was busy enjoying the sunshine before work, dinner is simple again tonight. My hubby is getting more BBQ Pork Ribs in the crock pot, with rice and salad. Fortunately for me, he loves pork ribs, so there won't be any complaints.
Some more creative recipes on the way this weekend! Happy Wednesday!
Since I was busy enjoying the sunshine before work, dinner is simple again tonight. My hubby is getting more BBQ Pork Ribs in the crock pot, with rice and salad. Fortunately for me, he loves pork ribs, so there won't be any complaints.
Some more creative recipes on the way this weekend! Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sunshine makes the heart grow fonder...(Day 22)
I am never entirely sure how the long nights and short days of winter affect me until we have a few days of beautiful, spring-like SUNSHINE. Then I remember how much I miss it. I really can get grouchy without it, but today everything seemed easy and fun. The only regret I have is that Liam and I didn't get outside for a walk, and after I write this post, I have to go to work. Hopefully tomorrow will be a lovely day, too, and if it is--I'm getting outside!
I did do a Hannaford run with my mom today, and made out. Green grapes are on sale for $.99/lb, so we have some of those to snack on, and I got some bananas, oranges, and apples as well. This should take us the rest of the month on beautiful fruit. And we still have just over $6.00 for the next couple of weeks!
Tonight is a simple dinner of pesto linguini with sausage, and a side salad for my hubby. I will be eating something delicious at work. :)
Enjoy your Tuesday evening!
I did do a Hannaford run with my mom today, and made out. Green grapes are on sale for $.99/lb, so we have some of those to snack on, and I got some bananas, oranges, and apples as well. This should take us the rest of the month on beautiful fruit. And we still have just over $6.00 for the next couple of weeks!
Tonight is a simple dinner of pesto linguini with sausage, and a side salad for my hubby. I will be eating something delicious at work. :)
Enjoy your Tuesday evening!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, Monday, Monday (Day 21)
Today really felt like a Monday. The Garfield-type Monday that wakes up and hits you over the head. Ok, it wasn't really that bad, but I was feeling restless and lonely today, and I think Liam felt the same. Also, with no shopping adventures over the weekend, it was time to get out and get a few things for our shelves. Since I don't have a car, I called in reinforcements: my Mom. Lucky for me, she's always up for an adventure. We hit the road and went down to BJ's, where I purchased more greens, and the aforementioned really cheap almond milk. Combined with the eggs my mom brought over, we have spent $9.19 so far this week. I have to head to Hannaford for some fruit soon, but $13.31 should get us some tasty morsels to finish out the month.
Once we were home, and I'd determined Liam was not going to finish the nap started in the car, I decided to try the recipe I'd really been looking forward to making: Stacked Veggie Quesadilla. It was in this month's Bon Appetit magazine, and looked SO delicious. It was. Just a couple of cook's notes:
1. DO NOT try to substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas in the recipe. It will not work well or taste as good. Even if you are on Day 21 of an Austerity Month and only have $13.31 left in your budget--GET OR MAKE flour tortillas. :)
2. They boast 30 minutes to make this delicious recipe. However, if you are using your own butternut squash that you have to chop up, and if you have a 10-month old that wants to be in on the cooking every 5 minutes, it will definitely take longer than that.
3. If, like me, you don't like cilantro, it's ok. It tastes great without it.
4. It says 4 servings. Justin and I finished it ourselves, no problem-o, and not even a thought of leftovers.
Oh, and I even managed to make some decent salsa to go with the quesadilla even though I'd never made any before. It was a great dinner experiment, all around (minus the corn tortillas). I am now looking forward to the quiet of the post-dinner and bedtime routines. I wish you all the same peace to end your Monday. Good Night!
Once we were home, and I'd determined Liam was not going to finish the nap started in the car, I decided to try the recipe I'd really been looking forward to making: Stacked Veggie Quesadilla. It was in this month's Bon Appetit magazine, and looked SO delicious. It was. Just a couple of cook's notes:
1. DO NOT try to substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas in the recipe. It will not work well or taste as good. Even if you are on Day 21 of an Austerity Month and only have $13.31 left in your budget--GET OR MAKE flour tortillas. :)
2. They boast 30 minutes to make this delicious recipe. However, if you are using your own butternut squash that you have to chop up, and if you have a 10-month old that wants to be in on the cooking every 5 minutes, it will definitely take longer than that.
3. If, like me, you don't like cilantro, it's ok. It tastes great without it.
4. It says 4 servings. Justin and I finished it ourselves, no problem-o, and not even a thought of leftovers.
Oh, and I even managed to make some decent salsa to go with the quesadilla even though I'd never made any before. It was a great dinner experiment, all around (minus the corn tortillas). I am now looking forward to the quiet of the post-dinner and bedtime routines. I wish you all the same peace to end your Monday. Good Night!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Old Friends, Good Friends (Day 20)
It's always a wonderful day when friends come to visit. These particular friends I hadn't seen in two years, and hadn't ever met their second baby boy, who is now 1-1/2! It was a relaxed, comfortable afternoon of catching up, joking, and playing with the kiddos.
We are now at Day 20, and the menu for today was a little harder to put together, but we managed to come out with a delicious feast. I made a fluffy rice and chicken casserole, accompanied by sauteed asparagus and corn with leeks and garlic, and some homemade rolls. For dessert we enjoyed a scrumptious apple crisp that was donated by my mother, and it rounded out the meal just right. We're still eating better than I thought possible after 20 days of austerity. We'll see how the last week goes! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
We are now at Day 20, and the menu for today was a little harder to put together, but we managed to come out with a delicious feast. I made a fluffy rice and chicken casserole, accompanied by sauteed asparagus and corn with leeks and garlic, and some homemade rolls. For dessert we enjoyed a scrumptious apple crisp that was donated by my mother, and it rounded out the meal just right. We're still eating better than I thought possible after 20 days of austerity. We'll see how the last week goes! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Fluffy Rice and Chicken Casserole
Heat oven to 350. Mix soup, milk; reserve 1/2 c. Mix remaining soup mixture, rice, mushrooms (with liquid), and half of the onion soup mix. Pour into ungreased baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top. pour reserved soup mixture over chicken; sprinkle with remaining soup mix. Cover with foil, bake 1 hr. Uncover, bake 15 min. Let sit a few minutes before serving. Serves 4.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk
3/4 c. uncooked regular rice
1 4 oz. can mushrooms, with liquid
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 chicken breasts, halved
1 soup can milk
3/4 c. uncooked regular rice
1 4 oz. can mushrooms, with liquid
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 chicken breasts, halved
Heat oven to 350. Mix soup, milk; reserve 1/2 c. Mix remaining soup mixture, rice, mushrooms (with liquid), and half of the onion soup mix. Pour into ungreased baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top. pour reserved soup mixture over chicken; sprinkle with remaining soup mix. Cover with foil, bake 1 hr. Uncover, bake 15 min. Let sit a few minutes before serving. Serves 4.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The thing about glass...(Day 19)
...is that it breaks. I seem to have a knack for breaking glass lately. Wine glasses, mugs, jelly jars, you name it. Today I found myself in the middle of an episode I'd like to call "The Great Honey Fiasco." Liam and I had a bit of a slow start this morning, so after he woke up from his morning nap, I was ready to get some things done. In a moment of productivity, Liam on my hip, I grabbed a bunch of paper for recycling, and saw that I had left the honey jar out on the table. So I reached for it, to put it away. As quickly as I grabbed it, I lost control of it, and all I could do was watch as my poor honey jar smashed on the floor. Honey was oozing everywhere, there were glass shards all around, I had a 10-month old on my hip, and I was alone in the house. Hmmm. What to do? I looked around and spotted the pack-n-play that some friends had borrowed the week before. So I carefully tiptoed around the glass, set it up, and put Liam in it with some toys. It took about 30 seconds for him to start crying. It took another 30 for him to start screaming. He wanted to be in on the "honey cleanup crew." I cleaned it up as quickly as I could, but by the end of the 10 minutes it took to make sure all the glass was gone, I think both of us were in tears. It was one of those "mommy moments," where I really had no other options, and it really was for his own good, even though it didn't feel like it at the moment (for either of us). I hope we don't have many of those!
