Making it Monday...

Swiss Steak

This isn't a terribly pretty picture...but I was hungry!  :)

It's another one of those recipes that reminds me of my childhood.  My mother always bought a round steak and cut it into serving size pieces before cooking.  I couldn't even find a 'round steak' in the meats section of the grocery store, so I used a tenderized cut.

I'll put the recipe at What's Cookin' 4 Miles North of Nowhere.

Cutting back and running wild...

Caloric frugality and monetary frugality are a lot alike.  When you have been practicing unhealthy habits, trying to reign them in can be challenging.  At first you go along feeling good...feeling strong...and then something comes along to play on your weakness.  You fall flat on your tuchus, and it's hard to get back on your feet. 

As far as my spending diet goes, that stumbling block came a few days ago in the form of my car not running, we were low on groceries in the house and balancing different work schedules.  We resorted to bringing in prepared food.  That snowballed into many meals out...and maybe a minor avalanche of online purchases slipped past my defenses.

Today I grabbed my menu plan and grocery list.  I climbed back on the wagon, and filled it with groceries for the next couple of weeks.  Having the grocery budget back under control, will help the rest of the budget categories fall back into line too.  I hope.

I apologize if my frugality posts are less than scintillating reading.  I write them to keep myself accountable and my eyes on the goal.

Frugal Friday File, Week 7...

Successes:
1.  I took my lunch to work.

2.  I filled up on my way home from work at a station that was 10¢ per gallon less than the least expensive station close to home.

3.  When making a recipe that called for a can of diced tomatoes, I found the cupboard was bare.  So I diced up some fresh tomatoes that were needing to be used anyway.  No food waste, no gas spent acquiring exact ingredient called for.

4.  Started car to head to work on Wednesday, and it would not shift into gear.  I missed that day of work (not frugal).  Carey was able to find problem, but not able to get necessary part.  He was, however, able to improvise a solution that he feels is safe and durable enough to hold until the part can be obtained from a dealer, so I won't miss a second day of work (frugal).  Choosing a mechanically savvy husband...very, VERY frugal.

5.  Hmmmm...


Keep Tryings:
1.  Between bum knee and car refusing to move from driveway, we ate out or carried in WAY more than we should have


Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  (not so frugal takeout)
Sunday:  Sunday family dinner at Kasey's
Monday:  Homemade pizza
Tuesday:  Spanish Rice
Wednesday:  (not so frugal takeout)
Thursday:  (not so frugal dinner out at our favorite local Tex-Mex)
Friday:  ?

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Crow Hollow by Michael Wallace

A Puritan widow is abducted by Native Americans.  She escapes/is rescued, but is forced to leave her young daughter behind.  Desperate to find her daughter, the widow joins forces with an English spy who is looking into...  Well, I'm a third of the way into the book, and I don't really know what the heck the spy is looking into yet.  :)

Tip of the week...

I'm not really a single-purpose gadget person, so since I rarely make a recipe where it is vital to sift flour, I don't own a sifter.  

I keep my all-purpose flour in a two gallon glass jar on my counter top.  When I need to sift flour for a recipe, I take my whisk, and whisk the flour in the canister really well all the way to the bottom.  Then I have nicely 'sifted' flour ready to measure out for whatever is on the menu.  

Monday, Monday...

Poor, poor Mama Granny Bear.  She looks as old and bedraggled as I feel today.  

This past weekend was a tough one.  I needed to be productive, and I was not.  Today is a national holiday (President's Day), so I'm not working, but I am working tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday--all at offices out of town--so I won't get much done in the next few days either, I am sure.

I have had a non-stop headache and muscle tension since early last week...work hazard of notoriously uncomfortable desk chairs...ergonomic first world problem.  Over the weekend my right knee gave a tremendous--and tremendously painful--POP!  Now it has restricted mobility, and if I forget and bend it too far the pain rages back.  But I am able to walk and drive fine as long as I am mindful of bending...or not bending.

I slept fitfully, and obviously my aches and pains followed me into my dreams.  I dreamt that I was attending a Disney-run science-y experience venue with my BFF, when I was diagnosed with distemper (yes, a canine disease) and placed under quarantine.  I can only imagine that my subconscious was telling me I am dog tired, going to the dogs, or sick as a dog.  :)

Today I stepped out to the garage to take out some garbage, and I was reminded of boxes that my husband placed there at my request.  Carey is truly OCD about a tidy garage, so there will be no long-term storage of possessions there.  After we moved, I did not get all boxes emptied, so he eventually moved them out of his beloved garage and into a rented storage unit, for which we have been paying monthly ever since.  I am determined to be free of that monthly bill and the unwanted items.  But that means I have to go through all of the boxes, because some of them house family heirlooms.  He reluctantly agreed to bring a few home at a time, into my parking space, for me to have access.   This will be an ongoing effort, but I hope to have it done before the temperatures soar too high.

I opened one of the boxes today, and the first thing I see is the vintage mechanical Mama Bear toy.  I think I got it for Christmas when I was about six.  If you flip its switch, the baby bear moves and squeaks, and Mama puts the bottle in its mouth for a few seconds, then takes it out and the sequence starts over.  Not the most exciting of toys, but I absolutely loved it.  I've been wondering lately if it was in a box somewhere, or if I had disposed of it long ago.  Its unexpected appearance brightened my Monday.

Frugal Friday File, Week 6...

Successes:

1.  Picked up prescriptions from Costco. Monetarily frugal, but it costs me a lot in frustration.

2.  Scheduled 5 1/2  workdays over this week and next.

3.  During a slow time at work, I was able to go in and change my paycheck deductions to be more in line with current situation.

4.  Since Carey is working Valentine's Day, we went out for a pre-Valentine's Day dinner.  Two gift cards that have been in my purse for awhile covered all but the tip.

5.  Today at work I researched and was rewarded to find that since my commute was over 30 miles one way today (and 3 more days to come this week and next) the miles over 30 are eligible for mileage reimbursement.   This is a teeny perk of being on call, and should put another $7.20 (x 4 days = $28.80) in the old bank account.


Keep Tryings:

1.  I have not packed my lunches to take to work.


Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:

Saturday:  Chili Frito Pie
Sunday:  Sunday family dinner at Kasey's
Monday:  Homemade Pizza
Tuesday:  dinner out using gift cards
Wednesday:  Roast in the slow cooker
Thursday:  Baked potato
Friday:  probably something from the freezer