Frugal Foodie

I just finished a biography of Hetty Green, the richest woman in America during the Gilded Age.

I found the book at the library and I had not heard of her. DH said she was considered crazy and nasty. Half way through the book I did look her up and it seems that almost all the online sites have the same info...wonder if they got their research from the same place.

The author of this book was more kind than the stuff on the online sites.

In a nutshell, Hetty was born to a rich family, but her family said it was the family's responsibility to make more money for future generations. Hetty was considered a miser. She was considered a cheapskate. Yet, as the author pointed out, if she had been a male, she would have been considered smart. She lived in small places, ate at simple restaurants, and didn't spend big bucks on personal fashion. She raised her kids to be careful with money.

It's funny how we like to compare ourselves to people we read about. I was just thinking that although I'm not wealthy and wasn't born wealthy, I try to find ways to save money. And some of the people I work with consider me a cheapskate.

According to the author, Hetty is like Warren Buffet...the thrill isn't in having great riches, but growing those riches. Maybe that is what those of us on SA like as well.

Last night we had a chance to sample 4 radishes from DH's garden. They were delicious and we look forward to having more of them as they get ready. We had some lettuce last week as well. We had a lot of rain and horrible storms Friday night. We live in the Midwest and they are still determining whether we had a tornado go through the middle of our city -- a lot of damage. We were fortunate to only have the usual limbs, twigs, and leaves blown down and no damage to the garden.

There's the standing joke about folks trying to give away zucchini. We apparently don't know anyone who wants to give it away because we would take it. We eat a lot of it.

Last year my brother gave us some cucumbers. It was hot out so I made a cucumber soup. It wasn't too bad and since it was served cold, it was refreshing.

I found this recipe for a cucumber salad. I'm going to fix it because it sounds good.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

2 cucumbers, thinkly sliced
1 t salt
1 1/2 c (12 oz) sour cream
1/3 c thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c snipped fresh dill
2 T white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t coarsely ground pepper

Place cucmbers in a colander over a bowl; sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand for 15 minutes. Squeeze and blot dry with a paper towel.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. stir in cucumbers. Refrigerate, covered, at least one hour.

Well, we did it. DH and I have discussing this for a few months and we have been buying items very reasonably and ... we put down rent for a booth in a local antique mall.

I am both excited and frightened. My folks always did something for extra money. When I was a kid they had a furniture store and when we moved they had a small antique shop. I am, by no means, an expert on anything, but I am hoping we can make some money as well as have some fun buying and selling.

Our booth is very small and therefore fairly reasonable. I have a variety of items, priced differently. DH has argued with me over this one item...it is a very large candle with a primitive beaded ring around it sitting on a glass plate. He says it is too ugly and I say for $2.00, someone might buy it just for the candle and the plate. We shall see.

We set it up this afternoon. The place is supposed to have a flea market on the grounds this weekend so hopefully it will bring in more customers. I hope we have a nice weekend for it.

Any suggestions for a successful booth?

Wish us luck!

It has been a rather wet Memorial Day weekend. It has rained quite a bit all three days. We did manage to finally get to the cemetery today and get our flowers out for our loved ones.

This is sort of a rant, but every year I say the same thing to DH: the owners of the cemetery his parents are buried in must have seen his mom coming when she purchased their plot. She bought the plot immediately after her husband's death and it is in a very nondesirable place. It is next to a drop off with a tree so it is super shady and no grass grows so it is muddy when it rains. And when it rains, the mud splashes upon the stone. With the recent rain and humidity, moss was growing on the stone. We took quite a bit of time to clean it today before putting down the flowers. It is sad that people in the funeral industry take advantage of someone in such a time of grief.

On to other things...

We made it to the library and I did get to check out some magazines. I found a couple more recipes to try. Since I was successful with the last tilapia recipe, I'm getting bold and trying another.

Spiced Tilapia

1/2 t sale
1/2 t ground chili pepper
1/2 t caynee pepper
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t garlic powder
14 t ground cumin
4 tilapia fillets

Combine dry ingredients, sprinkle over fillets. Cook fillets in a large nonstick skills coated with cooking spray over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with a fork.

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

DH is pretty angry right now. The carrots he planted a couple of weeks ago were eaten by a rabbit. He had hoped to get some of them at least. He replanted them today in a pot hoping the bunny won't be jumping up there to enjoy.

