I am sure everyone has heard this over and over, plan a menu and make a shopping list then stick to it. This does in fact work, but when everyone is busy it is hard to take a look at what you have, what you need and also important, what you and your family wants. I have been incredibly fortunate these past months while waiting for tenants and had quite a bit of food given to me. Still, this menu can be pretty cheap if you shop well and when you can use coupons and sales to make your menu decisions. Personally, there are only a couple of places I shop because I don't think that using all that gas, mileage on the car and quite frankly the value of my time makes going all over the place worth any bargains I may get.
Yes, I do coupon. I am not an extreme couponer anymore, that is true, but if I see a coupon for something that we will use, I use it. I get mine online as in my area the Sunday paper just isn't worth it anymore. The paper costs over 2 dollars now, and I only use a few coupons if any because most of it is stuff I wouldn't buy anyway. If you weren't going to buy it, it does not matter if you are getting a bargain because you are still spending money you normally wouldn't have.
On to the menu. This past week I sat down and figured out what I had in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Then I went to the store flyers that I go to and listed things on sale that we like. After that, it was online to find recipes that matched these ingredients.
Menu plan for over a week:
Stuffed Shells and Tomato Sauce: We had the shells in the freezer from a long ago sale and a friend gave me a box of plain sauce. She also gave us garlic, but any seasonings you have on hand will do, use your imagination! Garlic and onion powders should simmer a while to rehydrate though.
Seasoned Pork with Creamed Spinach and Roasted Herbed Potatoes: I also had a nice piece of pork from my friend (not sure of the cut though) but assorted chops can be found on sale often. Seasonings are what I have on hand. I purchased some frozen spinach and we have milk in the house. I had some russet potatoes that have seen better days, but added with a couple of red potatoes and a sweet potato (both purchased, but not a whole bag, just two pieces each) and tossed in oil, or whatever fat you have on hand and some herbs and it is quite yummy. If you have a little to splurge, try some fresh herbs in there too.
Curried Lentils and Rice: I have had two types of lentils in my cabinets for a while. We aren't big legume eaters, but we do like curry, so I found a recipe and will be using my red lentils for it. The rice was given to me, but it is also really cheap. If you are not good at cooking rice, try Freecycle for your area. Someone may be giving away a rice cooker. It does make life much easier. I even got a pound of yeast through them which I am still using. The seasonings I have in my collection.
Golden Sesame Tofu with Rice and Vegetable: When I wrote the menu I was not sure which vegetable to use, but we went with some canned green beans which said friend gave us. If you visit food pantries canned vegetables are often given out, so if you need the help, get it! Do not be ashamed, these are hard times. Tofu is pretty inexpensive when compared to meat. Even my husband liked it. The Whole Foods recipe called for honey, but any liquid sweetener will do in a pinch, just think about how it will flavor the dish before using. I had a lot of sesame seeds from when I was making bento for my daughter, so I toasted those up. This is a very nice dish, even for meat eaters.
Pizza: Flour, yeast, water, salt and a little oil is all you need for the dough. There are a million dough recipes out there, but this is what it boils down too. You do not have to make the perfect thin crust that you are used to from take out places. I stretch mine on a baking sheet and they love it. The cheese was on sale and I had a coupon, I was going to forgo toppings as it is extremely filling without any, but then at my second store found a stick of pepperoni for a great price. We have also put cut up pineapple on it, leftover chicken etc. With this I am using the mentioned tomato sauce seasoned, but if you like BBQ I have also use that sauce with Monterrey Jack and/or Cheddar cheese and it is quite yummy, especially if you have some chicken left overs or pulled pork etc. Very, very inexpensive meal, and it fills all four of us up perfectly. Rarely are their leftovers, and those are eaten the next day without fail.
Tuna Casserole: This is one of those things that you either love or hate I think. I always hated it myself, but we were given a bunch of light tuna and egg noodles. I used cream of chicken rather than cream of mushroom, which was on sale and I had coupons and it was much better to my tastes. I threw in some leftover frozen peas that were wasting away in the freezer, a few handfuls of cheddar cheese from that cheese purchase and topped it at the end with some breadcrumbs I found that needed to be used up, but you can use anything you like. Chips have been suggested to me as excellent, I know Ritz (TM) are really good crumbled on the top and my recipe suggested french fried onions. I tossed the plain crumbs with some butter, garlic powder and onion powder in a skillet for a little bit. It was not loved, but everyone said that they were fine with having it again. Better than I expected to be truthful.
