I wanted to let you know that I've switched my comment section to moderated for the time being. I've had multiple spam comments left this week and I want to nip it in the bud.
Listed below is our menu for the last week. We are still using up several food items I bought for the holidays and our menu reflects that.
Waste not, want not as the old saying goes.
Sunday:
Ham & Cheese Sliders
Potato Salad
Monday:
Fernandos
Tuesday:
Tacos
Wednesday:
Deconstructed Egg Rolls
Steamed Broccoli
Thursday:
Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes
Green Peas
Friday & Saturday:
Mac & Cheese with Ham
Green Beans with Onions
Sunday:
Pigs in a Blanket
Homemade Fries
Corn
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
The weather has been unseasonably warm and rainy here this week. Almost in the 70s and humid, but thanks to the cloud cover it did not get any warmer than that.
The rain has caused it to be so humid that we tried sleeping with fans, but eventually turned on the a/c two nights this week just so we could sleep. I wish it would get a little bit cooler.
My cousin sent me three pocket knives this week and told me to sell them on Ebay and keep the money. I thought that was very nice of him. I'm going to use the proceeds to pay toward my auto insurance this month rather than pull the money from savings.
Thursday was the first day back to school and normally I don't get called to sub on the first day back from a break. But due to an emergency I subbed on Thursday and Friday.
This week I received a free tea bag sample from The Republic of Tea along with their catalog. I'm not sure how often they send those, but it seems to be around every three months.
We also received a nice freebie from Oil of Olay with three samples to try.
We also received the last of our free bagels from Panera Bread this week. I just read that someone got free bagels in January. So, if you didn't get this freebie in December check your account to see if you have it now.
Other than working two days, I stayed home this week. Staying home, combining errands when we to go to town, and packing lunches and drinks were included in the frugal things we did this week.
I calculated the cost of the sandwich I took to work today at 81¢. It was roast chicken, cheddar cheese, and mayo on whole wheat bread. 81¢ is definitely cheaper than buying a sandwich anywhere else.
It's the little things that add up over time and lead to big savings. I hope you've had a good and frugal week and that you have a great weekend too. :)
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
This week I fixed the loose toilet seat in our bathroom. I knew that if I did not get it tightened that it would probably break and cause me to have to buy a new one.
To start with I tried to fix it with a pair of pliers while leaning over the seat, but was unable to tighten it sufficiently.
What I ended up doing was getting in the floor to really tighten it well and scrubbed the commode and floor while I was down there.
What's funny is that now they offer toilet seat tightener kits. I saved money by doing it myself versus buying a $11.99 Ginsey toilet seat tightener kit from Walmart.
Another thing we did this week in the bathroom was to hot glue the upper portion of our shower door to keep it from falling down. I'm not sure if it's missing a piece or what, but it won't be falling down again anytime soon.
Maintaining what you own will definitely save you money over the years rather than buying new when something breaks down.
When was the last time you vacuumed your refrigerator coils? That job will definitely extend the life of your refrigerator.
This week I saw a new kitchen gadget for straining grease, which is called the Easy Greasy Strainer.
This item sells for $19.95 at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I have my own system for straining grease from ground beef and includes my own strainer and a glass measuring cup.
I set my strainer on top of the measuring cup and let the grease drain into the measuring cup below. Then I place the grease into a jar, let in cool, and place it in the garbage can.
Now my grease removal system might not be fancy, but it works for me. And I have no need to spend $19.95 on a gadget when I already have the tools at home to handle the job.
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
Leftovers, we all have them sometimes. The question is what to do with them and how to use them to our advantage to save money?
There is always Freezer Soup, which is a container stored in the freezer, which is used to hold leftovers until the container is full and then made into soup later at a later date.
My Grandmother, who grew up in the Great Depression, did this and my Dad wasn't a fan. She used to say that he had "champagne tastes on a beer budget". LOL
However, there are multiple ways to use up leftovers and make them taste good, but sometimes it takes a little bit of creativity.
First off, leftovers can be saved for another meal. I can't tell you how many times I have come home, tired from work, and was grateful to have leftovers in the refrigerator. Only having to heat up dinner in the microwave on a hard day is very welcome here.
One of the tricks I used to do with leftover meatloaf is to chop it up and use it in spaghetti the next day. And you can make all sorts of casseroles with leftover taco meat.
If you have leftover chili, you can made chili tacos or chili pie. Chili pie consists of chili, placed in a casserole dish, with cornbread batter baked on top of it. My Mother served this a lot back when she was raising our family.
Potato Pancakes are another good way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. All is takes is two cups of potatoes, an egg, 1/4 cup flour, some grated onion or onion powder, salt & pepper. Then cook like you would pancakes in a skillet.
Hash is another good and frugal way to use up leftovers. Onions, peppers, potatoes, and or any leftover meat can be used to make a really good meal. You'll be saving money by using up your leftovers and avoiding food waste.
Any food thrown out is money already spent and then wasted. Do your best to use up everything you buy and that will save you the most money.
By stretching the food you already have and making a meal out of leftovers you will be adding one more meal to your monthly menu that you didn't have to spend any money towards and that's a good thing.
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
2019
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all my friends/readers. I'm grateful to all of you for the camaraderie we shared in 2018 and I'm looking forward to even more of it in 2019.
My wish for you is to have the best year ever with new goals and achievements, loaded with happiness and filled with success. Bailey and I have big plans for this year and our hope for you is that the plans you have come true too.
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
