Day #30… the end of this challenge & I DID it!
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Posted under: blessings, Blogroll, food, Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money, Spain
HOORAY! I did it and I was able to save all but 10€ of my grocery money for (hopefully) a celebration trip with my husband in May 2012. I’m a planner… I’ve learned that fun & relaxation just does not happen… I have to plan for it and create it! In any case… I was able to serve meals for 30 days using my pantry and freezer contents + the 10€ for extras. It really is a sense of accomplishment! Ok…Will I stop here? Yes & NO. I still have a lot in the freezer… why buy more? I think actually that I’ll continue to eat out of the pantry & freezer and TRY to get to the bottom of it. It would be so great to see it empty! In fact this will be a good project for me… to pull one thing out of the freezer each day and ‘work with it’!
The last 30 days I spent: 9,84€
I have left: 0,16€
Tomorrow I’m having some ladies over from church to show them how to make some cut-out Christmas cookies. These are not your ordinary sugar cookies, but a wonderful sour cream pastry that are tender. They are a hit around here! I’ll post the recipe tomorrow.
I’ll serve the cookies and this coffee to my church friends:
Mocha-Mint Coffee
6 cups freshly brewed coffee
4 squares (1-ounce each) semi-sweet
baking chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 peppermint sticks or candy canes
Pour the hot coffee into large
saucepan and stir in the chocolate. Heat
over low heat 5 minutes or until chocolate
is melted, stirring occasionally. Pour
the milk into a microwave-safe container
and heat on high for 1 to 2 minutes,
or until hot (or heat in another saucepan
over medium high heat until hot, not
boiling). Add milk and extract to the
coffee chocolate mixture; stir until well
blended. Carefully ladle into 8 mugs.
Garnish each serving with a peppermint
stick. Yield: 8 servings.
Day # 22 ~ grocery challenge & hating waste!
1 Comment Posted under: blessings, Blogroll, food, Grocery Challenge
December 3rd,2011~Saturday
Money down the drain… wow I hate to see waste. Waste of any kind really. I’ve found that when I’m not on top of the management of my menus and kitchen, waste happens. You know, that one piece of bread that gets old or the Tupperware with cranberry sauce in the back of the fridge that spoils or that can of mandarins that I bought 3 years ago ( I confess) and now has gone bad. Probably this kind of waste is only acceptable in western societies. Do I feel guilt? No, not really, but I do feel responsible for the things that have been given to us.
Here’s a few ways to stop food waste:
- Make a weekly menu plan and shop 1st in your pantry, fridge & freezer
- shop with a list~see how little you can buy and how much you can use that is already in your pantry
- buy the fruit & veggies you will eat instead of the whole bag~ maybe just 2 or 3.
- think out-side the box. My brother-in-law Joe says that any food leftover is breakfast with an egg on top of it. John agrees and loves it. Pizza, mashed potatoes, rice casserole…
- learn to make soups. That last cup of pasta would be perfect for an Italian flavored soup. I (my girls too) always make stock or soup from the turkey carcass after a holiday meal.
Did you know?:
- North Americans waste about $1,000 worth of food a year?
- It has been found that the main foods that are regularly thrown out are:
- Bread
- Apples
- Potatoes
- Salads – almost 50% of what we buy we throw out!
- Meat and fish
- Yogurts and milk
- Spreads and dips
Miscellaneous:
- All of our scrapes of food and egg shells are used as a supplement for our 3 hens we have in the backyard.
- I freeze what is leftover~sometimes the same day I make it. This also saves on rush trips to the market or the temptation of buying fast food. It takes so little time to defrost a zip-lock bag of soup, beans or casserole I have in the freezer!
8 days left of my 30 day challenge to spend only 10euros on grocery, paper and cleaning supplies.
What I have spent: 7,26€
What I have left: 2,74€
Day #13 What is a Challenge?
November 24th, 2011
What is a Challenge? It’s worth the 1minute and 32 seconds to watch. Here’s a YOUTUBE video that says it all:
A guest for lunch & an evening out with friends
No Comments Posted under: Blogroll, food, Grocery Challenge, saving money, Spain
I’m still on the path to use what I have and stay within my grocery budget but today we have a guest with us. I don’t know her yet … she is a friend of a friend who is in Madrid for a short time. It will be fun to meet her at church and then bring her home for our mid-day meal.
