Pantry Eating Challenge Day 5

a chicken in every pot

Pantry Challenge:  To create meals from the pantry and food storage for the month of January

 How to Stretch a Chicken  is a main stay of my monthly menu plan challenge or no challenge.  If you have not read this article it is worth a few moments of your time.  I began the day by preparing the 3.5 lb whole chicken that I took out of the freezer last night and placed in the refrigerator to thaw over night.  It still had just a bit of ice crystals inside but the washing took care of that.  The chicken was bought at .69/pound and cost $2.41.  It was cleaned by running fresh water through it and removing the innards and neck.  The giblets and neck will be boiled up for Mister T's dinner. 

The whole chicken went in the crock pot and then the leftover spaghetti sauce from last night's pizza went on top.  The chicken was further seasoned with dehydrated onion, homemade garlic salt, pepper, home grown dried oregano and a couple of shakes of hot sauce...bam.  Lid on and crock pot set for high 4 hours.  The entire process getting it ready did not take 10 minutes.

Since I plan on being home today I choose the crock pot to cook the chicken.  If I was out all day I would have gone through the same procedure but would have used the pressure cooker and in 45 minutes the chicken would have been cooked to the point of falling off the bone.  I love pressure cookers and have been collecting them for a few years.  If you are a working person then by all means try out a pressure cooker for delicious quick frugal meals.

Breakfast:  I made a cheese and egg quiche with my own homemade crust.  Usually I would get a premade crust because I thought it was easier.  It is one of those things I have wanted to master.  Well, I did it and it came out just fine.  I have a great rolling pin that my brother made for me.  He said it is a french design.  The year I got it for Christmas my first thought was that it was a weapon!  It would certainly do some damage to an intruders head!

The quiche was made from six eggs, a glug or two of 1/2 & 1/2, some mustard, homemade garlic salt,  and grated swiss cheese.  It was cooked in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  I often make quiches and use leftovers.  A quiche makes 4 really hearty meals.  Today I took the three leftover pieces and put them in a ziplock bag for breakfast or lunch later in the week. It also freezes really well and heat up quickly in a microwave. Notice the oven door is open to let out the heat in the picture.

Lunch did not happen today.  I was working on the computer and got carried away. The chicken was smelling great in the kitchen and I was satisfied with my cup of tea. Computeritis takes away my appetite.  Do you think I could figure out how to put that in a pill?

Dinner:  The crock pot Italian Chicken was excellent.  The meat was falling off the bones and was fully flavored with the seasoned spaghetti sauce.  I served some breast meat over a bit of angel hair pasta with a little sauce and it was a perfect meal.  Needless to say there is quite a bit leftover to be creative with during the rest of the week.  When it cools I will pick the chicken, save the bones for a broth and skim the fat from the remaining sauce.

This is the fifth day and I have not wanted to purchase a single thing from the market.  It will be easy to put my budgeted $50 into savings!

Frugal Saving Goal

I have been contemplating what it means to SAVE.  Reading frugal blogs and websites I see the word over and over again.  We say we went to the store, bought our goods using coupons and purchased items on sale and SAVED so much money.  But where did that money go?


I say I SAVED thus and such all the time and get that frugal rush of beating the system and feeling like I came out on top.  But what happened to that $5.74 that is listed on the grocery receipt?  I for one do not take that "SAVINGS" and put it into a jar or account.  Since I live on an extremely limited budget, I remain within my budget.  But I have come to a new realization.  If I spend so much time and energy or if it is my lifestyle to be frugal, I should take those SAVINGS and put them some where special and celebrate my efforts.


What would happen at the end of the year if all the money that was SAVED on grocery receipts was actually set aside?  How much would it be?  Would it be the retirement money I wish I had?  Would it make a significant addition to my savings account?  Would it create an emergency fund?  Would it add to my preparedness stores?  Think of what you could do with all that money!


So thinking about SAVED money I had to face the reality that what I called SAVED money is often a choice I am making to use one method or service over another.  For example, I am using free wood free firewood to heat my home this winter and therefore SAVING on my electric bill  . I canceled my trash service and now walk my trash to my Mother's home three doors down and SAVE on that bill.  I cut my electrical usage and again SAVE on my electric bill.  I do my laundry and use the dishwasher at night to SAVE.  Am I just gettting an emotional rush from the grocery receipt when some of those items are not really needed and were only purchased because they were on sale or because I had a coupon?  The list goes on and on.  You know the drill.  My contemplation brought me the awareness that I have been missing a huge opportunity to really SAVE money.  Instead of just creating a more lean budget, I should budget the actual cost of some of these services take the difference and apply it to a real SAVINGS account.  Am I the only one who has not really done this?  Was I absent the day this was taught in school? 

