I will only be tracking on here some of the categories because the large ones like insurances, cable TV and streaming services, etc. pretty much stay the same. However, I am tracking everything in my actual budget.
This month I spent $ 384.58 on groceries(just food). There were 3 Walmart delivery orders and 1 Amazon that was food also. I did not show you those. So I was $ 149.42 under budget. That has been rolled into my February budget so that I can stock up some beef and other meats in my freezer.
We spent $ 259.13 on electricity and natural gas.
I only filled up the gas tank once for a total of $ 36.00.
Our medical drugs and co-pays came to $ 272.80.
Miscellaneous was $ 15.10 for Christmas cards purchased at 50% off. And I spent $ 66.00 for a 100 count roll of Forever stamps.
Gifts were $ 110. We had one birthday and I tipped my grandson $10. for doing some work in the house for me.
I needed to get 2 pair of flannel pants to keep me warm and one bra because one was totally warn out for a cost of $ 39.21. That comes out of the clothing budget.
I stocked batteries, those LED small lights for closets and cupboards for a total of $ 72.08 from the household budget.
We paid our property taxes which totaled $ 4788.15 and the yearly bill for this coming season of lawn fertilizer which totaled $ 445.83. They gave us 3% off for paying early.
What we spent no money on in January was eating out. We had no fast food nor did we go to any restaurants to eat. That saves a fortune. All food was made at home. We also did not spend anything on entertainment outside the home.
Unless you have so much money that you don’t care about the grocery prices, you know it is getting harder and harder to buy groceries every week. It seems they go up at least a few pennies a week and some go up by $ .50 to a dollar. Every time I hear our government say that inflation is cooling, I want to tell them that food and energy costs aren’t. But those items are not in the inflation numbers and they know that. I don’t know about you but food, gasoline, and natural gas and electricity are the most important numbers for us today. I try really hard to keep those numbers down.
The other problem is the shortages. Foods are disappearing off our shelves at a rapid rate. I have placed grocery orders over the past 6 months that have had up to 1/2 of the items out of stock. It’s just crazy!
So I have decided that this month, I am not going to deal with the craziness. If we absolutely need something, I will buy it but I think we can pretty much eat what we have in our pantry. I might run out of something we are used to getting every month but I will just make substitutions or make something else that I do have ingredients for.
There will be one BIG exception this month! I will be using my grocery budget to buy meat. Beef has been in short supply for over a year and the prices have surged. We have very little beef in our freezer except for some organic 85/15 ground beef that I buy on sale at Aldi’s and a couple of roasts and a few steaks but that it it. We have not been buying a lot because the prices have been so high.
That said the predictions are that beef prices are going to go much higher than they are now. I would like to have a few things for grilling season. So I will be looking for sales.
Yesterday when I went to another town for a medical appointment, I stopped on the way home at Niagara Produce to buy some meat that they had on sale. I like to spend my money at small family run businesses when I can.
They had a weekly sale on 85/15 ground round for $ 4.79 a lb. I had purchased some a while ago and Hubby said he loved it so I had been looking for a sale again. It popped up this week. They also had beautiful rib eyes steaks for $ 15.99 a lb. This is their regular price for now but it is much lower than I have seen at my other available stores. So I purchased 2 thick cut ones just like Hubby loves. They had a nice fat cap and were well marbled.
The ground round was a total of $ 51.25 for about 10.70 lbs. The rib eye steaks cost 33.98 for about 2.13 lbs. My meat total was $ 85.23.
When I went in the store, I looked in the meat case and was disappointed because they had none of the ground round but you could see a large space where they had been. So I went to the butcher counter and asked if they had any more. The butcher seemed surprised that there was none in the case because they had fully stocked it that morning. I guess other people like it too and knew it was a good price. He said I will check to see if we have any more ready. He came back with 3 huge packages and asked how many I wanted. I said I will take all three.
At home I used my food saver to package all of that meat up and marked it with the date and what was in it. I always food saver each package of ground round into approximately 1 lb. packages because we make two meals at a time out of it. Then it went into the bottom of the freezer. It will keep a long time. The ribeye steaks were big enough that Hubby will grill one at a time and we will split it for a meal.
