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Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 8:11 pm
by alliesmama4
I am low on some foods.. Today made a quiche with some frozen cauliflower and some breakfast pork sausage. It is a spicy brand so I thought it would add some flavor to the quiche. Also used half of a block of cheddar cheese and half of a yellow onion, 4 eggs and a cup of milk. I had some for lunch as well as dinner.. Also had my aide taste some too. I thought it was too bland but she thought it was good. I think next time I will add some mustard power to give it more zip.

I saved a small portion of cauliflower to make faux potato salad for lunch tomorrow. Try not to gag but I will be opening a can of sardines from my emergency supply pantry to go along with it. Sardines... you either love them or hate them. I grew up eating them and like them, however the cheaper ones are really big. The smaller ones are more expensive but so much nicer.. so I eat the cheap ones for now. Still a cheap and easy form of protein to have on hand for emergencies,quick meals, or snacks. I saved some of the pork sausage to make my ketogenic sausage and gravy which will make the sausage last longer for more meals served over almond flour biscuits or bread.I did fry one sausage pattie today and and an egg to make a breakfast sandwich with the last of my hockey puck buns.. The buns were ok if sliced and toasted.

I just finished baking off a package of thick bacon 12 oz. Not sure I like it this thick but will put in the freezer and maybe add it to a quiche next week or a little to some green beans, potatoes, and onions for flavoring. Of course Teddi and I have tasted a few rashers for quality control..lol.

I completed another survey for Pine Cone research today and will receive $ 3.00.. I will combine it with the $ 3.00 they already have given me and will be able to buy a free rotisserie chicken. I do not plan on buying one until the last week of May when my larder will be even lower that it is now.

I am off to make some peanut butter cookies and the sausage gravy. Will prep the almond flour tonight for the almond flour biscuits in the AM.They requires last minute beating of eggs in the AM. Janet Alliesmama

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:12 pm
by Momof2Still
Janet, I like sardines. My dad loved them, so we would eat them as a late night snack with saltine crackers occasionally. I have not had them in years, maybe I should pick up a couple of cans to add to my hurricane stash. I keep tuna in my hurricane stash. I like to keep as much on hand as possible and rotate it around. I hate going to the store when a hurricane is expected- people go crazy.

I am very lucky to be able to have my best friend as a Room-mate.

Food wise, I am using up some items. We had the left-over Chinese food last night for dinner. I took some left-over French toast to work for breakfast and a frozen meal from the freezer. I was so busy I did not eat breakfast until 11:30, so just saved the frozen meal for today. I think I am about to use all of the meals I froze from left-overs. I will hold off on putting more in the freezer until school is about ready to start next school year.

Tonight, I used up most of a container of mashed potatoes from the freezer (I took them out over the weekend as I needed room to place something else into it). I used up the left-over broccoli and the green beans from a few days ago. We had portabella mushrooms. I will take the little bit of mashed potatoes and gravy with me for lunch tomorrow along with half a sandwich and some grapes. This morning I had a boiled egg and some almonds. Breakfast tomorrow will be a protein shake.

I am really enjoying using up things in the freezer and pantry. It is almost like a game.

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:37 pm
by alliesmama4
Did not make the PB cookies or the sausage gravy with almond flour biscuits.I was tired by the time I went in to the kitchen and then I had a really rough night and very little sleep. So I ate the last slice of my German rye bread with cream cheese and apricot jam.. All bought on deep discount at Big Lots or a holiday sale. Opened the last carton of my aseptic milk from Dollar Tree so will need to buy milk tomorrow. Lunch was some of the faux potato salad with a couple of rashers of bacon. Dinner was really bad I baked some french fries and that was dinner.. Then for dessert I added strawberry extract and a packet of sugar sub to some cottage cheese and called it cheesecake...sort of a loose cheese cake..lol. ..Bad me..

I did not get much done in my garden on the deck due to the heat. Then later on in the afternoon my aide had car problems so I volunteered to take her to her other clients home. She called her grandson but I told her I planned on going out to pay my water bill after she left and it was no big deal.. Plus Teddi is always thrilled to go for a ride. Dropped her off and then checked out a couple of houses that are being sold in the area.. I do look for other places to move to but so far nothing makes me want to leave here..yet! The property taxes are very high here..

Noticed gas was $2.96 a gal! So glad I filled my tank in MO last week for $2.65 a gal.

Teddi got sick in the car.. He had not eaten anything all day and looked ok but he got down on the floor and was restless and finally threw up. Otherwise he seems ok. He did eat two small bowls of rice and chicken in the late afternoon and evening and seems fine. I keep chicken and rice in the freezer for days when he is not in the mood to eat his regular food so it worked out ok. He appears fine this evening and even went out and ran around the yard while I picked up sticks.. I have an acre and a half and since we had a wicket storm the other day with winds up to 70 miles per hour it was a bit of a chore. I do it is small sections at a time.. I did a load of sheets and pillow cases and some light colored clothes when I came home from running errands and hung them on the clotheslines in the garage. Just took them down and everything is dry and smells so good.

