I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!I rolled up the coins in my coin jar and ended up with $53.50. And then my son asked, "What about the other coin jar?" and pointed to one on a different shelf. It was a mayo jar and it was half full. I wasn't about to count up any more coins at that point though, so hopefully I'll get to later tomorrow (well, technically today). That all goes to the laptop fund.
Made it through another day of no eating out. Meal planning is really working for us. So Sunday's meal plan for the four of us will be:
Breakfast:
Chicken sausages with sundried tomatoes and provolone ($4) and homemade biscuits (.50), sausage gravy (.25) and milk ($2), so $6.75 total
Lunch:
Club sandwiches (homemade whole wheat bread (.25), tomato (.90), lettuce (.30), bacon ($2), roast beef ($2), ham ($2), turkey ($2), condiments (.25)
Cucumbers ($2)
Oranges ($2)
$13.70 total
Dinner:
Pork Chops ($4)
Potatoes ($1)
Green beans ($1)
Carrots ($1)
Milk ($2)
$9.00 total
Lunch is a little pricier than normal since the meat is all nitrate free, but it's also something we can make easily with a toaster and microwave. On Sundays we can't use the stove to cook at lunchtime because Mom has a Bible study meeting in the kitchen during that time (started when she couldn't get out to go to church due to her fall and she just continued it afterwards because it was easier) and our wing of the house doesn't have a stove. Usually I put something in my crockpot and make instant potatoes and veg in the micro, but we are out of pot roasts and picnic hams. Still, it's far cheaper than the old option which was grabbing meals at McD's ($25 for four of us) or Olive Garden ($75).
I have enough lunch meat to make it through the next three weeks of school sandwiches in the freezer, so my goal for the next 3 weeks is to not buy any new meat. We have all kinds of chicken, hamburger, beef stew meat, steaks, lamb, and a turkey in the freezers so we are going to work on getting that down. For all I know there are some pot roasts buried in the bottom of the chest freezer. I even have three bags of shredded turkey leftover from Thanksgiving that could go in enchiladas. Maybe DH and I should make an inventory of what we have in the freezers. Maybe in the cupboards, too. I'm forever buying stuff and coming home to put it away only to realize I already had some.
If all I have to buy in the next few weeks is milk and fruit and veg, it should give me substantial grocery savings to bank. Quite frankly, we could probably go six weeks without buying any meat, but I like having a bit shorter goals than that. I can always add on to the end of it.
Coin Jar and Sunday Meal Planning
January 23rd, 2011 at 11:03 am
January 23rd, 2011 at 02:32 pm 1295793160
January 23rd, 2011 at 10:29 pm 1295821770
January 24th, 2011 at 01:05 am 1295831133
January 24th, 2011 at 06:27 am 1295850424
I'm convinced it costs 1/3 - 1/2 less to eat home made meals...what do you think?
January 24th, 2011 at 11:03 am 1295867018
January 24th, 2011 at 09:24 pm 1295904279
In one of those silly gift exchanged, I ended with a Jello cookbook. You'll never believe how versatile jello can be until you check www.Cooks.com I extend any Jello flavor using a pkg. of Knox Gelatin, melted in hot water, & added to Jello that has been blended with boiling water and as the last step add 2 C cold water. It is less sweet but you can add a tsp. sugar to taste if you prefer. I do my own version of upsidedown cake by spiralling sliced peaches in a deep bowl, setting a cake
January 24th, 2011 at 09:27 pm 1295904468