All of these ingredients I have in the house and the meal will be ‘prepped’ the day before. It’s wonderful to be able to use the food I already have.
Here’s my menu for the day:
Breakfast:
John had eggs & toast & I had a piece of fruit
Lunch:
1st plate:
Cream of Butternut Squash
~ I got this in the village… for FREE
Baguettes
~ I bought 2 baguettes …leftovers will be used for bread pizzas
2nd plate:
Chicken Fillets (breasts)
~ I have some breasts in the freezer and will make breaded fillets.
Pasta with tomato sauce & Parmesan cheese
~ which I have in the pantry
green beans w/bacon
~ I have a large restaurant sized can which I added bacon, onion (green onions from the garden) and garlic to. The leftovers will be used throughout the week as our vegetable until it’s gone. The bacon was purchased recently, sliced in individual baggies and frozen. I’ll use one of these.
Brownies
Dinner:
We’re going to a friends house for supper tonight. I have a meeting for the Ladies Ministry Team and we meet over a meal. No cooking tonight.
$40.00 Euro a Month Challenge $6.83 left…YIKES!
No Comments Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, saving money
Yesterday I bought at LIDL:
2 kilos of red apples-2,19
1 loaf of bread-0,69
1 loaf of bread-30% off-0,48
Total spent: 3,36
Here’s what I have left: 20,30 euros- you can click on the photos for a larger view Read more »
Day # 12 My Grocery Savings Plan
Day12 and I have spent a total of 19,50 euros for the past 12 days.
I baked lasted Thursday so I have plenty of bread, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes and peach turnovers. Our guest left after lunch and I’m still left with:
9 eggs
10 apples
3 potatoes
1/3 of a zucchini (I cut off a small piece to add to my soup today)
1 tomato (since I pick 1 roma tomato and 3 cherry tomatoes from my ‘almost gone’ summer garden, I still have not run out!)
The truth is, I feel so RICH! There is always plenty of good food here and I enjoy the management of the kitchen and the planning of my meals. I guess I’m just like every other homemaker out there… we just love our job!
Breakfast:
scrambled eggs
toast
homemade sausage (I always have sausage on hand because I make it and then can it in jars… sealed under pressure)
french toast with syrup (I brought back some pancake syrup from the USA last time we were there)
orange juice
Dinner: (Guest here)
1st plate: sausage & white ban soup (using the leftover sausage from breakfast, the broth from the chicken & sausage that I canned and then saved when I opened the jars, kale from my garden)
Chicken filetes
French Fries
Green Beans
Salad
Bread
Cupcakes
Supper:
Tonight we are going with friends to a FREE concert with traditional hymns to celebrate the Reformation. Happy Reformation Day!! We will probably just eat some leftovers in the fridge before we go out.
Day #9 My Grocery Savings Plan
2 Comments Posted under: Gardening, Grocery Challenge, saving money
Day # 9 I have spent ZERO today and have spent only 5, 48€ in 9 days! A real victory for me as I gather up the fragments and use all that I have.
Tomorrow I’ll go again to market to buy some items needed for the guests that are arriving tomorrow after midnight but will need breakfast the next morning.
My menu for today is:
Dinner:
1st plate:
Lentil Soup (using my cherry tomatoes & 1 potato)
2nd Plate:
Chicken thighs -Leftover from Yesterday. I fried them yesterday with this WONDERFUL seasoning that my sister-in-law sent to me from the SPICE HOUSE called: Milwaukee Iron Seasoning. Well, all I can say is: YUM!
Green beans
Baked Sweet Potato ( last one)
1 sliced tomato
Supper: omelets & toast (using 3 eggs)
What I have left:
2 tomato ( I found a roma tomato in the garden!)
1 potatoes
2 lemons
a few small onions from my garden
LOTS of Swiss Chard in my garden
½ zucchini
5 eggs
Back in Madrid again!
We arrived back to Madrid to a whirlwind of activities and news. One of the ladies in our church had 2 of her sisters die in one week. Then the news of Evelyn who died from ovarian cancer at the age of 33. Apparently she didn’t know she had it and when she finally went to the hospital, she lasted just a short while. She and Rufus had just adopted a little boy, also from Nigeria this past year. We went to the funeral and the sealing of the tomb on Saturday. Our church has been going through some real losses these past couple of weeks.
