July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 24, Garage Sale Food

by Katy on July 24, 2011 · 10 comments

 

Eggs from Lise, my garage sale buddy and egg dealer.

Today is day 24 of the July Food Stamp Challenge, and more importantly, it’s day two of our garage sale. The weather is dry and mild, the customers are fewer than yesterday but still steady and I am $240 richer than I was on the 23rd.

I wanted to make sure to have a plan for how we were to eat yesterday, so I saved up a $20 pizza coupon, ate a big breakfast and kept a refillable water bottle at my side.

But of course, all plans need to include the ability for change, which is why I made room for:

  • Six lovely eggs from my friend Lise. (Her chickens, not herself)
  • Five delicious and freshly made pork tamales, bought from a Mexican woman who walked by the house pulling a cooler full of deliciousness.
  • A box of Grand Central pastries brought by my mother.

I tell ya, this eating cheaply thing is killing me.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

Umm . . . yum!

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 23, Yard Sale Day

by Katy on July 23, 2011 · 9 comments

Today is day 23 of the July Food Stamp Challenge, and all I’m thinking about is tying up the details of today’s yard sale. You may recall that I had a one-day sale back in May. Afterwards I put everything back into the garage (still priced and sitting on tables) in anticipation of today. (I also will be adding new freshly-decluttered stuff to the sale) Well . . . today is here and I am working hard to do all the last minute stuff that needs to get done.

I did unearth a vintage Salton Yogurt Maker from my father’s basement yesterday, and plan on making some homemade yogurt. Perhaps I can wean my husband from the expensive Greek yogurt he buys at Costco. But this experiment will have to wait until this evening, (or most likely Monday) as I expect to be somewhat zonked by this evening.

Tonight’s dinner will be takeout pizza from a Groupon that I bought. Of course it was free, as I almost always have Groupon credit to spend.

Have a great Saturday!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

 

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 22, Guess What I’m Making?

by Katy on July 22, 2011 · 6 comments

There’s a reason why I bought peanut butter and sugar the other day.

P.S. The pectin was on sale and I had a coupon.

P.P.S. My parents have been divorced since 1979, yet this “Susan’s Choice” canning jar was in my father’s basement.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 21, Big Ol’ Grocery Shopping

by Katy on July 21, 2011 · 16 comments

Today is day twenty-one of the July Food Stamp Challenge and I’ve done one more big grocery shopping trip. I worked today, and after a short nap in front of Netflix’s American Pickers, I gathered up my coupons and pointed the mini-van in the direction of Safeway. Lately I’ve been mostly shopping Fred Meyer (Kroger) and New Seasons as they’re walking distance from my house, but I had another $10-off-$50 Safeway coupon that was too good to go to waste. (The Safeway near my house was demolished and they’ve been sending me these coupons to ensure that I don’t elope with the mailman turn my loyalty to another store)

Here’s what I bought:

  • 5 pounds of sugar*
  • 2 boxes of Kix cereal*
  • 1 box of Raisin Bran*
  • Baking powder
  • Box of 100 tea bags
  • Canola oil
  • Adams peanut butter
  • 1 box of pasta*
  • Smoked oysters
  • 1 box of brownie mix
  • 2 containers of ice cream*
  • Frozen turkey breast (I had a rain check)*
  • Bananas
  • Red plums
  • 1 Avocado
  • Kale
  • 2 pounds of blueberries
  • 1 pound bag of yogurt pretzels

* = Used a coupon

The grand total was $43.30, which was 47% off the regular prices. (Of course, I would never have paid those “regular prices,” so this savings is illusionary.)

Yesterday I also bought a $2 head of gem-like red lettuce at Pastworks, as well as a half-pound of grass-fed hamburger for $2.25 at New Seasons and $1.87 for garlic and an avocado at Fred Meyer. (All a quick walk from my house.)

This brings my monthly total to $290.40 for the month of July. This leaves us $113.60 for the rest of the month, which is plenty, considering that our fridge and cupboards are chock full o’ staples.

I think we should have a nice healthy donation for our food bank at the end of the month!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

 

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day Twenty, Backup Plans

by Katy on July 19, 2011 · 45 comments

Today is day twenty of the July Food Stamp Challenge, and I want to impress upon you the importance of having a backup plans for when that perfectly planned dinner falls apart. It might be a change in plans, or a burnt meal, but either way, life just threw you a curve ball. These are the times when it is so tempting to order a pizza, Chinese take out or pack the family up for a restaurant meal that’s sure to bust your carefully constructed budget.

Backup plans can be as simple as scrambled eggs with toast or a pre-made frozen dinner that not exactly cheap, but certainly less expensive than eating out.

You just have to be willing to switch direction to eat (and serve) a less than perfect meal. A meal might just be better than what you originally intended.

