Leftovers tonight. I made chicken and rice last night so I have plenty. I have no desire to step foot into a grocery store. Using food I have on hand. Can't wait till the garden starts producing!
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So what's been going on at Chez Sluggy? Yesterday was a busy day. I've taken to doing a daily "Get 'Er Done" List trying to move forward on packing, decluttering, and anything else I need to get done to keep me motivated. And Sissie has been keeping me accountable as I send her a text with what I get done.
Yesterday's List--
* Clean antique sewing machine * Photograph it and list on FB Marketplace * Follow up with ceramic shop on them taking my ceramic molds * Bag up bisque smalls and ornament in basement and haul upstairs(Hubs to haul) * Box up another Food Bank donation * Call the Bank about getting more checks * Call NCL about password issue and currency issue * Gather and photograph stuff for 2 more Giveaways
All but the first two items got done. go me. ;-) I also made dinner and baked 4 small loaves of sweet breads(2 orange/cranberry and 2 blueberry).
3 bags and 1 box of smalls/ornies got hauled up for me to go through. Not sure on how much I'll get done today as I need to take my nephew to the grocery store midday. I was going to drive him to a job interview but that's being done on Zoom now but he still needs to go grocery shopping for himself and his father. Yesterday somebody rear ended his almost new car so he's in a pickle right now. Luckily his current job is walkable from his apartment.
Today's List--
* Clean antique sewing machine * Photo and list it * Write up Giveaway posts * Edit more old photos * Nephew to store and maybe lunch * Start going through bisque * Figure out what's for dinner(probably leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner-ie, easy)
Not a big list as that area of my back is acting up so I can't be bending and toting stuff for a few days until my back stops screaming at me.
Like Rhitter knows this whole preparing to move halfway across the country sucks. At least she doesn't have to sell a house thrown into the mix. ;-)
Still editing photos from our trip out West and came across this one from a gas station/convenience store we stopped at before leaving Idaho. It spoke to me. lolz
Onward to the meal planning!
Here's what was planned.....
1. Sunday--Beef Stroganoff, Green Beans
2. Monday--Lasagna, Salad
3. Tuesday--Leftovers
4. Wednesday--whatever I pull out of the freezer
5. Thursday--ditto
6. Friday--ditto
7. Saturday--ditto
And here's what actually happened........
1. Sunday--Beef Stroganoff, Rice, Green Beans
2. Monday--Sausages, Pierogi
3. Tuesday--Leftovers
4. Wednesday--Fend for Yourself
5. Thursday--Subway sandwiches
6. Friday--Leftover Stroganoff, Rice, Green Beans
7. Saturday--Chinese Take-Out
Hubs had his stiches out so can eat freely again. oh goody. lol I didn't make the lasagna as it has been so hot here lately. 2 nights of take-out since....heat.
What got put into the freezer last week....
* Not a danged thing yet again
What got taken out of the freezer and used...
* 1/2 of a London Broil
* Bag of Green Beans
* Pack of Sausages
* Bag of Pierogi
I spent $38.83 on food/toiletries/HBA this last week at Walmart and the Produce market.
This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $162.06 for July.
There are 6 shopping days left in July.
I've earned $95.14 on Ibotta in July.
I've earned $4.49 on Checkout51 in July.
I've earned $4.00 on Coupons dotcom in July.
I've earned 4,626 points from shopping on Fetch in July.
I earned 1230 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in July.
I've earned $16.89 from food shopping on Swag Bucks in July.
That's $103.63 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $162.06 in grocery spending so in reality it's $58.43 spent after the 3 rebate apps I count.
My savings percentage for the last week was 56.01% (without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)and the monthly savings total for Julycomes in at 46.34% so far(w/out R-A).
Leftovers going into this week....some sausages and pierogi and a hamburger.
Here is this week's "food plan".....
1. Sunday--Leftover Chinese Food or FFY
2. Monday--Chicken Parm, Squash Casserole
3. Tuesday--Breakfast for Dinner
4. Wednesday--Lasagna, almost new Pickles
5. Thursday--Applebee's for Lunch(no dinner)
6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--?