I found some bamboo skewers left from gardening last year and a ton of plastic forks in the basement. I have been saving them for years. It makes me sick when I see them since the forks represent the amount of money spent on buying a salad to bring home..Yes it is many years of saving them but now realize how foolish I was to stop and buy a salad instead of making one at home. Hind site..cannot change what happened in the past so just have to go on from here.. I use the the forks and bamboo skewers in my potted plants to keep my resident squirrel, Dennis the Menace, from coming in and snatching my young plants. I am planning on making cages with scraps of wood and chicken wire when the plants start to grow bigger. My strawberry plants are doing well and one of them actually had a couple of small blossoms on it. You have to pick them off the first year so that the plants will be stronger and bear more fruit next year.. I am glad they are looking so good since they were dormant when they came and looked really sad..

I have been very lucky with Pine Cone research sending more survey's and as of today I have earned $9.00 this month so I have decided to buy a rotisserie chicken tomorrow and another one next week. They cost $ 6.00 so the one this week will be free and and I have enough money in change ($3.00) to pay for the other half of a chicken next week.. I get so many meals out of one chicken and for free you cannot go wrong..lol. I guess that is my latest update. Janet Alliesmama

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Posted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:48 pm
by alliesmama4
Momof2Still wrote: Wed May 16, 2018 10:12 pm Janet, I like sardines. My dad loved them, so we would eat them as a late night snack with saltine crackers occasionally. I have not had them in years, maybe I should pick up a couple of cans to add to my hurricane stash. I keep tuna in my hurricane stash. I like to keep as much on hand as possible and rotate it around. I hate going to the store when a hurricane is expected- people go crazy.

I am very lucky to be able to have my best friend as a Room-mate.

Food wise, I am using up some items. We had the left-over Chinese food last night for dinner. I took some left-over French toast to work for breakfast and a frozen meal from the freezer. I was so busy I did not eat breakfast until 11:30, so just saved the frozen meal for today. I think I am about to use all of the meals I froze from left-overs. I will hold off on putting more in the freezer until school is about ready to start next school year.

Tonight, I used up most of a container of mashed potatoes from the freezer (I took them out over the weekend as I needed room to place something else into it). I used up the left-over broccoli and the green beans from a few days ago. We had portabella mushrooms. I will take the little bit of mashed potatoes and gravy with me for lunch tomorrow along with half a sandwich and some grapes. This morning I had a boiled egg and some almonds. Breakfast tomorrow will be a protein shake.

I am really enjoying using up things in the freezer and pantry. It is almost like a game.
Mom of 2..I use to love to eat sardines with saltines too, Now due to gluten intolerance not an option but still I like them and they are suppose to be really good for you. However they recommend eating the water packed one for best health option. Nope I like the oil packed ones and since I do not eat them every week I figure I will live....lol.

I am happy that you have your roommate as your best friend. I am at the age where most my friends have passed away or they are much older and are limited in what they can do.. I am happy for you and your best friend.

I am with you it is like a game and I enjoy seeing how far I can stretch things and what I can make do with what I have. I hope the hurricane season is not bad where you live and that you somehow manage to not have to deal with it. I cannot imagine what you have to do. I know you get advance notice but still it is the fear of what will happen to your home and how long you will have to deal with the aftermath.. Take care and glad you are preparing.. Janet Alliesmama

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 2:16 pm
by alliesmama4
Went shopping yesterday to pick up chicken thighs and milk on sale.. Of course you run into bargains..lol. Aldi's was selling milk for .80 cents 1/2 gal and the other store was selling it for .89 cents. So I saved some money buying it at Ald'is. They also had Mexican sauce on sale for .90 cent each and garlic in a tube etc. The list goes on and on so I ended up spending $17.33. instead of the $5.39 planned on. I bought eggs there for $1.78 since egg prices have gone up due to the egg recall.. Thought I was being wise but then I went to Dollar General and their eggs were $1.59 a doz.. Bummer. Shopping is sort of like gambling you win some and you lose some..Then I went to a different grocery store, just across the street from Aldi's and Dollar General, and picked up a rotisserie chicken that I had reserved. It was free due to using my survey money to buy it ($6.00). I always swing by the discounted meat section and saw pork steaks and boneless chicken thighs on deep discount so bought them as well. Noticed Parmesan cheese on discount and bought two..My aide brought me a huge roasting chicken. She said her other client did not want it and gave it to her and she did not want to deal with something so big. It is about 7.5 lb..Good thing I like chicken.. lol. Anyway I did go over budget but that is one of the areas that it is allowed. I should not have to buy protein for quite a long time..Dinner tonight will be chicken enchiladas made with some of the rotisserie chicken and the Mexican sauce that I paid .90 cents for. I already have the tortillas, sour cream, etc.. so it will be a quick and inexpensive meal with leftovers for tomorrow. The rest will go in the freezer for another day. I have the "Big Bird" thawing in the fridge and will bake it for Sunday dinner.. I figure with all of the food in the house I should be able to get by until the middle of June except for fresh veggies and dairy. Janet Alliesmama

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 3:45 pm
by ephofma
Well, I got 1 of the 2 no spend days in on Wednesday. Of course, I have vertigo and was still so dizzy I was cross-eyed then and not about to drive anywhere; but, I'll take it however it comes. Absolutely loving all the inspiration from all of you.