A SLICE OF SEPTEMBER

 

Mind games. I need to play them in my head each month to get the most out of my allotted money for groceries and health/beauty products.

July was for “just essentials” and August was austerity month.

I managed to spend every last penny in August as two unexpected but terrific sales with coupons came up in the last week of the month. On a positive note, I didn’t overspend and this week’s spending is tomorrow’s savings.

That brings me to September. I need to slice off $10 from the budget this month.

You see, I have squirreled away $90 since January and I want to round this amount up to an even $100. I looked over my accounts and no other account can help me except food/groceries/HBA.

All I have to do is not spend $2.50/wk and I’ll meet my goal of shaving and saving ten dollars.

In my head, this sounds so easy to do. Buy one less of something that costs $2.50 and mission accomplished, right? Why is this so hard to do!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Use cash when shopping. Cash has its limitations. When you are out of cash, you can’t make that added purchase. When using the credit card, it is easier to make that added purchase. When you need to control spending, try cash. It’s a bit old-fashioned but it forces thoughtful spending.

                                             JARS OF SPENDING

                                       One for each week of the month

HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT?

It has taken many years, but I finally understand my mother’s recipes.

Maybe your mother wrote her recipes in the same fashion. Ingredients only. No measurements, just ingredients. No directions, just ingredients.

Readers often ask me for recipes but I find that yes, I have become my mother.

I sprinkle spices like snowflakes falling from the sky. I chop garlic and onions based on eye-balling amounts needed for the pan. A few twirls of the pepper mill and ground pepper dots the dish. Is that a 1/8 of a teaspoon or a ¼ of a teaspoon? I wouldn’t know!

Recipes created from leftovers are particularly challenging.

I often will make an extra chicken breast or pork chop with the intention of using it as a new meal. My two favorites are fried rice or a stir-fry meal.

Chicken and broccoli stir-fry? If you are a vegan, vegetable stir-fry? Any protein will do, as with any combination of vegetables. Serve over quinoa or rice and you have a quick meal in twenty minutes.

Unfortunately, if you were hoping for a recipe, I don’t have measurements. I really don’t have exact ingredients. I just use what I have on hand.

It always begins with a little olive oil and finely diced garlic and onion. Since everything is already cooked, it takes little time to warm in the pan. Spices like ginger and sesame seeds find their way into the pan, as does the ground pepper and light soy sauce. A scrambled egg in the center of the fry pan and a little extra dab of butter and dinner is served!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: You can chop and blanch vegetables such as carrots, onions, and peppers to create your own stir-fry mix and store in the freezer for when you are ready to use them. If you have a Mother’s Little Helper nearby, a vegetable peeler and a carrot make for some fine entertainment in the kitchen!

                                   LEFTOVER VEGETABLES FOR STIR-FRY

 

 

HOME ON THE RANGE

One frugal way to keep food costs down is to grow one’s own food.

Previously, I’ve written on my lack of success at growing a garden. One of Mother's Little Helpers grew corn and tomatoes this summer. I felt inspired to try again but inspiration alone wasn't enough. I needed a frugal way to launch this inspiration.

 

Recently, a friend’s friend invited me to harvest some vegetables from her “garden”.

This was no ordinary garden. This was a farm. I was in awe at the bounty of vegetables grown from seeds, equally in awe at the dedication required to tend to such a garden and the generosity of allowing a stranger to harvest from her fields.

One of the vegetables from the garden was a butternut squash. As I prepared it for dinner one night, I had my inspiration and my frugal way to grow a vegetable. I saved the seeds and dried them for planting. Butternut squash, per pound, can be expensive; I had nothing to lose by planting them in a flower pot.

At worst, my brown thumb experiment would be yet again be another flop. At best, a seed or two would sprout. Proudly, I have four little sprouts.

I’ve realized that vegetable seeds are akin to sourdough starter dough. You save one cup and it makes endless loaves of bread. Given one butternut squash, there are too made seeds to count that have potential to yield an abundance of butternut squash.

I say “potential” because, after all, I am the one trying to grow this vegetable.

Before they can leave their plot in the pot, a new location needs to be found for them.

Home on the range, there is a deer that plays…and eats. Finding a corner of dirt hidden from the deer, so my squash can sprawl, is the next challenge.

