Last night, hubby surprised me and took us out to eat to get a break from the heat. I had decided last night that I would pay back the kindness and make a nice meal, instead of the quick cook casseroles I had been making. I used the crock pots so as to not heat up the kitchen.
Cooked roast beef, baby red potatoes and green beans. Man the house smelled incredible all day. It was time to eat, you see my plate, and I ate all alone. Hubby told me when he got home he had football meeting to go to, daughter Miss J opted to accept a friend's invitation to go eat at the bowling alley. Go figure!Oh well, such is my life around here. LOL
I finally got through all my receipts today and have finished my price book. I looked at a lot of different kinds that people had made, then I came up with what I think will work for me. It is a small green binder that is just the size to hold index cards. I bought colored cards and used white as well, breaking my groceries in to about 14 categories. I figured this would be easier for me to carry with me, which is what I want to do so I can check to see if the sale price is really a great price while in the store. It also has a pocket that I can put my coupons in.
The last big grocery shop I did, spent about 4 hours preparing for it. Wrote a list of what I needed to buy, different list for different stored based on sale fliers. This worked out really well as I also wrote which items on my list I had coupons for, how much the coupon was for, and exactly what I had to buy to use the coupon. OH MY GOSH was that really helpful for me as I got to one store and found out that their regular price was cheaper than the sale price. My last trip I spent a tad over $200.00 after my coupons. I actually saved about $75 between the coupons and shopping sales. I had estimated that I bought enough to make my rough meal list for 4 weeks, maybe 6. Well, I have done beyond wonderful with all my planning. We get paid again this week end and so far it is a very short list for the grocery shopping next week. This is so wonderful, will give me extra money from the grocery budget to take advantage of any sales. Only need milk and bread and of course toilet paper. I am really digging this, finally feel like I am getting my act together. I already have next week's menu plan ready to go, have a few more weeks worked up, but that will depend on the sales. Sure makes my life easier when I know what is cooking a head of time. Of course, since I changed up the menu and no one was home to eat it, there will be left overs for the week end whether they like it or not.
On to other topics. I have determined a way to have a small garden. I have no room in the back, it is all pool, hot tub and cement. Having very narrow flower beds that the four dogs love to roll around it. The front yard is not much better as in my neighborhood all the fruits of my labor would literally walk away. Because of the dogs, don't think the raised bed or square foot method would work well for me, and there is the issue of only patches of full sun. Not to be defeated, I do have my three topsy turvy planters. I have lots of places for hanging baskets that I can plant herbs in as well. We have a rotted out BBQ that really needed to be hauled off that I went out and took a second long look at. While it is no good for cooking, I have come up with the plan to use it for some tomatoes and peppers. Tomatoes in the pit part, potted peppers to sit on the little shelves that are for holding platters and such. I will post photos as I get it all going and growing. Will be buying plants on Saturday to get started.
I am too tired tonight, but tomorrow evening will get the embroidery machine out for a bit to embroidery a couple of names on the corners of some little baby blanket animals. A dear lady at our church is going through chemo for breast cancer and they are for her grand babies.
Thanks for stopping in and check back soon for recipes I am going to post.
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