Learning to grocery shop once a month...

Please take note that my title has the word "learning" in it.  March was my first attempt at monthly shopping.  I did pretty well but I still over purchased.  One of the things I learned is that we only drink a gallon of milk a week.  We are still drinking last months milk.  Good thing it has been frozen. 

I really need to think about lunch for the girls.  They take their lunch to school every day and by the end of the month we were trying to come up with anything that would be easy to eat and pack.  They only get a few minutes for lunch so the food has to be easy to shovel in.  Isn't that sad?  We quickly ran out of apples and fruit.  Fresh fruit, especially apples, is a big lunch staple in our house.  As a result, I have given myself "permission" to shop for produce twice a month.  To be honest, I did have to sneak to the store and buy some lettuce.  Gene was sorely missing his salads.

My budget goal for April was $300.  I failed on that one.  I didn't take the time to plan well and left the few coupons I had at home.  It's been a crazy month and it hasn't even been two weeks yet. ha ha I also did a little retail therapy and bought things I didn't really need or were more expensive than was needed.  Note to self:  STICK TO THE LIST!  I did stick to my original $400 budget which is quite an accomplishment since I forgot when I was planning the shopping list that we needed pet food and all our bathroom paper products.  TMI?

As far as the pre-made homemade mixes... the oatmeal and pancake mix was a huge success.  The containers are completely empty.  The dry cream-of soup mix will be reluctently used.  It tastes odd, not terrible, but just off a bit.  I will probably try it again but add different spices.

I have started following The Krazy Coupon Lady on Facebook.  They post every great sale and coupon available.  Some days I get a little bugged by all the posts but I know that when we move and live in a metropolitan area that it will be more helpful.  I also got the Ibotta app on my iPhone.  Sadly, it doesn't work with the commissary but in a few months I'll have a Target available and will use it then.  Take a look at their Facebook page or blog.  It has a bazillion money saving tips for popular stores.

My goal next month is to get as close to $300 as I can.  I'm going to have to be more organized and clip some coupons but I think I can do it.  Wish me luck.

Saving Money and Monthly Grocery Shopping

There are always ways to improve, right?  I ran across a blog, Blissful and Domestic, a few months ago and was impressed that this family lives on approximately $14,000 a year.  One of the ways they save money is by planning ahead and doing one big grocery shopping trip a month.  I liked the idea of that.

I bet I run to the store several times a week for one item and walk out with $100 of stuff that I didn't know I "needed".   The author of the blog does her meal planning for the month - when I say meal planning, I mean all three meals for each day.  I am not that organized.  I seldom cook with recipes but we tend to eat the same type of meals so I had a fairly good idea of what we would need for the month.

If I were to make an estimate, I would guess that our monthly grocery bill, thanks to needless purchases, run about $600 - $700 or more a month.  I knew that we could eat for much less and I am always interested in feeding my girls food that is healthier and less processed.  So, the first month I focused on not going to the grocery store at all.  For an entire month we ate  what was in the pantry.  By the end of the month I was getting creative but we did it.  This month I sat down and made a shopping list that allowed us to buy groceries for the whole month.  My budget was $400.  I did some research and found out that all kinds of dairy products can be frozen... milk, cheese, cream, butter, etc.  My deep freezer is full of enough dairy products to get us through the month and tons of frozen veggies and meat.  The best part, I am under budget!

I've also started baking a lot of things I would normally have purchased such as bread, granola bars, and any other baked goods.  My first attempt at granola bars weren't great but I'll keep trying.  They turned out way to sweet... so they were a success for the girls but way too much sugar (in my opinion).  I like to bake and doing it myself costs so much less and I know what is going into the food.  That's a win-win situation.

One of the things I am most proud of and has been the most helpful was making my own mixes.  I made a huge batch of pancake mix, brown sugar maple instant oatmeal, and "cream of" dry soup mix. After a few months I think I'll be able to stream line the process even more. I'm not sure but I suspect I over bought for the month.  What do you do to cut your grocery costs? 

Celebrating Fall with Homemade Licorice Carmels

It must be the refreshing fall weather that inspired me to make licorice flavored carmel.  I saw the recipe on Eighteen 25, a crafting blog, that linked to How Does She. 

This was the first time I ever made candy. 
It was surprisingly easy and am I ever glad that we didn't toss the candy thermometer when we moved. It barely escaped the chopping block.


These have just a hint of licorice.  Gene loves licorice and the rest of us tolerate it.  However, I have managed to tolerate about four of them already!!!  They are yummy.  Plus, I like to make special things for Gene every once in a while... it keeps him happy. 

How could I not love them? -sugar in every form and lots of butter-  The wrapping of each individual candy is sort of a pain but I am planning on bribing rewarding the girls when they get home from school.  If they help wrap the carmel then they can have one or two extra.

Thank You Gold Car

Cinnamon rolls from The Machine Shed.

Finally - I decided on a name and a business card/tag.

Reusable sandwich bags in prints picked especially for kids.

...more cool reusable sandwich bags. We use ours all the time for snacks and lunches. These even have complimentary polka dot bags.

Farm fresh eggs from Ms. Effie's.

What a fun morning...

On Friday we got up early and decided to have a great family morning. We celebrated the start off the day the same way our family celebrates anything else... food! Hello giant cinnamon roll and blueberry pancakes from The Machine Shed. The coffee and sugar high had me ready to drive out to Ms. Effie's Country Flowers and Gifts. http://misseffiesdiary.blogspot.com/

Farm fresh eggs are so beautiful. All the subtle shades of brown, green, and blue call to me. I brought Cathy some more reusable sandwich bags to sell in her Summer Kitchen and brought home three gorgeous dozen of eggs and two handmade salty nut rolls. Farm fresh eggs taste better. Plus, it is great to know that these chickens have names and get to spend their day enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. That is the way it was meant to be.

