Any Black Friday shoppers out there?

I'll be going out to pick up socks, half off. But then I'll come back home, to decorate for the holidays, and bake cookies.

We'll look through our stash of movies, get out a puzzle, and have a fun family afternoon. Dinner will, of course, be leftovers. We'll choose one of the movies we got out earlier, and have dinner while watching a movie.

Black Friday is my day to relax. What are your plans for today?

Making the table setting work, when you have a crowd

Happy Thanksgiving!

In yesterday's post, I had a photo of the table setting for our Thanksgiving dinner. There will be 10 of us for dinner, later this afternoon. 10 diners may not sound like a lot to you, but for us, with just 5 in the family, most nights I am cooking (and setting a table) for just 4 or 5, total.

Our table seats 8. But on Thanksgiving, especially, we like to have everyone gathered around the one table. The Thanksgiving meal is a fellowship event, and we like to have the entire family tucking their feet under the same table on this occasion. No kids' tables here.

To accommodate all 10 of us, we needed to make some adjustments. I'll let you in our our little "secrets" for today's table.

I pulled our drop-leaf game and puzzle table up to the end of our fully-extended dining room table. The game table sits slightly higher than the dining room table, so the drop leaf rests on the dining room table top.

I don't have a table cloth long enough for this improvised table, so I laid a card-table cloth over the game table, with the dining room table cloth layered over the top of the two tables.

I like to use placemats on the table, even with a cloth. Most of my table cloths are at least 50 years old, with the oldest of them around 95 years old. These have been passed down to me from my great-grandmothers, on both sides of my family. Adding placemats protects my family "heirlooms".

However, I don't have 10 of any one design of placemat. So, you'll notice that I used two different designs of placemats and fabric napkins. I think they all go together well enough, and go with the autumn tones of the dinnerware.

The straw placemats are our patio placemats for summer. The sage green napkins are part of a set with a table cloth, that I made for our kitchen table.

I folded the matching table cloth and used like a runner, over a side cabinet that is in the process of being refinished (the top has been sanded bare).

The striped fabric placemats and floral napkins are our "regular" dining room linens.

You may also notice that not all the dinnerware is of the same pattern.

I collect brown transfer-ware stoneware.  I shop thrift, vintage, and discount,

picking up pieces that look like they would fit in with the rest, even though they're different patterns.

The candle jars may look familiar. These are the same candle jars that I used on the deck all summer. I peeled out the used candle wax, and replaced with some battery "candles" for the evening. The colors of the ribbon, raffia and ivy coordinate with my overall color scheme today.


Our dining room has dark caramel walls, white trim, and dark sage green curtains and valance. These room colors influenced my table color scheme. The table is set in sage, camel, tan and white.

This could look like a hodge podge of pieces. So many of the elements don't quite match. But I'm hoping that they're unified by the single color table cloth, the turkey dinner plates, and the color scheme. I think it all works.

What's on your Thanksgiving menu?

So, we just assume that everyone has turkey, yams and pumpkin pie, for Thanksgiving. But the truth is, each family is different, and feast favorites vary from region to region.

My brother doesn't eat turkey, so for the last 15 years, his wife has been making Beef Wellington for Thanksgiving.

I'd never eaten green bean casserole, until I was an adult. Now it's a favorite of my kids, and I couldn't skip it if I wanted to.

A good friend comes from the South, and sweet potato pie is favored over pumpkin pie.

So, what's on your menu for tomorrow, and when do you eat your big meal?

Here's ours:

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Spread on Crostini

Roasted Turkey

Sage, Apple and Onion Dressing

Sweet Potato Casserole

Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls

Cranberry Sauce

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Spiced Apple Cider

Eggnog

Coffee

(I'm not cooking all of this. Our friends will be bringing a couple of the dishes.)

Our friends will be arriving around 3:30. We'll enjoy some time over appetizers and cider, then have dinner around 4:30. And one other detail, we'll be listening to Christmas music. Does listening to Christmas music and having Christmas decorations up on Thanksgiving sound wrong to anyone?

Now I've got to get into the kitchen. So much to do, so little time!

Will you be buying an extra turkey or two this year?

And, what are the turkey deals like in your area, this year?

The deals are not nearly as good this year, as last, for my local stores. Many of the stores have a "spend $150, get a turkey for free" deal going.. This deal is especially hard on lower income folks, who just don't spend that large of an amount at one time. So, I'm not pleased with that deal.

