Frugal In Florida

Here it is the last day of the first month of the New Year!! It did fly by!  I am going to continue with the pantry challenge only because I really have a lot of stuff to use up still (freezers AND pantry!) and hopefully continue to save some money in the meantime. I do have a few thoughts though on the "rising" cost of foods but will get around to that on another post ... If you are looking for some menu ideas, hop on over to Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday ... tons (like 100's) of others are linking up! Monday (hubby leaves for Houston and this IS day 31 of Pantry Challenge) - grilled cheese and tomato soup (canned) ... easy night as I will be getting home later than anticipated Tuesday - macaroni and cheese  (I will only make half this recipe as it's just the 3 of us eating) Wednesday - Chicken Cesar Pasta Salad  (will use the precooked chicken I got from Costco a few weeks back ... need to try a different method than baking as suggested to reheat...

Yeah, we are moving forward. I've got to take a picture of the guest freezer, it's got a few empty spots ... woohoo!! Gotta be from the box of Taquitos. Anyways, I really fell off the wagon this week on the menu plan... Friday, the 28th, breakfast was Special K "with berries" for Hubby, I had banana and clementine, kids had whatever they scrounged up when they awoke. Hubby was out for lunch, I had a MC steamer that I picked up for 80 cents (ummm, I could so make one and probably have it be healthier AND more filling) ... kids on their own yet again. Dinner was sliders (hubby picked up), a couple cans of chicken chili that was doctored up and some crab cakes from the freezer. See, it goes back to the  Frugal Friday post ... we COULD have made the sliders ourselves but the hamburger was frozen so Hubby opted to spend the $10 on pre-made ones and buns (and we had leftovers) ... We had an exellent time with our friends, as always, ...

Ammie over at Domestically Obsessed is hosting the weekly Make It Happen Monday ... I do find that posting my list of things to do online helps a "bit" but need to get more focused on the list being ready beforehand!! You should go check her out and LINK UP! Here's what I've got to take care of this week: 1. Get the 3 big closings out of the way at work! 2. Workout, exercise 3. Post Menu Plan (easy as Hubby is traveling) 4. I'm skipping all the making appt make stuff this week ... will focus on that next week for sure :) 5. February is my declutter month so I need to attack the guest room linen closet. Clear it out! 6. Pantry, freezers, cupboards organizing. Still on the list 7. Call Ms. McF at school to follow up on meeting 8. Balance checkbook. Move remainder of money to savings. Deposit, move 20% automatically to savings. 9. Set bill pay up for 3 bills in purse. 10. Start creative ideas for Hubby Love month 11. Clean laundry room. Dust bunnies a...

I did this post the other day. Don't ask me why but it makes me emotional. As in E. M. O. Ack. I love my Husband. Dearly. He just annoys the crap out of me at times. Probably 50% of the time. I'm sure I annoy him the other 50% :) We've grown together and sometimes, I think we've grown apart a bit. Yeah, it's true. It DOES happen. So I admit that I need to reconnect with the man I picked as a high school freshman to be THE one for me for the remainder of my life. The man who is the father of my children. The man who has put me where I am today. So February will be my dedicated Hubby Love month. I am going to try and do something each and every day to let him know that I love him. Besides the "usual" stuff. Time for me to get creative. I need to start RIGHT now :) ...

Whew...it's been a more productive week! There are signs of hope!! I'm actually quite pleased with this past week's results ... Out: sausage bacon pkg of turkey lunchmeat 2 pkgs of bagel bites (I think this is it!) 1 box of Taquitos (yahoo) (close to tossing the remainder of box 2, I think they are freezer burned at this point) 1 small box of mac and cheese *HC Fudge bars, one box is getting 'lower' but don't want to toss the box as then I will lose the remaining bars so the box stays in the door* 2 lb of butter (moved to the fridge and one box is already gone!) 1 pkg ready cooked bacon filet mignon steaks 2 boxes crabcakes 2 frozen pizzas 1 smoothie mix half bag of raspberries In: 4 pizzas (and see the 2 removed, so only 2 left) 1 lb frozen blueberries small pkg of tortellini for Sonny Boy

Funny, I was reading a post over here about dating your spouse and it rang so true, it could have easily brought tears to my eyes (had I not been in the office, WORKING!) I had a comment all typed up to respond, and then thought better of it ... "the children will all leave and there we’ll be….just the two of us." Years ago, we were having issues, like SERIOUS marital issues and were seeing a counselor. One of the first things the counselor told us is that line above. Of course, as a mom of 2 toddlers, I thought, phff, what does SHE know? Well, all these years later, where my heart breaks at the thought that my babies no longer need me at their age of 20 and 18, I realize, she was right. See, when the kids move out, that will be the true test for us. Do we really like each other for who we are, not just as the mother and the father of the kids? Is it just because the kids were there, we had a common ground/goal? Do we still share the same interest, that has NOTHIN...

This post is about ME. All me. Me Me Me. Well, and my friends. And my family. Ok, let's start with the ME: 1. I am a creature of habit, very much so. 2. I am a tightwad, yet I can certainly be a spendthrift too. This definitely needs to be looked into further, just not at this very moment. 3. I like to cook, but sometimes, just don't have the energy, ambition, drive, motivation, etc. 4. I love my family (most of the time). 5. I enjoy staying home and having everyone over to MY house :) So, what does this all have to do with a Frugal Friday post? Well, I've learned a  few things from those 5 points ... I am a tightwad WHEN I continue to stick with my method of thinking myself as such ... doing things consistently becomes a "habit", and cooking for myself, family and friends in the comfort of my home is definitely a Frugal Friday tip (not to mention, skipping that huge bar tab is a bonus!) I've started back up with the hosting Happy Hour Fridays...