Showing posts with label money saving ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money saving ideas. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2022

Off and Running With the Winter Food Challenge and Sharing A Recipe For Turkey Bean Soup

I had posted in a previous post that black-eyed peas were on the menu for New Year's Day. 

Basic Dry Bean Mix

Well...that was before I remembered that I had used the last of the black-eyed peas in the Basic Dry Bean Mix that I put together last winter, which, fortunately, I still have some of left in the pantry.

In thinking about it, black-eyed peas are black-eyed peas. It doesn't matter if you eat a few or a lot (or any for that matter!), but, in keeping with the long-held New Year's tradition, I would like to say that I ate, at least, a few. 


I have to work New Year's Eve and part of New Year's Day, so I won't have a lot of extra time to cook. I decided to cook today for the weekend ahead.

Instead of rushing out and spending money unnecissarily to purchase, and serve, just plain ol' black-eyed peas, I decided to kick into gear on the Winter Food Challenge and use up some of what I have on hand and make a terrific bean soup. 

Wintery Day Bean Soup

I thought about making the Wintery Day Bean Soup that I discovered last winter, but, since I've got lots of chopped turkey leftover from Thanksgiving and plenty of bone broth in the cabinet, I decided to make a turkey bean soup instead. Here's what I came up with...

TURKEY BEAN SOUP

2 cups dry bean mix
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 quarts of chicken bone broth
4 cups chopped turkey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
black pepper to taste

Note: You can use regular chicken broth or boullion cubes in place of the bone broth if you prefer and I rinsed, soaked, and precooked the dry bean mix in a dutch oven before making the soup. 

After cooking and draining the beans, saute the onion in butter and add it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to the dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour. 

I plan to have some of this soup tonight with leftover cornbread from the freezer and plan to have some for lunch on New Year's Day. The rest will be separated out into freezer bags, frozen, and eaten for lunches on cold, wintery days.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Dollar-S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, Cabinet-Clearing, Clean-Up-The-Food, Winter Challenge Plan 2022/23

Over the summer and fall of 2022 I built a winter food supply by adding a few extra items to the cart every time I shopped. I stocked up on grains, spices, and other bulk items at the Amish and Mennonite stores. 


Now that winter has arrived, and the holidays are over, it's time to start saving money by digging into that supply and plan meals around the food I have on-hand.

When I've done these challenges in the past, I've begun by doing a complete food inventory, but, now that I live alone, I pretty much know what I have on-hand, so will skip that step altogether.  

I will shop for fresh items and other items needed to round out what's on hand as I go, and will post my progress along the way, sharing meal plans and recipes when appropriate.

I looking forward to be taking on this self-imposed challenge and would like to invite anyone else who'd like to join me to, please, do so. 

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

Hello September!

August disappeared in a whirlwind of activity and, now, here we are, off and running into September!

September promises to be a full and busy month. I have a family reunion to attend this weekend, my oldest granddaughter is getting married next weekend, the weekend after that I will be working the local fair, and Prairie Jubilee will be held the last weekend of the month.

Granddaughter Esther @ Prairie Jubilee 2018

Usually, Prairie Jubilee is held on the last Saturday of the month on even-numbered years, but, due to COVID, it was cancelled completely in 2020, so it's been four full years since a Jubilee was held at Prairie State Park. Everyone is greatly looking forward to it!

I'm still in the middle of gearing up for a low-spend September, but feel that I'm off to a good start. I think I've got everything in the house grocery-wise that I should need except for possibly a few fresh items along the way. Other than that, the only things that I anticipate having to spend money for this month is putting gas in the car, paying the regular monthly bills, paying to the get the kittens fixed (spayed and neutered), and purchasing a baby gift for a friend. Unless something unexpected comes up, my focus this month will be to make and save as much money as possible. 

I think I'm off to a good start. This morning I transferred $15.00 cash-back on purchases made through the gasoline app that I use to Paypal. From there I will have the money transferred into my bank and then into savings. (If you are interested in saving money on gasoline purchases, feel free to message me and I will send you the link to my invite code. That way we'll both save extra dollars at the pump!)

I did three loads of laundry this morning but have chosen not to run the dryer. I have hung the clothes on the back porch and am drying the towels and washcloths on a drying rack.

I'm planning September meals around food on-hand. I have a lot of frozen leftovers in the freezer and some older canned goods that need used up before purchasing more. As items are depleted, the plan is to restock with higher quality and more nutritious foodstuffs across the board.