Another local chain has "spend $30, buy a frozen turkey for 59 cents/lb". This doesn't sound too bad. But it is about 20 cents more per pound than this chain had last year, on their "deal".

Finally, the best deal for me this year, "spend $35, buy one turkey for 99 cents per pound, get one turkey of equal or lesser value for free". I was able to find turkeys which were identical sizes, so my price per pound was 49 cents. Still 10 cents more per pound than last year. But as it was the best deal around for my circumstances, I'll take it. In fact, I got 4 turkeys with this deal, this year. I'll roast one this week, and save the other 3 for the rest of the year. At least we'll have plenty of poultry for the months to come.

Buying extra turkeys at Thanksgiving will help me keep our grocery spending low through the rest of the year.

"Christmas is a coming, and the egg is in the nog" (making eggnog at home)

This is a two-step, cooked homemade eggnog. The first step cooks the sweetened egg custard. The second step incorporates the cream and flavorings. "Is it good," you wonder? Everyone's tastes will be different, but according to my family, "this is better than store bought!"


I was going to post this recipe after Thanksgiving, but I had a second thought that seemed to think now would actually be a very good time to post. For those of us hosting Thanksgiving this year, we'll likely have leftover whipping cream and/or half and half. For those of us not hosting, whipping cream is a loss leader sale item at many grocery stores this week, which would make yummy eggnog even more economical to make at home!


Every time my daughters and I venture out to the grocery store (they love to tag along, as they can "influence" some of my purchases this way), we check the dairy case for some "about to spoil" eggnog. That's our family joke about the milk products that I buy. I come in the door and announce, "I scored some milk about to sour -- woo hoo!" In other words, marked down. Anyway, we've been sorely disappointed to not find any eggnog in our price range, so far this year. And not wanting to wait until January 3rd to have our eggnog, a solution needed to be found.

After a few shopping trips with this same ending, I finally thought, "well this is silly. Let's just make some! The recipe is around here somewhere."

So, here's my recipe. It's just a basic recipe, that I've adapted to my own quirks and preferences. I have 3 problems with homemade eggnog.

1) consuming raw eggs, ugh! salmonella? No thanks!
2) egg-y tasting sweet things. I enjoy scrambled eggs, egg salad, and quiche, but just don't care for egg-y sweets.
3) beverage "bits". You know, when cooking egg into a drink, those tiny, stringy bits of egg that somehow escape all my mixing.


So, here's both my recipe and my technique, which address all my quirks.

For a little over 1 quart of eggnog (which, according to my mother, should be enough for 8 servings of 4 ounces each):

ingredients:

4 to 6 whole eggs (I use 4, but feel free to egg it up with 6), or the equivalent in egg beaters
1/2 to 1 cup of granulated sugar (I like 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, sweet but not overly so. Begin with 1/2 cup, and after it is all made, taste, and add more as desired.)
2 cups milk (I use 2 %, but 4% would be richer)
2 cups whipping cream or half and half (I use half and half, and save the whipping cream for a topping)
1  1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 3/4 teaspoon rum extract)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I like the full amount of nutmeg)
up to 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon (I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon in my eggnog, but a small pinch does enhance the flavor, I use just under 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon)

optional extras: 1 to 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin (to taste), and an extra pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, for pumpkin eggnog

brandy, rum and bourbon are the traditional alcoholic enhancements added to eggnog. I prefer to use rum extract for the rum flavoring, then I don't have to worry about inadvertently serving someone alcohol if they don't want, or shouldn't have it.

equipment:

medium mixing bowl, or top of a 2-qt double boiler
2 quart saucepan, or bottom of a double boiler
electric mixer, or blender
candy thermometer (very important)
spoon for stirring
rubber spatula

process:

--before you do anything else, fill your saucepan or bottom of double boiler 2/3 full of water, and set to a boil on stove.

--Meanwhile, break eggs into mixing bowl or top of double boiler. Add sugar. With an electric mixer, beat well. Scrape sides of bowl and beat again. Mix in milk, scraping sides of bowl.

--Place bowl or top of double boiler onto pan of water. Place your thermometer into the milk mixture, and hang on the side of bowl. You will need to cook this mixture to 160 degrees F (71.11 C). This is important. According to foodsafety.gov this is the temperature needed, to kill bacteria in egg dishes.

--Cook mixture, stirring occasionally and scraping sides down with rubber spatula, until egg and milk mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Stir the liquid, and test the temperature in several places in your bowl/double boiler. This mixture will coat the backside of your spoon, but more thinly if using fewer eggs.

