Dec 29, 2012 |
I received a gift card for Christmas. I’m so very excited. Some people think gift cards are impersonal. I think gift cards are Potential. I plan to use this one for my January grocery budget.
The Unemployment Cookbook by Molly Jo Realy
I’m on a mission to save money and still feed my family well. I’m taking a page from my Cookbook, and starting with the recipe that started it all: Slow Cooker Ratatouille.
For just around $10, I’ll get the vegetables I need. I always keep olive oil and seasonings in the pantry.
Jan. 1: The Ratatouille will feed myself and Dot for two dinners.
Jan. 3: Drain the liquids and put half of the remaining seasoned vegetables on top a pizza crust. I always keep a frozen crust, so I’ll only need sauce and shredded cheese, about $7. This will feed us two dinners.
Jan. 5: Add the rest of the Ratatouille to my Baked Frittata. I usually keep eggs and milk in the house, but when I need to buy them, it costs close to $6 for both. I’ll already have shredded cheese from the pizza. The Frittata will feed us brunch and dinner for Saturday, and breakfast leftovers on Sunday.
Frittata
Jan. 6: My Slow Cooker Turkey Chili. I’ll need to buy just one pound of ground turkey, two cans of beans, and three cans of vegetables, near $8. I keep spices and onions in my pantry. This will feed us for three dinners, and I can take a serving for lunch.
Jan. 9: Potato Chip Casserole. I’ll need to buy the chips and chicken, approximately $5. I always keep milk and cream soups in my fridge and pantry. This goes fast, usually allowing for just one dinner and lunch leftovers.
Jan. 10: Texas Hash. I have all the ingredients except ground beef, average $4.I usually also need a green pepper. But I’ll have an extra pepper from the Ratatouille ingredients. I’ll use my FoodSaver to keep it fresh until I need it. Texas Hash will feed us at least three dinners.
And there I’ve scheduled 12 days of dinners for less than $40.00. Feeding two, sometimes three, adults. That’s less than $1.50 per person per meal.
For breakfasts, one box of Malt-o-Meal ($4), two boxes of instant oatmeal ($2 each), and a few yogurts (10 at $0.50 each). $13 total for a month of breakfasts.
I’m going to try new Bento lunch ideas (send some thoughts my way, Rachel!). Dot is on winter break for the month, so I’ll have some sandwich fixin’s for her, too. Each Bento averages $2. Lunches for the month should run us close to $50.
And that’s my Mojo Meal Plan for the first part of January, and then some. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 28, 2012 |
It’s the last Friday of the month, and the year.
I’ve had my Resolutions in place for over a week now.
A writing schedule. A work schedule. A home schedule.
A food budget. A recipe budget. A home budget. An emergency budget.
I have a plan. I plan… to plan.
Since July, 2011 I sort of flew by the seat of my pants. Until I started working again.
Without child support and only 35 hours a week, my income isn’t that great. But it’s mine. And I’m doing the best I can.
I have never wanted to go on Welfare. I’m frustrated with the stigma that causes. I understand the system isn’t perfect, but nothing ever is. I don’t like the perception that “everyone” on welfare is lazy or taking advantage of others. There is no shame in finding help when it’s vital to existence. But I refuse to burden society with my debts. I’ve always managed to pay my bills… late, past due, those fees add up. But at least I’m the one paying them. And someday soon, it will get better.
We’re going to tighten the belt even more around here. Now that the holiday specials are over, I’m suspending my TV subscription for a few months. That money will go toward paying off the smallest bill in January. So in February, I can take the TV money and the smallest bill money, and put that toward the next smallest bill. After another month, that’s two bills paid off.
If the Fiscal Cliff isn’t as horrid as we’re being scared into thinking, my tax refund should help pay off a few more small debts.
My goal, God willing and the Creek Don’t Rise, is to be nearly debt-free by the end of 2013. The only remaining debts should by my mortgage, car, and student loans.
That’s the plan.
I don’t know how realistic it is. If anything changes, I don’t know how I’ll handle it.
I received four books for Christmas. Dot gave me a wonderful edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit. It includes maps, has a leather cover, and is pocket size. It’s perfect! The other three are from my brother. Three books on better blogging. There aren’t enough hours in the day for me to read! (Another reason the TV won’t be missed.)
I’m making a menu plan for January. That’s a separate post. I was gifted with a $100 gift card for Christmas, and I intend to use it strictly for my food budget. I want to see how long it will last if I plan ahead. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a few snacks. I’m choosing foods that will go a long way: one box of Malt-o-Meal is two weeks’ breakfast for us. My Slow Cooker Ratatouille will feed us for days as a hot dish, pizza topping, and in my Baked Frittata.
I’m going to cut out fast food eating, too. That means no Starbucks in January, and I can’t begin to tell you how I feel about that. I’m only six drinks shy of keeping my Gold Card Status, too. Well, my tastebuds won’t thank me, but my wallet will!