Shepherd's Pie: Ah, a standby. We had purchased a large box of instant potatoes a long time ago, but if we didn't have that we would use whatever potatoes are on hand to mash. The hamburger was part of my care package, but around here we can find it for about 1.99 a pound sometimes so I buy as much as I can and pack them in 1 lb packages. I have some canned corn from said friend and I got some gravy powder in bulk when I got the potatoes. I think we were preparing for a storm when we got them. You can use pretty much any vegetable, frozen or canned, though I have never tried fresh. I don't know if it bakes long enough for fresh, but hey, one can always try!
Minestrone Soup: Friend also gave me a box of kidney beans. At the discount store chicken broth was on sale, but I also have some in the freezer because I try to save bits from chicken and vegetables and make a broth when I have enough. Throw in some carrots, potatoes and whatever vegetables you have on hand and some pasta or rice and you are done. If you are feeling adventurous you could make some bread or biscuits.
Beef and Chicken Potpies: Okay, this was a cop out meal. The discount store had them pretty cheap and we each got the kind we liked for a fairly quick meal. Not the healthiest, but cheaper than take out.
Sweet and Sour Spam and Rice: Before crying foul, I am not a Spam eater generally. My husband and kids have an affinity for it, so if it is cheap I will buy a can or two. I also will always pick up canned pineapple in juice whenever I can. Add some cornstarch, brown sugar and a little vinegar and you have sauce. One can, four people. There will also be a vegetable as we have some canned and frozen still.
Italian Sausage and Peppers: The sausage does go on sale, but you can use any raw sausage that you like and can afford. I just sear the sausage, add some broth and chopped onions with cubed potatoes and simmer until almost done, then remove the lid so what remains after a while is a nicely seasoned sauce. The peppers I cook on the side and add in so they don't get mushy, but you can just throw them in if you want. I had some sausage leftover from our bulk shopping trip many months ago so they needed to get used up.
Spinach Egg Drop Soup: Seriously cheap, especially if you made your own broth. You can used canned/boxed or heck, bouillon cubes are okay too, just a little salty so keep that in mind. Bring to a boil, add chopped frozen spinach, bring back up to a boil and drizzle some scrambled egg over the top. It will cook quickly. Nutmeg is an awesome spice for this dish and to be filling it needs some sort of bread to go with.
Corn Chowder (or Chowdah around here): A little chicken broth, some milk or if you have it some half and half, corn, potatoes, onions and if you have it some crisp bacon or bacon bits to sprinkle on the top. If you like your chowder thick, make a slurry with some milk and flour to thicken it up, just make sure it cooks a bit to get the flour taste out. My family can not get enough of this. I am too the point where the only pot I have big enough to feed them is my stock pot. Even without bacon. There are no green or colored vegetables in this one, which is a down side, but it is cheap.
Beans, Rice and Cheese: I honestly don't know how this will go, but I have the beans and rice on hand and the cheese was inexpensive, so we will give it a try. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
There was also "homestyle" mac and cheese on sale which set us back about three dollars for a family meal. Making it homemade is not really cheap unless you have access to inexpensive cheese or Velveeta is on sale, which I am not terribly fond of. It is an easy meal my husband can make, so in it goes for a quickie, don't order out meal.
Because I made use of coupons and sales and what I have on hand, I spent roughly 100.00 for two weeks of meals and oatmeal, dried fruit etc. for breakfasts and lunches. I even got some generic cookies for a treat. Eggs, milk, bread, yogurt (coupons!) and some additional things like flour and sugar were also purchased, so if we had been a little more frugal it would have been even less. I also have enough here for some more bland dinner options, many in fact. Meatless Spaghetti and sauce can be tedious as can rice and beans, but we also have plenty for that too.
If your cupboards are bare do not despair! (no, that was not rhymed on purpose). First off, see what you do have. If you are in a bind, go to a food pantry! Please, do not go hungry because you are ashamed or feel that there are others more deserving. You deserve to eat! Sometimes we need help to stretch those food dollars, that is how I did it. While it isn't often you get fresh meat at the pantries, they often have tuna or canned chicken. The canned beef is palatable if drowned in a sauce you like, but try to avoid it. Frozen generic vegetables are rarely bad, although you may find a stem or two in them. Find uses for legumes. My family does not like them, but i am pretty sure that they will be okay with these recipes because of the flavors. Also, try for your food stamps. I might get flamed for that, but they are there to help. If you can, get them. Record numbers of people are on them because of the economy, you are not bad for getting them.
Once I am done with this set of menus I will do it again and post the results because I will have far less items on hand at that point, making it more of a challenge. Also, search for coupons! You don't have to be a fanatical couponer to get some savings. There are many sites on line, and I will make another post about that type of online support soon.