--When all is 160 degrees F (this should take about 20 - 30 minutes, of occasional attention), remove from heat.

--With electric mixer, beat in cream or half and half. Add spices and extracts. Taste and adjust the sugar or spices. Beat again, until thoroughly incorporated.

--If adding pumpkin/spices or alcohol, use mixer to incorporate.

--Set a mesh strainer over a large pitcher. Pour cooked mixture through the strainer.

--Cover pitcher and chill for 4 hours or overnight. This thickens with chilling. To serve, top with whipped cream and a bit of nutmeg, if desired.

--After chilling, you can use the mixer one more time, to mix in any "skin" that may have formed.

Food safety and homemade eggnog

• Homemade eggnog should be stored in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below, and only up to 3 days, for optimal food safety.
• Make smaller batches, if you don't think you can consume an entire batch within 3 days. (I make a half batch at a time. We drink small portions at a time, about 3 to 4 ounces. It really doesn't take that long to make another batch, when we run out.)
• Don't leave eggnog out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. If serving at a party, you can fill one large bowl with ice, then set a smaller punch bowl with the eggnog, inside, PLUS, add an ice ring to the eggnog. Your ice ring can be made of milk and sugar, flavored with a bit of nutmeg, if desired. Take the temp of the eggnog every 20 to 30 minutes. It should remain at or below 40 degrees. If you don't think you can keep a punch bowl at 40 F for the duration of your event, it is much safer to have a couple of smaller pitchers of eggnog. Bring 1 pitcher out of the fridge at a time, making sure no pitcher remains unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours. 

Final note

How thick and creamy your eggnog turns out will be determined by whether you use whipping cream or half and half, whole milk or 2 % milk, 6 eggs or 4 eggs. If you're attempting to make a skim milk version of eggnog, you may want to add a thickener to the egg, sugar and milk. Beat in a bit of corn starch or arrowroot with the eggs and sugar.  And, of course, eggnog can be made with soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, and alternative creamer (Trader Joe's carries soy creamer).

Homemade eggnog -- enjoy!

The problem with going out Christmas shopping for other people's gifts

The problem I encountered on Saturday, when out shopping for 2 gifts for Christmas, is I found I suddenly "needed" new things that I had previously not realized that I needed.

It is so tempting, this time of year, to have the "wants" every time you turn around. I saw so many adorable Christmas decorations, some really lovely clothing, and some wonderful kitchenware. By the time that I realized what was going on in my "wanting" little heart, I knew it was time to get home, and get a grip on what I truly need and some of my more reasonable wants.

I did find 2 very nice gifts, though, and spent very little cash for them. I had a pocket full of gift cards, that covered all but the tax.


So, when I came home from shopping, I lit a couple of Christmas candles, put on some Nat King Cole Christmas music, made myself a cup of ginger pear tea, and savored the quiet time after being out.

Turkey tip: keeping a thawed turkey in the fridge -- how long?

The key to a uniformly cooked turkey is beginning the roasting with a perfectly thawed turkey. Thawing a frozen turkey in the fridge is difficult to time right. I may think I've allowed the proper amount of time, only to have parts of the bird still icy on roasting day.

The way around that is to begin thawing it in the fridge, a day or two before you might usually begin. A thawed turkey can remain in the fridge, up to 4 days, according to Butterball. Personally, I prefer to roast it within 2 days, as I think the flavor is better, roasted sooner rather than later.

BTW, the recommended time for thawing is 1 day for every 4 pounds of turkey (according to butterball.com).  Better get Tom or Thelma into the fridge and start thawing!

The squirrels got a good deal on 120 tiny little snacks this fall!

Squirrels -- cute, right? I used to think so, too!

So, my 175 bulbs that I planted -- the squirrels didn't touch the daffodils, but it looks like they dug up a fair amount of the crocus bulbs. "Nice little snacks, and how nice of that lady to bury them just where we could find them!" Arghh!

On Veteran's Day, one of my daughters and I went out and replanted another 60 bulbs. Then we covered the whole shebang with landscape fabric and weighed it down with stones. At least if the squirrels do find the bulbs, they'll have to work a lot harder this time, if they want to eat any. And so far, the fabric has not been disturbed. I'll pull it back up in February, and sprinkle with whatever I can come up with (cayenne pepper is supposed to deter squirrels), until the bulbs develop roots.

The crocus in our front yard are never bothered much by the squirrels. That may be because the rooted plants make it just difficult enough to not be worth the effort (especially when the nice lady's neighbors so kindly toss out peanuts for the squirrels).