I am happy to report that the rest of our day went much better, and the fiasco with the glass made me get out the vacuum cleaner, and since I had it out, I vacuumed the house. I also managed to make my new favorite blueberry muffins. They are delicious, and very healthy (I know what you're thinking, but really, they are amazing!). We topped off the day with a delicious dinner at my parent's house, and with the babe in bed, some evening cuddle time awaits. Hope you all had a great Saturday!
I am happy to report that the rest of our day went much better, and the fiasco with the glass made me get out the vacuum cleaner, and since I had it out, I vacuumed the house. I also managed to make my new favorite blueberry muffins. They are delicious, and very healthy (I know what you're thinking, but really, they are amazing!). We topped off the day with a delicious dinner at my parent's house, and with the babe in bed, some evening cuddle time awaits. Hope you all had a great Saturday!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Looking Forward (Day 18)
I spent an hour today on amazon.com. I didn't actually buy anything...yet. But there are a few items I am desperately lusting after. For example, we just recently started feeding Liam a good amount of solid foods, and I cloth diaper (most of the time). I am really, really wanting some of those biodegradable, flushable liners right now! In fact, I found the ones I want, and they are sitting in my cart, waiting for March 1st. I also ran out of disposable wipes. I have cloth wipes, but hey, they're just not as easy. Laundry detergent is suddenly a hot ticket item on my list, too, and I've been shopping for the best price for March 1st (yes, I am almost out of that, too!). Paper towel and Ajax have also made the list. Funny, isn't it? It hardly seems like a riveting afternoon, but I'm telling you, I am very excited about being able to stock up again.
I am also excited about the perspective I'm beginning to get about money. I am no longer longingly looking at cute baby clothes for Liam and new jeans for myself (well, not as much). I've realized how much I really don't need, and how much I just want things. I am hoping that even when austerity month ends in a few days, that I will remember the most unexpected side effect of this whole project: less stress. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but putting energy into making things last longer, and creative solutions for when I run out of things (like, say, laundry detergent), has been bordering on fun. It has also made me realize that the panic I feel when I see I've run out of something is unwarranted. With a little help from your friends, and possibly the internet, almost anything is possible! That, without a doubt, is a lesson worth learning.
I am also excited about the perspective I'm beginning to get about money. I am no longer longingly looking at cute baby clothes for Liam and new jeans for myself (well, not as much). I've realized how much I really don't need, and how much I just want things. I am hoping that even when austerity month ends in a few days, that I will remember the most unexpected side effect of this whole project: less stress. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but putting energy into making things last longer, and creative solutions for when I run out of things (like, say, laundry detergent), has been bordering on fun. It has also made me realize that the panic I feel when I see I've run out of something is unwarranted. With a little help from your friends, and possibly the internet, almost anything is possible! That, without a doubt, is a lesson worth learning.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Comfort Food (Day 17)
Today is a reminder that spring is just around the corner, and so it's put me in the mood to make some winter-type comfort food before it gets too warm for casseroles. This recipe is not organic, local or particularly healthy, but it is one of our favorites: Chicken-Broccoli-Cheese casserole or just "Casserole" as it's known here. I actually don't have a recipe per se, but here is basically how to make it (all measurements are approximate):
1-1.5 lb chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom, or whatever you want) soup
mayonnaise
frozen broccoli
approx 1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (we like cabot sharp)
bread crumbs
Cube chicken and put in the bottom of a 2-1/2 qt casserole dish. Place frozen broccoli on top (as much as you like...I use most of a 1 lb bag). In a small bowl, pour can of cream of chicken soup, and add about half that much mayonnaise, stirring together. Spoon over the top of the broccoli, and spread as evenly as possible. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Cover and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 more minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then serve over rice. Enjoy!
1-1.5 lb chicken breast
1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom, or whatever you want) soup
mayonnaise
frozen broccoli
approx 1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (we like cabot sharp)
bread crumbs
Cube chicken and put in the bottom of a 2-1/2 qt casserole dish. Place frozen broccoli on top (as much as you like...I use most of a 1 lb bag). In a small bowl, pour can of cream of chicken soup, and add about half that much mayonnaise, stirring together. Spoon over the top of the broccoli, and spread as evenly as possible. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Cover and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 more minutes. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then serve over rice. Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Simply lovely (Day 16)
My day started early, but with a little guy that was so excited to be awake, it didn't take long for me to get excited, too. It was a fantastic day. I avoided anything and everything that resembled work. No laundry, no dusting, no scrubbing, no vacuums, no dishes. Instead, I napped, wrote in my journal, saw my wonderful sister, went for a walk with my delightful neighbor and her son, and had tea with my amazing Mom. To top it all off, there was girl's night out and more fun TV. Come to think of it, it was a busy day!
To fit into this fun and busy schedule, dinner had to be simple. I decided it was a great night to use some of the lentils in my cupboard, and found this fantastic and very simple recipe on epicurious.com. I did switch out the chard for kale, and it was amazing. Even if you're not a big fan of garbanzo beans, give it a try. My hubby hates garbanzo beans in anything but hummus, and he gave it two thumbs up. Paired with my Mom's homemade bread, it was perfect for one of the last(we hope!) cold winter nights. Enjoy!
To fit into this fun and busy schedule, dinner had to be simple. I decided it was a great night to use some of the lentils in my cupboard, and found this fantastic and very simple recipe on epicurious.com. I did switch out the chard for kale, and it was amazing. Even if you're not a big fan of garbanzo beans, give it a try. My hubby hates garbanzo beans in anything but hummus, and he gave it two thumbs up. Paired with my Mom's homemade bread, it was perfect for one of the last(we hope!) cold winter nights. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Generosity (Day 15)
I've been blogging for only 15 days, and I have to admit: I feel like I've run out of things to say. I wish I made great, "bloggable" strides in my understanding of the world on a daily basis, but I don't. Some days are just days where I get up, take care of my son, and go to bed. It's not particularly glamorous or noteworthy, but it is. I think some of you can relate; I also think that one day I will remember these as the best days of my life.
In the absence of things to say, I want to focus on what you have said to us over the last few weeks. I knew that this project wouldn't be the easiest we've ever attempted. What I didn't expect was the curiosity, interest, disbelief, encouragement, and generosity that we've encountered along the way. The community that I find myself in now--made of family and friends alike, is unreal. I am blown away, and very grateful. You all WANT us to succeed, and are doing all you can to make it be true.
We've been the grateful recipients of well-placed words of encouragement and wisdom, recipe ideas, offers to cook together, eggs, coffees out, cookies, Patrick's now-famous salsa, chicken, pesto, berries, marinara sauce, lentils, pasta, and offers of "stop by if you run out of anything!" Never before have I felt so much a part of a warmhearted and caring community of people. You all have taken this family's project to pay off our bills and made it so much more than that. Thank you, all!
In the absence of things to say, I want to focus on what you have said to us over the last few weeks. I knew that this project wouldn't be the easiest we've ever attempted. What I didn't expect was the curiosity, interest, disbelief, encouragement, and generosity that we've encountered along the way. The community that I find myself in now--made of family and friends alike, is unreal. I am blown away, and very grateful. You all WANT us to succeed, and are doing all you can to make it be true.