Showing posts with label thrifty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thrifty. Show all posts
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
On Banking
I will admit to being completely uncomfortable with our banking systems in the United States. Even with that, and my dismay as programs such as the "dead peasant policies" that many have on their employees, which means that they collect insurance if an employee dies while working for them, there are also frugal reason why one should very seriously consider who they bank with.
Questions to ask yourself:
1. If this is a mortgage, are they going to sell it to another company who will in fact change the terms without you having any say. This is important because it costs money to refinance with another bank if you don't like the terms or don't trust the company.
2. Are they charging for your checking account? There are many small local banks and credit unions that do not charge for these services.
3. How do they handle overdrafts? I have just done some research on one popular and large bank and found that they are very tricky about this. They will "hold" money that has been withdrawn through an ATM or POS machine and approve more money if you need it even though you have spent it, but then, when the hold is gone, you are suddenly overdraft and are paying fees for each one. The bank I was looking at, as of four years ago, would charge more if you had overdrafted in the last 12 months and continue to charge until you have your balance back up again. This is even with overdraft protection. Read those papers that the new regulations require banks to send out in regards to this. If you have trouble understanding it, you can ask the bank or go online, or if you are really lucky, ask a friend who is a banker or lawyer to help you understand what you are agreeing to.
4. Do they pressure you to create accounts or loans that you don't need? We had to deal with a bank for a while where every time we walked in to do anything, we were cornered and questioned why our mortgage wasn't with them or why we didn't have a checking account with them. My daughter has since transferred to our bank, and believe me, they tried the guilt trip and attempted to make us question our decision. No bank should pressure you like that whenever you need their services.
5. New one I found out, if you write a check, will the person cashing it at your bank be charged a fee if they don't have an account with them? We just had that almost happen to us with a check. Then they wouldn't accept it and they would not tell us why. Since this was a business issue, it was imperative that we know the basic issue. Was the account closed? Was there not enough to cover it? I don't expect or want any personal information like how much is actually in there or social security numbers, just whether it is going to bounce on my account. I worked in a local bank many years ago (when it still took 5 days at least for a personal check to go from one account to another) and we were allowed to say whether or not the funds were available at that time. I couldn't promise it would be there when the check went through and I definitely couldn't give a balance, but letting them know if the funds for that particular check was there at the time was perfectly acceptable. In that, I am not sure if it has changed, but it is not unreasonable to asked.
6. Make sure you understand any and all fees associated with your accounts. Late fees for loans, overdrafts, low balances, ATM charges, replacement cards and online account payments are some that you should know before making the commitment to bank with them.
I am no longer in the banking business, so some of the rules have obviously changed, but you should know all of these things before going in and giving them your money. It is your money and in truth they are borrowing it and making investments. That is why runs on banks cause such problems, because the banks rarely have enough in actual cash to cover everyone's accounts at one time. Sure, some fees are fair and cover their expenses, but some banks are worse than others.
Also, watch where you use your ATM. I have been charged up to 5.00 to use a machine for cash. Try to plan ahead and take out all the cash you will need for the week from an ATM that does not charge you, or if it does at least you are only being charged once rather than many times as you withdraw as needed.
I doubt I need to remind everyone to keep careful track of balances. In this day and age it is remarkably easy to do, even if you do not use a check register. In an age of ATMs and POS machines, this accounting seems to have fallen to the way side. Look online, see what is available against what they say is in there. These are two different things. The available amount is what they consider you actually have, and don't forget to check and see that all your charges have gone through and use simple math to figure out how much you have left. I still think that old fashioned registers are the best, but also realized that this is much harder to do now that you don't have a check number to put down to identify the withdrawal.
Now, for the most part I practice what I preach, but I still haven't changed my money market to a regular checking despite never having a balance that keeps me from being charged and the charge is always more than the interest earned. So, on that note, my husband and I will be changing account types as soon as possible.
Questions to ask yourself:
1. If this is a mortgage, are they going to sell it to another company who will in fact change the terms without you having any say. This is important because it costs money to refinance with another bank if you don't like the terms or don't trust the company.
2. Are they charging for your checking account? There are many small local banks and credit unions that do not charge for these services.
3. How do they handle overdrafts? I have just done some research on one popular and large bank and found that they are very tricky about this. They will "hold" money that has been withdrawn through an ATM or POS machine and approve more money if you need it even though you have spent it, but then, when the hold is gone, you are suddenly overdraft and are paying fees for each one. The bank I was looking at, as of four years ago, would charge more if you had overdrafted in the last 12 months and continue to charge until you have your balance back up again. This is even with overdraft protection. Read those papers that the new regulations require banks to send out in regards to this. If you have trouble understanding it, you can ask the bank or go online, or if you are really lucky, ask a friend who is a banker or lawyer to help you understand what you are agreeing to.