Finally, a use for the landscape fabric that the previous owners left in the garage, 18 years ago!

Girlfriend gifts: ribbon and charm key rings

These are what I call girlfriend gifts, something small, that you might give to a gal pal. My "girlfriends" this time are, again, my two daughters. These will be stocking stuffers, for a house key, now that they come and go whenever.

They are super simple to make, taking me about 20 minutes, each, and the only skill required is a little hand-sewing. Materials are just a 9-inch length of ribbon (grosgrain), a charm I used initial charms), a plain key ring, and some Fray Check, or clear nail polish.

To make:

Take one 9-inch length of ribbon,

and cut the tail ends at angles.

Brush the cut ends, lightly, with Fray Check or nail polish, and lay on waxed paper to dry.

When ends are dry, slide key ring onto ribbon.

Fold ribbon in half, even in length, but just slightly off in centering, so that you can see a bit of the bottom half of the ribbon, beneath the top half.

With a needle and thread, use the running stitch, close to the ring (but allowing a little wiggle room, for moving keys and ring around). Pull the ribbon slightly with your left hand, while stitching with your right (to make your stitches somewhat close to the ring).

After making stitches across and back, back track to the center, with more stitching. Then make 1 stitch down length of ribbon, to place the charm slightly lower than your stitching.

If your charm has a jump ring attached, remove it.

Sew the charm in place with 3 stitches, finishing inside the folded ribbon.

Knot 2 or 3 times, then cut thread. That's it.

A question from a reader: frugal winter breakfasts?

Breakfast Rice Pudding may look like oatmeal here,
but it's nothing like oatmeal

Kath writes:

"Help! My family H-A-T-E-S oatmeal, and I'm struggling to find something to make for school day breakfasts, that is cheap, healthy, filling, and quick. My husband, two kids and I go through 3 boxes of cereal a week! This is getting expensive. Can you ask your readers for breakfast ideas that are inexpensive, but healthy and quick to make? TIA, Kath"


I do get a bit of email each week. I do my best to answer questions, and help with various things. (I've had a fair amount of email on making yogurt, especially with non-dairy milk -- a lot of people must be trying to make their own soy yogurt!)

Anyway, here's my answer. The rest of you, can you add to Kath's school day breakfast repertoire?

Kath, don't despair, there are many frugal options that don't involve oatmeal. Here's what we're having this week for breakfast -- Breakfast Rice Pudding. If your family likes rice pudding for dessert, they may enjoy this for breakfast, as well.

It has milk, eggs, brown rice, dried fruit (I used prunes this week), nuts (I used toasted, chopped almonds), hardly any sugar (1 tablespoon for the entire recipe), and spices (cinnamon this week, but nutmeg would also be good).

I baked this on Sunday afternoon, and it keeps in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. To serve, spoon a single portion into a microwaveable bowl, microwave for 30 seconds (just until warm), add preserves, pancake syrup and/or milk.

My one daughter, who doesn't eat refined sugar, has hers plain. My other daughter adds milk. I add preserves and soy milk. In all cases, because the eggs, milk, nuts and fruit are baked in, I feel that we're getting a healthy start to the day.

It's not at all like oatmeal, in my opinion. Here's the recipe, if you want to give it a try:

Breakfast Rice Pudding

2 cups cooked brown rice, cooled (I just make extra rice with dinner one night)
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 to 4 tablespoons sugar (I just use 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, and/or 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit
1/3 cup chopped, toasted nuts (almonds are my favorite)

In a medium mixing bowl, mix until thoroughly combined, milk, eggs, sugar, salt, spices and vanilla.

In a 1-qt. greased casserole dish, combine cooked rice, dried fruit and nuts. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the rice, and stir.

Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 1 hour, until thoroughly set.


Any other suggestions for Kath? What's your favorite weekday winter breakfast?

Frugal birthday cakes -- 7-minute frosting, and our own birthday celebration this week

Butter cream frosting is fantastic for piping designs and messages on cakes. But when I'm in a hurry, or short on powdered sugar and butter, 7-minute frosting is my choice.

I practically always have the ingredients for 7-minute frosting -- granulated sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and either corn syrup, cream of tartar, vinegar or lemon juice (these ingredients allow the egg whites to beat up nice and fluffy). Bonus, these ingredients are very economical, too! One batch of 7-minute frosting cost me about 35 cents. The same amount of butter cream frosting would have cost me about $1.75.

