Frugal In Florida

Ahhh....already going in to Week 4 of the new year! Amazing that time is flying by! This week I'm hitting up Costco on my holiday off ... thank you MLK for many things AND the bonus day off ... I really have no desire to watch the Inauguration as that's all that's been on the TV this past weekend ... I've got a list of things that I NEED and a few things to look at ... hoping to keep it under $200 which should NOT be a problem ... come back and see! The list consists of veggies (lettuce, peppers, etc.), lunch meat, milk, eggs, coffee and I want to check out the meat, specifically to see if they still have the hams like I picked up before Christmas ... they were boneless spiral cut for like $2.69/lb and DELICIOUS ... plus chicken thighs, bone in at Hubby's request, olive oil, Tide Pods, and a few other oddballs. I'm hoping to be able to utilize the rest of the day alone by catching up on some batch cooking too hopefully a new recipe or two to post too ...  ...

One of my New Year's proclamations was to spend a little more time on ME.  But I'm still trying to be frugal so a full day at the spa to get me some pampering done isn't going to be happening (although, Hubby has promised a day for me soon) ... Anyways. Here's something that I've been doing for a little while now, and seriously, it does wonders for your skin ... and even better is that you most likely just need to go in your kitchen pantry and pull out the big box/bag of ... Yup, baking soda! Originally, I said to mix 3 tbs of baking soda to 1 tbs of water.  To mix well in a small dish to make a paste and apply to face in small circular, rubbing motions. Yeah, that worked, real well. But then, I started getting lazy. Or maybe it's because I was running late one morning. I just poured a bit in the palm of my hand, jumped in the shower, dribble a bit of water in the other hand, rubbed together and then rubbed both hands on my DRY face AND then started ...

I made this for the boat parade party, a month ago ... and was so bummed that I didn't really get to try it before it was devoured ... damn mini adults ... they just sat around and ate EVERYTHING ... so I've had it on the list of things to make again and try when there wasn't a mob of people around ... So I did it again on Saturday night when we had some friends coming over ... Ummm, HELLO. This stuff is addictive. Normally we do not sit on the barstools at the counter when we have friends over, we generally STAND around ... the game was on in the kitchen so we were STANDING around watching the 5th quarter and next thing I know, 2 of the friends are SITTING on the barstools, right smack in front of the dish and just scoopin this stuff up ... Trust me, the one guy is Mr. Health Conscious and does not just eat stuff to nibble on ... It's damn good ... give it a try! 1 cup of mayo (used my homemade stuff) 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp and cut int...

It’s Monday and time to link up that food plan for the week.   I didn’t follow mine too closely this past week … Monday, soup, Tuesday, Hubby made me mashed taters, Wednesday I was starting to belong to the real world again and don’t remember, Thursday, don’t remember, Friday, hot dogs, Saturday, pretzel crusted chicken (Hubby made) … so this week,   I need to be focused. Cleaned out the fridge (both of them) on Saturday morning and was surprised by how empty it was when everything was organized … Hubby and the Princess had done a decent job fending for themselves after all … So I ended up shopping on Saturday and spent $102. Only meat was the fake crab stuff (6 packages) … depressing how expensive everything is getting. The list was very specific and I had 20 coupons … receipt said I saved $86 … sure, whatever. I also want to hit up the Fresh Market on Tuesday for their $2.99 Tuesday sale … ground beef (85/15) and chicken breast. Ground beef I can use (I have 3 ...

Ehhh..Sunday was spent on the couch and in the bathroom thanks to the lovely flu bug I picked up ... so Menu Planning was set aside. But I still feel the need to plan SOMETHING, even when the mere thought of food makes my stomach roil ... ugggg ... it has to end soon, right? Still sticking to using what we have on hand and since I was sick all weekend, we still have the same food in the fridge and pantry and I didn't buy anything new over the weekend ... so here's what the rest of the week will be looking like: Sunday - Hubby fended for himself and had leftover Chinese. That was Saturday night's dinner choice when I was laying flat on my back trying to keep my eyes open. Seriously, I felt like I was drugged or something. Bizarre. Hubby made an offer of soup AGAIN which sent me to the bathroom ... half bottle of propel was my dinner. Poor guy, he tried. Monday - was really aiming to make dinner tonight ... Hubby is stopping to buy me some chicken noodle soup, the red...

I have a confession to make .... I didn't get my flu shot this year. And, well, I've paid the price for it in the last 48 hours. Yes. The Black Plague knocked on my door and I opened it! Ok, ok, I know, a little dramatic, but Good Lord ... it's been pure misery. Uggg. I remember NOW just how horrible the flu is. Like, please, someone, anyone, call Dr. Kevorkian to put me out of my misery. Funny, but not so much. In all seriousness, I may have willingly held out my wrist for someone to slash yesterday. Hubby may have assisted. It was NOT pretty ... and if anyone out there knows how to hold out with the flu in a 'decent' manner, please share. So I'm home today. Feels like someone has whacked my ribs with a baseball bat. Plus I'm extremely weak in that I've not been able to eat and keep anything in my body for what feels like forever. My teeth hurt. My stomach still feels like there is a brick in it. Hurts to breathe deep. Hurts to stand tal...