Frugal Foodie

May and June seem to be spendy times around here. Part of it is because we have homeowner's insurance and car insurance coming due and then the property taxes come due around the first of June. Sunday afternoons are usually spent paying bills and reconciling the checkbook.

This week was especially expensive. On Wednesday we met friends for supper out for her birthday. On Thursday we spent the night in a hotel since they were blowing insulation foam into our crawl space and we couldn't stay in our house which meant supper out again. Breakfast was included with the room so that was good, but it also meant driving an extra 20 minutes to get to work on Friday. I planned that I wouldn't be able to take my Thermos with coffee so I had taken coffee in a fruit jar and put it in the fridge at school. Added creamer and had "iced" coffee instead of hot. It was fine and at least saved money there. Since we couldn't yet get back to the house, we wound up eating lunch out -- well, DH ate it out, he stopped and bought a sandwich for me to eat at school. We ate out again Friday night -- wow three days in a row. We have friends who eat out every night and I personally do not know how they do it. I was happy to eat at home last night as was DH.

It seems like the end of the school year is always kind of expensive anyway. Our administrator is retiring as is another staff member, and two people are leaving so of course there was the collection for their gifts. Then, another person is having a baby so there was money for a shower gift. Our staff decided to do secret pal stuff this year and I don't know who decided we needed to do an end of the year gift of $25, but I thought that was a little outrageous.

Granted, I'm griping. I have the money for all of this. All those meals we ate in and all those leftovers that were repurposed and consumed allowed for that. Those coupons that were clipped and sales that were used allowed us to have the money for all that. Perhaps I'm just become so tight I hate spending money.

I know we will spend money in June too. It is our 25th wedding anniversary and we are renewing our vows. Small ceremony under the huge oak tree we were married under. Our pastor being the kind soul that he is said all he wanted in terms of a fee was 3 chocolate chip cookies from each of us. I've already given him a dozen...that man has a sweet tooth and I know it! We are going to have professional photos taken since we didn't have them for our wedding. We have invited 3 close friends to the ceremony and we are treating them and our pastor to lunch. Not a huge expense overall, but we think it will be nice.

Speaking of weddings, Mary Hunt of Everyday Cheapskate said she interviewed someone that said the typical wedding costs over $31,000. Yowza! That is a heap of money! That makes my spendy days look like chicken feed!

Happy Memorial Day! I'm sure most of us have been touched by someone in the Armed Forces whether it is a parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, child.

Today the news stations broadcast the president putting a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. It was a beautiful ceremony and made me remember a number of years ago when DH and I were on a trip and we saw the changing of the guard there. The ceremony was moving and everyone in the crowd was quiet and respectful. I think that helped make it special.

As we remember our soldiers, both those we know and those we don't, think good thoughts of how blessed we are to have people who have fought for us. I'm including a couple of photos from my vacation in 2009 and the changing of the guard.

We've been spending money at the local garden center. DH has a decent vegetable garden for the small space available and yesterday he bought some flowers. He enjoys gardening so it is relaxing for him and the vegetables are pretty darn tasty.

Yesterday's plants were a bit pricey and he probably could have gotten fewer and less expensive ones. I pointed out that we save money on other things so we can spend it on things we really want.

A couple we know love to spend. Last fall he was telling us how they had custom made curtains for their kitchen windows. Two windows. Not picture windows or extra tall windows. Just basic kitchen windows. And the tally: $1500. We've viewed these pieces of cloth at the window -- they are nice curtains, but I can't see where they are worth $1500. But that is how they roll -- all the curtains and drapes are custom made and cost thousands of dollars. Yet, they moan and gripe about being short of money. They hit the home equity quite a bit and have taken out personal loans to finance vacations and other odds and ends.

I like nice things too, but last year I hit a garage sale and found two brand new in the package sheers that matched the curtains I found on sale. All in all, I spent about $32 for curtains and sheers and was pleased. This friend told my husband I must not care about him since I spent so little on the window coverings. DH looked at me and said he didn't think that was so; he thought they looked OK. What a strange mindset.

So this weekend, other than buying the flowers, we are working around here. I'm getting ready to pick some radishes that are a little larger than we prefer for raw eating. I saw a recipe on roasting them and it looked pretty good. Here is the url:

http://www.thekitchn.com/roasted-radishes-are-the-vegetable-thats-missing-from-your-life-215614

Supper is pork loin, mashed potatoes, carrots, radishes, and cottage cheese. The pork loin and carrots will make up another meal later this week. Yet another way to save money so we have it for other things...and those other things WILL NOT be $1500 custom curtains!

Last week we ate out with another couple to celebrate birthdays. It was a reasonably priced meal and planned in our budget.

The conversation was about what this couple was planning on doing. They've always been spenders, not savers. But they laid out their plans...a fancy vacation and taking the whole family. This is in addition to going south for the winter, and all the other things they are constantly doing, not to mention all the things they are buying.

After we parted, I asked DH if we were too careful. This summer we are planning a short vacation in addition to celebrating our 25th anniversary. After hearing all the things this other couple were doing, it made me feel like a stick in the mud.

Yesterday we went to the library and checked out some magazines and books. We went to the grocery store and bought things on our list for our planned menus. DH bought bell pepper plants to put in his garden. We came home and he worked in his small garden. I picked radishes, green onions, and lettuce and made a small salad as I prepared things for two meals: roast pork loin for supper and Italian wedding soup for Sunday's supper. Hubby mowed and I did laundry. Last night after cleaning up and showering, we watched some television and read some magazines, and went to bed satisfied we had a nice day.

Thinking back on Friday's conversation and my original thoughts, no, we aren't boring. I think we are more satisfied. Upon reflection, these people are always telling us all the cool things they are doing and how their family is superior and their other friends are better and so on and so forth. DH and I are happy with each other. Unlike this couple, we feel financially secure. We know that this couple will have to finance this vacation.

Knowing that things don't bring happiness, sort of helps me put things in perspective. I don't have to one up these folks on things to be happy. I don't have to finance my vacation because we save and plan for ours. And, finding enjoyment in the simple things I think is important because then we don't have to continue searching for bigger and better things to make life more exciting.

Thanks for letting me sort this out.

