Making Cents Of It All

We had Hubby's company picnic this weekend. They always have lots to do. I enjoyed the BBQ and cotton candy. They always do a kids pinata but this year they did an adult one too. It was so funny to watch. It was filled with little plastic bottles of liquor.  You had to spin around five times and then swing. No way my vertigo could handle that so I just watched.  They do several free raffles for the employees. And Hubby won one. We always sign up to be on the clean up crew. We brought home lots of leftovers. I made trays for several of the younger single people to take home food too. They were shy to come up and make it themselves but were grateful when I handed them trays already done.  Hubby and I stopped at some yard sales. I spent $1.  Hubby spent $4.  YD is keeping busy at school. She brought art supplies with her. Her new friends and her are painting lots of rocks they found on campus. She is making some for gift...

One of my goals for 2018 was to cut my grocery budget. That includes food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and paper products. Oreo has her own budget so none of her stuff is in there. Also all medications are in the medical budget.  I had set a goal of $400 a month. I was doing really well until about October when we learned my youngest daughter has a gluten intolerance. GF food is not cheap.  We ended up spending $5190.55 for the year. That comes to $432.54 a month. So I went over by $390.55.  This is for 4 adults. That comes to $108.13 a person per month. With 3 people with different food issues, I think we did really well. We like to eat and we eat really well. No one in this house is deprived. My waist line can attest to that.  According to the USDA, my family is far below the  thrifty plan . For a family of 4 they say that we should be spending around $700. So as long as I stay below the thrifty plan, I am happy.  I did manage to add a lot to my ...

I worked 5 days this week. That is a lot for me. Perfect timing for Christmas shopping. 2 of the shifts were only 4 hours so I was still able to get a lot done. I have been cooking pumpkins. Since the oven was on, I threw in some sausage, the small pan on the bottom right. We had sausage and peppers on rice for dinner. YD volunteered for a bake sale at school. You guessed it , she made pumpkin muffins and they were a hit. They hold the bake sale on election day so that everyone that is coming to vote can purchase items from the school. The money goes to scholarships.  I also made a batch and sent some to work with Hubby. I got gas on Wednesday while I was running errands. I always try to fill up because 6¢ off a gallon works for me.  Our kitchen garbage bag this week was the 50 pound bag from potatoes. It sure holds a lot. It is only about 1/2 full.  Hubby did lots of yard work. He has been trying to stay on top of the leaves. He m...

The garden is winding down. I am still getting some tomatoes, peppers, pole beans and carrots. I have a few cucumbers that I can pick. The herbs are still doing well and I am picking and using them fresh. I have been drying some too. Seeds are dried and ready for next year. I will be sad to stop having all of the free fresh produce. I did can lots so we will enjoy it this winter.   I went to Meat Farms for grapes and broccoli. They had lots of good stuff on the marked down rack. Each package was $1.59. I got apples, squash and orange peppers. My total was $11.76. I went to BJ's. I used $1.50 off coupon for the Silk. I used $1 off coupon for the cold cuts. My total was $53.73.  Staples sent another $10 off $10 purchase. With my son and I having colds, we have been going through lots of tissues. I paid 53¢ My total for the week was $66.02. For September, I spent $456.50. My total for the year was $3481.63. My monthly average is $386....

Meat was on sale this week at Stop & Shop. You could get 2 value packs of either chicken legs, thighs or combos. I got thighs. They were 69¢ a pound. Pork chops were on sale for 99¢ a pound.  The plastic wrap was marked down to 49¢. We don't use it often but for that price I will buy it.  The graham crackers were 57¢. We are still doing fire pits and making smores so I was happy to get them. I don't mind a damaged box.  My total for Stop & Shop was $10.53.  I also got this juice for free. It was supposed to be a 4 pack of small ones but they never got them in. The manager let me get this instead.  Staples sent me another voucher. I spent 3¢ A few days later Staples was at it again. YD came with me this time since we were going right to the mall after and it is close by. It cost me 28¢ after a $10 off $10 purchase. They must have a glitch in their system because every week we are getting one. They are d...

The fall is a great time to add to my pantry. The farms are full of delicious local fruits and vegetables. Youngest daughter and I went out east to look at some of the farms. We love doing it. It is a great way to spend some time together. We do have a few favorites that we like to check out, but we are always open to look at new ones that pop up. One of the regular farms that we go to had a bushel of corn  for $21. It did go up a little from last year but we love our local Long Island corn. After processing it and eating some, I froze 20 baggies of corn and a quart of stock. I also made 10 small jars of corn cob jelly. I still have more corn that needs to be frozen. My son keeps bringing home the goodies that are leftover from work. They do not last long in our house. It is great in the warm months because I don't have to bake if I don't want to.  The garden is still giving me goodies. I am very happy with all that I have gotten from it this year. I have ...