Today is my son's birthday, although we celebrated on Saturday. I had baked the layers on Friday and wrapped them in plastic. Then late Saturday afternoon, one of my daughters helped me make the 7-minute frosting, and place the M&Ms (leftovers from Hallowe'en) on top. The whole frosting/decorating took about 15 minutes, which is really pretty fast, for me.

Some years, my cakes look almost professional. Other years, colorful and cheerful are words that best describe my cakes. What matters most, I think, is that the cake tastes delicious, and everyone enjoys the celebration.


One of the gifts

a winter car emergency kit

One of my son's gifts was inspired from comments by Katie @ Life lived intentionally, on an earlier blog post about gifts on a small budget -- the car repair/emergency kit.

With winter on the horizon, a winter car emergency kit seemed appropriate for my son's birthday. The total cost for this "kit" was under $20.

In the basket, I put a bag of kitty litter (for traction when stuck in the snow), a snow and ice scraper, a road-side triangle reflector, a flashlight (with batteries), an emergency rations food bar, and an emergency blanket. I found the basket, flashlight, batteries, kitty litter, and snow/ice scraper at Dollar Tree. Finding so many items for just a dollar each was a great help to my budget.

Anyway, my son put the whole basket in the back of his car right away, and seemed very appreciative of the gift.

For the rest of the celebration, the 5 of us went out for Chinese food, then came home for cake and gifts. It was a fun evening, and I think the birthday guy had a great time!

More homemade gifts for a small budget (for tween to teen girls)

Jingle bell earrings -- super-duper easy!

I was able to put the finishing touches on a few gifts this past week. If you're struggling to find an inexpensive gift or two for tween to teen girls, either gift may work for you.

In my sewing box I came across these tiny red bells. Cute, huh? I had intended to sew them onto the face of a Christmas pillow several years ago, but came up with something else, instead. When I saw the jingle bells the other day, I instantly thought what fun earrings they would make for one of my daughters. She's the jingle bell type, all the way! I rummaged through my jewelry box for earring pieces that I could hang them on and found these stainless ones. Perfect. It took me all of 5 minutes to put the bells on the earrings, and pinch the loop closed enough so the bells don't slide off (I used tweezers to pinch the tiny loop). Total cost of this gift -- absolutely nothing! Jingle bells come in many sizes and colors at craft and fabric stores. These would be a very quick and fun gift to make for any "girl" on your list! (If only my piercings hadn't closed up -- I'd be saving these for myself!)

Next up, for my other daughter, more the "pearls and lace" sort, I had picked up some basic long underwear that I had intended to embellish in some way.

In going through sewing scraps, I found this piece of lace that I salvaged from toddler girl clothing. (When I was sewing a quilt from baby clothing, I set aside pieces of lace, cute buttons and ribbon flowers.)

I hand-sewed the lace to the neckline of the long undies.

Then, I added a few pearl beads to the lace (leftovers from another sewing project). It was quick and easy hand-sewing, taking about 1 hour total. I think the top turned out nicely -- just a way to make something plain a little more special. I'll be adding a bit of lace to the cuffs of the long undie pants, too. (Photo when that's done.) These will definitely suit my "pearls and lace" daughter. My only cost was for the long underwear itself (WalMart, about $8 for top and bottom combined).

easy bangle bracelets -- I'll post a step-by-step when I'm done

I'm working on bracelets for each daughter this week, as well, using plastic rings that scarves came on from the store last year (I really do save a lot of stuff), strips of fabric, and some beads and charms. When I finish these both up, I'll show you how they turned out. The same idea would work for a small girl, using shower curtain rings as the bracelet base, or for an older girl, using plain plastic bangles. Here's how the denim one is looking, so far.

How are your Christmas gifts coming along? I've found that by just doing a little bit every day, I am making progress.

November meals -- easy for me, but still bargain basement cheap

Over these last few weeks, I've had some days where making dinner was all I could get done. I found that if I got a start before noon, chopping vegetables, making rice, or getting the dry ingredients for baking thrown together, then I could pace myself throughout the afternoon.

I managed to get a home-cooked meal onto the table every day, with weekend help from my kids. But I did find that I really needed to simplify meals. You'll notice some meals are very basic, or are merely leftovers from earlier in the week. And there are numerous repeats. If I found something super easy to put together, then we had that a couple of times. But we all survived!

Here's a sampling of what the 5 of us have been eating, and sticking to our budget of $170/month.