We've been the grateful recipients of well-placed words of encouragement and wisdom, recipe ideas, offers to cook together, eggs, coffees out, cookies, Patrick's now-famous salsa, chicken, pesto, berries, marinara sauce, lentils, pasta, and offers of "stop by if you run out of anything!" Never before have I felt so much a part of a warmhearted and caring community of people. You all have taken this family's project to pay off our bills and made it so much more than that. Thank you, all!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thus far... (Day 14)
Halfway there, and it happens to fall on Valentine's Day. No offense to any of you lovers out there that go "ga-ga" over Valentine's Day, but I am not a fan. I am a cynical Valentine's gal. Don't get me wrong: I love to celebrate holidays, and particularly ones that involve the love of my life. But I like to make them more personal. I love to celebrate his birthday, and our anniversary, and if I need another reason to celebrate, then our half-anniversary. :) But the generic "love" holiday just isn't for me. That being said, I am making my husband his favorite cookies as a little surprise tonight. But since I don't like Valentine's Day, I am just calling them a "Halfway There Present."
I thought it would be a good time to review how we are doing with our "rules." So far, we are doing well in the money department. We have $7.50 left in the Emergency Fund, and a little over $22.50 left in the Grocery Fund. As for our other rules: Outside is getting visits from me much more frequently. Also, I'm not planning things around spending money (i.e. coffee, lunch, dinner, etc) and that has been a nice change. It has slowed the pace of life a bit, and I have gotten out to see my friends and neighbors more, which has been so much fun! As I mentioned yesterday, Justin and I noticed that we are eating more meals together, and I have noticed just a general shift in focus for us. We talk more about world events and things we're reading, than ways to spend money. We are still watching some TV almost every night, but we have had a lot more to chat about during dinner and dinner clean-up, so it feels different. We haven't been driving a lot on the weekends, so I think our fuel bill will be in good shape this month, too. We HAVE had a couple treats out, sponsored by my lovely sister, who knows that sometimes you just HAVE to have some Mocha Joe's, even in an austerity month!
Now comes the hard part. The refrigerator, shelves, and freezer are starting to grow some space in them. We've made it through the first part of the month, where we had milk and veggies left over from January to start us on our way. We've eaten through much of the butter I had stored in the freezer for Christmas baking that I never got done. As the budget and the supplies dwindle, I will be baking less, but still making some delicious meals from the menu options I put together earlier this month. I think I'm a new believer in menu-making, but just modified for me.
Tonight we were the lucky recipients of an unexpected Monday Night Burrito Night with Hannah, Julia, and little Grayson, our wonderful neighbors. This is the second week in a row that we've been able to have this delicious meal with them, and we are big fans. It's a great way to start the week. Happy Valentine's Day (even if it is from a cynic). :)
I thought it would be a good time to review how we are doing with our "rules." So far, we are doing well in the money department. We have $7.50 left in the Emergency Fund, and a little over $22.50 left in the Grocery Fund. As for our other rules: Outside is getting visits from me much more frequently. Also, I'm not planning things around spending money (i.e. coffee, lunch, dinner, etc) and that has been a nice change. It has slowed the pace of life a bit, and I have gotten out to see my friends and neighbors more, which has been so much fun! As I mentioned yesterday, Justin and I noticed that we are eating more meals together, and I have noticed just a general shift in focus for us. We talk more about world events and things we're reading, than ways to spend money. We are still watching some TV almost every night, but we have had a lot more to chat about during dinner and dinner clean-up, so it feels different. We haven't been driving a lot on the weekends, so I think our fuel bill will be in good shape this month, too. We HAVE had a couple treats out, sponsored by my lovely sister, who knows that sometimes you just HAVE to have some Mocha Joe's, even in an austerity month!
Now comes the hard part. The refrigerator, shelves, and freezer are starting to grow some space in them. We've made it through the first part of the month, where we had milk and veggies left over from January to start us on our way. We've eaten through much of the butter I had stored in the freezer for Christmas baking that I never got done. As the budget and the supplies dwindle, I will be baking less, but still making some delicious meals from the menu options I put together earlier this month. I think I'm a new believer in menu-making, but just modified for me.
Tonight we were the lucky recipients of an unexpected Monday Night Burrito Night with Hannah, Julia, and little Grayson, our wonderful neighbors. This is the second week in a row that we've been able to have this delicious meal with them, and we are big fans. It's a great way to start the week. Happy Valentine's Day (even if it is from a cynic). :)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Weekend Edition (Days 12 & 13)
Saturday was leftover day. As I mentioned before, I am on a mission not only to pay my bills, but also to rescue food from perishing in my refrigerator before having a chance to become something delicious. So we made beautiful salads and sandwiches for lunch, and the boys finished up our hearty chicken soup with rice while I was at work. It was a great feeling to have enjoyed the food that we have. As we sat talking after lunch, we realized that paying more attention to our food bill and what is in our refrigerator has had a wonderful side effect: we eat together more often! I know it may sound crazy, but often on weekends we are going in two different directions, and may only sit down for a brief dinner or, if we are really tired, a dinner in front of the TV. It has been a welcome change to talk more over delicious, easy meals from our pantry. We are hoping to make this a tradition!
Today it was time for my second weekly extreme-budget grocery trip. This time, I did not take enforcers. It was just me, $23.25 (I had $3.25 left over from last week), a very short list of items (although a couple 'big ticket' items like yogurt and salsa), and some determination. I headed to Hannaford's first, where I noticed as soon as I walked in that this trip was going to be much harder than the last. I didn't have Liam to distract me, so I had plenty of time to look at all the many items available to buy. I took a deep breath, and walked a little faster down the aisles. I am happy to report, though: I made it! I left Hannaford's with a carton of Stonyfield plain yogurt, a can of organic diced tomatoes (I decided salsa was too expensive, and I could make my own), 3/4 lb of grapes, and 1 red tomato for $8.31. The coop was even harder, as I love the huge selection of local and organic food, but I managed to reign myself in there, too. I got: bag of brewer's yeast, 1/2 lb of kale, 2 bananas, 3 apples, and a special almost-halfway-done-with-austerity-month gift for my hubby for: $10.11. The grand total for this trip was: $18.42. I have $4.83 left for the week, just enough to send my husband for a gallon of delicious raw milk tomorrow night. With a successful second grocery trip behind me, I am ready to tackle another week of leftovers and exciting food from our shelves. Tonight's delicacy: Spicy Artichoke and Olive Pizza. There may be some salad involved, or we may take the night off from veggies (hey, it's the weekend!) but we will be enjoying another evening together, working toward our bill-paying goal! Good Night!
Today it was time for my second weekly extreme-budget grocery trip. This time, I did not take enforcers. It was just me, $23.25 (I had $3.25 left over from last week), a very short list of items (although a couple 'big ticket' items like yogurt and salsa), and some determination. I headed to Hannaford's first, where I noticed as soon as I walked in that this trip was going to be much harder than the last. I didn't have Liam to distract me, so I had plenty of time to look at all the many items available to buy. I took a deep breath, and walked a little faster down the aisles. I am happy to report, though: I made it! I left Hannaford's with a carton of Stonyfield plain yogurt, a can of organic diced tomatoes (I decided salsa was too expensive, and I could make my own), 3/4 lb of grapes, and 1 red tomato for $8.31. The coop was even harder, as I love the huge selection of local and organic food, but I managed to reign myself in there, too. I got: bag of brewer's yeast, 1/2 lb of kale, 2 bananas, 3 apples, and a special almost-halfway-done-with-austerity-month gift for my hubby for: $10.11. The grand total for this trip was: $18.42. I have $4.83 left for the week, just enough to send my husband for a gallon of delicious raw milk tomorrow night. With a successful second grocery trip behind me, I am ready to tackle another week of leftovers and exciting food from our shelves. Tonight's delicacy: Spicy Artichoke and Olive Pizza. There may be some salad involved, or we may take the night off from veggies (hey, it's the weekend!) but we will be enjoying another evening together, working toward our bill-paying goal! Good Night!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Cabin Fever (Day 11)
I love winter. I mean, really, really love it. I get excited when it snows (even if it happens to be March or April). I can't shake that little-kid excitement when I look out the window and see snow on the road too high to drive through. I still make pancakes and hot chocolate on snow days. I've found a new love in snow shoeing, and I've always loved cross country skiing and making snow angels...But even I get a little bit stir crazy come this time every year. The same four walls just get old after awhile. And since I'm not spending money right now, envisioning different ways to utilize wall space gets old, too. Sooo...it was time to get out of the house. Fortunately for me, it was Friday, which is "lunch with my Dad" day. But since Liam's nap schedule got a little scroogy today, we had to eat lunch at home. However, after an awesome lunch with my Dad, we went to meet some lovely mamas and babies. We marked our getting out of the house occasion by making a wonderful coffeecake, courtesy of a great family friend. It may be just the thing to make your Saturday or Sunday morning delightful (it makes the house smell good, too!), and it's pretty inexpensive to make. Happy Baking! :)
French Coffee Cake (a.k.a. Celebration of Getting out of the House Cake!)
