Frugal In Florida

I am amazed that a little more than two years ago, I wouldn't go anywhere NEAR broccoli, cooked or raw ... no thank you! But now? That's my number one reason I want to go to Costco ... to pick up these three pound bags of broccoli florets ... I've even got kids who come over that swear they hate the stuff too ... and guess what? They are the ones that just sit at the counter popping these yummy bites in their mouth as if it's popcorn ... yes, it's that good! I make a lot and as soon as it's cooled, I dish half of it up in a glass container and toss in the fridge for sides during the week ... I reheat them in the skillet with apple sausage for breakfast, add to a leftover meat for lunches and sometimes just add in for dinner too ... I've really been trying hard to eat more veggies and this is perfect. Broccoli for breakfast? Yes, try it, you will be surprised. I definitely feel fuller, longer when I have this in the morning! Ok ... here's what...

Well, here we are, Day 12 of the Pantry / Freezer Challenge and so far, no issues to be had.  I DID add some stuff to the freezer this past week, 15 pounds worth of chicken for FREE using the Target $5 off $20 and Cartwheel AND some gift cards I had stashed. Since I was getting low on chicken breast, I didn’t feel bad about doing this! PLUS it was FREE! Oh, and yes, there was a stop at Costco, again, that was free as I used my rebate check and a gift card (and still have a few dollars left). I am also extremely happy to report that I ate all three meals at home this past week … even with Hubby traveling, I stayed on task. Granted, I had a lot of leftovers since Hubby had to travel at the last minute for the majority of the week … I spent a total of $66 this past week on food out of pocket, and yes, that did include $20 for beer and ice for our boating trip on Saturday … So, technically, I stayed under budget which is ALWAYS a good thing! Sunday always involves a little meal p...

It's been a while since I've done a Frugal Activities post and since I'm on the Pantry / Freezer Challenge this month, I figured now is a good time to pick up where I've left off ... I'll be honest, it seems like I've been spending a ton of money lately ... between the insurances being due, helping my dad with a few extras, my sister having serious financial issues, and just life in general, my savings account is no where near where I'd like it to be, nor is my checking account! So, in addition to the Pantry / Freezer Challenge, I thought, heck, I need to get my mind back in to the saving/frugal/every penny counts/debt is an emergency mode ... and it didn't take long for me to fall right back in to that path, thankfully! I've changed up my plans a tad: boosted my weekly savings to $75 (automatically withdrawn through the Capital One 360 program), added an automatic withdrawal for the 4th and the 18th of each month (I get my main pay checks on...

The Boy and his girlfriend love Chipolte ... to the point where they had to take a break as the employees knew exactly what they were going to order since they were going so often ;-) Of course, I'm like, good grief kids, that gets expensive after a while and we can get a pretty close replica of that at home! Which reminds me, I need to be making Steak Bites again pretty soon ... So when I came across this recipe , I knew I had to give it a try as it totally FITS the Pantry/Freezer Challenge ... I've got everything on hand, with the exception of the cilantro ... which in MY house, has to be added to each individual plate since me and the girlfriend are the only one's who like it ... I even had the beer, and no, it wasn't Dos Equis, it was Corona ... thankful that I discovered this recipe at this particular time, had a cooler full of beer from the 4th of July festivities and actually had more than just the usual Ciders and Coors Lite on hand :-) The ULTIMATE sac...