The past two weekends we have been to two estate sales. Both were pretagged. The same person ran them. Prices are 100% on Saturday, then 25% 9-12 on Sunday and 50% off 1-5 p.m. The first one, we didn't go on Saturday and hit it up Sunday afternoon. We bought a bunch of things. We decided to change the stuff over the couch in the family room and DH fell in love with some of the cross stitched samplers this woman had worked on. Her handiwork is beautiful and they are lovely and all were professionally framed. I also bought a small hand stitched, hand pieced quilt. I will use it as a throw. Due to my allergies, I cannot use any of the throws that are being sold because I'm allergic to anything with acrylic in it.

Last week we went on Saturday. It was a smaller sale. I bought a new name brand purse, two pairs of brand name shoes that had never been worn, and a vintage pot with lid that had been manufactured a few miles up the road. We are happy with our finds and I have no problem having some of these items that were preowned. We donated the print and shelf we had over the couch to our church's rummage sale. Both sales had lovely items and for the things we bought, reasonable prices. I'm buying things I'll use.

This weekend I'm happy to be home. Work has been exhausting so I am trying to catch up on my housework and laundry. I did finish a book (number 30 for 2015 so far). We did hit the grocery store earlier. DH is out puttering in the yard. We have church tomorrow.

So, my chores include laundry, ironing, cooking, and cleaning. I'm looking forward to a relaxing evening. Overall, it will be a low spend weekend. I'm also going through some of our things so I can donate them as well to the church rummage sale.

Hope you are having a relaxing weekend.

I'm sort of feeling sorry for myself. Then I'm beating myself up over feeling sorry for myself.

Our school district started state testing last week. I am in charge of it for my school so I get to work early and get the computer lab ready and I help each classroom teacher as the class tests. I shred scratch paper, and fill out paperwork. Then, before and after testing, I do part of my regular job.

On Friday I was exhausted. After supper we went to the grocery store (DH had already made the Aldi run earlier in the day) and came home, put things away, and tried to relax. I wanted to watch Dateline, but found myself dozing off.

Went to bed and slept hard for awhile, then woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep thinking of all the things I needed to do at both home and work. Saturday was running errands and cleaning. Sunday was church, cooking, and paying bills and reconciling the checkbook. I then checked emails and Facebook and saw all these photos of folks having all this fun.

Hence, the pity party. I have to go to bed early because I need lots of rest or I become ill. I keep to a cleaning schedule because of my allergies and because I like a clean house. I keep to a bill paying schedule to keep tabs on my finances. I attend church because it is important to my faith.

Yet, I see some of these same people who complain about their homes and upkeep, claim to be more involved at church than I am, and gripe about money. I don't know if I'm truly jealous because I can't go out of town on a weekend during the school year or do a bunch of fun things because it would exhaust me or if I'm just so tired that things are getting on my nerves.

Deep down I know I am truly blessed. So, I start telling myself I'm not very grateful for all the things I have in my life. I have a wonderful husband. I have a lovely home. I'm lucky to have a nice home that I can clean. With my health history, I'm fortunate that I haven't had too many illnesses lately. I have to work on the keeping healthy party -- eating right, exercising, and getting enough rest.

So, now I grapple with this...am I feeling sorry for myself or am I just irritable because I'm tired?

Almost every Sunday I fix the same thing for supper: sloppy chicks which are like sloppy joes made with ground chicken. Not exciting, but DH likes them and it means we have a hot meal and he has a couple of lunches besides.

Being frugal, I have noticed that there are times when DH doesn't use all of the sloppy chick mixture. There usually isn't enough for him to have a good sized sandwich. So, I usually put it in a small container and put it in the freezer. Yesterday, I decided to see how many of these containers I had and if there was enough for a meal. So, after taking all the dibs and dabs out, I had enough for a meal and leftovers too.

Before church I put some beans to cook in the Crockpot. I soaked them overnight. I thought they would be a nice addition to sloppy chicks. Actually what gave me the idea was I saw some baked beans on sale in the grocery flyer and thought I should use up some of the dried beans I had in the pantry.

It is beautiful here in Central Illinois. Actually fairly warm...feels like early summer instead of spring. DH worked very hard to put in 9 tomato plants, 2 rosemary plants, and 2 sage plants yesterday. Normally he plants on Mother's Day weekend, but since the forecast is calling for temps in the 80s this week, he thought it was safe to plant this weekend and give them a head start. His radishes, onions, and lettuce are all up and his carrots are just beginning to pop through. Hopefully it will be a productive gardening year!

I was thinking about how much we save by repurposing some of our leftovers. We spent around $142 this week at Aldi and County Market. A couple of things weren't food items, but cleaning items that were on sale and I had coupons. Considering that money goes for 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches and 6 suppers, plus snacks, I don't think that is too bad. We eat a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. We have cut down on our meat consumption...I may buy a small pork tenderloin roast and it will make up 2-3 meals. And the freezer and Crockpot are my good friends as they store and cook for me.

At lunch Friday we were talking about meals. Food is a big topic at lunch, imagine that!

One lady was talking about making a casserole...she has to eat gluten free so it is tricky to find things. She said she added a dash of this and that and when she finished, it was so good her husband told her she could make that any time she wanted. She laughed and said she just started pulling things out of the pantry and fridge.

I made vegetable soup last week and DH said it was best he's had in a while, and that wasn't a reflection on bad soup on my part. He said it just seemed to have lots more flavor.

I admitted the chances of making it again the same were pretty slim. The overall idea would be the same, and I used tomatoes I canned which made it different. That is a given. I had been using stuff in the pantry as far as tomato things that needed to be used before they got too close to the use by date. But that isn't the reason.

You see, my secret was for the past couple of months I've been saving those bits and pieces of vegetables we didn't eat. How many times did we have green beans where we had so few left over that it wouldn't be enough for a serving, but...

Same thing with some the roasts...I kept the onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms that were let over. The same with zucchini and squash that I had roasted. I had a decent sized bag of leftover vegetables that had been cooked and we didn't eat all of, but not enough for another meal.So, I bought some beef on sale and browned it. I dumped all vegetables in the soup, added some fresh onions and some other vegetables and cooked it with chicken broth I also had in the freezer. Added the tomatoes and barley and yowza...what a soup.