And then there’s the writing. Oh, the writing! Recipes. Dragons. And everything in between. I miss posting daily links at BlogHer’s NaBloPoMo, but I don’t miss my trite, nonsensical postings. With the Cookbook Campaign, the Series with Megan, the Study on the Ten Commandments, and a few other starter projects, my writing plate is overflowing with goodies!
And today is Friday. The last Friday of the month and year. But really… it’s just the Beginning.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 26, 2012 |
The holidays are almost over. That mad rush to get from A to Z while making everyone happy and doubling up on the social calendar. It’s time to wind down from all the excitement and regroup with some personal R&R. But something great is just around the corner.
We made it past the predicted Mayan apocalypse. The New Year is almost here.
Can you feel it?
It’s called Hope.
Some expectations I had for this week have been postponed. That’s not the same as canceled. Disappointment is not a disaster.
In the last year or so I’ve seen in hindsight how things tend to work together. When I thought the cosmos was playing dice with my life, I can now look back to view the puzzle pieces neatly falling into place.
And it’s only getting better.
My Word this week is Hope.
What’s yours?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
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Dec 22, 2012 |
This morning I wanted to write a different post. The kind of post I share on Shell’s Pour Your Heart Out weekly sharing at Things I Can’t Say. That’s the kind of mood I was in.
Instead, I swallowed it. I got my Big Girl Panties on and mud kickin’ boots and boy howdy, did my outlook change!
As you’ve no doubt noticed, I’ve been on a writing vacation of sorts for a few days, and I intend to carry it on through the New Year. In the past four days, I’ve had a very productive business meeting (more on that in a few days!) with someone who I expect will become a very good friend and writing inspiration to me and Megan. I reconnected with the Second Family at the Bible Study’s potluck Christmas Party. Those are the moments I love… when the rest of the group leaves and Dot and I linger for another several hours. It’s been so long since I’ve had any time with them… it was the best Christmas gift they could have given us: the gift of their attentions.
As previously hinted, I restructured my Kickstarter campaign. I remade the video, and for only my second video-making foray, I’m rather proud of the results. I’m now offering better Backer Rewards. And I extended the end-date to February 1. It may seem lengthy, but with two weeks of holidays thrown at us just now, it will pass rather quickly.
I spent part of this afternoon wrapping the few presents for Mutti and Dot, and as we all ate lunch together, the winds ushered in dark clouds and the hint of precipitation. Even if it doesn’t rain, the winter gray makes it a better weekend. The wind is blowing through the fireplace and under the door… it feels quite like Little Women around here!
We’re cozied up with our tree lit, the wonderful scent of Yankee Candle’s Mountain Lodge burning on the hearth, and a stack of Christmas movies to be watched.
After a long, hard month… I’m taking time to relax and enjoy this moment.
And it finally feels like Christmas.
Be blessed, this week and always.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 18, 2012 |
I’m overwhelmed. I admit it. I was told tonight, “It’s good to see you smiling again,” and I wondered how long had I not been smiling?
I’m finding my Happy Place again. Traveling deeper on that path. There’s a better sense of better in my household. Dot’s registered for her second semester of college. College! I’m still working my day job. I’ve worked out a writing schedule with Megan, and for myself. It’s time to keep track of that date book I tend to ignore.
And I can see how I overworked myself this summer, and am determined to not do it again. It’s funny how cutting back on some things can actually make life seem more hectic.
I’m a creature of stability, of structure. Change harasses me instead of helps me. But we’re learning to coexist. I can’t put my finger on it, but lately I’m beginning to realize how I need to change in order to spread my wings. I can see how to accomplish what I want to accomplish, and that means change. Slowing down. Turning around. And sometimes, stopping.
Working a full time job, this full time job, really keeps me busy. No cell phones allowed. No personal calls. No personal computer use. It’s great. She doesn’t pay me to twiddle my thumbs. I’m actually earning a living. Or trying to. Right now, I’m still learning how to earn. There’s so much to know, so much involved with learning the office procedures and doing the job I was hired to do and learning how to do it better… It’s wonderful. And busy. And even if she allowed it, I’d have no time for personal calls or personal computer time.
So I work a full day, come home, and work here. At Bedford Manor. I cook. We clean. We eat. We spend a few hours together then we each go to bed for a few hours of sleep.
I don’t like sleeping. It’s a waste of time. Oh, the things I could accomplish if my body didn’t require sleep! The books would be written by now. The correspondence course, finished. The first popover recipe made. The books on the shelf read. All this and more.
I find myself keeping a tighter schedule. Less frittering away two hours a day. More intentional time well spent. It’s easier to say “no” than it was two months ago.
You know those movies when the main character is walking up to some huge door, alone? And you just know Something Good is on the other side, but getting up those steps is half the battle?
That’s what this is. It’s the battle. And it’s over.
I’m knocking on that door. I’m pushing it open. Letting the light pour out and the fresh air in.
I’m overwhelmed with how big this world is, and how I’m just starting to discover it. Things I didn’t think were possible are starting to happen. Results I never thought I’d see are being seen by many. My home is peaceful tonight. And my world is expanding.
It’s breathtaking. A little unnerving.
And utterly unmissable.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
