The Banking Dilemma continues

Apr 7, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, recipes, saving money, Spain, Videos, What we're Reading

Finally after one full month of waiting, we are able to access our funds. Imagine that you got paid today, April 7th but you were not able to cash your check until May 7th! Well, that is what we are now subject too in Spain… a one month holding of funds. Praise the Lord we now have our money available to us that we have been waiting for, for 1 month! We are seeing a real need for cash here. Dave Ramsey, the radio talk host and financial adviser says that ‘cash is king’. I believe it!

I feel the need to count my blessings

Mar 9, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: blessings, Blogroll, saving money

Well, John came home today (Friday the 6th) from the bank, saying that our Spanish bank just made a new rule to hold our checks 1 month from now on. It used to be a week then 2, 3 and now 4 weeks. The process goes like this:

• we get our deposit each month on the 5th of the month from Wycliffe, to our USA bank
• we write a USD check to our Spanish bank and they give us Euros… at the exchange rate of the day, plus, a small fee.
• we live on those Euros and pay our bills here until the next month.

Well, now we have the dilemma of how to get money for the next month! One thing I know, is that the Lord will make a way for us. My part is to be diligent in all the ways I can. One of those ways  is to start a ‘blessing list’.

Here it is so far:

Today: March 6th, 2009-

1. a package came in the mail from our Jesseka. A book for John (a birthday gift) and a
2. Southern Living magazine for me! I look forward to relaxing with it.
3. The blessing of have had our family here: Greg, Abigail and Preston. They left today but we have so many good memories.
4. we got a letter from the cable company are giving us a month of free movie & program channels (hoping that we will get hooked… we won’t)
5. John went to the car wash and because no one is spending any money these days, lowered the price of a 3 ½ minute spray from 1€ to ,50 euro cents.

March 7th, 2009-

1. I was able to gather enough lettuce and broccoli from my garden/greenhouse for todays lunch.
2. I started the 3 day process for making my citrus marmalade with the oranges & lemons that we got from friends in the village.

March 8th, 2009-

1. we had a great day at church
2. a peaceful church business meeting in the evening
3. the blessing of sun today

20 Euros for 20 days part 2

Dec 8, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    8 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

Balance: 20€

Money spent:

11/28/08- zero

11/29/08- zero

11/30/08- zero

12/1/08- toilet paper 1,05€

12/2/08-zero

12/3/08-zero

12/4/08-chicken bouillon, 3,85€

12/4/08-lettuce, 1 kilo of tangerines, 1,80€

12/5/08-zero

12/6/08-zero

12/7/08-zero

12/8/08-zero

Well there you have it! I have spent 6,70€ to get us by with 13,30€ left to spend the next 10 days. We continue to eat well and frugally.

We did spend money on some Spanish ham, manchego cheese and holiday candy: turrón and sent it to our friend, and mother tongue speaker, Ricardo, who has faithfully worked with us on the Aragonese NT. I also had to spend some cash on butternut squash because I was asked to make a cream soup for 45 ladies this Friday night. I’ll be reimbursed for this so I didn’t include it.

I’m saving money and it looks like I will have what I need for that ROAST BEEF I want to serve for Christmas. I’d like to have a Standing Rib Roast and will cost me more. My menus are planned for when the family comes… one of my favorite/relaxing things to do! Only 10 more days to go!

Our meals for the the next 10days will include:

bean soup

pizza

macaroni and cheese with ham

Spanish tortilla

and toasted sandwiches using the luncheon meat I have in the freezer.

On another note: last week when we returned from the village, I checked the garden and found that it had frozen in Madrid while we were away. All of my potatoes plants were dead so I dug them up to see if any were worth eating. Here is my photo of what I found:

Isn’t  that just GREAT??? I had never grown potatoes before and I can’t tell you the encouragement digging this little guys up! I couldn’t have been happier. I’ll definitely grow them again and I have some “seed potatoes” sprouting in the garage now. In the articles I’ve read on the the internet, they say that seed potatoes should be purchased… well, these just came from our grocery store and did very well!

I was also able t pick these pea pods from my garden to add to salads. Very yummy.

I’m having a great time with all of this! Please leave your comments and tell us what you are doing in this challenging economy. Many Blessings!

My 13th-Gotta give myself a raise… to 15 euros a week

Aug 21, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

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.

The 9th Week of my “self imposed” grocery challenge!