Monday

Lentil-vegetable soup (lentils cook up so quickly that even if I'm getting a late start making dinner, I can still pull it all together in under an hour)
toast
cookies

Tuesday

Turkey burritos, with beans, onions and peppers, in homemade tortillas
sweet potato fries

Wednesday

Vegetarian tamale pie
stewed pumpkin
steamed broccoli

Thursday (easy dinner, babysitting day)

turkey and dumplings, with frozen turkey in gravy, carrots, potatoes and chard

Friday

leftover tamale pie
garden vegetable medley (last of zucchini, tomatoes, Swiss chard, onions and garlic)

Saturday (family outing to fro-yo place after dinner)

nachos

Sunday

hot dogs (homemade buns in freezer),
baked beans from freezer,
carrot sticks and dip

Monday

lentil-vegetable chili
avocado and pomegranate salad
pumpkin donuts

Tuesday

homemade pizza (make 2), with green and red peppers, pepperoni
carrot sticks and dip

Wednesday

Turkey and gravy from freezer
roasted potatoes and carrots
leftover baked beans

Thursday

leftover chili
cornbread
caramel apples

Friday

turkey teriyaki
rice sauteed with kale, broccoli and carrots

Saturday

turkey-lentil burritos
winter squash
sauteed onions and peppers

Sunday

hot dogs wrapped in biscuit dough
cole slaw
roasted carrots

Monday

turkey and dumplings
winter squash

Tuesday

vegetarian chili
toasted cheddar sandwiches with apple slices
cole slaw

Wednesday

kale and onion frittata
brown rice
sweet potato fries

Thursday (easy dinner)\

pizza from freezer
apple wedges
leftover chili

Friday

bean burgers, topped with avocados and salsa
rice with canned tomato dices
pears

Saturday

turkey burritos
carrot sticks and dip

Sunday

hot dogs in biscuit dough
winter squash
oranges


My main goals these last few weeks have been to clear enough room in the freezer for frozen turkeys and hams, as well as use veggies from the garden, and the fresh produce that we have in store. I am saving the frozen fruits and vegetables for mid-winter meals. One of my favorite items that we've been enjoying is sweet potato fries. Yes, I do them the not-so-healthy way, in oil. And are they ever yummy! Thin and crisp is how I like them. With a sprinkling of salt! Oh not at all healthy, but one has to live a little, right? The other really delicious item we made were caramel apples. I made the caramel from scratch. It came out curdled looking, but nobody complained. I'll keep working on making good caramel.

October grocery money journal: the stock-up begins!!

I get excited about stocking my pantry for winter. Do you? I recall one of the Little House books, where Laura peeks into the surveyor's pantry for the first time, and sees a winter's supply of ingredients that will keep her family and others very well-fed for the months ahead.

So here I begin, with my own pantry (and fridge/freezer) stock-up. Let me preface with last month I went over budget by $6.30, so that will be deducted this month. But -- and a big but -- I still have my surplus of $112.11 (from August's minimal spending) to tap into. So, my net surplus now stands at $105.81. Add that to this month's budget (of $170), and I have $275.81 to spend on stocking up. I hope I don't spend it all, and that there is something extra left over for special gatherings in November and December. We'll see.

Oct.1  I have some store coupons to use at Albertson's on butter (1.79/lb), eggs (.98/dozen), and sugar (1.49/4 lbs). I buy my limits and also find orange juice in 64 oz containers on markdown for $1.49. This is cheaper than frozen concentrate in our area, so I buy all that's left (8 containers). Once home, I pour off a couple of cups of oj from each container into other freezer containers, and freeze the whole lot. We'll have a decent supply of orange juice this January and February. I also find bacon on markdown (2.99/lb) -- 3 one-pound packages of maple bacon. At home, I split each pack in half and froze. We'll have 6 breakfasts with bacon in the next couple of months. Total spent -- $46.45.

Oct.1  Need to stop in at Cash and Carry for flour (50 lbs), more canned tomatoes (whole tomatoes this time, 2.77 per #10 cans, I buy a case of 6 #10 cans), frozen peas (5 lb bags - two), mozza cheese. While there I also find a dented can of coffee for $5.77.  Total spent $50.97, for a start of the month spending of $97.42

Oct.2  Trader Joe's for cocoa powder. $2.49

Oct. 2  Produce stand since I'm in the area I stop in. I find corn on cob 7/$1, whole cantaloupes for 50 cents each, a bag of peppers marked down for 99 cents, and red delicious apples for 50 cents/lb. spent $6.54, for a month to date spending of $106.45

Oct. 2  Dollar Tree. They have peanut butter again (they've been out for a few weeks). I buy 12 jars. Spent $12. total month to date -- $118.45

Oct.2  One last stop today, hoping to find milk on markdown. QFC is right next to pharmacy where I pick up a prescription. I find 3 gallons of 1% milk at $1.99/gal. Spent $5.97, for a month total of $124.42. Whew! We're getting up there!

