Food spending OCTOBER Week 4, Meal Planning Week 4+ & NOVEMBER Week 1

When a weather emergency happens, we frugal, stockpiling mavens don't need to run to the stinkin' store for water, milk, bread and batteries!

We have the essentials in our stockpile already!  We are magnificent role models for society during emergency situations!

Having taken care of the basics, we can then concentrate on running to the liquor store and the snack food aisle of the grocery store.

Priorities people.....priorities!!

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Since Hubs and I were down at the shore celebrating our 30th Anniversary, I have no CLUE what meals at home consisted of last week!  I left the almost 20 yr. old and 16.5 yr. old with many food options(most requiring little if any cooking), but other than some Ramen noodles they don't seem to have eaten anything!lol

Daughter got chinese take-out 1 night and #2 Son went and mooched off his friends and their family at least 1 night.

Oh, I forgot that 2 pizzas ARE MIA from the freezer.......of course they are! lolz

As for food spending......Hubs and I had a room with a kitchenette so we did do some food shopping on vacation.

We had breakfast in the room all but 1 day.

We had dinner in the room 1 night and we skipped lunch a few days and had toast or fruit in the room to get us through to dinner.  I spent $37.30 on groceries consumed last week.

We spent $24.94 on country ham to bring home for later(can't get it here).

Then we we got home, I went crazy Saturday at the grocery store and spent $109.81.  The local Shursave affiliate store is doing their Thanksgiving promotion(Spend $XXX, get a $XX gift certificate Deal)for the next 3 weeks.  I am using this time to stock up on sale items that are mostly nonperishable(canned/boxed/paper products/etc.).  Things I would need to buy anyway, so why not buy them in these 3 weeks and get credit toward the gift certificate.  

Since changing my shopping habits about 4 years ago, I haven't spent enough toward this Promotion to actually earn a gift certificate except for last year.  I may have a shot at a $15 certificate this year.  There is also a Baking Goods Catalina promo running concurrently with the Thanksgiving Promo....Spend $30 on select items and Earn a $10 Cat Q.  These baking promo items double dip with the Thanksgiving Promo.

So if you add up Week 2's spending of $52.68(which I didn't report last Monday), the $37.30 I spend for groceries on vacation, the $24.94 on ham we hauled home and the $109.81 from Saturday, that makes $224.73 used for 2 weeks worth of food spending.

Added to the $247.63 from the first 2 weeks of October and my grocery bill for October to this point is $472.36.

Over again this month by $72.36.

If I were to take out the money I give Daughter to buy convenience foods for lunches at work/school and the non-perishables I bought on Saturday to get the Thanksgiving Reward, I would have been under or on budget for the month.

Oh well.....there is always next month, right? ;-)

At least going over doesn't mean we go into debt to eat here.  While I don't have to keep under to stay solvent with the finances I still like to keep my thumb on the food spending.  If I ignore it and just spend whatever/whenever, the bottom line gets out of hand real fast!

Next month I plan to keep my $400 budget and PLEASE come here and wag your finger at me about that!  I am serious people!!

I still need to purchase about $200 for the Thanksgiving Promotion so half my Nov. budget will go for that.....buying items that will be needed for the month and/or good to have in the stockpile.  Another piece of my budget will go to Daughter for her lunches for work/school.  

As for Turkey Day, the only items I need to purchase for the Thanksgiving meal are whipped cream(for pies), celery, rutabaga and a turkey.  I have everything else--for stuffing, for making rolls, for pies, for cranberry sauce, for 3-4 veggie dishes.  I even have a few cans of GRAVY from last year.....yes Judy, I said GRAVY!!!lolz 

 I don't plan on stepping foot into Weis(Pound Me In The Ass)Markets in November so no GRAVY SCAVENGER HUNT this year for me!  More on the 2011 Great Gravy Saga HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.  

If Weis does that Gravy Deal again and I start to waiver, please come here and tie me to my chair! ;-)

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This week's menu.....taking power failure possibility into account.....

Sunday--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Mushrooms, Onions

Monday--Sloppy Joe on Onion Rolls, Corn(can cook ahead Monday a.m.and reheat on grill burner should power go out later in day)

Tuesday--Grilled Steak(planning on no power), Kraft, Salad, Ice Cream LOL

Wednesday--Marinated Chicken Breast on grill(planning on no power), grilled Potatoes, thawing frozen Veggies will be heated on grill

Thursday--Beef Stew(from leftover Pot Roast-made on grill burner if no power), Homemade bread(if the power is back up)or store bought bread here(in no power)

Friday--Salmon, Rice, Broccoli (if power is up)--if no power, whatever is in fridge that has to be eaten

Saturday--Leftovers or TBA if still without power

 

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....Not a single thing.  Ok, maybe some salad.

