All You Can Eat

 Day Twelve - Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims left a populated area with shops and taverns and every amenity of that time and place. They arrived at the beginning of winter in a wilderness with no value added resources available, in other words no shops, no vendors or hawkers, in fact, no people except a few indigenous natives. I can hardly imagine what that must have been like. 

Pioneers from then on, in what became the United States, trekked into the wilderness, built homes, planted crops (often in the opposite order), and towns eventually grew up around them. But there was always movement westward to uninhabited areas and then hacking a life out of the new wilderness.

Today I went to two grocery stores, passing by dozens of restaurants, as well as other grocery stores. There is no want of food here. I can get just about anything I desire, many things shipped in from distant places. If I don't feel like cooking I can step into a restaurant and sit down to a nice meal cooked by someone else, and clean up by someone else. If I'm in a hurry I can order for pick-up, or even delivery. 

I feel so blessed to live in a time of such abundance. I'm thankful for all the farmers, ranchers, producers, pickers, processors, truckers, stockers, clerks and courtesy helpers; all working diligently to bring food to my table. If I had to grow my own I know I'd starve.

Mrs. Use it Up Strikes Again

I did so well in February with groceries that I'm going to keep going for March. I started the month buying only dairy, (milk and eggs), lots of fruit, some veggies (still have some to use up), and a little bit of meat. My stock up item this month is cleaning supplies because that's what I was running low on. It feels so good to have a cupboard full of supplies again!

So, the use it up deal; I foraged around in the freezer for all the odd pieces of bread I had stuck in there and found an assortment of pieces which I laid out on a baking sheet and popped in the oven to toast. When they were nicely dried out I broke the pieces into the blender (I don't have a food processor) and whizzed them up into bread crumbs, which I then put into an old plastic container with a piece of masking tape for a label and back it goes into the freezer so that the next time a recipe calls for bread crumbs mine are all ready. Whew!

Lunch today was a salad of grated carrot, some leftover green peas (frozen kind), a spoonful of leftover white rice, a spoonful of feta cheese, the last of some Romaine lettuce, a pinch of basil, and some homemade Italian dressing (well, sort of homemade, the kind with water, vinegar, oil and a packet of mix). For an experiment in combining flavors it was really good. But then I like oddball salads.

I had plans to make some baby bibs and burp cloths for a friend but got called out to do some church work so my plans got bumped a day. These items will also be made from leftovers in a use-it-up effort.

Supposedly the weather is warmer, but without sunshine it still feels cold to me.

Unofficially Frugal February

Seems like every time I announce on my blog that I'm doing something, I fall apart and the something doesn't get done. So this is not an announcement, it's just an observation.

I'm attempting to spend less on groceries this month. I'm making a conscious effort to eat from the freezer and pantry so I can stock up on toiletries (I'm tired of running out!). Working so far.

I'm also attempting to avoid wasting food. Today I got creative and added the last of the baked beans to the beans for burritos and added some salsa, extra chili powder and cumin. We ate them; Dr. Hair even asked for seconds, but the sweetness of the baked beans was unmistakable. There are leftovers, but only two tortillas, so I figured the beans could be part of a Seven-Layer Dip meal and the tortillas (large whole grain) could be made into a quesadilla for lunch.

I inventoried my freezer and pantry then made up a menu plan using what I have; I think I can make it through the month (thank goodness for short months) with purchasing only milk and fresh fruit.

At the beginning of the year I decided that this is the year I'm going to restock my food storage, and emergency preparedness. It's been a long time of living on the edge and I'd like to get back to where we were about twelve years ago.

Stayed tuned for more unofficial reports of frugal activities.

September Total Grocery Spending

I surprised myself. Total grocery spending for the month is $356.76 including this week's addition of $42.12 bringing the weekly average to just $89.19. Pretty darn good, if I do say so.

Of course, I'll be totally honest, I would have spent more if there had been any more to spend. I ran out of fruit for one boy, and salty snacks (chips, pretzels, etc.) that the other boy likes in his lunches, but overall I think I did pretty good.

I'm going to keep up this average calculating because I want to see what it looks like over a longer period, also I'd like to see a monthly average.