We had two and half meals out of that soup and considering most of it was leftover vegetables, I felt like we saved money, not to mention eating healthy.

It's just rainy Saturday.

DH and I did a couple of errands and were pleased to get home and dry off.

I'm enjoying myself with a cup of tea and reading SA blogs before I begin house cleaning. That silly maid didn't show up again and neither did the laundress. So, it falls on me. But, seriously, I am blessed to have a nice home and clothes and sheets to wash.

Work has been all encompassing and I have come home exhausted both mentally and physically. We begin state testing again next week so meal planning is very important.

Last time we had state testing (about a month ago) there were some nights it was very tempting to go out. DH offered and I refused. Afterwards I point out that we wouldn't have eaten any sooner (I really don't like fast food), and it would have cost more and certainly wouldn't have been healthier.

My principal was kidding me the other day about my big Thermos of coffee. He said he sees me with it every day. He's correct. I do have it. I "fix" the coffee pot every evening so all I have to do it turn it on when I get up. No, I don't set the timer because I unplug it after I get my coffee and plug it in when I'm ready for it to brew. Anyway, he was sort of making fun of me in a meeting about it and I said, well, it's far cheaper than buying coffee at the gas station every morning...you see, he buys his every morning. I know he looks at me like I'm a crazy woman for my Thermos, but it not only saves me money, but I get to fix coffee the way I like it.

Yesterday's lunch was basically a clean out the fridge type lunch...some leftovers and an apple. I take a lot of leftovers though and my lunch buddies have gotten to the point where they ask me for recipes because they like what I'm eating. Every time I eat something repurposed, I feel like I've saved some money.

Not much on the horizon as far as my life...trying to get through to the end of the year and stay healthy. Although people were complaining about the rain today, we are below our average for this time of the year. DH has started his garden and was kind of hoping a nice rain would help his plants. He's looking forward to a little warmer weather and has been planning on what he's going to grow...we have a very small area...and what he wants to eat. Truly, the way to his heart is through his stomach.

Heard lots of conversations at work about all the places people were going this weekend. Lots of shopping was involved. Other than groceries, there isn't much we need or want at this point.

I'm wondering if I'm getting old when I don't have to been entertained every minute and I don't have to worry about going out, but am happy with being home with my love and enjoying a cup of tea. Or perhaps I've just become a little more wise.

It's a beautiful day here...sunny, not too cold. DH is out starting the garden. He feels he got a late start...the ground was too wet two weeks ago and then last weekend he was down in the back. At least he's starting and he's happiest playing in the dirt.

I haven't posted much lately simply because I haven't had much to say. I didn't want to post simply to post. I've been reading the blogs, and every so often commenting.

We are starting to get some financial statements...some look good, some showed a little loss. Just a sign of the times, I guess.

One of the people I know who was gung ho about watching spending has fallen off the savings band wagon. The query is do you say something and risk getting this person upset or just hope they realize the error of this? I know, rhetorical question. I'm choosing not to say anything because I don't think it would be well received. I also know this person might respond that we spend money. I won't deny it. Most of our big expenditures are planned. We will be celebrating out 25th wedding anniversary in June and we hope to take a trip as part of it. We have vacation money saved up so it simply will be using part of the fund for that. We had to have a branch cut that was too far off the ground for a mere mortal to get, and we had the money set aside. We go out to eat with friends, but it is money budgeted. Plus, I'm older than this person, and I have fewer bills because I've been paying stuff off and saving.

After all the storms we've had the past few days, the lovely, calmer weather is a true treat. Hope you are enjoying beautiful weather as well. I'm off to continue cleaning since the maid didn't show yet again...she never shows! LOL

As I was fixing supper tonight -- our typical Sunday night staple of "Sloppy chicks" -- I went to get a jar of frozen tomato sauce I had made last summer. My mind was on other things and I grabbed the wrong jar. Defrosted that puppy, never even looked at it when I added it to the onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms and ground chicken...it was leftover chili! So we had sloppy chick chili mac. It was kind of soupy and I had made mashed potatoes last night and we had leftovers. I added them to thicken it. But you know, it wasn't bad! DH said he enjoyed it and that is all what matters!

I know it sounds contradictory, but sometimes I have to spend some money to save some money.

Last weekend we made three trips to Farm and Fleet. Fortunately it is very close to our house. But we saw a garbage can on sale and needed to replace ours since it has split. (DH has also wanted a mini tiller so he looked and bought...he said as he gets older it is getting harder to kneel and try to spade the soil by hand. I don't think we will actually save money on the tiller because he doesn't have a big plot, but he's happy. I figure I'm lucky he loves working in the yard instead of out boozing and getting into trouble.)

The third trip was to take the lawnmower there to get a tune up. It hasn't been tuned up or the blade sharpened in a number of years. We dropped it off and they worked on it and we picked it up today. It came to $62 for the tune up. Far cheaper than purchasing a new mower and since the mower still worked before taking it in, I think it was money well spent. So, I think in the long run we will save money by spending some.

Today I put a turkey breast in the slow cooker. The slow cooker is one I bought at a flea market for $10 a few years ago. It works great, looks nice, and although I have other slow cookers, it is a just the right size for this meal. That turkey breast will make up at least two meals so having spent money on that slow cooker a number of years ago, I think I'm saving money by cooking at home.

Speaking of slow cookers, I have 4 of them, counting the one previously mentioned. They are all different sizes. The $10 one is actually programmable which makes it even nicer, but I think I've saved a ton of money by using these wonderful appliances. So, by spending money, I've probably saved a bunch.

I opened up a jar of green beans I canned last summer. I'm not sure I saved very much money by canning since I had to buy some of the stuff outright to get started, but I do think they tasted better than the stuff from the store and I will have the jars and rings for the next time I can. Maybe I'll save money.

