Favorite Budget Booster Meals

I'm taking the advice from many to use an annual target for spending in several categories rather than how I have done monthly targets. This will give me more flexibility to stock up on items we use when lowest price point. I'll still give myself fasting weeks, weeks to eat from the pantry and freezer. I thought it might be useful to think about some of my favorite go to meals, items that can be made inexpensively and for the most part with items always on hand. With the main dish, I'd also serve at least 2 fruits and vegetables, unless a serving is already incorporated into the dish itself. After each dish, I'll estimate the cost per main dish, plus the amount per average portion. theoretically, with one night of leftovers, I could feed my family of three all week for under $25. Imagine the savings if I did this kind of cooking and had no eating out for an entire month? 

Veggie Curry $4.60 for 5 servings at $0.92 each (serving of veg)

• 1 yellow onion
• 2-3 diced carrots
• 1 potato
• 2 cups broth
• 1 1/2 cup yogurt or coconut milk
• I can tomatoes
• 2 cups zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower etc. to choice
• 1 cup rice

Tuna hotdish: $3.17 for 5 portions at $0.64 each

• 8 ox cooked pasta
• 1 can cream mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 can tuna
• 2-4 ounce grated cheddar
• 1/2 can milk
• bread crumb topping

Vegetarian Chili: $5.85 for 8 portions at $0.73 each (includes oyster crackers but no other extra's)

• 1 packet or several tsp chili powder to taste
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can diced tomatoes
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 can black beans
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 yellow onion
• Oyster crackers

Rice hotdish:$3.20 for four portions at $0.80 each (includes a serving of veg)

• 1.2 pound ground beef
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 yellow onion
•  chopped carrots-to about 1 cup

Turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes: $3.47 for four portions at $0.84 each

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup milk seasoning to taste
• packet instant potatoes

Pasta fagiole soup and egg salad sandwiches $4.46 for six portions at $0.75 each (includes serving of veg)

• 2 stalks celery
• 1/2 yellow onion
•  chopped carrots-to about 1 cup
• 1 potato
• 1 cup dried pasta
• 1 can chili beans
• 1 small can diced tomatoes
• 6 eggs, hard boiled
• squirt of mustard, mayonnaise (about 1/3 cup)
• 12 slices breads
• 4 vegie stalk cubes and 6 cups water, or 6 cups veggie broth

These are all basic chop a few vegetables, open a few cans, combine inexpensive ingredient type meals.I know none are fine dining, but they are tasty, not a lot of work, and still load healthier than picking up the cheapest fast food items. I know DH will still try to help in the kitchen and make special runs for high cost ingredients. By leveraging my cheapo recipe's, he can have his fun and I can control the budget. Please comment, share, or link to your favorite budget boost recipes. 

December and 2018 Financial Wrap-Up

I

can pull the plug on 2019. Yikes, financially, it was one of our lowest savings years in a long time. I hate that I can't really determine where my original math was so off-over confidence that DH's earnings would be more stable and I'm sure leaks all over the place. We are finishing in the black, though looking below, it's easy to see we made no progress on home upgrades and barely made a dent in the college fund. I have no regrets on taking the trip. Had we waited, things would have been just that much more, plus, even with out budget blip, we really only spent $552 over my early estimate. Remember, this was five people, two week, and three countries. We'll be content with local travel for the next few years and I am determined to plug the holes. 

Original Plan


1.      Fully fund the Roth                                              $13,000

2.      Once in a lifetime family vacation                        $15,552 ($3,000 added +$552 overage)

3.      College Fund                                                       $12,000

4.      College and Show Choir Road Trips                   $  1,500

5.      All State Camp                                                    $     650

6.      Home Upgrades                                                  $  9,000                                                                                                                                  $51,702

Annual Savings Goal          $38,702 ($51,702 priority budget-$13,000 from savings)

