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Last week was crazy.
This week is worse!
I am needing to take a bit of a break and catch my breath.
Happy July 4th to all, and see you next week 
This is the last week of my $100/ week grocery budget challenge and it looks like we will easily meet our goal-something that I thought was nearly impossible when we set this challenge before us! I am excited about it!
This week we will be eating mostly from the pantry since I amazingly have plenty stocked up. I have a few things to pick up at the grocery store, but I am sure I won’t go over my $80 that I have left to spend.
Here is what we will be eating this week:
Breakfasts:
Cereal with milk, fruit
Smoothies, Banana bread
Blueberry Muffins, yogurt, juice
Waffles with syrup, fruit
Eggs, toast, fruit
Lunches:
BLT’s, chips
Leftovers x3
PB sandwiches, veggie sticks, apple slices x 2
Kids with Grandparents 1 day so lunch needed!
Supper:
Grilled cheese, Tomato soup
Minestrone soup, Salad, Homemade Bread sticks
Amy’s desperation dinner, salad, homemade bread
Spaghetti w/ sauce, garlic bread, salad
Birthday cookout for my daughter: hamburgers, pasta salad, cake and ice cream
Grilled steaks, pasta salad, mixed green salad
Broccoli, Chicken and rice casserole, mixed green salad
I can’t believe I have been gardening for so many years and have never learned about this until recently.
I have tried to have a compost pile many times, and it just never worked out. Either the dogs got in it, or I gagged to death trying to stir it. Yuck.
But any gardener knows that compost is a gardeners gold. Right?
So, when I was shown a way to compost in a way that was fast (3months), didn’t stink, was low maintenance, and kind of fun, I was some excited.
And how does this work?
It’s easy. Worms.
And they eat my garbage and make me compost. There is even a book on the subject.
The fancy name for it is vermiculture.
Not just any worm though. They are called Red Wiggler Worms, and they are very special. And they are by far the easiest pets we have ever had. And did I mention they don’t cost anything to keep?
Here is what the little darlings look like :
I know it seems gross, but seriously is it any grosser than having garbage fermenting outside?
A friend gave me some worms, and we picked up a $3 rubbermaid container at Walmart. I have been doing this for about a month now, and I still can’t get over how easy it is. Or that this is the first time I have ever heard of it.
So if you want to get started, here is a bunch of info I dug up for you:
A brochure that briefly explains everything is here (pdf file) and another overview is here
Here is a great website of how to get started.
A tutorial for setting up your bin and here is a another good tutorial for setting up your bin. I didn’t do two bins like they did, as I only have a few worms. I got the smallest rubbermaid container they sold for now.
And if you want worms, I am told that they are several gardeners who will abundantly share with you. If you contact your local county extension office they may be able to direct you. They do sell them also, and you can find suppliers through localharvest.org. They are actually people who farm these worms as a business. I think my son may have a future here. He spends hours digging up worms in the yard and is fascinated with our new little friends!
As for my garden, well out of the past 7 days 5 of them have been rainy. It is holding on, and we are getting a few days of sun, so I am hoping and praying all my plants are alright!
Now its your turn. How does your garden grow? And tell me, am I the only one who has never heard of worm composting?
We made it our goal this month to read a Proverb a day. Since there are 31 Proverbs, we will be able to get through the entire book by the end of the month (Lord willing!)
After reading all of the wisdom and instruction in just one chapter of Proverbs, I was trying to think of a way to make some of it stick. I want my children to not only be hearers of the Word, but doers also! Our devotional that goes along with our reading encouraged us to write down one verse and keep it in our pockets as a reminder throughout the day. Great idea! I decided to keep it going with every verse, helping my children develop a Pocketful of Proverbs!
Here is what we are doing:
1. We read aloud and discuss the daily Proverb
2. Then I have the children read it themselves and choose a verse to apply for the day. I try to encourage them to choose a verse that will challenge them in an area throughout the day.
3. I have them write out the verse on a small piece of paper and put it in their pockets. I don’t let have them have a new piece of paper everyday, but rather keep writing the verse of the day beneath the one the day before it. This is how they get the “pocketful”.
4. At the end of the day during our family devotions, each child takes out their Proverb of the day, reads it and shares how they applied it to their lives that day.
5. We have a great time discussing if we succeeded or failed in that area, and spend time praying about it.
This has worked out well for us this month, and has been a fun and simple way to have morning and evening time in God’s Word!
I am so excited! After a few weeks of diligently clipping, cutting, prayer and planning I finally managed to get our grocery bill down. The great part about it is I even stocked up in the process!
If you remember, my goal has been to get our budget down to $100 per week for our family of five (ages 7, 10, 14 and a hungry husband!). I set the goal with much skepticism, but aimed high anyway. I just got back from grocery shopping, and folks, I did it! Happy dance, happy dance!
Here is what I got:
Store #1: Shaw’s
Can you say FREE milk? Yep, two gallons for nothing. I also got those two orange juices in the reduced bin for $1.50 each. The meat was marked down, and the cereal was a super steal. I realized that after I took the picture I still had another bag with two boxes in it. I got 7 boxes total. My kids love to have cereal for a snack, and I could live off Raisin Bran! The straws were a .50 splurge, and the Hamburger Helper is for the local food pantry. Total spent: $23.88. (I saved $27.96 in coupons and sales)
Store #2: Fiddleheads (a local farm store)
All their items at this store are organic, and you can’t beat the sales prices. Raspberries and strawberries are on sale for .99 each! Total spent here: $10.93
Store #3: Market Basket
This store is where I do most of my shopping each week. They almost always have the best prices. I just discovered that the store in the next town takes printables so I have been going there. This week I needed toilet paper, bleach, trash bags and dish detergent and none were on sale. I had a .75 off coupon on the dish stuff and that was it. I still made out well. Total spent here: $61.32
That leaves me with a grand total of 96.13 this week!