Jul 24, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    7 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

What an interesting time this is! We continue here in the village and have received some “garden blessings”. One of my greatest challenges in this venture, is not so much the food, but rather the toiletries; toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. On the food front, if I run out of potatoes, I can just prepare rice or pasta… but the paper and cleaning goods, are must have items. Also, I have had to buy things here in the village, that I already have at home in Loeches. Still, I am staying within the 10 euros.

Those who know me best know that I enjoy making soups. For us 1 pot of soup lasts 3 meals. So I usually have 1-3 different kinds in the fridge at any given time.

Some of you have commented both positively and negatively about the “lentil & walnut burgers”. We eat lentils anyway and like them, so this is just another way for us to enjoy them. They are on the menu again this week.

This week I started out with 10.02 because I had 2 cents left over from last week.

1.38- 2 liters of whole milk

2.99- 3 kilos of potatoes

.59- bleach (for laundry)

.32- a can of tomatoes

1.88- 4 chicken breast filet’s ( I got this for 30% off)

.99- 8 hotdog buns

1.01- 3 cucumbers

.86-1 kilo of sugar

—————–

0 balance!

My Menus for this week:

Thursday- Mexican Bean and Rice Soup, Salmon patties (leftover from last week) with a bleu cheese cream sauce, rice, sauted zucchini and onions.

Friday- Cream of Potato Soup, chicken filet’s, breaded zucchini, tabbouleh

Saturday-Salmon Chowder, German sausages with sauerkraut and potatoes

Sunday-Cream of Potato Soup, Stromboli, marinated zucchini salad

Monday- Cream of zucchini soup, Chicken breasts, pasta salad

Tuesday-Salmon Chowder, Lentil & Walnut burgers, buns, alfalfa sprouts

Wednesday-Cream of zucchini, Chili and rice

My Blessings last week:

2 homegrown onions- every year I look forward to these. There is no strong “bite” to them and are really wonderful. I also use the tops for soups and casseroles. They are similar to scallions or green onions.

A HUGE head of lettuce-a neighbor brought us this homegrown treat.

2 packages of popcorn from my sister Sue! Treats in the mail! Always fun!

Vegetable seeds to plant from our daughter Bobbie and waiting for me in Loeches! (she said they were in the mail!) I can hardly wait!

“The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise Him-may your hearts live forever!” Psalm 22:26

My baking for this week is:

Pizza Bread (for sandwiches and with soups)

Cranberry (dried cranberries) Pecan Bread

Since I don’t generally follow bread recipes, I just made my white bread and added more sugar to the sweet bread. I also plan on making some French toast with the cranberry bread and it might be good for sandwiches. I never measure and I only have 2 bread pans here in the village, so I made an extra round loaf of pizza bread and made “muffins” out of the remaining sweet bread. Also, note that I had a bit of pepperoni left over and a chunk of Parmesan cheese to put in the savory bread along with some Italian herbs.

This is the 8th week of 10 euro a week groceries;Can you believe it??

Jul 17, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

I keep going on this personal challenge and I told John that it seemed as though we were living the parable of the fish and loaves being multiplied! It has been a lot of fun and also fun to read some of your comments. I hear that several of you are doing the same challenge (perhaps with different amounts to spend)! We keep each other inspired and encouraged.

Clean out your pantry/cupboards Every time I do this, I end up saving a bunch of money. First of all, I usually discover several items pushed to the back that I’d completely forgotten about, which inspires meals. Second of all, it’s a good way to inventory the kitchen staples you have on hand. Third, it lets you get rid of stuff that has become outdated. Fourth, it lets you rotate stuff around so that things are easier to find (making home meal preparation easier). A pantry cleaning is an excellent little weekend project that can save you money in multiple ways.