After supper tonight we went to the grocery store. We actually frequent two: Aldi and County Market. DH went to Aldi yesterday with a substantial list and then I make out a list for CM to fill in for things we either couldn't get, or like better at the CM.

The last couple of weeks, Aldi's bananas have been very ripe, so we have bought them at CM. I have noticed that it seems like the bottom of the bananas have seemed bruised. I kind of wondered why two weeks in a row just the bottom ones were bruised, but I think I discovered the reason.

The cashier who my husband has gone to the past two weeks is not exactly gentle. Tonight I witnessed him pretty much manhandle our groceries. He set the bananas down pretty roughly to weigh them. So I imagine we will have ones bruised on the bottom again. He basically pitched our loaf of bread to the side. I was so appalled I didn't even say anything.

To top things off, one of the local schools had their football players bagging for groceries. I understand they need money, but can't someone give them a few tips on bagging? We use reusable bags and some are larger than others. In one of the larger ones they put three boxes of tissue and something else very thin and very light. But in one of the smaller ones, they put two half gallons of milk and a bottle of grape juice, a can of olives and a couple of other heavier things. Sheesh. Everything was a jumbled up mess.

Oh, well, I told DH we are not going into the cashier's lane again. I think part of the problem is he doesn't feel well a lot of the time so he probably doesn't care. I'm sorry about that and I don't want to cost him his job, especially in our town with a huge unemployment rate.

I found this recipe we are going to try tomorrow night:

Tilapia Rice Cakes

8 oz tilapia
1/2 cup broth
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Panko crumbs
1/2 c cooked wild rice
1/4 c chopped onion
2 T finely chopped bell pepper
2 T mayonnaise
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worchestershire sauce
1 t lemon juice

oil


Rinse fish, pat dry. Pour broth into a 2 quarter baking dish. Bake at 450 4-5 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness of fish until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Drain and break into pieces.

Combine fish, egg, panko, wild rice, pepper, mayo, mustard, Worchestershire and lemon juice. Shape into 6 3/4 inch patties. Chill for 2 hours. Heat oil, cook patties until golden brown, about 10 minutes total.

Sure hope they turn out.

No, I am not blogging about myself...

Funny how things work out...I am still baking bread with a couple more classes. The library assistant said she just finished a book by Joan Bauer titled, "Close to Famous" and it is a children's novel about a girl who bakes. I just finished reading and what a clever book.

The main character is being raised by a single mom; dad was killed in Iraq. She loves to bake, but her major problem is she cannot read. She and her mom roll into a small town and you meet the townspeople who all have their own problems.

I won't tell more, but it was worth a read and the author ended it with the girl, Foster, saying she is going to make the world a better place one cupcake at a time. Truly a delicious read!

Each week I fix a fruit salad. Same fruit. During the winter it is pricey, but we pay for it anyway because we believe it has helped us stay healthier. Our fruit salad consists of grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries and sometimes I get wild and add an apple at the last minute or kiwi. Each night I slice a banana and then put the fruit salad over it. It's pretty and yummy, and we like it. That being said, this week DH found strawberries on sale so we had leftover salad. I took the remainder of it in my lunch. The ladies I eat with were amazed that we have fruit every night. Cleaning the fruit and cutting up strawberries doesn't take that long. I know folks are busy, but THAT busy?

I've blogged about the bread making and so far, the kids have loved it. I do have some left at the end of each day and I hate for it to go to waste so I offer it to staff. One lady who I know cooks quite a bit was shocked that it was a recipe and not a box mix for the bread machine. I told her those box mixes about $4 each and why spend so much when with 6 ingredients, you can make basic white bread? So, she asked for the recipe.

We hit a true thrift shop today and found some great bargains. I found two small American flags, made in America, a small Howard Miller clock with a picture frame, some linen napkins, a small blue and white candle holder, and an unused candle...total cost: $6 for all. I did not need any of this stuff, but the candle will go in my stash when I need a quick gift. The candle holder is for me...I like blue and white stuff. We will use the napkins, and the flags are going in our yard. The clock is going to go next to my chair in the family room because I take off my watch when I get home and we don't have a wall clock. It had been a gift to someone who works for a large milling company here in Decatur...there is a small (less than an inch wide) logo on it, but it looks news. Fine with me. Howard Miller is a famous clock maker so hopefully the clock will run for a long time...it had a battery in it and it was working.

