Fred Meyer $6.32
I was going to try and do a no spend week last week but we ran out of milk on thursday and since milk at Fred Meyer was on sale for $0.99 a half gallon I decided to pop by and stock up. About 6 months ago I noticed Fred Meyer put their milk on sale every other week so I try and get enough to last 2 weeks when it’s on sale.
Normally I would have bought more milk, but because I switched out about 10 cups of tea {I always add sugar and milk to it} for water, our milk consumption has gone way down. Monkey Boy and The Girl will only occasionally drink a glass of milk and the HH never does so really the milk they are using only goes in with a bowl of cold cereal {and they don’t have that often either}. Which means…. I was the one drinking 80% of the milk. I never thought about that before. Weird, huh? I’m pretty sure if I only drank 3 cups of tea a day {2 in the morning, one in the afternoon with milk and sugar} along with the regular food I eat, I’d probably be getting enough calcium each day. Don’t you think?
Hey, drinking less milk could mean an extra $2-3 a week in the grocery budget if I could kick my 10-15 cups of tea habit for good. {Oh, and a note to the person who suggested I try drinking warm water with a little lemon juice in it. I LOVE IT!!!! I know now it was the warmness I was craving all day… not so much the tea. Thank you!}
Yada yada yada, I also picked up a free box of 10 whole chickens thanks to some Zaycon credit I had. I shared the birds with Mrs. HB because I am trying to clear out my garage freezer.
Last week I made the usual stuff…. chocolate chip cookies, big salads for me at lunch, leftovers in the HH’s lunch box and then there were all those oddball meals.
Did I mention I’m trying to clear out our garage freezer so I can sell it? Yep. And I’m almost done. I figure by this time next week I’ll be able to clean it up and get rid of it.
I just need to make some room in the freezer in the kitchen first. That means every meal this week will be totally random and most likely involve corn, stir fry veggies or frozen berries. I know another freshly baked pie wouldn’t be good for my muffin top, but The Girl and I are already drinking a smoothie a day, adding frozen fruit to our drinking water and have eaten enough berry muffins over the past few weeks to last us a good while. 😉 Plus blueberry pies… they’re so yummy.
Oh, and the refrigerator…. I’m working on that too. We don’t have a ton of condiments, but we have loads of jam that has been sitting around for a year and a half that we need to use up if we are going to try some new recipes this summer.
That’s what’s happening in my kitchen this week…. what’s going on in yours? Have you tried a no spend week yet? Aren’t they fun? Did you learn anything new about yourself?
~Mavis
- Total Spent This Week $6.32
- Total Spent in Janaury on Groceries $202.99
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $68.88
- Total Spent in January on Take Out, Date Nights, and Bakery Treats $42.19
- Total Spent in February on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $81.46
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Lisa says
A great way to use up homemade jam is to get plain yogurt and add a scoop of yummy jam. So much better than those artificial flavors!
Mary Ann says
I think you’ll end up regretting selling the freezer.
Mavis Butterfield says
Only time will tell Mary Ann…. but I don’t think so.
Carrie says
You can always unplug it and wait to sell in a month or two to make certain you won’t need it.
I have been wanting a small freezer for years now. My side by side fridge just doesn’t hold my extra produce from summer. I would be able to freeze tomatoes to make sauce in the winter and I could pick more berries during the summer to enjoy all winter long (I make 3 smoothies a week and constantly buying frozen fruit!) Would also love to freeze my homegrown green beans instead of buying a bag of frozen every week.
Jane A says
Totally relate to enjoying hot drinks through the day. I’m more of a coffee girl. I try to limit myself to one carmel macchiato in the morning.. I used to do Starbucks daily and now I make them myself so that’s how I justify it! 🙂
Kara says
You could also use the leftover jam to make a fruit-flavored vinaigrette salad dressing. Just pour some olive oil and balsamic or red wine vinegar into the jam jar and give it a good shake.
Mavis Butterfield says
This is a fantastic idea!!!!
Carrie says
I do this! 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp dijon and two big spoonfuls of jam. I put it all in a glass jar and shake.
Michelle says
Hi, just wondering what you are using to keep your deep freezer organized?
Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
I put meat, veggies, fruits, freezer meals in their own area and then I usually have bread in a basket and oddball items on the side shelf. I hope that helps.
Lesley says
Mavis, you are getting plenty of calcium in your leafy greens and other sources throughout the day. There are many scientists who don’t think adults should drink dairy at all. Might be worth your while to google “sources of calcium.” You grow such amazing vegetables, I bet you’re covered.
Gina says
I love your work through the freezer month posts. It reminds me I have to do the same. As far as my fridge goes, I have a super clean and empty one, thanks to 60 hours with no power, in the last snow storm that shot through the area. Thankfully, my deep freezer is outside in the cold garage, so I didn’t lose any of my expensive meats. Since it’s just two of us in the house now, I’ve decided I don’t need the huge bottles of condiments anymore. More isn’t always better, when you have to dump it down the drain because it spoiled. So, I’ll be saving money in replacements. Still sad to have to replace, but, hey, it happens in the PNW, right?
Helen in Meridian says
Dr Oz says you should have a cup of Hot Water with 1/2 lemon squeezed fresh into it within the first 15 minutes of getting up. Maybe your electric hot water pot can be used again this way.
Helen in Meridian says
So far this year, our Boise area Fred Meyers have not had the 1/2 gallons of milk for .99. They were on a lot the last few years, but this year I haven’t seen them at that price, so I hit WINCO.
Mavis Butterfield says
Really? I had no idea. I’m going to have to look that up Helen.
Cecile says
If you have enough berries you could do small batches of jams or jellies that will last quite some time, and save you from eating them all up in a few weeks!
Stacey says
Jam Scones!! Thats what I would do with all that jelly/jam. My family loves them! Here’s a link to the recipe.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/SconesfilledwitheJam.html
Gina says
Sounds like we all are trying to SAVE MAVIS’ FREEZER, LOL…..You do lots of canning and preserving stuff, Mavis. We have a small family so we just have a little dorm sized freezer in our garage but it does come in handy when I freeze stuff in the summer as well. Are you having second thoughts yet?
Jennifer Meyer says
#savethefreezer
Lace Faerie says
Amen! #youllbesorry
Lace Faerie says
Oh, ya, if you don’t have room for large Zaycon orders, I’ll gladly take those credits off your hands!
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I am not a big hot tea drinker but in the summer months when I have a pot ful of fresh mint growing, I constantly have a pitcher of water and mint springs to drink in the fridge. I LOVE it- so refreshing! I bet it would be good hot too if you are a mint tea drinker. I mean, it’s a subtle flavor. But if you have a pot of fresh mint already, it might be an additional sub with your hot lemon water.
KK @ http://www.preppypinkcrocodile.com
Laura says
Maybe try sliced ginger root in your hot water. It’s really delicious, you could put some honey in it too. When I buy too much ginger I drink it hot or slice it up and put it in my cold water to drink throughout the day.