Until I can find a safe haven for them to grow, I will transfer them to a larger portable pot. If this too becomes an epic fail, there are more seeds where these came from!

 

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Container gardening is a frugal way to grow one’s own vegetables without having a large space. It’s most suitable for upward vertical growth than horizontal expansion.But if at first you don’t succeed, try again!

                             FOUR SPROUTS OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH

 

 

THE CASE OF FRITTER vs FRITTER

I’m going to present the case of Fritter vs. Fritter.

Yes, there is “fritter” the noun and “fritter” the verb.

“Fritter” the noun is one conjuring up visions of small balls of hot, fried batter coated in white powdered sugar that one would salivate for at a carnival or the state fair.

 “Fritter” the verb is spending money bit by bit, on “stuff”… such as “fritter” the noun.

Today the focus is on the verb.

When living a frugal lifestyle, it requires members of the family involved in the budget to be on board with the program. Spendthrifts sabotage the plan.

If there is discretionary spending going on, frittering away a dollar here and a dollar there, your budget can be destroyed for the week or the month.

Suddenly, daily purchases add up to double-digit dollar spending. How does one recover?

I have two approaches.

First, if you have been able to squirrel away unused money at the end of the month, this becomes your emergency fund when dollars are frittered away. I take that money and convert it to a gift card. I still have Mother’s Little Helper’s “squirrel jar” for such emergencies. It’s not being used but that’s a post for another day. I use it to store my emergency gift cards.

Another is to hold back some of the designated weekly spending money. If you have set aside $60, spend less so you have money to recover from unexpected purchases.

Whether it is a noun or a verb, “fritter” is guilty of giving me indigestion.

Ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip! One way to save money is to stay out of stores. Dedicate a “no-spend” weekend and take that money and put it into an emergency fund in your house. Studies show the more often you go into the store, the more money you are likely to spend.

                                  THE EMERGENCY SQUIRREL JAR

 

 

 

AUSTERITY AUGUST

Fresh on the heels of “Just Essentials July” comes an austere August.

Expenses can suddenly appear, often referred to as emergencies, or they can be foreseen well in advance.

Although with good intentions money is budgeted for the foreseen expenses, it does not always turn out that way.

To meet foreseen goals and expenses, I offer a month of austerity. August is that month for me.

When Mother’s Little Helpers were school-aged children, August was a constant series of writing checks. Daily. One after the other. Back-to-school supplies, the PTA contribution, the after-school activities, outfits for school, school lunch program and on and on.

One approach to the after-school whirlwind was to rotate children out of sports. When most families were an “all in” approach, in our home Mother’s Little Helpers had to take turns playing sports.

First, Old Mother Hubbard here was outnumbered. Three of them, one of me. Logistically, even with creative carpooling, I could not always juggle all three.

Secondly, there was the cost of spending hundreds of dollars for a short, six-week session of something. Multiply times two or times three.

Lastly, there was something of a lesson to be learned by waiting your turn. In a world of immediacy and instant gratification, there was the challenge of teaching patience to Little Helpers.

Being part of a family means being part of a team. Sometimes, being part of a team means you have to sit on the bench. Incorporating sports lessons into family life may just help you with your frugal budget.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: To shave some dollars from those bills, it may require less spending on food, turning up the thermostat in summer, fewer new outfits,  creative financing such as taking turns with after-school activities and selective cable channels to run a household budget.

    CONVERTING HAMBURGER BUNS INTO MINI PANINI SANDWICHES

 

 

THE CHILLER WAS A THRILLER

I get some of my best cooking ideas by perusing the freezer section of the grocery stores.

This week, I was on a scavenger hunt searching for my free digital coupon promotion item. It was in the frozen food section of the store.

I don’t often purchase prepared frozen meals. On this trip, I was having difficulty finding the free item. I looked at every shelf of every freezer case. It was time well spent.

One “find” on my scavenger hunt is a new product by Progresso Foods. It is a line of frozen foods called “Create-A-Meal”.

Progresso offers several varieties of sauces such as lemon garlic, traditional tomato, a sweet and sour and a few more. Sauces were on the top shelf.

Moving down a shelf, there were Progresso packages of frozen rice and frozen pasta.

Continuing down the shelves there was a shelf dedicated to frozen vegetables by Progresso.

Next down, there was the protein shelf, which contained mostly precooked chicken of various spices and flavors.

