Weekend blog

This weekend was very stressful. It's a long story that no one really would be interested in. I hate dealing with customer service support people on the phone, mostly because of the long wait times and the endless options --- especially when you try to press zero to talk to a live person and that doesn't work and it just re-starts the menu options being dictated to you all over again. Arg. Saturday night I was up until 1am (that's VERY late in this household) and today I was on hold for an HOUR with cutomer service people to clear up some things.

You know how some places will authorize your check card for a dollar even though you're not actually going to get charged a dollar? Usually this is to make sure that your card is valid. Well, I learned the hard way that some places will authorize your card for a LOT more, and if for some reason you don't end up purchasing something for the amount you authorized, the authorization will stay there for up to 48 hours!! Why does this matter? Because it changes the available balance in your checking account which is seriously frusterating when you haven't even bought anything, but you can't access your own money! ARGH!

Anyway, I've been too busy to blog. Pete made dinner these last couple of nights and I don't have recipes. He basically made stir-fry Saturday and Sunday out of things he found in the freezer and pantry.

We spent $32.73 on groceries on Saturday and I was bad and splurged and spent $5.99 at McDonalds. I forgot to pack myself a lunch and it was a long day at work and I needed some fuel. Not the healthiest, but I needed some cheap fat and sugar. Yeah, six bucks is a lot to spend at McDonalds (usually I'll get the one dollar double cheeseburger and some water) but I really needed enough fuel. I actually got a soda and I am NOT a soda drinker.

Sunday was better. Pete took some bottles to the bottle-return and got money back and he used that to buy McDonalds for himself and the boys (so the boys could play in the play area) and he brought me a couple of one dollar double cheeseburgers. I'm not happy that I've fallen back on McDonalds, but at least it's pretty cheap. Pete had actually packed me a lunch but I spent so long talking to customer service people that I had to eat it as breakfast while I drove to work, and then I had nada for lunch.

I wish that Subway would have a playland. At least it would be healthier. I also wish this weekend had gone a lot smoother. This week we will be better about packing lunches and avoiding fast-food.

So far I've spent $81.77. Pete got gas, but Kay isn't counting her husband's gas, so I'm not counting his either (which will level the playing field, because Pete spends almost $600 a month in gas! SERIOUSLY! His commute to work is killing us. @*#@&ing gas prices.) Kay has only spent $50 but she hasn't blogged this weekend yet.

Biscuit babies

Pete went on the internet to find directions to make paper airplanes and he and the boys made planes and flew them in the yard. Free entertainment. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.

I had to work, so hubby made dinner. We never seem to eat up our eggs fast enough and we had bacon that's been in there a while, plus biscuits that I use for Poor People Dessert (I made that name up, ha ha). Anyway, he made Biscuit Babies for dinner. Basically like an egg McBiscuit breakfast sandwich, but a quarter of the size.

Poor People Dessert is pretty good for breakfast, too. Basically use a tube of raw biscuit dough (you know the kind you pop open and then there are discs that you bake). Anyway, cut each disc into quarters and place them in a greased baking dish (square or round cake pan or small rectangle - they should be pretty close together - touching each other). Heat up about 1/4 cup of brown sugar and a tablespoon or two of butter in a pan until hot and liquid, then pour over the biscuits and bake according to the package directions. Num, num!

Money spent today = nada!

Kay has not blogged yet today, but she just dropped some cashola on portraits of her kiddos, so I think I'm ahead. All in all, I've only spent $43.05.

Day One

Kay put her blog up on Blogger, here. I went to the grocery store today and spent $43.05. Kind of a lot, but I'm growing my bangs out and I needed some new hair thingies, plus a dollar cash back because the tooth fairy could be visiting Puck any night now and we need to be prepared (he's got his first loose tooth!) I don't know if Kay is counting all other things you buy at the grocery store (in addition to food) but I am. I had to get the boys toothbrushes and floss and some other things as well.

Tonight we're having Sausage & Rice Casserole

1 lb kielbasa, cut into pieces
1/2 lb cheese, grated
2 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced
2 cups rice
4 cups water

Boil rice, squash and kielbasa in water until rice is done. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
If you're using minute rice, you'll have to cook the rice separately from the kielbasa and squash.

This is a pretty cheap dinner, but the first time we made it, we found it to be quite bland (sharp cheddar helps a little) so this time we used a rice mix (broccoli au gratin) instead of plain rice. We're also having a spinach salad using that Valdosta cranberry nut stuff. Basically, toss the Valdosta in with the raw spinach along with dark olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You can add salt and pepper to taste, although the Valdosta already has black pepper in it.

For snacks, I cut up a couple of bell peppers and put them in baggies in the fridge. We also have other things around, like raisins, fruit leather, nuts, and turkey jerky. Pete likes to have less healthy snacks and has a habit of visiting 7-11 on a regular basis. He learned this nasty habit as a kid and has been trying for years to break it. I have to say, though, he has a very physical job and probably needs the extra sugar and calories to keep him going, so he has candy bars, sun chips and soda that we buy cheap so that he has no reason to stop at the convenience store. The challenge now, is to keep the candy and soda hidden from the kids so that they don't develop the same habit.

What's this all about?

A couple of years ago, I set myself a budget goal and I blogged about it. It was like a game, or a contest for myself and I invited people to cheer me on. Now a friend of mine, Kay, has decided to create a blog of her own that is similar to my old blog. It inspired me to start blogging about frugality again, but I just didn't have the same enthusiasm this time as I did the first time.

One thing I've learned about frugality is that you have to make it fun or you just won't do it. So this time around, the new game is to "Beat Kay." *snicker* Her blog is http://kaysanthem.blogspot.com/

So far, she claims to have spent no money. Actually, she claims to have extra money because she returned a few items, so she's got four extra bucks. Okay then, fair's fair. Anything I currently have in my fridge or pantry doesn't count against me in my effort to BEAT KAY. The things that will be included in this blog are gas, food, and entertainment (although I haven't seen Kay blog about gas yet... if she doesn't put that in there, I ain't gonna, either.)

I don't have a vehicle today because it's in the shop so I can't go to the store, anyway. I'm munching on Sahale snacks right now. The Valdosta is the best (cranberries, pecans, black pepper and orange zest.) It's especially good in a spinach salad. For the rest of the day, I'm going to have to survive on "mock stroganoff" leftovers.

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 packet french onion soup mix
1 family size can of cream of mushroom soup
milk
1 cup of sour cream
1 package egg noodles

Mix together ground meat and onion soup mix. Make meatballs or patties out of the meat and brown in a skillet. WHen meat is cooked through add the large can of cream of mushroom soup plus 1/2-3/4 of the can full of milk to the skillet with the meat. Mix together and let simmer until thick and bubbly. Boil the egg noodles according to the package directions. Finally add the sour cream to the soup/meatballs and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Season the sauce a little bit with salt and pepper. Serve hot meatballs and sauce over egg noodles.

I've been eating this with raw spinach. I've been feeling tired a lot and spinach makes me feel better. Perhaps I'm anemic. There's a lot more in spinach than iron, though. Holy cow, it's a certainly a super food!

Technically Kay is up on me by $4.42. I'll have to find something around the house to sell on Craig's List. If anyone else would like to get in on the spirit of friendly competition, you too can try to beat Kay, or beat Patty. Setting up a blog on Blogger is easy. I'll link to you! Might be fun to get a big circle of blogs going. I'm going to try to post every single day, so please check back often and encourage me. Thanks!