By the time I did that I was beat but I still had to go back out to run another errand. When I got home, I took the rest of the day off to rest my back and watch some shows on Roku with Hubby.
For dinner I cut up some chicken breasts into large cubes. I was not up to making an elaborate dinner so I cooked it in a little olive oil with some Keto Chicken Seasoning that I had purchased a while ago at Big Lots. I just sprinkled it all over the chicken while it was cooking. I served it with a small scoop of mac and cheese that we had leftover. I didn’t even bother with a veggie which Hubby was quite happy with. It was delicious and we have some leftover for lunch today.
Are you doing anything different with your grocery money this month?
I have been missing in action and a few of you noticed and contacted me. Thank you for caring! I have such a wonderful group of readers.
Last week, I did something to my back. It has not allowed me to be very active this week. It seems to be mending but not as fast as I would like. Just sitting or standing is painful. So I have been laying down a lot. Hubby has been doing most of the work around here: the cooking, cleaning, and organizing in the basement. He really surprised me by doing something I had been trying to get to for months. I had sorted all of my extra cleaning products into boxes by type. He went down there two days straight and got rid of a lot of empty boxes that were on the gorilla shelves and made room for all of these products. Some of these cleaners are very toxic so I will be taking them to our county hazardous pick up in March to get rid of them. I had never realized just how bad some of these things are for your health until I started researching them. He also cleaned his workshop area and threw out a lot of junk that he had been saving. I went down there with him 2 days ago for about an hour, not only to see what he had accomplished but to sit in a chair for about an hour and go through a lot of Christmas items. He brought them to me and I quickly made decisions on what to keep or toss. We had already given the majority of our ornaments to our sons. So that is another area that we have just about done. But there is a lot more bins to go through. I will be looking at them through the lens of would I keep this if I wanted to move. If not it is getting tossed or donated.
One day we had to go to the lab to get blood work done. Afterward I did a small haul at Top’s because there were things I wanted that were on a 3 day sale only and we picked up some prescriptions that had been filled at the drugstore. So here is the haul that I quickly took pictures of. Ignore the blurry pictures. All I wanted to do after all of that was lay down.
I purchased a three pack of porterhouse steaks for $7.99 a lb. that were on a 3 day sale for a total of $ 31.16. Hubby cooked one that evening and it was delicious. The other 2 were frozen for the future. I got a package of BS Chicken Breasts that were on sale for $1.99 a lb. for a total of $ 11.64. I also purchased 3 jars of peanut butter for a total of $ 5.97, 1 package of Oscar Mayer Bacon on sale for $5.99, 4 Ortega Taco seasoning packets on sale for $1.00 each for a total of $4.00, 1 head of lettuce(not pictured)for $ 1.48, 1 dozen medium eggs for $1.49, and 5 Cabot cheeses for $10.00. My total was for all was $ 71.73.
I have also done our Federal Taxes that I can’t file until they decide to update the computer with the information needed for Form 5695 which is for the energy credit that we qualify for because we bought our high efficiency central air conditioner last year. It took them until January 31st to get the updated instructions online. Now you can’t file them until February 7th because they have not updated the computer system to accept it. That date could change also.
Next week, I have 3 days of medical appointments. So I don’t know how much I can blog or if my back will let me. Time will tell. But I am going to try to do a blog post about what we spent in January for groceries, eating out and restaurants, etc. I also will do a post about what my plans are for groceries in February. The above haul was done on February 1st so it will not be part of our January grocery budget.
After a week of snow, I was finally able to run a lot of errands yesterday. I left the house at 8:15am to go to Top’s. Pictured is what I purchased.
The pizza I always keep on hand so that I am not tempted to order one from take out was $ 3.99 with a Super Coupon. I have been having trouble lately trying to get distilled water. It is usually out of stock. But they had it so I got 2 gallons which will last a couple of months. They were $1.49 each. The Steak-umm’s were still on sale so I purchased a larger package at $ 8.99. They had a Bison deal which included sour creams(got 3) and dips(got 2). They were on sale for 5 for $10.00 and I got 100 gasoline points too. We were out of sour cream and we have some potato chips from the holidays to finish so I got the 2 French onion dips. I got a package of American cheese which we use for our grilled cheese sandwiches for $ 2.09. My total for all was $ 28.05. Last week I earned a coupon to get 100 gas points with my shopping this week so I ended up with 200 gas points toward my next gasoline purchase.