A friend of mine has offered space in her garden next year to grow what I want, thank you J! She has nine acres and will put in a huge garden and generously offered some of it to me. I want to grow a "salsa garden" and beets, cantaloupe, spinach, eggplant, peas, beans, pumpkins and sweet corn. What I actually will grow remains to be seen. Some most times my dreams are bigger than my reality.

I'm still looking at putting in a few (two to four) fruit trees on our property. I've been watching where the sunny patches are and think I have figured out where the best spots are. I need to go down the street to the Iowa State University Extension office and talk to the experts there about which varieties grow best here. I'm dangerously low on jams and jellies and with my mother gone can't expect anymore supplies from San Diego. Guess it's time to grow up and fend for myself.

Weekly Grocery Total

Last week's grocery shopping consisted of two quick trips to the store for grapes, and a pizza for Dandylion's dinner while we went on a date, and then some green vegetables; total $14.28 bringing the monthly total to $314.64 for an average of $104.88 per week. This week I'll need milk and maybe a couple of other things, but not much.

I've been working hard at not wasting food and using what I have in the house rather than buying more.

Today I baked some banana bread with the mashed bananas from the freezer. Smells really yummy here!

Just for clarity--I'm only counting food for the family in these totals. I have spent more on pet food and toiletries on the same shopping trips, but those are different categories.

Grocery Spending

Today I spent $11.13 on two gallons of milk and 4 pounds of popcorn, bringing the total for the month to $300.38. At two weeks into the month the weekly average is $150.19 which I expect to go down as I make it through at least another week of very low spending.

My husband and I did talk about the need to stock up on certain things for the winter (as well as the outcome of the election) so maybe the average will go up. We'll just have to see.

This is going to be meaty

It's the first of a new month--The start of my keeping track of what I spend on groceries, toiletries and household supplies.  I ALWAYS spend lots at the beginning of the month for the simple reason that I get my "allowance" at the beginning of the month.

Spending so far  on groceries: $289.25. This includes 2 month's worth of meat, 7 cases of canned goods, a month's worth of bread (my oven is still not reliable enough to bake bread) and English muffins. The only other things I should need this month are milk and produce, which I buy every seven to ten days.

Spending on toiletries and household supplies is: $80.73 which includes some things from Don Aslett's Cleaning Center, my favorite place for cleaning supplies.

I know that many people use baking soda and vinegar and such for cleaning, but I don't. Years ago when I first read Don's book "Is There Life After Housework" I read his debunking of the use of those things. I think they are great for certain applications, but not for everything.

When I got home from shopping I put everything away except the meat and canned goods. Then I set up for processing the bulk purchased meat into meal sized portions.

I bought ten pounds of ground beef, four (double) chicken breasts, and two pounds of regular sausage.

Bulk purchased meats

 I gathered the tools I need to process the meat into meal sized portions: kitchen scale, masking tape, Sharpie marker . . .

Tools needed to process

 . . . and a bunch of plastic containers.

Assorted plastic containers

 I weigh out the portions I want, for example I wanted three portions from each pound of sausage, then I put the meat in a container, put the lid on it, rinse my hands, then put tape on the lid and write the date and what's inside. All that's left is to put it in the freezer.

First Batch Completed

I won't bore you with pictures of all the other. Some of the chicken breasts I divided and some I left double, then labeled accordingly so I can choose whatever I need for a meal or recipe. The ground beef I portion in one pound and half pound and fill up the containers. This has been a way to save money by buying a lot of meat when it's on sale, portioning it up and freezing it. No waste and I can see at a glance what I have in my freezer.

Show and Tell

Frugal Friday

This has been a busy and productive week. For a church Young Women's service project we are making pillow cases for a children's hospital in Omaha. I found wonderful instructions at MaryQuilts.com (sending a big thanks to her for her clarity!). Having found the instructions I cut out fabric for six or seven cases. This is the one I sewed with the girls as a demonstration.

Darling Hippos!

These pillowcases are a great way to use up leftovers, reduce your stash, or save money by using thrift store or yard sale sheets or fabric. The best part of sewing them is that it takes only three seams to make them with NO raw edges inside, so they are sturdy and long lasting.