About a month and a half ago a university offered an online course to any teachers in our district on financial matters and retirement. You are to sign up, agree to take the coursework, and they pay you $25 for signing up and $25 when you finish. I signed up not only for the money, but also, I hoped to learn some things. I have taken three modules and I can say I have learned a few things about vocabulary and such. Some of the things are common sense like emergency fund and savings accounts. But, it never hurts to learn new things and get paid to do it besides. I don't think many signed up. Oh, well.

It was a beautiful day here in Central Illinois. After hitting the library and the thrift shop, we went to Lowe's and bought some plants. DH has been busily planting tomato plants, bell pepper plants, and herbs. We sure hope for a good harvest!

On the news tonight part of the midsection of the country is forecasting tornadoes. Hope they don't get them and hope they don't come here either.

Hope you had a great Saturday as well.

Why is it so many things need mending lately? Last Saturday night I spent a couple of hours mending a quilt. So many of the pieces had separated so I tried to mend it before I washed it.

Tonight I sewed seams back together on one of those cloth grocery bags.

In the past couple of months I have mended some socks, sewed in some buttons, and even patched a sheet.

I am sure mending has saved some money since I did not replace any of these items.

I wonder if many continue to mend things...I am sure the SA folks do, but I doubt if a majority who aren't frugal do. What do you think?

Today I worked with a fifth grade classroom and we measured out the ingredients for white bread to put in the bread machines I bought.

Personally, I don't use a bread machine anymore because I have worn out three. It is just as easy to mix the ingredients and let it rise in the baking pans. But, I don't have an oven at school I can use, so I make do.

I had everything ready this morning when the kids arrived and they asked, what are we making? Are we cooking?

It was kind of sad when I worked with the two different groups that how many admitted they had never baked or cooked anything with anyone in their family. I showed them a glass measuring cup and explained that was for liquids, then a plastic measuring cup for solids, and measuring spoons.

They washed their hands and we read the recipe. We talked about where flour comes from, and what yeast does. I acted dumb and said if the recipe calls for 3/4 of teaspoon of something and I don't have a teaspoon with that, what can I use? They had no idea. One kid said just guess. I said I had a 1/4 teaspoon and they figured out if we filled it three separate times, it would equal 3/4. I congratulated them on their problem solving.

To say that the aroma of bread baking was popular in that end of our building is an understatement.

When the bread finished baking I sliced it and buttered it and took it down to the class while it was still warm.

It didn't take long for it to disappear. I asked them to compare and contrast the bread we made to the bread they buy at the grocery store. Most of them said this was better. One said they liked that it was warm. Another said she was surprised we could make bread out of so few ingredients.

But one little gal said this, "This bread was better because it was made with love."

I stopped asking questions right there. It was a good experience and they enjoyed eating their "homework." And if it means they have a sweet memory, that's all the better.

Yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch!

OK, let me explain...our school has been adopted by a church. The nice folks at the church decided to provide lunch for no other reason than they wanted to. So, they baked cookies which were wonderful, and had sandwiches, chips, and pop and tea. It was really nice of them.

I had taken peanut butter and saltines for lunch today so they will hold over for tomorrow for sure.

The best part is these folks stayed there and visited with us so we could thank them in person.

Currently I have two bread machines whirring away in my kitchen. No, I have not gone carb crazy...I bought both machines used and need to see how long it takes to make a loaf of white bread. I intend to take them to school and make bread with some of the classes. So many of our students have no idea that bread can be baked...if you ask them where bread comes from, they say from the store. It is sad they have little concept of how bread is made.

We had our usual Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, sausage, cheesy grits, and toast today. I have leftover sausage so it will go into another dish this week. Probably a fritatta. I have a stew simmering on the stove for tomorrow night's supper. We had leftover pork roast from last night's supper. There's enough stew for supper and a lunch or two. I figure we will have some of the bread that is currently being baked. I plan on giving away the second loaf.