Ingredients A:
1 stick butter, softened (but not melted)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
2 c. flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients B:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt or tube pan. In a large bowl, combine Ingredients A (it will be a good, slightly stiff, cake batter texture). In a medium bowl, combine Ingredients B. Add to Ingredients A, and mix just until combined. Pour (more like spoon) into pan. Bake for 45 min-1hr. Cool a few minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooking rack to finish cooling. Enjoy! :)
1 stick butter, softened (but not melted)
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
2 c. flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Ingredients B:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped nuts
1 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt or tube pan. In a large bowl, combine Ingredients A (it will be a good, slightly stiff, cake batter texture). In a medium bowl, combine Ingredients B. Add to Ingredients A, and mix just until combined. Pour (more like spoon) into pan. Bake for 45 min-1hr. Cool a few minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cooking rack to finish cooling. Enjoy! :)
The Lost Day (Day 10)
I thought I should briefly reference the 'lost' blogging day:
It was a blue sky, sunny day outside. Inside our house, it was chaos. Liam and I put some laundry away, and then Liam proceeded to want EVERYTHING he couldn't have (like electrical cords, candles, kitty toys, kitty food, smacking the kitties, smacking the TV, etc) and would scream every time he couldn't get it. Driven outside by sheer frustration (and the insistence of my sister that it would help), we finally got some respite: finally, something we both liked! Then I found out what he really needed: he fell asleep an hour early for his afternoon nap, and slept for 2 hrs (duh, Mama!) So this Mama took a nap, too. :)
As a result, there were no great culinary (or non-culinary) accomplishments yesterday. I did manage to put some pork ribs in the crock pot for hubby's dinner before I left for work, and I guess that's something! :) Today promises to be better, and I will have a post for you later today. Ciao!
It was a blue sky, sunny day outside. Inside our house, it was chaos. Liam and I put some laundry away, and then Liam proceeded to want EVERYTHING he couldn't have (like electrical cords, candles, kitty toys, kitty food, smacking the kitties, smacking the TV, etc) and would scream every time he couldn't get it. Driven outside by sheer frustration (and the insistence of my sister that it would help), we finally got some respite: finally, something we both liked! Then I found out what he really needed: he fell asleep an hour early for his afternoon nap, and slept for 2 hrs (duh, Mama!) So this Mama took a nap, too. :)
As a result, there were no great culinary (or non-culinary) accomplishments yesterday. I did manage to put some pork ribs in the crock pot for hubby's dinner before I left for work, and I guess that's something! :) Today promises to be better, and I will have a post for you later today. Ciao!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Girl's Night Out (Day 9)
Once a week, I join some lovely ladies (my awesome nieces and sis-in-law) over on Sunny Acres for some dinner, conversation, and awesome TV (right now we're rocking through glee...and I have to say, I was opposed, but now I love it!!). We trade off cooking (ok, I pitch in once in awhile), and since she made an awesome roasted pork rib dinner last week, I thought it was fitting that I make something tonight.
I spent the greater part of this afternoon concocting Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash. If you want a cheap way to feed a large group of people, this is an awesome, delicious way to go! I don't think anyone missed the meat with the possible exception of my hubby, but he was a good sport (yes, he joins us for dinner, then takes Liam home so I can have some girl time).
I did find out over the course of the afternoon that even if you don't follow the recipe exactly, it WILL come out delicious. I omitted the chipotle chiles in adobo (no idea where to find them in town even if I was spending money), and the coriander. I had just run out of canned fire-roasted tomatoes, so I had to improvise (just kidding--I've never seen those in a can!). It turns out that you CAN oven-roast frozen tomatoes. They take a little longer, and are a little mushier, but they are delicious, and perfect for a chili. Even after all that work, though, I had to use half crushed tomatoes, because I miscalculated how many to roast. I also used canned beans, instead of dried (I just used less water) and substituted quinoa for the quick-cooking bulgur. Everyone enjoyed it, and we have leftovers to enjoy the next few days.
Even vegetarian chili needs an accompaniment, and what is better than cornbread? I used this easy and delicious recipe from my friend Leah. Her mom is an amazing cook--I don't think I've ever eaten anything less than super delicious at her house, and this cornbread was no exception. In fact, I ate way too much of it at dinner.
This dinner, along with a couple episodes of glee: season 1, made tonight delightful, and kept austerity looking pretty good! Good Night!
I spent the greater part of this afternoon concocting Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash. If you want a cheap way to feed a large group of people, this is an awesome, delicious way to go! I don't think anyone missed the meat with the possible exception of my hubby, but he was a good sport (yes, he joins us for dinner, then takes Liam home so I can have some girl time).
I did find out over the course of the afternoon that even if you don't follow the recipe exactly, it WILL come out delicious. I omitted the chipotle chiles in adobo (no idea where to find them in town even if I was spending money), and the coriander. I had just run out of canned fire-roasted tomatoes, so I had to improvise (just kidding--I've never seen those in a can!). It turns out that you CAN oven-roast frozen tomatoes. They take a little longer, and are a little mushier, but they are delicious, and perfect for a chili. Even after all that work, though, I had to use half crushed tomatoes, because I miscalculated how many to roast. I also used canned beans, instead of dried (I just used less water) and substituted quinoa for the quick-cooking bulgur. Everyone enjoyed it, and we have leftovers to enjoy the next few days.
Even vegetarian chili needs an accompaniment, and what is better than cornbread? I used this easy and delicious recipe from my friend Leah. Her mom is an amazing cook--I don't think I've ever eaten anything less than super delicious at her house, and this cornbread was no exception. In fact, I ate way too much of it at dinner.
This dinner, along with a couple episodes of glee: season 1, made tonight delightful, and kept austerity looking pretty good! Good Night!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A Productive Day (Day 8)
Since yesterday was not quite what I had hoped in the productivity department, I had my work cut out for me today. Liam was feeling better, and together we tackled the list of chores. While Liam took his morning nap, I dug in and looked over some of the monthly bills (the whole reason for this austerity month), and the austerity is working! We are in better shape than we have been since before Christmas, and although budgeting and bills don't usually put a smile on my face, it did today! :)
He woke up a pretty happy guy, and was ready to help Mama with the cleaning. He was a great help with the dusting and vacuuming, and even bigger help with the laundry!
After all this productivity in one day, I decided it was time for my weekly "sweet treat," and got some inspiration from my friend Leah's blog. I've been thinking about her Carmelita recipe for a couple weeks now, and today seemed like the perfect day to give it a try. I'm really glad I did...they look delicious (ok, I confess...they ARE delicious...I had to try them before dinner to make sure...):
There was only one snafu in the day (yes, I really wrote snafu--I love that word!) and that was....we ran out of dish soap! Yes, the emergency fund was breached in the name of clean dishes. Fortunately, my Mom was over in Keene, so she brought reinforcements from Target for only $2.50. We'll have to get through the next 20 days with the remaining $7.50.