What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu? I dug into the freezer and found some breaded chicken patties and thawed that smoked turkey breast for Hubs to slice and make sandwiches for lunch. I bought cukes and yellow squash at the Produce Market on Sunday and will use them this week. Whatever Saturday's meal turns out to be I'll pull something from the freezer and/or hit the store for fresh produce. If I spend anything on groceries it should be a minimal amount and my spend for the month should stay under $200.
What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?
Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?
Any deals on food at your stores this week? The deals have been nonexistent around here for all of 2022 so this is a LOL question. ;-)
Having lived 63 years on this Earth and in this country, I've seen a lot. As an adult I've lived through a handful of inflationary times. The only certainty I know is that prices will continue to rise as we age. No prices have NOT increased or gone down since the 1980's when I became aware. That's when I got out of school and was supporting myself so when I became aware of prices and increases as it impacted my wallet.
I am too young to have mostly been financially impacted by the recession and stagflation of the 1970's(except for the gas crisis as I was responsible for buying gas for my car that got me to school and my part time job)but the early 1980's recession hit right as Hubs and I got married and were starting out. Low paying jobs and rising prices for housing, gas and food were evident and we struggled.
The 1987 Black Monday stock market crash had little effect on us(though the inflation rate wasn't affected by that)as we had so little money. if any of it was even in the stock market. 1990 saw another recession which was short lived. The Feds lowered interest rates and have held them at an artificially low rate until the last couple of years. This was bad timing for Hubs' and mine life as the 1990's were the years we saved heavily and saw little if any return on that behavior. Credit usage was high and easily found which hurt anyone who was all about saving money instead of spending money.
The 2007-2008 banking crisis and housing crash affected most people in one way or another and was considered the "Great Recession", the worst financial scenario since the Great Depression. But then again, the Federal Inflation Rate doesn't include the cost of gas or food, the main 2 items that affect every consumers' bottom line. Did you know that the Feds have a target of a 2% inflation rate per year? Anytime the rate goes above that they monkey around with the economy to bring it back down artificially.
Overall, costs are continually going up as a general rule. Some years they don't rise as much or may overall go down slightly but they will rise again as inflation is cyclical and manipulated by the Federal Government. Maybe not at the current exorbitant rate we are experiences now but life just gets more and more expensive as time goes on and the years roll by.
So how do we adjust to inflating costs of goods? Here's what I see....
1-Not buying certain items if the price is too dear. You can always switch out your protein and veg choices to keep your food budget in check. No more steak and asparagus every night. Instead it's Swiss steak and green beans. Expensive foods are now an occasional treat not an every day occurrence.
2-growing foods yourself if you have the space and talent for it. Gardening isn't without cost but certain crops(veggies you pay dearly for at the grocery store)are worth giving it a go if you want to bring the cost of these veggies down. (Or find a nearby farmer you can buy directly from if you are located in the appropriate area near farming communities.)
3-utilizing price books skills or couponing. Keep a price book so you know when what you want to buy gets to it's lowest point in the sales cycle and the best time to buy it. Use coupons if it's for something you use and get on any rebating apps that give you cash back for buying those items you want/need.
4-switching up where you shop. Price compare and if you find what you buy overall is less at store B then switch your loyalties from store A. Stores bet on us consumers not wanting to change were we shop. But be careful with this one....store B may be lower for your needs than store A but if you are having to travel too far to store B, the costs in gas and wear and tear on your car may negate any savings you see on your grocery bill.
5-wait on stock up prices on items to purchase them. Generally you can use your price book to predict when items will drop in price. But there are other situations that will occur when a store will have surplus of X or Y. Find a deal on chicken in your store's meat case and you have room to freeze or you are able to can it(and you have money to spare in your budget to buy it)then pick as much of it up as you need. Brands relabel goods and stores clearance the old packaging of goods out. Nothing is wrong with the items so snatch up as much as you can store in your house.
As I see it there is not much more we can do(unless you rob a bank or win the lottery-even those solutions will only get you so far. ;-)