As I mentioned in our prayerletter, we had friends over for meals both Friday and Sunday. We are also having a pizza night with 2 other families in the church this weekend.
The ‘ol grocery budget took a “hit” this week and I spent around 85€. I did get quite a bit of chicken for 30% off and depending upon how many guests we have for meals, will determine what I spend the next couple of weeks. The pizza cheese accounts for 20€ of what was spent. My goal still remains: reduce, reduce, reduce! We have gone to at least 2 “meatless” meals a week which seems so effortless to us because we really like beans.
I’ve planted my “winter garden” in our 10′ x 22′ piece of dirt in the yard. Daughters Rebekah and Bobbie sent me some great seeds, and they are in the ground. I brushed the dust off of the water timer and will install that in the next few days. I’m using up every last bit of fertilizer, potting soil and seeds that I have around the house, including seeds from the year 2000 and hoping for the best. My Mom, said that she sent me some seeds also and I am especially looking forward to the cilantro seeds. I bought 1 bunch of cilantro last week for 2,35€! Now that is just not right! I would have skipped it except we had guests for Mexican food and what would Mexican food be without cilantro??!! Anyway, I am looking at what I need, planting what I can, and praying for the Lord to bless, supply, and give me creativity. It’s very exciting for me to see how He answers my prayers.
Because I have been sharing about this area in our lives, I have heard from many friends and family who also are experiencing God’s blessings and watching HIM work! Can we ever get tired of hearing about His work in and for us?
Blessings last week:
- A box of treats from kids, Jesseka and Greg.This was very fun for us!
- A package from kids Rebekah and Dave. Amazing!
- A letter with seeds from kids, Bobbie and Ron. They are in the ground!
- A package with sauce mixes from sister Sue!
- Several letters with encouraging news… especially from kids, John and Cheri!
- A jar of Kiwi jam… get this: I made fig jam and gave a jar to my friend Ana at church, and she, brought ME a jar of Kiwi jam! What fun!
- I prayed for some marked-down meat (30%) at the market and I was able to get several packages of chicken wings, legs, thighs and 1 whole chicken. I wanted the breasts but they were not on special so I passed.
- 4 kilos of tomatoes before we left the village.
Here are some photos of my freshly planted garden. Click on the photo to enlarge. It’s very exciting for me. The tree is a pomegranate with fruit on it.
What I have planted:
- lettuce- at .79 cents a head (cheapest price) I should save a bundle
- potatoes
- winter onions
- spinach
- Fava beans (haba here)
- chard
- beets
- carrots
- radishes
- brussel sprouts
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- peas
- garlic
On another note, John and I also set the alarm to get up last week at 4am (we go to bed at about 12-1am) to listen to Govenor Sarah Palin speak at the Republican National Convention (via FOX NEWS). We are very impressed with her and she seems to be a no-nonsense kinda gal. We will be voting absentee-ballot this November. Did any of you hear it? Your thoughts?
My 13th-Gotta give myself a raise… to 15 euros a week
This has been a good and fun week! Well, it’s been 12 weeks, 3 months of spending 10€ a week! This week, I have to give myself a raise… to 15€ a week instead of 10€. I am just out of too many baking items. After having our guests with us, and all the beverages (juice every morning, coffee, soda, chocolate milk for breakfast for the daughter) for the adults and their teenage daughter, I need a raise. Normally, I don’t have to buy that stuff in such quantity, but it was worth it too, because we love them and love being with them.
I still have plenty in the pantry, but the everyday staples and toiletries, have been depleted. I’m going to try to do the 15€ a week for a while but I also may decided to go back to 10€ and then do a quarterly “larger” marketing day of say, 50€. I will have to decide on that… My goal remains the same: use up my pantry, and save money for other “funds” or adjust for the changes in the economy as needed.
starting balance: 15 Euros
.49- 1 kilo of flour
.49- 1 kilo of flour
.49- 1 kilo of flour
.98- 1 kilo of sugar
.69- toothpaste
1.15- 1 dozen eggs
.75- margarine
.65- chicken hot dogs
.71- 1 liter of non fat milk
1.98- dish washing soap
2.65- 1 liter of olive oil
1.45- 1 liter of sunflower oil
___________________
12.28€ 
*- I am officially out of nuts of any kind in the village house. I think I may have some almonds in the Madrid house. We will live without them for a couple of weeks!