With the kitchen once again clean thanks to the emergency delivery, Liam and I could focus on dinner. Tonight I broke out the kale from the weekend. I LOVE kale. It's so versatile, and delicious with just about anything. Tonight, it featured in a recipe from Epicurious.com, Creamy Polenta with Kale and Mushrooms. Yum..and so easy. Of course, I had to make a couple of concessions due to our extreme budget, but it still came out delicious. Next time, though, I am splurging on some pancetta, because that will take it from delicious to FABULOUS. Also, unfortunately, I only had canned mushrooms. It says a lot for the recipe that it was still yummy.
I will now sign off to go enjoy some delicious Carmelitas with my husband. Have a great Tuesday evening!
He woke up a pretty happy guy, and was ready to help Mama with the cleaning. He was a great help with the dusting and vacuuming, and even bigger help with the laundry!
After all this productivity in one day, I decided it was time for my weekly "sweet treat," and got some inspiration from my friend Leah's blog. I've been thinking about her Carmelita recipe for a couple weeks now, and today seemed like the perfect day to give it a try. I'm really glad I did...they look delicious (ok, I confess...they ARE delicious...I had to try them before dinner to make sure...):
There was only one snafu in the day (yes, I really wrote snafu--I love that word!) and that was....we ran out of dish soap! Yes, the emergency fund was breached in the name of clean dishes. Fortunately, my Mom was over in Keene, so she brought reinforcements from Target for only $2.50. We'll have to get through the next 20 days with the remaining $7.50.
With the kitchen once again clean thanks to the emergency delivery, Liam and I could focus on dinner. Tonight I broke out the kale from the weekend. I LOVE kale. It's so versatile, and delicious with just about anything. Tonight, it featured in a recipe from Epicurious.com, Creamy Polenta with Kale and Mushrooms. Yum..and so easy. Of course, I had to make a couple of concessions due to our extreme budget, but it still came out delicious. Next time, though, I am splurging on some pancetta, because that will take it from delicious to FABULOUS. Also, unfortunately, I only had canned mushrooms. It says a lot for the recipe that it was still yummy.
I will now sign off to go enjoy some delicious Carmelitas with my husband. Have a great Tuesday evening!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Supposed To Be... (Day 7)
It was supposed to be a productive day. I had a list in my head of household chores to do, baking to start, laundry to do, and errands to run. None of it got done, save for one (essential) errand, and one (essential) load of laundry. Liam had his own plans for the day, and they did not include doing household chores, baking, or running errands. They did include sleeping as much as possible on Mama, and fussing every time he was put down. Since the poor babe has a fever of at least 101, this Mama just had to let the list go--again.
So instead of all the amazing baking I was going to tell you about today, I talked my sister into taking a car trip down to BJ's. (Truth be told, there was no "talking her into" anything...she's always up for an adventure.) The hope was that Liam would augment his morning nap with a few winks in the car, and I could get myself some yummy, cheap, organic greens. This part of the day actually did go as planned. Liam napped (yaay!), and we were able to get ourselves a pound of organic greens for just $4.99. They were a dollar more than I remembered, but still an excellent deal, leaving me with $3.25 left for the week.
It was supposed to be a quick, easy trip for some cheap greens, and it was. But it was not easy to resist enticing deals face-to-face with the products. Normally, when I enter BJ's, I have a list of things I need, and then I find 2 or 3 good deals along the way. Great overall, but not when there is $8.24 left in the budget for the week. I found it very difficult to resist the 86 oz. jug of almond milk (I mainly drink almond milk instead of cow's milk) for just $3.69. That is the SAME price as a half gallon container of the exact same product at Hannaford's, and $.30 less than a half gallon container at the co-op. BUT it was $.44 over my budget for the week, so I did resist today...with some help from my sister (although there may be another trip in the near future!)
So, although it has gotten pretty easy to resist the daily emails that promise to save me money, when it comes to facing lots of things to buy in the store, it is still difficult to resist. So many things that I normally would have found useful and necessary, I had to pass by for my one tub of salad greens. Hard? Yes. Satisfying? Well...it will be when I write out checks for my bills!
There is no recipe for tonight, because I only made a small contribution to a larger meal, which was delicious and fun. I HIGHLY recommend Burrito Night with the neighbors (who are also wonderful friends), especially if you're in the middle of an austerity month!
So instead of all the amazing baking I was going to tell you about today, I talked my sister into taking a car trip down to BJ's. (Truth be told, there was no "talking her into" anything...she's always up for an adventure.) The hope was that Liam would augment his morning nap with a few winks in the car, and I could get myself some yummy, cheap, organic greens. This part of the day actually did go as planned. Liam napped (yaay!), and we were able to get ourselves a pound of organic greens for just $4.99. They were a dollar more than I remembered, but still an excellent deal, leaving me with $3.25 left for the week.
It was supposed to be a quick, easy trip for some cheap greens, and it was. But it was not easy to resist enticing deals face-to-face with the products. Normally, when I enter BJ's, I have a list of things I need, and then I find 2 or 3 good deals along the way. Great overall, but not when there is $8.24 left in the budget for the week. I found it very difficult to resist the 86 oz. jug of almond milk (I mainly drink almond milk instead of cow's milk) for just $3.69. That is the SAME price as a half gallon container of the exact same product at Hannaford's, and $.30 less than a half gallon container at the co-op. BUT it was $.44 over my budget for the week, so I did resist today...with some help from my sister (although there may be another trip in the near future!)
So, although it has gotten pretty easy to resist the daily emails that promise to save me money, when it comes to facing lots of things to buy in the store, it is still difficult to resist. So many things that I normally would have found useful and necessary, I had to pass by for my one tub of salad greens. Hard? Yes. Satisfying? Well...it will be when I write out checks for my bills!
There is no recipe for tonight, because I only made a small contribution to a larger meal, which was delicious and fun. I HIGHLY recommend Burrito Night with the neighbors (who are also wonderful friends), especially if you're in the middle of an austerity month!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Holding Steady (Day 6)
Today was everything a Superbowl Sunday should be...except (for me) the chicken-wing feast and the football game. A sick (or maybe teething?) baby will make it a night in for me, and without cable, that will be a night without football. I will, however, be cheering for the Steelers along with my Papa and brothers (go, Steelers!), and will hear the results tomorrow.
We had a lovely brunch this beautiful, finally sunny Sunday morning with some lovely people! We managed to scrape up a feast out of our pantry: homemade granola with pomegranate seeds (I found 2 pomegranates I bought for a party and didn't use!), fresh biscuits with homemade jam, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and ham, bacon, and some cut up apple and blood orange purchased yesterday. Delicious!
While rocking my cuddly, sleepy baby this afternoon, I thought back over this week. It's been a good one, and I've been more consistent about preparing food, and more excited about it. So far, it's changed my focus from what I don't have to all the wonderful things I can make with what I do have. I hope I still feel that way by the end of the month!
Enjoy your Superbowl feasts, and be safe!
We had a lovely brunch this beautiful, finally sunny Sunday morning with some lovely people! We managed to scrape up a feast out of our pantry: homemade granola with pomegranate seeds (I found 2 pomegranates I bought for a party and didn't use!), fresh biscuits with homemade jam, scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and ham, bacon, and some cut up apple and blood orange purchased yesterday. Delicious!
While rocking my cuddly, sleepy baby this afternoon, I thought back over this week. It's been a good one, and I've been more consistent about preparing food, and more excited about it. So far, it's changed my focus from what I don't have to all the wonderful things I can make with what I do have. I hope I still feel that way by the end of the month!