Oct. 8  Albertson's coupons this week are for whole milk (1.89/gallon) and Parmesan cheese (1.59/6 ounces). I buy 2 gals milk and 3 packets cheese. Spent $8.85 for a month total of $133.27

Oct. 9  At the nursery picking up bulbs, right next door to Fred Meyer. I find more milk (89 cents a half gal) and some marked down bananas. Spent $4.28 for a total of $137.55

I seem to be stopping in at a lot of stores this week and last. I find myself on the road taking the girls to and from various bus stops and transit centers, depending on their schedule of the day. Consequently, I am out and about a lot these days. But that's okay, I can take advantage of it by stopping at stores along the way.

Oct. 11  Trader Joe's once again, on my way to the produce stand. It's just down the street. I pick up almonds (2 lbs at $4.99/lb -- marked wrong but they gave me that price anyways, saved $1 per pound), pecans (1 lb at $7.98/lb), a couple of bananas (19cents ea)  and more cocoa powder. Spent $21.02 for a total of $158.57.

Oct. 11  Produce stand. I'm scouting out their prices and supplies before the end of the month clearance. While there I find melons for 50 cents again, and also need garlic (50 cents a head -- ouch!). Spent $1.50 for a total of $160.07

Oct. 20  Albertson's coupons this week, again on the whole milk (2 gallons), this time $1.99/gal, and English muffins (50 cents a package). Spent $4.48 for a total of $164.55

Oct.22  Produce stand. Pick up 15 lbs of apples at 50 cents/lb, 6 avocados for 3/$1, 2 yams at 69 cents/lb, and some large squash at 39 cents/lb. Spent $13.26 for a total of $177.81

Oct. 25  Albertson's coupons for apple juice (99 cents for 64 ounces, limit 2). Also buy a family pack of ground beef (1.99/lb). The beef I'll divide and freeze to use in meatballs a couple of times this winter. Spent $8.67 for a total of $186.48

Oct.29  Produce stand for more squash, apples, oranges and yams. But no large bags of carrots left. Spent $12.58

Oct. 29  Top foods for 25 lb bag of carrots. Same price as produce stand had them last week, $7.98. Also buy a large head of cabbage and some cut bananas. Spent $12.70 for a total of $211.76


No more spending until November!! I spent $211.76 out of my $275.81 budget plus surplus. I now have a surplus of $64.05 to carry forward into November. While our pantry, fridge and freezer are stuffed to the gills, I feel like this is going to be a squeaker as to whether or not we can maintain an average of $170 per month grocery spending.

My pantry is full of grains, beans, oil, canned tomatoes, spices/herbs, baking supplies and squash. My freezer has enough fruit to get through the months of January, February and March. My fridge is packed with oranges, carrots, apples, pears and onions. We have some butter and eggs, and a good deal of frozen veggies, My garden is still producing greens. I picked Swiss chard this morning. The garden will continue to give us greens for another 3 weeks. So, maybe we'll do okay over the next 2 months after all. I've been organizing my freezer space to make room for turkeys and hams. So far, I have one entire shelf cleared and half of another. I'll keep working on the freezers.

Saving money on produce: buying juicing carrots

Carrots are one of the inexpensive, long-keeping vegetables, essential for my frugal autumn and winter cooking. We go through a little more than 5 pounds of carrots per month, here.

Every fall, I buy at least one, sometimes two, bags of juicing carrots. They come in 25 lb plastic bags. Yes, that's 25 pounds! I have found them at the produce stand as well as several of our area markets, alongside the other bagged carrots.

Juicing carrots are just like regular carrots, perfectly clean, edible and suitable for table use. It's just that there may be broken carrots (most often broken during the mechanical sorting), carrots with blemishes, and irregular shaped carrots. I've never found a moldy carrot in a bag of juicing carrots, and only one or two floppy carrots per bag.


To give you an idea of how much I save on carrots by buying the 25 lb bag of juicing carrots, instead of the 5 pound bag -- this month, the 25 lb bag was $7.98, about 32 cents per pound. At the same store, the 5 lb bag was selling for $2.79, or 56 cents per pound. I saved 24 cents per pound, or $6 (on the 25 lbs) by buying our carrots in the 25 lb bag.