Our church will be getting a vicar in June. In our denomination, a vicar is like an intern or student teacher who works for a year learning the ropes. The ladies guild put out big plastic tubs and are encouraging us to help fill the pantry for the vicar and his wife and soon to be born baby. I think it is a lovely gesture. It reminds me of when I married almost 23 years ago. The staff of the school I worked with went in and bought a toaster, a paring knife, and a recipe box and they all included recipes, then they filled a laundry basket with canned goods and nonperishables. It was so thoughtful and practical. A few years later one of the ladies I worked with was getting married and she and her soon to be husband were going to buy a house. I bought bags of groceries to help fill their pantry instead of some of the fancy cookware she registered for. She was disappointed. She was polite, but I could tell she wasn't thrilled. One of the other teachers who was like a second mom to her told me she thought it was a great gift and she would appreciate it a little later. She was correct...after they ate all the cans of soup and pasta and used most of the stuff, she went to the store and tried to replace it. She later told me she didn't realize groceries were that expensive and that was over 15 years ago. I suggested to her then she needed to check the grocery ads and buy things on sale and stock up.

The hubster has been busy in the garden. He planted herbs and has also planted green onions, lettuce, radishes, and carrots. He said he's thinking of getting tomato plants this week. Tonight it is supposed to be pretty cool, but temps are going to be in the 80s starting Tuesday.

We hit Walgreens after brunch today. They had some things on sale that I also had coupons for. A couple of things we didn't need, but decided to stock up since they aren't going to go bad. Plus, I found a couple of things to put in the pile for the vicar's pantry. According to the receipt, we saved almost $30 with specials, coupons, and the loyalty card. Other than a couple of things I bought for the vicar's pantry, everything else was stuff we use. I will never achieve the Extreme Couponing success as they do on the television, but figure if I save a few dollars here and there, I'm doing decently.

It is sunny and a lovely day for all the mothers and grandmothers to be celebrated. Hope your day is wonderful as well.

On HGTV there is a new program where two families compete by having garage sales. They put out tons of stuff and get primo prices. Not sure how realistic is it for "reality TV", but interesting to see what they reuse and redo a d put out.

That being said, we went to some garage sales last weekend and most were, well pathetic. I am almost shocked at what folks think others might want. So many had clothes and most of the clothes were pretty tired looking. As for goodies, the term slim pickins comes to mind.

I know not every sale can have things that interest me, but I wonder if folks think ahead and realize in order to make money, they have to have some stuff to sell to make up for the ad and the trouble.

How are the garage sales in your area?

A friend of ours has a daughter in law who is a buyer for a department store. She bought some tins of teas and opened them and served them for some meeting, After the meeting, she has no use for the remainder.

My friend knows I like teas, so he gives them to me.

Free is good.

However, I do have to report I think some of the labels are misleading.

One was titled "get young." Well, I am all for that. I brewed a cup and although it tasted a bit medicinal, I thought it would be worth it so see the years roll off. Can you believe it, not one person commented about how much younger I looked.

Last night I drank some that had the name "Get energized." I was a little concerned about drinking it in the evening in case I started moving around like the Tasmanian devil. I must say, I had a very good night's sleep.

Perhaps the labels are just the opposite....if so, I'm not drinking the "Get young" one again and I am staying clear of the one with the claim of getting thin!

DH and I have been grocery shopping for the past two nights. We do Aldi one night and County Market the next. I usually look at the grocery fliers from both places, plan a menu, and then make a grocery list. I think we spend a lot on groceries, but we eat a lot at home and most of our meals usually have leftovers for either another meal or for a lunch or two.

A lady I know doesn't go shopping until they are totally out of everything. It's kind of odd -- she seems proud of that fact, but then admits they go to fast food places to tide them over.

She thinks I'm rigid because we have a schedule for shopping. But, I like to know we have food in the house and plan a menu.

She has admitted they are having money problems. I wonder if her pell mell attitude to shopping and cooking is also her attitude in saving and investing.

Meals for this week include:

roasted chicken tenders
scrambled eggs and grits
sloppy chicks (sloppy joes made with ground chicken)
baked turkey breast
tuna cakes
turkey (left over) and couscous

The next item has nothing to do with money, but I was highly amused. A lady I work with has a small farm and horses. One horse leans on the fence and has loosened the wire to the extent he can put his head under it, stretch it out, put a leg through, then another and another and gets out of the fence without tearing up the fence or hurting itself. And you ask, where does this traveling horse wander to? The front yard because the grass is longer and hasn't been grazed. Guess he thinks the grass is truly greener (and longer) on the other side of the fence!