Actual Action

Roth                                          $13,000

Taken from Savings                 -$13,000

Vacation expenses paid             $15,552

Pre-paid college deposits                 400

College/Show Choir trips paid   $ 1,495

All State Payments                    $   650

Cash Savings Increase             $  3,220 

Total Savings achieved             $21,317

Underachieved target:  $17,385 

I'm still laughing or perhaps that is crying. I'm not sure anymore. All I know is besides the trip, we had some very expensive months that I can't really put my finger on, plus several dips in earnings that I was not counting on. 2019 is a new year. I received my first paycheck of the new year yesterday so now I know roughly my take home will be about $1,600 more than last year. We can put an additional $1,000 in our 401K so over the course of the next 30 years, God willing we'll be here to enjoy it, that $1,000 will double multiple times without us missing it from our month to month cash flow now. That's a financial wrap on 2018. Cheers to seeing more green in 2019. 

Simply Amazing

Life can be really good. I don't mean going on vacations to Europe good, but the simple acts of kindness, unexpected sights of wonder and beauty, and opportunities to learn and experience new things everyday. My daughter took this shot on her way to work yesterday morning. She said in her Facebook post she had to pull over to take a picture. Others must have as well as all over my Facebook, others had taken the time to stop, view, and capture the simply amazing sunrise we had in our part of Minnesota yesterday morning. I was already at the office, but even through windows, we could see the glorious colors. I haven't really chosen a word for the new year. I somewhat joked yesterday about Strategerie being my word. Perhaps Amazing would be better, a reminder to keep my eyes open for all life can offer especially in the most ordinary and simplest of time.

For other beautiful, fun, and some quirky photos and video links, visit her Instagram at Amongst Wildflowers Media.

Thrifty Thursday in a New Year

This might be my most important post for me each week in the early months of 2019. I need to get in a thrifty mindset, work towards my savings goals, and not be wasteful on the money front. I made an addition, and then a correction to yesterdays post. I was seeing my column and felt "Woah! I'm being frugal this year at the expense of being cheap." this was when I looked at the church and charitable giving line. I realized I didn't account for automatic deduction that we do through our employers that we then target to our local family service. Still, even with that which I first would bring our giving to 6%, I corrected to more like 4%. It's kind of how this year will shake out, but if I can find more ways to increase my giving to our church and non-profits we support, I will. Of course I'll continue to have non monetary donations to the food bank, angel tree gift at Christmas, and so forth, but I've never been haven't put them as separate from regular cash flow. OK, update and correction of my mind, here are my thrifty wins for the week.

• We stayed home New Year's Eve. We didn't even open a bottle of wine as my stomach was a little touchy, so we have that saved for a future evening. I even sent DD2 to her friends with snacks already on hand in the house.
• Packed DD2 a sandwich and fruit between her warm-ups and the show choir preview. While a lot of folk were dropping off fast food and sandwiches from Jimmy Johns, she actually preferred jut a simple sandwich. DH made her mac and cheese when she got home for a heartier snack.
• I successfully washed two work jackets on delicate cycle, a very light dryer to get wrinkles out, and hung them up. I'm trying so hard to avoid the ridiculous cost of dry cleaners plus the chemicals. Since these were thrifted jackets, I felt I could give it a try. 
• This was just luck, but the hotel the kids are staying at changed from the original plan so we changed as well. The new hotel will be $25 les for the two nights and still includes breakfast. As I will set DD2's hair the night before, it makes it so much more convenient to be at the same hotel. We also earned a few Orbitz dollars for a future hotel.
• I can roll over $500 in my medical flex account from 2018 to 2019, but since I didn't have the second throat procedure last May, I was at risk of losing a little over $300. I quickly  used some to get a spare pair of eyeglasses, so should be good for a while, and the last on reimbursable  knee ice, heat, support kit and high SPF Sun Screen. 

I'll pack lunch today and snacks for both DD2 and us for the road tomorrow. I have vegan bean soup and chili in the freezer for DD1 who will be staying with pup for the weekend. I filled up my gas tank again at low process plus a coupon-always try to in town as it is regularly 8-10 cents a gallon less in town than in the cities. These little wins I hope to just do all the time and keep the spending low. How abut you? Any new savings  wins for the week? Do you have some tried and true budget tamers to share?