I have decided to abandon every food plan that is not clearly based on Biblical teaching. I am currently rereading The Busy Woman's Guide to Healthy Eating by Emilie Barnes and Sue Gregg. I have Sue Gregg's complete cookbook set, as well. My husband bought them for me many years ago and it is the only food plan that he fully approved of. After much back, forth, up, down, and around (and after much soul-searching and prayer) I have decided, that, for me, this is the way to go, and that's what I'm doing. 



Rather than constantly stressing about being overweight and failing, over and over again, at diet plans and the like, I will focus on simple foods, good nutrition, and overall health instead. Just in making that decision alone I feel freer, more clear-minded, less confused, and more focused than I have in nearly a decade. 

I plan to share much more about my journey in this area and others in the days ahead, but for now, I'm out of time and must move on with my day. I hope that your day is going well and that your September is off to a beautiful start!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Friday, September 27, 2019

Low-Spend September - End Of Month Update


September has been a super busy month with a lot going on on all fronts and, as you can see, I've not been real good about keeping up with updates concerning this endeavor...but...I have to say, that, for the most part, it's gone well.

I have had to replenish fresh items (fruits, vegetables, and dairy) a couple of times this month, but have bought very little in the way of meats and grains. I think I bought one small roast that was on markdown (it's in the freezer and hasn't been cooked yet) and a package of fat-free turkey slices, cheese slices, and two loaves of bread for toast and sandwiches. 

A few things have come in from other sources, as well...tomatoes from the garden and fresh eggs from a friend, so that, of course, has added to the abundance and I have purchased a few seasonal items to be put back for use at autumn family get-togethers and such while I could find them (Louisburg Apple Cider, for example, and Bigalow's Pumpkin Spice Tea). 

Image result for louisburg cider


Other than that we continue to eat what's in the house (dried beans, whole grains, canned and frozen vegetables, ham, spoonbill, and other meats from the freezer, canned fish, and miscellaneous items found in the cabinet). 

I do plan on doing another food inventory next week to see where we're at at this point, but I imagine that this low-spend September will carry on well into October. 

I am extremely thankful for the abundant blessings, but feel somewhat guilty that we have so much food in the house for just the two of us. We do share our food with others every chance we get (expected and unexpected company, meals shared with family, friends, and neighbors, etc.) and I love having plenty on hand to share with others when they run into a pinch and find that they are out of something, but, still, sometimes the abundance is overwhelming. 

I guess that's really all I've got to share at this point, so I will move on and give another update if warranted after we move into October. 

Blessings for a great weekend and until next time...

~Rebecca

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Thursday, September 12, 2019

Low-Spend September Update - Week #2



Well...we're officially into Week #2 (technically Week #3) of our 'Low-Spend September' and, thus far, it's going great!

 I'm managing to keep up with menu plans and am still finding that most of the meals that I prepare are making enough for more than one meal...generally it's enough for two...sometimes more...BUT...most of the meals can be frozen and worked in later, so I guess that's okay. In the long run it saves time and energy (not only utility-wise, but my own, as well)! 😆  

 The biggest problem I'm having is...as I use small amounts of grain and turn them into breads, I'm refreezing major portions of the finished product to be used as accompaniments to meals further down the road and, as a result, on one hand my freezer space is going down a little at a time (a cup of cracked wheat here or a half cup of rolled oats there); then, suddenly, it is filled to overflowing with cut and portioned loaves of rustic oat and wheat bread, rolls, and muffins. 🍞

 To make matters worse (if you can call it that), the tomatoes in our garden are coming on like gangbusters! Every few days I'm adding a few more bags of frozen tomato puree to the freezer. At present our freezer is level full of bread and tomatoes! LOL! Perhaps I should make a lot of breaded tomatoes! 😃

 (I soooo hope my cousin is reading this! His mom used to make breaded tomatoes a lot when we were kids and he absolutely detests the thought of them! LOL!) 😆

 And don't get me wrong...I am NOT complaining! We are blessed to overflowing and we know it. Sometimes I'm just not sure how to handle the overflow and I don't like to waste ANY-thing!

 For example, I'm going to be working a special event out of town on Saturday, so I cooked Saturday night's ham and beans and cornbread today so that, all we have to do when I get home Saturday night, is reheat. 