I knew last night that I would be arriving home a little later than usual since I was going to attend a workshop in another town about an hour away and wondered what to fix.

It was supposed to be rainy so I thought: SOUP!

We had a little pork roast leftover from the other night. And I had some tomatoes that were getting a bit squishy, some leftover mashed potatoes, some leftover green beans with their liquid...so I sauteed an onion, zucchini, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, added some tumeric, basil, and paprika, added the tomatoes and meat and green beans and some water and let it simmer for about an hour last night. A few minutes before I turned off the heat I added this small bit of elbow macaroni that was left in the jar -- not enough for a meal, but too much to throw out.

It was a good meal to heat up and service with crackers and a fruit salad and there was enough for DH's lunch tomorrow.

Yesterday we did get to the bulk food store run by Amish and I bought some cheese, sausage, and some spices. Their spices are far more reasonable than those in the grocery. I commented the dried mustard in my cabinet was purchased when we married which will make it 23 years old come June 15. We didn't spent a ton, but I felt like we bought some things we would use.

We stopped at a local store and looked around the gourmet food section. DH was shocked at looking at the jars and packages of spices and spice mixtures and the prices of $8 to $15 after buying similar things in less fancy packages at the bulk food store.

Today, after church, we hit Walgreens for a few of their specials. I even had a couple of coupons to put towards the purchase and with the mark downs and coupons, we saved over 25% on our purchase.

All in all, we didn't spent a huge amount either day, I feel like my shelves have a few more necessary items, and I most certainly did not go in debt. I would say that was a success.

I have perused many money saving or frugal living sights and so many say to buy in bulk. I get that it can save money, but I wonder where to put a lot of this stuff.

We don't belong to a warehouse store because we found two things: we really didn't save all that much after paying the yearly fee and we were tempted in buying things we really didn't need.

I try to keep things on hand and I have blogged that I keep my pantry fairly well stocked. For paper items I try to use coupons and hit sales and keep stuff on hand.

There is an Amish run bulk foods store near us called Beachy's and I really like utilizing it. They have a huge assortment of herbs and spices which are more reasonably priced than the grocery or speciality food stores. And, one can buy different flours and grains in smaller and larger quantities. I enjoy making bread and like experimenting with flour. I bought a half pound of rice flour to see if we liked the bread it made. And the storage isn't as much an issue since I am not buying huge bags of stuff and not using it all.

I am curious, do you buy in bulk? Are you realizing a huge cost savings if you are? And, where are you storing your purchases?

I am a public school teacher in Illinois. Unfortunately, our state legislators have not made sure our pension funds have been funded like the law says and have, in fact, raided them to pay for pet projects. As a result, our state is having major issues with finances. One topic is to do away with the cost of living raises, or not have them take effect right away. With the teacher pension, one had to reach a certain age before they would kick in. I am not sure about the other pension funds.

A friend if ours is retired and he is worried. I am not sure if worried is actually a strong enough word.

When he worked, he had a position where he made good money for many years. He bought a big house, traded cars often, and traveled extensively. He and his wife did not do without.

He counts on those yearly raises...he said he isn't sure what to do if they don't come...he admitted they owe on their home, cars, have a personal loan and credit card debt.

He was truly grousing and going on and on. But one thing we did notice is they aren't cutting back. They are planning two trips and eating out almost every day. The spending continues.

His finances scare me.

The sad thing is he made good money. I really wonder where they are going to end up. It would be different if he made little and health made him retire. But, there isn't any use to try and talk to him...he feels he deserves to have all the nice things he has purchased on credit.

Yesterday we went to the library and I snagged a magazine I had not seen on the shelves before..."Mother Earth Living." It has some cool recipes and money saving articles.

One article outlined that old fashioned cooks cook with a budget in mind. The example is they serve pot roast instead of filet because you can use a cheaper cut of meat. They use what they have and try to make things stretch.

I thought this really described many of us on SA blogs.