I've been watching thrift shops for canning jars and have purchased quite a few of the smaller pint ones. I read you can freeze things in these if they are straight up and down if you don't fill it to the very top so there is room for expansion. I did freeze some tomato sauce last summer with some of the small jars and I think it helps me save money as I use this stuff. I have also been using the tomatoes I canned last summer. Tonight, I finished up with the equivalent of about 5 quarts of broth. I had made chicken broth earlier this week and put it in the fridge to chill and today I had a bunch of turkey broth and it is also going to be frozen. I like keeping broth in the freezer so I have it when I want to make soups and stews. I spent money buying chicken and turkey for meals and used the leftover broth to freeze so I have it for other things.

I've been stocking up on things like soap and shampoo since there have been coupons for the stuff we use as well as sales. There was a sale on buy one, get one free and then there was a coupon for 50 cents off in the paper, so I felt like I had a good deal. It is stuff we normally use so I felt like although I didn't need two bottles right now, by buying them and having them, I'll save money so I don't have to get them at full price when I'm actually totally out.

I bought some orange oil when it was on sale awhile back and used it to wash and moisturize our kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and bathroom trim and doors. That stuff isn't exactly cheap, but I think it sure helps preserve and clean the wood and hopefully help me save these pieces.

I spent $3 to wash my vehicle the other day at the car wash. It's not perfectly clean, but we've had so much salt on the roads and streets from this winter and although our snow is gone (hopefully won't return for a long time), when it rains, the puddles still have salt. I felt the $3 to wash the vehicle will help me save my vehicle from the damage salt could do to it.

So, I've been spending. We will be spending some big bucks in a bit...we are going to have insulation installed in our crawl space. We had an energy audit and he was shocked there wasn't any insulation down there. We are also going to add to the insulation in the attic. We are talking spending big bucks, but hopefully in the coming years, it will make our power bills a bit more reasonable and hopefully the floors a whole lot warmer.

Do you agree? Do you have sometimes have to spend money to save money?

Life seems to be flying by lately. We are doing PARCC testing and my days at work seem to be getting longer and longer as I go in even earlier to get the computer lab ready before we begin testing. Testing means walking and monitoring and trying to keep both students and teachers calm. It almost seems like my life is a little out of control since I am so busy with the testing and can't get too much else done. I'm coming home totally beat and my back and legs are tired and sore. I've been wearing sneakers and have two different pair I alternate.

This weekend I was trying to play "catch up" with stuff at home. I haven't felt like doing a lot of cleaning or laundry during the week so it means I'm trying to do all of this on the weekend. I've done fairly well on keeping dinner on the table most nights. It means a lot of planning which I don't mind.

Yesterday I was so tired and achy that after church and brunch I relaxed on the couch for an hour and took some Ibuprofen. Right now strep throat and the flu seem to be taking our school by storm and I don't want to get ill for a number of reasons, one being my missing testing would be a big problem since there doesn't seem to be anyone who would step up to manage it. Fortunately the rest and the meds seemed to help. I was still tired, but less achy and I did get my housework and laundry completed. I also put together the dough for some homemade bread. And I put short ribs in the Crockpot for tonight's supper and I can say they were delicious.

I was thinking last night about a neighbor of mine. When I was three, my folks moved from a country setting to the city and bought an old store building. My dad worked for Coke, but he also wanted to run a furniture store. So we moved and I stood in the back yard (not really a yard because it was all gravel) calling "Simon! Simon! Simon!"

The Chipmunks were popular when I was younger. A neighbor thought at first I had a brother, but when none showed, she finally said, "Yes!" and she became Simon to me for the rest of her life.

She was quite the blessing to me -- taught me many things including how to cook.

Every week she would bake bread. She had a certain recipe that she baked for her husband because he was diabetic. I remember smelling the wonderful aroma and if I were lucky that day, she would cut off part of the end, or heel, and butter it, and that would be our treat. It was wonderful and she was wonderful.

Yesterday as I put together the ingredients for some bread, I thought how fortunate I was to have had her in my life and the fact that I watched her and learned how to bake bread. A friend of ours had a bread machine and she said she couldn't get a decent loaf out of it. DH says he is amazed how easy I make it look. I've even demonstrated bread making for some of our classes at school because we think it is important for our children to realize bread doesn't just come from the store.

My friend, Simon, also taught me about making use of things and not wasting and stocking up when things are on sale.

More importantly, she loved me and made me feel like I had worth. I just hope that I do the same for someone else.

Yesterday was a nice day here in Central Illinois. We decided to go to Springfield and do a little shopping. So, I'm going to admit, we spent some money.

There is a Kohls there which is larger than ours and they had something I wanted to purchase for a friend's birthday. Our Kohls didn't have it. So, I bought it and will give it to her in a couple of weeks. It was on sale and we had a $5 off coupon from the loyalty thingy the company has.

We went to an antique mall. I'm going to tell you upfront what we bought was a want, not a need. There was a beautiful hand pieced, hand quilted quilt. I looked at it, and walked away and then went back. It was the size to fit a queen size bed. It was marked $195 which is pretty cheap for hand made quilts here in Central Illinois. I started to walk away again, and I saw the sign said half off of everything in the booth. DH walked over, saw me looking at the quilt and said he really liked it. So, we opened it up to see if it had any tears or stains. It didn't. So, we decided to buy it.

Now, I could rationalize this and say we haven't bought a new quilt or bedspread for over 12 years. My mom used to quilt and I would order one from her and she would make it and I would pay her for it. I have some quilts and I paid more for these quilts than what I paid yesterday. Most of my quilts are over 20 years old. Most are in good shape. I did not need this new to me quilt.

But, I wanted it. It is a different pattern than any I own. We brought it home, washed and dried it, and slept under it last night.

I posted a photo of it on Facebook last night and someone even offered to buy it from me! I had to chuckle over that!

So, I'll admit I spent money. I like what I bought. I am not going to rationalize buying it. But, I don't want to get in the habit of doing this either.

We had freezing rain and ice this morning. Area schools were closed. DH nicely turned on the television so we could check about my school district.

Nope...nothing there. So, I rush to get ready and leave. I slide down our driveway. Our street is like a skating rink.

The main road was better, but the parking lot at school was treacherous. I got in and was greeted by the custodian asking why I was there.

Seems school was closed a few minutes after I left home. So, I checked with the principal, and another teacher came in too. We discussed a couple of things and I decided to go home. He offered to walk me to my car and I thanked him because I was afraid I would pull him down if I fell. He did stay at the door and make sure I got to my vehicle without mishap which I thought was very nice. I came home and had to park in the street because our driveway was still very slick.

