Extreme 2024 Budget Grocery Spending - February

 

I am really proud of myself for how well I’ve been doing with this challenge.  Granted, I’m only two months in, but I’m doing it and making it happen.  I did the bulk of my grocery shopping at the beginning of the month.  I had worked my way through my fresh produce and all I had left in the refrigerator was about three pounds of potatoes, four granny smith apples, three rather spindly carrots and an onion.  I was ready to get some more fresh produce and start making salads again.

 

Trader Joes #1

Trader Joes #2

Trader Joes is located only a block from the downtown bus station so I popped into there and picked up a head of lettuce and my favorite herbed feta so I could make a salad before I did a bigger shopping trip.  Then a couple days later I walked over to Winco and did my main shopping trip and came home with more produce, sour cream, a carton of eggs and a few pantry items including a few replacements for my LTFS that I’d used in January.

 

Winco

Wal-Mart

I had to run an errand to pick some things up at Wal-Mart so I checked prices on a couple grocery items I wanted that were priced higher at Winco.  I was able to pick up a jar of molasses for my LTFS and a bottle of lime juice at a significant savings.  I am more than willing to shop around for better prices if I think something is too high at a particular store.

 

Albertson's #1

Albertson's #2

On the way home from work one day I stopped into Albertson’s and picked up a three pound bag of mandarin oranges that were on sale.  They were big, juicy and delicious.  Needless to say they were gobbled up pretty quickly.  Definitely worth the stop!  The next ad had a good price on a 2# block of cheese so I made another stop on my way home and grabbed that as well.

 

I was able to refill one of my spice jars

I prepared a lot of delicious & nutritious meals

My nonfood purchases this month included a box of the orange recycling bags that are required in order to recycle the harder items like plastic bags and Styrofoam.  A box of these does last me quite a while, however it is hard to spend $8 of my precious $50 nonfood budget on a box of bags.  I also picked up a roll of waxed paper to replace one I used up and a couple of scour sponges at the dollar store.  My total spent on nonfood items was $10.48 leaving me with $39.52 to spend this year.

 

My total spent on food this month came in just under budget at $43.13 of my $50 budgeted amount.  The remainder has been added to my rollover amount from January and I now have $36.33 to add to next month’s $50 budget for a total of $86.33.  That’s a pretty good amount to start off with in my opinion.  What do you think?

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 99

 

Another fabulous week is in the books my friends.  I started off Week 99 with some rainy and snowy weather but the sun peeked out every now and then.  I was able to celebrate Valentine’s Day over the three day weekend of the 17^th through the 19^th  (President’s Day) when my BFF arrived in town for a work trip and some meetings.  As I already shared with you last week we enjoyed a homemade diner meal of hamburgers and French fries and it was so good!  There was also chocolate and wine, but I can tell you that didn’t last long.  We made short work of that!

 

I made a trip to the feed store to pick up another bag of horse pellets for the bunny’s litter pan as well as a 50# bag of scratch grains.  I still had some scratch grains, enough for the remainder of the month and well into March, but I figured that since I was there I’d go ahead, save myself and extra trip and grab that too.  I still have one full 50# bag of layer pellets and some hay for the bunny, but that is getting low.  Next time I have a nice sunny day and the bed of my truck is dry I plan to go and pick up a new bale.

 

One of the fun things I did last week was to do quite a bit of paper crafting.  I made another journal for my other friend that I was hoping to give one to.  I am planning to deliver it to her today.  I just love having opportunities to bless others, especially for the best reason – just because.  Along with the making that journal I also paper crafted a bunch of stuff for my own journals.  I had a blast just sitting and being creative.

 

Ways I Saved $$: 

Gasoline prices at the pump continue to slowing creep up, dip a bit and then creep back up. That alone has definitely kept me quite motivated to ride the bus and walk whenever I can.  I logged my trips on Share The Ride and am on my way to earning a gift card.  It takes a good long while to earn enough points to get one, but I’m riding anyway so I figure the gift card is just an additional bonus for my efforts.  I rode the bus four times and gave my sweet little truck the remainder of the week off. 

After doing some surveys during the holidays I’d collected enough rewards points to earn a $25 Amazon gift card.  I went ahead and redeemed it to use on my first Amazon order of 2024 and the first order I have placed with them since October.  I’m really being intentional about my spending this year.  Be sure to check back on Friday to find out what I got and how I used it.  I’m excited to share my latest low spend 2024 project with you. 