Left over from last weeks money: 10cents

What I spent this week:

starting balance: 10.10€

1.00- 5 boxes of tomato sauce (on sale)

.45- 1 kilo of baking flour

1.29- 1 pk of pre-mix for baking bread

.69- margarine

2.49-swiss cheese

.69-mayonnaise

1.09-1 kilo of pinto beans

1.39-2 kilos of onions

.99- 4 heads of garlic

—————

+2cents

Menus for the week:

Thursday, July 17th- Bean Soup, hot dogs with sauerkraut on buns

Friday, July 18th- Vegetable soup, Noodles and beef, red cabbage, biscuits

Saturday, July 19th-Breakfast for Lunch: Pancakes, fried eggs, grits and tomatoes

Sunday, July 20th- Fish chowder, roasted turkey legs, potatoes, fried zucchini

Monday, July 21st- Leftover soup, turkey salad sandwiches w/ alfalfa spouts

Tuesday, July 22nd-turkey soup, ham and cheese omelet, zucchini patties

Wednesday, July 23rd- cream of zucchini soup, salmon patties, red cabbage, and rice

Blessings I have received:

4 lovely zucchini: what I have made with these zucchini: 1.) zucchini bread 2.) zucchini fritters 3.) a zucchini marinaded salad 4.) Cream of zucchini soup, 5.) hamburger pasta soup with zucchini 6.) zucchini enchiladas

Fresh Parsley

Last weeks baking:

1 loaf of zucchini bread

1 batch of biscuits( angel biscuits- the dough can be in the fridge for 1 week and used as needed)

This weeks baking:

1 large loaf of bread

cinnamon rolls (using angel biscuit dough)

biscuits (using angel biscuit dough)

I stay encouraged! Please leave your comments.

Week #7 of My Grocery Challenge

Jul 10, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    3 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

Fun times! We are in the village working and hoping to get a lot of work done. I marketed for the summer before leaving Madrid at the cheapest store because the village stores are at least triple the price. Just can’t do that. I have stayed within my budget however. So… this week my 10 Euros went for:

.69-box of whole milk

.99- butter

.23-liter of soda

.90-2 kilos of baking flour

.86-one kilo of sugar

4.29-1 bag of frozen fish (merluza- forgot what that is in English)

.49-3 green peppers

.69- head of lettuce

.79- hamburger buns

—————–

+.07 left over!

+.03 from last week

—————-

+.10cents for next week!

My Menu:

Thursday July 10-chicken rice soup, tamales, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes

Friday July 11-lamb and barley soup, pastrami and swiss cheese sandwiches w/sprouts

Saturday July 12-chicken noodle soup, hot dogs with sauerkraut and swiss cheese on buns

Sunday July 13-cream of tomato soup, hamburgers w/ cheddar cheese on buns

Monday July 14- potato and cheese soup, bean and cheese burritos, salad

Tuesday July 15- hamburger and pasta soup, tortellini w/ cheese sauce, salad

Wednesday July 16-leftovers

This week, I decided to use a lot of the “bits and pieces” I have in the fridge and cupboards. The hot dogs come in big packages and so I plan of adding those once a week until they are gone. They are big FAT ones from Germany and pretty good, as hot dogs go. I made the tamales out of leftover chicken, the torellini is the last of the package I bought and the hamburger pasta soup, will be polishing off the last bit of the ground beef leftover from the hamburgers. I am also using the cheese I had in the freezer to make-up for the lesser amount of meat.

We’re now in the village and the freezer is small. I’m saving the fish for when Ana and Angel come to visit in August.

My Blessings this week:

* our neighbors (and guests for supper) brought us a bottle of wine (again, we will save this for guests)~ it’s the custom here in Spain to bring wine and we hear it is the same in France where are kids live.

* 1 lemon, ½ liter of tomato juice, ¼ of a can of grapefruit slices, 1 cup of orange juice, given to us by a neighbor leaving town.

What the Lord is teaching me:

Our pastor, Angel gave a good and encouraging message on Sunday, using in part, the text from Psalm 27:13-14. Let me quote it for you:

” I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Our pastor was speaking of the trials that we are all facing here in Spain with the hight cost of EVERYTHING and the mortgage crisis in Europe. Some in the church families are struggling more than others. Some of us add to these challenges, the terrible exchange rate, but his last words impacted us and ministered to us. He said,” Now this week, no matter what happens, look to the Lord and what He is teaching you.” Good words, a good reminder and encouragement to those of us who may grow weary in the struggle. So this week:

~I will be CONFIDENT of God’s provision for us.

~I WILL see the GOODNESS of the Lord.

~I will WAIT with anticipation to see Him work.

~I will be STRONG (He is my strength)

~I will TAKE HEART

~and… again (he says it twice) I will WAIT for the LORD.

Here are my tomato plants… they are growing and I should be getting those cherry tomatoes soon! I am also picking the small leaves off the chard for salad greens. I love growing my little pot garden. Please leave your comments and tell me how you are doing. Have a great money saving week!