Are all you Frugalistas and Coupon Queens really taking those receipts and putting those SAVED pennies and dollars inot a jar when you get home? At the end of the month when I look at my checking account and add up what is left in my wallet I just simply smile, feel great, pat myself on the back for a job well done and forward the balance to next month's budget and realize I have a cushion.  What I really should do is take that cushion and move it to a SAVINGS account.


This ephiany came to me in the bathroom like a hit on the head.  I happen to like to read in the bathroom and always have a magazine handy for my quiet moments.  In this month's Woman's Day, (the subcription came from my Mother who was offered two subscriptions for the price of one) the cover boasts SAVE $2,010 in 2010 read article .  There were some great ideas for the normal family.  But since I don't daily buy coffee out any more or buy paper towels or have childcare costs or have a gym membership or dry clean clothing  some of the ideas did not apply to me.  I did pause on what could I do to SAVE $2010 in 2010 and became excited about the prospect of setting a goal for myself and finding ways to achieve my goal.  Now remember I live on a very low fixed budget and most people will think it is a miracle if I achieve my goal.  See that inspires me to succeed even more!


So I do declare to the Universe that I will SAVE $2010 in cash in the year 2010.


I am participating in the January Pantry Challenge  so whatever I have left from my usual $200 food budget will begin my SAVINGS fund.  I will collect the change from my wallet at the end of each week and add that to the jar.  This has proven to be a very passive way to collect money over a period of time and I will continue this practice.  I will recalculate my budget to make it more realistic to what I would be paying for bills if I was living in a conventional manner (is that a good way of saying a non obsessed frualistic manner?).  This will be an interesting goal to be working on and the results can only be good and beneficial. I will keep you informed how much I save monthly and will report in on any new ideas I come up with.  Just think my goal is SAVING $167.50 a month not that I have to accomplish this each month but it is a way of seeing it as achievable.


So what do you do with the money you SAVE being frugal?

Pantry Eating Challenge Day 4

The pantry challenge:  to eat from the pantry for the month of January.

Day 4:  Breakfast consisted of the two small pancakes leftover from yesterday.  I toasted them under the broiler then left the oven door open to let the heat warm the kitchen.  A cup of coffee and an orange and I was ready for my day.

Lunch:  A salad with a piece of smoked salmon flaked on top.  My neighbor had given me a couple pieces of his smoked salmon for Christmas. It was just delicious in the salad.  The greens will only be around another day or so and will have to be eaten.

Dinner:  Made a pizza which came out pretty good.  Using a package of refrigerator rolls (the kind that come in a tube) I pressed them out on a pizza stone, topped with some jarred spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese then baked till golden.  I do wish I had rolled out the crust a bit more but the final product was good and did not leave me feeling as if I had just settled.  Mister T helped finish off the leftovers!

The shredded mozzarella cheese was purchased form a restaurant supply store in a large bag.  Today when I opened the bag which had been in the refrigerator, I divided the cheese up into four ziplock bags and froze three of them.  I love cheese and knowing there is some in the freezer at all times is comforting.  I also have grated parmesan in the freezer.  It lasts longer frozen.  It is also a very frugal way to purchase cheese because the large bags are much less expensive than the small store packages.

When I was in the freezer I pulled out a frozen chicken for tomorrow. 

The Frugal Hamster

Check out the Frugal Hamster on the left hand column of the blog.  If you move your mouse over it and click it she will do different things.  I thought she was kind of cute.  Who thinks up these things???

Pantry Eating Challenge Day 3

The challenge:  to eat from the pantry for the month of January.

By the pantry, I mean the closet with dry food, the shelves with home canned goods and the freezer.  Just a clarification.

Breakfast was blueberry pancakes made from a mix with homecanned blackberry jam and coffee.  I used up all the batter and the leftover pancakes will be my breakfast tomorrow morning.  My little neighbor Hailey and I ate late so no lunch today.  I slept in late this morning...yawn.

Dinner was sliced roast beef leftovers (I froze the rest as I am getting tired of beef) and salad greens that only have a few days left from the refrigerator.  Sharon, a friend, brought over some persimmon cookies last evening and I had a couple with tea for dessert.

Can't say I have made a dent in the pantry yet but it is only day three.  This week I will make a pot of beans and see what else I can come up with.