This Month's Grocery Spending 2023 – September

 

I got A LOT of stuff for not a lot of money this month so I’m pretty darn happy about that.  I was able to get plenty of fresh dairy and produce for meals and picked up some spices from the bulk bins to add to my cabinet.  I also did some bonus stocking up, which was completely unplanned, but when the opportunity presents itself who am I to refuse?

 

My big Winco haul complete with bulk spices

I did a nice big shop at the beginning of the month at Winco.  That particular store isn’t real close to my house, but I had enough items on my list that I decided it would be worth the trip.  Plus, they have a really nice bulk foods department and I wanted to get some spices.

I shopped a couple more times later in the month, once was to buy some buns, primarily low carb, for hamburgers and hotdogs.  I made a special trip to Fred Meyer for those as there was nothing in the ads that week to tempt me.

 

There were no plans to do anymore shopping this month, however Albertson’s gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  $5 OFF A $15 Purchase.  As it turned out I was able to get some extra meat in the form of a dozen steaks for my freezer that had been marked down.  I added an extra onion and a couple bell peppers on sale, 2 for $1, while I was at it and that was more than enough for me.

 

I spent more this month than I have for a while, but still very much under my budgeted $100 per month.  In reviewing my list I was quite surprised with all that I bought as it seems like quite a bit for one person and the occasional guest.  I still have plenty of produce to start the month of October with too.

 

How did you do this month?  Are you stocking up for winter?  Are you stocking up on anything these days?  How are the sales in your area?

 

 

It Was A GREAT Summer! 2023

 

Fall officially arrived last week and we all know winter isn’t far away.  My favorite seasons are spring and summer and they are also my busiest times of year.  This year was no exception.  In looking back I am quite pleased with all that I was able to accomplish.  I got a lot done and I couldn’t be happier.

 

For one thing I was able to finish up a project that I’ve wanted done for a very long time.  I finally have a yard.  And a nice one at that!  In spring of 2022 I began working on this project which was to tear out and completely re-landscape my entire property from the curb at the street to the backyard fence line.  It took me exactly a year to get it done and I love it so much.

 

I was able to put in low maintenance flowerbeds, gravel spaces, a patch of faux lawn and carry my vision all the way through to the backyard.  I’ve never had a nice backyard as long I’ve lived here, but I do now.

 

Our deck has a pergola to help with the hot summer sun and I was able to put in a brand new raised garden this summer.  And!  I grew stuff!  Not a lot, but I did harvest some fresh veggies this year and I’m pretty of my little garden.

 

I redid my sewing and craft area moving it upstairs to the guest bedroom.  It has been a lot of fun to have that space to work and create.

 

Hall closet

Pantry

I gave the downstairs bathroom a makeover, made some nice little updates throughout the house and gave the hall closet underneath the stairs an overhaul as well.  When I completed those spaces I gave my pantry a much needed freshen up as well.

 

Moving the sewing and craft area upstairs allowed me to be able to make a much larger space for our sweet little bunny to run around and live her best life.  It also gave me the space I needed to better store and organize my long term food storage.

 

My motorhome got a new engine battery and some new tires, a fresh set of marker lights as well as a new power steering pump.  Due to finances, I only got to go out on one trip, which is fine for now.  I spent my budget this year on upgrades and repairs.   I got out for some hiking and daytrips, however.

 

I was also able to do some paint repair to my truck which was a huge deal for me to get that done.  It had been on my list for quite a while and was nagging at me.  Not because of procrastination, but simply that I’ve had a lot on my plate this past couple of years.

 

In between projects I was able to purge photographs and find homes inside of albums for all the loose photos I had left.  Once that was done I went back through the albums to add notes regarding people, places and things so generations in the future will be able to know about these photos.  While I was doing this I also did a lot of research, updated our family ancestry page online adding information and photos, and added some newspaper articles as well as little keepsakes that belonged to my grandparents to one of my albums.  It was a lot of work, but also very gratifying.