On sale, each package is $1.99. The marketing idea is to “grab and go”, take what you would like to create dinner. You can use one item from each shelf or mix it up. There were countless ways to create a different meal every night for the family.

I did eventually find my free digital coupon item. What I also found was that with some preparation at home and using my own freezer, I too can “Create-A-Meal” at a fraction of the cost.

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Pre-cook rice and penne pasta and store in individual or family size plastic Ziploc bags in the freezer. When preparing a chicken dinner, save a breast or two for the freezer. Shred some carrots, save in the freezer.

A lemon garlic sauce is as easy to make as adding cloves of crushed garlic to warm olive oil in a sauté pan; squeeze the juice of one lemon and a dab of real butter. Now add some chicken stock. You have assembled your own “Create-A-Meal”, ready at your disposal for a fraction of the price. You will be thrilled with your savings

                                      ISLAND CHICKEN FOR TWO

                              WITH THE ADDITION OF TWO TENDERS

                                            

 

ORIGINAL SERVING FOR ONE

                                         

 

 

THE ITSY BITSY SPIDER

The nursery tune starts out something like this…The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout. Go ahead, sing along. Now add some hand and finger motion. You’ve got it!

Several weeks ago, an itsy bitsy spider went up my leg causing all kinds of havoc to my immune system. Infection set in and medical care was on the horizon.

Being a Sunday, options were limited but I have a favorite urgent care facility that I frequent in times of emergencies. My self-diagnosis was correct; it was my timing that was wrong. Sunday night.

With prescription in hand, the search began for a pharmacy to fill the antibiotic. Over the river and through the woods, DH and I searched every corner pharmacy and grocery store for miles looking for an open pharmacy.

We must have traveled a total of 10 or more miles before finding a 24-hour CVS. At this point, feeling ill and needing to start this antibiotic immediately, I shed my frugal ways and was willing to pay “whatever” to begin the healing process.

“Whatever” cost $52 and change. Ouch. The cure was as painful to swallow as the pain of the spider bite.

Three days and 3 pills later, I developed an allergic reaction to the expensive antibiotic.

My favorite urgent care facility to the rescue once again! The antibiotic was changed and because it was a weekday during daytime hours, I was able to get a better price for my new prescription medication. This one cost $8 and change. What a huge difference.

During emergencies, you are at both the mercy and appreciation of folks who work weekends and “off-shift” hours. Having a small rainy day emergency fund was designed just for such occasions!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: For coupons on prescriptions medications, try using www.goodrx.com. Some pharmacies will match Costco prices. You do not need to be a member of Costco to use their pharmacy to get a good price on prescription medication. Keep a list handy of pharmacies that are open “after-hours”. It will save you in time and gas to know where to go in an emergency. Finally, find pharmacies with $4 prescriptions or grocery store pharmacies, such as Publix, which has a list of FREE prescription medications. Keep healthy, stay frugal!

 

 

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

When Mother’s Little Helpers were younger, there were times when gifts arrived with one of two phrases on the package that sent shivers up and down my spine.

The first was “Batteries Required” and the other “Some Assembly Required”.

“Batteries Required” was straight forward. The package label included the size and the quantity of batteries and as long as batteries were in the house when the package was opened, all was well.

”Some Assembly Required” was not as straight forward. One could spend hours reading, screwing, unscrewing, reading, hammering and pronouncing words that otherwise should remain unpronounced in the process of building the object in the box.

When the youngest of Mother’s Little Helpers was a pre-teen, “some assembly required” took on a new meaning.

He would open the refrigerator door and stare. I’m sure you have someone in your home that does “the stare”.

You see, inside the refrigerator there was “some assembly required”.

Out of sheer frustration one day, I hung a sign on the refrigerator. Yes, it read “some assembly required. I had to explain.

If you want to eat from my refrigerator, “some assembly required”. Cheese and flour tortillas will make a quesadilla. Deli meat and cheese plus two slices of bread will make a sandwich.

There was no drive-thru window on the refrigerator ready with an cordial worker to prepare a meal. In hindsight, Mother’s Little Helpers didn’t need a refrigerator, they needed a vending machine!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Place a list on your refrigerator door of ideas that one can make by using the ingredients in your refrigerator. Sometimes it is hard to come up with ideas on one's own. Meal combos on the door can go a long way to avoid "the stare".