Hmmmm....

 

from we (heart) it.com

Body Language

 ...Here's hoping the Brick says the same thing.

Groceries on $30 A Week? The Redux

     Some years ago, I wrote a post on buying groceries if you only had $30 weekly to spend. That post has been visited and revisited -- and its general advice still holds. But boy, have prices been changing!

*Milk is nearly $4 a gallon here in the Denver CO area...on sale. It can easily go up to $6 or so.

*Eggs have skyrocketed to $5 or more for a large dozen. That's right -- the cheapest kind. If you want organic or free-range, you'll be paying at least $5 on top of that. 

And butter? During a stop at King Soopers (our Kroger) on New Year's Eve, I noticed the 'everyday' price:  $8.69 a pound.

Yow.

We don't have that kind of money to spend on groceries. Neither, I suspect, do you. So here are some ideas that should help keep your expenditures at a sort-of reasonable level:

*Buy generies and house brands. Get the fancypants stuff later, when your budget's not so limited.

*Buy on sale -- and stock up whenever possible. If the price is right, buy as many extra as you're allowed to. 

*Put it in the freezer. Milk, butter and cheese keep just fine this way. Entrees and soups can be easily stored (plastic bags or tubs) for future use. Cookies and bread, baked or unbaked, will do just fine, as well.

*Grow your own -- or buy your veggies from a stand. It helps them, and you get fresher produce in the bargain.

            Green beans are one of the easiest things to grow for yourself. 

                      Canned or frozen green beans are good, too.

*Check the clearance and discount bins.

*Check in at Amazon Warehouse for canned goods and specialty items... but always cross-check with Walmart's and SamsClub or Costco's websites. Sometimes the prices listed sound good -- but aren't.

*Make it yourself. Bread is not difficult to bake, especially when you use Mavis' recipe. The internet is filled with good, easy recipes for all sorts of things.

Here's my version of her bread. Delicious.

*Make more than enough  -- and stash it for future meals. This can be a real timesaver, but is a Godsend when it's late, you're cold, tired -- and hungry. Just pull the pan out of the freezer and heat it up. (Keeping some good canned soups and stews, or corned beef hash, will do the same thing. And it's a lot cheaper than a trip to Burger King.)

*Use up your bits, pieces and leftovers. They can be the foundation for some great soups and stirfries, especially. Or dishes like Hoppin' John. I currently have some in the crockpot.This is good- luck eating around New Year's Day! But it's also using up a hambone, celery leaves, an onion and a small amount of tomatoes I had sitting around.

Now for the grocery list. Denver is not the cheapest of cities to live in, so I feel confident that you could do as well as this -- if not better. I'm assuming that you have baking powder, baking soda, salt, some sugar ($2-3/lb) and flour ($3.50/five pounds) in your cupboard. (If not, spend a little extra and get some.) Spices like garlic, marjoram, basil, etc. add flavor and texture.

A $30 Grocery List for One Person - One Week

*half-dozen eggs    $3.00

*pound of oatmeal   1.50

*pound margarine    1.50  (If butter's on sale at $1.97, get that, instead)

*two pounds rice      2.00

*tomatoes                 1.50   (fresh, or a few cans)

*gallon milk             3.60  (get whole milk - a half-gallon, if price is too high)

*celery                      1.25  (a pound)

*chicken                   3.00  

                                 (Chicken breasts are 97 cents a pound at Safeway this week --  or buy at least two pounds worth of thighs, leg quarters, etc.)

*onions                     1.50   (a pound)

*potatoes                  3.00    (5 pounds)

*loaf of bread           2.00   (or make your own, and save)

*peanut butter           2.00    (one jar)

*bacon                      4.00    (on sale - or get a half-pound at the deli section)

               -------------------

                          $29.85

These are prices I've seen -- or paid -- in recent months here in the Denver area. If chicken isn't on sale, buy $3.00 worth of something else -- ham has been 97 cents a pound here ($1.27/lb for spiral-cut) all through December. If you've gotten some items cheaper and have money leftover, buy apples or a can of peaches, for a batch of fruit crisp.   (Use less fruit, if you have to -- you've got the other ingredients already on this list.) 

Here goes:

First, pour 1/3 - 1/2 of your milk in another container -- then fill the gallon back up with water. You've just given yourself '2%' milk which tastes a lot better than the stuff in the cooler. Not to mention a 'free' gallon or so for next week.

Next, chop up your celery and onion. (Add a chopped pepper -- $1 -- if you can afford it.) This mixture will keep all week in the fridge. Put the celery end and onion skins in the crockpot along with one of the chicken breasts, then fill with water. (Add a few chicken bouillon cubes, if you've got them.) Let cook on low overnight, pull the meat off and set aside, then strain -- this broth is the basis for your chicken soup. 

More chicken can be diced, cooked or uncooked, for future meals -- cooking the meat in the dish adds flavor. (Keep any bones for making more broth.)

Think of the bacon as a  flavor enhancer -- not a primary source of protein. One or two slices, chopped, can be used for frying. Or crumble ocooked bacon over the final dish. Butter/margarine should be used the same way -- or spread thinly on bread or toast. Fresh tomatoes are tasty on sliced bread -- canned tomatoes can be added to any of the supper dishes.

If possible, make some bread. Or biscuits. This will help stretch your meals further. 