I found a slow cooker recipe I really want to try:

Tuscan White Bean Soup
2 cups dried white beans such as great northern
6 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste
1 T chopped fresh rosemary for garnish

Rinse beans thoroughly and place them in a 7 quart slow cooker along with water, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours or until beans are tender. Remove bay leaf. Either with an immersion blender or put in a blender or food processor, puree until desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary.

There's something to be said about being comfortable in a rut. There's the familiar feeling of course. And, sometimes it is easier than making a chance.

I've decided my cooking is sort of in a rut. I seem to be fixing some of the same meals over and over.

Last night I fixed a vegetable fritatta and instead of regular toast, I made French toast. It was good, DH loved it, and it was different.

I think I need to pull out some recipes and try something different in the next few weeks.

When DH and I were first married, Mr. Clotheshorse would never look at marked downs or clearance racks. Last week, he was in Kohls and found a pair of dress slacks for less than $6....originally over $60.

So, have I trained him well?

Ever notice how many bottles of water are on a grocery store shelf? And now flavored waters are a big sell.

Yesterday someone posted on Facebook on making flavored waters. I decided to use one of the recipes because I had the ingredients.

10 cups of water
1 apple cut up in chunks
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks

Mix together and refrigerate overnight.

Well, I tried it and it is pretty good. And fairly reasonable.

I was thinking it would be good if I made tea with this flavored water a d probably more reasonable than fancy tea bags or mixes.

I have been grousing most of the evening. We came home from the regular grocery store to fill in its some items we couldn't get at Aldi last night,. It was $26 for bananas, raspberries, bell peppers, lactose free milk, 3 cans of tomato sauce, and whole wheat bread.

It just seems like we got so little for $26.

One of the local food pantry's reported their giving is up 17% since so many folks are coming in for food.

I can certainly see why.

I know we can afford it, but when your bring in two small bags of groceries, one wonders how families afford to eat.

I am basically fighting with myself. I sat in a meeting and two of the ladies I work with were talking about what they are doing. One is doing a craft project and is looks costly. The other wants to do the same project and plans to buy the materials. Another lady sells Thirty-one bags so these two bought a couple of them each.

At lunch, they both went out. I brought leftovers.

When I came home I asked my husband what is wrong with me. I felt jealous. I don't even know why. I don't want any bags and the whole idea of spending the money on a costly craft project really doesn't appeal me. In fact, there isn't anything I need or want. And I liked my lunch. So why did I feel jealous?

It's been muggy and sticky today and warm. We are currently having storms and the north part of town received large hail. Tomorrow is supposed to be really cold.

DH is chomping at the bit to start gardening. He loves gardening and he loves eating his homegrown produce.

I'm ready to growing our own as well. Good flavor as well as saving money.

We had an inservice day for the elementary schools in my district. Every teacher had to move to another school after lunch and it seemed like all of them were trying to figure out where they were eating lunch.

I took my handy lunch bag with peanut butter, crackers, apple, and a Thermos of water. I got to the location, ate my lunch, and could relax.

I am sure by the end of the week, many of these will be complaining they are running short on money. It wasn't an exciting lunch, but saving money and not having to rush made it worthwhile.

I received many positive comments on the new hardwood floors. I will say this week has been very busy trying to get the house back in order after the installer finished on Monday. We are so happy with the new flooring and now that things are starting to settle down, I have discovered a few things.

1. This made me truly go through many of our possessions and decide, do we need to keep this? Are we really using it or enjoying it? We donated a couple of pieces of furniture, plus some rugs, household items, and some clothes. This made me let go.

2. I threw away some items that should have been thrown away before. I was raised with the depression era mentality that one shouldn't throw stuff away in case we need it. Some of these items couldn't be reused by anyone else and truly needed to be pitched. It was emotional guilt keeping that from happening. Guess the new floors made me rethink the possession.

3. I washed up everything that could be washed before putting it away or up and it made me appreciate all the nice things I own and how fortunate I truly am.


I spent part of Friday night after the weekly trek to the grocery cleaning and finishing up. I like having a tidy house and that made my evening feel fulfilled.

Part of yesterday was spent fixing some things for meals for the week. I will say planning for meals while trying to put the house back together was a challenge because I was physically exhausted, but we've come so far with eating at home and saving money, I didn't want to get off track.