Keeping and using a 25 pound bag of carrots


When I get the bag home, I sort them right away. Getting the carrots out of the plastic is essential. Trapped moisture could lead to rot.

I have one pile of broken pieces, one pile of blemished or floppy carrots, and one large pile of good keeping carrots.

these may look bad now, but after peeling and trimming,
they are good for eating

I deal with the blemished/floppy carrots, first. These are the ones that could be lost to spoilage if not cooked or frozen right away.  Some may be split (I cut those portions off). Others may be blemished (again, I trim those portions out). And one or two may be a bit on the floppy side (best to use or freeze today).

ready for the freezer

I peel, trim and chop them for the freezer. They'll be handy when I need some diced carrots for soups or stews.

good keeping carrots

Next, I bag the good keeping carrots. I divide these carrots into about 5 lb. parcels each. I do a double layer of paper inside of plastic, to keep the carrots fresh and crisp for months.

I wrap them in paper towels, or loosely place in small paper bags, then slide into plastic grocery bags.

The paper absorbs excess moisture, while the plastic bags hold hold just enough moisture in, to keep them fresh.

I loosely tie the plastic bag closed and store in the fridge. (This is a great use for those plastic bags with small holes in the bottom along the bag's seam.)

four bundles of carrots, to use through fall and winter

I check on each parcel of carrots every other week. (If I find that the carrots seem a bit dry -- going floppy -- I sprinkle the carrots with about 1 teaspoon of water, wrap back up and check again the next day. A quick sprinkling of water will usually cure the "floppies".) They will keep for 3 months or more in my garage fridge, when stored this way (I usually run out of carrots in late January).

it's been one week since I bought the bag of carrots,
I just finished off the salad spinner of broken pieces for tonight's dinner

Finally, I place the broken carrot pieces into the salad spinner, cover and keep in the kitchen fridge, to use within a week.


Our family can easily use 25 pounds of carrots in just a few months. We make carrot soup, carrot desserts, roasted carrots, carrot salad, carrot sticks, carrot-potato puree, and I add them to soups and stews all season long.

Do you use carrots often in your cool-season cooking, too? What are you favorite ways to use carrots? I am always looking for new and interesting flavor combinations.

Feeding a family of 5 on $170/month: the produce stand clearance sale

I'm not posting this for bragging sake, but wanted to show you what's possible by shopping an open-air produce stand's clearance sale. I realize that in many parts of the country, produce stands are shuttered already for the winter. However, in some of the southern tier states, produce stands will continue for a few more weeks. And, this is information that can be tucked away for use next year.

Open-air produce stands typically have great prices. Not to be confused with a farrner's market, I'm talking about the type of place that sits by the side of a highway, has 1 owner/operator, has minimal exterior walls, and is semi-permanently set up. With such exposure to the elements, they close for winter and open again in spring, when threat of frost is reduced.

This morning was my fav produce stand's clearance day. It's always Nov.1. They open at 8 AM to a waiting crowd. I scouted out their supply earlier this week, and picked up a few things I thought they might run short of. But today, I went for their clearance sale, and bought all of this for

$22.76

Yes, that's right, 4 sugar pumpkins, 3 delicata squash, 3 acorn squash, 2 buttercup squash,

10 lbs of oranges, some golden delicious apples, 3 limes, 2 grapefruit,

4 green bell peppers, a bag of marked down pimento peppers, a dozen heads of garlic, and 4 avocados, for $22.76.

I already have quite a bit of fresh produce in storage here. Adding what I bought this morning, it looks like we have enough fresh produce to last through the end of the year, if need be.

You'll notice that for the most part, I stuck with good keeping produce. I won't worry about losing any produce to spoilage, should we not eat all of this soon.

As we're always interested in other people's prices, here's what I paid today:

apples -- 39 cents/lb.
sugar pumpkins -- 29 cents/lb
assorted squash -- 33 cents/lb
limes -- 20 cents/each
ruby red grapefruit -- 50 cents/each (bit of a splurge for us)
garlic -- 3 heads/ $1
avocados -- 4/ $1
green bell pepper -- 39 cents/each
bag of 12 pimento pepper -- 99 cents
10 lb bag of small navel oranges -- $4.49

I think I'll be able to beat some of their other prices just before Thanksgiving, such as on potatoes, and celery.

I'd say, for the month of November, we're off to a good start.