BREAKFASTS----

Oatmeal with milk and sugar

One egg (boiled or fried) with toast

One strip bacon with toast

French toast (bread soaked in egg/a little milk mixture, then fried. Sprinkle with sugar before serving)

Hashbrowns (chopped potatoes) with onion, fried with 1 slice chopped bacon

Leftovers from lunches & suppers

LUNCHES -- 

Peanut butter sandwich

Sliced chicken...in a sandwich, or just by itself

Any of the soups (see below)

Any of the supper leftovers

SUPPERS -- 

Chicken & rice 

Chicken soup with veggies (The broth, plus one handful each of diced chicken, rice and the veggie mixture. Some tomato is good, too.)

Buy less rice, and get some noodles for this variation

Potato soup   (chopped potatoes, a tablespoon of the veggies cooked in water. Drain, add milk and a pat of butter when the potatoes are done, and heat to boiling. Salt and pepper heavily.)

Baked potatoes -- with chicken, an egg or a strip of bacon inserted inside the potato when nearly baked

Spanish rice (veggies, tomato, rice -- and an egg stirred in just before serving)

Chicken and dumplings  (chicken, veggies, a little of the chicken soup broth -- and this basic recipe)

That should get you through the week -- with leftovers. A biscuit or slice of bread and butter will help fill you up, if soup's the only thing on the menu. Or use one of the eggs to make oatmeal cookies. (You can use an eggshell of water for the second egg -- but you'll need the first one.) For this week, drink water or milk.

NEXT WEEK:  Plan to use any leftovers from Week #1. Use the savings on the milk to buy coffee or teabags, instead. Get a pound of white or pinto beans. (Beans and rice are the universal moneysaving food the world around.) Jam! (It's good on toast, and stirred into the oatmeal.) Buy a different protein, for variety -- or get a pound of cheese and have grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese-topped baked potatoes, instead. You were short on dessert last week -- maybe a sampler pack of candy bars, or chocolate chips for cookies?

For two people, you can easily stay in the $50 range each week, instead of spending $60. (Use the extra for canned veggies on sale, salad makings, popcorn, beans, etc.)

It won't be lavish. And you'll have to plan ahead. But if you truly need to, you can stick with a $30-a-week budget until things get better. 

They will.

Prayers Needed for Damar Hamlin

      Football lovers everywhere...Damar and his family need us right now. 

Update:  He's awake. Please keep praying.  (He can't speak yet, due to the breathing tube for the ventilator. But the first question he wrote on a clipboard: "Did we win?")

Presidential Cuteness

 

Yep. I can see it...

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Happy New Year!

 Here's hoping you had a restful day. 

A storm is moving in Sunday night -- though whether it's going to be a pooting-out-a-couple-inches lightweight, vs the foot of heavy, wet snow we got Wednesday night, is debatable. The Brick thinks it won't do much. I'm hoping for more. We've got a bet on it -- whoever wins has to make supper Monday night. (And in the Brick's case, one more night after that.)

Stay tuned. 

Michigan lost to TCU Saturday night in the Fiesta Bowl. The Wolverines just did not look like their old selves, but the refereeing didn't help, either. It was heartening to see Ohio State give Georgia a hard time. And I LOVE Georgia. Really. But Michigan so thoroughly lambasted the Buckeyes that it could say they were pretty good, after all. In spite of losing to TCU. (small sigh here) As my cousin pointed out, "The boys from Texas are a tough breed." Their defensive line sure was -- big and scary, too. 

This week should be quiet. We'll pretty much stay home, except going out for a delayed anniversary supper. Which is fine -- I've got work to do. And so does the Brick.

Update: Looks like I'm making supper tonight -- only a scraping of snow. More expected -- but not that much. 

Meanwhile:

Catholic Pope Benedict XVI has died.  His funeral is Thursday at the Vatican.

Brazilian legend Pele also died last week.

'Elf on the Shelf' ideas: the finale.

Items from Forrest Fenn's treasure chest have sold at auction -- more than a million dollars' worth. Take a look: the pictures alone are intriguing.

Would you pay to watch yourself eat a piece of bread on a huge screen in Times Square?  This guy did...and it only cost forty bucks. Weird.

Found in a suit at a Goodwill store: $630 in cash!

The secret life of a spy who infiltrated the IRA. He's 'disappeared' -- a new identity, or revenge??

A closer look at the Dowris Hoard of Ireland -- plus links to several other wonderful hoards.

Now you can say you've seen everything -- an actual drone that features Snoopy flying his Sopwith Camel. (Okay, it's a doghouse.)

Did the Air Force hold a living alien from the Roswell Crash? This military man said they did -- and killed it by experimenting on it. 

More cheating on school essays is coming -- thanks to AI software.

Funniest reporting goofs, accidents and pratfalls. 

An interesting natural toilet bowl cleaner: four ingredients. I plan on trying it! (From Raising Whasians)

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison -- one strange (and intriguing) place. Plus -- ten kinds of cactus in Colorado. I've seen some of these.  (From Out There Colorado)

'The story I never wanted to tell.' Deep meaning from A Gai Shan Life.

Wartime monster sightings. I am not making this up -- hopefully they weren't, either.

Blucifer, demon stallion of DIA -- in a keychain!

What do you collect?  Mavis' thoughts on this via One Hundred Dollars A Month.

Wild celebrity wills.

Bison vs an idling SUV. Guess who won?

Some amazing -- and scary -- nature photos.

Very funny tombstones.  And...

Real photos -- that don't look it.  These are great because you don't have to flip pages to enjoy them. ( I know you can relate. I hate that, too.)

Have a good week. Go Blue.

Celebrating 2023