Frugal In Florida

I pu this together on Thursday of last week, after my one hour massage and the pedicure and manicure that I finally went and had done. Thank God for gift certificates! Normally, I have no problem with planning the next week menu way ahead of time. But I didn't know what Hubby's schedule was, if he's traveling (he's not), etc. I just know it looks like I have a busy week so I figured I'd get it out of the way. For the time being, no days were assigned to the food, just winging it on that end at this moment! Bread, using this tried and true recipe along with some Minestrone Soup . If the bread turns out anywhere near as good as it sounds and is really all that easy, then I will buy the book! Planning on Wednesday Fried chicken thighs (not really fried, baked in the oven til crispy) served with some mashed garlicy potatoes and gravy (made a nice big opening in the garage freezer by doing this!) *did this and boy was it yummy!* Tuesday Chili Cheese Dogs - doe...

Oddly enough, as soon as they name her Tropical Storm Nicole instead of JUST Depression #16, they drop the Tropical Storm warnings for South Florida. Not that I'm complaining, trust me. I'm at work though, Sonny Boy is at school and well, things are just D. E. A. D. at the office. See, when a storm warning is issued, insurance companies immediately cease writing. Meaning, if you are in the process of buying a home, or refinancing, then forget it for the day. SO that's where I'm at. 2nd to the last day of the month and 3 closings have been put on hold from yesterday and today. Of course, I look outside and everything is green and luscious. I don't think it's even drizzling rain anymore ... but then again we do have the rest of the day to look forward to!

This is NOT a fun chore for me. It's almost disturbing.... So far, I've gotten th garage freezer "organized"... meaning all the fishy (bait) stuff is contained in to one LARGE ziploc bag and in a little tub (old pull out produce drawer from old refrigerator) so that in the event we ever do get hit with a storm and the power is out for an extended amount of time, that will be the first thing to pull out of freezers.  Yes, fish bait thaws FAST and will stink horrendeously if allowed to do so in a closed environment (freezer) and make everything else smell ... trust me, been there, done that. Also located 2 packages of top sirloin steaks. Think I will make it a point to get those out within the month of October and make some sirloin (or Triple Crown) burgers. Triple Crown is just 3 cuts of beef, sirloin, ribeye and one other that I just can't seem to think of at the moment. Veggies, tilapia, smoked sausage, grouper, roll sausage, chicken thighs, and a bunch of ...

I had a few things that I wanted to pick up tonight since it was the last day of the sale.  My original goal was to just do the taters and gravy but then there were a few other things (of course!) that I wanted to get: 6 bags of Steam N Mash taters, $3.99 each but b1g1f 6 jars gravy, $1.83 each 8 tombsone pizzas at $5.95 each, but used my rain check & did b1g1f Roll of bounty papertowel $2.03 2 bottles of downy fabric softner $5.99 each 2 EAS protein bars $1.25 each 3 bars of philly cream cheese $1.25 each 2 cheddar cheese blocks, $3.19 each 4 hebrew national franks $5.19 each but b1g1f Tide $8.79 2 orville red. popcorn kernels, $5.07 each, b1g1f Squishy white bread $1.33 (!!) 2 loaves whole wheat bread, $3.69 each b1g1f 4 thomas bagels (6 per pkg), $3.99 each, b1g1f And then I used some stellar coupons: Free roll Bounty 6 $1 off taters 2 $1 off gravy 2 b2g1 f taters (store coupon) 3 $2 off when you get gravy & taters (store coupon, realizing i could h...

Or, should I say, Menu Plan Wednesday?  I had my menu all set to go Sunday morning, but just running a wee bit behind this week in posting! Nothing exciting, still trying to clear out the freezers and with the hurricane season hitting peak time in Florida (October), I need to get a little more focused and get them organized too. Sunday - Pizza from take out (don't ask, was a little under from the previous 24 hour excursion) Monday - penne with a makeshift alfredo sauce (NOT a jar) Tuesday - grilled cheese (used Tillamook cheddar) with tomato soup Wednesday - looking forward to a baked tater bar for Survivor night Thursay - Chicken grilled with rice (chix from freezer) Friday - Friends are in town, hubby back from PA and I'm leaning towards chili cheese dogs! (hot dogs from freezer) Saturday - Steaks and veggies on grill (steaks from freezer) Not a single recipe to share as everything is pretty standard fare.  Luckily, this should remove a few more items from the ...