I also went to Aldi’s and Walmart. I got distracted when I got home and forgot to take pictures of those items before I put them away. But I will tell you what I got and what I spent. At Aldi’s I purchased two of the three packs(4 lbs. each) of 85/15 organic ground beef that we love. It was on sale for $ 17.96 a three pack. I was getting low in my freezer so I stocked up. I also bought some fresh whole mushrooms for $ 1.29. My total came to $37.21.
At Walmart, I got 2 bags of Indiana Popcorn Fudge Drizzle. I had two free coupons from the manufacturer. The bags would have cost me $ 2.98 each.
My last stop was the drugstore for 2 prescriptions that cost me $20.00 OOP.
Yesterday for brunch we had leftovers. For dinner, we ate shrimp cocktails with salads.
Today, I will make eggs and bacon for breakfast. Hubby is going to make his homemade meat chili in the crockpot after he browns 2 of the packages of ground beef that I purchased yesterday and sautes up about 2 lbs. of onions. We will have that tonight over our choice of rice or cauliflower rice. Most likely it will last well into the weekend.
I have been doing some baking this week. I made an apple pie for desserts. I also have some cranberries thawed that I purchased on the Thanksgiving sales for $.99 a bag. I will be making cranberry orange muffins.
For entertainment yesterday, Hubby and I watched NCIS Sydney. Then I called one of my best friends, whom I have known for 46 years. She is very special to me. I wanted to call her because it was her 90th birthday! She is sharp as a tack. So we spent about a half hour catching up on what she had been doing since we last talked and catching up on how all of our children and grandchildren were. It was the highlight of my day.
I got my estimated bill yesterday for my electricity and natural gas for the past 32 days. The bill was $ 259.13. It was $28.03 lower than the same period last year. We had higher usage than last year because it has been so cold. So the supply and demand charges being cheaper must have been the difference. I will find out how accurate this estimated bill is when I get the next one when the meters will actually be read.
That is it for now. Have you saved any money this week shopping sales?
Last week I ordered three sets of LED lights. One of the cupboards that I have a lot of trouble seeing into is under my kitchen sink. So I had Hubby install two strips of them on the right and left hand walls of the cupboard. . These lights work on motion sensors so when I am not in the cupboard they are off. I keep cleaners for the kitchen, dishwasher pods, Brillo pads, and sponges in this cupboard. Behind the wastebasket that holds my recyclables, until I take them out to the garbage can in the garage, are a few jars that I reuse to get rid of grease. Never allow grease to go down your sink unless you want to have to call a plumber. When the jar gets full, I place it in my garbage and start a new one. Anyhow this lighting allows me to easily get out what I need.
I had one set of lights left so Hubby hung that in one of my kitchen pantries. Today I ordered some more for the other pantry and two other closets- one that holds coats and one that holds all of my cleaners and vacuums.
I got a lot done today since I arose at 4:30am. When I have my coffee now, I just quickly check my e-mail, Facebook messages, and blog comments. Then I had to make some changes to our budget since I had forgotten about the bill that came yesterday for our lawn fertilization this year. By paying it today, we saved 3% off the bill. So I had to add those figures to our landscape budget and I have made some other small changes too. The posts have been updated.
Next it was time to read a couple of verses of Matthew in my Bible. I do this every morning while finishing my coffee.
Next I made my grocery lists for this week. I only need a few things at Top’s and Aldi’s. I most likely will not get out until the end of the week. It snowed here again today and will tomorrow and we may have some freezing rain into Wednesday.
After making brunch which was pizza, I did up all the dishes, cleaned my quartz countertops and kitchen stove top. Then I ran the dishwasher.
Next I threw a load of wash into the dryer that mainly consisted of a terry robe, bathroom and kitchen towels, and a tablecloth, then folded them and put them away.