Enjoy your Superbowl feasts, and be safe!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Grocery Store Bananza! (Day 5)
Today it was time to tackle the grocery store. I was a little nervous, because I rarely stick to my grocery list. Usually I buy everything on the list AND...(whatever catches my eye inserted here). Today I had to stick to my list, or at least to my budget, but I also had to go. With friends coming over for brunch tomorrow, I really needed some fresh food reinforcements. So, I bundled up the babe, recruited my husband for a helping hand, and we headed to the grocery store armed with a $20 bill and a piece of plastic worth $10.
I realized yesterday that our budget this month of $62.50 (1/4 of our usual grocery budget) would be augmented by the fact that WIC gives us $10/ month for fresh fruits and veggies. Therefore, technically we will be spending $72.50 this month, but our contribution remains the same. :) It was actually a relief to realize I had a couple more dollars to spend. Looking at produce can be daunting!
We stopped at our local co-op first, where we chatted away 20 minutes with our neighbor, Hannah, and her little boy, Grayson, who is 3 days younger than Liam. She gave some helpful hints about what was on sale, and then we were on our way. She was curious what we could buy for $20...So, here it is: We managed to leave the co-op with one bunch of organic kale (almost 1 lb), 5 bananas, 4 organic apples, a blood orange, and 1/2 c of arborio rice for $8.46. Then on to Hannaford, where we scored big - naval oranges were on sale, so we got 10 for $3.49, a bunch of asparagus for $1.99 (thanks for the tip hannah!), 5 lb of onions for $2.99, then an avocado for $.79, and I splurged and got a mango for $.99! After grabbing a container of rolled oats for $2.99, we left Hannaford's for $13.30. Grand total: $21.76 ($11.76 of the $20, and all of the $10 WIC card). That leaves me $8.24, which will take me to BJ's Wholesale Club for an extra big tub of Olivia's Organics salad greens for $3.99 that will keep us in lovely salads for a week! I wasn't sure we could do it, but so far, so good!
Tonight we are eating leftover chicken soup, because after my busy day of snowshoeing (a new favorite!), grocery shopping, and getting ready for brunch, I am tired. AND because it's delicious. :) Getting ready for brunch has had it's own delicious scent: GRANOLA. I love it, but always was afraid of it being too complicated, and too expensive. With this easy recipe from Ina Garten, though, it is delicious, easy, and not very expensive:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cherry-almond-and-cinnamon-granola-recipe/index.html
It's also really adaptable. I like to change around the fruit I put in it, and it always turns out fabulous! Happy Saturday!
I realized yesterday that our budget this month of $62.50 (1/4 of our usual grocery budget) would be augmented by the fact that WIC gives us $10/ month for fresh fruits and veggies. Therefore, technically we will be spending $72.50 this month, but our contribution remains the same. :) It was actually a relief to realize I had a couple more dollars to spend. Looking at produce can be daunting!
We stopped at our local co-op first, where we chatted away 20 minutes with our neighbor, Hannah, and her little boy, Grayson, who is 3 days younger than Liam. She gave some helpful hints about what was on sale, and then we were on our way. She was curious what we could buy for $20...So, here it is: We managed to leave the co-op with one bunch of organic kale (almost 1 lb), 5 bananas, 4 organic apples, a blood orange, and 1/2 c of arborio rice for $8.46. Then on to Hannaford, where we scored big - naval oranges were on sale, so we got 10 for $3.49, a bunch of asparagus for $1.99 (thanks for the tip hannah!), 5 lb of onions for $2.99, then an avocado for $.79, and I splurged and got a mango for $.99! After grabbing a container of rolled oats for $2.99, we left Hannaford's for $13.30. Grand total: $21.76 ($11.76 of the $20, and all of the $10 WIC card). That leaves me $8.24, which will take me to BJ's Wholesale Club for an extra big tub of Olivia's Organics salad greens for $3.99 that will keep us in lovely salads for a week! I wasn't sure we could do it, but so far, so good!
Tonight we are eating leftover chicken soup, because after my busy day of snowshoeing (a new favorite!), grocery shopping, and getting ready for brunch, I am tired. AND because it's delicious. :) Getting ready for brunch has had it's own delicious scent: GRANOLA. I love it, but always was afraid of it being too complicated, and too expensive. With this easy recipe from Ina Garten, though, it is delicious, easy, and not very expensive:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cherry-almond-and-cinnamon-granola-recipe/index.html
It's also really adaptable. I like to change around the fruit I put in it, and it always turns out fabulous! Happy Saturday!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Tackling Menus (Day 4)
When Liam went down for his nap this morning, I had a choice: tackle the bathroom that desperately needs cleaning, or take a deep breath, grab paper, a pen, and my inventory list from yesterday, and start tackling some menus. As tempting as scouring the bathroom was, I chose the dreaded menus.
I grabbed the latest issue of Bon Appetit, to see what they had to offer, and it turns out that they had quite a bit. Besides the truly amazing from-scratch brownies I tried out last week (recipe at the end of this post), they had several recipes that would use some of the stock from my shelves, and sounded delicious. Granted, I will be making some substitutions to stay within my budget, but putting a "Stacked Veggie Quesadilla," "Butternut Squash Risotto," "Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash" and a "Winter Salad" on the menu was downright exciting! These are all things that I am sure will still be appealing in a few days when I go to make them.
In fact, I actually enjoyed making the menu for the rest of the month, and I think I discovered why:
1. I knew what I had on my shelves from the inventory yesterday.
2. I was using that list of things I already have (and like) to determine the menu, instead of trying to find things that "sound good" to put on the list.
3. I just made a random list of menu options to maximize what I had, but didn't try to assign them to specific days. I think that bogs me down sometimes.
4. I'm actually kind of excited about eating through some of this food. :)
Actually, I found such pleasure in the menu options this morning that I even went so far as to plan out possibilities for breakfast, lunch, and my once-a-week dessert treats. All this from the gal who spent and entire post yesterday telling you how much I hate menu planning. Perhaps there's hope for me yet!
That was the easy part. As pointed out by a friend the other day, though, the hard part is going to be adding vegetable sides to some of these dishes, and still staying in the budget. Produce is expensive. As much as I like to buy organic, I have to admit to shopping from the "conventional" produce section fairly often to stretch my budget. I do try to find as many deals on organic food as possible. For example, my mom and I shared a winter CSA share for December/January that kept us in delicious organic produce for quite awhile! But now that I'm back to shopping the grocery stores, it will be a challenge. I will let you know how I make out when I hit the grocery store this weekend to add some essential, fresh nutrients to our diet.
For tonight, Justin will be making his famous (well, at least in this family) pineapple-pepper chicken stir-fry tonight. It's the first stir-fry I ever enjoyed, which has made it a huge favorite with me. Since it's one of my work nights, I'll get to enjoy this delicious meal for lunch tomorrow.
In closing, as we head into the weekend, I wanted to leave you with this recipe from Bon Appetit. It's a recipe by Alice Medrich, and as far as I'm concerned, she's a genius! They claimed they were the "best ever brownies," so of course, I had to try them. I don't usually like from-scratch brownies. But these are going in my recipe box. Delicious. Enjoy!
I grabbed the latest issue of Bon Appetit, to see what they had to offer, and it turns out that they had quite a bit. Besides the truly amazing from-scratch brownies I tried out last week (recipe at the end of this post), they had several recipes that would use some of the stock from my shelves, and sounded delicious. Granted, I will be making some substitutions to stay within my budget, but putting a "Stacked Veggie Quesadilla," "Butternut Squash Risotto," "Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash" and a "Winter Salad" on the menu was downright exciting! These are all things that I am sure will still be appealing in a few days when I go to make them.
In fact, I actually enjoyed making the menu for the rest of the month, and I think I discovered why:
1. I knew what I had on my shelves from the inventory yesterday.
2. I was using that list of things I already have (and like) to determine the menu, instead of trying to find things that "sound good" to put on the list.
3. I just made a random list of menu options to maximize what I had, but didn't try to assign them to specific days. I think that bogs me down sometimes.
