Life in a Nutshell
So, today is payday. And we all know what that means! I must try to re-stock the supply shelves in the Nut-house and not spend any money..... or, at least, not very much money.
It's a delicate dance every two weeks.
I'm very uptight about eating well. Not as uptight as I could be. We can't afford free-range eggs and chicken, unpasteurized milk, and all things organic and whole grain. But I do keep our fruit bowl well-stocked and lots of yogurt in the fridge. The kids have pretzels and popcorn (light) and veggies and dip for snacks. They prefer watermelon over potato chips, and cherry tomatoes or strawberries are a real treat!
Of course, they love brownies and cake and ice cream, and we indulge in these things more often than we should....
For meals, I'm a meat and potatoes kind of cook. Must be the Irish in me. I plan my meals around the meat. And so, we must have meat..........and lots of it! So, off I truck to Sam's every two weeks to stock my freezer with all things protein. I'm always looking for new recipes for chicken and ground beef. (Not together!--yuck) Any of you have some winners to share?
Pasta dishes are very cheap and easy to make. I have discovered quite a few Italian recipes from my friend Lisa who lived in Italy for awhile. Our favorite is the Pancetta Pasta. My 3 year old is a carb queen....and this pasta recipe is a staple for her.
But anyway. Back to the budgeting nightmare. It's difficult to buy nutritious food for this many kiddos, constantly rationing..... "remember (so-and-so) only two snacks between meals".... yet making sure that they are satisfied enough to be content and rational. (nothing worse than a hungry 3 year old!)
And so I plug along as best I can. I try to stick to the allotted amount by maximizing my planning ahead, and minimizing my trips to the grocery store during the week. I shop at three different stores to get the best deals, so my kids can get the food they like best..... very tiring, but very rewarding when I hear squeals of delight at a bowl overflowing with delicious red strawberries and cream.
So, what's your secret?
2 comments:
Is there a secret? Someone has got to let me in on it too. DH and I spent so little when we were first married. I think our grocery bill was 40 a week (including alcohol :). Amazing. Fast forward 6 years, and add 3 more mouths, and I spend 100 bucks every time I go shopping. Insane, I think. Time to start that organic garden I have always dreamed of. And we do eat meat, so how bout getting a few chickens for the backyard...
teresa (this computer isn't letting me sign in...hubby must have done something...)
Hi Teresa!
I remember the days when our we and our housemate would budget $75/week (remember Jengus?) and usually make it work.
Now it's waaayyyy more than that, and even then I find it hard to keep the costs down.
DH started a small garden (since I have been known to kill all things green) and I am hopeful that this is the start of something thrifty and delicious!
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