Do you have a stock backup meal that’s saved your ass more than Kevin Costner saved Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard?

In order words, is there a backup meal that makes you sing, “And I, ee-aye will always love yoooo?!!!” (Sorry. Nope, not really sorry at all.)

Please share your backup meals in the comments section below

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

 

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 19, Money Spent so Far and an Epic Food Fail

by Katy on July 19, 2011 · 16 comments

Costco Strawberries -- They were kind of flavorless and get stuck in a crisper drawer as they took up too much refrigerator real estate. I pulled them out last night to slice and freeze, but alas, it was too late.

Today is day nineteen of the July Food Stamp Challenge and I’ve finally gathered up all my (and my wicked husband’s) food receipts to face the truth.

The challenge is to spend less than the amount that the average Oregonian receives for food stamps, which is $101 per person per month. For my family of four, that’s $404 for the month of July, (which I should point out is a 31 day month, I should really start considering February for all challenge months!) In the end, I will donate any money saved to my local food bank.

Here’s how much my family has spent so far:

7/01/11 — $48.57 (Big grocery shopping at Safeway)

7/03/11 — $36.70 (This was when we ate out with a coupon)

7/04/11 — $5.91 (Buying food to bring to a 4th of July barbecue at my mother’s house)

7/04/11 — $2.59 (A gallon of milk at New Season’s Market)

7/10/11 — $14.26 (General groceries)

7/10/11 — $2.59 (Milk from New Seasons)

7/11/11 — $23.97 (The infamous Clif bars trip)

7/12/11 — $2.00 (A tub of Tilamook yogurt)

7/12/11 — $4.00 (Toppings plus cheese for two large homemade pizzas)

7/13/11 — $66.41 (My husband went to Costco, ’nuff said)

7/13/11 — $17.17 (My husband went to New Seasons, more ’nuff said)

7/14/11 — $7.42 (Milk and eggs from New Seasons)

7/16/11 — $7.20 (I bought treats for Star-Trek-in-the-Park. The kids and I went three hours early in order to score a good spot in the amphitheater, so good snacks were pivotal! I did bake a large baguette and bring nice Tillamook white cheddar from home, as well as glass bottles of chilled tap water.)

7/17/11 — $2.19 (Smoked oysters for my son)

Grand total? $240.98! Which means we have $163.02 left to spend for the month.

I am very relieved, as I was uber worried that this number would be higher and I would have to admit my frugal inadequacies to thousands of people.

I do look at this list and wonder if I’ve missed any shopping trips, as there’s a big ol’ gap between July 4th and July 10th. However, I do know that I was inundated with food from my sister and mother during that time. If I do come across any stray receipts I will add them to the total. I think I’ve been vigilant about saving my receipts, although I’m certainly a flawed individual, so you never know.

I now feel empowered to do another big Safeway shopping trip to stock up on essentials. We are out of canola oil and baking powder, and I have another $10-off-$50 coupon.

So . . . how are you doing? And let’s cut to the chase, how do you feel I’m doing? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

 

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 18, Food Waste

by Katy on July 18, 2011 · 12 comments

The following is an updated post from last year’s food stamp challenge. It’s a classic and a keeper. Enjoy!

Welcome to day eighteen of the July Food Stamp Challenge. Today’s focus is on food waste.

With food prices so high, there’s simply no excuse for food waste in the home. Regular readers of The Non-Consumer Advocate already know that the food waste issue is near and dear to my heart. Three years ago, I issued a Waste No Food Challenge and have been working ever since to get my family down to a zero food waste existence. I have learned much in my quest to eradicate food waste, and here’s what’s working for my family so far:

Be realistic: It’s all fine and admirable to fill your grocery cart with tofu and bok choy, but if that’s not how your family actually eats, then it’s just a recipe for wastage.

Serve smaller portions: This is especially important with children, but can be a issue with adults as well. It’s perfectly okay to have seconds, so make those servings appropriate to each individual.

Stop cooking such huge amounts: Face facts, you’re not an army cook. When cooking meals, estimate the amount of leftovers that’ll be produced and use your head. Leftover chicken soup is good once or twice, but after that it’s not always so tempting.

Buy smaller amounts: Many foods are less per pound if you buy a larger amount. However, unless you have a family of eight, this can be a certain road to food waste. It’s okay to buy the actual amount of food you need. I make pizza from scratch and buy the toppings from the pizza joint up the street. Not only is it cheaper, but I’m able to buy exactly the amount needed.

Only freeze the food you’ll want to eat again: Many people stash uneaten food in the freezer, only to be forgotten until that revolting smell of freezer burn has taken over. Which brings me to:

Eat the food in your freezer: When your freezer gets overly full of food, it becomes difficult to know the contents until it’s too late. Go on a spelunking tour of your freezer and start eating what you can. (The thriftiest meal comes from food you’ve already bought and prepared.)