In another area for frugality, I used up a leftover slice of toast and an English muffin to make bread crumbs for Salmon cakes. My goal is to eliminate waste in my kitchen. I do pretty good, but I want to reduce it even more. Here is one of my methods. After a meal I put the leftover toasted whatever into a (used) bread bag to save for processing. When I'm ready I get out my blender and tear the bread into small pieces and grind them in the blender. Maybe you have a food processor which would work also, I don't have one and have always used my blender. The crumbs can be made at the time you have the leftovers and saved in the freezer, or save the leftovers and make the crumbs as you need them. Works both ways.

(We have such lovely walls in our kitchen!)

Crumbs ready for making Salmon cakes (or patties)

Yummy - ready to be turned over to brown the other side.

Salmon Burgers (or cakes, patties, balls)
1 14.75 oz. can Salmon, drained and flaked
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 - 2 cups bread crumbs (amount depends on how many you're feeding)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Combine ingredients, mix well with your hands, then form into patties. Pan fry in small amount of vegetable oil until browned on both sides. Serve as you would any other burger. For patties or cakes just make them smaller (see picture), for balls just make them round (you get the idea).

We enjoyed these the other night with homemade oven fries.

I like making things from scratch so I can control the ingredients. Recently I decided it was time to finally figure out how to make my own "condensed cream of . . ." soups. A google search came up with lots of ideas and recipes but the one I liked best is found at a wonderful site called Salad-In-A-Jar. I tried the recipe and was totally pleased with how fast, easy and tasty it turned out. I used it in a chicken casserole and thought it tasted better than any store bought. The recipe calls for 8 ounces of evaporated milk which is less than a full can so I looked up how to make my own so I wouldn't waste any from a can. Talk about easy! Instead of the liquid milk, just add 2/3 cup dry milk and 3/4 cup water to the blender with the other ingredients for the cream soup. It was fabulous. Also, I used canned mushrooms instead of fresh (easier to store and have on hand) and black pepper instead of white.

I recognized that this recipe was MSG free, very low sodium and easy to make but as I read all the comments on Paula's blog I realized that I needed to share this with my sister whose daughter eats a gluten-free diet. So this is a great recipe for many different applications. Huge thanks to Paula for developing it and sharing. I think this cream soup recipe would work with other things like chicken, celery, broccoli, asparagus, etc. which will make casserole cooking so much more healthy and frugal. It fits with my desire to store basic ingredients that can be used in many different ways.

Score at the Store

Today I stocked up on a pantry essential (at least in my kitchen). I found butter on sale for $1.49 per pound at HyVee, an employee owned grocery chain here and bought 10 pounds each of salted and unsalted butter. That should get me through to the new year.

I also got a dozen, plus two, cans of whole kernel corn for 39 cents a can. We go through a lot of corn. I wanted to buy more but that's all that was on the shelf and I couldn't find a clerk to get more from the back room. I get frustrated because these good deals are 30 minutes away from home and I can't just "run to the store" every time I feel like it.

So much of my grocery shopping is just restocking the "pantry" in order to have the basic ingredients for my cooking.

Beginning in September I'll be tracking my grocery spending so I can #1 see what the average is, and #2 see if I can stay on a budget. I'll have two pools of money: one for normal weekly groceries, the other for stocking up on basics, although there is some overlap in the two.

How to Stretch a Can of Tuna Fish

I'm old enough to remember when cans of tuna fish were 7 ounces. Today they are five ounces. Some years ago I devised a way to stretch a can to make it go further.

Here's my method:

Gather whatever vegetables you have on hand; my standards are onion, carrot, celery, bell peppers (whatever color) and broccoli.

Chop each veggie as fine as you can:

Mix them in a bowl:

Add the tuna and some mayonnaise (or your choice of white salad dressing stuff):

Mix it all together and serve on bread for sandwiches or with crackers (when you forgot to get the bread out of the freezer that morning).

This batch made 2 cups (500 ml), so at 1/4 cup per sandwich, this would make 8 sandwiches; six sandwiches if you spread it a little thicker. Way better than one or two sandwiches per can; plus all those tasty, healthful veggies!

Thanks to Dandylion for helping with the Photo Booth effects shots.

Shopping in Our Little Corner of the World

Living here in rural Iowa certainly has its charm.  I love the tiny town where I can walk anywhere: bank, Post Office, Library, hair salon, High School, shops, even the grocery store (if I need an item or two).  But! The lack of stores sometimes gets to me.