I was so excited to come under budget! Woo hoo! Did I mention I even had my children with me while I was shopping? There are several things I can think of to cut our budget even further, so I am actually seeing some wiggle room here!
Our total food budget for the month is $400, and so far we have spent 318.00. That leaves me about 80.00 to do groceries with next week. No problem, right!? I am determined to make our goal this month! Make sure you pop in next week for the results!
This post is linked up to the Grocery Cart Challenge, my new favorite blog She is feeding a family of 6 on a $60 weekly budget, which is so inspiring to me! You never know, I may get there one day too!
We got our first harvest! I was so excited to fill up this basket with delicious Spring Mix lettuce. You know the kind that sells for an enormous price at the store? There is nothing like harvesting your own food. It is quite empowering!
Lettuce and spinach picked from the garden comes with lots of dirt and bugs though. Usually when you buy it from a store it has already gone through a few washing processes so a simple rinse and spin at home is all that is needed. But when you grown and pick your own, you will find that it is hard to get all that stuff out. And nothing is grosser to me than biting into dirt- ick!
The easiest way I have found to clean freshly harvested lettuce is to place in my kitchen sink (after a thorough scrubbing!) and cover with cold water.
I swish it around with my hands and look over the leaves. Then I transfer the greens to a colander and rinse again.
Look at all that dirt!
After a second rinsing, I run them through my salad spinner in small batches. I try to get the lettuce as dry as I can. Then I lay out the lettuce on a towel on the counter.
And cover with paper towels (or napkins in this case ) I don’t cover with another towel because I want some air to circulate to help with the drying process.
I rotate the lettuces around once in a while and pat the napkins down.
Once it is dried well, I pack into a glass dish, cover with some more napkins and seal tightly.
The lettuce keeps for 4-6 days this way, although we usually have eaten it by then! If you are a smaller family, it is best to pick only the amount you can use in a couple of days if possible.
I have found the best way to keep fresh lettuce is to make sure that they are nice and dry when you store them!
Happy Harvest!
This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays
I love summer when fresh crisp vegetables are available at farmers markets or go on a super sale at the grocery store. Or even better, when it comes from my own garden!
These garden vegetable calzones are one of our summer favorites and are great with a variety of in season vegetables. We especially like them with zucchini and summer squash, but I have used broccoli and asparagus before too. The key is making sure all the veggies are cut the same size so that they cook evenly.
I start with a double batch of Tammy’s pizza dough recipe. You could also use store bought pizza dough to make it super quick and easy! The double batch makes 14 calzones, enough for supper and a few lunches throughout the week.
For the filling:
1 cup of mushrooms sliced
1 small zucchini chopped small ( I halve it, halve it again and chop)
1 small summer squash
1 pepper
1/4 cup of scallions or onions
1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups of Mozzarella cheese
1 beaten egg white
Mix all the ingredints together well.
When the dough is ready, I roll it out and cut into 14 squares. Then I fill each one with a handful of filling, seal with a fork. Make two or three small slits in the top of the calzone. Then brush with the egg white and bake at 425 F until golden brown (12-15 minutes)
Serve with warm spaghetti sauce for dipping. I like to pair this with a yummy salad and some in season fruit, like watermelon.
This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Blissfully Domestic
I am excited with our menu this week, because my shopping list is short, my freezer and pantry are stocked so I am fairly positive we will be able to com in under budget this week. Provided that I stick to my lessons learned, that is
Here is what is on the menu this week:
Breakfasts:
Sausage, egg and cheese casserole x2
Cereal w/ milk, Fresh squeezed OJ
Banana Crumb Muffins, Fresh OJ
Eggs, Toast, Fruit salad
Waffles w/ syrup, fruit salad
and 1 YOYO day (your own your own )
Lunches:
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
EM Pizzas
Leftovers x2
(My kids are going with grandparents and have a few other activities this week, so we won’t be having lunch at home a couple of days)
Supper:
Fathers Day Cookout
Cheeseburgers,Tater Tots, Salad
Chicken with rice, steamed broccoli, salad
Hot dogs, Beans, broccoli salad
Ham and asparagus crostini, Salad
Homemade Pizza
Hope you have a great week!
For more great menu plans, visit OrgJunkie (and check out the great giveaway this week!)
This week we are serving up some yummy beef in a broth over homemade onion rolls. Some steamed broccoli makes it complete! And you will probably have some leftovers to make into another meal or yummy beef soup.
What’s on sale:
Bottom Round Roast 1.79/lb
Onions .89 for a 2lb bag
Broccoli 1.29/lb
Recipes:
Stretching the sale:
Don’t be shy about asking your butcher to cut up that roast for you or grind into hamburger. Most will be more than happy to do it. Stock up on the onions and chop up and freeze for quick and easy meals later on.
Enjoy your week!
We have an awards ceremony to attend today and a church service afterward, so I won’t have time to do my Week In Review, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do yours!
How to participate:
Post on your blog what exciting things have happened during the week. It could be your posts, a giveaway you held, whatever you want to highlight. Put the link to the post in the Mr. Linky below, and be sure to leave a comment and visit others! Have a great weekend!