Think about leftovers: When making a meal, think ahead to what the leftovers will be and how they’ll get eaten up. This may as simple as putting meal size portions into containers for work lunches, or even simply incorporating ingredients into another meal. For example, I roasted a chicken two nights ago. I used the extra chicken in some enchiladas last night, and then ate those leftovers for lunch today. If there’s more than you can eat, freeze the leftovers or share with friends and neighbors. (This is a delicious tradition to start, as you potentially end up on the receiving end of the deal!)

Plan Your Meals: For many people, this means scheduling the week’s menu ahead of time. I don’t do this personally, as I loosely follow the pantry principle, (I keep a stocked pantry that can be tranformed into multiple meals.) I usually plan my family’s meals a day ahead, which fits my personality better.

Store your food properly: If your flour gets buggy or your tortillas get crusty, then you have a problem. Stash dry goods in the freezer for 24 hours when first purchased to avoid moths and such, and use tight fitting lids for foods in the refrigerator. I’m a rabid fan of Pyrex dishes with snap-on lids. The glass means I can actually see the contents, and the lid keeps the food fresh. For me, monkey see food, monkey eat food. (Seriously, “out of sight, out of mind” is my middle name.)

Institute a leftovers night: Often, there’s not enough of certain leftovers to create an entire meal, but they can be certainly be warmed up and set out buffet style.

Teach yourself to create new meals from leftovers: I’ve written about tucking bits and pieces into a pasta salad, but soups and burritos also lend themselves to leftover magic.

Educate yourself: Jonathan Bloom wrote a fantastic book on food waste, titled, American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of its Food (and What We Can Do About it). Also, you can scope out Bloom’s WastedFood.com blog, which is filled with witty information that’s sure to inform.

Kristen, over at TheFrugalGirl.com blogs every Friday about her family’s battle against food waste, and has even dubbed it “Food Waste Friday.” Her many readers also link to their food waste blog posts, creating an entire community devoted to the art of avoiding food waste.

What are your methods to avoid food waste? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

 

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 16, A Day Off

by Katy on July 16, 2011 · 6 comments

Today is day sixteen of the July Food Stamp Challenge and I’m going to take a day off from blogging about it. I am tired and not really in the mood to write, and kind of want to take advantage of the rainy weather to curl up on the couch with a good library book. (I have three good chick lit books that I just checked out and are calling out to me.)

I will say that last night’s dinner featured the salmon that my friend had brought over last month, (and which I had sliced up and put in the freezer.) There wasn’t quite enough to feed the six folks who ate at our house last night, so I made sure to beef up the side dishes. Sure, there were no leftovers, but my fridge is currently fit to bust, so there being no leftovers was a blessing. I was also able to reheat the leftover corn on the cob, which no one seemed to notice was day-old.

I plan on gathering my receipts today to tally up our monthly total. I’m a little scared, as my husband just made a Costco trip (ostensibly to buy cat food) and filled the cart as he tends to do. Other (ie: regular) people would be happy to have a husband who is more than willing to shoulder his share of the food shopping, but I’m too much of a financial control freak to enjoy this luxury.

Have a great Saturday, I’ll see you on the flip side.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 15, Musings on Corn Meal Pancakes

by Katy on July 15, 2011 · 15 comments

Today is day fifteen of the July Food Stamp Challenge and we are delightfully drama free.

We didn’t need to buy any food yesterday, and I ended up defrosting a container of homemade chicken soup for last night’s dinner. It was just the kids and myself. I also had some corn on the cob that was starting to dry out, so I shucked and boiled those puppies and served them up with butter and salt. (Yum!) I had a craving for pancakes late into the evening, (which have been on my mind ever since they became a topic in the Food Judgement column) and my older son suggested that I make corn meal pancakes, which are so crispy, lacy, delicious. Luckily, I had a small bag of corn meal from Bob’s Red Mill and let me tell ya, they were gobbled up more eagerly than free Botox at a has-been celebrity get together. 

After we inhaled the cornmeal pancakes, I started thinking about how if we were not doing the food stamp challenge, I might have walked over to the store to buy something to satisfy my craving. Perhaps a tub of ice cream or something similar. But because we’re watching our pennies, I figured out an inexpensive (and frankly, better!) solution. Certainly more memorable, as the sight of my sons downing still-too-hot pancakes while standing in the kitchen was a sight to behold.

I guess I should have taken a photo or two, but I was too busy licking the sticky bit from my arms.

I really do feel that a choice to live frugally helps to self define a free-er mentality. Being able to find pleasure in the small things in life is a wonderful discovery.

