Frugal In Florida

It's been a little while since I've done a 'real' Costco shop ... the last one didn't really count as I was in and out in less than 15 minutes. If only all my Costco stops could be that way ;-) So I had a list, the Boy added a few things on at the last minute ... he was going to go with me then backed out at the last minute which is probably just as well. I find when someone else goes with me I spend way more than I had planned. So, here's what I got ... a few things were NOT picked up as the pricing was off, so I thought. Presliced, organic apples $9.99 (price is up) 5 lbs of tomatoes $6.49 bag of limes $4.79 bag of lemons $8.79 blue cheese slices $8.79 package of paper coffee cups $9.59 (office) 3 dozen xlarge eggs $4.49 2 3 pks english cucumbers $2.99 each 5 pk artisan romaine lettuce (baby romaine) $3.99 bag of precut fresh cauliflower $4.29 6 pk of large romaine $3.99 2 pkgs of twin pack turkey (lunchmeat) $8.99 x 2 less $3 x 2 5 lb contai...

I really like doing this post weekly as it makes me think twice about somethings and stay more accountable ... It was a weird week. Hubby traveled Tuesday to Friday ... I took off Wednesday (!) as my dad had a VA appointment at 1pm which meant I needed to feed him as there is no way he can eat in the small time frame available to him ... then he came down with a bad cold where I had to cancel THAT appointment and get an appointment at 5pm to see his primary care doctor instead. Then I got the phone call from dad's girlfriend's son about the cable bill being $100 more due to the on-demand movies they ordered. They both refused to admit it and I refuse to make a big deal about it due to the lack of comfort in knowing what the heck was on the bill! THEN ... I get a call on Friday at lunch time that my father is having "thoughts" and that they have to be taken seriously. Oh My Word. Can I just tell you how clueless I really am about stuff? My first reaction was that m...

I can't believe that the first day of FALL is less than 3 weeks away ... you've got to be kidding me! It's still hitting 93, 94, 95 each day down here and I can't walk outside without becoming a hot mess ... not funny whatsoever. Yet, I keep thinking, it's been awhile since we've made soup! And especially this yummy, super easy New England Clam Chowder ...  As you know, New England style is creamy ... Manhattan is red and chunky. And if you've been reading for any length of time, you probably picked up that Hubby HATES chunky tomatoes in cooked dishes. For someone who is a big fan of food, he certainly can be picky at times ;-) Just for the record, I was set NOT to like this ... I mean, all the ingredients were pretty much processed and well, I'm trying to avoid that stuff ... but, hell, it was  a Saturday night, smelled good, he made some lovely ciabatta bread and it was to die for ... Yes, it is a little indulgent and I would suggest yo...

I did have a menu plan last week but never got around to posting it ... things were pretty hectic both at work and at home. I started going back to the gym and still feel pretty excited about it after the first week ... that says something, doesn't it? Kind of cool in that it's a regular gym with equipment, free weights, treadmills, etc. and THEN there are the 6 heavy bags AND a crossfit setup! Woohoo! I've not ventured into the crossfit stuff yet and most likely will NOT (it scares me, ok??) but the boxing stuff, yeah baby, I'm so all over that! ;-) I was in the best shape when I was doing the boxing stuff a few years back and would really like to get back in to it again. The director at the gym is trying to find a qualified instructor for classes, so in the meantime, it will be me, my new gloves and my memory of some of the workouts! So anyways ... my dinner plans are a little different now and I am making more effort to prep more on Sunday for the week ahead ... ...

