Oct Food Budget Update

Well, as I mentioned before, its only half way through Oct and I have already spent more than $200 on food.  There are some good reasons, but nonetheless....  Hubby suggested that I aim for $2400 annually, rather than a monthly budget, as some months are more expensive. Why?

This month, I purchased several staple items that I won't need to buy again for 4 to 6 months. This includes:
rice (both short grain and basmati)
flour
chocolate chips
almonds
baking soda

And several items I won't purchase again for 1 to 2 months:
whole chickens
chicken breasts
pork loin
lunch meat
whole, peeled, canned tomatoes
peanut butter
bagels

Also, we are hosting some Indian friends this weekend, and as they are vegetarian, I've purchased (1) more vegetables than I would normally in a month, and (2) enough to feel 2 more adults. I purchased the basmati rice as a treat for them and us. And the 20 lb bag of basmati cost more than the 50 lb bag of short grain; this is quite the treat!

We are looking at joining the local CSA. I see a few pros and a few cons to this...
Pros:
a chunk of veggies at less than I'd pay at the store
fresh, pesticide free veggies

Cons:
likely to get some veggies we just don't like
more veggies than we could eat... if we aren't intentional.

Yes, I'm looking for a friend to go halves with us. There are only  2 of us, and we are only learning how to eat veggies in larger amounts and more regularly. It doesn't come naturally to either of us.

I'm thinking October will round out to about $300, which means I've averaging $250. I do think I going to aim more to keeping the average around $200 rather than each month at $200.

How are you doing with your food budget? Have you started any new strategies? I'd love to have a conversation about this with others with similar goals!

Teething, food and life

Goodness, every now and then, life sneaks up on ya and takes over, doesn't it?  So has it been for me this past week. Yeah, its been near on a week since I last posted, hasn't it.

Lets see...
The weather has cooled off, such that we can open windows at night and get the house down to the low 70s and sometimes, the upper 60s. That's so very nice! I've decided that 69' is the near perfect morning temperature... I need socks and a sweater, and I can drink my coffee enjoying the heat.

We have guests! Yep, a paster and his wife, who our church supports, from India are staying with us this weekend. Its been a wonderful chance for me to learn how to cook India style, and I've learned that curries are all teh same, its just the ingredients that are different. This makes sense once you see the process. Heat oil. Add chopped onions and peppers (make sure they are spicy, spicy). Let those cook till they are nice and tender, then add vegetables. Tomaotes have been in ever curry we've had so far, but I guess just about any vegetable will work, so she tells me. I honestly dought that squash would really work, but that might be just me. Oh, yeah, add the spices when you are cooking just the onions and peppers. Serve with rice, eat with you right hand. Mix the curry with the rice, and scoop it up in your fingers, all 4 of them. Then use your thumb to push the food into your mouth. Quite easy, if you don't mind getting your hands messy.

Peanut is getting his first tooth! I noticed a few days ago that he was chewing even more and had become a major slober machine. I've been checking to see if I could feel a tooth begining most days, but nothing till this morning, and then, this afternoon, we could see the tooth poking up! He's been a bit fussy, mostly this afternoon and evening, but nothing like I expected. Maybe that comes later?

And Peanut has started to beg for food. I usually put him in his high chair when we eat, and he will watch us very closely as we eat. If one of us is holding him while we eat, he will grab at teh food or our hand, and he's been sucessful at disrupting the process a time or two. Well, last night, I caved and let him have a very small piece of pizza crust (from the inside where it is soft and not sause or cheese on it). Wow, he liked it. Today, he got a few grains of plain white rice, and wasn't as crazy about it. And this evening, I had a leftover piece of pizza and he actually fussed at me while I was eating... till I gave him a small piece of crust. It was quite humerous. I'd get a piece and as I approached him, he would open is mouth wide and grunt, like he does when he's about to nurse, and he would eagerly gobble the piece of crust when he got it. So cute.

In the movement area, Peanut is rolling regularly now.

I've broken the October food budget. I've already hit $200 and it only half way through the month. But then, I bought a lot of staple items. More details soon.

And last, but not least...

the coolest baby on the block!

I swear, I put him square in the middle of the baby gym. He's not crawling, but he can get around!

Oh, is it raining!

We have prayed for rain nearly every night since last March or April.

It feels quite amazing when your prayers get answered.

The rain gauge is reading 4 inches and its still raining. Its not a crazy fast rain, which is nice, but hard enough that its really cooled everything off.

Thank you, Lord. You remind us of what a blessing something as simple as rain is when we've gone without. Thank you that this wasn't a crazy 3 year drought (2 Kings... think Elijah vs. Prophets of Baal).

Officially Frustrated

Yes, I am.

See, I purposed obtained 4 boxes of Kellogg's Mini Wheat (which I do like) for the codes to get a free up to $5 book from Scholastic.com. Sweet.

I got enough codes for 2 coupons. At $5 a coupon, that's $10. Not bad.

I found 2 books, board books, that were each less than $5, added them to the cart. I got through the process of address, etc, and get to adding the promotion codes. And it only lets me add 1 code. Yep, seems I have to order the books separately, which means paying shipping twice.

And because I was a teacher before, its all screwy and keeps wanting to know my current school. Or the school my child attends... so, I registered as a teacher of a homeschool -- but it can't find my school, so I can't order today. Argh.

Scholastic -- why are you making this so difficult? I just want a couple of fun books for my little boy.

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real

Its been busy around here. I've not really gotten the hang of making use of my time to the fullest, which is frustrating, but I"m getting better. Often times I wonder, at the end of the day, what I'd accomplished. At first, I feel like I got nothing done, but then I begin to remember... I got the diapers washed, hung out, taken down and put away. I ironed 3 of Hubby's shirts (they look so much nicer ironed!). I took a nap with my baby boy. When I spend a fair bit of time just nursing (and reading while nursing), I feel unproductive until I really start thinking about it.

But today... what's going on today?

{Pretty and Happy}

I'm making apple butter! I got to use my mother's peeler/slicer/corer, which was fun.

I started in a pot too small, so I had to move it when it started to boil.

My plan was to donate these to be sold at the Arts and Craft sale, Nov 13, to raise money to help Leah Grace in her transplant costs. But I added in some leftover applesauce... which has high fructose corn syrup in it. Drat. Wanted these "all natural". So, I guess this batch is for me and I'll get more apples to make for the Arts and Crafts sale.

{Not really all that funny, but its fun}

I'm trying to figure out ways to use up fewer things. So, I'm trying out freezing meats and such in "reusable" containers, instead of ziplocks. 

{So very Real}

And Peanut is working hard on his basic dexterity. Look at this!

He pulled the chew toy off from the rings. That's a strong little boy!

Can you tell he is currently an only child?

Find more {Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real} Here

Amazon Store and my recommendations

For those who actually visit the blog, you might have noticed the Amazon "My Recommendations" on the side bar.  Yep -- I've become an Amazon Associate. That means if you purchase the item via a link on my blog, I get a bit of commission. I promise to only recommend those items and books that are truly useful and deserving of such recommendation.  I've begun putting links in individual posts, e.g. book reviews, so that you can go directly from that post to purchase the book or item.

Luckily, I'm a fairly opinionated person, so I should be able to offer you plenty of opinions of the various objects I use!