January: A Month in Review

Goal: Feed the family on $2 per person, per day. For January, that works out to $217.00 in groceries.

Actual Spending: $216.99. You can see how it was spent here. I have $.01 leftover, and that's as close as I've ever come to my budget!

What worked:

• Bringing home leftovers from a work party, a neighbor's orange tree dropping fruit in our yard, and hosting a potluck where friends left the leftovers, gave us a week of lunches and snacks for free. 
• I also did several mystery shops for free meals out. 
• I bought a ham on clearance after Christmas and used that for quite a few meals. 
• Packing lunches! It is so much easier to stay on track when meals are ready to grab and go. 

Challenges:

• We had an extra kid for the first week, so our budget covered one extra tummy this month.
• I spent $17 on seeds, which will make a great garden in the spring but doesn't add anything to our pantry right now. 

Plans for Next Month: 

• With 28 days in February, my budget is $196.01 for the month.
• I ordered 40 lb of chicken through Zaycon Fresh, which will be arriving at the end of March (and the expense counted in that month.) We need to make room in the freezer for it; namely, we need to eat the turkey that's taking up a quarter of the room. 
• I'm running low on some of the staple dry goods we keep on hand, so I'll need to take a trip over WinCo while visiting my mom in February. I'll take you along for sugar, rice, and oatmeal in bulk bins! 
• Ducky is turning 6 in February. Last year, she wanted pancakes as her birthday treat. Fingers crossed that she hasn't developed more expensive tastes in the last year. :) 

A Stash of Granola Bars

Starling stopped by a Grocery Outlet on his break the other day. He texted me from the store, asking, "Is $.99 a good price for Kind bars?" I said it wasn't great for a bar, over our budget.

Oh, he clarified: it's for a box of four peanut butter breakfast bars.

In that case, yes, $.99 for 4 bars is a good price! How many boxes do they have? 15 boxes. Exactly what's left in our monthly budget (we have a penny left for January!) and we're all set for snacks for the next few months.

Meal Prep Monday: Many Ways with Ham

This week, our prepped meals feature the ham I bought after Christmas, when they were marked down so much the stores were practically giving them away.

Step 1: Bake the ham. While the ham was baking, I took advantage of the already running oven. This saves both time and resources, using the same hot oven for multiple meals, even ones we're not eating right now.

I tossed in a few sweet potatoes, still in their jackets and straight on the rack. These would go into our lunches, below. Step 2: Prep breakfasts Next, I made up a batch of high-protein muffins for breakfasts with a coupon score - $.75 for a package of Birds Eye Steamfresh Protein Blends, California Style bean, grain, and veggies, mixed with 4 eggs ($.14 each) to bind it all together. This made 6 muffins at $.22 each. I'll add free oranges from the neighbor's tree, and each of the three kids will have breakfast of 2 muffins each for $.44. If I found more coupons for this mix, I'd definitely make these again, but I'm not likely to pay full price for the mix. I also used the time to make a batch of oatmeal in the Instant Pot, with applesauce and apple pie spice.

Step 3: Prep lunches with cooked hamOnce the ham was finished baking, I packed lunches for my spouse and me: a variation of this ham and pineapple dinner  with sweet potato and diced jalapeno for heat, peas on the side, and ham and pineapple fried rice, peas included. Dried fruit and some candies from a holiday gift basket round out the meals. These are each under $.50 a serving.

Step 4: Pack up the hamWith breakfasts prepped and lunches packed, I went to work feeding the freezer with meals for future weeks, so we don’t burn out on ham eating it all at once! A little ham gives a lot of flavor and really stretches, so most of it was diced to add to soups and casseroles. This is one of my best money saving tips: serve meat as an accompaniment rather than an entree.

We ate ham, green beans, and cornbread for Sunday dinner, have packed lunches with ham, and there are 9 packages of diced ham for upcoming meals, so our 11 lb. ham made for 11 meals for 5-6. I'll be using the rest of the packaged ham, one a week for the next 9 weeks, to make:

• Western Quiche - a pie tin filled with spinach, potato, diced ham, onions, and ready for the addition of whipped eggs.
• Beans with ham and collard green soup, following the beans with sausage and greens method.
• Creamy potato soup with ham
• Split pea soup using the ham bone
• Mac and cheese with ham and peas
• Broccoli, ham, and rice casserole
• Sliced ham for grilled ham and cheese sandwiches
• Another round of the ham and pineapple dinner - it's tasty!
• The rough bits were added to a pot of green beans and cooked until the beans were soft and hammy. We had them for dinner but have another batch for another night. Yummy!
  

Resources for the Frugal Diner

If you're trying to feed your family on a tight budget, you might find these resources helpful. I'm keeping an ongoing list of sources for free and reduced cost foods, as well as websites, cookbooks, communities, and video series.