Right now Facebook is lit up with folks complaining about the late notice.

I am glad the people in charge decided to close school. I know it inconvenienced people for the late notice, but the forecasters had originally said it would be slick, but the temps would rise and by mid morning it would be melting. Well, by 7, it didn't look like it would be melting anytime soon. I worried about the kids having to be out in it and the people driving. We have many staff who live many miles from our district.

Last week a teacher in our district was killed on her way to work -- her car had stalled and someone fell asleep at the wheel and hit her car. It certainly gave me a different perspective...how much better to call school, even late, and to keep people safe?

Although I dread having to make up this day at the end of the school year, I spent the day working around the house. I used orange oil on our kitchen cabinets (they are wood) which cleans and moisturizes them. I have mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned a bathroom, and worked on laundry. For lunch I used leftover mashed potatoes to make potato patties and fried eggs and served with bacon and toast -- hubby was very pleased. Supper tonight will be chicken stir fry.

Fortunately it has gotten a little warmer and things are melting. After a big snow this weekend and ice, I'm ready for winter to subside. Of course, I'm sure New England would have more to complain about.

After yesterday's snow storm, today it is clear and sunny, but cold. Hey's it's winter in the midwest and I'm blessed to have a snug little home with central heating! Yesterday was certainly a no spend day because we didn't leave the place.

Tomorrow DH goes to make the last car payment on his vehicle. We did get a loan for three years, paid it off in two, simply because we figured we better have some kind of loan to keep our credit scores going. After this month, the car "payment" goes into savings so we have money for a good down payment on the next vehicle down the road.We haven't had a mortgage for a number of years so we thought we ought to "borrow" a bit of money for a little bit of time.

I was glad to see the stock market closed up on Friday due to Greece working out some financial deal. It sure would be nice to get some money on investments since interest rates for savings and CDs are so darn low.

After church we had brunch and then we did some house cleaning. I try to clean by a certain schedule and touch up in between.

After cleaning it is bill paying then I reward myself with some email, Facebook, and SA time.

I check my spam folder every so often to make sure something hasn't gotten in there that shouldn't before I clean it out. I have to chuckle at some of the things in that folder...I guess the spammers must think I'm a guy because there are lots of emails for enlargement of a piece of anatomy I don't currently possess, "ladies" wanting to meet and marry me, women wanting to date me and sleep with me, as well as the usual garbage of credit, insurance, Dr. Oz treatments, and printer ink. I often wonder how these folks get my email since I'm not visiting singles' sites, insurance sites, or ink sites. It would be amusing if it really wasn't so sad...I haven't gotten any from the contests lately...for awhile I was getting bombarded with I was a winner. I don't enter many contests so I don't think I'll fall for any of that.

Supper will be sloppy chicks. I have two after school/evening meetings this week, so I had to think what I could fix that DH could heat up for himself and I could take and heat up at work for my menu. The pork roast and the soup will make up two meals for us so the menu looks sparse:

Scrambled eggs, sausage, grits, toast, fruit salad
Sloppy chicks
Pork tenderloin roast with carrots, onions, celery, and mushrooms and baked sweet potatoes and roasted potatoes
Chicken and rice soup

Here in Central Illinois we received quite a bit of snow overnight. Well, Boston and New England might disagree, but we received between 7-10 inches. Our cul-d-sac is pretty deep. A neighbor so kindly used his snow blower to do our driveway and bless his kind soul!

Yesterday I put a whole chicken in the Crockpot. I bought the chicken Thursday since school was called due to cold temps, and I did the grocery shopping a day early since I had seen the forecast and thought we might have bad weather Friday night into Saturday. I don't do the grocery store scare shopping -- we shop every week so this was just our normal shopping experience. I heard last night that our grocery stores were crazy busy as the snow started. Glad I missed that mess. I bet lots of people were buying things out of fear instead of necessity.

Anyway, back to the chicken. I put it in the Crockpot with some vegetables so I would have a rich broth. Last night I pulled the meat off the bones and then strained the broth and put it in the fridge. I could then skim off the fat after it was chilled.

So today, I used some of the chicken to make chicken salad for sandwiches for lunch. I have a pot of chicken and rice soup going and I have enough chicken leftover for chicken and noodles. I used some of the broth also for ham and beans. I'm trying to use things I have in my freezer so they don't get freezer burn or too old. So, that chicken will be providing the basis for three meals and helped with a fourth. Not too bad. The house smells pretty good with the ham and beans cooking.

DH is a bit under the weather so I hope after his rest he feels better. I'm trying to stay quiet as to not disturb him.

We had new grocery open up and I feel like we are reaping the benefits. It is a second store for one group and the coupons have really started coming out. They had a coupon of a box of Creamette spaghetti for 59 cents with the coupon, limit of 2. I didn't need spaghetti, but we bought them and they are stored in the freezer for when we do.

Since this company has had a lot of sales and such, the other large grocery company has stepped up with sales and coupons. I am no longer loyal to one store. I have decided I am loyal to us and saving us money. This store sent me coupons for some free items based on what I've bought in the past as well as cents off coupons for things. Between their savings and Aldi, we have spent less than $60 on groceries for this week. I really like this penny pinching!

It's Sunday again. This week was one of lots of stress and lots of work and...well, it seemed to go on forever at some points and sped by at others. I was glad when Friday night came, but I was so exhausted, I could barely think. DH hit Aldi and we picked up a few things at a local grocery. This store had sent some coupons and we got some good deals on things we usually buy so no complaints here.

Yesterday we ran errands and hit thrift shops. We did eat dinner out at a nice restaurant for Valentine's Day.Both food and service were great, so it was quite the treat.

After church today it was house cleaning, laundry, and cooking. I tried a recipe for snickerdoodle bread someone posted on Facebook. I didn't have the cinnamon chips, but made it like the recipe for everything else. DH loves snickerdoodles and he really liked the bread. It was a nice treat for him. I baked two loaves of white bread. I will be sharing my bread bounty with a friend. A couple of weeks ago she made two apple pies and gave us one so I'd like to do something back for her.