In my endeavor to use up my overstock of Bath & Body Works shower gel I made foaming hand soap solution and refilled all of the soap dispensers I have in my house.  I collected some onion scraps in the freezer to save for the next batch of broth I will make.  We had no food waste last week.

 

Things I Used Up: 

We used up the low carb hot dog buns I had taken out of the freezer the week before, used up the bag of carrots I bought in January (I still have the new bag of carrots I bought this month), finished off a jar of minced garlic (added the jar to the recycling bin) and finished a container of sour cream as well as a brick of cheese that I had purchased during the holidays.  I also used up a bunch of odds and ends of items I had squirreled away in the freezer to prepare meals this past week.

 

Meals I Prepared: 

The two servings of pork verde enchiladas that I’d put away in the freezer earlier this month made their appearance on my menu plan last week.  I made fresh green salads to go with those meals. 

In my mini slow cooker I made a delicious beef barley soup that I have wanted to make for quite some time.  I used a can of roast beef from my LTFS with a partial bag of frozen vegetables and some leftover beef broth I had frozen after the holidays.  I also had low carb dinner rolls in the freezer that I thawed and served with the soup.  With the cold and wet weather we had it was very comforting.  Two servings of soup went into the freezer to enjoy later. 

In the pantry I had a pint jar of home canned ground turkey and one of black beans so I combined them with some taco seasoning to make a delicious taco filling.  I used corn tortillas I had leftover from making the enchiladas, some grated Monterey Jack cheese and shredded lettuce to dress them up.  Half of the taco filling went into the freezer and I plan to use that in a meal sometime next month.

 

I emptied four pint jars of my home canned food last week and after they were all washed up I added them to my stash of empty jars I keep in my garage.  So far this year I have emptied eighteen pint jars and six half pints.  I’m eager to get to work and do some more canning soon and get those jars refilled.

 

How was your week?  Did you do anything fun?  What wonderful meals did you prepare?  Have a great week!

 

FYI - My retirement week runs from Friday through Thursday.

 

Testing 1-2-3; Testing…

 

This year I’ve really been putting myself to the test.  Putting my money where my mouth is so to speak.  It is one thing to say something about a particular subject, but it is another thing to prove it.  I don’t want to just say something to say something.  I want to know that what I tell people is as honest and trustworthy as possible.  The only way to know things for sure is to test them.

 

I tend to be a very fact based individual.  I don’t just take the word of others, especially as it is presented by the media or even the government.  I think it is important to challenge a lot of what we are presented with rather than taking it at face value.  Especially if it directly affects our life and the way we live it.  The biggest thing that affects me right now is the current rate of inflation.

 

All of my adult life I have tracked my expenses because early on I literally had to in order to make sure I had enough money each month to feed us and pay the bills.  As time went on it simply became a habit I have yet to abandon.  Because of how I track my expenses I am able to know for a fact how much prices have gone up on the items I use in my life.  I do the math.

 

At the beginning of the year I knew I wanted to test an extreme grocery budget because not only had I told people I could do it, but I also need to prove it to myself.  After all of the years of budgeting, tracking my food expenses and meal planning as well as preparing my long term food storage I felt pretty confident about this, however the only way to truly know is to test it.

 

I’ve always said once I retired I’d probably become a one car household and take advantage of using other means of transportation like walking, riding my bike and using the city bus.  But, would I really?  I decided the only way to determine whether I actually would and if it was even practical was to test it.  So far I’ve been using the bus and doing a lot of walking to get to work as well as for grocery shopping and it is working.  Once the weather improves I do plan to also ride my bike.  Is this sustainable and will I be able to continue to do this?  Only one way to find out – keep testing!

 

Before I retired I invested in upgrading my winter weather gear.  I bought a really nice winter coat with a hood, I got some thicker socks, I made myself a crocheted cowl to wear around my neck  and I went through everything I already had and only kept the best of the best.  I got rid of anything I felt was worn out or wouldn’t work.  Did I do it right?  I was pretty sure I had, but the only one way to find out for sure if I could stay safe and warm in freezing temperatures was to test it.  The first week I stared riding the bus to work it snowed a lot and then temperatures dipped down to zero.  I bundled up and as it turned out I was plenty warm, even my feet and hands and I stayed dry.  It was a really good test.  I do plan to invest in another pair of gloves and possibly more of the socks I bought, but I now know I have the right winter gear instead of just assuming that I do.

