Our Meal Plan

Since Papa is off on Fridays, he usually takes the opportunity to scour the grocery store sales and marked-down items. This week's best sale was whole chickens for 49 cents a pound which is a super price in our area. The limit was 5 chickens so he bought 5 and then we went back Saturday morning  and bought 5 more. Toothpaste was 88 cents each and so I asked Papa to get some toothpaste. Well, you had to buy 8 to get the toothpaste for 88 cents so that is what he did. We won't be buying toothpaste for a very long time!

Our Meal Plan for the Week:

1. Chuck Roast on the grill with BLT pasta salad.
2. Roast chicken and vegetables.
3. White Chicken Chili and cornbread (Our granddaughters will be joining us)
4. Ham and lentil soup in the crock pot
5. Tacos made with the chuck roast meat
6. Leftovers

Chances are there will lots of leftover food so some of it will go in the freezer for future meals.

Our tomatoes are starting to come in and one plan I have is to make a tomato pie.

                                                                 Our girl Bella

The Garden

Last week was pretty hot in the upper 80's and low 90's, and the last thing I wanted to do was work outside but there were weeds. Boy, were there weeds!

 This is my first year growing nasturtiums. Most of the flowers are red but there are a few yellow ones, too. I got the seeds from the Dollar Tree.

 My hosta is doing beautifully. It's in it's third year in my yard.

Today is supposed to be 95 degrees but this morning we went out to the garden to see if there was anything to pick. This is our first real harvest; green beans, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos and basil. We will eat them for dinner tonight.

The picture above is our 4 tomato plants, jalapeno plant, basil, and lettuce. We have a very small yard but we try to get what we can from it. Next year I will be planning more carefully so we can get even more.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Keeping My Pantry Stocked-Canned Tomatoes

Boy, was it hot today! It was a real blessing to come home after a long day and have a simple meal of ham that I had taken from the freezer leftover from Easter and fry some eggs with some toast for our dinner.

I needed dinner for the next night so after preparing our lunches for the following day, I made spaghetti sauce. This is where the pantry part comes in. I always keep cans of crushed, diced, and whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste along with seasonings in my pantry. I sauteed half an onion with a little sausage, although I have made it with just onion powder and no meat or ground beef or turkey. I then added my seasonings: garlic powder, oregano, basil, and a pinch of cayenne. I then put in a large can of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and just because it was in the refrigerator, a little homemade chicken broth. At some point I taste it and will tweak my flavorings and may even add a little sweetener. I let it simmer for a couple of hours.

This will feed the two of us for a least a couple of meals. We like it over pasta, of course, but I have also had it over spaghetti squash, if I am feeling a little low-carbish. I also use it for pizza sauce. I store any sauce that is left over in the freezer for future meals.

We also use our canned tomatoes for chili, tomato and vegetable soups, and Spanish rice.

I love having ready ingredients in my pantry. It has saved us lots of money over the years.

Our Financial Goals

Pictured above is our coin jar. When it is full we will do use the money for something special.

                            

Have you ever wondered where you want to be 10 years from now? Do you want a new job, a different house, or are you looking to simplify and downsize?

When I look at my life 10 years down the road, I see a retired couple with all of their debt all gone. Now, my husband works part time, takes social security, and I work in an office. We have modest incomes but we have learned how to make every dollar count. Some of the things we do (and don't do!) to reach our goal:

We rarely eat out.
We have a small mortgage and a modest home.
We cook from scratch.
We shop the loss leaders and marked-down items at the grocery store.
We mostly cook from scratch.
We frequent thrift stores, yard sales, and the clearance section of the store.
We make our own laundry soap.
We wash out our baggies and reuse them. (Not if they had meat in them!)
We take our lunches to work every day.
We make our coffee at home each morning.
I sew and mend our clothes. I recently bought a large flannel sheet at a yard sale that will make a cozy pair of pajama pants for this winter.
We reuse and repurpose items in our house.
We eat leftovers and try to make something new and interesting from food that is left over. I am very fortunate that my husband loves leftovers.
Besides our coffee, we drink water or tea.
We grow some of our own food. Every year I learn more and more about this amazing skill!
I save glass jars for storage.
We routinely go through our budget to see if we can tweak it a little and save even more money. For example, when our car or home insurance premium is going to come due, we will compare with other companies to see if we can get a better deal.

I am always looking for ways to creatively save money. I don't feel I am deprived or doing without. I am just so thankful for everything we have!

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Happy Birthday, America!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful and safe 4th of July celebration. 

My Frugal Kitchen This Week

Since my husband is semi-retired and works four days a week, he will often stop at the grocery store on Friday morning and pick up any loss leaders that we can use. This week he found watermelon and Italian sausage. 

On Saturday morning we went to Aldi and Food 4 Less. I usually go to Aldi for the produce that have on special and I found cherries. They are a little over my price point on produce but they come around only once a year and it will be a treat for us. 

At Food 4 Less we found chuck roasts on sale for $2.99 per pound and we bought two. I always check their clearance and found brownie mixes for 59 cents each.

On Sundays I will usually meal prep for the week. 

Our Meal Plan for this week:

Pot Roast in the Crock Pot with mashed potatoes, carrots, and green beans.

Shepherd's Pie made from leftover pot roast.

Italian sausage, potatoes, cabbage, and beets sheet pan roast.

Hamburgers and potato salad.

Leftovers

For the 4th of July we will be going to our oldest daughter's house for a cook-out and swimming. I will bring pasta salad and brownies. 

What's cooking in your kitchen this week?