My little group of gals has grown to be a little larger group of gals who are bringing their lunches on Thursdays and we are talking about finances. Last week, as a lark, I emailed them an assignment to list 5 things they do personally to save money. They laughed and kidded me about the "homework." So, while we ate, we shared our five things. We made a master list and put it on Google docs so everyone could add if they wished and we had a nice time. One of the other ladies is going to come up with an assignment for this week. We decided to trade off so no one feels like anyone is really in charge. We started a Facebook page for our group so we can share articles so we don't fill up our email boxes.

Last Thursday I found a dime in the parking lot of one of the buildings I frequent. I posted about it and said it put me up to 17 cents. I got a lot of ribbing about it, all good natured, and today at church, one of our friends dropped a penny on the floor and picked it up and said I had found it. He proceeded to put a penny in the pew where we sit and gave me one more before he left just laughing. I call him my penny angel and I'm now up to 20 cents. Hey, it all adds up.

This is going to be a weird week as far as meals. A couple of weeks ago I made a huge batch of soup and froze half of it for this week. I have parent-teacher conferences Tuesday and Thursday nights from 4-7 so I will take some soup with me to heat up at school and DH can heat some up for himself on Tuesday. I plan on making mini quiches so we can do the same thing on Thursday.

My menu plan for this week:

Scrambled eggs, sausage, grits, toast, fruit
Chili
Pork loin roast with carrots, onions, mushrooms, and celery, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, bread
Vegetable soup
Leftover pork roast and I'll probably roast some potatoes
Mini quiches

It's cold here, but we might get up to an inch or so of snow tonight into tomorrow. I am not going to complain too loudly. Last winter was horrendous with the frigid temps and all the snow, and even that isn't as bad as what New England is experiencing. Got to count our blessings when we can!

There's a certain comfort to a routine, but does something stay a routine or become a rut?

We do the same thing about every Sunday. Get up, eat breakfast, read the paper, clean up and dress for church, attend church, get the Chicago paper, fill my gas tank for the week, come home and I fix brunch (and usually the same thing), clean up, and do housework. Fortunately DH likes doing the same things because he likes ruts, he says.

We did do something different today. We stopped at the grocery to get something. No, I didn't forget to buy something or put it on the grocery list. Seems a friend of ours was released from physical therapy rehab and got to come home. I wanted to make a big pot of beef and barley soup and I lacked the beef. So, that was something different. And it was for something good -- so glad my friend is home and can be with her family.

I will admit I am not a spontaneous person. I plan, plan, plan. I plan at work and I plan at home. It worries me if something pops up. I have a relative who plans for nothing. He has asked us to go out to eat at the last minute and is dismayed when I say I already have something cooking. For a big anniversary nothing was planned until the last minute by them. I guess they like living their lives that way.

I try to plan my expenditures. I plan our meals. I plan by saving for things. I plan my lessons at school and I try to plan my medical visits. Maybe I'm just boring.

So, am I in a routine or rut?

A couple of weeks ago two of my coworkers told me at one of our meetings they weren't going to go out lunch; they asked if they could join me because they brought their lunches.

These are two nice young ladies. They are not the ones who have made snarky comments about my lunches or Thermos. One comment they did make was they realized I was right that going out to eat was an expense that they didn't need at this point.

So, our conversation start talking about saving money and we started comparing notes on what we are doing. Both are young and have young families and started talking about life insurance. I had the opportunity to explain the difference of term and whole life and the pros and cons of each. There is an insurance company that is visiting during faculty meetings and they are offering to meet with individuals about life insurance. But, like most of these meetings, it is a sales pitch. So they were happy to get information so they went into these meetings well informed.

Our conversations aren't entirely financial. We started out this week talking about coupons and saving money and wound up talking about recipes.

It's nice to have some others who want to save money and be able to talk about it with them. And I'm especially pleased they are younger so they will realize the benefits of this instead of trying to play catch up when they get my age.

Remember the movie "The King and I" where the king learns all about Etc.! Well, that's sort of my thinking today...this and that and etc.

Paid some bills, balanced the checkbook, and guess I'm ready for another week. We had an unexpected expense in the last month. Our garage door spring broke. Neither of us are handy so we had to pay to have it replaced. Believe me when I tell you, it would have cost more in medical bills if we had even attempted it. But, fortunately we have the money to do so.

A planned expense was some home repairs. Seems our exhaust fans in our bathrooms were never vented outside. So, the humidity was sent to the attic. This caused problems with this so we had to have the attic treated and then pay someone to have the fans vented outside. Our next step is to get more insulation both in the attic and in the crawl space. We had an energy audit last fall and these were things he suggested. Part of having a house is keeping things up, but it is never easy. Besides the expenditures, it is always a challenge to get someone out to work on stuff. I don't get it. Our little city is still having big unemployment so lots of folks are putting off having things done so you'd think it would be easier to get folks out to do work. In a word, no. I call and leave messages and no one returns the call. It is frustrating. It's not like we don't pay them. Oh, well. The first stage is taken care of and onto the next.

We went to church and came home and fixed brunch. After brunch I went to work on chopping vegetables for three different meals this week: pork loin roast, sloppy chicks, and Italian Wedding Soup. The pork loin will actually be two meals because we always have leftover meat and vegetables. It is easier to chop everything at one time so that worked out. So, in about an hour, I have the legwork done. Not bad. I teased my husband that I'd have more time to read and goof off if I didn't cook so much and perhaps we could eat out every night. Fortunately he knows I was kidding because I'm cheap and I like knowing what we are eating.

A friend at church gave me some cooking magazines she didn't want. I'm looking forward to perusing them after awhile and then will pass them on.

Hope your Sunday is wonderful.

Thursday night after supper I commented our fridge looked bare. It usually does and by Friday, it is almost scary. Friday lunches around here (I take mine to work and DH fixes his at home) are normally what we haven't eaten so far and we are finishing up. During the summer Friday lunches often look like a poor buffet...a little of this and a little of that. I hate to waste food and I try to plan carefully so that we use what we have.

