Frugal Happenings Second Week of May

Sunday May 6th

• We had a lingering banana and a scant cup of lingering gluten free Bisquick.  I added a packet of instant oats to buff it up and we ended up with 6 banana oat muffins when it was all said and done.  
• To make sure we are not wasting produce from our CSA box I planned taco salads.  We used ground beef from the freezer, lettuce and tomatoes from our box, and dairy from the stock up.  I was out of premade seasoning so we pulled together our own.  I opened home canned black beans and added a jar of home canned corn -- stirred in a small can of green chilies -- and let it "cook" in the crockpot for adding to the salads.  
• I priced my GF pasta at the local stores online and compared it to Amazon's price.  The Amazon price in bulk was better so I placed an order.  Money spent, but savings in the long run.

Monday May 7th

• My daughter hung clothes to dry.
• I turned the leftover beans and corn from the night before into soup by adding a can of tomatoes and various dehydrated veggies from my pantry.  For protein I chopped up a lone leftover turkey burger from the refrigerator.  
• My daughter and I culled some items in the kitchen to rearrange things for my ease, and I chose two pans that were my grandmama's to pass on to my sister.
• Our old bed frame that I bought second hand for $100 broke.  I shopped around online and had a new one shipped to me for less than renting a truck would be.  We didn’t need new mattresses, etc. I also didn’t need or want a super nice frame.  I have a nice metal frame at our home away from home that is mine.  When we “retire and consolidate to one home” it will come back to our master bedroom.
• My daughter baked a cake using supplies from our pantry.  We sent home part of it with my sister.

Tuesday May 8th

• We continued to use up items on hand.  I used pantry, freezer, and farm box supplies to make a crock pot chicken alfredo.  It was an easy meal.
• We rummaged through my daughter’s backpacks and found one I could use for a temporary purse to carry when using the walker....free and I’m really hoping short term.
• I checked out a large print book from the library.  I’m still having some vision issues, but want to hold off a few more weeks before returning to the eye doctor in hopes that things begin to straighten themselves out.  I picked up two cookbooks.  One was a dud and one was a keeper.

Wednesday May 9th

• I pulled a package of “yellow sticker” ribs from the freezer that had 6 good sized pieces. I put them in the crockpot with some BBQ sauce for a simple meat for supper.  For sides we went with instant potatoes and sautéed asparagus.  Nice and easy.
• My husband came home and we attended a free concert on the town commons.  It took a little more work and effort to get me there, but it was totally worth it.  I needed the normalcy of getting out.  

Thursday May 10th

• I placed my first grocery order using the Walmart pick up app.  I normally like to “see” my groceries, but I felt like the first order of business was to conserve my energy.  I had a few items on my list that we had depleted in our last “use it up” campaign as well as some items we need over the next two weeks.  My son and his family are coming home and while I didn’t need much I had a few items I wanted simply because they will make things easier on me.  
• We picked up our CSA box and we so far have had no waste from them.

Friday May 11th

• I had physical therapy and we went out to run errands. I needed some non slip socks and couldn’t find any. We found some slippers on clearance for $6.  We also bought me a backpack. My daughter’s had these straps that slide all around to be used as a purse, too. It kept tripping me up.  
• While we were out anyway I visited our newly relocated Michaels to pick up a gift, which I cannot share here.  However, I did use coupons to reduce this cost. I picked up a journal insert for my planner.
• We picked up some bread (wheat and gluten free) from Aldi so that I won’t have to bake any this weekend.

Saturday May 12th

• We got up early and pulled supplies from my pantry to make my grandson's requested blueberry pancakes.  
• We picked up an already potted plant to go by the front door (outside).  We were able to use my husband's military discount to get 10% off.  This was easier than trying to manhandle the potting soil, etc.
• We picked up a $5 take and bake pizza from Aldi and served with a salad for lunch.  
• Supper was our crockpot cubed steak.  I ended up only needed 1 1/2 packages so I put 4 slices in the freezer for a second meal.  (I still had enough leftovers for a lunch for one.)
• We baked a pan of brownies using a Dollar Tree box.

All in all I don't think it was a bad week.  We kind of live on a sliding scale and we were within what I consider our safe parameters.