Our meals for this week:

Sunday:

Brunch: eggs, sausage, toast, grits, fruit salad
Supper: sloppy chicks and chips and fruit salad

Monday:
Lunch: peanut butter and saltines and an apple
Supper: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit salad

Tuesday:
Lunch: leftover meatloaf and potatoes and green beans
Supper: Beef and barley vegetable soup, cottage cheese

Wednesday:
Lunch: leftover soup
Supper: chicken tenders, sweet potatoes, salad

Thursday:
Lunch: leftover chicken tenders, sweet potatoes
Supper: vegetable fritatta, cottage cheese, fruit salad

I'm not sure on Friday yet, although I'm sure lunch will be whatever is leftover in the fridge. It is usually my clean out the fridge type of lunch so I may have a smorgasboard of this and that.

We reached our goal for saving up for hardwood floors and after a couple of weeks of price matching and asking people for advice on which companies were good to work with or not...we bit the bullet, ordered the flooring and set to motion the "joy" of packing things up so furniture could be moved.

April will see the anniversary of our buying this home 15 years ago. The home is paid for and soon after we bought it, we replaced the carpeting in the family room and then the dining room and hallway as we saved up for it.

Due to wear and tear the carpeting was starting to show it's age. Plus, we both have allergies and it was recommended by the allergist to replace carpeting with vinyl, laminate, or hardwood. We decided to go for the hardwood because if we would ever desire to sell the home, we figured hardwood would be a bigger selling point. So we saved a little longer and finally reached where we could afford the job.

Due to the fact we are not "handy" we have to pay for installation. We figured it was cheaper than major medical bills after we injured outselves. :-)

Anyway, the flooring guys came Tuesday and started. One had an accident and hurt his thumb so he wasn't there Wednesday and the other one worked solo, putting our "adventure" behind. But, they anticipate finishing tomorrow. They did get the dining room finished. We donated the entertainment center to a local charity opening up the dining room quite a bit. We bought it almost 23 years ago and felt it had served it's purpose.

My photos aren't the greatest and I don't have things put away since some are blocked into another room, but you can see the difference in the flooring.

Someone posted on Facebook the other day about Dave Ramsey saying, "You are not entitled to anything until you save enough to pay for it."

Not sure we are entitled to new flooring, but we did save for it.

Before:




After:

Well, here in Central Illinois we are getting snow. Lots of it. And blowing and then it is supposed to freeze hard tonight. Gosh, those weather forecasters are just full of good news.

DH and I went to church...it hadn't started yet. We got home and had brunch and it started. Big, wet, flakes.

We've been out twice to shovel. We learned our lesson a few years ago that it is far better to go out and shovel a few times than try to move many inches of heavy, wet snow. One person on Facebook told me to wait and then admitted they don't shovel. I am assuming we will have school tomorrow, so I need to get out of the driveway.

Other than my complaining, I need to count my blessings as well. We are in a warm shelter...we have plenty to eat, and I can change into dry clothes after coming in from shoveling.

And, spring is coming...right?

We did our weekly grocery shopping. We spent around $100. We have the same things for breakfast so I didn't include them...DH has cereal and I have yogurt and take a Thermos of coffee with cream to work. I also take a piece of fruit in my lunch. Someone told me at work they are too tired to cook after school and I said I was pretty tired too, but making things ahead after figuring up a weekly menu sure helps.

Menu
Saturday night - pork loin roast, sweet potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, green beans, fruit salad
Sunday brunch - scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, cheesy grits, fruit salad
Sunday supper - Sloppy chicks (sloppy joes made with ground chicken), chips, cheese, fruit salad
Monday - lunch - leftover sausage and grits
Monday - supper- Yankee pot roast with carrots, mushrooms, onion, and celery, boiled potatoes, cottage cheese
Tuesday - leftover sloppy chicks
Tuesday - supper - chicken stew and crackers and cheese
Wednesday - lunch - leftover chicken stew
Wednesday - supper - leftover pork and gravy, mashed potatoes, salad, fruit salad
Thursday - lunch - leftover beef and vegetables
Thursday - supper - chicken and noodles, salad, cottage cheese, fruit salad
Friday - lunch - leftover chicken stew
Friday - supper...treat...we are going out. :-)

Fortunately DH doesn't balk too much about leftovers for lunch and if I rework something for leftovers into something else, he won't complain. And he loves eating at home.