 I divided the 9- x 9-inch pan of cornbread into 8 pieces and separated them into four freezer bags (that's four meals worth for me and my husband) and I cooked a pound of pinto beans. 

 I seasoned the beans with salt, pepper, and a small amount of ham. When the beans were tender I divided them into three containers (one to be used Saturday night; the other two later on). When I got done dividing the ham and beans, I had a full quart of delicious, savory bean broth left over. It would have been so easy to just dump it down the sink, but I couldn't. Instead, I saved it. What flavor it will add as a base to a soup on a chilly autumn day or to any recipe calling for vegetable broth! 🍁 

We live in such a wasteful society today and, sometimes, it's hard to remember and implement the old way of doing things.

 "Waste not, want not!" 

 That's what the old-timers used to say...and they were right. Everything that we use up and don't waste is one more thing that we don't have to want for or spend money on.

 Goodness! I kind of got off track there, but...since I'm on a soapbox...I may as well end this post with this...

Does anyone out there have any tips or stories to share on how your family "wastes not, wants not"?

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Thursday, September 5, 2019

Low-Spend September Update - Week #1



I'm happy to report that our low-spend September is off to a great start! 😄

Other than eating out on our way home from the family reunion Sunday evening, we've managed to stay on track with menu plans and our food is stretching further than originally planned. In fact, we might be able to turn our one-month plan into a two-month plan...which would be totally AWESOME!!!

I think one of the biggest problems that I have with food is, even after all our children are grown and married with families of their own (and have been for years) I still cannot adjust to cooking for two. 😞

With six children in the home (four of which were boys) I was used to making large amounts of food and, try as I might, not to, I still tend to make full and, sometimes, double batches of favorite recipes. I'm trying to remember that just John and I don't need that much prepared food on hand and am experimenting with halving recipes.

And, don't get me wrong, sometimes I don't mind having leftovers. Depending on what it is, we can use them for lunch the next day, have them again later in the week, or I can save them for work lunches, but, some stuff, is just too much...especially if its something that can't be frozen or doesn't last long enough to be used later. These are the types of recipes that I'm trying to remember to cut in half so we don't have to keep eating on them until we're sick of them. 🤮

 We're only five days into September, but, technically, our plan has been in place since the last week in August, so we've been at this for almost two full weeks now. We've not noticed a huge difference in food depletion yet, but we have used up several things already that have been on hand for quite some time. We are well pleased with our progress thus far.

Does anyone out there have any tips to share on cooking for two...especially after raising a large family? If so, I'd love to hear them!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Gearing Up For A Low-Spend September











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Friday, August 30, 2019

Gearing Up For A Low-Spend September

It's been a crazy busy week around here and I wasn't sure that I was even going to have time to get a post up and out before September 1st, but I decided that, even if it's a short one, I'd better get it done! My husband and I are so looking forward to a low-spend September!

 Last Saturday I did a complete food inventory...refrigerator, fridge freezer, deep freeze, and cabinets. Then, I sat down and made a plan! 

 Technically, we have enough food on hand (all but fresh items along the way, of course) to last about seven weeks. That includes canned goods, dry beans, whole grains, and other things counted as staples and stock-up items, but even that stuff needs rotated out, so this is good! 

I took the inventory, made a general plan...soup and bread on Mondays, baked pepper casserole dishes on Tuesdays, chicken dishes on Wednesdays, turkey dishes on Thursdays, fish on Fridays, dry bean dishes on Saturdays, and leftovers, as usual, on Sundays...then, I planned out the first two, full weeks worth of menus (this was for the last week of August and the first week of September, and, so far, we've managed to stay on plan). 

 On Monday my cousin and I went grocery shopping. I got all the fresh items and extra ingredients needed to round out the two-week plan.


I spent Tuesday cooking everything that I could for the week (plus) ahead. I baked two batches of muffins, a double batch of meatballs, a batch of turkey Italian sausage-stuffed peppers, pasta, red beans, and several small tubs of cottage berry whip for snacks. A lot of these things were divided into batches and put in the deep freeze to be used at a later date.

 I'm curious...is anyone else planning anything along this line for the month of September? If so, I'd love to hear all about it!

 Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Thursday, July 18, 2019

Reducing The Summer Utility Bills


At the time of this writing, here in southwest Missouri, it is 92 degrees with a heat index of 105. We are under an excessive heat warning through Saturday evening. 😰

 In many areas of the country keeping cool in summer can cost as much, or more, than keeping warm in the winter. Here are a few things that you can do to keep cool while holding down the cost of summer utility bills...