I am consolidating the past 2 weeks of stuff we've been doing as it's been pretty busy around here, both at work and home ... Here are some of the Frugal Activities we've done the past 2 weeks ... 1.  Hubby bought beer ... the stuff with the blue mountains. Said he was not buying if not on sale. Ummm ... He wanted to know if $13.99 for a 15 pk was good. Uh yeah. BUY BUY BUY is how I responded to his text. Good deal dude! 2.  We fed 8 total the previous Saturday night using stuff we had on hand. That's pretty impressive if you think about it. Glad I stocked up on the bone in thighs last week at $1.59 a pound. Guess what? They are on sale this week for $1.29 a pound. Time to go buy more. 3.  Still working on the freezer inventory and keep hoping for time to add it to the Pantry Freezer page. I'm slightly embarrassed by how much food I really have and yet I still feel the need to go grocery shopping every week. 4.  Hosted a few friends last Sunday for a pool...

I am almost done inventorying and organizing the freezers ... we have a LOT of food there ... if you want to see what I have so far, check back and click on the tab above that says Pantry / Freezer Inventory ... I want to try and keep that page updated and hope to have enough time, ambition and willpower to keep it up to date. Wouldn't that be GREAT for future Pantry Challenges and such?? Any way. We had a fairly frugal week last week with only a few basic stops at the grocery store. Of course, Sunday, Hubby felt compelled to make some Orange Juliuses and sent the kids to the store to pick up a few ingredients ... ugg! But thats ok, the 6 of us really enjoyed them and he felt good making them for all. Here's what I'm aiming to make for the week ahead: Sunday - Coconut Chicken ! That was the plan ... didn't happen. The air conditioning decided to freeze up while we hung out in the pool ... we ended up doing pizzas from the freezer and leftovers. The great day end...

I really like doing this post each week as it makes me stay accountable and think twice about some things! This past week was somewhat frugal, I'd say ... and also made me think twice about the freezer situation ... if that storm Bertha had headed east instead of more northerly, I would have been scrambling to get the 3 freezers organized a lot quicker than I have been for the past 6 months. Yes. 6 months I've been mumbling that I need to get them inventoried and organized. Hrmp. See how that's coming along? Any way. It shouldn't take a threat of a hurricane/tropical storm to prompt me to finish a long over due task and I know that. So ... that's what I'm working on! Here are some of the Frugal Activities that we did this past week: 1.  Allocated myself $30 to shop at Winn Dixie (my least favorite store) to stock up on chicken thighs (both boneless and bone in). Spent $34 and used a $5 off $30 coupons ... walked out with change in my pocket. That's a...

Wow, it's AUGUST! Good grief, where has the past 8 months gone? Those of you with school aged kids have got to be feeling a little pressure that summer is coming to an end and it's time to get back in the school groove ... sort of glad, in an odd way, that I'm past that! But still, it's AUGUST! Last weeks menu plan was NOT followed all that much. We had leftovers a few nights, salad another night, one other night Hubby pulled out a bag of breaded chicken filets and tater tots and tossed those in the oven. It was just a very weird week, that's all. I'm hoping that this week can be a little more healthier and on track ;-) With Bertha out there on the horizon, I feel the pressure to really get focused and get the freezers cleaned, inventoried and organized while I have the time to do so. Nothings worse than knowing a storm is heading towards you and 3 freezers stuffed full of stuff in absolutely no order! :-( Fingers crossed that this week I can make some progr...

Honestly, I wasn't planning on this dish ... but it just popped up on Pinterest, I had everything I needed to make it, and tossed in some more of them veggies from the freezer and called it a day. The only thing was, I made it Saturday afternoon. Hubby makes dinner on Saturdays. So this was put aside and then consumed on Sunday, reheated in a skillet, not the microwave. If you do grains, rice, whatnot, this would be excellent served that way. As I TRY not to, I just plopped mine in to a large bowl, sprinkled the sesame seeds over the top and chowed down. I'm thinking next time I will try some Cauliflower Rice to up my veggie intake! It's simple ... really. BUT I wouldn't call this a meal to have after a long day at work or something  because it only hangs out in the crockpot for 4 to 5 hours ... unless you can set the crockpot to turn on at a certain time? Here's what you need: 2 lbs boneless chicken. I used chicken breast, only because they defrosted f...