This time, I went on Tuesday instead of Thursday, only because I was just about out of milk. Had a detailed list but was using the american express as I'm trying to conserve my cash. I know, the best way to conserve cash is to NOT shop at all, but well ... you know how that is! 2 50 pks of Frito Lays chips $10.19 x 2 less 2 $2.50 coupons 3 dozen xtra large eggs $2.55 (cheaper than last time) black forest ham $7.54 honey roasted turkey $8.89 clif bars $19.89 crumbled bacon $9.49 cashew crunch $8.99 Mrs. Dash $4.49 5 lbs tomatoes $5.49 TP $17.99 less $2 coupon 2 lb mini peppers $4.29 (price has creeped up) half and half x 2 $1.45 fruit by the foot $9.99 less $2.50 coupon skim milk gallon $2.29 olive oil $9.99 2% milk x 2 $2.39 onions $5.79 string cheese $7.59 all total $145.38 Chips, fruit things, cashew crunch were not on my list so figure about $40 worth of spontaneous buys.

Yes, Day 4 was D.O.N.E. But so much for 5, 6, 7 and 8. I suppose it's time to START OVER. I am so bummed that I fell off the wagon So very quick. What's really sad is I felt better, I felt that my stomach was not as bloated looking, my legs and arms not quite as jiggly. But now, almost a week after my last workout, I feel it all came back. Ugggg. I still say there is something to say about PMS and working out. Seriously. So, yes, I'm going to pick it back up again and start it over from the VERY beginning. :( This does not make a happy person whatsoever.

Day 3, D.O.N.E. Did level 2 today to switch it up ... still sticking to the P90X theory I suppose. I got my butt kicked today. Ummm, some of that stuff is definately more advanced. Unfortunately, Jen over at Beauty & Bedlam does NOT want her blog to become an exercise blog (ha!) so she is only now updating on her facebook page. I'm bummed as I was looking forward to reading about others experiences and cheers ... as I'm not an avid Facebook user, I suppose I'll keep it up over here :) Hard. Definately harder. Drinking my skim milk with the 25% less sugar Nesquik and going to eat a banana, jump in the shower & go to work. Ahhh...no rest for the weary! So how about it, did you do your Shred today?

This is what happens when you are running late with dinner and a favorite show is coming on in minutes: Sandwiches, or as the kids corrected me: hoagies!

Day 2. 28 more to go.  I think I'd rather be doing the 30 Days of Nothing (which, isn't that coming up soon with Owl Haven??) ...  but I've committed myself to this and WILL NOT quit after only 2 days!! Did level 1 again. Was playing with going back and forth between the 3 levels just to mix it up (a throw back to the P90X thoughts) and said the heck with it, I need the pushups this morning! Uh huh. Thats what I said! Anyways, stayed with the 5 lbs. Cracks me up. Sonny Boy and Hubby make fun of me for only using 5. Uh, you try it guys!  I can remember in boxing when the Manly Men buff boys would come in and insist on using 10 or 15 lb weights when we were all using 2 or 3 and screaming for 3 minutes ... they would drop the weights to the floor after 1 minute. Just goes to show, it's not necessarily the weight as the movement. My tip for the day: when doing those crunches, make a fist in one hand and put it under your chin to keep you from using your neck muscles...