4. I'm actually kind of excited about eating through some of this food. :)
Actually, I found such pleasure in the menu options this morning that I even went so far as to plan out possibilities for breakfast, lunch, and my once-a-week dessert treats. All this from the gal who spent and entire post yesterday telling you how much I hate menu planning. Perhaps there's hope for me yet!
That was the easy part. As pointed out by a friend the other day, though, the hard part is going to be adding vegetable sides to some of these dishes, and still staying in the budget. Produce is expensive. As much as I like to buy organic, I have to admit to shopping from the "conventional" produce section fairly often to stretch my budget. I do try to find as many deals on organic food as possible. For example, my mom and I shared a winter CSA share for December/January that kept us in delicious organic produce for quite awhile! But now that I'm back to shopping the grocery stores, it will be a challenge. I will let you know how I make out when I hit the grocery store this weekend to add some essential, fresh nutrients to our diet.
For tonight, Justin will be making his famous (well, at least in this family) pineapple-pepper chicken stir-fry tonight. It's the first stir-fry I ever enjoyed, which has made it a huge favorite with me. Since it's one of my work nights, I'll get to enjoy this delicious meal for lunch tomorrow.
In closing, as we head into the weekend, I wanted to leave you with this recipe from Bon Appetit. It's a recipe by Alice Medrich, and as far as I'm concerned, she's a genius! They claimed they were the "best ever brownies," so of course, I had to try them. I don't usually like from-scratch brownies. But these are going in my recipe box. Delicious. Enjoy!
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Walnuts
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/4 c. sugar (but I used a little less--depends on how sweet you like things)
3/4 c. natural unsweetened cocoa powder (scooped into measuring cup, then leveled to measure)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/2 c. plus 1 Tablespoon unbleached flour
1 c. walnut pieces
Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F.
Line 8x8x2 in metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with non-stick spray.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon(generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/4 c. sugar (but I used a little less--depends on how sweet you like things)
3/4 c. natural unsweetened cocoa powder (scooped into measuring cup, then leveled to measure)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/2 c. plus 1 Tablespoon unbleached flour
1 c. walnut pieces
Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325 degrees F.
Line 8x8x2 in metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with non-stick spray.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon(generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Stir in nuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Taking Stock (Day 3)
Austerity Day 3:
Today I rescued a chicken from an otherwise dismal fate of going bad in my refrigerator. I also rescued my refrigerator from 2 very old avocados, a container of lentil soup (it was growing such unnaturally colored mold that I threw the container away, too...my apologies to the earth), an apple pie, and some salad that was delicious about a month ago.
I seem to have this problem a lot. I find that much of what I buy - with great intentions of turning it into something delicious - ends up being thrown into the compost a few weeks later, never having realized its potential. I think this has something to do with the fact that I really enjoy "winging it" when it comes to food.
See, when I told my mother-in-law about our plan for this month, she responded that it would be do-able, but "did I have all my menus prepared?"
"Nope," I said, "I'm just going to wing it." She gave me a raised-eye brow look and a "good luck." This non-plan was my plan until she said that.
See--I hate planning menus. I know they are a useful tool that could probably save some of the forgotten avocados, tubs of yogurt, lima beans, sprouts, and other miscellaneous items that expire in my refrigerator on a monthly basis. However, I am not good at them. I try every once in awhile, but even when I make them I rarely stick to them. I pick things that seem delicious at the time, but when Tuesday or Wednesday rolls around seem less than appealing. It's either that, or I decide to try something new, and end up needing so many ingredients that it eats up my budget for the whole week in just one meal! Therefore, most of the time I just wing it.
But her comment made me think, and the more I thought about it, the more sure I became that I should really take stock of what I have, and even write down a (loose) menu plan. Just enough to ensure that by the end of the month I don't end up with pineapple as the only accompaniment to a can of tuna.
So today, while my rescued chicken bubbled away on the stove into a beautiful soup for dinner, I looked through my refrigerator, cupboards, and freezers to see what I had. I'm really glad I did, because it alleviated this fear I had of not having anything to eat for the last week of the month. I still have yet to tackle any kind of menu, but with a little creativity in the kitchen, and a couple runs to the store for some fresh greens, I think we'll be eating pretty well this month. And hopefully, with fewer sacrifices to the compost pile!
Today I rescued a chicken from an otherwise dismal fate of going bad in my refrigerator. I also rescued my refrigerator from 2 very old avocados, a container of lentil soup (it was growing such unnaturally colored mold that I threw the container away, too...my apologies to the earth), an apple pie, and some salad that was delicious about a month ago.
I seem to have this problem a lot. I find that much of what I buy - with great intentions of turning it into something delicious - ends up being thrown into the compost a few weeks later, never having realized its potential. I think this has something to do with the fact that I really enjoy "winging it" when it comes to food.
See, when I told my mother-in-law about our plan for this month, she responded that it would be do-able, but "did I have all my menus prepared?"
"Nope," I said, "I'm just going to wing it." She gave me a raised-eye brow look and a "good luck." This non-plan was my plan until she said that.
See--I hate planning menus. I know they are a useful tool that could probably save some of the forgotten avocados, tubs of yogurt, lima beans, sprouts, and other miscellaneous items that expire in my refrigerator on a monthly basis. However, I am not good at them. I try every once in awhile, but even when I make them I rarely stick to them. I pick things that seem delicious at the time, but when Tuesday or Wednesday rolls around seem less than appealing. It's either that, or I decide to try something new, and end up needing so many ingredients that it eats up my budget for the whole week in just one meal! Therefore, most of the time I just wing it.
But her comment made me think, and the more I thought about it, the more sure I became that I should really take stock of what I have, and even write down a (loose) menu plan. Just enough to ensure that by the end of the month I don't end up with pineapple as the only accompaniment to a can of tuna.
So today, while my rescued chicken bubbled away on the stove into a beautiful soup for dinner, I looked through my refrigerator, cupboards, and freezers to see what I had. I'm really glad I did, because it alleviated this fear I had of not having anything to eat for the last week of the month. I still have yet to tackle any kind of menu, but with a little creativity in the kitchen, and a couple runs to the store for some fresh greens, I think we'll be eating pretty well this month. And hopefully, with fewer sacrifices to the compost pile!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Realizations (Day 2)
Austerity Day 2:
Today was a beautiful Vermont day. The perfect kind of day to stay home, drink hot cocoa, bake something delicious, and knit something beautiful. Except I didn't do any of that (except drink hot cocoa). I did, however, have a first today: snowshoeing! It seems impossible that I have lived in Vermont my whole life and never been snowshoeing before today. With just a little sunlight left to spare, our family went squeaking through the woods behind our house. It was beautiful, and such a great excuse to get out in the snow. It was fun (and free!), and I think it might become a family favorite.
On my second day of austerity, I caught myself many times thinking something like this, "Well, I could just stop by the store and buy...and that would be easy..." or "Oh, since I'm going through these photos, I should just buy some prints..." or "Maybe I should buy some dessert for dinner tonight..." Without even thinking, I clicked through on the email broadcasting the best baby clothes buys for today to see if there was anything Liam "needed."
By noon today, I had caught myself thinking of things I could buy half a dozen times. And they only formed into real thoughts because I am not spending money. I had to stop myself. Otherwise, they just would have materialized in my checkbook as debits. A dollar here, a few dollars there, and by the 2nd of February, I would have already thoughtlessly spent some precious budget capital on things I wouldn't be able to name come next week. Yikes!
Realizing how much energy I put into thinking about running here or running there to buy things really surprised me. It is energy and time I could much better use other ways, like finding deals on essential items for the household, or putting together the wedding album I've been "working on" for 5.5 years. It is time to forge new thought patterns, with meaningful spending and freedom from consumer-ism traps.