One the way back to town we spotted a gold car and decided to follow it and take the roads less traveled. It can be a bit iffy to follow an unknown vehicle to an unknown destination but we were up for the adventure. What are the chances of ending out in another state anyway? We drove down country roads and took a turn here and there... guess what? We ended out in Davenport! It was so much fun to see parts of the countryside and yell out "COWS.... SHEEP.... HORSES... MORE COWS!"

After the caffeine and sugar wore off, I was ready for a nap.

whole wheat chocolate cookies

We are cutting back on desserts and sugar but... sometimes a cold snowy day requires a cookie. Here is a healthier alternative to the traditional chocolate chip oatmeal cookie.

Preheat oven to 350

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup Oatmeal

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 Cup butter

3/4 Cup Splenda brown sugar blend (...this requires less brown sugar. If you are using regular brown sugar then use 1 1/2 cups.)

2 large eggs or egg substitute

1 tsp of vanilla

1 1/2 Cups of chocolate chips

Beat softened butter until creamy; Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, until fully mixed; add vanilla and beat until fluffy; add flour mixture a little at a time; add chocolate chips

drop onto un-greased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes

makes about 36 cookies

* next time I am going to add some ground flax seed, reduce the butter, and add some walnuts

Christmas Eve 2010

Shoveling Snow

Cookies for Santa

Sledding in the Snow

Dry Erase Masterpieces

Good Bread

While Gene and Gigi played video games this afternoon Greta and I kept busy in the kitchen... YUM!

Creepy Eyeball Cake Pops

These were so fun and easy to make. You can find ideas and directions by googling cake pops or looking up Bakerella.

Here are a few tips -

Wait for the cake and icing mix to cool before you form the balls. It will help keep them on the stick.

Don't make them as big as we did. A one inch in diameter pop is easier to dip in the melted chocolate.

The details were made with store bought gel icing. It looks great but it never really dries. When I did a trial of wrapping one it still looked fantastic but when the wrapper came off it was a sticky blob - but still delicious.

What's for lunch?

yogurt, cheez-its, fortune cookies, and cherries

mac'n'cheese, peaches, pretzels, and pumpkin cookies

cottage cheese, cheez its, and pears

raviolis, banana, Z-bar



Ahhhh, the age old question "What do I pack my kids for lunch?" I started packing my kids lunch when Greta started kindergarten. Up until then Gigi always had the hot lunch at school and took her lunchbox on occasion. When Greta started school she didn't like the hot lunches and always got the alternative - which had very little nutritional value. I also volunteered for lunch duty and actually saw the lunches provided. I knew I could give my kids a healthier meal.











Now, Gigi picks one hot lunch a week from the school menu and takes her lunchbox on the other days. Greta almost always has a home packed lunch. I feel better about what they are eating and I try to make it interesting and easy.











At a friend's request, I kept track of what the girls had in a week. So, this is what the girls would normally get in their lunches but it has changed a bit. Both girls have braces and foods that I may have packed last month are off limits - such as carrots with ranch dressing or an apple. Salt eggs are favorite - salted boiled egg whites - as well as leftovers from dinner that are kept warm in the thermos.











On a different note, even though we reuse our sandwich bags whenever possible, the number of sandwich baggies that go in the trash makes me break out in a cold sweat. I started using reusable containers last year but my new goal for this year is to try to eliminate the useage of the ever mulitplying baggies. Would it be innapropriate to make a joke about rabbits multiplying? Anyhoo... ETSY has a ton of reusable sandwich bags for sale and they are super cute; however, I am one of those people who look at something and think "I can make that." So, I am in the process of sewing my own. I'll post them with a tutorial at a later date.











I hope this post inspires you to pack some crazy lunches. I'd love to hear about the inventive lunch items you send to school.

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

It's time to break out the pumpkin recipes. This is one of my favorite and is from my dear friend Elizabeth.

1 can of pumpkin

1 box of Spice Cake Mix (or any other flavor - you can add the cloves, cinnamon, etc. just read the back of the can of pumpkin for measurements)

chocolate chips (optional)

mix the ingredients

drop the cookies on a cookie sheet

bake at 350 for 15 minutes

I have also made pumpkin bars and topped it with cream cheese icing.

Kitty Cat Cupcakes

The Evil Rabbit from Lilo and Stitch Kitty

Lions and Tigers, Oh My Kitties

Scrappy Kitty

Hypnotized Kitty

True Blood Vampire Kitty

Gene and made kitty cat cupcakes for Greta's birthday. Obviously we had too much fun.

Cooking More

We have been really paying attention to what we are eating. It started during the deployment. I was saving our pennies to pay off my car loan and going out to eat was costing too much. Now, we are trying to eat healthier. Gene and I aren't getting any younger and the girls need their veggies.

It is so easy to go out to eat so I have to really plan well. Every Sunday we get together, all four of us, and plan out our meals for the week. I keep a list of favorites to refer to when we draw a blank on what to cook. Then we go grocery shopping for the week.

Despite the planning I still come up with excuses and more excuses. My favorite one is that I don't have time to chop up everything to make a healthy meal. Not anymore. Thanks to the food processor and Sam's Club, I always have vegetables on hand and ready to go. Tonight I processed carrots, celery, and red, yellow, and orange peppers. Each snack bag holds one cup. Now my freezer is stocked and I am ready to cook.

What do you do to plan for the week?