4. Do they pressure you to create accounts or loans that you don't need? We had to deal with a bank for a while where every time we walked in to do anything, we were cornered and questioned why our mortgage wasn't with them or why we didn't have a checking account with them. My daughter has since transferred to our bank, and believe me, they tried the guilt trip and attempted to make us question our decision. No bank should pressure you like that whenever you need their services.
5. New one I found out, if you write a check, will the person cashing it at your bank be charged a fee if they don't have an account with them? We just had that almost happen to us with a check. Then they wouldn't accept it and they would not tell us why. Since this was a business issue, it was imperative that we know the basic issue. Was the account closed? Was there not enough to cover it? I don't expect or want any personal information like how much is actually in there or social security numbers, just whether it is going to bounce on my account. I worked in a local bank many years ago (when it still took 5 days at least for a personal check to go from one account to another) and we were allowed to say whether or not the funds were available at that time. I couldn't promise it would be there when the check went through and I definitely couldn't give a balance, but letting them know if the funds for that particular check was there at the time was perfectly acceptable. In that, I am not sure if it has changed, but it is not unreasonable to asked.
6. Make sure you understand any and all fees associated with your accounts. Late fees for loans, overdrafts, low balances, ATM charges, replacement cards and online account payments are some that you should know before making the commitment to bank with them.
I am no longer in the banking business, so some of the rules have obviously changed, but you should know all of these things before going in and giving them your money. It is your money and in truth they are borrowing it and making investments. That is why runs on banks cause such problems, because the banks rarely have enough in actual cash to cover everyone's accounts at one time. Sure, some fees are fair and cover their expenses, but some banks are worse than others.
Also, watch where you use your ATM. I have been charged up to 5.00 to use a machine for cash. Try to plan ahead and take out all the cash you will need for the week from an ATM that does not charge you, or if it does at least you are only being charged once rather than many times as you withdraw as needed.
I doubt I need to remind everyone to keep careful track of balances. In this day and age it is remarkably easy to do, even if you do not use a check register. In an age of ATMs and POS machines, this accounting seems to have fallen to the way side. Look online, see what is available against what they say is in there. These are two different things. The available amount is what they consider you actually have, and don't forget to check and see that all your charges have gone through and use simple math to figure out how much you have left. I still think that old fashioned registers are the best, but also realized that this is much harder to do now that you don't have a check number to put down to identify the withdrawal.
Now, for the most part I practice what I preach, but I still haven't changed my money market to a regular checking despite never having a balance that keeps me from being charged and the charge is always more than the interest earned. So, on that note, my husband and I will be changing account types as soon as possible.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Looking for Help
The last few days have been, well, interesting. I am currently trying to find a job after graduating from University in December. The market is pretty grim to be sure. Still, I am posting resumes on job sites and creating cover letters for specific jobs like a crazy person. I have had a few bites from job services, but I haven't looked into them yet. Some charge, and seeing as we really don't have the money, I will not be using their services.
In a fit of blind panic set off from seeing that the monthly passes for our public transport may go up 21 dollars in a few months, something that my family relies on, I started looking for more help. In my searching I found: http://www.fairfoods.org/ which is an organization for Massachusetts, I believe the Boston area. This organization will, twice a month (or more if you can travel) give out produce and other foods for 2 dollars a bag. You have to bring your own bags of course. The important thing about this for those of you who do not live by Boston is that you can go to your local government sites, either the state site, which is where I found this, or you town/city's sites. From my state site there is much information on services available, from weatherizing to help paying for heat to seeing what programs you qualify for, including SNAP (food stamps). While online I wasn't approved for SNAP, when I went in I found that there are forms that take our situation into account and we did get help. We now get 90 dollars a month, which is something. For your state website use this link: http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State-and-Territories.shtml and there is a list of all the states and territories.
If you have children under 5, check out the WIC program. This voucher system helps you to get formula (if you are not breastfeeding), cheese, milk, juice and cereal. In some places you even get vouchers for local farmer's markets. This is extremely helpful and they are a bit more generous in how much you can make in order to qualify than SNAP is.
As far as the job search goes, I am applying for things that I had hoped were far behind me. Because of my disability there are some jobs that I have been strongly advised not to do, but when you are broke you do what you have to. If I do end up in that type of job, hopefully it won't be for long and all will be well. I am also looking for sites that help to create resumes and job specific cover letters. I will post what I find.