So what are you cooking at your house this week?
If you are in the path of the Sandy, do you have a contingency plan for meals?

Sluggy

It's Heading Up the Coast Now!

Here's some photos from a friend on Facebook, down from where I am from.
These were taken on Hatteras Island today.  This is the second cycle of high tides since Sandy got offshore there.
That's the Frisco Pier, or rather what's left of it.......

And here are some homes about to be reclaimed by the sea......

Highway 12, the only road through the Outer Banks down to Hatteras is impassable in sections due to flooding and overwash from the sound and the ocean.   Widespread power outages in Eastern NC as well.

The low lying and underpass flooding has commenced in Norfolk VA according to friends in Hampton Roads.

Please don't be an idiot and go wandering out to the coast to see this people.
Stay home and let the adrenalin junkies on the Weather Channel go out in this and show you the pictures.

Sluggy

Storm Prep Sunday

So we left the shore on Friday, unpacked and a few other things on Saturday, and now we get to spend our Sunday making sure we are ready for Sandy to hit town.
I grew up in Virginia Beach so prepping for a Hurricane is nothing new to me.  I just never thought I'd have to do this sort of stuff in landlocked PA!lol

Here's my prep list.....

WATER--I had picked up 2 cases of water while down at the shore last week(the tap water there is nasty!lol)  Between what I have left and what I have here in bottle water, we are good to go on that item.

LIGHTS--I have a bevy of flashlights and a stockpile of batteries already.  I also have matches and jarred candles.

RADIO/PHONES--We have 2 radios that take batteries or electricity.  We have a landline in case the cell towers go down.  The cell phones are charged.

VEHICLES--The car that isn't filled yet will be filled up today if we need to bug out of here.  We aren't in a flood plain but if the electric goes down for an extended period and the temperature goes down, we may need to "hotel it" if the house gets too cold.  We have 2 different dog kennels on standby if needed, depending on where the grid problems are.  When the Tornado hit Dec. 1st in 2006 we lost power for 3 days but the outlying area and south of our town didn't.  The temp dropped from 70 to below freezing after the tornado came through so we had to bug out but didn't have to go far.  Last year with Tropical Storm Lee's flooding and then Hurricane Irene on top of it, we miraculously kept power and didn't have flooding at our house.  We've planned out 4 evacuation routes out of town, just in case we need to leave anyway.  Depending on where the flash flooding hits, we'll need options for routes out of the area.

CASH--I have cash on hand and it's enough for an emergency situation.

FOOD/COOKING--We have more than half a tank of propane on the gas grill, in case the grid goes down and we need to cook.  I'll be moving the meat/veg. items in the freezer I will need to get out for emergency cooking.
That way, if the electric goes out, 1 quick trip to the freezer and done so the door isn't opened alot and the coldness isn't dissipated.  Leaving the freezer shut will help keep the food from thawing sooner.  If the grid stays down, we'll be eating ice cream for dinner.lol
We have shelf stable foods to get us through at least 2 weeks, maybe more....let's hope it doesn't come to that though! ;-)  I've been making extra ice just in case and will keep the cooler from the trip out instead of putting it away in the garage.

CLOTHING-- We did laundry on Saturday from the trip so we are set on clean clothing for a week or two.

We are pretty much set except for bringing some outdoor things in.  I have to put the lawn chairs in the garage and make sure the flag pole is taken down too.
  Just waiting on if they are going to close the school here and watching the path.  Looks now like the worst of this will go inland PAST us into central South Central PA.

Everybody be safe now!!

Sluggy

Guess.....

.....where I have been lately?

Does this photo help?

How about this one?

We hightailed it outta Ocean City MD as they were rolling up the sidewalks and blocking up the beach access against that unwelcomed  guest due to arrive soon, Hurricane Sandy.
Good thing we didn't elect to take next week for our beach holiday, right?lol

I'm back and sober(for the time being)and trying to get up to speed in the blog world.
What has everyone been up to?

Sluggy

It's Almost That Time Folks

Do you know what's just around the corner?
It's NOVEMBER and the kick-off to the madness we call Christmas Shopping!

This just in......just in time for the Holiday Shopping Season.....





Are YOU ready for it?

Sluggy