The grocery store here is bigger than a convenience store, but has a smaller selection and higher prices than I find in larger towns 25-30 miles away.  There is a drug store and a dollar store, both on the edge of town and a little too far to walk because of the time it takes.  I like the idea of spending my dollars here to keep the economy going except:  my dollars are few and my needs are great so I do most of my shopping in either Atlantic, 26 miles south, or Carroll, thirty miles north.  The grocery store I prefer to shop at has a store in both towns; both towns have a Walmart; and both towns have a good thrift store.

One of the reasons I like the grocery store Fareway is because they are closed on Sunday.  Years ago I heard a story about someone, who, when I looked it up turned out to be Bishop H. David Burton, who saw President Joseph Fielding Smith and his wife at a grocery store far from their home and he asked the President what they were doing so far south from home.  The answer was that they preferred to patronize stores that honored the Sabbath Day by closing.  That stuck with me and I've thought about that as I shop.  I prefer to shop and support a business that honors the Sabbath Day too.  Not that that is possible 100% for me, but I do my best within the limits of my budget.

In researching Fareway, I found this on their website:  The idea of resting on Sunday is something in which our founder, Paul S. Beckwith, firmly believed—in part because of his religious beliefs, in part because of a story told to him by his father.

Paul’s father was a pioneer who traveled to the new territory by wagon train. Some of the pioneers were in a great hurry so they drove on every day, leaving behind those who stopped for a day of rest and worship. Weeks passed, and as the settlers continued to move westward, the families who had taken Sunday off began to catch up with those who had pushed ahead—only to find broken-down wagons, lame animals and weary people. Paul’s father told him he decided right then and there that the Bible was right; neither man nor beast was made to work seven days a week.

In Atlantic there is a Salvation Army store and a privately run thrift store.  I've shopped at both although I prefer the Salvation Army simply because it is better organized.  The private store had clothing on the racks in a complete jumble: short and long sleeves, woven and knits, all the colors and sizes mixed up together. It made looking for something rather tedious and I don't have that kind of time. In Carroll the thrift store is run by the Catholics, I believe, and while not as nicely organized as Salvation Army, the prices are great and I've found wonderful things there.  The ladies who volunteer there are really sweet and helpful too.

In our town, there is a consignment store that has prices close to a thrift store's, but the selection isn't as big, especially in my size, which by the way is slowly but surely getting smaller, one ounce at a time.  I like the owner, though and support her efforts as much as I can.  Besides clothing she has a few household items, antique and vintage, as well as new crafts and baubles.

There is an antique store, which I've not ventured into because I don't want to be tempted beyond my ability to resist.  Next to it is The Present Company where I can buy greeting cards when needed (meaning when I don't have anything appropriate in my stash from other sources).  Linda, the owner, is gracious and has given me boxes for mailing from her big stash.  Up by the park is a little gift shop inside a beauty salon, where I've gotten a few charming handmade items.

Also on the edge of town is a furniture store, another place I don't venture as I'm trying to avoid the sin of coveting.  They have some used furniture in a little place across from the park that I peek into as I'm passing on walks.  That's about all I can tolerate.  (Someday I'm going to have well coordinated and beautiful furniture!)

Not having access to lots of stores has certainly helped me stay on budget; but there are times when I'd love to just browse a big used book store; a fabric store; a kitchen store; a lingerie store.

The closest malls are about an hour and a half east or west of here.  We only go when combining trips to the big cities of Council Bluffs/Omaha or Des Moines.

So there you have it.  Shopping in Audubon.  The town motto could be "We save you money by not having everything available!" We live by the old pioneer motto "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

Saving Time and Money

I began an exercise this morning that I realized I do frequently to save myself time and money.  The exercise?  Well it's not jumping jacks; rather, it's "take an inventory".  I am planning a grocery shopping trip for Saturday night and wanted to make a list so I began by inventorying what I already have.

Here's how it works:  I begin with a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle, labeling the left side HAVE and the right side NEED.  Then I delve into whatever area I'm working on, this morning it is food, and I look in the freezer, fridge, and cupboards to see what I already have to work with.  I write it down, in order of meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.