Then I cleaned our two bathrooms.
I did some organizing of a dresser in our bedroom and then organized our Master Bathroom vanity. I also organized my desk area. After the mail came, we paid two bills.
Hubby and I sat and watched a You Tube video. Then it was time for me to reheat the homemade chicken soup for dinner that I made yesterday. It always tastes so much better the second day. I used 2 pint jars of chicken and broth that I canned 2 years ago. I took the rest of the meat off the carcass from the rotisserie chicken I bought last week, added rice, fresh carrots and celery. Then I seasoned it all. This gave us two dinners and will give us a lunch tomorrow.
We have company coming in about 15 minutes so I have to close.
I hate having to put on boots, a warm hat and coat, and gloves. After living in Arizona for 9+ years, I find this all such an annoyance. However, since it was garbage pickup yesterday, I had to go get the cans to put away in the garage and try to get to the meters(which was unsuccessful) to read them.
Since it was just snowing lightly around 10 am when I was already dressed for the weather, I decided I would try to make it to Top’s for some things I needed since my Walmart grocery delivery had been cancelled. The roads were slick but I took it easy and got there and back. The worst part was the ice in the parking lot.
I had a much larger delivery list but I pared my shopping down to these few things: 2 lbs. of carrots with a digital coupon for $ 2.49, celery for $1.99, a rotisserie chicken with a super coupon for $ 6.99, 1 Steak-umms for $ 3.99. 1/2 gallon of Half and Half for $ 5.99, 1 Top’s whipped cream for $ 2.79, and a box of Ronzoni angel hair pasta with a super coupon for $ .99 that didn’t make it in to the picture. Everything but the half and half was on sale. However, Top’s had the best price for this and it keeps a long time in the fridge without going bad. My total was $ 26.11 including $.88 tax for the prepared chicken.
All were badly needed except for the pasta and chicken. I like to keep a few boxes of pasta in the pantry at all times. So when I can get it under $1.00, I do. The rotisserie chicken was cheaper than buying a fresh one there and cooking it myself. Hubby sliced up a breast and we made sandwiches for lunch and he put it on a Caesar salad he put together for dinner. I was cold at dinner time so I opted to heat up a can of clam chowder soup. The chicken will make a couple more lunches and then I will put the carcass and skin in a bag in the freezer. When I get enough bones from other chickens, I will make homemade chicken bone broth. I don’t buy it anymore. I had no more Steak-umms in the freezer and I like to have some once in a while with my eggs for breakfast.
I tried twice yesterday to get to our meters to read them. I hate estimated bills. However, even with wearing Hubby’s high boots I could not get through the snow unless I shoveled a path. It was brutally cold out and I was not going to do that. I do have a few more days to read it before they issue an estimated bill. If I can’t do it, I will just have to tolerate the estimated bill.
It snowed lightly again most of the day yesterday so we picked up only about 3 inches. Our snow total this week so far is 29 inches. If it doesn’t look like that to you, it is because a lot of it blew away during the horrific winds we had and Hubby has snowblowed snow off the sidewalk and he likes to keep it off the bushes. We have more coming today. This picture was taken last night. Sorry, it looks so grainy but it was still coming down.
My grandson’s birthday is today. I can’t believe he is 14. Time flies! Because we are basically snowed in we won’t see him today. We have a gift for him that will just have to wait until we can see him again.
We did not go out anywhere yesterday. It is too cold and too snowy. Roads are not in the greatest condition either. The news is saying they are very icy. Since they are predicting another major storm today and tomorrow, we will stay safe and warm in our home. Staying home saves on gasoline and also saves on natural gas because are not opening doors to go outside which lets warm air escape.
For a few days now, I have been using darker and richer coffee in our reusable cups in the Keurig. This allows me to use less coffee by only filling the cup 1/2 way instead of full. I also am using 1 squirt of Skinny Syrup instead of 2. I can’t really tell much difference between the 2 and the 1. I use the half and half sparingly too. Just enough to make my coffee taste good. Not only is the half and half expensive but it is in short supply here right now. I try to stay stocked up with 3 half gallons but that is not easy with the shortages.