If you know of more resources, please share them in the comments and I'll add them! I'm continuing to update it as I find more.

Chickpea Deviled Eggs for Packed Lunches

One of the ways we're able to keep our food cost low is by cooking at home from scratch as much as possible. Packing lunches gives us healthy food ready to grab and go, and packing a week at a time is just sensible time management for me. Usually it takes more cooking and effort, but this week we have a holiday so I'm packing for 4 days instead of 5, and I'm using up using up leftovers from the work event and the pot luck over the weekend.

Ready for the week ahead!

Two of my meals are shrimp fried rice, cherry tomatoes, and a piece of chocolate. Starling doesn't like shrimp (more for me!), so he's having the next meal four times instead.

We had a lot of the delicious Mediterranean veggies leftover, enough for six hearty lunches.  I made up a batch of chickpeas and boiled eggs in the Instant Pot for chickpea deviled eggs. A few pieces of pita, the rest of the baba ganoush, wedge of lemon, and a cookie round out the meal.

Chickpea Deviled Eggs

12 boiled eggs
1 c. cooked chickpeas
2 1/2 T tahini sauce (would also work with mayo instead)
2 T lemon juice
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
salt to taste
Paprika to sprinkle on top (optional)

Slice cooked, peeled eggs in half. Scoop out the yolks gently and set aside the whites.

Combine yolks and remaining ingredients. Mash together until you reach a smoothness you desire; you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water if it's too thick. You can leave it a bit chunky if prefered - that's how I do it. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites.

Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

Potlucks and Clothes Swaps: The Hosting Choice of Frugal Champions

Every six months, I host a clothes swap and pot luck. My friends and I bring the clothes we no longer love, have a potluck, trade clothes, and go home with something new-to-us to love. It's been so fun to see my unloved clothes get a new life, and I've been able to refresh my wardrobe for free. Everything not chosen gets donated.

I hosted the event yesterday. I made iced tea, my spouse baked us cookies (both gluten free and "gluten abundant"), and I put out leftover baba ganoush from the work party the day before. Friends brought a variety of treats - a veggie tray, a cheese tray, sausages, candies, caramel corn, fruits, nuts, and sodas.

The best part of this party is the people! We spent the afternoon laughing and trying on clothes, telling stories, snacking, and enjoying one another's company. It's fun to see how the same garment looks on different people, and especially hearing someone say, "I like this, but not sure..." and when the next person tries it on, "Oh, that's so much better on you!" The supportive environment is perfect to try things that might not appeal in the store - but at the low price of free might be tempting! If we don't like it, it returns for the next swap.

I highly recommend this as a way to affordably get together with friends and get some fun new things to wear.

Free Food? Fabulous!

Few things make my budget happier than free.

Today, we hosted a catered event at work, and the leftover salad with dressing, baba ghanoush, veggies, a tiny bit of gyro meat, moussaka, and tahini are heading home with me this evening. We'll enjoy the salad and moussaka for dinner, and the veggies week be added to lunches for the next week. Tahini sauce will go into homemade hummus. Yum!

While I was at work one day last week, my spouse was home with the kids and a neighbor began trimming their orange tree. Overloaded with oranges, a few branches fell into our yard. He offered to help remove branches in exchange for the fruit. This is what's left after a week of voracious orange eating. They are so sweet and juicy!

We obviously don't rely on free to feed us, but these little extras now and then sure are a treat we enjoy!

Everyday Oatmeal

Oats are hearty, filling all morning, easy to prepare, and very affordable.  My favorite are steel cut oats, which take a bit longer to cook but provide a nice chewy texture.

I've taken to preparing a big batch over the weekend so we can quickly grab a bowl in the morning. I cook 2 cups of dry oats with a can of evaporated milk, a stick of cinnamon, and a large can of fruit, such as pureed pumpkin or peaches in juice or applesauce. I only add sugar if needed at the end of cooking; usually it isn't necessary.

Oats are one of the items I can regularly find in bulk bins at WinCo, at about $.68/lb.

I occasionally find deals on canned fruit and stock up. I try to keep the fruit under $.99. Grocery Outlet and the Dollar Tree frequently have large cans, 24-28 oz, for this price.

During the winter holidays, evaporated milk goes on sale and I stock up. I bought several dozen cans at $.78 each right after Thanksgiving and am slowly working through my stock.

By stocking up at the best prices, this makes for a satisfying meal for about $.35.

A Spring Garden, on Clearance

I took a trip over to the grocery outlet and was so pleased to find seeds in the "last chance" section. I bought an entire spring and summer garden's worth of seeds for $17. I won't be able to buy the produce it yields for that little! Lettuce, radishes, carrots, crookneck and zucchini squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkin, a few types of beans, marigolds and sunflowers to deter pests, and my favorite seeds of the mix - rainbow colored bell peppers.