 

Using up what I already have on hand before I buy something else is a biggie.  It is so easy to say I need to buy XYZ and then go out and buy it.  But the truth is I probably already have something or I have the stuff to make something that will work just fine.  I also don’t buy anything without putting a lot of thought into it first simply by taking my time and mulling it over.  More often than not I realize that what I thought I needed I actually don’t.   I’m testing out my patience in making decisions.  I’m testing out other options first and then if it doesn’t meet the test I know to go and buy something.  Even then I’m taking my time to make sure whatever I buy I get for a good price and that I’m purchasing the best quality I can afford.

 

These tests will continue to go on throughout the year.  So far it has been very enlightening and quite thought provoking.  Let me know if you are interested in what I’m testing and what I find out about these tests.  Are you doing anything similar this year?  Do you have anything in particular you are currently struggling with?

 

Nothing Is Set In Stone

 

A few weeks ago I was walking from the downtown bus station to my job and I had quite an epiphany.  It occurred to me that at this time in my life there is absolutely, positively nothing that I have to do.  Nothing.  Everything I do on a daily basis is now a choice.  No one can make me do anything I don’t want to.  It is an amazing place to be in life to realize just how much freedom that gives a person.

 

At that moment, had I wished to, I could’ve turned around, hopped back on the bus and gone home.  Or, I could’ve just kept walking and spent the whole day exploring.  I showed up for work that day simply because that is what I wanted to do.

 

Where I currently work there are regular full time and part time employees.  I am one of four retirees that basically job share another full time position.  We’ve all had discussions about why we chose to work there and one of the most common things we agree on is that we are there because it brings us joy.  We have so much fun that we feel like we are paid volunteers and we all agree that if it wasn’t fun we wouldn’t be there.  We’ve all done our time having to go to work to earn a living.  Things are different now.  This is a choice.  We go to “work” now to share a bit of our life with others.

 

For the first time in my life I now live for myself.  My days, my decisions, my goals are all oriented around ME.  I no longer have to look after and take care of other people.  No one depends on me for anything anymore.  I get to do what I want to do and nothing is set in stone.  I can change my mind at any given moment if I choose.  I’ve never had this happen to me before and to be honest, it has taken some getting used to.  I had to really wrap my head around the fact that this is now my reality.  Wow!  It’s a really good place be!

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 98

 

Hello my lovelies!  I hope everyone is doing well.  My week last week was busy but at a much less hectic and more relaxed pace.  I was able to carve out some time for paper crafting, one of my favorite activities that I truly enjoy.  To spread a little joy I made a journal for a friend and I have plans to make up another one for another friend.  Almost all of my friends have one of my journals now and they say they absolutely love and use them on a regular basis.  That makes my heart so happy.

 

My sweet friend was super surprised & very happy with this 😀

After work one day I made a quick little run into Trader Joes for some fresh produce.  I have really been enjoying the fresh salads I’ve been making lately and I do love that Trader’s is so close to the downtown bus station.  It not only makes it really convenient, but now I no longer have to drive there and try to navigate their tiny crowded parking lot with the narrow tight spaces.  Big win for me!

 

I stopped into Trader Joes for a little extra salad stuff

Ways I Saved $$: 

I removed a whole chicken from my grocery wish list because I realized I have plenty of meat in the deep freezer that I can prepare and serve for Easter.  Originally I was planning to make a roast chicken dinner but now I am thinking that instead I will just roast some bone in chicken breasts that I already have.

 

Say cheese!

I was getting low on grated cheese in the freezer so I had placed that on my working grocery list for next month.  Cheese was on sale at Albertson’s for $5.99 for a two pound block so I decided to go ahead and purchase it now.  I plan to box grate most of it, slice the rest and package it for the freezer. 

Thank you ladies!

I washed out two gallon size Ziploc bags to reuse for food storage in my freezer.  My chickens are laying again so I may not need to purchase eggs at the store much longer.  Yay!  Moving forward that should save me a small bundle on my grocery budget. 

This past week I rode the bus three out of the four days I worked.  I also noticed gas is beginning to creep up in price again.  It makes me want to keep up on my bus riding even more now.