Yesterday for brunch, Hubby finished the rest of the ham and noodle casserole. I ate some other leftovers… a bit of this and a bit of that. The remainder of the ham I have frozen in portions for future use. Today, we had egg, sausage, and cheese McMuffins. We are being mindful of using up what is in our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. But we also are eating all of our leftovers. Waste not want not. I am buying as little as possible this month so I can use up some of what we have here which saves me money on gasoline also.
I have not been grocery shopping at all this week and I don’t think I will get out. Knowing the forecast, last Sunday I went on the Walmart site to place a grocery order. The first day I could get a delivery was tomorrow. I think most everyone was scheduling orders because of our forecast. Well, we got another 5 inches of snow yesterday which brought our totals since Saturday up to 20 inches. Then it started snowing again today and we got 6 more inches. So we are at 2 ft. 2 inches so far. Walmart cancelled my order for tomorrow because of the snow. We have more snow coming tomorrow and a lot more on Friday. God Bless my snowplow guy, Nick. He has been here plowing my driveway three days straight. And I don’t think he is done with more coming. We don’t have it as bad as the south towns. Orchard Park which is where the Buffalo Bills Stadium has been getting nailed since the game on Monday was played. They have had a total of 18 inches since the storms started on last Saturday. Less than us but they have to shovel the stadium out again for a game on Sunday. And they are predicted to get another 14-18 inches more before things calm down on Saturday so they will be hustling to get the stadium cleared again.
Dinner last night was peachy pork chops and olive oil and garlic rice. I cooked up 4 small pork chops so that I would have 2 pork chops for dinner tonight. I will dice them to make stir fried rice for dinner. I will add the pork, sauteed onions, diced carrots, and an egg to the rice along with some soy sauce. Hubby cooks up the rice for me in our small rice cooker. It turns out perfectly and gives us just enough for 2 meals.
It was very dark when I got up this morning at 4:30 am. So I had to use lights in the kitchen. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to start writing this post for you. It is now 7:17am and it is still dark. The sun should come up at 7:43 am. We will see if we get sun or the storm rolling in. They predicted the storm starting during the night but it hasn’t started yet. 99% of the schools in the area are closed today and tomorrow.
Our utility company sent me an e-mail to read our electric and gas meters. It is our turn to read it this month but they only gave me today and tomorrow to read it. It was like a blizzard out there today so I am hoping it won’t be as bad tomorrow and I can read it in the morning and submit it. I managed to make to to the mailbox today. We had no mail delivery since last Saturday. All I got was a rebate check for $22.99.
We are doing everything that we can to try to keep these utility bills down but it is a never ending battle. Since most of the country has been in a deep freeze for a week or more, the demand is up so the cost will be up. But we are still only using a light when it is dreary in the room we are in. I am mindful of how I cook to save energy. I still save warm up water when the shower is getting hot to reuse to clean the house or flush toilets, I am still taking navy showers. I close the bathroom door for a while before we take showers so that the room gets really warm. In the winter we only take showers every other day. Our skin gets so dry if we take them every day. The heat is programmed on our thermostat. When I got up this morning, it was 64 in here which is what it is from 10:00 pm at night to 7:00 am in the morning when it goes up to 68. At 9am, it will go up to 70. I just layer when I get up in the morning until the heat comes up. Hubby is always cold and he layers when it is 70 in here. I have to keep him comfortable. We have plenty of blankets on the beds so that we are very comfortable at night.
We watched NCIS Sydney again this afternoon that Hubby had taped. I am liking it a lot. I did some reading, cooked dinner, and ran a very full dishwasher afterward. I don’t run the dishwasher ever until I can’t fit another dish in it.
I watched a couple of You Tube videos too. I am going to share one. The you tuber is in Brittany, France. She and her husband are retirees from Great Britain. They have about 2721 euros net to live on monthly after taxes etc. are taken out of their money. That equates to about $2916. a month U.S. or about $ 34,992. net per year. It would be considered low income here. But any income earner can learn from this video. She shows her budget every month and has many other videos that you might find interesting. I like watching her once in a while to see how other people in other countries budget and live. Here you go:
We had a very quiet weekend, 15 inches of snow, and frigid temperatures. Needless to say we didn’t go anywhere.