In a fit of blind panic set off from seeing that the monthly passes for our public transport may go up 21 dollars in a few months, something that my family relies on, I started looking for more help. In my searching I found: http://www.fairfoods.org/ which is an organization for Massachusetts, I believe the Boston area. This organization will, twice a month (or more if you can travel) give out produce and other foods for 2 dollars a bag. You have to bring your own bags of course. The important thing about this for those of you who do not live by Boston is that you can go to your local government sites, either the state site, which is where I found this, or you town/city's sites. From my state site there is much information on services available, from weatherizing to help paying for heat to seeing what programs you qualify for, including SNAP (food stamps). While online I wasn't approved for SNAP, when I went in I found that there are forms that take our situation into account and we did get help. We now get 90 dollars a month, which is something. For your state website use this link: http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State-and-Territories.shtml and there is a list of all the states and territories.
If you have children under 5, check out the WIC program. This voucher system helps you to get formula (if you are not breastfeeding), cheese, milk, juice and cereal. In some places you even get vouchers for local farmer's markets. This is extremely helpful and they are a bit more generous in how much you can make in order to qualify than SNAP is.
As far as the job search goes, I am applying for things that I had hoped were far behind me. Because of my disability there are some jobs that I have been strongly advised not to do, but when you are broke you do what you have to. If I do end up in that type of job, hopefully it won't be for long and all will be well. I am also looking for sites that help to create resumes and job specific cover letters. I will post what I find.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Purchasing Online
Some may say that buying online is not very budget friendly. I think that it depends on what, how much shipping is and how far you would need to go to pick it up in the real world. One of my children is very much into lolitta clothing. There really isn't anywhere around here to get it, so I went to a site that she sent me a link to and purchased her gift from there. Unfortunately, I got it too small. This is where I learned my lesson.
Always look at their refund/exchange policy. I was having this outfit delivered from California, so I never considered that it would not have a reasonable return policy. Boy was I wrong. First, you have 10 days to contact them. Well, I bought this well before Christmas, so that did not happen. Second, it has to be something that they did wrong. You have to take pictures of the problem and send that to them first. You must have ALL the original wrapping and pay shipping. I don't understand how an online only clothing shop will not exchange clothes that do not fit. There is no place to try them on, and the size I got was her normal size. Needless to say, I have wasted money. When there is not a lot to begin with this is bad, and even worse, my daughter didn't get her present.
My girls do not ask for a lot, and when they ask for something it is very reasonable. My youngest really loves classic Lolita clothing, but waited until the holidays to ask for anything because it wasn't reasonable to get it for everyday clothing. Now, I have to sell this entire outfit for less than I paid for it, and get her just one article of clothing rather than the whole outfit. We don't spend a lot on clothes, and Lolita styles require many pieces. She has purchased her own dress and her older sister lets her borrow the button up blouse and I found an inexpensive petticoat on Etsy.com which was lovely.
So, if your child is into this type of clothing, do not go to What a Beautiful Life even though their prices are usually really good. Frugal tip of the day? READ the policies of any place you shop. Just because so many places have lovely return policies doesn't mean that they all do. Take nothing for granted.
Lesson learned.
Always look at their refund/exchange policy. I was having this outfit delivered from California, so I never considered that it would not have a reasonable return policy. Boy was I wrong. First, you have 10 days to contact them. Well, I bought this well before Christmas, so that did not happen. Second, it has to be something that they did wrong. You have to take pictures of the problem and send that to them first. You must have ALL the original wrapping and pay shipping. I don't understand how an online only clothing shop will not exchange clothes that do not fit. There is no place to try them on, and the size I got was her normal size. Needless to say, I have wasted money. When there is not a lot to begin with this is bad, and even worse, my daughter didn't get her present.
My girls do not ask for a lot, and when they ask for something it is very reasonable. My youngest really loves classic Lolita clothing, but waited until the holidays to ask for anything because it wasn't reasonable to get it for everyday clothing. Now, I have to sell this entire outfit for less than I paid for it, and get her just one article of clothing rather than the whole outfit. We don't spend a lot on clothes, and Lolita styles require many pieces. She has purchased her own dress and her older sister lets her borrow the button up blouse and I found an inexpensive petticoat on Etsy.com which was lovely.
So, if your child is into this type of clothing, do not go to What a Beautiful Life even though their prices are usually really good. Frugal tip of the day? READ the policies of any place you shop. Just because so many places have lovely return policies doesn't mean that they all do. Take nothing for granted.
Lesson learned.
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