 

Lastly, I created a recipe book/journal and put it up for sale.  That is something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time and I’m really happy with how it turned out and the responses from those that have bought a copy.

 

I made relish from my garden grown zucchini

and pickles

The best part of my summer was having the luxury to simply enjoy my home, inside and out.  I feel so blessed to be able to do the things that I’ve done this year and super grateful to have what I have.  I am also very excited to see what happens next.  Happy Fall Y’all!!!

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 77

My friends, how is it even possible we are talking the last week of September?!  This month sped by so fast I think I missed most of it!  I’m sure October will be much slower (wink, wink).  There is a hint of fall in the air lately, especially in the mornings with the cool temperatures and some of the leaves have begun to change on the trees.

 

You guys, I can’t believe how much I miss my Edith.  I’d had her for so long and visiting with her each day was a bigger part of my life than I had realized.  I literally begin and end my day with my chickens.  I’m so blessed to be able to keep a little flock in my backyard.  My three remaining girls seem to be doing just fine and have adjusted to life without the top hen.  I think Rosemary will become the head chicken and will be ruling the roost from here on out.  She seems to have the strongest personality, but for now they seem to be all on an even keel as they navigate their days.

 

Two of my girls, Josephine and Phoebe (my Easter egger), are five years old now and the black one, Sylvia, is four so I’ll most likely be picking up a couple of peeps from the feed store next spring to add to my flock.  They are all currently laying but, after age three to four they do tend to taper off and at age five will also tend to die.  It has been a bit of time since I’ve had some newbies around here so I’m excited about that prospect.  With all the decluttering I’ve done this year I also have a really nice space in the garage to set up a brooder.  Something fun to look forward too, for sure.

 

My hummingbirds have migrated for the season so I took the rest of their bag of sugar in the pantry and poured it into a half gallon Mason jar.  I think I have enough leftover that I won’t need to buy them anymore next summer.  Then I put it in my new LTFS area so I will be ready for them when they return next year.  I also washed up the feeders and got them put away in the garage.

 

As the gardening season is winding down I harvested more tomatoes, peppers and zucchinis.  My tomato plants are loaded with green tomatoes right now so I’ll be watching the weather forecast to try and stay ahead of any predicted frost.  I want to leave them on the vines as long as I can before I have to pick them all to ripen inside.  Right now I’m freezing all of the ripe tomatoes I pick to be turned into sauce later on.  I grated the zucchinis and got them packaged and into the freezer.

 

As I was setting up my new LTFS area I did an inventory of what I had and then the next day I did an inventory of my kitchen pantry to confirm I was indeed very low salsa, only one home canned jar and a store bought jar left.  I also knew I was out of readymade pasta sauce and I did not find any stragglers hiding anywhere.  I got busy and got a double batch of salsa made up and then I made up a big pot of marinara.  It was a very full, but very satisfying day spent canning in my cute little kitchen.

 

I received some coupons in the mail and a digital buy one get one free coupon offer for what I call “fancy cat food” so I headed off to Fred Meyer to pick up four of them to set aside as Christmas gifts for my kitties.  I got these pates for $3 and when I got home I put them into a gift bag with some tissue paper, all recycled items I had in my gift wrap organizer.  My first Christmas gift for the season is complete!

 

1st Christmas gift completed!

The other day I spent a considerable amount of time walking around my home counting my blessings and feeling incredibly grateful for the things that I have and all that I’ve been able to accomplish in my lifetime so far.  To me, it is pretty incredible and I’m so motivated to continue on in this journey of mine.  I found myself overwhelmed with the feeling that everything is going to be okay.  Regardless of what the world might throw my way I will be able to take care of myself, fulfill my needs and live a good quality of life.

 

I picked up a bale of hay for the bunny and got her bins filled back up

It is only the end of September, but it has been an amazingly full year so far.  I have been making holiday plans including menu ideas and a short list of goodies to bake and share with friends and neighbors.  I’m getting pretty excited about it.  It is coming on fast too.  Has anyone else done any Christmas shopping yet?