On Saturday, I cooked the ham that I purchased on sale in December. We had pineapple, brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes with it. On Sunday, I made a ham, noodle, and cheese casserole and served the rest of the pineapple and brussel sprouts with it.
On Sunday morning I fried up mashed potato cakes with those leftovers, scrambled eggs, and fried up some ham.
Saturday night, Hubby took most of the ham off the bone. We left some on to make bean soup. I also made some dices for the soup. That was all frozen until sometime in the future when we want soup.
The rest of the ham was sliced for sandwiches and breakfasts and diced for ham salad and casseroles. Most of it has been frozen.
Our Buffalo Bills playoff game was moved from Sunday to this afternoon because the snow and winds were very dangerous yesterday. We had gusts up to 65 miles per hour. It snowed most of the day and the wind blew it everywhere. I was glad that they changed the game day because I was really worried about my son and daughter-in-law making their way there. Right now, they are making their way to the stadium and hoping to get a parking spot. It is still snowing at the stadium right now but it is supposed to ease up. Just shoveling the roads for people to get there, the stadium, and the parking lots is a huge issue. It will be really, really cold there. But that won’t stop the fans from showing up.
We watched a movie “Let It Go” on Saturday. Then there were other playoff games on. Yesterday was another lazy day and Hubby watched more football and basketball. I did wash a large load of clothes in cold water and hung most of them to dry. Then I read my book.
Later I started looking in my pantries and freezer to see what we could find to eat during the game today. I dug deep in the freezer and found these yummy appetizers that are pictured above. We will air fry them in our 11 in one oven. I also have some ranch dressing and carrots and celery sticks to add for some nutrition. It will all be a nice treat during halftime and will be our dinner.
Not much else going on here now. I am off to read and then watch the game later.
A while ago I posted what foods we no longer purchase. This is a continuation of that list showing other items that we do not buy which will save you a lot of money.
Most store purchased cleaning products. I do buy Comet, carpet cleaner, Bar Keepers Friend, and gas stove top cleaner. I use bleach or denture cleaner tabs to clean toilets. Most other cleaning items are made using vinegar, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. I have many store products still but when I run out of one I do not replace it. I don’t like all the toxic chemicals in the store bought products.
Paper towels. I use rags and microfiber cloths. We just wash them over and over again. If a rag gets really messy, we just throw it away. I save my paper grocery delivery bags to drain bacon.
We gave up using fabric softener sheets years ago. I don’t like the smell in my clothing. My wool balls take the wrinkles out of my clothes when I use the dryer. I prefer to hang clothes.
We are using up all of our laundry detergent and then will make our own.
Disposable wipes. I use a rag with homemade all purpose cleaner.
Sponges. We use a dish brush that is reusable and can be washed in the dishwasher every time we run a load of dishes.
Air fresheners, I don’t like the chemicals or smells.
Dishwasher cleaner. I use a cheap packet of Kool Aid lemonade.
Jet Dry. I use vinegar.
Most makeup. I use a little foundation and/or powder, blush and lipstick. I never use makeup when we are home alone.
Salon haircuts and color. Hubby cuts my hair and I don’t color my hair any longer. Some of the chemicals in hair dyes can cause cancer.
Dry Shampoo. I use cornstarch.
I have never gotten fake nails at a salon or put on my own. I no longer use nail polish.
Perfumes. I don’t like the smells.
Skincare products. The only thing that I use besides a bar of soap is Noxzema Classic Original on my face. It is the only thing I have used since I was in high school. Yes, I have some wrinkles but not many considering how old I am.
Hair conditioners. I see no need. If my hair starts to get fly away, I just use some vinegar when I am showering.
Very little toilet paper. We have a Bidet. I mostly buy a little for the guest bathroom.
Sprays to grease or oil pans. I just fill a reusable bottle.
We never buy straws.
We do not buy shaving creams or razors. We use our electric ones.