Well, looks like I have something to save my money for the next 3 weeks or so ... Halloween Horror Nights at Universal in Orlando! Woohoo!! My boss said that he would pay for the hotel room (me & the 2 teens and a friend, hubby has no desire to be spooked intentionally) at Loews Royal Pacific Resort on site!! Awesome! I love my bosses. I love my job. I am extremely thankful that I HAVE a job that I love and enjoy going to most days. Trust me. And times like this? Very much so! Anyways. Sonny Boys girlfriend goes to school there in Orlando. He's been so lonesome and heartsick with her gone (OMG, it's only been 10 days since you've seen her last!!) so him and the Princess were looking to go up the second weekend in Orlando. I'm not all that comfortable letting them drive Brutus up there. Then this came up. Awesome!! Perfect. Princess will hang with me she said. I so love that she's becoming a very mature young adult. At last! The hotel is expensive (b...

Oh boy. Maybe THIS time will be the one that works?? Jen over at Beauty & Bedlam (hey, don't blame me if you end up losing 2 hours of your day reading her frugal fashionista section!) is putting a challenge (not really!) per se to join her in doing the 30 day shred. I've done this stupid program, time and time again, but never for more than a week, at the most.  I don't know. I just don't like Jillian. She's annoying. She's bitchy. I don't know. BUT I do know that those 20 to 25 minutes DO work. I feel it every single time I do the workout. I don't know. It sure does beat the 45 to 75 minute workouts with P90X!! So, I hopped on board. I'm a day late (and possibly a dollar short!) but did do it this morning. And hope to stick through the next 29 days. Please, please, please join me, give me hope. Give me encouragement. Tell me that yeah, you mute her to and pretend to box off the freakin smiles on them chippy girls behind her :) I'm n...

It's another Monday and of course, that means Menu Plan!! Hop on over to the Organizing Junkie to see 100's of other menus for the week. Seriously, when I'm in a rut, I just randomly click through to find an idea that just jumps out at me. It's amazing at the wide variety of menus!!  NOTE to self: link the teriyaki chicken recipe!! So, a few things going on this week. Trying to empty out the freezer some. Hubby traveling 2 days. Open House (last year!) at the High School. Starting the 30 Day Shred, yet again. Spending Saturday evening with girlfriend for her 51st Birthday ... and life goes on! Sunday – Tacos (taco salad for me) … this has been bumped so many times it wasn’t funny … I ended up cooking 4 lbs of beef to do this, rest will go in freezer in meal size portions (wait, I’m suppose to be removing things from the freezer??) Monday – breaded chicken cutlets (great deal from Costco a few weeks back) from the oven with macaroni and cheese and broccoli (broc...

So, I've tried various ways to track my discretionary spending and announce it to the world without much success. Then I came across this site called Give Me Back My Five Bucks and really liked the way she does her weekly tallies. So guess what? I'm hopping on board. Monday $11.61 Winn Dixie - needed ice for cooler and coffee for sanity Tuesday $50.00 charity/donation Wednesday $ No Spend Day Thursday $4.45 Burger King (is this becoming a habit??) $190.xx Costco Friday $25.00 Sonny Boy dermatologist visit. I ask if this should be here and I say yes since it's not a fixed expense $140.38 weekly check Saturday $ No Spend Day Sunday $No Spend Day Notes/comments: I was doing pretty well. And even the costco trip didn't slip me up too badly, I don't think. I stuck with my list pretty good. I'm also pretty impressed that I had 3 No Spend Days (really, could have been 4 if I didn't count the dr's) and didn't feel the least bit co...

See the Twins in the upper right hand picture?  We played with them on Saturday. Went to Boca Lake  and Sonny Boy went for the ride. What a blast. Beautiful weather, surprisingly. Ocean was FLAT, surprisingly. Water was DEEP yet crystal clear. And still warm! And the people watching was amusing.  Sonny Boy was highly disappointed that one boat played the Universal Fist Pump song (I have NO idea what the song is) and didn't do the fist pump. At that point, he asked if he could switch the Ipod to his, we said sure, and promptly listened to some mighty fine head banging hard core rock. :) Hubby and I tolerated it for what we felt was a fair amount of time (45 minutes or so) before switching back to our funk and groove music :) Again, food was brought from the pantry and fridge/freezer. Sandwiches (wraps), fruit, granola bars, sodas, water, beer (well, hubby bought the beer when he picked up the ice ... ICE is another one of those things that irks me but that's ...