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

 

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July Food Stamp Challenge — Day 14, A Book Winner!

by Katy on July 14, 2011 · 5 comments

Congratulations to Megg from Librarian Housewife, who was randomly chosen to win a copy of Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. I was really happy when I saw that the random number generator that I use chose her, as she’s a long time reader and is following along with the food stamp challenge on her blog.  Here’s her winning comment on how she works to keep her expenses in check:

Megg:

“I had to read this book my freshman year in college and I did NOT appreciate it the way I think I would now, so I’d love to reread it.

These days we’re stretching our dollars by shopping at Costco. We buy fruit in ridiculously large amounts (but always eat it all!) for a ridiculously low price per pound. Though we haven’t had to do this yet, Costco meat is a good price too, so when we do buy it I will freeze it with the seal-a-meal we got as a gift last year.”

Thank you to everyone who entered to win this book. I highly recommend  that you put this book on hold at your local library, as it’s a terrific read. Click HERE to read the entirety of the money saving comments. Please enjoy this small sample of your money saving ideas:

Indigo:

“My furniture is largely cast offs I have fixed up, repainted, and now look better and have more character than a lot of new stuff out there.

I spend money on quality which saves me in the long run. Because I use cast iron cookware it will last a lifetime with proper care. I have a pair of good hair cutting scissors so that I can trim things up at home and rely on a professional only a few times a year while still looking professional.

I look at potential. Sometimes I’ll find something at the thrift store that isn’t perfect as is but with a bit of effort is ideal. I’ve transformed too large sweaters in laptop cases and proper fitting sweater vests. A spice rack that just needs a good coat of paint to update it and all those little glass vials are great for beads. It is also work I enjoy so entertainment value as well.”

Claudia:

“I’ve joined a few local museums and botanic gardens that provide free entry all year for the cost of membership (which is often tax-deductible). Visits to these places, plus stoop sales and excursions to the farmer’s market, constitute the bulk of our family’s entertainment for the summer. I also try to keep my kids away from TV commercials so that their expectations for “stuff” are reduced. We also love to cook, and bring everyone into the kitchen for meal prep, so we get entertainment out of it in addition to fresh, cheap food.”

Kat:

“Instead of feeding quarters into the apartment building’s washer and dryer I load up my laundry in the bike trailer and take it over to a friend’s house who lets me use his washer, dryer and clothesline (I got that the last one and hung it up). In exchange, I do house and cat sitting during his frequent trips out of town.”

Maureen:

“My husband and I are on a clothing purchase moritorium. We have so many clothes that I find shopping in our closets, dresser drawers and storage containers so much more rewarding. I can’t stand the fact that we have so much that takes up so much room.”

Mama Minou:

“Drive less. I bike to work, even in the dark & rainy winter. Also instituted 3 “no car” days per week when my (older) kids can choose to take the bus or bike, alone or with us, to school & after school stuff. Biking plus walking the dog is good exercise-I can’t imagine paying for a gym membership!

Also, we use the library for books, music & movies. Period. We used to spend $20/month on movie rentals, when we lived near an independent video store. I know that Netflix isn’t too expensive, but half the time we don’t end up watching what we borrow anyway.

One more thing…we saved a lot on “fixed expenses” by fiddling with insurance premiums, cutting on the phone plan, piggybacking with neighbors & sharing costs for garbage, etc.”

M:

“I drink water (not soda) and make my own iced tea during the summer months.”

Liza:

“Where we live, the county bus service is free. So, my son and I go once or twice per week by bus to the library where we reserve and/or check out books, movies and CDs. It has been a great way to relax and spend time together (an outing of sorts) that is entirely free! And we have no cable at home, so our entertainment bill is free, thanks to the public library. That’s something I learned to do some time ago, thanks Katie for the idea! And I just purchased an outside line to dry clothes on, thanks to all of the great comments on this blog…And tomorrow, we are borrowing a friend’s truck to pick up the free freezer we found on freecycle!”

Amanda:

“I only shop thrift stores or freecycle for our clothing. I also buy food in bulk and make everything from scratch. We haul our own garbage and recycle everything else. I have a garden and a greenhouse and glean food to preserve from the local orchards. Last year I picked up a ton (yes, 2000 pounds) of apples for $100 and canned them into applesauce, cider, and slices. We homeschool and rather than buy curriculum, I get all my resources free online or from the library.”

Kris:

“Man, have I learned the hard way about streatching dollars and the NEED to do it, not necessarily just because I want to do it. For me, the biggest way I stretch my dollars is to make do with what I have and use my resources to find items (hand me downs, freecycle, free community activities and the “loot” that often goes along with them). Using what I have already (indluding minimizing waste of all kinds) makes the dollars I have go further in paying for the things I have to pay for – utilities, food, gas to get to work, etc.”

Again, thank you to everyone who entered to win this great book. I feel like I have the best readers in the entire blogosphere!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

 

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