We buy no magazines. They are a waste of money. It is mostly ads.
Christmas or any seasonal decorations. I am in the process of giving most of them away.
We quit buying Christmas gifts for extended family many years ago.
We only buy candles for our emergency storage.
Plastic containers. We are using what we have and then will toss them when they no longer work. I try to use glass jars now for leftovers.
Ziploc bags. We are washing and reusing what we have. I do buy food saver rolls to make bags to preserve our meat and fish though.
I no longer buy jewelry. I have plenty and do not wear it very much. I have given special pieces to my granddaughter.
Gym memberships. We do our exercising at home or on walks.
I no longer buy heels. Besides being afraid of falling, I believe they are not good for your feet.
Books. I use the library or my Kindle.
I have never purchased meal delivery services and never will.
That is it for today. Feel free to add to this list in the comments.
I am in the process of thawing a large ham(17 lbs.) to cook on Sunday. It will give us a couple of dinners, bean soup, and many cold cuts that we will slice on our meat slicer. Some of the cold cuts along with some diced ham will be frozen for future meals. I refuse to pay the prices that they want for cold cuts.
We had bacon and easy over eggs for breakfast this morning. Tonight, Hubby will bread some haddock and fry us up some fish fries. I will also put some French fries on the air fryer setting on my new oven. We love Chiavetta’s fish fries but they have gotten very expensive and are much smaller than prior years. So we are doing our own. I will have to keep my eye out for a haddock sale again because this is the last package I have.
Yesterday I went out in a blizzard. I had planned on picking up Hubby’s prescriptions so I went at 9AM. The roads were slick but I took it easy. It was only 8 miles round trip. While I was driving, I noticed just how beautiful the snow was on all of the pine trees. On my way home the snow turned to freezing rain. Shortly after I got home, it turned to rain and washed all of the snow away. But it was pretty while it lasted. Anyhow, I paid $ 180. for 3 prescriptions. We pay this for these 3 scripts 4 times a year. Drugs are so expensive. But at least, I was able to scan my receipt into Fetch and get 1150 points. Hubby was up when I got home and was grateful that I had picked them up.
I cooked up a pound of bacon and we made bacon, egg, and cheese McMuffins for breakfast. We made them again today too. And there is leftover bacon for tomorrow morning.
For dinner yesterday, I had pulled out a mason jar out of the freezer of leftover homemade chicken soup to defrost. An hour before dinner, I added a pint jar of chicken and broth that I had canned 2 years ago. By doing so, I knew that we would have enough for dinner then and today. Hubby used the rest of the crusty Italian bread to make garlic bread and broiled it in my new oven. So that was our dinners for two nights. It was so delicious and the perfect meal for this cold and stormy weather. Today we had up to 60 mph winds. It was ugly here. Thousands of people lost power. We were lucky that ours stayed on.
Hubby gave me a badly needed haircut. So $.00 out of pocket. He does as good a job as my former hairdresser did. But he is $ 45. cheaper for just a haircut.
Spectrum who is my Cable TV, home phone, and internet provider announced today, out of the blue, that they are raising the bills effective on January 31st. If I estimated mine correctly, it will cost us $6.00- $ 7.00 plus tax more per month. I will wait until I get my bill the beginning of February and change my budget to reflect that. Keeping up with all the increases is starting to be a real pain!
We stayed in today which saved us gasoline, time, and money. This afternoon we watched NCIS Sydney. I am really starting to like that show.
I have not ordered anything online at Amazon or Walmart or anywhere else so far this year. I may make an order for a Walmart delivery order when I have a larger list of items that I need that are cheaper there than elsewhere.
We are trying to eat through the meat in our freezer. We want to eat it while it is still perfectly good and not freezer burned. I am rotating it eating up the oldest first. Then I can give it a good defrost which it really needs. Clean it up and start from scratch. By not using up most of my grocery money these next few months, I will have the money saved in the budget to replace the freezer items which is mostly meat, vegetables, and fruit.
I keep adding to my list, many things that I am no longer buying this year. There will be an upcoming post on that.
Did you save any money these last few days? Are you eating out of your pantry, fridge, and freezers?