So I got home from work last night and thought, heck, let me at least try to get ONE freezer organized. Ummm....not quite as easy as it looked. I got ONE shelf done. The top shelf. Here's what was crammed on the ONE shelf: Top Sirloin Steak, 3 packages Large ziploc of pre-patted burgers (70/30), 2 (probably about 15 per bag) waffles, 2 packages limeade cheddar cheese (self bagged) 2 flat out wrap (these are on the counter to use today) small ziploc of breaded shrooms and breaded mozz sticks sliced fresh mozz. cheese large chicken breast (one lonely breast) perfect portion chicken breast (2 lb bag) spicy chicken pattys medium ziploc with breaded (raw) chicken tenders medium shrimp platter 2 lb bag of raw shrimp clam strips, 5 total (there's plenty MORE in the freezer, I tossed these little packages in a large Ziploc to contain) broccoli x2 mashed red taters rice Um, I think this shows just how unorganized the freezers really are. And wow, that was dis...

There is a whole new world out there when you start to look into Freezer Cooking. I mean, check out Life As Mom . Or how about Money Saving Mom . Or even these people linked up at the end of the posts! Their are some pretty creative and smart cooks out there! I, myself, do NOT do a day or two of dedicated Freezer Cooking. Believe me, not that I don't want to. But I can't. I have 3 freezers. 2 are from my side by sides. The other is the garage, over the top of fridge. And ALL THREE freezers are jammed packed. Yeah, there might be a few little gaps here and there. But I don't even have room for ice cream. Yes, sorry state that we are in, no ice cream in this house! So my goal is to eat from the freezer too. However, it's a little different. Sure, I have some leftovers stuffed in there. I think I saw a bag of caramelized onions, along with another bag of bbq pork. So yeah, I can say that's a freezer meal ... when really, it's just leftovers that no ...

I am sure everyone out there knows about swagbucks by now. And hopefully, you've all joined up and are using it as your search engine. Because of Swagbucks, I've currently got $40 in my little amazon account, waiting for the right thing to come my way ... most likely something along the lines of an Earth Box. :) Yeah. I want to try an earth box, and heck, if I can get it for "free" just from my searches, I'm all over it!!!  I'm actually getting ready to redeem a few more points here which will put me at $65 in the account.  Sweet! FYI - I didn't realize it at the time, but when someone refers you to swagbucks, they get points when you do....wow. I am NOT trying to get anyone to sign up, really ... but I wish now I had known that as I can't even remember WHO it was that I clicked through to sign up. That's kind of sad in a way as there are some people out there in the blogsphere that I'd help sooner than others!! Anyhow, I've had no ...

Yes, it's Thursday and I went to Costco. I had to! I needed milk. 4 gallons almost lasted the 2 weeks.  I find it amazing that I can buy milk with a 2 week expiration date. And it was still good. Had to renew my membership. $50. Took back the Sam-E and the Triple Flex vitamins. Got back $51. That sort of washed out the renewal. So, $196.57 later (including the membership renewal), here's what I got: 36 cout Welch fruit snacks $9.99 Activia yogurt $10.29 less $2.50 instant rebate bag of limes $5.29 bag of lemons $6.99 6 lb muscle milk protein powder $29.99 (it seems to be cheaper this way then buying the stuff for Sonny boy premixed) 5 lbs tomomatoes $6.49 (price went up!) 3 english cucumbers $3.29 romaine lettuce $3.99 half & half $1.45 x 3 total 2% milk $2.39 x 3 skim milk $2.29 x 1 dunkin donuts coffee $15.79 (I'm a little ashamed of myself for doing this but it was so good the last time!) string cheese $7.59 oxiclean (15 lbs) $15.79 less $4.00 cou...