This afternoon, I forged new patterns by bundling up our baby boy, and enjoying my first snowshoeing experience in the great outdoors. It was something I didn't have to spend money on, but I WILL remember next week!
Today was a beautiful Vermont day. The perfect kind of day to stay home, drink hot cocoa, bake something delicious, and knit something beautiful. Except I didn't do any of that (except drink hot cocoa). I did, however, have a first today: snowshoeing! It seems impossible that I have lived in Vermont my whole life and never been snowshoeing before today. With just a little sunlight left to spare, our family went squeaking through the woods behind our house. It was beautiful, and such a great excuse to get out in the snow. It was fun (and free!), and I think it might become a family favorite.
On my second day of austerity, I caught myself many times thinking something like this, "Well, I could just stop by the store and buy...and that would be easy..." or "Oh, since I'm going through these photos, I should just buy some prints..." or "Maybe I should buy some dessert for dinner tonight..." Without even thinking, I clicked through on the email broadcasting the best baby clothes buys for today to see if there was anything Liam "needed."
By noon today, I had caught myself thinking of things I could buy half a dozen times. And they only formed into real thoughts because I am not spending money. I had to stop myself. Otherwise, they just would have materialized in my checkbook as debits. A dollar here, a few dollars there, and by the 2nd of February, I would have already thoughtlessly spent some precious budget capital on things I wouldn't be able to name come next week. Yikes!
Realizing how much energy I put into thinking about running here or running there to buy things really surprised me. It is energy and time I could much better use other ways, like finding deals on essential items for the household, or putting together the wedding album I've been "working on" for 5.5 years. It is time to forge new thought patterns, with meaningful spending and freedom from consumer-ism traps.
This afternoon, I forged new patterns by bundling up our baby boy, and enjoying my first snowshoeing experience in the great outdoors. It was something I didn't have to spend money on, but I WILL remember next week!
The Beginning (Day 1)
The Austerity Project? Yes, Austerity - from the definition "extreme or enforced economy" from Merriam-Webster. For the month of February, my family and I are embarking on a new journey: austerity. Here's the breakdown:
The Players.
Justin, my husband--blacksmith extraordinaire, happy (and tired!) new father, and lover of fine food, art, and other 'toys.'
Kim (me) --waitress at a local brew pub, most of the time an at-home mom, frequenter of the local coffee house, and also lover of fine food, wine, jewelery,and other 'gadgets.'
Liam--our new joy! He's 10 months old, and has sent us scurrying to find places for all of our breakable items. He doesn't have much of an opinion about this project, but I'm including him anyway.
The Reasons.
My hubby and I have been married for 6 years, and for that time we have struggled to pay our bills, save "enough" money for the future, and still have enough to buy (and/or make) the things we want. We love art of all sorts - photography, sculpture, paintings, woodwork, pottery, metalwork, and many others I haven't named here. Because these more obvious art pieces usually cost so much, we have a lot of pottery, but not a lot of other artwork. I enjoy these pottery pieces, though, because they are beautiful AND functional. I get to use and enjoy them on a daily basis.
We also LOVE food. I think this is our downfall. We love expensive, gourmet food. We love down-home cooking....and everything in between. We both love to cook, and experiment in the kitchen regularly. As our knowledge of food and collection of recipes grows, the grocery budget has gotten difficult to contain. Recently, we have added to this a very real concern about where the food we eat is raised and processed. It has become increasingly obvious that "you are what you eat," and what is available in the grocery store is just not what we choose to become. So, the budget has been further stretched by our desire to buy local, organic (if possible) meat. Daunting at the check-out line sometimes, but we believe it's vital to our personal health, and the greater good.
This year, we also got caught up in the consumerism of the Holiday season. This over-exuberance about December 25th, combined with a few other purchases, has led to a strain on the checkbook. This reflects a general appreciation for cool new gadgets that we find, and a love of all things new and pretty. In short, at times we get caught up in buying things we can't afford. Therefore, in order to pay off some bills, and reclaim a sense of balance in the midst of the consumerism we are faced with daily, we decided to embark on this project.
The Rules.
We sat down and came up with this list of rules:
*Cut the Grocery Budget for the month to $62.50. This will (hopefully) cover some fresh foods, and any essentials we happen to not have. Besides this, we will be cleaning out our pantry shelves.
*A $10 emergency allowance. "Emergency" can be defined many ways, so we'll see how long that lasts. :)
*Minimal car usage. We would like to carpool, and park our car as much as possible this month. In the middle of a very snowy New England winter, we need to use the car for work, but will minimize its usage otherwise.
*We will find some fun, free things to do throughout the month
*We did decide to keep our automatically recurring Netflix account for the month, but will try to be less focused on nightly TV as having some other old-fashioned fun.
So, there you have it. I am hoping that this will be a period of creativity (I'm guessing especially in the culinary department!), and that even after our project has ended, we will continue to see the world a little more clearly.
I will blog about our progress each day, the ups and downs of not spending any money, and in general how we survive our month. As I am posting this first post a day late, I will write again later today.
The Players.
Justin, my husband--blacksmith extraordinaire, happy (and tired!) new father, and lover of fine food, art, and other 'toys.'
Kim (me) --waitress at a local brew pub, most of the time an at-home mom, frequenter of the local coffee house, and also lover of fine food, wine, jewelery,and other 'gadgets.'
Liam--our new joy! He's 10 months old, and has sent us scurrying to find places for all of our breakable items. He doesn't have much of an opinion about this project, but I'm including him anyway.
The Reasons.
My hubby and I have been married for 6 years, and for that time we have struggled to pay our bills, save "enough" money for the future, and still have enough to buy (and/or make) the things we want. We love art of all sorts - photography, sculpture, paintings, woodwork, pottery, metalwork, and many others I haven't named here. Because these more obvious art pieces usually cost so much, we have a lot of pottery, but not a lot of other artwork. I enjoy these pottery pieces, though, because they are beautiful AND functional. I get to use and enjoy them on a daily basis.
We also LOVE food. I think this is our downfall. We love expensive, gourmet food. We love down-home cooking....and everything in between. We both love to cook, and experiment in the kitchen regularly. As our knowledge of food and collection of recipes grows, the grocery budget has gotten difficult to contain. Recently, we have added to this a very real concern about where the food we eat is raised and processed. It has become increasingly obvious that "you are what you eat," and what is available in the grocery store is just not what we choose to become. So, the budget has been further stretched by our desire to buy local, organic (if possible) meat. Daunting at the check-out line sometimes, but we believe it's vital to our personal health, and the greater good.
This year, we also got caught up in the consumerism of the Holiday season. This over-exuberance about December 25th, combined with a few other purchases, has led to a strain on the checkbook. This reflects a general appreciation for cool new gadgets that we find, and a love of all things new and pretty. In short, at times we get caught up in buying things we can't afford. Therefore, in order to pay off some bills, and reclaim a sense of balance in the midst of the consumerism we are faced with daily, we decided to embark on this project.
The Rules.
We sat down and came up with this list of rules:
*Cut the Grocery Budget for the month to $62.50. This will (hopefully) cover some fresh foods, and any essentials we happen to not have. Besides this, we will be cleaning out our pantry shelves.
*A $10 emergency allowance. "Emergency" can be defined many ways, so we'll see how long that lasts. :)
*Minimal car usage. We would like to carpool, and park our car as much as possible this month. In the middle of a very snowy New England winter, we need to use the car for work, but will minimize its usage otherwise.
*We will find some fun, free things to do throughout the month
*We did decide to keep our automatically recurring Netflix account for the month, but will try to be less focused on nightly TV as having some other old-fashioned fun.
So, there you have it. I am hoping that this will be a period of creativity (I'm guessing especially in the culinary department!), and that even after our project has ended, we will continue to see the world a little more clearly.
I will blog about our progress each day, the ups and downs of not spending any money, and in general how we survive our month. As I am posting this first post a day late, I will write again later today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)