That being said (or written in this case), I posted on Facebook the query of when do you grocery shop...a schedule or when you run out of things. The answers were all over the place. A couple said before retirement they planned and scheduled it every week. A few said they go weekly and shop by what's on sale. Then there were a few who go when they run out of things.

I am not a spontaneous person. I'm not sure whether that is good or bad. For me, I have to know what I'm doing and what we are eating and I look at the sales and plan my grocery lists by what is available, what we need, and what is on sale that we can stock up on. I then make my menu plan based on that list or lists. This week was a three grocery store shopping spree.

Every week DH hits Aldi for the basics...eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and chicken and pork roast. I supplement with the other two stores, County Market and Kroger. Well, between these two days, we bought something at all three, due to sales and need. I think I shop on a schedule for two reasons...I like to plan and know what we are eating and I like to save money by watching sales.

The late Mike Royko wrote in his Chicago newspaper column that he used to go the store and buy the same things each week, and he and the kids would fix the easy stuff and leave the harder stuff. He claimed he decided they wouldn't go to the store until all the frozen chicken was eaten, the flour used, and the eggs and onions were devoured. He said there were some creative, but strange meals, but he felt like he taught his kids something -- be creative or marry someone who can cook.

So, do you shop on a schedule or go when you run out of everything?

Last night a friend treated us to tickets to a play put on by our local theatre group. It was well done and an amusing way to spend the evening. In the play, one of the characters celebrated every holiday by dressing up and writing a song -- the lyrics were set to a well known song. It was funny and it was also fascinating how knowing the tune made it even funnier.

It got me to thinking when I was in college in a Chicago suburb, one of the music classes I was enrolled in required we attend a concert. I had the opportunity to attend the Chicago Symphony conducted by Sir Georg Solti. It was a sweet deal...you wait until the day of the concert and get a voucher for an unsold seat for a very reasonable price. I remember sitting in seats which seemed very close to the ceiling (read: nosebleed) and enjoying the music. A lady sitting a row ahead of me was bedecked in fur and jewels (I wonder now why she was sitting so high up) starting crying during one of the movements of a piece. I thought it was odd, but never forgot it.

Two summers ago a group took a bus trip to New York City. We had a chance to see a Broadway show and we chose "Jersey Boys." We sat in balcony seats and when the first vocal harmonies came through on the first song, tears streamed down my face. The beauty of the harmony as it rang off the walls was such a sensory pleasure. I understand, over 30 years later, why the lady at the concert cried. It is fascinating how music can effect us.

In other news, DH and I have been throwing pennies into a pickle jar. We also add a few other change. Last summer when we took our coins into the credit union to deposit into an account, there was a couple ahead of us who had a large glass jar with change. DH said he wanted to save change for a year and see how much we get. We don't have a huge jar, so I'm using our pickle jars.

After church we cleaned house and DH is working in the yard. I'm getting ready to go back in the kitchen and start supper. I am still working on organizing the kitchen and I thought maybe I should figure out a way to get the plastic spatulas out of the drawer and into a container. I already have a container with wooden utensil sitting near the stove. I found one of those ceramic wine coolers a couple of years ago for $3 ... perfect height and I didn't have much invested. But, I didn't want to buy anything. I kept looking around and I thought why not use the extra glass pitcher I have sitting on top of the fridge? I use glass pitchers to make iced tea. I have three I use regularly and I had this one when I made lemonade last summer. So, it is now housing our spatulas. It also gave me an excuse to clean and tidy up the area near the stove. Now I have more room in a drawer.

Menu planning for this week:

Scrambled eggs, grits, sausage, toast, and fruit salad
Sloppy chicks with potato chips
Pork loin roast, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, apple sauce
Skillet chicken lasagna with cottage cheese and fruit salad
Short ribs and rice, green beans, cottage cheese, fruit salad
Tuna cakes, mashed potatoes, green beans, and peas

I had hoped to buy tilipia this week, but I refuse to buy it if it comes from China. No such luck.

I am startled at how few people watch the news, read the paper, listen to a broadcast, or read what we used to call "hard news stories" online. Not to mention not watching the weather.

A friend I email was surprised when I mentioned we might have freezing rain today and snow tomorrow. Our local news station has been talking about the possibility for days.

Then a relative was equally surprised at the weather forecast.

Both have cable television. Both have Internet.

We kid around when the weather forecast calls for extreme cold or snow or sleet how shoppers flock to the stores and buy milk, bread, and eggs. It is kind of funny, but at least they are keeping on top of things. I know last winter there were days we didn't get out because school was cancelled and there was a huge amount of snow and the temps were so low. The emergency workers were asking people to stay home unless they had to be out so they could get the roads cleared. We do our grocery shopping every week and I try to keep extra things in the pantry and freezer. Yet the two people I mentioned didn't know they would do because they hadn't gotten the store and didn't have much available.

So, do you read local and national news and the weather? I like to be informed. I think knowing what is going on around me helps me plan for things both for my safety as well as my financial well being.

It's back to work Monday for me. So, Wednesday and Thursday nights I went through the grocery ads to help plan my grocery lists and menus for the week. We normally shop at least two stores...one is Aldi and we get eggs, milk, dairy, fruit, and fresh vegetables there. In fact we buy the bulk of our groceries at Aldi. Then I shop at one of the bigger stores usually consulting the ad. Sometimes we hit all three, but that isn't normal. DH buys the Chicago Tribune on Sunday and they have far better coupons that our local paper so I scored $15 off in coupons for things we normally buy this week. We also went to an Amish bulk food store yesterday and stocked up on a few things we get there. So, for now, I'm pretty well stockpiled on a number of items.

For my birthday a friend shared some hamburger, sirloin, and chuck steak with us. She and her husband purchase a cow with a daughter in her family. So, I look forward to use this. For Christmas this same friend gave me some of her homegrown and home canned green beans. Nice friend, eh?