 

I've been in the mood lately for hot soup & hot tea

I hope you are all doing well.  Let me know in the comments what has been keeping you busy lately.  I love hearing from you.

  

Investment Cooking - Meat For The Freezer

 

When you are living a healthy low carb lifestyle and you are not a vegetarian meats becomes a really important part of your meals.  I try to only purchase meat on sale for a really good price or on a good markdown and then I’ll stock up.  I then like to go home and repackage my purchases into meal size portions and get it into my freezer right away.

 

The process I use most often is quite simple and inexpensive.  I typically use sandwich or quart sized bags selecting the size that most closely matches the portion size.  Then I label each bag I’ll be using with what it is and the date.

 

Then I open all of the bags so they are ready to use.  I try to keep one hand for touching the meat and the other “clean” one for handling the bag.  Once I’ve tucked all the meat into the bags I wash my hands and then push all the air out that I can while I press the seal closed.

 

I lay all the packages of meat inside a one gallon size Ziploc bag keeping them as flat as possible and packing as many as I can before once again pushing out as much air as possible while I seal the larger bag closed.

 

Once all of my smaller bags are stored inside the larger bag I get it right into the freezer.  I find that by doing it this way I’m able to keep these packages of meat fresher and stave off any freezer burn in the process.  Even though I do have a vacuum sealer I find it an easier process and less expensive to do most of my freezing this way.  I also make sure to rotate and use up the older packages first so dating each package is a very important step in the process to avoid freezer burn.

 

I also find that maintaining an adequate inventory without over buying is also an important step to reduce food waste, however if I do find I’m a bit overstocked I will can up some of the meat or cook it and make freezer meals.  Do you do something like this when you put meat in the freezer?

 

Purging & Organization - Long Term Food Storage

 

 

I have wanted to redo my LTFS area for quite a while now.  At first I didn’t want to spend any money to store and organize my grocery stockpile and home canning, but so far my attempts to make do with what I had just wasn’t cutting it.  I’d been shopping around for a shelf unit off and on this summer, but the prices were too high for me until this past week when I was able to get a heavy duty garage storage shelving unit from Amazon for half price.

 

I've been ready to do something with this spot for a while

It was the perfect width and height to fit in the space I had in mind in the downstairs bedroom so that in itself was almost as good as the $65 price tag.  It shipped for free right to my front door which was great because it was pretty heavy and I did have to put it together.  I took my time, even read the instruction sheet and it was really easy to assemble, no complaints about that.

 

Perfect fit!

Everything out of the bedroom closet, out of boxes and onto shelves

While I am a cricket (that’s my organization style) and prefer to have things put away in micro-organized categories and out of sight I realized that it wasn’t working so well for me as far as my groceries go.  I seem to need to see at a glance what I have on hand or else I tend to forget I have it.  I don’t want my groceries sitting out on a countertop or anything, but if I can just open a door and see my stuff all neatly lined up on a shelf then that is perfect for me.  I also need space to move things around and rotate my stock.  Since I’m not currently using the downstairs bedroom for anything other than storage at the moment, it just made sense to get a sturdy shelving unit and set it up in there so I can have some much better organization.

 

A nice mix of my home canned items and store bought

Dry goods with my freeze dried and dehydrated foods on top
They're are the lightest so I thought that was a good place for them

Once I got the shelving assembled and into place it was time to put my stockpile of groceries on it.  I pulled everything out, sorted through to see if there was anything I wanted to get rid of (I found two boxes of mac & cheese to donate) and then I started putting things away.  As per my usual, I organized my items “like with like” as that makes the most sense to me.

 

So far I love it!

All my hard work canning and stocking up this year is really going to pay off.  I’m definitely ready for the winter, probably well into spring and summer, truth be told.  I will have plenty of healthy options to use to prepare my meals and lots of variety as well so I won’t get bored.  I have a lot of great meals in mind to prepare as the weather changes and temperatures cool down.  I’ll let you know how this new system works out and I’ll share some of the meals I’ll be making as well.