Menus for this week:
Breakfasts will be: oatmeal, banana bread with jam or peanut butter (Mom and Dad brought that for us last year)
Suppers will be: pita bread sandwiches, veggie sandwiches with all of the tomatoes, zucchini, sprouts and onions we have, or leftovers
John and I feel that we eat very well.
Thursday, August 20th- 1st plate: Gazpacho 2nd plate: Pinto beans and rice, salad
Friday, August 21st- 1st plate: Tomato soup 2nd plate: fish fillets, rice-a roni, pisto ( squash, tomatoes and onions)
Saturday, August 22nd-1st plate: bean soup (using leftover beans) 2nd Plate: Pasta and meat sauce, salad
Sunday, August 23rd-1st plate: fish chowder (leftovers from the fish) 2nd plate: Pork Loin, couscous, sliced tomatoes
Monday, August 24th-1st plate: cream of zucchini soup, 2nd plate beef fillets with mushroom gravy, spetzael, salad
Tuesday, August 25th-1st plate:Leftover soup, 2nd plate: pork Loin, rice, zucchini
Wednesday, August 26th-leftovers
Blessings I have received this week:
Look at these veggies! I took a photo each time I was given them. I have had so many tomatoes that I canned some of them… they just keep coming!
The green peppers have been diced and frozen on a cookie sheet then bagged for recipes during the winter.
How does my garden grow?
Here are my vegetable seeds that I started. I have peas, broccoli, haba beans (may be called fava beans in English…not sure), and lettuce. I made “pots” out of newspaper, using an empty can as a guide. As the plants sprout, I will then plant the whole thing into the ground, paper and all. I have a few peat pots in the house in Madrid, but I will use this method from now on to avoid the cost of buying them again.
My baking for last week:
This is the baked oatmeal that I have included on this blog. It is really good and full of dried fruit. Since we are still in the village and have run out of brown sugar here (we have some in Madrid), I used granulated sugar. It’s good but definitely better with brown sugar!
Chocolate snack cake (1 egg, water instead of milk) 
I wrapped them individually to keep them fresh.
Banana bread 
12 Pita breads- these are really yummy! 
Ok.. that’s all… tomorrow I will bake bread and other pastries for the week. I’ll post those later. I hope you will all stay encouraged in your own goals.
My 12th week of spending 10 euros a week on groceries!
I started with .11 cents from last week: so may starting balance is 10.11
.69- margarine
1.29- pre-mix bread mix
3.79-1 large can of tuna
1.35- 3 kilos of baking flour
1.65- beverage
1.10- 2 liters of beverages
.26- 1 can of beverage
———–
-2 cents
* we have had guests which accounts for all the beverages… I still stayed within my 10 euros a week even with 3 more mouths to feed last week. The Lord is blessing! I have found my self resenting buying toilet paper though! Ha!
Menus for this week:
*again, breakfasts are usually baked oatmeal, yogurt, baked goods or leftovers. Suppers are usually leftovers or toasted veggie sandwiches on homemade bread (zucchini, onion, peppers, tomatoes, sprouts and cheese)
Thursday- August 14th-1st plate: turkey vegetable rice soup, 2nd plate: beef filet’s (cut in strips) that are marinaded in a package of “beef and broccoli mix” but I am using it with zucchini, onions and peppers and Chinese noodles
Friday- August 15th-1st plate: Breaded and fried zucchini patties with sliced tomatoes, 2nd plate: Chili and rice
Saturday-August 16th-1st plate: lentil soup (using 1 leftover sausage), 2nd plate: hamburger patties, rice and zucchini and tomatoes and homemade onion rings.
Sunday- August 17th-1st plate: left over turkey soup 2nd plate: spaghetti with meat sauce (using the rest of the ground beef from the hamburger patties I made yesterday) and salad
Monday- August 18th-1st plate: Left over lentil soup, corn fritters, 2nd plate:Roast beef hash (frozen from another time we were in the village) and sliced tomatoes with roasted peppers
Tuesday- August 19th-1st plate: Pasta salad, 2nd plate: fried eggs, grits, toast and sliced tomatoes
Wednesday- August 20th-Leftovers
I think we eat very well!
* I will post the blessings we receive and the baking I do in a few days.
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