Some of the meals I have planned include:

- Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
- Scrambled eggs, sausage, cheesy grits, toast
- Sloppy chicks and potato patties (made with left over mashed potatoes sauted in a little oil with Panko
- Oven baked chicken, cous cous, honey glazed carrots
- Italian vegetable soup (made with ground beef, vegetables, pasta)
-Pork tenderloin roast, roasted potatoes, carrots

The pleasure of cooking some of these things is I have leftovers. I peeled extra potatoes to cook and mash so I could make the patties. The extra meatloaf will make meatloaf sandwiches for lunches. The pork roast usually winds up being either pork stew or pork stir fry, or another pork supper as I heat the pork back up and then put barbecue sauce on it before serving. The sloppy chicks can also be lunches or I can add a little more tomato sauce and serve it over pasta. DH talks about how many ways I use leftovers. But he doesn't seem to mind; he says he eats like a king.

Each week I make a fruit salad and we have it at least for one meal.

Different couples we know complain how cooking is just too hard. Then they go out. Then they complain they are broke. One couple doesn't go to the store until they have nothing left in their pantry or fridge. So, that means multiple meals eaten out.

It takes planning. I know it does. But it is kind of fun too. What can I find that is on sale that we like? How can I save a few pennies here and a dollar or so there? Sometimes I try to figure up what a meal cost us and then compare it to what we would have spent if we had eaten out. I try to make it a game...how much money can I save us without compromising on healthy food? Or what did we save that can be spent on something else?

I do believe that people who don't bother to plan for their meals also don't plan for other things in their lives, like their retirement. Two people I know are always eating out and then complain how they can't make it on their pension and/or Social Security. I think most of the people at SA are planners. I read your blogs and the forums. I learn from them and I hope you learn from mine.

It's another cold, damp, dreary day here in Central Illinois. My school district had planned for this third week off from school because they were to move schools, but unfortunately the building wasn't completed. I kind of groused about the third week, but with the extra cold temps, this might have been a good thing. Many of the local schools have called for emergency days because of the extreme cold.

I have read two more books: Dave Ramsey's "The Legacy Journey" and "Secrets of the Southern Belle" by Phaedra Parks. The Southern Belle one although nonfiction was entertaining. Most of it is manners and common sense. She talked about being polite, being modest, being friendly, and being responsible. Responsibility included not going into major debt, planning for things, including a wedding and not going all out for a wedding if you couldn't afford it. I know one thing she wrote about was sending cards and letters and how nice they are. I know so many people prefer email and texting, but there is something special about receiving a handwritten letter and a personalized card.

I did venture out to the library yesterday to return books and check out some new ones after getting my haircut. I didn't really want to go out, but I had made the appointment and I didn't want to cancel the same day of the appointment knowing that the stylist would be getting out and probably needed the income. She gives me a reasonably priced haircut and tries to work around my schedule so I hate to inconvenience her.

I pulled chicken out of the freezer so we will have that with mashed potatoes and green beans and cottage cheese. Lunch today was scrambled eggs with leftover sausage as well as toast. It is Thursday so I'm trying to use up what I have before we hit the grocery tomorrow and Saturday.

I took out all our received Christmas card and updated my address book.

Before supper I hope to dive into book #7.

Today has not been a no spend day.

It hasn't been a bargain day either.

It has been one of those days you save up for.

Today is my birthday. DH took me shopping at a clothing store that had sent me a 15% off card for my birthday. I found some items that were 40% off and using the 15% and then using my credit card, also received 5% off. That was nice, but it still cost money. But, I did find some new clothes.

We went to a pricey restaurant for my meal. No balloons, no singing waiters, just an excellent dinner with fabulous service. It was nice and relaxing and wonderful.

I didn't worry about the cost or saving money or feeling guilty. All those days I scrimped and saved...all those overworked leftovers...all those coupons clipped and sales studied...it enabled me to be like a queen today.

Now tomorrow...I go back to being ordinary penny pinching me!

It's cold here in Central Illinois with a few snow flurries. Guess it is to be expected since we are truly in winter.

Here are the books I've read so far in 2015:

Book #1: "Almost True Confessions" by Jane O'Connor. Murder mystery by the same author of the "Fancy Nancy" series.

Book #2: "Kitchen Organization Tips and Secrets" by Deniece Schofield.

Book #3: "Top Secret Twenty One" by Janet Evanovich.

I won't finish a book today. After church, spent most of the day doing housework. That darn maid, laundress, and cook did not show up at the house yet again!

We did make it to the library yesterday and I checked out a couple more books and some magazines. I most certainly get my tax dollars' worth out of the library.

I did splurge this week. I wanted new curtains for my bathroom. It has a small window. I was very frustrated that so many places don't carry anything but 84 inch panels. I refuse to go to Wal-Mart because I consider it the evil empire. Our K-Mart is barely hanging in there, but they did have a set of two short panels and valance for the pricely sum of $13 with tax. I think I paid $9 for the ones I had been using over 10 years ago, so I think I got my money's worth out of them. I shoved them in the laundry and they will be washed, dried, and folded in case I want or need them for something else.

Last summer we went to a garage sale and someone had two sets of sheers for $1 each. They were just what I was looking for to put in my husband's den. I tend to re-purpose our curtains. The ones in our computer room had at one time been in the living room for a number of years. I still have some of them in the linen closet in case I need them for something else. A couple we know thinks we are super stingy when it comes to spending. I spend money, I just hate to spend it foolishly. They had their curtains custom made to the tune of $1500. Wow...I told them I don't think I've spent $1500 on all the curtains in my house, including the ones sitting in the linen closet. Of course this couple complains about not having money...golly, wonder why!

A friend of mine also does a lot of cooking like I do. We were comparing notes about menus and it was funny, we both planned a couple of the same meals. Maybe great minds do think alike!

Reading some of your blogs, it is interesting how many of you are taking inventory of your year. For some it has been a fabulous year and for others, not so much.

Hope 2015 is a year of blessings and joy for all of you.

I don't make resolutions. It isn't that I don't need to improve, but being a realist, I rarely keep up with them. I do have a couple of things I'd like to see if I can carry out.

Last year a couple of my friends listed the titles of the books they read throughout the year. I'd like to do that as well.

We went to the library today and I'm on my never ending question to figure out how to better organize my kitchen. I tease DH we need a bigger kitchen with more storage. I also know if we had a bigger kitchen with more storage I would just find more things to fill up that storage.

One goal that I continue to have is to living below my means. I believe most of you share that goal.

As we say goodbye to 2014 and look forward to 2015, hope it is a wonderful night and a lovely year.