 

YUM! 😋

Meals I Prepared: 

It was another simple and thrifty adventure in the kitchen last week.  Last month I had sausages & peppers on the menu.  I had eaten three meals of that which left me with two remaining sausages (there were five sausages total in a package) that I put away into the freezer.  Since I don’t want to keep leftovers in the freezer for any extended periods of time I knew I’d want to use them this month as part of my meal plan.

 

There was some very good eating going on last week

I thawed and then diced up those two remaining sausages, added a pint jar of home canned pasta sauce one of my friends had given me last fall along with a can of Italian style diced tomatoes plus some dried herbs from my spice cabinet to make a delicious pasta sauce.  I then cooked up a half package of leftover penne pasta I had sitting in the pantry.  Once it was done I combined it with the sauce and served it with a nice green salad on the side for myself and a guest.  There were more leftovers from that pasta meal than I thought there would be after we both finished eating.  I put away two servings in the refrigerator to eat during the week and then two servings into the freezer to enjoy later on.

 

After finishing up a single leftover serving of soup I still had in the refrigerator from the previous week I took a little break from the soup and salad meals.  Instead I cooked up a packaged rice mix (with some homemade vegetable broth from the freezer instead of water) I had in the pantry that I wanted to use up and added a can of diced chicken breast to it that was fast approaching its best buy date.  I steamed and seasoned some frozen broccoli to go along with it.  I placed one serving of the leftover chicken and rice into the refrigerator for another meal and two servings into the freezer to eat later on. 

One day I was just craving a hotdog.  I have some angus beef wieners as well as some low carb buns in the freezer so I gave in and made myself one.  I toasted the bun and cooked the wiener in my electric skillet.  It was delicious!

 

All I need is a little spicy brown mustard & some relish!

Things I Used Up: 

I was able to finish up the last of a small jar of sweet pickle relish that I’ve had in the fridge for a bit.  I like to use that in ham salad and tuna salad or in this case on a hotdog with a little spicy brown mustard.  I had just enough relish left to dress up a hotdog and then I rinsed out the jar and added it to my glass recycling bin.  I have no plans to repurchase this particular item as I home canned some sweet relish last summer and I am very excited to finally get to use it.

 

Oh my gosh!

It works!

Did you have a sweet Valentine’s Day?  I sure hope so.  My BFF got me a “toy” and some chocolate.  I received a fun little gift of a new mini appliance to add to my collection.  It is a mini fryer and we tried it out this past Saturday by making a small batch of French fries.  We made hamburgers too and it made for a very fun and delicious meal!  Let me know how your week went my friends.  XX OO 

 

I think this was the best burger I've ever made! 😁

FYI - My retirement week runs from Friday through Thursday.

 

 

Stretching My Food $$ - Fresh Produce

 

One of my struggles has long been buying more produce than what my family could eat before it spoiled.  As someone who really doesn’t like food waste I was determined to get a grip on the produce situation by the time I retired and my last child flew the coop.  It took some trial and error but I’ve made great strides in the last few years.  Of course it helps too that I have a bunny and a few chickens to help me out if I need help finishing some things up.

 

I try to make sure I use everything up before I buy more

Apples & oranges last a while so I try to buy longer lasting
fruits from time to time and store them in the refrigerator

Now that I have my extreme grocery budget challenge this year it has become even more important that I use up my produce without letting anything go to waste.  I’ve found that prepping it as soon as I get home from the store has been a huge help and a great habit to get into.  I wash everything up in cool water with a splash of vinegar so it is ready to go whenever I prepare meals.  This has been especially helpful with berries and salad greens to help them stay fresher longer.

 

I make salads based on what is in season and on sale

Extra onions, carrots and cabbage became a meal kit
that I put away in the freezer for a future dinner

I buy a lot of long lasting vegetables such as onions, carrots, potatoes, celery and cabbage.  Quite often I will chop up onions, carrots, celery and cabbage and freeze it.  I do the same with bell peppers.  When I had a few extra zucchini from the garden I grated them and put them in recipe size portions and froze those as well.

 

Recipe portions of onions & peppers to freeze

Grated zucchini for breads, muffins and quiches

The bonus of having all of this produce clean, chopped and frozen is that when I get ready to cook a meal most of the work has already been done for me.  It is like having access to convenience foods but I definitely didn’t have to pay the exorbitant prices the grocery stores charge for them.  Less food gets wasted and that saves a lot of money too.  The bunny and the chickens still get their fresh fruit and veggie treats as too.  They take care of pretty much all of the scraps as well as a little bit extra here and there.