Happy Tuesday! It really should be Monday but the 3 day weekend has me all messed up!  Stuck and in a rut (like me??) then hop over the organizing junkies site to look at 100's of other menus! Sunday - BBQ and leftovers Monday - BBQ (yet again) and leftovers Tuesday - tacos to give us all a change! Wednesday - soup/salad and sandwiches to get ME in the Survivor night groove (the one show I watch and hate to be stuck in kitchen watching!) Thursday - leftovers Friday - steaks Saturday - chicken Yeah. I know, no recipes. And honestly, that menu is subject to change real quick. I mean, come on, Steaks? Chicken? How vague can I be?? I want to try the rice cooker mac & cheese but not sure when I will do it. Could be with chicken. Or steaks :)

We prepared and consumed a lot of food this weekend being the 3 day weekend it was … Sonny boy had friends over on Saturday and I had 2 girlfriends and a few others show up too to keep me company … luckily my g/f brother showed up to entertain Hubby after a while … he was Master Chef til that point! Then Sunday was to be a casual catch up day and I had all intentions of floating in the pool, which I did, but then my neighbor came over looking to see if we had any leftover potatoes salad (we had sent some home with her the night before to eat while she watched Inglorious Bastards) … and while we were hanging out under the temporary gazebo, another girlfriend came by which led to us each having a beer, digging out the leftovers and going in the pool. Monday, we have a couple of friends over and will be doing wings and chicken thighs. Kind of a strange thing, I know, so to even it out, I have 6 burgers left to cook too … Hubby makes some pretty awesome wings in the oven so I had pick...

So, I've tried various ways to track my discretionary spending and announce it to the world without much success. Then I came across this site called Give Me Back My Five Bucks and really liked the way she does her weekly tallies. So guess what? I'm hopping on board. Monday $ No Spend Day! Tuesday $ No Spend Day Wednesday $40.00 gas for Brutus $8.xx McDonalds (me and Sonny Boy did the 59 cent cheeseburgers and a large fry) $1600.xx bi weekly pay with bonus. $600 should go towards the no touch savings based on my new budget plan, however, it can't as I need to finish the insurance payment this month. Thursday $200 - Hair (yikes! But it looked great!) $45.00 gas for my truck Friday $25.xx Publix $47.xx GFS $80.xx  Publix $140.38 weekly pay Saturday $ No Spend Day! Sunday $ No Spend Day! Notes/comments: It's Labor Day on Monday so I had to shop for the 3 day weekend and festivities. Check out the amount of food I figured we prepared an...

We decided (again) to let the kids invite friends over and have a BBQ on Saturday in honor of the last weekend of Summer, technically! Sometimes I ask myself why we subject ourselves to this ... then think that its often better than trying to entertain adults. After all, with teens, simply give them food, healthy refreshments, a pool, and some music and they are all set to go, and perfectly happy. Sure, I know, alot of adults would be happy too, but some not so much :) So, we have a houseful of teens coming over on Saturday. Maybe like 20 or so? There will be a couple of adults, like our friend from Colorado, Sonny Boy's g/f mom and aunt & uncle, maybe my neighbor. But really, it's for the kids. And I'm excited. Here's what I'm thinking of having for the food stuff: Layered Bean Dip Oriental Salad Layered Southwestern Salad Pasta Salad Baked Beans (I'm sure Hubby wants to make some) Burgers (with tomato slices, lettuce, onions, pickles) ...

Here it is, the 1st day of September! Wow, where DID the summer go? Sort of makes me sad, but then again, time goes on... So you already know that I do a spend/save post every week. This is just the discretionary spending stuff. The stuff that can and does change frequently. The stuff that can be eliminated for the most part in times of need. But then I also have a regular budget, so to speak. These are the bills that come in every month, that MUST be paid, you know, like the electric, phone, etc. So here’s how THAT looks: FPL       $400.00 AT&T     $45.00 Tmobile $220.00 (this will be back to about $165 in 2 months or less - $60 will be applied to cc or kitty) Water     $150.00 sprinkler $20.00 bug man $24.00 cap1       $150.00 Gas*       $125.00 Publix*    $400.00 Costco*  $300.00 Target*   $100.00 Kids* ...