Example: Breakfast HAVE - bagels, (twice, because I have two packages), English muffins (again, twice), oats, flour, potatoes, canned/bottled fruit.
                Breakfast NEED - milk, eggs, cream cheese, sausage, bacon, whole wheat tortillas, bread, dried fruits, fresh fruits, plain yogurt, orange juice.

Those are the things I have and want to get so I can whip up a delicious breakfast every morning.

After doing an inventory I write down all the menu ideas that come to me from that list (they're pretty much the same each time) then I can choose for my actual menu plan, according to day of the week, and how much time I'll have to prepare things.

When I go to the store I have a complete list of what to buy in what quantities to fill up my freezer, fridge and pantry so I have all the ingredients necessary.  I do the same with lunches, dinners, and snacks.  I don't make a menu, then shop; I take an inventory of my supplies, then make a menu using up the things I already have, and adding the items I need to replace and replenish my supplies.

I use the same method at the beginning of the school year to see what clothes the boys already have and what they need.  We've never bought all new school clothes for our children.  I keep boxes of "to grow into clothes" handed down from older boys to younger brothers from which we "shop" for new clothes.  If there is still a need, I will make a list to take to the thrift store.  If I can't find it at a couple of thrift stores and it is a critical item I can then look for a sale at a retail store, otherwise we just wait until we do find it.

Several times a year I clean out the toiletries cupboard and take an inventory of what I have and need then add items to my shopping list to look for sales on those items. Cleaning out cupboards and rearranging items usually yields a few surprises as in "Oh look, I have 2 bottles of shampoo left so I don't need to buy more right now." I also pull things forward and make plans to use them up by having them in the front where they are visible.  (Out of sight, out of mind is certainly true for cupboards!)

There you have it, my method for saving time and money.

Serial Leftovers and other interesting stuff

Making the most of leftovers is a frugal strategy to stretch your food dollars so nothing goes to waste.  This week I did it with a green salad which was first served on Thursday with our main dish of Porcupines, those yummy meatballs made with rice and cooked in a rich tomato sauce.  Friday I served Layered Burritos and used the leftover salad, chopped smalled, to add to the burritos.  Again, very yummy.  Today, Saturday, I chopped the final leftovers very fine and added them to tuna for an easy tuna salad for our sandwiches.  Voila!  The green salad is used up before going gooey; two other meals were enhanced with readily available ingredients and I look like a genius.  Not bad for a few minutes thought and work.

I've been reading a book called Sneaky Chef.  One of our sons, Mr. Music, refuses to eat most fruits and vegetables so I'm looking for ways to get them into him without him knowing it.  The book is well written and fun.  I gleaned some great ideas from it to use now, until I get the wonderful 3 cup KitchenAide food processor that the author recommends for disguising the foods.  My first attempt was adding carrot puree to the tomato sauce on the Porcupines.  I steamed the carrot chunks soft, then pureed them in my blender, added a can of whole tomatoes to puree and then poured it all in the pot over the meatballs to cook.  It turned out so delicious and no one even noticed a difference.  Today, I added a couple of small spoonfuls of brown rice to the tuna mix for the sandwiches.  I tested it on my husband and daughter, Noble.  I thought it was terrific.  Noble didnt' notice the rice, and I haven't heard from my husband who is still at work. (He came home and grabbed his lunch and went back to the school.)  I feel successful and am eager to try other sneaky tricks to get healthful food into my family.

I talked to TopDad (my husband) about building me a "square-foot garden" so I could grow some fresh veggies this summer.  He said he could do that.  Over the winter I've been reading about Square Foot Gardening and am eager to get going on it.  I love fresh veggies, the Prophets have counseled us to grow a garden, and with the prices of food going up, it has become a necessity.  There are farmer's markets around here too that I will check out as they begin their season. 

Noble and I chose our patterns and materials for our Easter dresses.  I have literally boxes of patterns to choose from; and a dozen plastic tubs of fabric.  Some years ago I promised myself that I wouldn't buy anymore until I've used what I have.  Now that I home without children during the day I've gotten out my sewing machine and will get back to one of my first loves--sewing!

Had a busy and productive day today.  Made lunch items for next week: boiled eggs, and jello cups; mixed a batch of cookies to freeze in rolls for baking; ground wheat and baked bread; have done four loads of laundry (towels and sheets).  Just part of the never ending routine of keeping a house running smoothly.