#1. Watch your degree of comfort. Set your thermostat at 78 degrees or above. A setting of 78 instead of 73 saves 20 to 25% of your AC operating costs.

#2. Keep the cool air inside. Close doors and windows. Check the weather-stripping. Seal up cracks. Insulate. These measures will help cut heating costs in the winter as well.

#3. Don't block vents. Move furniture away from vents and window units. Trim shrubbery outside, too.

#4. Close drapes or blinds. This helps keep the sun's heat out. Solar screens and shades can also effectively block a large amount of the sun's heat before it enters your home. 

 (NOTE - We go so far as to cover our windows with foil in the summer...at least the top half...with the shiny side against the glass. It completely blocks the sun and deflects heat away from the house.)

#5. Check your filters. Do this once a month during cooling season. Vacuum or replace them as necessary.

#6. Grow native deciduous trees. Plant them where they will shade your house from the sun's hottest rays in the summer and let warming sun through in the winter.

#7. Check the EER before you buy. Some systems use less energy than others...sometimes only half as much. Find the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) on the yellow energy-guide label. The higher the EER, the more efficient the unit. An EER of 10 will consume half the energy of a similar unit rated at 5.
What are some of the ways that you and your family keep utility bills to a minimum and beat the heat of summer?

 Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Thursday, July 11, 2019

Thrift and Savings - Post #7 - Spending Less and Saving More



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Greetings, Dear Ones!

 As suspected, with all the heavy rains and flooding this year, we are noticing price increases in some areas and a lot of empty shelves in others. 

 As time goes on my husband and I continue to look for new ways to spend less and save more, and, while we are making progress in both, there are still so many things that we could be doing differently and I think we have some major decisions to make that could greatly affect all. 

 In the interim though, here are a few of the things that we've been doing or have happened lately to make a difference...


 - A few weeks ago our microwave blew up (and, when I say, "blew up"...I mean it...literally...the thing blew up and was arcing...when it got done there was a hole burned in the side of the metal plate). 😳 

 The next time John and I were in town we went in to the store fully intending to buy a replacement. In the aisle, with a new microwave in our cart, we both said, "Wait!" 

 We discussed how often we really used a microwave and decided that we really didn't need it. We put the thing back on the shelf and said, "Forget it!" 

 It's been a few weeks now and, to be honest...at first we found a few things to be a bit inconvenient, but, over time and with a little forethought, all of those things have worked themselves out and we really haven't missed it at all. 

 Savings - $50.00 plus the cost of electricity

 - I've been participating in the adult reading program at the local library. I haven't checked out a single book (most of the books I read have to be ordered online, are received as gifts, or are found by accident at sales or on book tables)...BUT...anything you read counts. You just keep track of your time while reading and for every two hours read you get a coupon for a free treat (drink, fries, or cone) at McDonald's in Lamar. These come in handy when John and I are out and about running errands. Thus far we've used 5 of 12 coupons earned. 

Savings - $5.00 plus tax
Coupons For Free Treats At McDonald's

- I found two books recently...one on a book table at the local library for 25¢ - Homemade Memories - Making Memories That Matter by Marita Littauer and the other online at Thrift Books - The Gift of Christmas Past - A Return to Victorian Traditions by Sunny O' Neil for $4.09. 

 Savings - $18.93 over the next cheapest prices found online

 - John got new glasses and surprisingly, his new insurance paid 100% of the total cost. (Bravo! I always have to pay full price for mine; insurance doesn't pay a thing!) 😎

 Savings - $237.00

 - Using Kickback Points that have accumulated over the past year or so, we got a free tank of gas at Pete's Phillip's 66 in Lamar. 

 Savings - $24.00
Image result for kickback card
Kickback Points


 - Bought six jars of Polaner All Fruit (four cherry and two blueberry) on markdown at Walmart for $1.24 each (usually $1.98 per jar)

 Savings - $4.44
Polaner All Fruit


 - Bought six one-pound packages of 93/7 turkey burger for $2.68 per package (usually $4.32 per package)

 Savings - $9.84
93/7 All Natural Ground Turkey


 Some of the savings mentioned in this post amounted to mere pennies, but just on these few items mentioned we've saved a total of $349.21. 😲 Little savings here and there really do add up to big savings! 😄

 In what ways are you and your family saving money at this time?

 Until next time...
~Rebecca

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