Seeds are part of my food budget, as I planned on planting a garden later in the spring. I expected to pay more. I am counting this as a frugal victory since it was planned and I spent only a quarter of what I budgeted!

Mystery Shopping to supplement the budget

Dining out wouldn't regularly be in the budget, but extra treats can be had by mystery shopping.

I take photos and report on my service in exchange for an occasional meal for free - and sometimes get paid for it. This time around, I had a coupon for the meal and received a flat rate reimbursement, earning $4.45 for this meal. (The extra money is going to debt repayments rather than my food budget.)  I've also done other restaurants, fast food, and even stores like Whole Foods.

If you're interested in mystery shopping, a good place to start for reputable companies is MSPA member companies. Go through a reputable company and be cautious of scams.

Eggs with broccoli and sausage: a dinner two ways

Last week, I found three packages of sausage on manager's markdown for $1.75 each, and two had peelie tags for $1 each. The three packages came to a total of $3.25. Each package was then $1.08 and serves 6. That's definitely in my budget!

This week, we have an extra kid with us, and I broke out one of the packages for dinner of eggs, broccoli, and sausage. It's not in our regular menu rotation, but our guest has some food aversions and I'm adjusting not just to fit him into the budget but to serve things he can enjoy as well.

Tonight, my family had an egg, sausage, and broccoli casserole. I fried up the sausage, then sauteed an onion in the sausage grease. I love the extra flavor the onion gets when I use the meat drippings to cook it!  Our friend had eggs, broccoli, and sausage, not touching. We all had a glass of orange juice on the side. The cost broke down to $4.25 for dinner for 6 people, or $.70 per person. Not too shabby! 

Sausage: $1.08
12 eggs: $1.49
1/2 bag of chopped broccoli: $.49
1 onion: $.20
1 frozen orange juice: $.99
Dinner that everyone said was delicious and make again: PRICELESS! 

Keeping Up with the Cash Spending

My budget is $2 per person, per day, and to keep track of where that's going, I've added a page to track my spending. Check it out here if you're curious about what I've spent so far this year!

New Year's Chili

Happy New Year!

There are traditional New Year's foods around the globe, but one speaks to my frugal heart: beans. Said to symbolize coins or wealth, they're an excellent (and inexpensive) choice for entertaining.  I made a huge batch of chili, enough for our dinner table with friends and family, leftovers for our family's lunch the next day, and extras for a friend.

The recipe below stretches the most expensive ingredient - meat - with three kinds of beans, and the optional toppings on the side let diners choose how they want their bowl. I used my Instant Pot pressure cooker, but I've added variations for the stovetop or slow cooker as well. The recipe below serves about 20 for about $.55 per bowl (not including toppings), and is easily halved. 

I've included my prices, including beans and spices bought in bulk, but as always, your prices may vary. 

Chili for a Crowd

4 T vegetable oil ($.40)

2 lb. ground meat (I used a mix of ground pork and ground beef) ($4.98)

2 c. dry pinto beans ($.50)

2 c. dry kidney beans ($.75)

1 c. dry black beans ($.37)

2 medium onions, diced ($.50)

1 green pepper, diced ($.50)

1 stalk celery, diced ($.10)

3-14 oz. cans diced tomatoes ($1.50)

1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles ($.50)

1-5 oz. can tomato paste ($.41)

Seasonings - to taste, adjust for your liking and availability ($.35)

2 T chili powder 

1 1/2 T cumin

1 T smoked paprika

1 T garlic powder

1/2 T dried oregano

1/2 t cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse, drain, and prepare dry beans. I cook beans, unsoaked, in the pressure cooker, covered by 2 inches of water, on the Bean setting. You may instead soak overnight and cook on the stovetop. Drain cooked beans.

2. Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet. Add diced onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook until onion is translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add seasonings and tomato paste to the vegetables and fry, stirring frequently. Once fragrant, add meat and cook until no longer pink, breaking into small pieces.

3. Combine beans, meat mixture, and tomatoes into the Instant Pot, large stovetop pot, or slow cooker. Stir together. The mixture will release more liquid as it cooks, so don't worry if it looks a little dry, but feel free to add a splash of water if the chili doesn't look moist.

Pressure Cooker: Use Beans/Chili button.

Stovetop: Bring to a light boil, then turn down to simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

Slow Cooker: Set for low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. 

4. Serve with toppings! Our favorites include:

• Sour cream
• Grated cheese
• Cilantro
• Green onion
• Diced white onion
• Corn chips
• Sliced olives 
• Lime wedges
• Hot sauce

What are your New Year's food traditions? And what are your favorite chili toppings?